Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Dec 12, 2017

3. How Trump came to love Roy Moore

Photo: Alex Brandon / AP

Following the allegations of sexual harassment, President Trump said via Sarah Sanders that if the allegations were true, Moore should withdraw.
In late November, Trump began promoting Moore by harping on how bad it would be to have a Democratic senator in Alabama.
Trump gave a full endorsement on Dec. 4 when he tweeted: "Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!"
Trump called Moore following the endorsement, calling him a "fighter" and ending with "go get 'em, Roy," according to Moore campaign officials.
On Monday morning, a robocall of Trump went out to Alabama voters encouraging them to vote for Moore.
Barack Obama countered Trump's robocall with his own pre-recorded phone messages encouraging Alabama voters to reject Roy Moore, saying: "This one's serious. You can't sit it out."

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 43 mins ago - Health

California surpasses 50,000 COVID-19 deaths

A man prepares a funeral arrangement in in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 12. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

California's death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 50,000 on Wednesday, per Johns Hopkins data.

The big picture: It's the first state to record more than 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

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Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends

2 hours ago - Technology

Facebook bans Myanmar military

A protester holds a placard with a three-finger salute in front of a military tank parked aside the street in front of the Central Bank building during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo by Aung Kyaw Htet/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Facebook said on Wednesday it would ban the rest of the Myanmar military from its platform.

The big picture: It comes some three weeks after the military overthrew the civilian government in a coup and detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, causing massive protests to erupt throughout the country. Military leaders have been using internet blackouts to try to maintain power in light of the coup.

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Stef W. Kight, Will Chase

4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

It's harder to fill the Cabinet

Data: Chamberlain, 2020, "United States of America Cabinet Appointments Dataset" Chart: Will Chase/Axios

It's harder now for presidents to win Senate confirmation for their Cabinet picks, an Axios data analysis of votes for and against nominees found.

Why it matters: It's not just Neera Tanden. The trend is a product of growing polarization, rougher political discourse and slimming Senate majorities, experts say. It means some of the nation's most vital federal agencies go without a leader and the legislative authority that comes with one.

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