Mar 12, 2019

Venezuela's Maduro regime says it's investigating Guaidó over blackouts

Dave Lawler

Juan Guaidó arrives at the National Assembly on Monday. Photo: Ronaldo Schmidt/AFP/Getty Image

Venezuela's attorney general has announced that National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó, recognized by the U.S. and more than 50 other countries as the country's interim president, is under investigation for an alleged attack on Venezuela's power grid, per AP.

Why it matters: Venezuela has been hit by crippling power outages over the past five days. President Nicolás Maduro tried to blame the U.S. and is now targeting Guaidó, who remains free and whose safety is considered a red line by the Trump administration. Fears of escalation were already growing after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last night announced an evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Caracas.

Go deeper: Power outages across Venezuela have left Maduro wobbling

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Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 1,192,028 — Total deaths: 64,316 — Total recoveries: 245,949 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 301,902 — Total deaths: 8,291 — Total recoveries: 14,520 — Map.
  3. Public health latest: CDC launches national trackers and recommends face coverings in public. Federal government will cover costs of COVID-19 treatment for uninsured. The virus is hitting poor, minority communities harder and upending childbirth.
  4. 2020 latest: "We have no contingency plan," Trump said on the 2020 Republican National Convention. "We're having the convention at the end of August."
  5. Business updates: Restaurants step up for health care workers. Employees are pressuring companies to provide protections during coronavirus.
  6. Oil latest: Monday meeting among oil-producing countries to discuss supply curbs is reportedly being delayed amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
  7. Education update: Many college-age students won't get coronavirus relief checks.
  8. 1 🏀 thing: The WNBA postpones start of training camps and season.
  9. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  10. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 35 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll surpasses 8,200, case count tops 300,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Recorded deaths from the coronavirus surpassed 8,100 in the U.S. on Saturday, per Johns Hopkins data. The death toll in the U.S. has risen over 1,000 every day for the past four days, since April 1.

The big picture: Trump said Saturday that America's "toughest week" is ahead. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the country should expect to see deaths continue to increase in the next week.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 37 mins ago - Health
Axios

World coronavirus updates: Spain tracks more cases than Italy

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 and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

Spain overtook Italy in its number of coronavirus cases on Saturday. The global death toll has surpassed 62,000, per Johns Hopkins data.

The latest: About half the planet's population is on lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis. Fatalities are exponentially increasing across Europe, with roughly half of deaths worldwide located in Italy and Spain.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 4 hours ago - Health