Oct 20, 2017

Mattis met with McCain about the Niger ambush

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Secretary of Defense James Mattis met with Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Friday after the ambush in Niger more than two weeks ago that resulted in the death of four American soldiers, according to CBS.

Why it matters: There are still several unanswered questions about the ambush, and the FBI has joined the investigation. Sen. McCain said on Thursday that the investigation may "require a subpoena," but Sec. Mattis maintained that didn't prompt their meeting.

In Mattis' meeting with Graham, per the Washington Post, Graham supported Mattis' new rules of engagement that were presented in their meeting. The new rules includes putting "decision-making authority in the hands of commanders in the field," and expanding "the ability to use lethal force against suspected terrorists."

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Axios

Bernie Sanders wins Nevada caucus

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders waves to supporters at a campaign rally on Friday in Las Vegas. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders is projected to handily win the Nevada Democratic primary caucus, becoming the clear frontrunner among 2020 Democratic presidential primary election candidates.

Why it matters: Nevada is the first state with a diverse population to hold a nominating contest, highlighting candidates' abilities to connect with voters of color — particularly Latino voters.

Go deeperUpdated 24 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

South Korea and Italy see spikes in coronavirus cases

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.

The novel coronavirus has spread to more nations, and the U.S. reports a doubling of its confirmed cases to 34 — while noting these are mostly due to repatriated citizens, emphasizing there's no "community spread" yet in the United States.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 2,362 people and infected more than 77,000 others, mostly in mainland China. New countries to announce infections recently include Israel and Lebanon, while Iran reported its sixth death from the virus. South Korea's confirmed cases jumped from 204 Friday to 433 on Saturday and Italy's case count rose from 3 to 62 by Saturday.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health

Rashaan Ayesh

America's rundown roads add to farmers' struggles

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

American farmers are struggling to safely use the roads that cut through their fields; decades of neglect and lack of funding have made the routes dangerous.

The big picture: President Trump has long promised to invest billions in rural infrastructure, and his latest proposal would allocate $1 trillion for such projects. Rural America, where many of Trump's supporters live, would see a large chunk of that money.

Go deeper7 hours ago - Economy & Business