Jun 22, 2018

Everyone wants a piece of Mike Bloomberg's election money

Michael Bloomberg on stage at The Robin Hood Foundation's 2018 benefit. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Robin Hood

The lobbying has started for the $80 million Michael Bloomberg plans to spend for House Democrats in the midterms.

What to watch: Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a possible 2020 presidential candidate, wants it to go to military veterans who are running, reports the Boston Globe's Liz Goodwin.

  • "Moulton has contributed $1.9 million to nearly two dozen Democratic candidates with a military background whom he’s endorsed in the 2018 midterm cycle. ... He’s personally recruited several of them."
  • Bloomberg strategist Howard Wolfson told The Globe the recipients are still being determined, but will include at least some of Moulton's team.
  • Why it matters: "A vocal critic of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Moulton has raised his profile within the party by pushing for a 'new generation' of leadership and by recruiting and funding centrist, fresh-faced candidates to run in moderate and even red-leaning districts."

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 5,682,389 — Total deaths: 354,944 — Total recoveries — 2,337,385 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 1,697,459 — Total deaths: 100,271 — Total recoveries: 391,508 — Total tested: 15,192,481 — Map.
  3. Public health: Fauci says data is "really quite evident" against hydroxychloroquine — Nearly half of Americans say someone in their household has delayed medical care.
  4. Business: African American business owners have seen less relief from PPP, Goldman Sachs says — Disney plans phased reopening on July 11 — Author Ann Patchett says bookstores are innovating to stay connected with customers.
  5. Tech: AI will help in the pandemic — but it might not be in time for this one.
  6. 1 🎶 thing: Local music venues get rocked by coronavirus.
  7. 🎧 Podcast: Trump vs. Twitter ... vs. Trump.
  8. 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.
  9. 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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Updated 20 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Top Senate Democrat says State Dept. is working on new Saudi arms deal

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefs reporters on May 20. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/pool/AFP via Getty Images

Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) wrote in a CNN op-ed on Wednesday that he learned that the State Department is currently working to sell thousands of additional precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia.

Why it matters: Democrats say that Steve Linick, the State Department inspector general who was ousted on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recommendation, was investigating the administration's previous effort to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia without congressional approval.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

U.S. coronavirus death toll crosses 100,000

Data: Johns Hopkins University; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

More than 100,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins — a terrible milestone that puts the death toll far beyond some of the most tragic events in U.S. history.

By the numbers: The death toll from COVID-19 now stands at more than 34 times the number of people who died on 9/11.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow2 hours ago - Health