Jan 10, 2017

Generals tell Trump to back off on torture

176 retired military officers have sent President-elect Trump a joint letter indicating their concern about his statements on the campaign trail supportive of the use of torture on U.S. detainees. Per the NYT, some of the most significant signers:

  • General Stanley McChrystal, former Commander, ISAF Afghanistan
  • General John Allen, former Commander, ISAF Afghanistan
  • Admiral William McRaven, organizer of the Osama bin Laden raid

Why it matters: PEOTUS famously stated that "torture works" on the campaign trail, but even his pick to head Defense, Gen. James Mattis, hasn't been shy about his disgust for it. Now Trump faces another big round of retired officers saying he's wrong on the issue.

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Dave Lawler
16 mins ago - World

The 53 countries supporting China's crackdown on Hong Kong

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Rolex/Pool/Getty Images

China's foreign ministry and state media have declared victory after 53 countries joined a statement at the UN Human Rights Council supporting Beijing's new national security law for Hong Kong — compared to 27 who criticized the law.

The big picture: The list of 53 countries was not initially published along with the statement, but has been obtained by Axios. It is made up primarily of autocratic states, including North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Zimbabwe.

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Ben Geman
30 mins ago - Energy & Environment

CO2 emissions may have peaked, but that's not enough

Reproduced from DNV GL; Chart: Axios Visuals

More analysts are making the case that COVID-19 could be an inflection point for oil use and carbon emissions, but it's hardly one that puts the world on a sustainable ecological path.

Driving the news: The risk advisory firm DNV GL, citing the pandemic's long-term effects on energy consumption, projects in a new analysis that global CO2 emissions "most likely" peaked in 2019.

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Axios
1 hour ago - Economy & Business

U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs in June

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Axios Visuals

The U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs last month, while the unemployment rate dropped to 11.1% from 13.3% in May, according to government data released Thursday.

The state of play: While the labor market showed more signs of recovery when the government’s survey period ended in early June, the lag means that more recent developments, like the surge in coronavirus cases and resultant closures in some states, aren't captured in this data.

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