Mar 2, 2018

Report: FBI probing Ivanka Trump business deal as she seeks clearance

Ivanka Trump at a White House meeting. Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

FBI officials are looking into one of Ivanka Trump's international business deals connected to a hotel in Canada that opened in February 2017, right after Trump took office, CNN reports, citing two sources familiar with the probe.

Why it matters: This comes as Ivanka, an advisor to her father, is seeking full security clearance for her role, and could be a stumbling block, CNN reports. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly last week downgraded Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner's security clearance, preventing him from having access to top secret national security information.

"The FBI has been looking closely at the international business entanglements of both [Ivanka and Jared] to determine whether any of those deals could leave them vulnerable to pressure from foreign agents, including China, according to a US official," CNN reports.
Response: "CNN is wrong that any hurdle, obstacle, concern, red flag or problem has been raised with respect to Ms. Trump or her clearance application," said Peter Mirijanian, a spokesman for Ivanka Trump's ethics counsel. "Nothing in the new White House policy has changed Ms. Trump's ability to do the same work she has been doing since she joined the Administration."

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Axios

World coronavirus updates: World Bank warns economic pain unavoidable

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

The novel coronavirus has caused a "global shock" and significant economic pain "seems unavoidable in all countries," the World Bank said in an economic update for
East Asia and the Pacific on Monday.

The big picture: COVID-19 cases surged past 786,000 and the death toll exceeded 37,800 early Tuesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Italy reported more than 11,500 total deaths.

Go deeperUpdated 26 mins ago - Health

Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 a.m. ET: 786,228 — Total deaths: 37,820 — Total recoveries: 166,041.
U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 2 a.m. ET: 164,603 — Total deaths: 3,170— Total recoveries: 5,896.
Federal government latest: The White House will extend its social distancing guidelines until April 30.
State updates: Rural-state governors say testing is still inadequate, contradicting Trump — Virginia, Maryland and D.C. issue stay-at-home orders to residents, joining 28 other states.
Business latest: Ford and General Electric aim to make 50,000 ventilators in 100 days.
In photos: Navy hospital ship arrives in Manhattan.
What should I do? 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 51 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll tops 3,000

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

The U.S. death toll from the novel coronavirus has now surpassed 3,000, per Johns Hopkins data.

The state of play: The U.S. had by Monday night recorded more than 163,000 positive cases — more than any other country in the world, per Johns Hopkins. The COVID-19 death toll stood at 3,008. The number of recoveries had risen to more than 5,800.

Go deeperUpdated 5 hours ago - Health