Jun 28, 2017

Merkel blasts Trump administration's trade rhetoric

Michael Sohn/AP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel took aim at the Trump Administration's trade rhetoric Tuesday, arguing during a speech to the business arm of her CDU party that Germany invests 10 times more in the U.S. than vice versa.

She pointed out that BMW's South Carolina factory is responsible for more U.S. car exports than any other in the country, including factories built by U.S.-headquartered Ford and GM.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was scheduled to speak at the event, but cancelled at the last minute, and instead addressed the crowd "via a cracking live-stream from Washington D.C," Politico reports. The moderator cut off Ross' speech after twenty minutes.
Why it matters: The event is further evidence of strained U.S.-German relations, and that the German government has little appetite for working with the Trump Administration to reduce the U.S.-German trade deficit.

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Tariff worries hit record high amid coronavirus outbreak

Data: CivicScience, margin of error ±1 percentage points; Chart: Axios Visuals

Concern about President Trump's tariffs on U.S imports grew to record high levels among Americans last month, particularly as more lost their jobs and concern about the novel coronavirus increased.

Driving the news: About seven in 10 people said they were at least somewhat concerned about tariffs in March, according to the latest survey from CivicScience provided first to Axios.

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U.S. coronavirus updates: Largest 24-hour spike in fatalities

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

New York's death toll from the novel coronavirus surged to its highest one-day total on Tuesday, as the U.S. saw its largest 24-hour spike in fatalities, per Johns Hopkins data. Recorded deaths across the U.S. surpassed 12,900 early Wednesday.

Why it matters: State officials have stressed that lockdowns must continue even if cities begin to see slight improvements from social distancing. Several hot spots, including New York, New Orleans, and Detroit, are expected to peak in the coming days.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET: 1,430,453 — Total deaths: 82,133 — Total recoveries: 301,385 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET: 399,081 — Total deaths: 12,907 — Total recoveries: 22,461 — Map.
Federal government latest: Acting Navy secretary resigns over handling of virus-infected ship — Trump removes watchdog overseeing rollout of $2 trillion coronavirus bill — Trump said he "didn't see" memos from his trade adviser Peter Navarro warning that the crisis could kill more than half a million Americans.
States latest: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is confident that more than 200 million masks will be delivered to the state "at a monthly basis starting in the next few weeks."
Business latest: America's food heroes in times of the coronavirus crisis. Even when the economy comes back to life, huge questions for airlines will remain.
World updates: China reopens Wuhan after 10-week coronavirus lockdown.
2020 latest: Polls for Wisconsin's primary elections closed at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, but results won't be released until April 13. Thousands of residents cast ballots in person.
1 Olympics thing: About 6,500 athletes who qualified for the Tokyo Games will keep their spots in 2021.
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.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

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