Jan 15, 2019

NYT: Trump discussed U.S. withdrawal from NATO

President Trump at last year's NATO summit with national security adviser John Bolton. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

President Trump told top administration officials in private conversations throughout 2018 that he wanted to withdraw the U.S. from NATO, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Senior national security officials believe the withdrawal from the 29-country military alliance "would drastically reduce Washington’s influence in Europe and could embolden Russia for decades," the Times reports. The move would be "the wildest success that Vladimir Putin could dream of," Michèle A. Flournoy, a top defense official under President Obama, told the Times, which reported last week that the FBI had opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump was secretly working for Russian interests in 2017.

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Ursula Perano

Updated 11 mins ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Protests over George Floyd's death grip Minneapolis

The Third Police Precinct burns in Minneapolis on Thursday night. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Cheering protesters set a Minneapolis police station on fire Thursday night in the third night of unrest following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in the city, per AP.

The state of play: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a briefing early Friday he told police to evacuate the building because "there were imminent threats both to officers and public." "The symbolism of a building cannot outweighs the importance of life," he said.

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Axios

Updated 12 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,816,706 — Total deaths: 360,437 — Total recoveries — 2,420,358 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 1,721,926 — Total deaths: 101,617 — Total recoveries: 399,991 — Total tested: 15,646,041 — Map.
Public health: The mystery of coronavirus superspreaders.
Congress: Pelosi slams McConnell on stimulus delay — Sen. Tim Kaine and wife test positive for coronavirus antibodies.
World: Twitter slapped a fact-check label on a pair of months-old tweets from a Chinese government spokesperson that falsely suggested that the coronavirus originated in the U.S.
2020: The RNC has issued their proposed safety guidelines for its planned convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Axios on HBO: Science fiction writers tell us how they see the coronavirus pandemic.
🏃‍♀️Sports: Boston Marathon canceled after initial postponement, asks runners to go virtual.
What should I do? When you can be around others after contracting the coronavirus — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

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Ina Fried

Updated 1 hour ago - Technology

Twitter: Trump's Minnesota tweet violated rules on violence

Twitter said Friday morning that a tweet from President Trump in which he threatened shooting in response to civil unrest in Minneapolis violated the company's rules. The company said it was leaving the tweet up in the public interest.

Why it matters: The move exacerbates tensions between Twitter and Trump over the company's authority to label or limit his speech and, conversely, the president's authority to dictate rules for a private company.

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