May 22, 2017

Report: Trump close to hiring legal team over Russia probes

Dave Lawler, author of World

Alex Brandon / AP

President Trump is close to hiring an outside legal team to "help him navigate" the investigations into potential ties between his campaign associates and Russia, the Washington Post's Robert Costa and Ashley Parker report.

Trump is "personally involved" in the search, and has decided to hire multiple lawyers, according to the report, which names four finalists to join the team: Marc E. Kasowitz; Robert J. Guiffra Jr.; Reid H. Weingarten; and Theodore B. Olson.

Why it matters: Trump has been clear that he considers the Russia probes to be part of a "hoax." Hiring outside lawyers shows how seriously he takes the investigation

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
11 mins ago - Economy & Business

A white-collar crime crackdown

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

America has waited a decade for an aggressive government crackdown on white-collar crime. Now, just before the election, and in the middle of a bull market, it has arrived.

Why it matters: When times are good, investors become more trusting and more greedy. That makes them more likely to put their money into fraudulent or criminal enterprises.

  • After a decade-long bull market, there is no shortage of those frauds to prosecute.
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Ashley Gold
39 mins ago - Technology

Lawyers crystal-ball the Google antitrust case

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Justice Department's antitrust suit against Google is a strong, straightforward monopoly case, competition lawyers and experts tell Axios. But that doesn't mean it'll be an easy journey for the government.

The big picture: Winning any antitrust case is a heavy lift. It's even more of a challenge to pull off victory in a future-looking case that seeks to make room for potential new competition to flourish.

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Sam Baker, Andrew Witherspoon
44 mins ago - Health

The pandemic is getting worse again

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Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Note: Due to a database error, Missouri had a 3 day gap in reporting from Oct. 11-13; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Every available piece of data proves it: The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse again, all across America.

The big picture: As the death toll ticks past 212,000, at a moment when containing the virus ought to be easier and more urgent than ever, we are instead giving it a bigger foothold to grow from.

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