May 25, 2020 - World

New Zealand PM stays calm on live TV as earthquake strikes

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a press conference at the Beehive Theatrette, Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand on Wednesday. Photo: Kevin Stent - Pool/Getty Images

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck just north of Wellington as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave a live breakfast TV interview from the capital on Monday morning local time.

The big picture: But showing the kind of leadership she's won international plaudits for, Ardern remained unfazed, saying: "We're just having a bit of an earthquake here. ... Quite a decent shake." 37,000 people reported via monitoring agency GeoNet's app feeling the quake hit the central North Island. "We're fine Ryan," Ardern told the Auckland-based Newshub host Ryan Bridge afterward. "I'm not under any hanging lights, I look like I'm in a structurally sound place."

Watch the clip below:

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the quake.

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 12,772,755 — Total deaths: 566,036 — Total recoveries — 7,030,749 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 3,269,531 — Total deaths: 134,898 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
  3. Politics: Trump wears face mask in public for first time.
  4. States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000.
  5. Public health: Trump's coronavirus testing czar says lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table" — We're losing the war on the coronavirus.
  6. 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."
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Fadel Allassan
2 hours ago - Health

Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases

Data: Covid Tracking Project; Chart: Axios Visuals

Florida reported 15,299 confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday — a new single-day record for any state, according to its health department.

The big picture: The figure shatters both Florida's previous record of 11,458 new cases and the single-state record of 11,694 set by California last week, according to AP. It also surpasses New York's daily peak of 11,571 new cases in April, and comes just a day after Disney World reopened in Orlando.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Rashaan Ayesh
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Pelosi: Trump is "messing with the health of our children" with push to open schools

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' aggressive push to fully reopen schools this fall is "malfeasance and dereliction of duty," accusing the Trump administration of "messing with the health of our children."

Why it matters: Trump has demanded that schools reopen as part of his efforts to juice the economy by allowing parents to return to work, despite caution from health officials that little is known about how the virus impacts children.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow