Oct 3, 2017

New battle for DC power: Bezos v Powell Jobs

Bezos (L) and Powell Jobs. Photos: AP

Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire philanthropist and president of the Emerson Collective, is buying a big stake in the organization that owns the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals, the Washington Post reports.

Powell Jobs, widow of Apple's Steve Jobs, is further establishing herself as a D.C. power player. Meanwhile, so has another West Coast billionaire — Jeff Bezos.

Media

Bezos spent $250 million in 2013 to buy the Washington Post. Through the Emerson collective, Powell Jobs in July bought a majority stake in another D.C. media institution, the Atlantic. She is also an investor in Axios.

Local ties

Bezos bought two neighboring mansions in Washington's Kalorama neighborhood last year for $23 million, planning to turn them into a single-family home. Powell Jobs has dated Adrian Fenty, who was D.C.'s mayor from 2007 to 2011.

The latest

Powell Jobs now owns 20% of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which include the Wizards, Capitals and Capital One Arena. Northern Virginia is in the running for Amazon's second U.S. headquarters, with Maryland and D.C. also putting in bids.

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Axios
22 mins ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Virginians line up for hours on first day of early voting

Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

In some parts of Virginia, people waited in line up to four hours to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting, according to the Washington Post.

The big picture: The COVID-19 pandemic seems to already have an impact on how people cast their votes this election season. As many as 80 million Americans are expected to vote early, by mail or in person, Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart, a Democratic political data firm, told Axios in August.

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Axios
Updated 53 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 30,306,469 — Total deaths: 948,147— Total recoveries: 20,626,515 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 6,705,114 — Total deaths: 198,197 — Total recoveries: 2,540,334 — Total tests: 92,163,649 — Map.
  3. Politics: In reversal, CDC again recommends coronavirus testing for asymptomatic people.
  4. Health: Massive USPS face mask operation called off — The risks of moving too fast on a vaccine.
  5. Business: Unemployment drop-off reverses course — 1 million mortgage-holders fall through safety net — How the pandemic has deepened Boeing's 737 MAX crunch.
  6. Education: At least 42% of school employees are vulnerable.
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Maria Arias
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Court battles shift mail-in voting deadlines in battleground states

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Michigan joins Pennsylvania in extending mail-in ballot deadlines by several days after the election, due to the coronavirus pandemic and expected delays in U.S. Postal Service.

The latest: Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens ruled that all ballots postmarked before Nov. 2 must be counted, so long as they arrive in the mail before election results are certified. Michigan will certify its general election results on Nov. 23.

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