Dec 1, 2017

Hawks could take flight at State Department

Photo: Evan Vucci / AP

David Ignatius column: "Mike Pompeo, the feisty and politically ambitious CIA director who is likely headed to State, is the un-Tillerson. He's flamboyant where Tillerson is guarded, sharp and sometimes snarky where Tillerson is reticent."

  • "He's a far better communicator than Tillerson, and he'll probably do better conveying to Congress, the public and U.S. allies his version of diplomacy than does Tillerson, whose dislike for his job is palpable."
  • Why it matters: "The atmospherics will be a more activist, hawkish, extroverted U.S. foreign policy."

Go deeper

Felix Salmon, author of Capital
14 mins ago - Economy & Business

A white-collar crime crackdown

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

America has waited a decade for an aggressive government crackdown on white-collar crime. Now, just before the election, and in the middle of a bull market, it has arrived.

Why it matters: When times are good, investors become more trusting and more greedy. That makes them more likely to put their money into fraudulent or criminal enterprises.

  • After a decade-long bull market, there is no shortage of those frauds to prosecute.
Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Ashley Gold
41 mins ago - Technology

Lawyers crystal-ball the Google antitrust case

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Justice Department's antitrust suit against Google is a strong, straightforward monopoly case, competition lawyers and experts tell Axios. But that doesn't mean it'll be an easy journey for the government.

The big picture: Winning any antitrust case is a heavy lift. It's even more of a challenge to pull off victory in a future-looking case that seeks to make room for potential new competition to flourish.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Sam Baker, Andrew Witherspoon
47 mins ago - Health

The pandemic is getting worse again

Expand chart
Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Note: Due to a database error, Missouri had a 3 day gap in reporting from Oct. 11-13; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Every available piece of data proves it: The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse again, all across America.

The big picture: As the death toll ticks past 212,000, at a moment when containing the virus ought to be easier and more urgent than ever, we are instead giving it a bigger foothold to grow from.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow