Dec 3, 2018

Report: CIA director to brief lawmakers on Jamal Khashoggi's death

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel will brief Senate leaders Tuesday on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Wall Street Journal reports, days after several lawmakers expressed outrage over her absence from last week's Senate briefing regarding U.S. support of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Why it matters: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis led last week's briefing, but Haspel's absence was particularly noticeable given intelligence officials are normally present at such a meeting. The CIA also issued a key report last month which reportedly concluded with "high confidence" that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ordered the killing.

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Erica Pandey

America's funeral homes buckle under the coronavirus

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Morgues, funeral homes and cemeteries in hot spots across America cannot keep up with the staggering death toll of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: The U.S. has seen more than 10,000 deaths from the virus, and at least tens of thousands more lives are projected to be lost. The numbers are creating unprecedented bottlenecks in the funeral industry — and social distancing is changing the way the families say goodbye to their loved ones.

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Jonathan Swan, Margaret Talev

Navarro memos warning of mass coronavirus death circulated in January

Image from a memo to President Trump

In late January, President Trump's economic adviser Peter Navarro warned his White House colleagues the novel coronavirus could take more than half a million American lives and cost close to $6 trillion, according to memos obtained by Axios.

The state of play: By late February, Navarro was even more alarmed, and he warned his colleagues, in another memo, that up to two million Americans could die of the virus.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health

Margaret Talev

Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: The virus hits home

Data: Ipsos/Axios poll; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

The share of Americans who know someone who's tested positive has more than tripled in just a few weeks, to 14%, according to the latest installment of our Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

It's still highest in the Northeast, but last week alone it doubled in the South — and it's becoming most pronounced among people who still must leave home to work.

Go deeper2 hours ago - Health