Apr 24, 2019

Bill Weld: The U.S. would be better off with "President Mike Pence"

Photo: Boston Globe/Getty Images

In an op-ed on Wednesday in The Bulwark, 2020 GOP presidential challenger Bill Weld wrote that the U.S. would be better off with "President Mike Pence", and that, "If Donald Trump is an American patriot, he should resign from office."

"How can a president function if he instinctively lies to not only the public but to his own staff? There is one essential truth that leaps from the pages of the Mueller report: No one can trust Donald Trump. ... Strangely, the only time Trump seems capable of telling the truth is when he’s in the company of dictators and tyrants. He seems to envy their approach to power."
— Weld wrote for the online outlet that primarily publishes conservative commentary

Details: To date, Weld — the former governor of Massachusetts — is the only Republican primary challenger to President Trump. The vocal critic of the president also ran in the 2016 election as the vice presidential nominee on the Libertarian ticket alongside the former governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson.

Go deeper: Bill Weld: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate

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Pentagon watchdog sidelined by Trump resigns

Fine testiying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Glenn Fine, the Pentagon's principal deputy inspector general, submitted his resignation on Tuesday.

Why it matters: President Trump removed Fine as the Pentagon's acting inspector general in April 7 after a group of independent federal watchdogs selected him to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which was set up to oversee the rollout of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow5 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 5,534,728 — Total deaths: 347,587 — Total recoveries — 2,260,945— Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 1,667,154 — Total deaths: 98,371 — Total recoveries: 379,157 — Total tested: 14,604,942 — Map.
  3. 2020: Trump pushes for a polarized pandemic election.
  4. States: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says "I can’t for the life of me understand" Trump’s antagonism toward her state — New York reports lowest number of new coronavirus deaths since March.
  5. Public health: The final data for remdesivir is in and its benefits are rather limited.
  6. Education: A closer look at how colleges can reopen — Notre Dame president says science alone "cannot provide the answer" to reopening.
  7. What should I do? Hydroxychloroquine questions answered — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Updated 12 mins ago - Politics & Policy

New York reports lowest number of daily coronavirus deaths since March

The number of daily new coronavirus cases and deaths reported in New York was the lowest since the state started its lockdown in March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday, calling Memorial Day a "pivot point" for New York.

By the numbers: 73 New Yorkers died from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 200 people tested positive. Hospitalizations and intubations also decreased.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow20 mins ago - Health