Sep 12, 2017

​Boehner defends South Korea trade deal

Speaker of the House John Boehner on Capitol Hill. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Former Speaker John Boehner, who has mostly kept silent on policy since leaving office, responds to our reporting that President Trump is still considering withdrawing from a trade agreement with South Korea that Boehner helped guide to passage in 2011:

  • "Withdrawing from the South Korea-US Trade Agreement [KORUS] would undermine America's strategic objectives in the Pacific region and undercut our own workers and employers."
  • Full statement.

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Eileen Drage O'Reilly
15 mins ago - Health

Fauci: Coronavirus task force to examine aerosolized spread


A sneeze. Photo: Maartje van Caspel/Getty Images

The White House coronavirus task force will examine more closely just how much SARS-CoV-2 might be transmitted via aerosols, and not just from droplets, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Wednesday at an online forum sponsored by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Why it matters: The longer the coronavirus can remain infectious in the air, the more likely it can infect people, particularly indoors — leading to the possible need to alter air filtration and circulation within buildings.

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Dion Rabouin, Kim Hart
20 mins ago - Economy & Business

The next wave to hit Main Street

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Call it the great retail wash. A wave of defaults, bankruptcies and evictions expected in cities across the U.S. is poised to remake the retail landscape across the country, but there may be some upside for consumers and small businesses.

Why it matters: Rather than an overnight descent into a collection of urban wastelands full of Starbucks, Amazon fulfillment centers, Chase bank branches and nothing else, the coronavirus pandemic and resulting retail apocalypse may just mean that, in major U.S. cities, less is more.

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Sam Baker, Andrew Witherspoon
1 hour ago - Health

Coronavirus hotspots begin to improve

Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Map: Andrew Witherspoon, Danielle Alberti, Sara Wise/Axios

Coronavirus infections are falling or holding steady in most of the country, including the hard-hit hotspots of Arizona, California and Florida.

The big picture: A decline in new infections is always good news, but don't be fooled: the U.S. still has a very long way to go to recover from this summer's surge.

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