Nov 13, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Chad Wolf clears hurdle toward acting Homeland Security chief

Chairman Lindsey Graham speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Photo: Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The Senate confirmed Chad Wolf to become undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans on Wednesday in a bipartisan vote of 54-41.

Why it matters: Wolf has been serving in the position in an acting capacity. President Trump has indicated Wolf will be the next acting DHS secretary — confirmation to Wolf's current role is the first step in making that happen.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Chris Christie: Wear a mask "or you may regret it — as I did" — Senate Democrats block vote on McConnell's targeted relief bill.
  2. Business: New state unemployment filings fall.
  3. Economy: Why the stimulus delay isn't a crisis (yet).
  4. Health: FDA approves Gilead's remdesivir as a coronavirus treatment — How the pandemic might end — Many U.S. deaths were avoidable.
  5. Education: Boston and Chicago send students back home for online learning.
  6. World: Spain and France exceed 1 million cases.
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Fadel Allassan
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Early voting eclipses 2016 total with 12 days until election

People stand in line to vote early in Fairfax, Virginia in September. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Americans have cast more than 47.1 million ballots in the 2020 presidential election, surpassing the total early-vote count for 2016 with 12 days left until Election Day, according to a Washington Post analysis of voting data.

Why it matters: The election is already underway, as many states have expanded early and mail-in voting options because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Jonathan Swan, Alexi McCammond
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

What to expect from the final debate of the 2020 election

Trump and Biden at the first debate. Morry Gash-Pool/Getty Image

Watch for President Trump to address Joe Biden as “the big guy” or “the chairman” at tonight's debate as a way of dramatizing the Hunter Biden emails. Hunter's former business partner Tony Bobulinski is expected to be a Trump debate guest.

The big picture: Trump's advisers universally view the first debate as a catastrophe — evidenced by a sharp plunge in Trump’s public and (more convincingly for them) private polling immediately following the debate.

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