Jul 16, 2020 - Podcasts

The war on public health experts

This week, the Trump administration ordered hospitals to bypass the CDC and send all coronavirus-related data straight to the Department of Health and Human Services. It's just the latest step in President Trump's war on public health experts.

Plus, a shakeup on Trump's 2020 campaign team.
And, a major Twitter hack Wednesday afternoon left some of the most powerful people on the platform vulnerable to a cryptocurrency scam.

Guests: Axios' Sam Baker, Mike Allen, and Ina Fried.

Credits: "Axios Today" is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Carol Alderman, Cara Shillenn, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Naomi Shavin and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com.

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Sara Fischer, Scott Rosenberg

Aug 10, 2020 - Technology

Tech's reluctant road to taking on Trump

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The coronavirus pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests and a looming election have brought long-simmering conflicts between tech platforms and President Trump to a boil, as Facebook, Twitter and other services are starting to take presidential misinformation seriously.

What's happening: Wary of becoming arbiters of political speech, tech's platforms have carved out a range of exceptions and immunities for Trump and other political leaders — but that accommodation is coming undone.

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Kia Kokalitcheva

20 hours ago - Economy & Business

Twitter jumps into the fray for TikTok

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Twitter is the latest to join the cast of the ongoing spectacle that is TikTok’s battle to stay open for business in the U.S., per a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The saga to keep TikTok available to U.S. users is getting more complicated, with the company already in a President Trump-imposed time crunch and juggling a number of options.

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Shane Savitsky, Rebecca Falconer

9 mins ago - Health

Why you should be skeptical of Russia's coronavirus vaccine claims

Photo: Alexey Druzhini/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that his country has registered a coronavirus vaccine and said that one of his daughters has already been inoculated, AP reports.

Why it matters: Scientists around the world are skeptical about Russia's claims. There is no published scientific data to back up Putin's claims that Russia has a viable vaccine — or that it produces any sort of immunity without significant side effects.