Jan 14, 2019

Trump: "I never worked for Russia"

Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump denied working for Russia while speaking to reporters outside the White House on Monday, responding to a New York Times story that the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether he was secretly "working on behalf of Russia against American interests" after the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

"I never worked for Russia. And you know that answer better than anybody. I never worked for Russia. Not only did I never work for Russia, I think it's a disgrace that you even asked that question because it's a whole big fat hoax. It's just a hoax."

Background: The White House and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied the Times report over the weekend, calling it "absurd" and "ludicrous," respectively. However, Trump failed to directly deny the report in an interview with Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Saturday — the same day the Washington Post reported that he sought to hide details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin from his own administration officials.

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Rebecca Falconer

Former Vatican treasurer George Pell's sexual abuse convictions overturned

Cardinal George Pell at the County Court in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

George Pell, the former Vatican treasurer, has won his appeal and had his child sexual abuse convictions overturned by Australia's High Court.

Why it matters: The cardinal became last year the highest-ranking Catholic Church official to go to trial and be convicted for sex abuse. But the High Court's ruling means he can be immediately released from prison, where he was serving a six-year sentence.

Go deeperUpdated 27 mins ago - World

Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll tops 10,000

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

Recorded deaths from the novel coronavirus surpassed 10,000 in the U.S. on Monday, per Johns Hopkins data. More than 1,000 people in the U.S. have died of coronavirus-related conditions each day since April 1.

Why it matters: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Sunday this week will be "the hardest and saddest week of most Americans' lives" — calling it our "our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11 moment."

Go deeperUpdated 1 hour ago - Health

Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 1,341,907 — Total deaths: 74,476 — Total recoveries: 275,851 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 364,723— Total deaths: 10,781 — Total recoveries: 19,346 — Map.
2020 update: Wisconsin governor orders in-person primary voting delayed until June.
States latest: West Coast states send ventilators to New York and other states with more immediate need — Data suggest coronavirus curve may be flattening in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
World update: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as coronavirus symptoms worsen.
Stocks latest: The S&P 500 closed up 7% on Monday, while the Dow rose more than 1,500 points.
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.
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 ReadingUpdated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy