Mar 30, 2017

State Dept employee charged with taking bribes from China

An administrative official at the State Dept who held top secret clearance is facing up to 25 years in prison for allegedly accepting tens of thousands of dollars from Chinese spies in exchange for information.

Candace Claiborne, 60, appeared in court yesterday. Mary McCord, an acting assistant attorney general, claimed Claiborne, "used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit."

What she allegedly gave: information over the course of five years, including "information about a dissident who was being secretly housed at the embassy," per the FT. The dissident was not named but may have been Chen Guangcheng.

What she allegedly got: cash, gifts, and even help for a friend or relative who "committed a serious crime in China."

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Axios

Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12:45 p.m. ET: 30,838,610 — Total deaths: 958,090— Total recoveries: 21,088,552 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12:45 p.m. ET: 6,777,026 — Total deaths: 199,352 — Total recoveries: 2,577,446 — Total tests: 94,211,463 — Map.
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Education: What we overlooked in the switch to remote learning
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Orion Rummler

Updated 2 hours ago - Health

7 states set single-day coronavirus case records last week

Data: Compiled by Axios; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Seven states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project and state health departments. Wisconsin and Nebraska surpassed records set the previous week.

Why it matters: Problem spots are sticking in the Midwest, although the U.S. is moving in the right direction overall after massive infection spikes this summer.

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Axios

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Murkowski says she opposes voting on Ginsburg replacement before election

Photo: Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a statement Sunday that she opposes holding a Senate confirmation vote on President Trump's nomination to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the election.

Why it matters: Murkowski joins Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) as one of two Republican senators who have thus far said that they do not support rushing through a confirmation vote before November. Two more defections would likely force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to resort to holding a vote in the lame-duck session, which neither Murkowski nor Collins have addressed.