Feb 2, 2019

Desperate Maduro reportedly tries to fly gold out of Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro. Photo: Boris Vergara/picture alliance via Getty Images

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's effort to ship 20 tons of gold valued at about $850 million overseas has been halted by unnerved banking staffers seeking to avoid getting in the crosshairs of U.S. sanctions, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: Earlier this week the Bank of England blocked Maduro's request to withdraw about $1.2 billion worth of gold, while the U.S. announced it would sanction Venezuela's state-owned oil company, PDVSA. Financial assets and military support are key to the ongoing power struggle between Maduro and Juan Guaidó, the Venezuelan opposition leader recognized as interim president by the Trump administration.

Go deeper: White House warns Venezuela's Maduro to get out now

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Axios
49 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Trump to far-right Proud Boys: "Stand back and stand by"

Asked to condemn white supremacist violence at the first presidential debate on Tuesday, President Trump said the far-right Proud Boys group should "stand back and stand by," before immediately arguing that violence in the U.S. "is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem."

Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly been accused of failing to condemn white nationalism and right-wing violence, despite the FBI's assessment that it's the most significant domestic terrorism threat that the country faces. The president has frequently associated antifa and the left-wing violence that has afflicted some U.S. cities with Biden, despite his condemnation of violent protests.

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Mike Allen, author of AM
51 mins ago - Politics & Policy

The first Trump v. Biden presidential debate was a hot mess

Photos: Jim Watson and Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

This debate was like the country: Everybody’s talking. Nobody’s listening. Nothing is learned. It’s a mess.

  • We were told President Trump would be savage. Turned out, that was a gross understatement. Even the moderator, Fox News' Chris Wallace, got bulldozed.

Why it matters: Honestly, who the hell knows?

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Axios
Updated 57 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 p.m. ET: 33,516,946 — Total deaths: 1,005,394 — Total recoveries: 23,273,369 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 p.m ET: 7,188,543 — Total deaths: 205,966 — Total recoveries: 2,809,674 — Total tests: 103,155,189 — Map.
  3. Health: Americans won't take Trump's word on the vaccine, Axios-Ipsos poll finds.
  4. Politics: 7 former FDA commissioners say Trump is undermining agency's credibility
  5. States: NYC's coronavirus positivity rate spikes to highest since June.
  6. Sports: Tennessee Titans close facility amid NFL's first coronavirus outbreak.
  7. World: U.K. beats previous record for new coronavirus cases.
  8. Work: United States of burnout — Asian American unemployment spikes amid pandemic
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