Nov 16, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Chuck Grassley to step down as chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee

Chuck Grassley. Photo: Leigh Vogel/WireImage via Getty Images

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is stepping out of his role as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman in 2019 to take over Sen. Orrin Hatch's role as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Why it matters: The move paves the way for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to take over the Judiciary Committee in January, which would make him President Trump's point person on judges. Under Grassley, the committee approved more than 80 of Trump's nominees to lifetime appointments on the federal bench, as well as two Supreme Court justices.

Go deeper: Full results from the Senate leadership elections

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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China
1 hour ago - World

China embraces hostage diplomacy

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Chinese government is threatening to detain foreign citizens unless their home governments do what Beijing demands. In some cases, China has already made good on those threats.

The big picture: This marks a potential evolution of China's "wolf warrior diplomacy" to outright rogue state behavior, putting it in the company of countries like North Korea and Iran, which have also engaged in hostage diplomacy.

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Ashley Gold, Kyle Daly
3 hours ago - Technology

Justice Department sues Google over alleged search monopoly

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

The Justice Department and 11 states Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of using anticompetitive tactics to illegally monopolize the online search and search advertising markets.

Why it matters: The long-awaited suit is Washington's first major blow against the tech giants that many on both the right and left argue have grown too large and powerful. Still, this is just step one in what could be a lengthy and messy court battle.

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Axios
Updated 3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Americans feel Trump's sickness makes him harder to trust — Florida breaks record for in-person early voting.
  2. Health: The next wave is gaining steam.
  3. Education: Schools haven't become hotspots.
  4. World: Ireland moving back into lockdown — Argentina becomes 5th country to report 1 million infections.
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