May 10, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Exclusive: Pence says he'd be "happy" to see Michael Flynn back in government

Vice President Mike Pence told "Axios on HBO" that he welcomes the idea of bringing Michael Flynn back into government, after the Justice Department moved last week to drop its criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser.

Why it matters: Trump said April 30 that he would "certainly consider" bringing Flynn back into the administration. Since Flynn had been accused of lying to the vice president, Pence's blessing clears an obstacle to him returning to Trump’s inner circle.

"I think Gen. Michael Flynn is an American patriot," Pence said during the interview in Iowa on Friday. "And for my part, I'd be happy to see Michael Flynn again."

The big picture: Trump lavished praise on the decision by his Justice Department to go to court to drop charges against Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

On Twitter, the president called the Justice Department's abandonment of the case "a BIG day for Justice in the USA. Congratulations to General Flynn, and many others. I do believe there is MUCH more to come!"

Trump insiders say they wouldn't be surprised to see Flynn back on the campaign trail, where he was a warmup act for Trump in 2016.

Go deeper: Justice Department drops prosecution of Michael Flynn

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Axios

Aug 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Reporter to Trump: "Do you regret all of the lying you have done to the American people?"

S.V. Dáte, a White House reporter for HuffPost, asked President Trump at a briefing Thursday if he regrets "all of the lying" he has done "to the American people" over the last three and a half years.

Why it matters: The Washington Post fact-checker finds that Trump has made over 20,000 false or misleading claims throughout his presidency. Trump, who has rarely been confronted directly with claims that he has lied, paused for a moment before moving on to another reporter without answering the question.

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Bryan Walsh

12 mins ago - Health

The cardiac threat coronavirus poses to athletes

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Cardiologists are increasingly concerned that coronavirus infections could cause heart complications that lead to sudden cardiac death in athletes.

Why it matters: Even if just a tiny percentage of COVID-19 cases lead to major cardiac conditions, the sheer scope of the pandemic raises the risk for those who regularly conduct the toughest physical activity — including amateurs who might be less aware of the danger.

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Margaret Talev

42 mins ago - Politics & Policy

President Trump's suburbs

Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call.

President Trump cast an outdated vision of "the 'suburban housewife'" as he swiped this week at Joe Biden's newly minted running mate Kamala Harris — building on his months-long play to drive a wedge through battleground-state suburbs by reframing white voters' expectations.

The big picture: As he struggles to find an attack that will stick against the Biden campaign, Trump for a while now has been stoking fears of lawless cities and an end to what he's called the “Suburban Lifestyle Dream.” It’s a playbook from the ‘70s and ‘80s — but the suburbs have changed a lot since then.