Dec 17, 2017

Americans would prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress

Erica Pandey

Democrat Doug Jones' victory party in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo: AP

Americans would prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress after the 2018 midterm elections, per a new NBC/WSJ poll. Among registered voters surveyed, 50% said they would rather see Democrats as the congressional majority, while 39% said they prefer Republicans in power.

Behind the numbers: Democrats haven't seen such a strong lead since 2008, when voters preferred a blue congress to a red one by 14 points. They lead young voters, ages 18–34 by 48 points and women voters by 20 points. Republicans lead among white voters by 2 points and among white voters without college degrees by 12 points.

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Fadel Allassan

Mark Cuban criticizes "arrogant" 3M on respirator production

Photo: Axios Events

Businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said during an Axios virtual event Friday that 3M is "arrogant" for not speaking up about respirator production in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

What he said: Cuban criticized the company for "making more globally than domestically," echoing a similar line from President Trump now that the U.S. is the epicenter of the pandemic. "You can't ghost the American people," he told Axios CEO Jim VandeHei from Dallas.

Go deeperArrow9 mins ago - Economy & Business
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 p.m. ET: 1,056,777 — Total deaths: 55,781 — Total recoveries: 221,262 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 p.m. ET: 257,773 — Total deaths: 6,069 — Total recoveries: 9,311 — Map.
  3. Politics latest: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are worried about the difficulties of delivering the $2.2 trillion in stimulus aid.
  4. Jobs update: The U.S. lost 701,000 jobs in March, but the new report doesn't reflect the height of the virus' impact on the economy.
  5. World update: About half of the deaths worldwide are in Italy and Spain, with fatalities exponentially increasing across Europe.
  6. Social media: Bored athletes take to Instagram to connect with fans during coronavirus shutdown.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. 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 55 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Joann Muller

Coronavirus puts ambitious plans for self-driving cars on the shelf

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

In two weeks, the coronavirus has brought the entire U.S. auto industry to a screeching halt. When it finally sputters back to life, many companies may be forced to change, defer — or even abandon — their ambitious plans for self-driving vehicles.

The big picture: Auto factories are shut down across North America to prevent the spread of the virus among workers, while stay-at-home orders have kept car shoppers away from showrooms. The resulting financial shock means carmakers have shifted their focus to survival, not investing in expensive technologies with no clear payoff.

Go deeperArrow56 mins ago - Economy & Business