Apr 25, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Texas Governor wants Farenthold to cover cost of special election

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is demanding former Congressman Blake Farenthold to "cover all costs" of the June 30 special election to fill the seat he left vacant upon his resignation earlier this month amid scrutiny over a 2015 settlement he made with his former communications director who claimed he sexually harassed her the year prior.

The details: In a letter sent Wednesday, the Republican governor urged Farenthold to pay back the $84,000 in taxpayer funds used to settle the claim "to the counties in [his] district to cover the costs of the ... special election," adding that "the counties and taxpayers ... should not again pay the price for your actions.”

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1:30 p.m. ET: 11,679,808 — Total deaths: 539,764 — Total recoveries — 6,348,785 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1:30 p.m. ET: 2,953,423 — Total deaths: 130,546 — Total recoveries: 924,148 — Total tested: 36,032,329 — Map.
  3. States: Arizona reports record 117 deaths in 24 hours.
  4. Public health: Trump administration invests $2 billion for drug treatments.
  5. Business: Breaking down the PPP disclosure debacle
  6. World: Brazil's President Bolsonaro tests positive— India reports third-highest case count in the world.
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Jonathan Swan
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Mary Trump book: How she leaked Trump financials to NYT

Simon & Schuster

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Why it matters: Trump was furious when he found out recently that Mary Trump, a trained psychologist, would be publishing a tell-all memoir. And Trump's younger brother, Robert, tried and failed to block the publication of "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man."

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Axios
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Brazil's Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

Photo: Andre Borges/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced Tuesday that he tested positive for coronavirus.

Why it matters: Brazil's coronavirus outbreak is one of the largest in the world, topped only by the U.S., and Bolsonaro has long downplayed the effects of the virus, pushing businesses to reopen over the last few months in order to jumpstart the country's economy.

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