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Buttigieg says he doubts his consulting work led to insurer's layoffs

Pete Buttigieg. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg told MSNBC's "'The Rachel Maddow Show" Tuesday night that he doubts his McKinsey & Company consulting work with health insurer client Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan led to layoffs after he left.

Why it matters: The Southbend mayor has faced scrutiny from other 2020 candidates and liberal activists in recent weeks over his work for McKinsey & Company.

  • A ProPublica report this month, headlined "How McKinsey helped the Trump administration detain and deport immigrants," raised further concerns about the company. Buttigieg says he "never worked on a project" inconsistent with his values.

The big picture: With McKinsey's permission, Buttigieg released his client list Tuesday evening from his time working at the company, from 2007 to 2010, as part of a larger push for transparency.

Go deeper: Podcast: Mayor Pete's McKinsey problem

Go deeper

Margaret Talev
2 hours ago - Health

Ipsos poll: COVID trick-or-treat

Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Note ±3.3% margin of error for the total sample size; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

About half of Americans are worried that trick-or-treating will spread coronavirus in their communities, according to this week's installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Why it matters: This may seem like more evidence that the pandemic is curbing our nation's cherished pastimes. But a closer look reveals something more nuanced about Americans' increased acceptance for risk around activities in which they want to participate.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: The good and bad news about antibody therapies — Fauci: Hotspots have materialized across "the entire country."
  2. World: Belgium imposes lockdown, citing "health emergency" due to influx of cases.
  3. Economy: Conference Board predicts economy won’t fully recover until late 2021.
  4. Education: Surge threatens to shut classrooms down again.
  5. Technology: The pandemic isn't slowing tech.
  6. Travel: CDC replaces COVID-19 cruise ban with less restrictive "conditional sailing order."
  7. Sports: High school football's pandemic struggles.
  8. 🎧Podcast: The vaccine race turns toward nationalism.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata
Updated 11 hours ago - Economy & Business

Dunkin' Brands agrees to $11B Inspire Brands sale

Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Dunkin' Brands, operator of both Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, agreed on Friday to be taken private for nearly $11.3 billion, including debt, by Inspire Brands, a restaurant platform sponsored by private equity firm Roark Capital.

Why it matters: Buying Dunkin’ will more than double Inspire’s footprint, making it one of the biggest restaurant deals in the past 10 years. This could ultimately set up an IPO for Inspire, which already owns Arby's, Jimmy John's and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow

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