🤸🏿‍♀️ Axios PM: Simone Biles' comeback

Plus: Biden's sleep mask | Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By American Edge Project   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jun 28, 2023 ☀️ Good Wednesday afternoon! Today's PM — edited by Erica Pandey — is 595 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     1 big thing: Simone Biles is back Biles at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Ashley Landis/AP Seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles is set to return to competition at the U.S. Classic in August, organizers announced. Why it matters: It will be her first competition since she stepped away from gymnastics after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health, Axios' Jacob Knutson writes. 🖼️ The big picture: The 26-year-old Biles has been a vocal advocate for athletes to find space to protect their mental health, after her experience in Japan put the issue front and center, AP notes. Biles' return to the sport she dominated for nearly a decade suggests an athlete who wants to go out on her own terms. Biles is tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American female gymnast. 🔭 What to watch: At the U.S. Classic, Biles will be joined by Tokyo Games' defending all-around champion Sunisa Lee. Share this story.     2. 💤 Biden's mask Biden speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One today. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images President Biden has recently started to use a CPAP machine to treat his sleep apnea, Axios' Erin Doherty reports. Reporters inquired after marks could be seen on Biden's face in photos — including the one above, taken this morning. "Since 2008, the President has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports. He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement today. Bloomberg News first reported Biden's use of the CPAP machine. Biden started using the machine recently to improve his sleep quality, per a White House official. Medical records from 2008 showed that Biden had a recurring issue of sleep apnea, a common condition in which "your breathing stops and restarts many times while you sleep," per the National Institutes of Health. Reality check: Sleep apnea is widespread, affecting up to 10% of people worldwide, including millions in the U.S. alone, the Cleveland Clinic notes. 🖼️ The big picture: White House physician Kevin O'Connor in February called Biden "fit for duty," in a medical memo after the president underwent his annual physical examination. Share this story.     A message from American Edge Project U.S. & Europe agree: China is a growing threat     U.S. and European voters remain aligned on common values and share a mutual concern about the growing technological threats posed by China and Russia. The vast majority of voters want to jointly defend their shared values against foreign adversaries. See the survey.     3. Catch me up Photo: Amr Nabil/AP 🕌 Above: Pilgrims walk to cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, today. Saudi Arabia is hosting the first full-scale Hajj since pre-pandemic. Some 2 million pilgrims have already arrived, AP reports. 🔥 Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada is triggering poor-air-quality alerts in several cities across the upper Midwest. Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit recorded some of the worst air pollution levels of any major city in the world. Go deeper.     4. 🇰🇷 South Korea gets younger People lounge in Seoul Plaza in April. Photo: Wang Yiliang/Xinhua via Getty Images South Koreans woke up today a year or two younger, as the country replaced its own age-counting methods with the international standard, Axios' Ivana Saric writes. The new standardization is expected to reduce confusion and conflicts stemming from the mixing of age calculations. ⏳ How we got here: The international standard for age counting begins at zero on the day a person is born and adds one year on each birthday. Since the 1960s, South Korea has used the international standard for medical and legal documents, Reuters notes. But under the traditional method, people were 1 year old at the time of birth, with an additional year added every Jan. 1, according to the Korea Times. A baby born Dec. 31 would be considered 2 years old just 24 hours later. Share this story.     A message from American Edge Project Western voters increasingly prioritize a free, open internet     American and European voters are clear — they want their governments to ensure the internet remains free and open. Voters also want to avoid onerous regulations that threaten how their tech sectors operate domestically and across the Atlantic. See why.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: