Oct 26, 2017

GOP at war: "Retaliatory crusade" targets Bannon

Axios

Mitch McConnell (left) revealed plans to attack Steve Bannon personally. Photo: Alex Brandon, Evan Vucci / AP

A super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (the Senate Leadership Fund) revealed plans to attack Steve Bannon personally "as it works to protect GOP incumbents facing uphill primary fights," the Washington Post reports. The group plans to spend millions boosting candidates with traditional GOP profiles and excoriating those tied to Bannon, highlighting his hard-line populism and attempting "to link him to white nationalism to discredit him and the candidates he will support."

Why it matters: "The turbulence presents a danger to Republicans' narrow 52-seat majority in the Senate, with seasoned GOP lawmakers deciding against seeking reelection amid the political storm — and with many GOP voters cheering the rancor that Bannon has stoked."

Go deeper

Sara Fischer

Facebook spending $100 million to help news outlets in coronavirus crisis

Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Facebook says it is spending $100 million to support news outlets around the world that have been impacted by the coronavirus, the company said Monday.

Why it matters: Whatever Facebook's motivation, this is a much-needed cash infusion at a critical time for the local news industry.

Go deeperArrow3 mins ago - Economy & Business
Jim VandeHei

The next American struggle: Waiting out the coronavirus

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

There are now a lot of known knowns about the coronavirus: It's here, it's spreading, it's stressing hospitals, it's crippling the economy, it's slowed only by distance and isolation — and it's sure to get much worse before it gets much better. 

Why it matters: Similarly, there is a sameness to the patterns and known unknowns. So now we hit the maddening stage of waiting.

Go deeperArrow12 mins ago - Health
Sara Fischer, Kim Hart

Coronavirus pushes traditional businesses into the digital age

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A slew of old-line industries that once hesitated to embrace digital technologies are now being forced to do so for the sake of survival.

Why it matters: Once consumers get used to accessing services digitally — from older restaurants finally embracing online ordering, or newspapers finally going all-digital — these industries may find it hard to go back to traditional operations.

Go deeperArrow41 mins ago - Economy & Business