🚫 Axios PM: Sorry is canceled

Just one more weekday. Today's newsletter, edited by Alex Fitzpatrick, is 651 words, a 2.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.

The age of public apologies is over, as companies, brands and public figures dig in their heels or dodge accountability, Axios Communicators author Eleanor Hawkins writes.

• American Eagle doubled down on its controversial ad featuring Sydney Sweeney. Women's dating advice app Tea didn't apologize after user data was hacked. And CrowdStrike left out the immediate "sorry" when its global outage took out airlines and more last year.
• While phony statements from Astronomer executives littered the internet, executives there have yet to issue public apologies following the recent kiss cam scandal.
• Replit CEO Amjad Masad had choice words for X users who were offended by his stance on Gaza: "I've been reflecting and going back and forth on how to handle this. I finally realized that I must, from the bottom of my heart, apologize to — absolutely nobody."

The no-apology, hardline stance is a response to desensitized audiences, political polarization and cancel-culture fatigue.

• "People are simply tired of the outrage cycles and cancellation campaigns," says crisis communications expert Molly McPherson.
• Some may view any given apology as insufficient — while others see them as a sign of weakness.
• And apologies can extend a news cycle that might have otherwise blown over quickly.

Instead of making sweeping public apologies, some are opting for more targeted outreach, says Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communications at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.

• "Leaders are reconsidering whether it's the right tool, and we're watching companies experiment here, defending their decision, ignoring the noise, or addressing constituencies privately instead of making a public spectacle."
• "The best leaders aren't abandoning responsibility, they're just finding different ways to communicate it."

Go deeper ... Get Axios Communicators.

A record 14 million unauthorized immigrants were in the U.S. as of 2023, Axios' Russell Contreras reports from new Pew Research Center data.

• The report sheds light on the massive jump during the first two years of the Biden presidency, which fueled backlash aiding President Trump's return to the White House.

🇺🇸 Pew's numbers include those in the U.S. with some protections from deportation.

• About 6 million immigrants without full legal status had some protection from deportation in 2023, up from 2.7 million in 2021.
• In 2007, when the undocumented immigrant population hit its previous peak of 12.2 million, only about 500,000 had protection.

📉 Early data shows that the number of unauthorized immigrants continued rising in 2024, but dropped this year as the Trump administration began immigration raids and ended many protections.

• Go deeper.

1. 🚔 President Trump plans to join law enforcement groups on the streets of Washington, D.C., this evening. "I'm going to be going out tonight with the police and with the military," he told radio host Todd Starnes. Go deeper.
2. 💵 A New York court threw out a roughly $465 million fine in President Trump's civil fraud case, though state attorney general Letitia James could appeal. Go deeper.
3. 🛒 Tariff-driven price hikes are starting to shape customer behavior, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said today, especially among "middle- and lower-income households." Go deeper.
4. 👨‍💼 Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) announced his campaign for Texas attorney general. He joins a crowd of Republicans aiming to replace Ken Paxton, who's challenging John Cornyn for Senate. Go deeper.

"Fibermaxxing" is TikTok's latest health craze, with adherents eating tons of dietary fiber, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum reports.

• 🫀Fiber is good for your bowels, blood sugar and heart — and lowers colorectal cancer risk.
• Most Americans don't get enough. A viral push could help close the gap.

Yes, but: "Where the trend has gone too far for me" is when adults are consuming over the recommended 25–38 grams, says nutritionist Janet Helm.

• ⛽️ Eating too much too fast could cause bloat, gas and diarrhea.

Go deeper.

📬 Thanks for reading! Please invite your friends to join PM.