Apr 14, 2018 - Technology

Pentagon announces 2,000% increase in Russia trolls since Friday

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in Saturday's Pentagon briefing that there has been a "2,000% increase in Russian trolls in the last 24 hours," following the coordinated strike against Syria on Friday night.

The bottom line: The problem of Russian actors generating division and conflict among Americans isn't going away. As Axios' Sara Fischer and David McCabe reported last year, they aim to sow confusion and capitalize on political divisions. Senator Ben Sasse said in a statement on Saturday that this illustrates what "the wars of the future will look like...The fog of war will not be limited to our situation rooms and battlefields."

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Axios

8 mins ago - Politics & Policy

CDC updates guidance to say coronavirus can be spread through the air

CDC Director Robert Redfield. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Pool/Getty Images

The CDC updated its guidance on Friday to acknowledge that the coronavirus can be transmitted through the air at distances farther than six feet and through "droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols" like coughs or sneezes.

Why it matters: The update — which was little noticed until a CNN story was published Sunday — comes months after scientists pushed for the agency to acknowledge the disease was transmissible through the air. The CDC previously said that close person-to-person contact was the bigger concern.

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Shane Savitsky

10 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Top Mueller prosecutor: "We could have done more"

Former special counsel Robert Mueller. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Andrew Weissmann, one of former special counsel Robert Mueller's top prosecutors, says in his new book, "Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation," that the probe "could have done more" to take on President Trump, per The Atlantic.

Why it matters ... Weissmann argues that the investigation's report didn't go far enough in making a determination regarding Trump's potential obstruction of justice: "When there is insufficient proof of a crime, in volume one, we say it. But when there is sufficient proof, with obstruction, we don’t say it. Who is going to be fooled by that? It’s so obvious."

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Mike Allen, author of AM

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Trump's next moves in Supreme Court fight

Photo: Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

President Trump's choices to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg are down to two women, both federal appeals court judges.

The frontrunners are Amy Coney Barrett of Chicago, the early favorite, and Barbara Lagoa, who is viewed as easier to confirm. The Senate confirmed Lagoa 80-15 last year, so many Democrats have already voted for her.