Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Jan 4, 2018

Bannon blows himself up

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser / Axios

Steve Bannon has never had a day like it.

The big picture: Over the past 24 hours we've seen a political self-immolation the likes of which are rarely seen:

Trump publicly disowned him; saying on the record that Bannon was a delusional glory hound who, in his White House days, had just one talent: leaking.
Bannon may soon face a costly lawsuit after Trump's lawyers threatened action last night.
The main funders of Breitbart and of Bannon's political activities — the billionaire Mercer family — are distancing themselves from Bannon, The Washington Post is reporting.
Many Breitbart commentators turned on Bannon yesterday — a development that Don Junior gleefully highlighted on Twitter.
Some of Bannon's supporters were exasperated with him yesterday and wished he would've issued a statement distancing himself from Wolff's book. We saw no such statement.

Between the lines: When Bannon is up against the wall he doubles down — same as Trump. Associates say he's unfazed and unapologetic.

Go deeper

24 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduces "ultra-millionaire" wealth tax bill

Photo: Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday introduced a bill in the Senate that would impose a new tax on the assets of America's wealthiest individuals.

Why it matters: The plan, which Warren introduced along with Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) is similar to a proposal that was the centerpiece of Warren's campaign for the presidency in 2020.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

2 hours ago - World

Former French President Sarkozy sentenced to jail for corruption

Nicolas Sarkozy, 2011. Photo: XINHUA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

A court in Paris on Monday sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to one year in prison and a two-year suspended sentence after he was found guilty of trying to bribe a magistrate, AP reports.

Driving the news: Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, is the first president in France’s modern history to have gone on trial for corruption, per AP. He was charged with corruption and influence-peddling.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)

Kendall Baker, author of Sports

2 hours ago - Sports

Canceled NFL Scouting Combine puts 40-yard-dashes on the backburner

John Ross during his record-setting dash of 4.22 seconds in 2017. Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Top NFL prospects would normally be gathering in Indianapolis this week for the annual Scouting Combine. But due to the pandemic, this year's event has been canceled.

What they're saying: No combine means no 40-yard dash times making headlines. Former scout and current NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks that could be a glimpse of the future:

Go deeper (1 min. read)