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Facebook and Instagram have placed a ”False Information” label on a post from the Fox News show "Tucker Carlson Tonight" in which Carlson interviews Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese virologist, who has previously claimed the coronavirus "is not from nature," on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Facebook has made headlines in recent months for taking increasing action on posts from politicians and political groups containing misinformation. It's added fewer labels to high-profile media companies, which is what makes this label noteworthy.

Intelligence agencies have been hesitant to link COVID-19 to a single lab, and many scientists agree it originated as a bat virus before spreading to humans, The New York Times writes.

The big picture: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pushed back against the notion that the platform is a right-wing echo chamber, but concedes that partisan content does lead to higher levels on engagement. Misinformation often plays into partisan narratives for this reason.

Facebook has taken increased action against posts containing misinformation about COVID-19, under pressure to address the misinformation on its platform. 

The social media giant has provided fact-checking resources to add warning labels to posts it thinks may contain coronavirus misinformation to provide users with more context about the virus.

Facebook said in August that between April and June, it removed 7 million posts cited for misinformation about the pandemic and added labels to 98 million posts that were deemed false by fact-checkers, but not as harmful to warrant bans. 

What they're saying: “Facebook is working hard to make sure you’re unable to see our latest post regarding a coronavirus whistleblower," Carlson posted. "They don’t want you sharing the video, and they are limiting the number of people who can view it. This is censorship, and we will be addressing it on our show tonight at 8 pm ET on Fox News."

Worth noting: Twitter has suspended Yan's account, but did not find that a similar post from Fox News of the clip violated its misinformation policies, per the Times.

Facebook, Instagram attach "false information" stamp to Tucker Carlson coronavirus clip

Facebook's added fewer labels to high-profile media companies, which makes this flag noteworthy.

Media

Fox News

Health Care

Coronavirus

Facebook and Instagram have placed a ”False Information” <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="label on a post" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/TuckerCarlsonTonight/videos/1313419555494941" data-vars-content-id="05feed5d-29ca-473d-9981-e8f78f7dd69c" data-vars-headline="Facebook, Instagram attach &quot;false information&quot; stamp to Tucker Carlson coronavirus clip" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/TuckerCarlsonTonight/videos/1313419555494941" target="_blank">label on a post</a> from the Fox News show &quot;Tucker Carlson Tonight&quot; in which Carlson interviews Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese virologist, who has previously claimed the coronavirus &quot;is not from nature,&quot; on Wednesday.Why it matters: Facebook has made headlines in recent months for taking increasing action on posts from politicians and political groups containing misinformation. It&#x27;s added fewer labels to high-profile media companies, which is what makes this label noteworthy.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

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

Parents of at least some means are eyeing private schools more frequently.

Why it matters: Christopher Lubienski, an education policy professor at Indiana University, told Axios that parents' growing interest in private schools, pods and tutors will likely "promote privatization" in the U.S. education system and could "undercut the commitment to public education."

The big picture: Lubienski said a surge in enrollment at private schools could lead to greater inequality among families who don't have the resources to go beyond the public education system. 

The privatization of the school system could lead to “greater social segregation” between students of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Public schools are "one of the few remaining institutions that temper inequality," Lubienski notes.

Between the lines: A poll from the nonprofit Murmuration and Morning Consult suggests Black parents and children lacked the same access to high-quality public education before the pandemic as their white counterparts.

The state of play: Private schools also feel the pressure to commit to in-person learning because they fear enrollment will drop, resulting in a loss in tuition and profit, the Poynter Institute notes.

In the Washington, D.C., area, the Silver Oaks Cooperative School, a small K-5 school just outside the city, has seen a surge in parents looking to enroll their children, WAMU reports. The school opened two years ago and has seen its reputation leap as parents vie to get their children into a classroom. 

In St. Paul, Minnesota, St. Joseph Catholic School has a waitlist for the first time, with inquiries "off the charts," per the Star Tribune.

In Sacramento, California, the Brookfield School, a private elementary school, has seen about four times the interest in admissions as in previous years, the Sacramento Bee notes.

What to watch: The surge in private school enrollments, education pods and private tutors could ultimately move support away from public schools in a post-coronavirus world.

Coronavirus feeds divide between private and public schools

The pandemic will likely promote privatization in the U.S. education system.

Illustration of money as a division symbol.

Education

Schools

Parents of at least some means are eyeing private schools more frequently.Why it matters: Christopher Lubienski, an education policy professor at Indiana University, told Axios that parents&#x27; growing interest in private schools, pods and tutors will likely &quot;promote privatization&quot; in the U.S. education system and could &quot;undercut the commitment to public education.&quot;

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Energy & Environment

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said last week that he cannot support President Trump's re-election.

Why it matters: Hogan, a moderate governor in a blue state, joins other prominent Republicans who have publicly said they will either not vote for Trump's re-election this November or will back Biden.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker: "The governor cannot support Donald Trump for president and is focused on seeing Massachusetts through the pandemic. He’ll leave the election analysis to the pundits," a spokesperson said.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott: He has been a vocal critic of the president, supporting House Democrats' impeachment inquiry and saying earlier this year Trump “shouldn’t be in office." He reaffirmed this summer that he will not support Trump in November.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan: The frequent Trump critic said that he cast a write-in vote for former President Ronald Reagan because he "thought it was important to just cast a vote that showed the kind of person I’d like to see in office."

Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah): The party's 2012 presidential nominee said in February that he will not support Trump shortly after he voted to convict the president on one count in his impeachment trial.

John Bolton: Trump's former national security adviser said he will not vote for Biden or Trump and hopes that history remembers Trump "as a one-term president."

William H. McRaven: McRaven, who led the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, has publicly criticized the president. He told The New York Times, "This fall, it's time for a new leadership in this country — Republican, Democrat or independent."

Colin Powell: The former secretary of state under George W. Bush and retired four-star general said that he will support Biden because he believes that Trump has "drifted away" from the Constitution.

Carly Fiorina: The 2016 presidential candidate said she will support Biden because she believes he is "a person of humility and empathy and character," per The Atlantic.

John Kasich: The former Ohio governor and 2016 presidential candidate is not only endorsing Biden, but also speaking at the DNC to support the former vice president.

Rick Snyder: The former Michigan governor said he will vote for Biden because "Trump lacks a moral compass" and "ignores the truth."

Jeff  Flake: The former Arizona senator said in April he would vote for Biden instead of Trump, per CNN.

Miles Taylor: The former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff officially endorsed Biden saying, "Even though I'm not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I'm confident that Joe Biden will protect the country."

Tom Ridge: The former Pennsylvania governor said he would be voting for Biden, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "I believe the responsible vote is for Joe Biden...It’s time to put country over party. It’s time to dismiss Donald Trump."

Cindy McCain: The widow of the late Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) lent her voice to a video about her husband's friendship with Biden that aired during the Democratic National Convention and formally endorsed the former vice president in September, calling him the "candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation."

Marc Racicot: The former Montana governor and former chair of the Republican National Committee announced that he would vote for Biden, citing his character and noting that it was "more important than any other issue." 

Michael Steele: The former chair of the Republican National Committee wrote for NBC News that he was supporting Biden because the 2020 election is "about the course of a nation and the character of her people reflected in the leader they choose."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska): Murkowski, one of Trump's consistent foils in the Senate, said that she was "struggling" to support the president's re-election after James Mattis, the former defense secretary, issued a public rebuke.

Undecided publicly, but skeptical, via a New York Times report:

George W. Bush: The former president has reportedly decided not to support Trump's re-election, though he's made no public statements to that end.

Jeb Bush: The former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate is so far reportedly undecided.

Worth noting: While former top military leaders like Mattis and John Kelly are technically non-partisan, they both served in Trump's administration and have publicly expressed skepticism about the president's standing ahead of the 2020 election.

Mattis said Trump made a "mockery of our Constitution" and called him "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people" after the president's response to mass protests in the wake of George Floyd's killing.

Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff and homeland security secretary, said he agreed with Mattis' comments.

Go deeper: These Senate seats are up for election in 2020

Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest Republicans to back Biden.

The top Republicans who aren't voting for Trump in 2020

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is the latest to join the list.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

2020 presidential election

2020 election

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="said" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/larry-hogan-vote-trump-ronald-reagan-ba3ae94f-2384-403f-b13e-5b79085ee227.html" data-vars-content-id="9e2f02fa-0f36-418d-bedd-ed53181dd99c" data-vars-headline="The top Republicans who aren&#x27;t voting for Trump in 2020" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/larry-hogan-vote-trump-ronald-reagan-ba3ae94f-2384-403f-b13e-5b79085ee227.html" target="_self">said</a> last week that he cannot support President Trump&#x27;s re-election.Why it matters: Hogan, a moderate governor in a blue state, joins other prominent Republicans who have publicly said they will either not vote for Trump&#x27;s re-election this November or will back Biden.

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

"Catastrophic" flooding from Tropical Depression Sally spilled inland across eastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia on Wednesday, bringing peak winds down to 45 mph winds, per the National Hurricane Center. 

Why it matters: The mayor of Orange Beach, Ala., said one person died in the storm and hundreds of others have been rescued, per AP. Sally made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Gulf Shores, before later being downgraded to a tropical storm and later a depression. But the NHC warned late Wednesday it's "still causing torrential rains over eastern Alabama and western Georgia."

The storm's heavy rains were spreading northward over eastern Alabama and Western Georgia. 

The Florida Panhandle could see surges of up to 6 feet.

What else is happening: Some 570,000 PowerOutage.US. customers in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida were without power Thursday morning.

The storm surge was rising in Alabama’s Mobile Bay.

The big picture: Sally formed as a tropical storm on Saturday off Florida's coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

With more than 17 million people in Sally's path, shelters opened from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Sally was the 18th named storm — now of 20 — for 2020's Atlantic hurricane season. It is also the earliest named storm to form over the ocean.

What to watch: A few tornadoes could occur across portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia, per NHC.

The National Weather Service predicts rainfall of two to six inches between eastern Alabama and southeast Virginia, with areas seeing between 6 and 10 inches.

The Hurricane Center expects flooding in inland regions of eastern Alabama and central Georgia to persist into Thursday. Heavy rain and flooding are forecast to spread from the Carolinas into southeast Virginia.

NHC forecasters are also monitoring Hurricane Teddy, declared a hurricane early Wednesday, and Tropical Storm Vicky. By late Thursday, Teddy's winds are predicted to increase to 130 mph, making it a Category 4.

The next storm to be named will be Wilfred. After Wilfred, all names will have been used up, and forecasters will need to tap the Greek alphabet for referencing storms.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Hundreds rescued as deadly Tropical Depression Sally sweeps Gulf Coast

A few tornadoes could form across portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia, per NHC.

A man walks his bicycle through a street flooded by Hurricane Sally in Pensacola, Florida, on September 16

A street flooded by Tropical Storm Sally in Pensacola, Florida, on Wednesday. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Science

Tropical storm

Energy

Cities

Extreme weather

&quot;Catastrophic&quot; flooding from Tropical Depression Sally spilled inland across eastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia on Wednesday, bringing peak winds down to 45 mph winds, per the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Hurricane Center" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/162351.shtml" data-vars-content-id="ab1e97df-99bf-4e21-93a8-b3f0bccda493" data-vars-headline="Hundreds rescued as deadly Tropical Depression Sally sweeps Gulf Coast" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/162351.shtml" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center</a>. Why it matters: The mayor of Orange Beach, Ala., said one person died in the storm and hundreds of others have been rescued, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/8427b1f1bb05f47ed74f7556c3f97bcb" data-vars-content-id="ab1e97df-99bf-4e21-93a8-b3f0bccda493" data-vars-headline="Hundreds rescued as deadly Tropical Depression Sally sweeps Gulf Coast" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/8427b1f1bb05f47ed74f7556c3f97bcb" target="_blank">per AP</a>. Sally made <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="landfall as a Category 2" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/hurricane-sally-albama-florida-91c786f4-07e8-4be8-acd9-005d785f736e.html" data-vars-content-id="ab1e97df-99bf-4e21-93a8-b3f0bccda493" data-vars-headline="Hundreds rescued as deadly Tropical Depression Sally sweeps Gulf Coast" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/hurricane-sally-albama-florida-91c786f4-07e8-4be8-acd9-005d785f736e.html" target="_self">landfall as a Category 2</a> hurricane near Gulf Shores, before later being downgraded to a tropical storm and later a depression. But <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the NHC warned" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1306421126562639872" data-vars-content-id="ab1e97df-99bf-4e21-93a8-b3f0bccda493" data-vars-headline="Hundreds rescued as deadly Tropical Depression Sally sweeps Gulf Coast" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1306421126562639872" target="_blank">the NHC warned</a> late Wednesday it&#x27;s &quot;still causing torrential rains over eastern Alabama and western Georgia.&quot;

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) plans to terminate a Trump program that supports unemployment benefits for out-of-work Floridians because the state's jobless program doesn't have the resources to qualify for the federal assistance, Politico reports.

Why it matters: Florida is among the first states to stop the program because of the cost. The state doesn't pay its unemployed workers enough to meet the 25% matching requirement, so people will lose out on an extra $300 a week made possible by President Trump's executive order, Politico notes.

The big picture: The move to scrap the federal assistance comes just eight weeks before the 2020 election. Trump's re-election path has to go through Florida, Axios White House editor Margaret Talev writes.

The state of play: DeSantis said last week that Florida didn't have the "capacity" to accept the $300 payments from the Trump administration.

The program requires that states spend at least $100 per person per week on its own jobless benefits to qualify, Politico writes.

Florida has one of the weakest unemployment programs in the U.S.

What to watch: DeSantis is expected to put roughly $6 billion worth of CARES Act money that Congress sent to Florida toward the state’s COVID-19 response and fill in the budget.

DeSantis to end federal unemployment program, saying Florida can't afford it

Florida has one of the weakest unemployment programs in the country.

President Donald Trump speaks with Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis

Trump speaks with DeSantis at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, Sept. 8. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images 

Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) plans to terminate a Trump program that supports unemployment benefits for out-of-work Floridians because the state&#x27;s jobless program doesn&#x27;t have the resources to qualify for the federal assistance, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Politico reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/09/15/florida-we-cant-afford-trumps-jobless-aid-anymore-1317053?nname=playbook-pm&amp;nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&amp;nrid=00000158-b04c-dce8-a3dc-bb5ca4140001&amp;nlid=964328" data-vars-content-id="b31761d9-6c35-4b39-bd3b-c0c8b3c458a7" data-vars-headline="DeSantis to end federal unemployment program, saying Florida can&#x27;t afford it" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/09/15/florida-we-cant-afford-trumps-jobless-aid-anymore-1317053?nname=playbook-pm&amp;nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&amp;nrid=00000158-b04c-dce8-a3dc-bb5ca4140001&amp;nlid=964328" target="_blank">Politico reports</a>.Why it matters: Florida is among the first states to stop the program because of the cost. The state doesn&#x27;t pay its unemployed workers enough to meet the 25% matching requirement, so people will lose out on an extra $300 a week made possible by President Trump&#x27;s executive order, Politico notes.

Rashaan Ayesh

Stories

The top Republicans who aren't voting for Trump in 2020

Coronavirus feeds divide between private and public schools

Hundreds rescued as deadly Tropical Depression Sally sweeps Gulf Coast

Facebook, Instagram attach "false information" stamp to Tucker Carlson coronavirus clip

DeSantis to end federal unemployment program, saying Florida can't afford it