May 8, 2017

Report: Obama warned Trump against hiring Flynn

Dave Lawler, author of World

AP

NBC News reports that Barack Obama warned President Trump against hiring Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser, citing three former Obama administration officials. Per NBC, the warning came "less than 48 hours after November's election when the two sat down for a 90-minute conversation in the Oval Office."

A senior White House official confirmed to NBC that Obama told Trump "he was not a fan of Michael Flynn," but said that wasn't surprising given how critical Flynn had been of Obama.

Just this morning, Trump tweeted: "General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration - but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that."

Sound smart: Axios' Jonathan Swan reported last night that White House officials were leaking constantly about Flynn to try and get as much separation from him as possible amid the Russia inquiry. Trump was unhappy to see that report, though, and wants his aides to stop bashing Flynn.

Up next: Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, will testify this afternoon that she warned the administration about Flynn long before he was fired.

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Dion Rabouin, author of Markets
1 hour ago - Economy & Business

Wall Street fears meltdown over election and Supreme Court

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and President Trump's vow to name her replacement to the Supreme Court before November's election are amplifying Wall Street's worries about major volatility and market losses ahead of and even after the election.

The big picture: The 2020 election is the most expensive event risk on record, per Bloomberg — with insurance bets on implied volatility six times their normal level, according to JPMorgan analysts. And it could take days or even weeks to count the record number of mail-in ballots and declare a winner.

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Hans Nichols
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Election clues county by county

Ipsos and the University of Virginia's Center for Politics are out with an interactive U.S. map that goes down to the county level to track changes in public sentiment that could decide the presidential election.

How it works: The 2020 Political Atlas tracks President Trump's approval ratings, interest around the coronavirus, what's dominating social media and other measures, with polling updated daily — enhancing UVA's "Crystal Ball."

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Axios
Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 31,605,656 — Total deaths: 970,934 Total recoveries: 21,747,491 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 6,897,432 — Total deaths: 200,814 — Total recoveries: 2,646,959 — Total tests: 96,612,436 — Map.
  3. Health: The U.S. reaches 200,000 coronavirus deaths — The CDC's crumbling reputation — America turns against coronavirus vaccine.
  4. Politics: Elected officials are failing us on much-needed stimulus.
  5. Business: Two-thirds of business leaders think pandemic will lead to permanent changes — Fed chair warns economy will feel the weight of expired stimulus.
  6. Sports: NFL fines maskless coaches.
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