🕯️ Axios PM: Tragedy in Mecca

Plus: Llama golf | Monday, June 24, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Goldman Sachs   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jun 24, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 411 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: Heat kills 1,300 Muslim pilgrims   Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca last week at the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Photo: AFP via Getty Images More than 1,300 people died this month during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, as temperatures climbed above 120°F. The death toll raises questions about both the Saudi government's processes and "an underbelly of tour operators and smugglers around the world who profit off Muslims desperate to make the journey," The New York Times reports. Roughly 2 million people make the pilgrimage to Mecca each year. Technically, a permit is required, and people who have one can access air-conditioned buses and tents. But with official packages costing several thousand dollars, a large number of people try to make the trip unofficially, per the Times. Most of the pilgrims who died this month are believed to have been traveling without a permit. This is not the first time the Hajj has turned deadly. The Saudi government does not release information about the number of deaths each year, making it nearly impossible to compare multiple years' death tolls. Go deeper: The global heat wave in photos     2. 🎧 Record labels sue AI startups   Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   🎸 Major U.S. record labels are suing a pair of AI music startups, saying their products constitute mass copyright infringement, Axios chief technology correspondent Ina Fried reports. Sony Music Entertainment, UMG and Warner Records are suing Suno, developer of Suno AI, and Uncharted Labs, the developer of Udio AI, 🦾 The big picture: The suits echo similar actions brought by authors, newspaper publishers and artists who argue that generative AI systems infringe on copyright both in their training and through their output. Go deeper.     A message from Goldman Sachs AI will start to boost U.S. GDP in 2027, according to Goldman Sachs Research     Despite significant investment in AI, application still lags. What to expect: Productivity gains unlocked by AI depend on adoption rates. While that will take time, our economists see "very positive" signs that AI will boost GDP and productivity. Get the insight.     3. Catch me up   A boy carries water at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip today. Photo: Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images 🇮🇱 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is still committed to the Israeli proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal, after walking back his support for it yesterday. Go deeper. ⚖️ The Supreme Court will decide whether states can ban gender-affirming care for minors. Go deeper. 🗳️ Former President Trump plans to dramatically tighten the federal government's control of Washington, D.C.'s local affairs if he wins a second term. Go deeper.     4. ⛳️ 1 fun thing: Llama caddies   Dave Rhiver of Raleigh, N.C., played a round with Sandy, a male llama, as his caddy. Photo: Clifford A. Sobel for Axios Golfing with a llama for a caddy is one of the hottest tickets in North Carolina, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson reports. Llamas are sturdy, docile and easy to train, and a golf bag is no big deal for an animal bred to carry heavy loads through mountains. But this arrangement is more about the novelty than the golf, which slows down considerably when there's a llama involved. Go deeper. Jenifer Lyons of Black Mountain, N.C., takes a shot. Photo: Clifford A. Sobel for Axios     A message from Goldman Sachs Stay ahead with insights from Goldman Sachs     Get the sharpest forecasts on the key factors driving the global economy. Here's how: Goldman Sachs economists and strategists provide analysis from across the firm on global growth, industry trends, market outlooks and more. Read our global insights here.   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. Advertise with us. 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: