Jul 10, 2018

Democrats want Kavanaugh to recuse himself on Mueller matters

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are planning to ask President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to not participate in future cases involving Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian collusion spanning from the 2016 election, if confirmed, Politico reports.

The backdrop: This comes in response to past remarks Kavanaugh made that a sitting president should be exempt from civil lawsuits or criminal investigations. And as Politico notes, the high court could rule on matters related to the special counsel's probe. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tx.) called Democrats' call for recusal "ridiculous."

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: New global case numbers surpass China's

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus is now affecting every continent but Antarctica and the WHO said Wednesday the number of new cases reported outside China has exceeded those inside the country for the first time.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,800 people and infected over 82,000 others in some 50 countries and territories. As Denmark and Estonia reported their first cases Thursday, Scott Morrison, prime minister of Australia — which has 23 confirmed infections — told a news conference, "The risk of a global pandemic is very much upon us."

Go deeperUpdated 41 mins ago - Health

Orion Rummler

Mass shooting in Milwaukee: What we know so far

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in 2012. Photo: John Gress/Corbis via Getty Images

Six people died in a shooting at the Molson Coors Brewing Company in Milwaukee Molson Coors on Wednesday, including the 51-year-old gunman, Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters at an evening press conference with local police.

Details: All of the victims worked at the brewery complex, as did the shooter who died of "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed in a statement late Wednesday.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Rebecca Falconer

WHO official leads criticism of Trump's coronavirus response

President Trump with members of the new coronavirus task force, including Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on Wednesday. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, special advisor to the director general of the World Health Organization, told MSNBC Wednesday he found "most" of what President Trump said at his briefing on the novel coronavirus "incoherent."

The big picture: As the number of confirmed cases reaches 60 in the U.S., the top health professional — who was a health policy adviser in the Obama administration — is among several leading figures, in particular, Democrats, to criticize the president for his response to the outbreak.

Go deeper4 hours ago - Health