Feb 1, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Trump says Kamala Harris has had best "opening act" out of 2020 Democrats

Donald Trump (L) and Kamala Harris (R) Photos: Mark Wilson; Mason Trinca via Getty Images

In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times Thursday, President Trump said Sen. Kamala Harris has had the best "opening act" out of the Democrats who have signaled they will run for president in 2020.

The big picture: Trump said the Democratic party as a whole has “really drifted far left” and claimed Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been "hurt very badly with the Pocahontas trap," referring to her effort last year to prove she has Native American heritage. When asked about speculation that he may not run for re-election in 2020, Trump told the Times that he loves being president and that he doesn't see any viable Republican candidates who could challenge him in a primary.

Other highlights:

  • On Roger Stone: Trump said he never spoke to his longtime associate Roger Stone about WikiLeaks, but that the way FBI agents raided Stone's house at 6 a.m. was "a very sad thing for our country."
  • On the Mueller investigation: Trump said that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told his attorneys that he is not a subject or target of the Russia probe. He said he "does not know" if that covers the investigation in the Southern District of New York as well.
  • On his intelligence chiefs: Trump said testimonies by CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence — in which they contradicted him on their threat assessments of Russia, Iran and North Korea — were "mischaracterized."

Go deeper: Trump signals he'll call national emergency after "waste of time" border talks

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Axios
Updated 47 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 21,020,216 — Total deaths: 761,393— Total recoveries: 13,048,303 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,289,323 — Total deaths: 167,948 — Total recoveries: 1,774,648 — Total tests: 64,831,306 — Map.
  3. Health: CDC: Survivors of COVID-19 have up to three months of immunity —Fauci believes normalcy will return by "the end of 2021" with vaccine — The pandemic's toll on mental health.
  4. Business: How small businesses got stiffed — Unemployment starts moving in the right direction.
  5. Cities: Coronavirus pandemic dims NYC's annual 9/11 Tribute in Light.
  6. Politics: Biden signals fall strategy with new ads.
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Alexi McCammond
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

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Sara Fischer
2 hours ago - Technology

Facebook goes after Apple

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Facebook is seeking to force a face-off with Apple over its 30% in-app purchase commission fee, which Facebook suggests hurts small businesses struggling to get by during the pandemic.

The big picture: Facebook has never publicly gone after Apple, a key strategic partner, this aggressively. Both companies face antitrust scrutiny, which in Apple's case has centered on the very fee structure Facebook is now attacking.

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