Mar 22, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Senate proceeds to overturn privacy rules

Jeff Fusco / AP

The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday afternoon to move forward with a resolution to overturn FCC privacy rules for broadband providers like Comcast and AT&T, according to a spokesman for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The FCC's privacy rules require broadband providers to first get permission from their customers before sharing or selling their personal data to advertisers and other third-parties. Republicans in the House and Senate introduced resolutions to overturn those rules, and the vote on the Senate floor tonight officially kicks off debate, led by Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. Democrat Bill Nelson, Senate Commerce Committee ranking member, will help lead the opposition to the rollback effort.

What's next: A vote on the resolution will likely occur Thursday after debate has concluded.

Update: The Senate made it official Wednesday night, voting to start debate on the issue and vote on whether to send it to the House.

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Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 12,009,301 — Total deaths: 548,799 — Total recoveries — 6,561,969 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 3,053,328 — Total deaths: 132,256 — Total recoveries: 953,420 — Total tested: 37,532,612 — Map.
Public health: Houston mayor cancels Republican convention over coronavirus concerns — Deaths are rising in hotspots — Déjà vu sets in as testing issues rise and PPE dwindles.
Travel: United warns employees it may furlough 45% of U.S. workforce — How the pandemic changed mobility habits, by state.
Education: New York City schools will not fully reopen in fall — Harvard and MIT sue Trump administration over rule barring foreign students from online classes.
🎧 Podcast: A misinformation "infodemic" is here.

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7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

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9 hours ago - Health

Fighting the coronavirus infodemic

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

An "infodemic" of misinformation and disinformation has helped cripple the response to the novel coronavirus.

Why it matters: High-powered social media accelerates the spread of lies and political polarization that motivates people to believe them. Unless the public health sphere can effectively counter misinformation, not even an effective vaccine may be enough to end the pandemic.

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