Feb 10, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Obama-produced "American Factory" wins best documentary Oscar

Barack and Michelle Obama close the Obama Foundation Summit, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, October 2018. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

"American Factory," the first Netflix film produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground, won an Oscar for best documentary feature Sunday.

What they're saying: The former president and first lady both tweeted their congratulations to filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, who directed the film, which documents what happened to an Ohio factory after it was reopened by a Chinese billionaire. "So glad to see their heart and honesty recognized — because the best stories are rarely tidy or perfect," Michelle Obama said. "But that's where the truth so often lies."

Go deeper: The Obamas and Netflix reveal details for 7 of their productions

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Fadel Allassan
Updated 37 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as Supreme Court justice

Amy Coney Barrett took the constitutional oath to serve as a Supreme Court justice at a White House ceremony Monday night, soon after the Senate voted to confirm her nomination to the high court in a 52-48 vote.

The state of play: Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath. The Supreme Court wrote in a statement that Barrett will take the judicial oath on Tuesday, at which point she will be able to begin her work on the court.

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Politics: The swing states where the pandemic is raging — Pence no longer expected to attend Barrett confirmation vote after COVID exposure.
  2. Health: 13 states set single-day case records last week
  3. Business: Where stimulus is needed most.
  4. Education: The dangerous instability of school re-openings.
  5. States: Nearly two dozen Minnesota COVID cases traced to 3 Trump campaign events
  6. World: Restrictions grow across Europe.
  7. Media: Fox News president and several hosts advised to quarantine.
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Rebecca Falconer, Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath
Updated 2 hours ago - Science

Gulf Coast braces for Zeta after storm strengthens into hurricane

Hurricane Zeta's forecast path. Photo: National Hurricane Center

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) declared a state of emergency Monday as Zeta strengthened into a hurricane and threatened Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as it moved towards the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The state of play: Zeta was expected to make landfall on the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula Monday night, bringing with it a "dangerous storm surge" and "heavy rainfall" as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Service said.

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