Jan 29, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Republicans vote to release FISA memo

Erica Pandey, author of @Work

Rep. Devin Nunes chairs the committee. Photo: Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee voted Monday evening to release a four-page memo written by chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, which alleges that the FBI used the Trump-Russia dossier to obtain FISA wiretaps against American citizens, the New York Times reports. Now, President Trump needs to sign off on the release.

The decision to release the memo comes after Associate Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote a letter to the committee calling the move "extraordinarily reckless." The committee's Republican majority voted against releasing a memo written by Democrats to counter Nunes' document, per NBC's Andrea Mitchell.

What's next: Trump has five days to review the document before making the call on whether it should go public. The Washington Post reported Sunday that he wants the memo released. FBI Director Christopher Wray has already seen the classified memo, per Politico.

Go deeper: Background on the memo and surrounding controversy

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 40 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 12,859,834 — Total deaths: 567,123 — Total recoveries — 7,062,085 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 3,297,501— Total deaths: 135,155 — Total recoveries: 1,006,326 — Total tested: 40,282,176 — Map.
  3. States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000 — NYC reports zero coronavirus deaths for first time since pandemic hit.
  4. Public health: Ex-FDA chief projects "apex" of South's coronavirus curve in 2-3 weeks — Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table"
  5. Education: Betsy DeVos says schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds — Pelosi accuses Trump of "messing with the health of our children."
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: How the White House is trying to trap leakers

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

President Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has told several White House staffers he's fed specific nuggets of information to suspected leakers to see if they pass them on to reporters — a trap that would confirm his suspicions. "Meadows told me he was doing that," said one former White House official. "I don't know if it ever worked."

Why it matters: This hunt for leakers has put some White House staffers on edge, with multiple officials telling Axios that Meadows has been unusually vocal about his tactics. So far, he's caught only one person, for a minor leak.

Go deeper (4 min. read)Arrow
Jacob Knutson
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

11 GOP congressional nominees support QAnon conspiracy

Lauren Boebert posing in her restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, on April 24. Photo: Emily Kask/AFP

At least 11 Republican congressional nominees have publicly supported or defended the QAnon conspiracy theory movement or some of its tenets — and more aligned with the movement may still find a way onto ballots this year.

Why it matters: Their progress shows how a fringe online forum built on unsubstantiated claims and flagged as a threat by the FBI is seeking a foothold in the U.S. political mainstream.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow