FBI director Christopher Wray said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that the bureau has more than 2,000 active investigations that link back to the Chinese government.
Context: Wray said that amounts to a roughly 1,300% increase in terms of economic espionage probes focused on China over the past decade.
A judge determined on Wednesday that Twitter is immune from House Intelligence Ranking Member Devin Nunes' (R-Calif.) defamation suit.
Catch up quick: Judicial circuit Judge John Marshall's ruling did not find that Twitter is a publisher or speaker of the content posted by users to its site, or that Twitter is biased against conservatives.
The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been charged in a superseding indictment for recruiting and conspiring with computer hackers, including those affiliated with the hacking groups LulzSec and "Anonymous."
Why it matters: The new indictment does not add new counts to the 18-count indictment filed against Assange under the Espionage Act last year, but it does "broaden the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged," according to the DOJ.
The Democratic National Committee announced on Wednesday that Milwaukee will anchor the main events for its August nominating convention, but that state delegations should plan on conducting business remotely in order to avoid "risking public health" through travel.
The big picture: Former Vice President Joe Biden is still set to accept the Democratic Party's nomination in Milwaukee this summer, but organizers are rebranding the event as a “Convention Across America” — with four nights of programming from Aug. 17-20 broadcast from various satellite cities and led by Emmy-award winning producer Ricky Kirshner.
A career Justice Department official on Wednesday testified that Attorney General Bill Barr abused his power by directing investigations of marijuana company mergers because of his personal dislike of the industry.
Today's episode of Axios Re:Cap includes the person who led one of the companies cited in the complaint. We talk to him to find out what he thought then and what he thinks now.
Gov. Roy Cooper said that face masks should be worn by everyone in public across North Carolina and paused the next phase of the state's reopening on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Coronavirus hospitalizations in the state have continued to rise since last month, although there was a slight dip on Wednesday, according to state health department data.
A grand jury has indicted the three suspects who were charged in the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed in February in Glynn County, Georgia, the Cobb County District Attorney announced Wednesday.
What to know: The indictments charge Travis and Gregory McMichael, along with William “Roddie” Bryan, Jr. on nine counts, including malice murder; four counts of felony murder; two counts of aggravated assault; false imprisonment; and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
The Defense Department is making public for the first time a list of Chinese companies that are operating in the U.S. and are tied to the Chinese military. The list, obtained by Axios, includes Huawei, Hangzhou Hikvision, China Railway Construction Corporation, and China Telecommunications Corporation.
Why it matters: President Trump has the authority to invoke emergency economic powers, including sanctions, against the 20 companies on the list.
White House national security advisor Robert O'Brien gave a searing speech in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, in which he criticized the Chinese Communist Party's totalitarian vision for China and its growing influence around the world.
Why it matters: This is the first in a string of speeches on China from top Trump administration officials. It highlights the administration's emphasis on China as a campaign issue, but also stems from bipartisan concern about the growing power of the world's largest authoritarian country.
At least four Black staff members and four Black athletes have left the evangelical Liberty University in Virginia following a tweet by university president Jerry Falwell Jr. that mocked Gov. Ralph Northam's blackface scandal, AP reports.
Why it matters: Falwell, an ally of President Trump, has drawn criticism for his political positions in the past, including his decision to bring students back to campus in March despite the threat of the coronavirus. But people involved with the university "have become more willing to openly criticize the university’s approach to race and diversity" in recent weeks, according to AP.
An internal revolt is escalating at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with groups of employees alleging that recent hires of senior officials with records of anti-LGBT+ and anti-Muslim comments have created a hostile work environment.
Driving the news: The employees have requested a meeting with Acting Administrator John Barsa and set out their concerns in a letter to him emailed Monday and obtained by Axios. Among those concerns is that Barsa's lack of consideration for employees who feel targeted is contributing to a toxic climate at the agency.
The Senate on Wednesday voted 52-48 to confirm Cory Wilson, a conservative state court judge in Mississippi, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.
Why it matters: Under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the GOP-led chamber has confirmed 200 of President Trump's appointments to the federal judiciary.
Senate Republicans' police reform bill failed to gain enough votes to advance the measure in a procedural vote Wednesday.
Why it matters: It highlights the extent of their split with Democrats, who have blasted the GOP bill as "not salvageable" for failing to properly address what they believe are fundamental issues, like the banning of police chokeholds.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated childhood hunger among many families for the first time, Rhonda Jackson, director of the No Kid Hungry Campaign in Louisiana, said Wednesday at an Axios virtual event.
What she's saying: "Louisiana was one in four children that faced childhood hunger. Now the rest of the country looks like that. And what that looks like in real-time is parents having to make the decision if they’re going to actually feed a kid or if they’re going to have to perhaps buy medicine."
Attorney General Bill Barr has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee for a "general oversight hearing" on July 28, according to DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec.
The state of play: The news that Barr has agreed to testify comes after House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) threatened to issue a subpoena — and as the committee is in the midst of a hearing about the alleged politicization of the Justice Department under Barr and President Trump.
Madison Cawthorn, the 24-year-old who stunningly defeated the candidate President Trump endorsed in the Republican runoff for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, got a congratulatory call last night from the president himself — on Air Force One flying back from Arizona.
Why it matters: Lynda Bennett's defeat ruined Trump's near-perfect record of endorsing winners in GOP primaries — a record he prized and often boasted about.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 ruling on Wednesday that the federal judge overseeing the sentencing of former national security adviser Michael Flynn must accept the Justice Department's request to drop charges.
Why it matters: It could mark the end of a long-running legal fight that began with Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI in December 2017 about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the Trump administration's transition into office.
A career Justice Department official named John Elias today will testify that Attorney General William Barr directed improper antitrust reviews of marijuana industry mergers, because of his personal animus toward cannabis.
Why it matters: This isn't the first time that President Trump's DOJ has been accused of letting bias drive antitrust decisions. But it's the first time that a DOJ attorney is the one making the allegations, and it could have consequences for antitrust investigations into other industries.
Roughly two-thirds (65%) of adults say the federal government is doing too little to curb the effects of climate change, according to Pew Research polling.
Why it matters: Overall, the poll finds both persistently deep partisan divides on climate and energy, but also some areas of agreement on policy.
By the numbers: 58% of voters oppose the move, while 42% support it. 71% of respondents expressed concerns about the event helping to spread coronavirus, while 61% indicated they worried the convention could bring "protests and social unrest."
New Pew Research Center polling brings more evidence of a generational divide among Republicans on climate change and energy policy.
By the numbers: 49% of Republicans who are millennials or younger say the federal government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change. That's compared to 38% of Republicans in Generation X and 25% of Republicans who are baby boomers and older.
Besides Fox News and the CIA, President Trump now has another morning briefer, according to Republican sources: Jason Miller, a new top official at Trump's campaign, gives him a fill on what's driving the political day.
Why it matters: Trump, who prizes familiarity, is comfortable with Miller. Aides hope that if Trump is reassured that his team has a plan, he'll be less likely to try to take every element of the campaign into his own hands.
President Trump's campaign, recognizing that he'll lose to himself if November's election is a referendum on him, is trying to flush Joe Biden into open combat by challenging him to more debates, taunting him as "Hidin' Biden," and posing a "Question of the day for Joe Biden."
Why it matters: Expect more of this. The Trump campaign is getting very frustrated that Biden is keeping a low profile and letting Trump give himself uppercuts every day.
Two striking symbols — the border wall and America's first Black president — did the campaigning yesterday for presidential candidates trying to turn out bases that are worlds apart.
The state of play: Arizona,a state that President Trump won handily in 2016 but where polls now show Joe Biden leading, was firmly on both men's minds.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) defeated Democratic challenger Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a longtime CNBC journalist, to win the New York Democratic primary Tuesday night, AP reports.
Our thought bubble, per Axios' Margaret Talev: Her win in New York's 14th congressional district is an important signal about the progressive freshman lawmaker's lasting power, her fundraising strength and potential to drive a larger movement.
Real estate investment executive Madison Cawthorn, 24, overtook Lynda Bennett in North Carolina's 11th congressional district's Republican primaries on Tuesday, AP reports.
Why it matters: President Trump vigorously backed Bennett, including on Twitter. Bennett also had the endorsement of White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who vacated the seat earlier this year.
Driving the news: Black Lives Matter protesters and activists on social media have called for punitive action in the wake of Taylor's death, after she was fatally shot by police who entered her apartment without warning through a "no-knock" warrant.
