Oct 19, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Houston Chronicle endorses O'Rourke over Cruz

Beto O'Rourke. Photo: Tom Reel-Pool/Getty Images

The Houston Chronicle is endorsing Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate over incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz, the paper's editorial board announced Friday.

Why it matters: Newspaper endorsements aren't necessarily symbolic of what is to come on election day, but the Chronicle endorsing O'Rourke is a sharp turn away from the paper traditionally endorsing Republican candidates. It endorsed Mitt Romney over Barack Obama in 2012 and both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush during their presidential campaigns.

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Alexi McCammond
7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Biden releases 2019 tax returns ahead of debate

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Joe Biden's campaign released his 2019 tax returns on Tuesday, showing that he and his wife, Jill, paid nearly $300,000 in federal taxes last year.

Why it matters: The release, timed just hours before the first presidential debate, comes days after a bombshell New York Times report said that President Trump paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017. Biden's team is hoping to make the tax contrast a sticking point during their showdown.

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Axios
Updated 34 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 33,443,701 — Total deaths: 1,003,337 — Total recoveries: 23,200,183 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 7,159,222 — Total deaths: 205,345 — Total recoveries: 2,794,608 — Total tests: 102,342,416 — Map.
  3. Health: Americans won't take Trump's word on the vaccine, Axios-Ipsos poll finds.
  4. States: NYC's coronavirus positivity rate spikes to highest since June.
  5. Sports: Tennessee Titans close facility amid NFL's first coronavirus outbreak.
  6. World: U.K. beats previous record for new coronavirus cases.
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Marisa Fernandez
2 hours ago - Health

NYC's coronavirus positivity rate spikes to highest since June

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

New York City's coronavirus positivity rate has ticked up to 3.25%, its highest since June, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The jump — from 1.93% on Monday — came on the first day that public elementary classrooms reopened in the city after months of closures, but guidelines state that all public schools will have to shut if the citywide seven-day positivity rate stays above 3%.

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