May 11, 2019

Giuliani cancels trip to Ukraine as Trump suggests investigating Biden

Giulani and Biden. Photos: Siavosh Hosseini/NurPhoto via Getty Images and Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Rudy Giuliani told Fox News on Friday night that he no longer plans to travel to Ukraine to ask Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the origins of the Mueller investigation and, separately, former Vice President Joe Biden's alleged intervention in Ukrainian politics on behalf of his son, CBS reports.

What's new: Giuliani walked back what he previously described as lawfully "meddling in an investigation," and said on Friday he now thinks going to Ukraine would be "walking into a group of people that are enemies of the president ... in some cases enemies of the United States."

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff told Axios' Executive Editor Mike Allen Friday when he asked him about Rudy's plan:

"The fact that he would be so open about it, boastful almost ... it takes your breath away."

The backdrop: President Trump commented on possibly investigating Biden's alleged actions in Ukraine in an exclusive interview with Politico on Friday. Trump said it would be "appropriate" to discuss the issue with Attorney General Bill Barr, but said he hadn't done so yet. "It could be a very big situation," he added.

Meanwhile, Giuliani has faced "withering attacks accusing him of seeking foreign assistance for President Trump’s re-election campaign," the New York Times reports.

Be smart: The New York Times, which broke the story on allegations of Ukrainian conflicts of interest against Biden, reports that "no evidence has surfaced that the former vice president intentionally tried to benefit his son by pressing for the prosecutor general’s dismissal."

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8:30 p.m. ET: 1,197,405 — Total deaths: 64,606 — Total recoveries: 246,152 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 8:30 p.m. ET: 308,850 — Total deaths: 8,407 — Total recoveries: 14,652 — Map.
Public health latest: CDC launches national trackers and recommends face coverings in public. Federal government will cover costs of COVID-19 treatment for uninsured. The virus is hitting poor, minority communities harder and upending childbirth.
2020 latest: "We have no contingency plan," Trump said on the 2020 Republican National Convention. "We're having the convention at the end of August."
Business updates: Restaurants step up for health care workers. Employees are pressuring companies to provide protections during coronavirus.
Oil latest: Monday meeting among oil-producing countries to discuss supply curbs is reportedly being delayed amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Education update: Many college-age students won't get coronavirus relief checks.
1 🏀 thing: The WNBA postpones start of training camps and season.
What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. 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.

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U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll surpasses 8,200, case count tops 300,000

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

Recorded deaths from the coronavirus surpassed 8,100 in the U.S. on Saturday, per Johns Hopkins data. The death toll in the U.S. has risen over 1,000 every day for the past four days, since April 1.

The big picture: Trump said Saturday that America's "toughest week" is ahead. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the country should expect to see deaths continue to increase in the next week.

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World coronavirus updates: Spain tracks more cases than Italy

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

Spain overtook Italy in its number of coronavirus cases on Saturday. The global death toll has surpassed 62,000, per Johns Hopkins data.

The latest: About half the planet's population is on lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis. Fatalities are exponentially increasing across Europe, with roughly half of deaths worldwide located in Italy and Spain.

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