Sep 5, 2017

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffmann is taking on Trump

Reid Hoffman in the lobby of LinkedIn HQ in 2013 (AP's Noah Berger)

"Reid Hoffman has billions of dollars and one of the best networks in Silicon Valley. Here's how he's using them to take on Trump" by Recode's Tony Romm:

  • Last fall, "the LinkedIn co-founder cooked up ... a card game ... where players could compete to outdo each other in crafting the most offensive phrases possible. The release of 'Trumped Up Cards' ... marked a new turn for the affable, pensive Hoffman."
  • "One of Silicon Valley's growth areas in 2017 is politics, and Hoffman is now its most active investor."
  • "Hoffman has shelled out about $1.4 million so far to a series of groups... which aim to help get voters — regardless of party — to the polls on election day."
  • "Hoffman still hasn't talked to Trump: "[My] answer earlier in the year would have been, 'I would talk with you and I would try to provide advice, but I hold in reserve my willingness to speak publicly about what I think is right.' ... That ship has sailed."
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Palantir CEO reflects on work with ICE

Palantir CEO Alex Karp told "Axios on HBO" that there have "absolutely" been moments he wished the company hadn't taken a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

  • "Did I suffer? ... I've had some of my favorite employees leave," Karp told "Axios on HBO."
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow4 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Michigan governor won't apologize for coronavirus lockdown

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended the strictness of her state's coronavirus lockdown in an interview with "Axios on HBO," saying it was necessary — despite the protests that have drawn national attention — because of how quickly the state's cases were rising.

The big picture: Whitmer, who has been a frequent target of President Trump, insisted that she had to act in the face of a lack of federal leadership — and that thousands more people in her state would have died without the lockdown.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow4 mins ago - Politics & Policy

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

New Zealand now has only one novel coronavirus patient in hospital and just 22 active cases in the country, top health official Ashley Bloomfield confirmed at a briefing. He's "confident we have broken the chain of domestic transmission," with no new cases reported for most of May, he added.

By the numbers: Brazil on Monday recorded for the first time more deaths from the novel coronavirus in a single day than the United States, Reuters notes. Brazil reported 807 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, compared to 620 in the U.S. for the same period.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 37 mins ago - Health