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Bloomberg News will return to "normal coverage" of 2020 race after Bloomberg exit

Mike Bloomberg campaigns in Orlando, Florida, on Super Tuesday. Photo: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

After Mike Bloomberg dropped his self-funded presidential run on Wednesday, Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait announced that the organization would return to its "normal coverage of the election," reports CNN's Brian Stelter.

Flashback: In November, the outlet said it would "extend its policy of not investigating" Bloomberg, its owner, "to all Democrats running for president in 2020."

  • That decision led President Trump's campaign to blacklist Bloomberg News from its events in December. It's not yet clear if the Trump campaign will walk back that policy now that Bloomberg is out of the race.

What he's saying:

"Now that Mike has said he is leaving the race for President, we will return to our normal coverage of the election; we will follow exactly the same coverage rules for the Democratic presidential candidates and President Donald Trump. We will disclose Mike's financial support for other Democrats — just as we have always done where his financial support for political causes is relevant to our reporting.
I would like to pay tribute to everybody who has covered the campaigns — and the independent way that we have reported the race. As I pointed out back on November 24th, we found ourselves in an unprecedented situation: no other newsroom of our size has had to deal with anything similar. "
— John Micklethwait's statement on Wednesday, via Stelter

Go deeper: Bloomberg suspends presidential campaign, endorses Biden

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan
6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

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Axios
Updated 8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
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Lachlan Markay
8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

John Weaver, Lincoln Project co-founder, acknowledges “inappropriate” messages

John Weaver aboard John McCain's campaign plane in February 2000. Photo: Robert Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

John Weaver, a veteran Republican operative who co-founded the Lincoln Project, declared in a statement to Axios on Friday that he sent “inappropriate,” sexually charged messages to multiple men.

  • “To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry. They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you,” Weaver said.
  • “The truth is that I'm gay,” he added. “And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow