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Facebook vet Mosseri to run Instagram

Adam Mosseri, center, flanked by Instagram founders Mike Krieger (l.) and Kevin Systrom. Photo: Instagram

Longtime Facebook executive Adam Mosseri has been tapped to lead Instagram in the wake of the abrupt departures of the photo app's two founders last week. Mosseri has been with the Facebook network for over 10 years, most recently serving as head of product at Instagram.

Why it matters: Reports that the founders of Instagram and WhatsApp clashed with Facebook management suggest that it can be difficult to integrate acquired companies into Facebook without friction.

At the same time, Mosseri's tenure at Facebook ensures leadership at the parent company that they will have "one of their own" at the helm of Instagram's business.

Mosseri brings a deep understanding of Facebook's larger vision to Instagram and has enough experience at both companies to be able to navigate their shared and differentiated interests.

Our thought bubble: Mosseri played a very public role at Facebook in the aftermath of the 2016 election, explaining the way Facebook's News Feed worked and how the company was tackling misinformation. He may be new to the chief executive role, but he has plenty of experience managing both corporate and product needs.

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Special report: Trump's U.S.-China transformation

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump began his term by launching the trade war with China he had promised on the campaign trail. By mid-2020, however, Trump was no longer the public face of China policy-making as he became increasingly consumed with domestic troubles, giving his top aides carte blanche to pursue a cascade of tough-on-China policies.

Why it matters: Trump alone did not reshape the China relationship. But his trade war shattered global norms, paving the way for administration officials to pursue policies that just a few years earlier would have been unthinkable.

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Ursula Perano
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McConnell: Trump "provoked" Capitol mob

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was "provoked by the president and other powerful people."

Why it matters: Trump was impeached by the House last week for "incitement of insurrection." McConnell has not said how he will vote in Trump's coming Senate impeachment trial, but sources told Axios' Mike Allen that the chances of him voting to convict are higher than 50%.

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Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

GOP leaders skip Trump sendoff in favor of church with Biden

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in July. Photo by Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images

Congressional leaders, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will skip President Trump's departure ceremony in Maryland tomorrow morning in favor of attending mass with incoming President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration, congressional sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.

Why it matters: Their decision is a clear sign of unity before Biden takes the oath of office.

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