Sep 13, 2018

Russian suspects in Skripal poisoning claim they were tourists

Screenshot via RT

The two Russian suspects charged by U.K. police in the Novichok poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal on British soil told state-run RT that they are not intelligence officers, but tourists who were in England visiting the famous Salisbury Cathedral.

Why it matters: The conclusion that the two men were officers of the GRU directed by the Kremlin to carry out the poisoning came after months of investigation by British intelligence. The assessment was backed in a joint statement by the U.K.'s major allies, but has repeatedly been denied by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Alexi McCammond

Focus group: Minnesota swing voters balk at Trump's Easter deadline

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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, saying they'll tolerate business closures for as long as it takes to contain the spread.

Why it matters: Their feedback suggests that some voters otherwise mostly supportive of the president — and who still see financial threats outpacing health threats — aren't so tired of social distancing that they're willing to risk ending it too quickly.

Go deeperUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 607,965 — Total deaths: 28,125 — Total recoveries: 132,688.
U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 104,837 — Total deaths: 1,711 — Total recoveries: 894.
Federal government latest: President Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to provide businesses and U.S. workers economic relief.
State updates: North Carolina is latest state to issue stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month.
World updates: Italy reported 969 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the country's deadliest day.
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.
🏰 1 Disney thing: Both Disney World and Disneyland theme parks in the U.S. are closed until further notice.
What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing.
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.

Keep ReadingUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

Trump signs $2 trillion relief bill as U.S. coronavirus case count tops 100,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

President Trump signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package on Friday, as infections in the U.S. topped 100,000 and more cities experience spikes of the novel coronavirus.

The big picture: The U.S. has the most COVID-19 cases in the world, exceeding China and Italy, per data from Johns Hopkins. A second wave of American cities, including Boston, Detroit, New Orleans and Philadelphia, are reporting influxes of cases.

Go deeperUpdated 11 hours ago - Health