May 13, 2018

The Senate Democrats who keep saying no to Trump nominees

Neal Rothschild
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Note: Data is limited to 37 confirmation votes for cabinet, Supreme Court and top leadership positions in the executive branch; Data: U.S. Senate, Axios analysis of voting records; Graphic: Chris Canipe/Axios

A handful of Senate Democrats are committed to opposing President Trump’s executive branch nominations at every turn — and the group bears an uncanny resemblance to the rumored 2020 frontrunners.

Between the lines: Democrats like Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker have nothing to lose by voting against Trump's nominations — and a lot to gain with the Democratic voters they'll need if they decide to run for the White House.

The winner: The list is topped by Gillibrand, who voted to confirm David Shulkin (an Obama holdover) and Nikki Haley, but no others for prominent leadership roles. She was the lone vote against Jim Mattis as Defense Secretary.

The flip side: The Senate Democrats who have voted against Trump nominees the least include red-state Democrats Joe Manchin (16.2%), Heidi Heitkamp (16.2%) and Joe Donnelly (27%) — as well as independent Angus King (24.3%). Manchin and Donnelly are the only Democrats who have committed to voting to confirm Gina Haspel as CIA director.

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Coronavirus updates: World case count tops 600,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the novel coronavirus pandemic could worsen if people fail to take the appropriate containment measures, at a Saturday news conference in Tokyo.

The big picture: The U.S. leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases, as the number of global cases nears 620,000. Governments around the world are trying to curb the medical and financial fallout of COVID-19, as infections surge across Europe and the U.S.

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 618,043 — Total deaths: 28,823 — Total recoveries: 135,736.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 104,865 — Total deaths: 1,709 — Total recoveries: 894.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to provide businesses and U.S. workers economic relief.
  4. State updates: A group of Midwestern swing voters that supported President Trump's handling of the coronavirus less than two weeks ago is balking at his call for the U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter. Alaska is latest state to issue stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month.
  5. World updates: Italy reported 969 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the country's deadliest day. In Spain, over 1,300 people were confirmed dead between Thursday to Saturday.
  6. Business latest: President Trump authorized the use of the Defense Production Act to direct General Motors to build ventilators for those affected by COVID-19. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been appointed to enforce the act.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

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