Updated Apr 12, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Joe Biden wins Alaska Democratic primary

Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Alaska Democratic presidential primary on Saturday night, which switched to all-mail voting because of concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

Why it matters: Sen. Bernie Sanders suspended his 2020 campaign last Wednesday, but he asked for his name to remain on the ballot in the rest of this year's primaries in an attempt to assemble more delegates and "influence the party’s platform at this year’s Democratic National Convention," per AP. Sanders comprehensively defeated former Secretary of State and eventual nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Alaska primary.

Go deeper: Biden and Sanders work toward truce on big issues

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details, including the number of delegates accrued.

Go deeper

Sara Fischer

13 mins ago - Technology

Social media takes on world leaders

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Social media companies are finally beginning to take action on posts from world leaders that violate their policies, after years of letting them mostly say whatever they wanted unfiltered to millions of people.

Why it matters: Government officials are among the users most likely to abuse the wide reach and minimal regulation of tech platforms. Mounting pressure to stop harmful content from spreading amid the coronavirus pandemic, racial protests and a looming U.S. election has spurred some companies to finally do something about it.

Go deeper (3 min. read)

Andrew Witherspoon, Sam Baker

33 mins ago - Health

Coronavirus cases spike in Texas and Arizona

Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Map: Andrew Witherspoon, Sara Wise, Naema Ahmed/Axios

Texas, Arizona and Oregon saw significant spikes last week in new coronavirus infections, while cases also continued to climb in a handful of states where steady increases have become the norm.

Why it matters: Nationwide, new cases have plateaued over the past week. To get through this crisis and safely continue getting back out into the world, we need them to go down — a lot.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Joann Muller

43 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Some call for fewer police, even as streets erupt

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

"Defund the police" isn't just a slogan on a protester's sign — it's a political movement to relieve cops of responsibility for managing intractable social problems and shift spending to agencies that are better equipped to handle them.

Why it matters: The aftermath of George Floyd's killing has brought a renewed focus to the two dominant trends in policing: sweeping reforms on one side, militarization on the other. Neither of these responses will make our cities safer or our justice system fairer, civil rights activists argue, because the problems are much broader and deeply entrenched in society.

Go deeper (2 min. read)