Jan 24, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Joe Manchin will vote for Trump's plan to end shutdown

Sen. Joe Manchin. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced Thursday that he will vote for President Trump's proposal to reopen the government, making him the first Senate Democrat to back the plan that includes $5.7 billion for a border wall.

The big picture: Manchin will also vote for a Democrat-backed clean spending bill, joining at least 3 Republicans — Sens. Cory Gardner, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — who have said they will vote for both bills in an effort to end the shutdown. Manchin acknowledged that neither bill is likely to pass the Senate, but said his votes "are a start to finding a way to reopen the [government and getting West Virginians] back to work."

Go deeper: 3 Republican senators want to reopen government without a border deal

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Dave Lawler
Updated 16 mins ago - World

Massive explosion rocks Beirut

Photo: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

A major explosion has slammed central Beirut, Lebanon, damaging buildings as far as several miles away and injuring scores of people.

Driving the news: The cause of the explosion is unknown. It's also unclear how many people were killed or wounded, but the Lebanese Red Cross has told AP that casualties number in the hundreds. Reuters reports that at least 10 people have been killed, citing security sources.

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Axios
Updated 52 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 18,349,260 — Total deaths: 695,550 — Total recoveries — 10,951,112 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 4,732,418 — Total deaths: 155,942 — Total recoveries: 1,513,446 — Total tests: 57,543,852 — Map.
  3. States: New York City health commissioner resigns in protest of De Blasio's coronavirus response.
  4. Public health: 40% of Americans continue to put off medical care.
  5. Politics: Trump tells "Axios on HBO" that pandemic is "under control," despite surges in infections and uptick in deaths.
  6. Business: Low-income households are struggling to pay energy bills — Construction spending falls for 4th straight month.
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Miriam Kramer
Updated 1 hour ago - Science

The U.S. is at risk of attacks in space

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Other nations are catching up to U.S. capabilities in space, potentially putting American assets in orbit at risk.

Why it matters: From GPS to imagery satellites and others that can peer through clouds, space data is integral to American national security.

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