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If elected, Pete Buttigieg — the 37-year-old South Bend, Indiana mayor — would be the youngest U.S. president ever. He also would be the first openly gay president in the nation's history.

Undergraduate: Harvard University, Oxford University

Previous roles: Mayor. Began service in U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009, deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. Worked for McKinsey & Company.

College costs: Says college is too expensive for "too many people." He supports expanding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that clears loans in exchange for public service.

Infrastructure: Wants to create 6 million jobs with a $1 trillion plan that focuses on climate issues.

Climate change: Supports the Paris climate agreement and Green New Deal. Wants net-zero emissions by 2050, double clean electricity by 2025, zero emissions in electricity generation by 2035, and net-zero emissions from industrial vehicles by 2040.

Believes climate change is a national security threat and supports government-subsidized solar panels.

Guns: Member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and supports universal background checks and banning guns in schools.

Health care: Released a plan to expand Medicare coverage and keep private health insurance plans. Also wants to tackle how to manage surprise billing and introduce an out-of-pocket spending cap for Medicare.

Introduced a $300 billion plan to bolster mental health and addiction support.

Released a leftward-middle proposal to reduce drug prices.

Immigration: Supports providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

Discrimination: Proposed the Douglass Plan to reform and invest in health care, education and other areas to dismantle "racist structures and systems," focused on supporting African Americans. 

Supports updating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to apply non-discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community. 

Abortion: Considered codifying Roe v. Wade, per AP. If elected, he would repeal the Hyde Amendment.

Supreme Court: Proposed a 15-justice court with 5 Democratic appointees, 5 Republicans and 5 selected by agreement of the other justices.

Electoral college: Supports abolishing it.

Vaccines: Said he believes in personal exemptions to vaccines when there is no public health crisis. Following criticism, his campaign walked the position back.

Foreign policy: Wouldn't move the U.S. embassy in Israel back from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

National service programs: Wants new national service programs with a network of 1 million members by 2026.

Gig economy: Plans to protect gig-economy workers.

Accepted donations from lobbyists: After criticism, Buttigieg announced he would return donations.

Police recordings: Buttigieg demoted the South Bend police chief and fired the police communications director for illegally recording officers' calls that allegedly revealed racist comments.

Police diversity: Suspended campaign to address a fatal shooting in South Bend of a black man by a white police officer. Received criticism for the lack of diversity in his city's police force.

Buttigieg speaks 8 languages: English, Dari, Norwegian, Italian, French, Maltese, Arabic and Spanish.

Everything you need to know about the other 2020 candidates

Pete Buttigieg on the issues, in under 500 words

If elected, he would the youngest and the first openly gay president in U.S. history.

Pete Buttigieg. Photo: Joshua Lott for The Washington Post via Getty Images

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Pete Buttigieg

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If elected, Pete Buttigieg — the 37-year-old South Bend, Indiana mayor — would be the youngest U.S. president ever. He also would be the first openly gay president in the nation&#x27;s history.

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

At his press conference on the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report Thursday, Attorney General Bill Barr shed some light on why he decided the evidence Mueller set out was "not sufficient to establish" that President Trump obstructed justice. 

What he's saying: "Apart from whether the acts were obstructive, this evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegation that the President had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation," Barr said on Thursday morning. 

The big picture: Any case for "obstruction of justice" has to demonstrate that said obstruction was driven by corrupt motives. Barr said on Thursday that Mueller's special counsel found 10 episodes of the president potentially obstructing justice, but that it's important to "bear in mind the context."

"President Trump faced an unprecedented situation.  As he entered into office, and sought to perform his responsibilities as President, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office, and the conduct of some of his associates.  At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the President’s personal culpability.  Yet, as he said from the beginning, there was in fact no collusion.  And as the Special Counsel’s report acknowledges, there is substantial evidence to show that the President was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks.

Nonetheless, the White House fully cooperated with the Special Counsel’s investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely, and asserting no privilege claims.  And at the same time, the President took no act that in fact deprived the Special Counsel of the documents and witnesses necessary to complete his investigation. Apart from whether the acts were obstructive, this evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegation that the President had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation."

Why it matters: Barr and Rosenstein's decision isn't surprising, since the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel determined in 1973 and 2000 that a president cannot be prosecuted as it limits the White House's ability to function. But applying this federal code to POTUS is still mostly "new ground," according to Politifact. 

Background: Obstructing justice is when someone intentionally interferes or attempts to interfere with an ongoing investigation with corrupt intent, according to U.S. Code Chapter 73. Punishments can range from fines or imprisonment up to 20 years (or both). The federal code has 21 statutes laying out the different ways to obstruct justice, including:

Tampering with, retaliating against or intimidating a witness, victim, or informant

Influencing or injuring an officer of the U.S. or a juror

Someone who "obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding" — or even if they attempt to do so

Go deeper: Mueller report lists 10 episodes of potential Trump obstruction

Obstruction of justice: What Bill Barr meant by "non-corrupt motives"

Characterizing motive is a key element of investigating obstruction of justice charges.

In this image, Trump smiles next to a heavy blue curtain next to the presidential seal. 

Politics

Mueller report

At his press conference on the release of special counsel Robert Mueller&#x27;s report Thursday, Attorney General Bill Barr shed some light on why he decided the evidence Mueller set out was &quot;not sufficient to establish&quot; that President Trump obstructed justice. What he&#x27;s saying: &quot;Apart from whether the acts were obstructive, this evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegation that the President had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation,&quot; Barr <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="said on Thursday morning" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/bill-barr-transcript-mueller-report-press-conference-42a9fb6a-741b-4af8-adb1-0693b8f15c25.html" data-vars-content-id="4781f6e6-d756-4e98-995c-ce4bd2031f35" data-vars-headline="Obstruction of justice: What Bill Barr meant by &quot;non-corrupt motives&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/bill-barr-transcript-mueller-report-press-conference-42a9fb6a-741b-4af8-adb1-0693b8f15c25.html" target="_self">said on Thursday morning</a>.

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

Editor's Note: Ryan dropped out of contention for the Democratic presidential nomination on Oct. 24, 2019. Below is our original article on his candidacy.

Current position: Representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district since 2003, member of the House Appropriations Committee

Undergraduate: Youngstown State University (1991-1992), Bowling Green State University (graduated 1995)

% of votes in line with Trump, per FiveThirtyEight: 19.6% 

Previous roles: Served as a representative for the 17th district in Ohio from 2003-2013, the same as his current district, but was renumbered in 2013. Ryan worked as a staffer for Ohio Rep. Jim Traficant and served half a term in the Ohio State Senate from 2000-2002.

Taxes: Does not support cutting taxes. On The View, he said tax cuts "have been the answer for everything since 1980. And what's happened since 1980? Average wages have been stagnant, health care costs have gone up."

Renewable energy: Wants the U.S. to harness the economic benefits of renewables.

Agriculture: Ryan has a book called "The Real Food Revolution" on the need for "a new kind of food system..."

Retirement: Wants to "restore the dignity of a secure retirement."

Health care: Has supported single-payer health care and the Affordable Care Act.

Criminal justice: Endorses reducing mandatory minimum drug sentence and wants all police officers with body cameras to decrease use-of-force incidents.

Jobs: Wants to double union membership, increase apprenticeships and enact a $15 minimum wage.

Tariffs: Criticized Trump's tariffs, said they're hurting farmers. 

Leadership tussles: Ryan challenged Nancy Pelosi for the House Minority Leader position in 2016 and suggested someone else be House Speaker for this congressional class. Critics have said his opposition was a "publicity stunt."

Abortion: Ryan previously opposed abortion based on his Catholic faith (and voted for the amendment that would prevent taxpayer dollars from funding them), but announced his change of opinion in an op-ed in the Akron Beacon Journal in 2015. He said he now thinks “we must trust women and families — not politicians — to make the best decision for their lives.”

Gun control: Ryan previously received A-ratings from the National Rifle Association, but following the fatal Las Vegas shooting in 2017, announced he would donate the $20,000 he’d received from the NRA’s PAC to organizations that support gun control.

He is a proponent of meditation and wrote a book about it titled, "A Mindful Nation," in 2012.

Go deeper: Everything you need to know about the other 2020 presidential candidates

Tim Ryan on the issues, in under 500 words

In this image, Tim Ryan speaks into a microphone on stage. 

Tim Ryan. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Tim Ryan (politician)

Editor&#x27;s Note: Ryan <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="dropped out" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/tim-ryan-2020-drop-out-presidential-ohio-ae49c7d7-e5f7-4edf-8dee-b7dec1e657b4.html" data-vars-content-id="7c3b0d06-2673-4d6c-a3a7-7e92918881aa" data-vars-headline="Tim Ryan on the issues, in under 500 words" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/tim-ryan-2020-drop-out-presidential-ohio-ae49c7d7-e5f7-4edf-8dee-b7dec1e657b4.html" target="_self">dropped out</a> of contention for the Democratic presidential nomination on Oct. 24, 2019. Below is our original article on his candidacy.

A Chinese woman carrying 4 cellphones, a laptop, an external hard drive and a USB stick laced with malware was charged with illegally entering President Trump's Mar-a-lago club in Florida this weekend and lying to federal agents about why she was there.

Details: The affidavit states that Yujing Zhang spoke broken English, but indicated to Secret Service agents and Mar-a-lago security that she was a relative of a member of the club and wanted to visit the pool to swim. Inside, she told a front desk receptionist that she was there for a "United Nations Friendship Event" between China and the U.S. — an event the receptionist knew did not exist.

The receptionist called Secret Service, who said Zhang spoke to agents in English without difficulty before becoming "verbally aggressive."

After being detained, Zhang told agents that her Chinese friend "Charles" had told her to travel from Shanghai to Palm Beach, Florida, to attend the event and speak to a member of Trump's family about Chinese and American foreign economic relations.

 Zhang has a hearing scheduled for next week.

The big picture: The Miami Herald is reporting that Zhang may have been referring to an event promoted by Cindy Yang, the former owner of the massage parlor where New England Patriots Robert Kraft was charged with soliciting prostitution. Yang, a frequent guest of Mar-a-lago, is believed to have been selling access to President Trump and his family to clients in China.

What he's saying: Trump told reporters Wednesday he had seen the story, but he said he hadn’t spoken to anyone. We have extremely good control," he said. "The person at the front desk did a very good job, to be honest with you."

Chinese woman carrying malware arrested for illegally entering Mar-a-lago

She told security she was asked to travel to Mar-a-lago to speak to a member of Trump's family about U.S.-China relations.

The Mar-a-Lago estate. Photo: Saul Martinez/Getty Images

Mar-a-Lago

World

A Chinese woman carrying 4 cellphones, a laptop, an external hard drive and a USB stick laced with malware <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="was charged" data-vars-click-url="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5791451-18648946-0-18304.html" data-vars-content-id="a9a90352-b923-486e-97ad-9d8421a33709" data-vars-headline="Chinese woman carrying malware arrested for illegally entering Mar-a-lago" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5791451-18648946-0-18304.html" target="_blank">was charged</a> with illegally entering President Trump&#x27;s Mar-a-lago club in Florida this weekend and lying to federal agents about why she was there.Details: The affidavit states that Yujing Zhang spoke broken English, but indicated to Secret Service agents and Mar-a-lago security that she was a relative of a member of the club and wanted to visit the pool to swim. Inside, she told a front desk receptionist that she was there for a &quot;United Nations Friendship Event&quot; between China and the U.S. — an event the receptionist knew did not exist.

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.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told the Dallas Morning News that he called President Trump on Tuesday to warn him that closing the U.S.-Mexico border would be a “terrible mistake” and that it could “inflict unintended harm on Americans.”

Why it matters: The U.S. exported $265 billion worth of goods to Mexico in 2018, with approximately $1.67 billion in trade daily between the two countries. Produce, as well as the auto, alcohol and oil industries would be particularly strained with a border closure. Trump intends to stop illegal crossings with the closure.

Cornyn warns Trump U.S.-Mexico border closure is a “terrible mistake”

The auto, alcohol and oil industries would be strained with a border closure.

Immigration

Business

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dallas Morning News" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/donald-trump-1/2019/04/03/cornyn-phoned-trump-warn-us-mexico-border-closure-terrible-mistake" data-vars-content-id="f6abb9da-5d23-4cbf-94b9-712de66786bd" data-vars-headline="Cornyn warns Trump U.S.-Mexico border closure is a “terrible mistake”" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/donald-trump-1/2019/04/03/cornyn-phoned-trump-warn-us-mexico-border-closure-terrible-mistake" target="_blank">Dallas Morning News</a> that he called President Trump on Tuesday to warn him that closing the U.S.-Mexico border would be a “terrible mistake” and that it could “inflict unintended harm on Americans.”Why it matters: The U.S. exported <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$265 billion" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/trump-closing-mexico-border-auto-industry-ab6446ba-26a4-41d8-a8fa-cd8e3f67c7af.html" data-vars-content-id="f6abb9da-5d23-4cbf-94b9-712de66786bd" data-vars-headline="Cornyn warns Trump U.S.-Mexico border closure is a “terrible mistake”" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/trump-closing-mexico-border-auto-industry-ab6446ba-26a4-41d8-a8fa-cd8e3f67c7af.html" target="_self">$265 billion</a> worth of goods to Mexico in 2018, with approximately $1.67 billion in trade daily between the two countries. Produce, as well as the auto, alcohol and oil industries would be particularly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="strained" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/trump-closing-mexico-border-auto-industry-ab6446ba-26a4-41d8-a8fa-cd8e3f67c7af.html" data-vars-content-id="f6abb9da-5d23-4cbf-94b9-712de66786bd" data-vars-headline="Cornyn warns Trump U.S.-Mexico border closure is a “terrible mistake”" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/trump-closing-mexico-border-auto-industry-ab6446ba-26a4-41d8-a8fa-cd8e3f67c7af.html" target="_self">strained</a> with a border closure. Trump <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="intends" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/trump-mexico-border-closure-security-trade-16f2448d-8a18-4f08-8251-736516869821.html" data-vars-content-id="f6abb9da-5d23-4cbf-94b9-712de66786bd" data-vars-headline="Cornyn warns Trump U.S.-Mexico border closure is a “terrible mistake”" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/trump-mexico-border-closure-security-trade-16f2448d-8a18-4f08-8251-736516869821.html" target="_self">intends</a> to stop illegal crossings with the closure.

Shannon Vavra

Stories

Pete Buttigieg on the issues, in under 500 words

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Obstruction of justice: What Bill Barr meant by "non-corrupt motives"

Chinese woman carrying malware arrested for illegally entering Mar-a-lago

Cornyn warns Trump U.S.-Mexico border closure is a “terrible mistake”