Updated Jul 21, 2018

Rosanne Barr responds to criticism for Valerie Jarrett tweet in fiery video

Rosanne Barr in an interview. Photo: Vera Anderson/WireImage via Getty Images

In a self-posted video, Rosanne Barr responded to criticism from being fired and having her show, "Roseanne," cancelled, after targeting former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett in a tweet, explaining she initially told NBC "I thought Valerie Jarrett was white."

The backdrop: Barr initially released a vulgar video saying she thought Jarrett was white before releasing her scripted statement. After being fired, she apologized for her initial tweet saying she was on Ambien at the time she sent it.

"The answer is simple. It's because I voted for Donald Trump and that is not allowed in Hollywood."

— Barr on why she was fired

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Axios

Coronavirus cases rise, as more Americans on cruise confirmed ill

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

A U.S. public health official confirms more than 40 Americans on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan have coronavirus, while the remaining U.S. citizens without symptoms are being evacuated.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,770 people and infected almost 70,000 others. Most cases and all but five of the deaths have occurred in mainland China. Taiwan confirmed its first death on Sunday, per multiple reports, in a 61-year-old man with underlying health conditions. Health officials were investigating how he became ill.

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Sara Fischer, Jonathan Swan

Scoop: Inside the Trump campaign's big hedge on Facebook

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Trump campaign has invested most of its advertising budget to date on Facebook, testing thousands of versions of ads per day to maximize its spending.

But behind the scenes, a source familiar with the campaign tells Axios, the thinking has shifted: "As everyone can see, we still have strong spending on Facebook, but the percentage of our total media budget [on Facebook] is shrinking."

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Alayna Treene

Trump's revenge tour has the House in its sights

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Contributor

In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections — buoyed by Republican control of both chambers — President Trump viewed campaigning for the House as a lower-tier priority and instead poured his energy into rallying for the Senate.

But after the GOP reckoning in 2018, and experiencing firsthand how damaging a Democratic-led House has been to him, Trump is now personally invested in helping Republicans regain the majority in November, several people familiar with his thinking tell Axios.

Go deeper5 hours ago - Politics & Policy