Dec 9, 2019

Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson running for Congress

Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Former White House chief physician Ronny Jackson, who was once nominated by President Trump to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, has filed to run for Congress in Texas' 13th Congressional District, the Texas Tribune reports.

The big picture: Jackson withdrew his name from consideration for VA secretary last April after allegations surfaced that he fostered a "hostile work environment" by being intoxicated at work and abusive toward his colleagues. Jackson denied the allegations, calling them "completely false and fabricated." He will run to replace retiring GOP Rep. Mac Thornberry.

Go deeper: Texas Republicans admit there's a problem

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Axios

Updated 3 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 5,885,490— Total deaths: 363,031 — Total recoveries — 2,468,011 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 1,735,971 — Total deaths: 102,516 — Total recoveries: 399,991 — Total tested: 15,646,041 — Map.
Public health: Hydroxychloroquine prescription fills exploded in March —How the U.S. might distribute a vaccine.
2020: North Carolina asks RNC if convention will honor Trump's wish for no masks or social distancing.
Business: Fed chair Powell says coronavirus is "great increaser" of income inequality.
1 sports thing: NCAA outlines plan to get athletes back to campus.

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Axios

Updated 56 mins ago - Health

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

Over 500 schools in South Korea have either closed or postponed reopening, according to the Korea Times, which cites data from the Ministry of Education.

Why it matters: South Korea has been a model for how to handle the novel coronavirus, and the closures reportedly followed concerns from parents and teachers over child safety. The country's confirmed death toll has plateaued at 269 over the past few days, with few increases, per Johns Hopkins data.

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Dave Lawler, Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

2 hours ago - World

Trump to end Hong Kong’s special trade status

President Trump. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. would be fundamentally changing longstanding policies toward Hong Kong as a result of Chinese encroachment on the city's autonomy.

Why it matters: Trump said he would be effectively ending the special trade status that has allowed Hong Kong to flourish as a gateway to the Chinese market. That leaves an uncertain future for businesses that operate in Hong Kong, not to mention the city's 7 million residents, and could be met with reprisals from Beijing.

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