Oct 4, 2018

Grassley says Kavanaugh should be confirmed Saturday

Senator Chuck Grassley (C), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Photo: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

In a press conference with other top Republican senators Thursday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Judge Brett Kavanaugh should be confirmed on Saturday.

The details: This comes after key senators, who reviewed the supplemental FBI background investigation into allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against President Trump's Supreme Court pick, signaled some confidence and satisfaction with the quality of the probe. Republicans said the FBI report has not corroborated the allegations made against Kavanaugh.

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Sara Fischer

1 hour ago - Technology

Snapchat will no longer promote Trump's account in Discover

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Snapchat will no longer promote President Trump's account on its "Discover" page of curated content, a spokesperson tells Axios, after Trump tweeted comments that some suggested glorified violence amid racial justice protests.

Why it matters: Snapchat is taking action on the president's account for comments he made elsewhere. That's going farther than other big tech firms and signals a commitment to aligning content served to users with core values, rather than making moderation decisions based narrowly on each post made on its own platform.

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Axios

Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Esper catches White House off guard with opposition to military use, photo op

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a press briefing Wednesday that he does not currently support invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that permits the president to use active-duty troops on U.S. soil, in order to quell protests against racial injustice.

Why it matters: President Trump threatened this week to deploy military forces if state and local governments aren't able to squash violent protests. Axios reported on Wednesday that Trump is backing off the idea for now, but that he hasn't ruled it out.

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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Zach Dorfman of the Aspen Institute

2 hours ago - World

Chinese coronavirus test maker agreed to build a Xinjiang gene bank

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

A leading Chinese gene sequencing and biomedical firm that said it would build a gene bank in Xinjiang is supplying coronavirus tests around the world.

Why it matters: U.S. officials are worried that widespread coronavirus testing may provide an opportunity for state-connected companies to compile massive DNA databases for research as well as genetics-based surveillance.

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