Jun 28, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Merkel calls migration "make or break" issue for the EU

Angela Merkel. Photo: Michele Tantussi/Getty Images

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe is a "make or break" issue in a speech to the German parliament, reports CNN.

The backdrop: EU member states have been bitterly divided on the issue, illustrated by Italy's refusal last week to take in a ship containing hundreds of migrants, forcing it to dock in Spain instead. European leaders agreed to consider an emergency compromise over the weekend that migrants should be screened in offshore centers in North Africa before heading to Europe — all before a full EU summit kicks off today.

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Axios

Updated 4 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 12,745,734 — Total deaths: 565,782 — Total recoveries — 7,023,260 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 3,248,220 — Total deaths: 134,815 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
Politics: Trump wears face mask in public for first time.
Public health: Trump's coronavirus testing czar says lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table" — We're losing the war on the coronavirus.
Education: Betsy DeVos says schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds.

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Fadel Allassan

9 mins ago - Health

Betsy DeVos: Schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told "Fox News Sunday" that public schools that don't reopen in the fall should not get federal funds, and that the money should be redirected to families who can use it to find another option for their children.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is engaged in a full-court press to reopen schools this fall, despite warnings from some public health officials that the coronavirus outbreak is out of control in many states and that it will be difficult for many schools to reopen safely.

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Axios

28 mins ago - Health

Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table"

The Trump administration's coronavirus testing coordinator Adm. Brett Giroir said on ABC's "This Week" that "everything" — including the "stringent lockdowns" that many governors implemented in March and April — should be "on the table" in states where new infections are skyrocketing.

Why it matters: President Trump said in June that the U.S. "won't be closing down the country again" — a view shared by many Republicans who believe that the economic damage caused by stay-at-home orders was too great to justify a second round of lockdowns.