Dec 14, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Rep. Jeff Van Drew expected to switch parties, become Republican

Rep. Jeff Van Drew in the Capitol on Dec. 4. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a moderate freshman Democrat who said he plans to oppose articles of impeachment against President Trump, is expected to flip parties and become a Republican, a White House official briefed on the matter tells Axios' Jonathan Swan.

The big picture: Van Drew has voted against Trump on nearly all issues except impeachment, according to data gathered by FiveThirtyEight. The congressman did side with the president when the House voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress over the failed 2020 Census citizenship question. Van Drew represents a congressional district that Trump won by nearly five points in the 2016 election.

Go deeper: House Democrat plans to oppose articles of impeachment

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 31 mins ago - Health

U.S. daily coronavirus cases top 50,000 for first time

A medical technologist processes test samples for the coronavirus at a lab in Tampa, Florida, on June 25. Photo: Octavio Jones/Getty Images

A record 50,655 tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the United States on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins data shows.

Driving the news: The pandemic is accelerating across the U.S., with the Sun Belt being hit particularly hard. Daily coronavirus case records were reported on Wednesday in Texas (8,076), Georgia (2,946), North Carolina (1,843) and Tennessee (1,806).

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Axios

Updated 1 min ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 10,695,608 — Total deaths: 516,225 — Total recoveries — 5,481,526 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 2,686,582 — Total deaths: 128,062 — Total recoveries: 729,994 — Total tested: 32,827,359 — Map.
Federal government: Trump says he still thinks coronavirus will "just disappear" at some point, supports another round of direct payments to Americans.
Public health: Thanks to coronavirus, your home is now your gym — Former FDA chief says 500,000 Americans may be contracting coronavirus a day.
States: Georgia and Arizona report record new coronavirus cases — California shuts down bars and indoor dining for most residents.
1 ⚽️ thing: 6 players test positive for coronavirus before MLS comeback tournament.

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden outraises Trump again with record $141 million June haul

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden at Philadelphia City Hall in Pennsylvania in June. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party raised $141 million in June, his campaign announced on Wednesday night.

Why it matters: It's the most the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has raised in a month. It's also more than the record $131 million President Trump's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee raised last month.