Nov 18, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez targets incumbent Dems

Photo: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) endorsed a national campaign on Saturday that seeks to find progressive Democratic candidates to run against incumbent Democrats deemed too conservative or out of touch with their home districts.

Why it matters: It's part of a concerted effort from the Democrats' progressive wing to shift the party further to the left by replicating Ocasio-Cortez’s playbook after she shockingly defeated Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), who was viewed as a possible successor to Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader.

The big picture: As Politico notes, such a move by an incoming member of Congress just as her party is gaining its first House majority in eight years is highly unusual.

The group reportedly plans to target safe Democratic seats rather than swing districts in 2020.
The campaign wants to replace those safe incumbents with leaders who would reflect the diversity of their constituencies and support liberal policies like "Medicare for All," the "Green New Deal" and a rejection of corporate PAC donations.

Go deeper: Democratic socialist victories in the 2018 midterms

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Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

After grilling the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple last week, members of Congress are grappling with whether to accuse any of the firms of illegal anticompetitive behavior, to propose updating federal antitrust laws — or both.

The big picture: Congress is just one arm of government making the case against these companies. Google is expected to be the first of the firms to face possible antitrust litigation from the Justice Department before summer's end, but all four face a full-court press of investigations by DOJ, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.

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Fauci: Coronavirus task force to examine aerosolized spread

A sneeze. Photo: Maartje van Caspel/Getty Images

The White House coronavirus task force will examine more closely just how much SARS-CoV-2 might be transmitted via aerosols, and not just from droplets, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Wednesday at an online forum sponsored by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Why it matters: The longer the coronavirus can remain infectious in the air, the more likely it can infect people, particularly indoors — leading to the possible need to alter air filtration and circulation within buildings.

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52 mins ago - Economy & Business

The next wave to hit Main Street

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Call it the great retail wash. A wave of defaults, bankruptcies and evictions expected in cities across the U.S. is poised to remake the retail landscape across the country, but there may be some upside for consumers and small businesses.

Why it matters: Rather than an overnight descent into a collection of urban wastelands full of Starbucks, Amazon fulfillment centers, Chase bank branches and nothing else, the coronavirus pandemic and resulting retail apocalypse may just mean that, in major U.S. cities, less is more.