🎒Axios PM: Back-to-school squeeze

Plus: "Severance" tops Emmys | Tuesday, July 15, 2025

View in browser   PRESENTED BY AMAZON   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jul 15, 2025 Good Tuesday afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 328 words, a 1.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: Tariffs squeeze back-to-school shopping   Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Parents are heading into back-to-school season facing rising prices and looming tariffs, forcing them to shop smarter and earlier, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports. Why it matters: Back-to-school shopping is the second-biggest retail event of the year, after the holidays. This season is a stress test for family budgets and a strategy test for retailers trying to hold onto value-conscious shoppers. 🚌 By the numbers: 67% of back-to-school shoppers had already started buying for the coming school year as of early June, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey, released today. That's the highest since NRF started tracking early shopping in 2018. 51% of families said they are shopping earlier this year compared with last year, "out of concern that prices will rise due to tariffs," NRF said. Go deeper.     2. 📺 "Severance" and "The Studio" lead Emmy nods   Adam Scott and Britt Lower in "Severance." Photo: Apple TV+ via AP "Severance" led the field with a whopping 27 Emmy nominations today, including Best Drama. 🎬 "The Studio," starring Seth Rogen as the harried head of a film studio, had 23 nominations, including Best Comedy. Both are Apple TV+ series, but HBO and Netflix each had more total nominations than Apple. The Emmys ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 14, with Nate Bargatze hosting. See all the nominees.     A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON Robotics does the heavy lifting for Amazon employees     Amazon uses robotics in our warehouses to make jobs safer and easier for our employees by handling repetitive tasks and heavy lifting. The details: Robins, a system that uses a robotic arm to help sort customer orders, has now assisted with sorting more than 2 billion packages. Learn more.     3. Catch me up   "Ruthless" podcasters. Photo: Courtesy of Fox News 🎙️ Fox News will license the "Ruthless" podcast, hosted by veteran GOP consultants, as it looks to expand its new media offerings. As part of the deal, the four hosts will serve as Fox News contributors. Go deeper. 🇨🇳 Nvidia shares rallied sharply, helping boost the entire tech sector, after the company said the U.S. government will again allow it to ship powerful AI chips to China. Go deeper. ⚖️ The Trump administration has fired 17 immigration judges across 10 states, according to the judges' union. Go deeper.     4. 🎆 1 for the road   Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images Fireworks light up the Eiffel Tower yesterday to celebrate Bastille Day.     A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON Meet Lina: Amazon free skills training launched her robotics career     Career journey: Lina started working part-time at Amazon in a fulfillment center. Using free skills training, she launched a career in robotics. Impact of working at Amazon: "None of this would've been possible if I didn't find Amazon." See the impact of free skills training.   📬 Thanks for reading! Please invite your friends to join PM. 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, PO Box 101060, 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: