Nov 20, 2019

2 U.S. troops dead in helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Two U.S. service members were killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military announced.

The big picture: The deaths bring the number of U.S. combat deaths in Afghanistan this year to 19, making it the deadliest year for American military personnel in that country since the end of combat missions in 2014, Military.com reports. About 2,400 have died in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001.

Go deeper: Pentagon chief travels to Afghanistan to assess state of peace process

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Axios
Updated 21 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Politics: Ex-FDA chief: Pence campaigning after COVID exposure puts others at risk — Mark Meadows: "We are not going to control the pandemic"— COVID-19 looms over White House Halloween celebrations.
  2. Health: 13 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week — Fauci says maybe we should mandate masks if people don't wear them — America was sick well before it ever got COVID-19.
  3. World: Italy tightens restrictions — Spain declares new state of emergency.
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Orion Rummler
Updated 26 mins ago - Health

13 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week

Data: Compiled by Axios; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

13 states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project (CTP) and state health departments. Kansas, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming surpassed records from the previous week.

The big picture: The pandemic is getting worse again across the country, and daily coronavirus cases have risen in the U.S. for six straight weeks, according to a seven-day average tracked by Axios. The U.S. reported over 80,000 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.

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Fadel Allassan
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Senate advances Amy Coney Barrett nomination, setting up final confirmation vote

Photo: Xinhua/Ting Shen via Getty Images

The Senate voted 51-48 on Sunday to advance the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, setting up a final confirmation vote for Monday.

Why it matters: It's now virtually inevitable that the Senate will vote to confirm President Trump's third Supreme Court nominee before the election, which is just nine days away.

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