Oct 3, 2019

Former N.C. GOP chair pleads guilty to making false statement to FBI

Robert "Robin" Hayes. Photo: Douglas Graham/Roll Call/Getty Images

Robert "Robin" Hayes, a former North Carolina congressman and state Republican Party chairman, pleaded guilty Wednesday to making a false statement to the FBI during a federal campaign finance probe, the Justice Department said in a statement.

The big picture: Hayes, 74, was indicted previously along with 3 other men for alleged bribery. They promised to spend "millions of dollars" on the North Carolina insurance commissioner's re-election "if he would remove an insurance regulator that oversaw companies" under the control of a business executive also indicted, Reuters notes.

  • Per the Washington Post, Hayes reached a plea deal to cooperate with federal prosecutors and could potentially testify against the others.

Go deeper: Chairman of North Carolina GOP indicted in federal campaign finance probe

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Rebecca Falconer
19 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Dozens of Confederate symbols removed in wake of George Floyd's death

A statue of Confederate States President Jefferson Davis lies on the street after protesters pulled it down in Richmond, Virginia, in June. Photo: Parker Michels-Boyce/AFP via Getty Images

59 Confederate symbols have been removed, relocated or renamed since anti-racism protests began over George Floyd's death, a new Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) report finds.

Why it matters: That's a marked increase on previous years, per the report, which points out just 16 Confederate monuments were affected in 2019.

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 p.m. ET: 20,532,835 — Total deaths: 747,845— Total recoveries: 12,743,275 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 p.m. ET: 5,193,266 — Total deaths: 165,934 — Total recoveries: 1,714,960 — Total tests: 63,252,257 — Map.
  3. Politics: Pelosi says Mnuchin told her White House is "not budging" on stimulus position.
  4. Business: U.S. already feeling effects of ending unemployment benefits.
  5. Public health: America's two-sided COVID-19 response — America is flying blind on its coronavirus response.
  6. Education: New Jersey governor allows schools to reopen — Gallup: America's confidence in public school system jumps to highest level since 2004.
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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Health

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

France reported more than 2,500 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours — the largest single-day number since May. French officials said the situation was "clearly worsening," per France 24.

By the numbers: Over 745,600 people have died of the novel coronavirus globally and over 20.4 million have tested positive, per Johns Hopkins. Almost 12.7 million have recovered from the virus.

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