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

Mar 28, 2019 - Politics

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Pelosi slams McConnell trial rules as "deliberately designed to hide the truth"

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) claimed in a statement Tuesday that the rules Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has proposed for President Trump's impeachment trial diverge from the Clinton precedent and show he has "chosen a cover-up" over a fair trial.

Context: McConnell made public an organizing resolution Monday laying out the terms for the trial, which include 24 hours over two days for each side to present their cases. It would block evidence discovered in the House impeachment investigation from being presented without a separate vote, and it would delay a vote on whether to subpoena witnesses and documents until later in the trial.

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Setting the scene for Super Bowl LIV

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

After a grueling four months of football, Patrick Mahomes has led the Chiefs out of the darkness and into the Miami sun, where the 49ers football machine awaits them in the Super Bowl.

"The Gunslinger"

Mahomes is 24 years old, arguably the best player in football and he just toppled Tom Brady as the top seller of NFL merchandise. A star has already been born — now he has the biggest stage in sports to showcase his brilliance.

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Exclusive: The Athletic raises $50 million

Adam Hansmann (left) and Alex Mather (right), co-founders of The Athletic. Photo: Steph Gray, courtesy of The Athletic

The Athletic, a subscription-based digital sports media company, has raised $50 million in a Series D funding round, executives tell Axios.

With this investment, the company has raised a total of $139.5 million since its launch in 2016 and is valued at roughly $500 million after the new raise, according to sources familiar with the deal.

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