Dec 21, 2017

Steve Bannon calls George H.W. Bush a "pervert"

Steve Bannon and George H.W. Bush. Photos: Getty Images

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon unloaded on the Bush presidents in an interview with Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman, calling George H.W. Bush "a pervert."

"The Bush presidency is the most destructive presidency in history. James Buchanan included. It's not even close ... And by the way, I haven't even gotten to 9/11. I mean, 9/11! Think about if 9/11 had happened on Trump's watch. We would have gotten 100 percent of the blame by the Bush guys. And they said, 'Well, we just got here.' What do you mean you just got here? That's what gets me about them coming after Trump. I really detest them. I mean, the old man is a pervert. He's a pervert. Grabbing these girls and grabbing their asses?"

Go deeper

Alexi McCammond

2 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Sara Fischer

3 mins ago - Technology

Facebook goes after Apple

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Facebook is seeking to force a face-off with Apple over its 30% in-app purchase commission fee, which Facebook suggests hurts small businesses struggling to get by during the pandemic.

The big picture: Facebook has never publicly gone after Apple, a key strategic partner, this aggressively. Both companies face antitrust scrutiny, which in Apple's case has centered on the very fee structure Facebook is now attacking.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Barak Ravid

39 mins ago - World

Exclusive: UAE wants Israel normalization finalized "as soon as possible," minister says

Anwar Gargash. Photo: Shraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images

The UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, told me in an exclusive interview that his country wants to implement its normalization deal with Israel “as soon as possible."

What he's saying: Gargash said he was confident that the U.S.-brokered deal moved Israeli annexation of the West Bank off the table for a “long time.” He also said Israeli tourists would soon be able to travel to the UAE.