Feb 3, 2019

Cory Booker could be the first vegan president

Axios

Cory Booker. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), 49, would be the country's first self-described vegan president, the LA Times' Nardine Saad writes.

What he's saying: "I find myself more and more rejoicing in the delicious simplicity of a whole food, plant based diet,” Booker wrote on Facebook last March, sharing a picture of a roasted-cauliflower lunch.

  • On "The View" on Friday, Meghan McCain asked Booker: "What does a vegan eat at the Iowa State Fair?" Booker responded: "I won’t eat the pork chop on a stick, but there will be a lot of fried stuff."

"Booker is a self-described 'junk-food vegan,'" per the LA Times:

  • "He fasts intermittently and focuses on eating unprocessed food with simple ingredients, which have helped him lose weight and increase his energy."
  • "He also loves a good Impossible burger."

Go deeper: Beef: America’s dinner and a juicy climate controversy

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U.S. coronavirus updates: Chicago jail is largest-known source of coronavirus

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Chicago's Cook County jail is the largest-known source of coronavirus infections in the U.S., the New York Times reports. The White House has identified Chicago's metro area as a risk for exponential growth of the virus.

Why it matters: Public health officials have warned this would be a particularly deadly week for America, even as New York began to see declining trends of hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 3 mins ago - Health
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 1,504,971 — Total deaths: 87,984 — Total recoveries: 318,068 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 424,945 — Total deaths: 14,529 — Total recoveries: 23,292 — Map.
  3. Federal government latest: Top Trump administration officials had been developing a plan to give cloth masks to huge numbers of Americans, but the idea lost traction amid heavy internal skepticism.
  4. States latest: Chicago's Cook County jail is largest-known source of coronavirus in U.S.
  5. Business update: One-third of U.S. jobs are at risk of disappearing, mostly affecting low-income workers.
  6. World update: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to put politics aside "if you don’t want to have many more body bags.”
  7. Environment update: COVID-19 is underscoring the connection between air pollution and dire outcomes from respiratory diseases.
  8. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 54 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Bryan Walsh

The pandemic and pollution

New York City's skyline on a smoggy day in May 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

COVID-19 is underscoring the connection between air pollution and dire outcomes from respiratory diseases.

Why it matters: Old-fashioned air pollution is almost certainly the single biggest environmental health threat, contributing to the deaths of some 7 million people a year according to the WHO, making it comparable to deaths from smoking.

Go deeperArrow2 hours ago - Health