Feb 7, 2018

Google brings Nest inside as it battles Amazon in smart home

Haley Britzky

Nick DeLena adjusts his thermostat from Nest Labs in his home. Photo: Ann Hermes / The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images

After treating Nest as an independent unit, Google is now making it a part of its internal hardware effort, according to CNET,

"All of Google's investments in machine learning and AI, they can very clearly benefit Nest products. It just makes sense to be developing them together."
— Google hardware chief, Rick Osterloh

Why it matters, per Axios' Ina Fried: Google had wanted to keep Nest separate from Google but the pros of unification have seemed to outweigh the cons for a while. Increasingly Google's own hardware efforts are more similar to Nest.

  • Google is battling "Amazon, and now Apple, in the rapidly expanding smart home market," per CNET.
  • Nest CEO Marwan Fawaz will be reporting to Osterloh.
  • CNET reports the two companies will being co-developing products "in the next two years."
  • Osterloh told CNET they want to "work with Amazon in an open, transparent, symmetrical way."

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Marisa Fernandez

China reopens Wuhan after 10-week coronavirus lockdown

People wearing facemasks stand near Yangtze River in Wuhan. Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

China has lifted its lockdown of Wuhan, the city in Hubei province where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported in December, according to the New York Times.

Why it matters: As cases surged in January, China took the draconian step of sealing off the city of 11 million and shutting down its economy — a response that was viewed at the time as only possible in an authoritarian system, but which has since been adopted by governments around the world.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 1,381,014— Total deaths: 78,269 — Total recoveries: 292,973 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 378,289 — Total deaths: 11,830 — Total recoveries: 20,003 — Map.
  3. Trump administration latest: Trump removes watchdog overseeing rollout of $2 trillion coronavirus bill
  4. Federal government latest: Senate looks to increase coronavirus relief for small businesses this week — Testing capacity is still lagging far behind demand.
  5. States update: New York death toll surged to its highest one-day total as state predicts a plateau in hospitalizations.
  6. 🎧 Podcast: The race to reopen America
  7. 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.
  8. 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.

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Jacob Knutson

Trump removes watchdog overseeing rollout of $2 trillion coronavirus bill

Glenn Fine, acting Pentagon watchdog

President Trump on Monday replaced the Pentagon's acting Inspector General Glenn Fine, who had been selected to chair the panel overseeing the rollout of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed last month, Politico first reported.

Why it matters: A group of independent federal watchdogs selected Fine to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, but Fine's removal from his Pentagon job prevents him from being able to serve in that position — since the law only allows sitting inspectors general to fill the role.

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