💍 Axios PM: Get married at the office

Plus: Tide turns on war | Thursday, April 04, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Walmart   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Apr 04, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 548 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: Tide turns on Bibi Seven aid workers for World Central Kitchen who were killed in Gaza on Monday. Photo: World Central Kitchen via AP Israel's killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers has the makings of a watershed moment — rapidly accelerating a decline in U.S. support for the war in Gaza, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. ⚡️ The big picture: Frustration with the Israeli government has been building inside the White House for months as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened. It's now boiling over. 📞 President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today that it's time for an "immediate ceasefire" — without explicitly tying a ceasefire to the release of Israeli hostages, as he has done in the past. The call between the two leaders was "tense and challenging," a source told Axios' Barak Ravid. 🔎 Zoom out: Criticism of Israel is no longer confined to the Democratic party's left wing. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Biden's closest ally in the Senate, said the U.S. should condition its aid if Israel invades Rafah without a humanitarian plan. Richard Haass, a pillar of the foreign policy establishment, called Thursday for the U.S. to consider "sanctions" on Israel: "I'm sorry it's come to this," the former diplomat said. "If we don't see changes from their side, there will have to be changes from our side," White House spokesperson John Kirby warned. Go deeper .... Read World Central Kitchen's tribute to the aid workers killed in Gaza     2. 💒 Vacant offices become wedding venues The terrace at 1700 NY Ave. Photo: courtesy Carr + Events Empty office buildings in the D.C. area are hoping to find new life as wedding venues, Axios DC's Anna Spiegel reports. "We need to think more like hotels," Oliver Carr, the CEO of mega-developer Carr Properties, told Axios. "We've got beautiful buildings in great locations with spectacular views, but we haven't been maximizing the potential of the asset." 😘 Saying "I do" in a half-empty office building might give Dunder Mifflin vibes, but Carr Properties is homing in on a handful of buildings with great views and lush amenities, including one with fire pits and a DJ booth. Share this story.     A message from Walmart Walmart store investments create thousands of jobs     Walmart announced plans to remodel stores across 47 states and Puerto Rico in 2024. The impact: Millions in capital investment of labor, supplies and tax revenue for local economies. Remodel efforts alone are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs over the next 12 months. Learn more.     3. Catch me up Former President Trump at a rally Tuesday in Wisconsin. Photo: Daniel Steinle/Bloomberg via Getty Images ⚖️ A Georgia judge rejected former President Trump's attempt to get the state's election-racketeering case against him dismissed based on First Amendment claims. Go deeper. 💰 Scoop: Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is making the biggest ad buy in Nevada history — $14 million in TV and radio spots. The Cook Political Report just rated the all-important Nevada Senate race as a toss-up. Go deeper. 🎓 Stanford University's next president will be Jonathan Levin, an economist who's currently the dean of the Stanford business school. His father, Rick Levin, was the president of Yale for 20 years. Go deeper.     4. 🎸 Digital rock Kiss performs during the final night of the "Kiss Farewell Tour" on Dec. 2, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Rock band Kiss has sold its name, catalog and intellectual property to a Swedish company for an estimated $300 million, AP reports. It's part of the band's effort to find a digital presence that will live on even as its human members hang up their guitars and wipe off their makeup for good. 🎤 Pophouse, the company that bought the rights to all things Kiss, will likely launch a live show that features digitized avatars of the band members "performing" their biggest hits. The company recently did something similar with ABBA. It's also planning to license the band's material for a biopic and a documentary.     A message from Walmart Hundreds of Walmart stores are getting a major update     This year, Walmart plans to remodel 650 stores across the country — and build or convert another 150 stores in the next five years. The goal: Stores will feature improved layouts, a larger product selection and innovative technology for a seamless shopping experience. See the impact.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. 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