Jun 28, 2017 - Economy & Business

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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Axios
Updated 43 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 12,859,834 — Total deaths: 567,123 — Total recoveries — 7,062,085 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 3,297,501— Total deaths: 135,155 — Total recoveries: 1,006,326 — Total tested: 40,282,176 — Map.
  3. States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000 — NYC reports zero coronavirus deaths for first time since pandemic hit.
  4. Public health: Ex-FDA chief projects "apex" of South's coronavirus curve in 2-3 weeks — Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table"
  5. Education: Betsy DeVos says schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds — Pelosi accuses Trump of "messing with the health of our children."
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Scoop: How the White House is trying to trap leakers

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

President Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has told several White House staffers he's fed specific nuggets of information to suspected leakers to see if they pass them on to reporters — a trap that would confirm his suspicions. "Meadows told me he was doing that," said one former White House official. "I don't know if it ever worked."

Why it matters: This hunt for leakers has put some White House staffers on edge, with multiple officials telling Axios that Meadows has been unusually vocal about his tactics. So far, he's caught only one person, for a minor leak.

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11 GOP congressional nominees support QAnon conspiracy

Lauren Boebert posing in her restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, on April 24. Photo: Emily Kask/AFP

At least 11 Republican congressional nominees have publicly supported or defended the QAnon conspiracy theory movement or some of its tenets — and more aligned with the movement may still find a way onto ballots this year.

Why it matters: Their progress shows how a fringe online forum built on unsubstantiated claims and flagged as a threat by the FBI is seeking a foothold in the U.S. political mainstream.

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