Jan 7, 2020 - Politics & Policy

GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter submits letter of resignation

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) on Tuesday submitted his letter of resignation, effective Jan. 13, after pleading guilty last month to misusing campaign funds.

The big picture: Hunter, who had been a staunch ally of President Trump in Congress, is alleged to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal use, including on gas, groceries, lavish dinners and vacations. Hunter changed his "not guilty" plea six months after his wife Margaret Hunter admitted to the charges and agreed to testify against him.

Go deeper: The members of Congress departing in 2020

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Axios

Updated 44 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 30,881,522 — Total deaths: 958,493— Total recoveries: 21,119,006 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 6,794,479 — Total deaths: 199,469 — Total recoveries: 2,590,671 — Total tests: 95,108,559 — Map.
Politics: Testing czar on Trump's CDC contradictions: "Everybody is right" — Ex-FDA chief: Career scientists won't be "easily cowed" by political vaccine pressure.
Education: What we overlooked in the switch to remote learning.
Health: The dwindling chances of eliminating COVID-19 — 7 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week.
World: England sets £10,000 fine for breaking self-isolation rules — The countries painting their pandemic recoveries green.

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Alayna Treene

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Trump campaign goes all in on Pennsylvania

Trump poster in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Photo: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

The president's campaign is placing more importance on Pennsylvania amid growing concern that his chances of clinching Wisconsin are slipping, Trump campaign sources tell Axios.

Driving the news: Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral votes, twice Wisconsin's number, actually has been trending higher in recent public and internal polling, a welcome development for the campaign.

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Hans Nichols, Alayna Treene

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Inside Biden's Supreme Court strategy

Joe Biden enters the hall at the National Constitution Center. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Joe Biden’s closing argument will shift to a dominant emphasis on health care, turning the looming Supreme Court fight into a referendum on coverage and pre-existing conditions, officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: Biden aides believed they were winning when the race was about the coronavirus pandemic. Now they plan to use the Supreme Court opening as a raucous new field for a health care fight, returning to a theme that gave Democrats big midterm wins in 2018.