Apr 17, 2019

Scoop: Seth Moulton tapes 2020 launch video

Seth Moulton taping his presidential announcement video. Photo via an Axios AM reader

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) was spotted in his hometown of Marblehead, Massachusetts, taping a presidential announcement that's expected within a week, according to a source close to Moulton.

The big picture: Moulton's key issues will be foreign policy, national security and defense. Moulton was also spotted taping recently in Vegas, where he held three meetings with veterans.

For his congressional seat, Moulton, 40, ran on "bringing a new generation of leadership to Washington."

The congressman joined the Marines after graduating from Harvard, and he led an infantry platoon in Iraq.
His bio says: "He served four tours in a war that he didn’t agree with."

Matt Corridoni, a Moulton aide, tells me: "Seth has said he's seriously thinking about running and will announce his decision by the end of the month."

Flashback: Joe Biden was recently spotted at his childhood home in Scranton, Pennsylvania, obviously taping a commercial for a campaign launch that's expected after Easter.

Go deeper: Everything you need to know about the 2020 presidential candidates

Go deeper

Kim Hart

Public transit's death spiral

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Public transit systems across the country are experiencing a painful trifecta: Ridership has collapsed, funding streams are squeezed, and mass transit won't bounce back from the pandemic nearly as fast as other modes of transportation.

Why it matters: Transit agencies could see an annual shortfall of as much as $38 billion due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to TransitCenter. At the same time, they're more important than ever, with more than 36% of essential workers relying on public transportation to get to work.

Go deeper11 mins ago - Health

Axios

World coronavirus updates: London mayor says U.K. nowhere near lockdown lifting

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered hope in the fight against the novel coronavirus, saying she believes New Zealand has "turned a corner" after two weeks of strict lockdown measures. But London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the U.K. is "nowhere near" lifting restrictions.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed over 82,000 people and infected 1.4 million others globally as of early Wednesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Global recoveries have surpassed 301,000. Spain has reported the most cases outside the U.S. (more than 141,000) and Italy the most deaths (over 17,000). Half the planet's population is on lockdown.

Go deeperUpdated 36 mins ago - Health

Stef W. Kight

Wisconsin may be the start of the 2020 election wars

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Wisconsin voters braving lines in face masks — after a last-minute Supreme Court ruling against extending the absentee deadline — could foreshadow a nationwide legal struggle over how to conduct elections during the coronavirus outbreak, election experts say.

Why it matters: "It's a harbinger of what's to come in the next skirmishes in the voting wars" from now through November, Richard Hasen, a professor and national election law expert at the University of California, Irvine, told Axios.

Go deeper41 mins ago - Politics & Policy