Jun 20, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump nominates replacement for U.S. attorney for Southern District of N.Y.

Geoffrey Berman and William F. Sweeney, assistant director-in-charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in October 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said on Friday he would not be resigning, after Attorney General Bill Barr announced his replacement late Friday night.

Why it matters: Berman oversaw one of the highest profile districts in the country and many politically charged prosecutions, including those over President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen and investigations into hush money payments during the 2016 election.

What's next: Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton was nominated to replace Berman, according to Barr's Friday evening press release. Craig Carpenito, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, is to serve in Berman's role starting July 3 as the Senate considers Clayton's nomination.

What they're saying: “For the past three years, Jay has been an extraordinarily successful SEC Chairman, overseeing efforts to modernize regulation of the capital markets, protect Main Street investors, enhance American competitiveness, and address challenges ranging from cybersecurity issues to the COVID-19 pandemic," Barr said in Friday's announcement.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with Berman's response that he does not plan to step down.

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Axios
Updated 17 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 12,772,755 — Total deaths: 566,036 — Total recoveries — 7,030,749 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 3,269,531 — Total deaths: 134,898 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
  3. Politics: Trump wears face mask in public for first time.
  4. States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000.
  5. Public health: Trump's coronavirus testing czar says lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table" — We're losing the war on the coronavirus.
  6. 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."
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Data: Covid Tracking Project; Chart: Axios Visuals

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The big picture: The figure shatters both Florida's previous record of 11,458 new cases and the single-state record of 11,694 set by California last week, according to AP. It also surpasses New York's daily peak of 11,571 new cases in April, and comes just a day after Disney World reopened in Orlando.

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