Aug 3, 2017

Budget director: WH will back a "clean" debt ceiling hike

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

President Trump's budget director, Mick Mulvaney, told reporters Thursday that the administration is on board with supporting the "cleanest possible" debt ceiling increase, and will no longer seek spending cuts, per CBS News. Mulvaney had previously pressed for the cuts as part of the deal, but he ultimately agreed with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on a clean hike.

Why it matters: The move could put the White House at odds with its party, as members of the Tea Party and House Freedom Caucus have been publicly advocating for the cuts.

The Senate is expected to break for August recess on Thursday, and the House left for the month-long break last Friday. Meanwhile, the debt ceiling hike needs to be passed by the end of the 2017 fiscal year, or Sept. 30, to avoid a government shutdown.

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Ashley Gold

2 mins ago - Technology

Congress' next moves to rein in Big Tech

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

After grilling the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple last week, members of Congress are grappling with whether to accuse any of the firms of illegal anticompetitive behavior, to propose updating federal antitrust laws — or both.

The big picture: Congress is just one arm of government making the case against these companies. Google is expected to be the first of the firms to face possible antitrust litigation from the Justice Department before summer's end, but all four face a full-court press of investigations by DOJ, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.

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Eileen Drage O'Reilly

17 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

21 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.