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2 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan, bringing 2019 total to 14

Soldiers are seen in the Achin district in Afghanistan in 2017. Photo: Zabihullah Ghazi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Two U.S. service members stationed in Afghanistan were killed in action on Monday, NATO Resolute Support said in a statement. The identities of the service members will be withheld for 24 hours until the next of kin is identified.

Why it matters: The war in Afghanistan is America's longest by far, with the number of service members killed in 2019 — 17 years after Operation Enduring Freedom began — now totaling 14. Most Americans view the war as a failure. The announcement comes on the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Trump has directed him to reduce the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan by the 2020 election, the Washington Post reports.

Go deeper: U.S. pushes toward “face-saving way out" of Afghanistan

Go deeper

Margaret Harding McGill, Sara Fischer
1 hour ago - Technology

Tech scrambles to derail inauguration threats

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Tech companies are sharing more information with law enforcement in a frantic effort to prevent violence around the inauguration, after the government was caught flat-footed by the Capitol siege.

Between the lines: Tech knows it will be held accountable for any further violence that turns out to have been planned online if it doesn't act to stop it.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Dave Lawler, author of World
1 hour ago - World

Uganda's election: Museveni declared winner, Wine claims fraud

Wine rejected the official results of the election. Photo: Sumy Sadruni/AFP via Getty

Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of a sixth presidential term on Saturday, with official results giving him 59% to 35% for Bobi Wine, the singer-turned-opposition leader.

Why it matters: This announcement was predictable, as the election was neither free nor fair and Museveni had no intention of surrendering power after 35 years. But Wine — who posed a strong challenged to Museveni, particularly in urban areas, and was beaten and arrested during the campaign — has said he will present evidence of fraud. The big question is whether he will mobilize mass resistance in the streets.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 1: A premeditated lie lit the fire

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. Axios takes you inside the collapse of a president with a special series.

Episode 1: Trump’s refusal to believe the election results was premeditated. He had heard about the “red mirage” — the likelihood that early vote counts would tip more Republican than the final tallies — and he decided to exploit it.

"Jared, you call the Murdochs! Jason, you call Sammon and Hemmer!”

Go deeper (6 min. read)Arrow