Mar 5, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Sen. Thad Cochran to resign April 1

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sen. Thad Cochran, a Republican from Mississippi and the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has announced his intent to resign April 1, citing health reasons. Gov. Phil Bryant will appoint someone to temporarily fill Cochran's seat until Nov. 6, at which point Mississippi will host a special election.

Why it matters: This leaves many speculating that Chris McDaniel will drop his primary challenge against incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker and instead run in November's special election. Mississippi is viewed as an incredibly safe Republican seat — but then again, so was the Alabama seat now occupied by Doug Jones.

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Why it matters: "Whether we're closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do now and how it evolves," Gottlieb warned on Sunday as the U.S. surpassed five million confirmed coronavirus cases.

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Why it matters: Democrats and even some Republicans have criticized Trump's decision to circumvent Congress to extend unemployment benefits as executive overreach, given that the Constitution gives Congress power to appropriate spending.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 19,680,042 — Total deaths: 727,777 — Total recoveries — 11,962,565 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 5,002,523 — Total deaths: 162,455 — Total recoveries: 1,643,118 — Total tests: 61,080,587 — Map.
  3. Politics: Nancy Pelosi says states don't have the funds to comply with Trump's executive order on employment — Trump adviser Larry Kudlow says he regrets suggesting the benefits could only be extended by Congress.
  4. Public health: Fauci says chances are "not great" that COVID-19 vaccine will be 98% effective — Poll: 1 in 3 Americans would decline COVID-19 vaccine.
  5. Schools: Nine test positive at Georgia school where photo showing packed hallway went viral — How back-to-school is playing out in the South as coronavirus rages on — Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Howard to hold fall classes online.
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