Mar 28, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Puerto Rico makes new bid for statehood as Gov. Rosselló slams Trump

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) plans to introduce legislation on Thursday for Puerto Rican statehood that would be the first legislation of its kind to automatically make Puerto Rico a state without conditional requirements, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: This legislative push, which follows an uptick of proposed bills for Puerto Rico's statehood in the past few years, comes as Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló strengthens his rhetoric against President Trump for threatening to cut federal aid to the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Soto's bill, supported by Rosselló, is unlikely to pass through the Republican-controlled Senate or the White House.

Buzz: In an interview with CNN this week, Rosselló said of Trump: "If the bully gets close, I'll punch the bully in the mouth."

Go deeper: "We are your citizens:" Rosselló rebukes Trump for suggesting relief cuts

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Axios
Updated 3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 21,020,216 — Total deaths: 761,393— Total recoveries: 13,048,303 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,289,323 — Total deaths: 167,948 — Total recoveries: 1,774,648 — Total tests: 64,831,306 — Map.
  3. Health: CDC: Survivors of COVID-19 have up to three months of immunity —Fauci believes normalcy will return by "the end of 2021" with vaccine — The pandemic's toll on mental health.
  4. Business: How small businesses got stiffed — Unemployment starts moving in the right direction.
  5. Cities: Coronavirus pandemic dims NYC's annual 9/11 Tribute in Light.
  6. Politics: Biden signals fall strategy with new ads.
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Alexi McCammond
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

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Sara Fischer
5 hours ago - Technology

Facebook goes after Apple

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Facebook is seeking to force a face-off with Apple over its 30% in-app purchase commission fee, which Facebook suggests hurts small businesses struggling to get by during the pandemic.

The big picture: Facebook has never publicly gone after Apple, a key strategic partner, this aggressively. Both companies face antitrust scrutiny, which in Apple's case has centered on the very fee structure Facebook is now attacking.

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