May 7, 2018

Report: Mike Pence to tell Venezuela to suspend presidential election

Martin Aguirre

Vice President Mike Pence. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence will follow the European Union's lead this afternoon and ask Venezuela to postpone its presidential election, scheduled for May 20, in the hopes that more time will allow for a freer and more democratic voting process, reports Bloomberg.

The big picture: Elections in Venezuela, a country which has been facing a debilitating economic crisis, are normally held in December, and many critics claim that the decision to hold this year's election in May was made to help extend President Nicolas Maduro's reign to a second six-year term. Meanwhile, only one opposition candidate has been allowed to run.

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Justin Green

How to understand the scale of American job decimation

Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via St. Louis Fed; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Sentence from a nightmare: 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, a decline from the previous week's 6.9 million.

The big picture: Over the past three weeks, 1 in 10 working-age adults filed for unemployment, Axios' Courtenay Brown notes.

Go deeperArrow5 mins ago - Economy & Business
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 1,579,690 — Total deaths: 94,567 — Total recoveries: 346,780 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 452,582 — Total deaths: 16,129 — Total recoveries: 24,790 — Map.
  3. Public health latest: U.S. has expelled thousands of migrants under coronavirus public health order — Dr. Anthony Fauci said social distancing could reduce the U.S. death toll to 60,000.
  4. Business latest: The Fed will lend up to $2.3 trillion for businesses, state and city governments — Another 6.6 million jobless claims were filed last week.
  5. World latest: Boris Johnson is moved out of ICU but remains in hospital with coronavirus.
  6. In Congress: Senate in stalemate over additional funding for small business relief program.
  7. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 42 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Zachary Basu

Biden rolls out new policies in effort to court Sanders supporters

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Biden campaign announced two new policies on Thursday on health care and student debt that are squarely aimed at appealing to supporters of Bernie Sanders, who ended his campaign for the Democratic nomination on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The policies don't go as far as Sanders' platform, but they signal that Biden is serious about incorporating elements of his former rival's agenda in an effort to help unify the Democratic Party and defeat President Trump in the general election.

Go deeperArrow2 hours ago - Politics & Policy