Apr 23, 2019

Air Force veteran M.J. Hegar launches Senate bid to unseat John Cornyn

MJ Hegar speaks to voters in 2018 in Georgetown, Texas. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images

Former U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot M.J. Hegar, who narrowly lost a high-profile House race in 2018, launched a Senate campaign against incumbent John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Tuesday morning.

Why it matters: Beto O'Rourke's long-shot Senate challenge against Ted Cruz last year garnered national attention and raised the possibility that Texas could be in play in 2020, especially with demographics shifting in Democrats' favor. Hegar, whose campaign video "Doors" went viral during the midterms, is the first Democrat to announce a run against Cornyn, though the field is expected to fill up.

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Sen. Bernie Sanders would be the first Jewish presidential nominee of a major American political party — but that history-making possibility is being overshadowed by his conflicts with America's Jewish leaders and Israel's leadership.

The big picture: That's partly because we're all focusing on the implications of Democrats nominating a self-described democratic socialist. It's also because a candidate's religion no longer seems to matter as much to voters or the media, making the potential milestone of a Jewish nominee more of a non-event.

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Coronavirus "infodemic" threatens world's health institutions

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak is being matched, or even outrun, by the spread on social media of both unintentional misinformation about it and vociferous campaigns of malicious disinformation, experts tell Axios.

Why it matters: The tide of bad information is undermining trust in governments, global health organizations, nonprofits and scientists — the very institutions that many believe are needed to organize a global response to what may be turning into a pandemic.

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America's addiction treatment misses the mark

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Addiction treatment in the U.S. is critically necessary yet deeply flawed.

The big picture: Drug overdoses kill tens of thousands of Americans a year, but treatment is often inaccessible. The industry is also riddled with subpar care and, in some cases, fraud.

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