Dec 7, 2017

Kaine demands data on Senate harassment claims & settlements

Sen. Tim Kaine Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP

On Thursday, Senator Tim Kaine tweeted images of his letter requesting information on the number of harassment claims and settlements raised in the Senate, as well as the amount of money spent on those settlements.

Key quote: "Senator Franken made the right decision today, but the Senate has so much more work to do — from releasing info on harassment claims and settlements, to fixing broken policies to foster safe work environments and ensure harassers are held accountable. Let's get to work," Kaine tweeted following Sen. Al Franken's resignation announcement.

Tim Kaine's Twitter

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: CDC monitoring 4 presumptive positive cases in western U.S.

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

State public health authorities are monitoring four new presumptive positive cases of the novel coronavirus as of late Friday evening, per the CDC. California is evaluating a second possible instance of community spread as Oregon announced its first possible case. Washington state has two presumptive cases, only one of which is likely travel-related.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,900 people and infected more than 85,000 others in over 60 countries and territories outside the epicenter in mainland China. The number of new cases reported outside China now exceed those inside the country.

Go deeperUpdated 8 mins ago - Health

Felix Salmon

Don't panic about the stock market

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The stock market is heading south with unprecedented velocity amid coronavirus fears. Does that mean it's crashing? Are we in a recession? Is this a financial crisis?

No, no, and no.

Go deeper17 mins ago - Economy & Business

Stef W. Kight

Bernie Sanders' big socialism rebrand

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Bernie Sanders is trying to rebrand socialism in the U.S., but he'll have to overcome common fears about what the word means — fears the Trump campaign is watching and waiting to exploit.

Why it matters: Sanders may face a major challenge in convincing Americans in their 40s or older that there's a meaningful difference between what he supports, described as democratic socialism, and the authoritarian socialism that we've seen in regimes like Venezuela.

Go deeper18 mins ago - Politics & Policy