National

The Air Force filed criminal charges against Tech. Sgt. David Dezwaan over an April explosion at a base in eastern Syria that injured four other U.S. service members, AP reports.

Why it matters: Dezwaan was charged with dereliction of duty, destroying military property, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault after the incident. The Pentagon said it was caused by the "deliberate placement of explosive charges" near an ammunition depot. 

Dezwaan has been held in confinement since June.

The big picture: The Department of Defense originally said enemy indirect fire caused the explosion. 

Dezwaan was also charged with obtaining classified information by accessing a government computer without authorization.

Go deeper ... In photos: China's military drills encircle Taiwan

Air Force charges airman over Syrian base explosion

The April blast injured four other U.S. service members.

Air Force

The Air Force filed criminal charges against Tech. Sgt. David Dezwaan over an April explosion at a base in eastern Syria that injured four other U.S. service members, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/reckless-endangerment-government-and-politics-b2caf39627343a1062da145033efdccc?taid=62ebef564582f30001630e77&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" data-vars-content-id="29b307c2-0c91-4a07-a253-6dc8bea15be0" data-vars-headline="Air Force charges airman over Syrian base explosion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/reckless-endangerment-government-and-politics-b2caf39627343a1062da145033efdccc?taid=62ebef564582f30001630e77&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank">AP</a> reports.Why it matters: Dezwaan was charged with dereliction of duty, destroying military property, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault after the incident. The Pentagon said it was caused by the &quot;deliberate placement of explosive charges&quot; near an ammunition depot.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Austin

Axios Austin

A jury in Texas ordered far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay the parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting $45.2 million in punitive damages for falsely calling the mass shooting a hoax. 

Why it matters: The punitive damages come on top of the $4.1 million the jury ordered Jones to pay in compensatory damages to the parents, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, on Thursday, which marked the first time he had been held financially liable for spreading conspiracy theories about the mass shooting.

Jones, primarily through his website and radio show Infowars, previously  claimed the shooting was a "false flag" operation planned by the government using "crisis actors" to undermine gun rights secured by the Second Amendment, though he admitted during the trial that he believes it was "100% real."

In civil cases, compensatory damages compensate for losses suffered by the injured party, while punitive are awarded to punish a defendant whose behavior is found to have been especially harmful, according to Cornell Law School.

Details: Heslin and Lewis asked the jury for about $145 million in punitive damages on Friday before the order was issued.

As a result of Jones' false claims, Heslin and Lewis said they endured trauma from threats online and over the phone, street harassment and gunshots fired at their home.

Their son, Jesse Lewis, was murdered alongside 19 additional children and six educators during the shooting at the elementary school.

What they're saying: Wesley Ball, a lawyer for Lewis and Heslin, asked the jurors Friday to award nearly $146 million in punitive damages, saying they had an opportunity to "stop Alex Jones. Stop the monetization of misinformation and lies."

The other side: Jones' attorney, Andino Reynal, told the jury that Jones had "apologized repeatedly and offered to have the parents on his show" — and asked them to set punitive damages at roughly $270,000.

The big picture: Jones has been found liable in other defamation lawsuits brought by the family members of other Sandy Hook victims.

The parent company of Jones' conspiracy-peddling empire, Free Speech Systems LLC, declared bankruptcy last week for a second time this year in a bid to limit the cost of litigation damages, Axios' Kate Marino writes.

Worth noting: Jones was accused of committing perjury during the trial with Heslin and Lewis after his lawyers accidentally sent their lawyer years' worth of texts and emails from his phone.

Those messages refuted claims he made under oath that no messages containing the words "Sandy Hook" were on his phone.

The congressional select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has requested those messages. Jones was involved in the planning and funding of the rally that preceded the deadly rampage.

Austin Alerts

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

Axios Austin Thought Bubble

Jury orders Alex Jones to pay $45 million in punitive damages

It comes on top of the $4.1 million he was ordered to pay in compensatory damages to the parents.

Alex Jones during a protest at the Texas State Capitol in Austin in April 2020.

Alex Jones during a protest at the Texas State Capitol in Austin in April 2020. Photo: Gary Miller/Getty Images

Alex Jones (radio host)

A jury in Texas <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ordered" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/cathyrusson/status/1555672916401917952?s=21&amp;t=BkAVk0_N6OFgGlPc7FEmPg" data-vars-content-id="3aa388b2-be85-4d56-9b6f-46e4a20e087e" data-vars-headline="Jury orders Alex Jones to pay $45 million in punitive damages" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/cathyrusson/status/1555672916401917952?s=21&amp;t=BkAVk0_N6OFgGlPc7FEmPg" target="_blank">ordered</a> far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay the parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting $45.2 million in punitive damages for falsely calling the mass shooting a hoax. Why it matters: The punitive damages come on top of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$4.1 million" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/04/alex-jones-sandy-hook-damages" data-vars-content-id="3aa388b2-be85-4d56-9b6f-46e4a20e087e" data-vars-headline="Jury orders Alex Jones to pay $45 million in punitive damages" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/04/alex-jones-sandy-hook-damages" target="_self">$4.1 million</a> the jury ordered Jones to pay in compensatory damages to the parents, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, on Thursday, which marked the first time he had been held financially liable for spreading conspiracy theories about the mass shooting.

China imposed undefined sanctions on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her immediate family members on Friday after she infuriated Beijing with an overnight trip to Taiwan earlier this week.

Why it matters: China's Foreign Ministry also announced it was ending talks with the U.S. on climate change, military issues, anti-drug measures and other matters in retaliation for Pelosi's visit.

The big picture: China's Foreign Ministry announced the sanctions and the end of the talks as the country was holding live-fire military drills around Taiwan, calling her visit an "egregious provocation."

The drills on Friday included warships and aircraft maneuvers near Taiwan. China's military launched 11 ballistic missiles into waters near Taiwan's northern, southern and eastern coasts on Thursday.

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and rejects any gesture that would treat it as an independent nation.

Pelosi was the highest ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years.

What they're saying: Pelosi, who traveled to Japan after her flight to Taiwan, denounced China's military drills, demanding it "immediately" stop.

 "The Chinese made their strikes, probably using our visit as an excuse," Pelosi said.

"They may try to keep Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places but they will not isolate Taiwan," she said. "They are not doing our traveling schedule, the Chinese government is not doing that."

Go deeper: Pelosi's Taiwan visit has echoes of 1996 crisis

Editor's note: This article was updated with new details on China's response to Pelosi's visit.

China sanctions Pelosi and halts U.S. talks over Taiwan trip

Pelosi was the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disembarking a plane in Fussa, Japan, on Aug. 4.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disembarking from a plane in Fussa, Japan, on Aug. 4. Photo: Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nancy Pelosi

China

China imposed undefined sanctions on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her immediate family members on Friday after she infuriated Beijing with an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="overnight trip" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/02/pelosi-taiwan-visit-china-threats-biden" data-vars-content-id="3ff0facc-382c-49cb-a0bc-e850772e7a19" data-vars-headline="China sanctions Pelosi and halts U.S. talks over Taiwan trip" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/02/pelosi-taiwan-visit-china-threats-biden" target="_self">overnight trip</a> to Taiwan earlier this week.Why it matters: China&#x27;s Foreign Ministry also announced it was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ending talks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202208/t20220805_10735706.html" data-vars-content-id="3ff0facc-382c-49cb-a0bc-e850772e7a19" data-vars-headline="China sanctions Pelosi and halts U.S. talks over Taiwan trip" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202208/t20220805_10735706.html" target="_blank">ending talks</a> with the U.S. on climate change, military issues, anti-drug measures and other matters in retaliation for Pelosi&#x27;s visit.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

The New York State Department of Health urged people on Thursday to get vaccinated against polio, saying it has found further evidence of local transmission of the virus in the state.

Why it matters: The department said it has identified polio, a highly contagious virus that can lead to permanent disability and death, in seven wastewater samples taken from two counties, Rockland and Orange, in the last two months. 

The big picture: So far, at least one person in Rockland County has tested positive for polio, though officials believe the virus likely originated abroad based on the strain of the virus that was detected.

It was the first polio case discovered in the U.S. in years, setting off warnings for health practitioners to be on the lookout for additional cases, Axios' Ivana Saric reports.

What they're saying: The New York State Department of Health said Friday that the additional positive wastewater samples "provide further evidence of local—not international—transmission of a polio virus that can cause paralysis and potential community spread, underscoring the urgency of every New York adult and child getting immunized, especially those in the greater New York metropolitan area."

"Coupled with the latest wastewater findings, the Department is treating the single case of polio as just the tip of the iceberg of much greater potential spread," New York's Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said in a statement.

Based on earlier polio outbreaks, New Yorkers should know that for every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected," Bassett added.

"As we learn more, what we do know is clear: the danger of polio is present in New York today. We must meet this moment by ensuring that adults, including pregnant people, and young children by 2 months of age are up to date with their immunization – the safe protection against this debilitating virus that every New Yorker needs."

Go deeper: U.S. declares public health emergency over monkeypox

New York health officials find more evidence of polio transmission

New York's health commissioner said the state may face the "tip of the iceberg of much greater potential spread."

A photomicrograph of the cervical spinal cord affected by polio type-III virus captured in 1990.

A photomicrograph of a cervical spinal cord affected by polio type-III virus captured in 1990. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Polio

The New York State Department of Health <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="urged people" data-vars-click-url="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-08-04_polio_detected_nys.htm" data-vars-content-id="c61a50f5-dcf1-40c2-ac0a-177186a0072a" data-vars-headline="New York health officials find more evidence of polio transmission" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-08-04_polio_detected_nys.htm" target="_blank">urged people</a> on Thursday to get vaccinated against polio, saying it has found further evidence of local transmission of the virus in the state.Why it matters: The department said it has identified polio, a highly contagious virus that can lead to permanent disability and death, in seven wastewater samples taken from two counties, Rockland and Orange, in the last two months.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Moscow is "ready to discuss" a prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. 

Why it matters: Lavrov's comments come a day after a Russian court found Griner guilty on drug charges and sentenced her to nine years in prison. Her sentence came nearly six months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possession of a vape cartridge with hashish oil.

Whelan, a 52-year-old corporate security executive, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018. He was accused of receiving and possessing a USB drive with classified information. Russian authorities formally charged him with espionage in January 2019.

Whelan was sentenced 16 years in prison in June 2020. His lawyers and his family have said that he was set up by Russian intelligence and that he did not know the device contained classified information. 

The U.S. has proposed exchanging Griner and Whelan for convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for supplying weapons to a terrorist organization and conspiring to kill Americans.

What they're saying: Lavrov said Friday Russia is “ready to discuss this topic" on the condition that the talks take place through a "channel" agreed to by President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We put forward, as you know, a substantial proposal that Russia should engage with us on,” Blinken said at a press conference Friday. “And what Foreign Minister Lavrov said this morning, and said publicly, is that they are prepared to engage through channels we’ve established to do just that, and we’ll be pursuing it.”

The big picture: Russia held former Marine Trevor Reed in prison beginning in 2019 before being releasing him in April. Moscow exchanged him for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian citizen serving a 20-year sentence after being found guilty of conspiracy to smuggle more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the U.S. 

Reed has called on the Biden administration to complete additional prisoner swaps to free Whelan and Griner.

The State Department has urged Americans to leave Russia over the country's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and warned the Russian government may be intentionally seeking out and arresting Americans for detention.

Go deeper: Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian drug trial

Russia "ready to discuss" prisoner swap for Griner and Whelan, Lavrov says

The U.S. has proposed exchanging Griner and Whelan for convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

Brittney Griner inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Khimki, Russia, on Aug. 4.

Brittney Griner inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Khimki, Russia, on Aug. 4. Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Russia

Moscow is &quot;ready to discuss&quot; a prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine Corps veteran <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Paul Whelan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/06/15/paul-whelan-russian-prison-sentence" data-vars-content-id="ce33cde3-a86b-4b10-aa76-c3e7bf30b82c" data-vars-headline="Russia &quot;ready to discuss&quot; prisoner swap for Griner and Whelan, Lavrov says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/06/15/paul-whelan-russian-prison-sentence" target="_self">Paul Whelan</a>, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="said Friday" data-vars-click-url="https://youtu.be/ZqDWYsHqkpA?t=151" data-vars-content-id="ce33cde3-a86b-4b10-aa76-c3e7bf30b82c" data-vars-headline="Russia &quot;ready to discuss&quot; prisoner swap for Griner and Whelan, Lavrov says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://youtu.be/ZqDWYsHqkpA?t=151" target="_blank">said Friday</a>. Why it matters: Lavrov&#x27;s comments come a day after a Russian court found Griner guilty on drug charges and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sentenced her to nine years in prison" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/04/russia-brittney-griner-convicted" data-vars-content-id="ce33cde3-a86b-4b10-aa76-c3e7bf30b82c" data-vars-headline="Russia &quot;ready to discuss&quot; prisoner swap for Griner and Whelan, Lavrov says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/04/russia-brittney-griner-convicted" target="_self">sentenced her to nine years in prison</a>. Her sentence came nearly six months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possession of a vape cartridge with hashish oil.

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

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Stories

Jury orders Alex Jones to pay $45 million in punitive damages

New York health officials find more evidence of polio transmission

Russia "ready to discuss" prisoner swap for Griner and Whelan, Lavrov says

China sanctions Pelosi and halts U.S. talks over Taiwan trip

Air Force charges airman over Syrian base explosion