Aug 14, 2017

Merck CEO quits Trump council after Charlottesville comments

Evan Vucci / AP

Kenneth Frazier, the chairman and CEO of Merck, announced this morning he's resigning from President Trump's manufacturing council, and strongly hinted it's because Trump didn't condemn the white supremacists from the Charlottesville rally strongly enough.

  • Key quote: “America's leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal."
  • What to watch: It's a clear sign that other business leaders could distance themselves from Trump after he botched the opportunity Saturday to condemn the white supremacist and neo-Nazi marchers in specific terms.
  • Trump's response, via Twitter: "Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President's Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!"

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Updated 30 mins ago - Politics & Policy

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Photo: Stephen Lam/Getty Images

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Driving the news: CBS's "60 Minutes" aired an interview Sunday night with the NIAID director, where he said he was "absolutely not" surprised Trump contracted COVID-19 after seeing him on TV in a crowded place with "almost nobody wearing a mask."

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Orion Rummler
Updated 2 hours ago - Health

8 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week

Data: Compiled by Axios; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

8 states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project (CTP) and state health departments. Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming surpassed records from the previous week.

Why it matters: Cases and hospitalizations are rising in Michigan, a state that initially fought the pandemic with strict mitigation efforts, alongside states that took less action against the spread of the virus this spring.

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