Jun 21, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Sessions: We "never really intended to" separate families

Photo: Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody Thursday that the Trump administration "never really intended to" separate families at the border:

"It hasn't been good and the American people don't like the idea that we are separating families... We never really intended to do that. What we intended was to make sure that adults who bring children into the country are charged with the crime that they have committed."

Flashback: This breaks with two previous defenses Sessions has given on the administration policy that drew widespread backlash. He told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Monday that he hoped it would serve as a deterrent, and last week he defended the policy by citing the Bible.

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Axios
Updated 7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 20,724,799 — Total deaths: 751,399— Total recoveries: 12,873,188 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,234,800 — Total deaths: 166,750 — Total recoveries: 1,755,225 — Total tests: 63,731,305 — Map.
  3. Politics: House Democrats to investigate scientist leading "Operation Warp Speed" vaccine project — McConnell announces Senate will not hold votes until Sept. 8 unless stimulus deal is reached.
  4. 2020: Biden calls for 3-month national mask mandate — Biden and Harris to receive coronavirus briefings 4 times a week.
  5. States: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to drop lawsuit over Atlanta's mask mandate.
  6. Business: Why the CARES Act makes 2020 the best year for companies to lose money.
  7. Public health: Cases are falling, but don't get too comfortable.
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Margaret Talev
14 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Axios-SurveyMonkey poll: Harris boosting Biden ticket with key voters

Data: SurveyMonkey poll of 2,847 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 11–12, 2020 with ±3% margin of error; Chart: Naema Ahmed/Axios

Kamala Harris is accomplishing what Joe Biden's campaign hoped she would in her first two days as his running mate — doing no harm, while exciting parts of the base with whom Biden needs the most help.

The big picture: Black women especially, but also Black men, Hispanics and Democrats and independents across the board say they are more likely to vote for Biden with Harris on the ticket, according to a new Axios-SurveyMonkey poll.

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Ashley Gold
38 mins ago - Technology

Epic sues Apple over developer tax as Fortnite is pulled from App Store

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Fortnite maker Epic Games on Thursday escalated its battle over Apple's App Store tactics, suing the tech giant over antitrust claims while also baiting Apple into dropping Fortnite from the App Store.

The big picture: Epic is just one of several developers clashing with Apple. They argue the company harms competition by taking a cut of up to 30% on in-app purchases and subscriptions and blocking most developers from getting around the tax by charging their users directly.

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