Mar 20, 2019

New Zealand plans to "confront" Erdogan over death penalty comments

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will send her foreign minister to "confront" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after he showed footage from the Christchurch shooting at a campaign rally and said that if New Zealand doesn't properly punish the attacker, Turkey will make him "pay one way or another," reports Reuters.

Between the lines: Erdogan wants New Zealand to restore the death penalty for the Australian shooter, Brenton Tarran, with these comments coming as part of Erdogan’s efforts to build support for his Islamist political party ahead of local elections on March 31. In a Washington Post op-ed, Erdogan said "there is absolutely no difference" between the attacks in New Zealand and those carried out by the Islamic State (ISIS).

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Dave Lawler
1 hour ago - World

China-Iran deal envisions massive investments from Beijing

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

China and Iran have negotiated a deal that would see massive investments flow into Iran, oil flow out, and collaboration increase on defense and intelligence.

Why it matters: If the proposals become reality, Chinese cash, telecom infrastructure, railways and ports could offer new life to Iran’s sanctions-choked economy — or, critics fear, leave it inescapably beholden to Beijing.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 13,048,249 — Total deaths: 571,685 — Total recoveries — 7,215,865 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 3,353,348— Total deaths: 135,524 — Total recoveries: 1,031,856 — Total tested: 40,282,176 — Map.
  3. World: WHO head: There will be no return to the "old normal" for foreseeable future — Hong Kong Disneyland closing due to surge.
  4. States: Houston mayor calls for two-week shutdown — California orders sweeping rollback of open businesses — Cuomo says New York will use formula to determine if reopening schools is safe.
  5. Education: Los Angeles schools' move to online learning could be a nationwide tipping point.
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Zachary Basu
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

House Judiciary Committee releases transcript of Geoffrey Berman testimony

Geoffrey Berman. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The House Judiciary Committee on Monday released the transcript of its closed-door interview with Geoffrey Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan who was forced out by Attorney General Bill Barr last month.

Why it matters: House Democrats have seized on Berman's testimony, in which he claimed the attorney general sought to "entice" him into resigning so that he could be replaced by SEC chairman Jay Clayton, to bolster allegations that the Justice Department has been politicized under Barr.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow