Feb 23, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Murphy says White House national security adviser should "stay out of politics"

Sen. Chris Murphy. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien should "stay out of politics."

Driving the news: O'Brien said on ABC News that it's "no surprise" Russia has attempted to interfere in favor of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary because Sanders "honeymooned in Moscow." Sanders said late last week that he was briefed about a month ago on Russia's attempts to help his campaign and that he completely condemns Putin's interference.

The big picture: A congressional briefing led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reportedly said that Russia had “developed a preference” for President Trump and was seeking to help his re-election campaign, in addition to Sanders' primary bid.

  • O'Brien repeatedly said on the Sunday cable talk shows that he had not seen any intelligence to support this, despite Russia having interfered on Trump's behalf in 2016.
  • Murphy countered on CNN: "What we know is that the Russians never stopped interfering in American politics. ... They are weighing in over and over again in support of right-wing causes, in support of Donald Trump's political agenda."
  • "And of course it stands to reason that they want Donald Trump re-elected because he has been a gift to Russia," Murphy added.

Go deeper: Trump misrepresents 2020 Russia briefing as Democratic "misinformation"

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Axios
Updated 27 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 21,020,216 — Total deaths: 761,393— Total recoveries: 13,048,303 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,289,323 — Total deaths: 167,948 — Total recoveries: 1,774,648 — Total tests: 64,831,306 — Map.
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  5. Cities: Coronavirus pandemic dims NYC's annual 9/11 Tribute in Light.
  6. Politics: Biden signals fall strategy with new ads.
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Alexi McCammond
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Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

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Sara Fischer
2 hours ago - Technology

Facebook goes after Apple

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Facebook is seeking to force a face-off with Apple over its 30% in-app purchase commission fee, which Facebook suggests hurts small businesses struggling to get by during the pandemic.

The big picture: Facebook has never publicly gone after Apple, a key strategic partner, this aggressively. Both companies face antitrust scrutiny, which in Apple's case has centered on the very fee structure Facebook is now attacking.

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