May 25, 2017

Clinton, Comey and the "dubious" intel received by FBI

Win McNamee / AP

The Washington Post is out with a report about "dubious" intel the FBI received about Hillary Clinton while she was a presidential candidate in 2016. Here are the details boiled down:

The intel: The FBI received information, purportedly linked to Russian intelligence, about Hillary Clinton and her email servers. It described an alleged email between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and someone on the Clinton campaign, implying that the DOJ would not investigate her too closely.
The "dubious" nature: The FBI reviewed the intel and determined it was "bad intelligence," maybe even a fake.
The Comey connection: Current and former officials said the intel was important in then-FBI Director James Comey's decision to break protocol and announce the investigation into Clinton's emails was over without consulting the DOJ, though "others familiar with the document disagree sharply" with those claims.

Go deeper

Axios

Coronavirus cases rise, as more Americans on cruise confirmed ill

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

A U.S. public health official confirms more than 40 Americans on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan have coronavirus, while the remaining U.S. citizens without symptoms are being evacuated.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,770 people and infected almost 70,000 others. Most cases and all but five of the deaths have occurred in mainland China. Taiwan confirmed its first death on Sunday, per multiple reports, in a 61-year-old man with underlying health conditions. Health officials were investigating how he became ill.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health

Sara Fischer, Jonathan Swan

Scoop: Inside the Trump campaign's big hedge on Facebook

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Trump campaign has invested most of its advertising budget to date on Facebook, testing thousands of versions of ads per day to maximize its spending.

But behind the scenes, a source familiar with the campaign tells Axios, the thinking has shifted: "As everyone can see, we still have strong spending on Facebook, but the percentage of our total media budget [on Facebook] is shrinking."

Go deeper4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Alayna Treene

Trump's revenge tour has the House in its sights

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Contributor

In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections — buoyed by Republican control of both chambers — President Trump viewed campaigning for the House as a lower-tier priority and instead poured his energy into rallying for the Senate.

But after the GOP reckoning in 2018, and experiencing firsthand how damaging a Democratic-led House has been to him, Trump is now personally invested in helping Republicans regain the majority in November, several people familiar with his thinking tell Axios.

Go deeper4 hours ago - Politics & Policy