Dec 19, 2017

Tim Kaine’s request for sexual harassment data was rejected

Khorri Atkinson

Sen. Tim Kaine. Photo: Drew Angerer / Getty Images

The Office of Compliance has rejected Sen. Tim Kaine's request for information about the number of sexual harassment claims made against members in the Senate and money spent on settlements, citing the Congressional Accountability Act's confidentiality requirements.

Why it matters: The rejection is inconsistent. In a letter published by Politico, the compliance office's executive director said the "confidentiality provisions" of the 1995 law prohibits the office from providing a detailed response and the information would not be reliable. But earlier this month, the office provided the House Administration Committee with details on taxpayer-funded settlements processed in the lower chamber just one day after they were requested.

Kaine, who had promised to make the information public, tweeted: “Very disappointing. If we truly want to fix the broken system on the Hill, we need to understand the scope of the problem."

Go deeper: Congress has paid $17 million in sexual misconduct and discrimination settlements.

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Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: New York tops previous day's record death toll

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

New York's death toll surged to its highest one-day total on Wednesday — beating the previous day's record. 779 people died in the state in 24 hours. The state has reported more cases than the most-affected countries in Europe.

Why it matters: Public health officials have warned this would be a particularly deadly week for America, even as New York began to see declining trends of hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 7 mins ago - Health
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 1,504,971 — Total deaths: 87,984 — Total recoveries: 318,068 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 424,945 — Total deaths: 14,529 — Total recoveries: 23,292 — Map.
  3. Federal government latest: Top Trump administration officials had been developing a plan to give cloth masks to huge numbers of Americans, but the idea lost traction amid heavy internal skepticism.
  4. States latest: Chicago's Cook County jail is largest-known source of coronavirus in U.S.
  5. Business update: One-third of U.S. jobs are at risk of disappearing, mostly affecting low-income workers.
  6. World update: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to put politics aside "if you don’t want to have many more body bags.”
  7. Environment update: COVID-19 is underscoring the connection between air pollution and dire outcomes from respiratory diseases.
  8. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  9. 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 ReadingArrowUpdated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Bryan Walsh

The pandemic and pollution

New York City's skyline on a smoggy day in May 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

COVID-19 is underscoring the connection between air pollution and dire outcomes from respiratory diseases.

Why it matters: Old-fashioned air pollution is almost certainly the single biggest environmental health threat, contributing to the deaths of some 7 million people a year according to the WHO, making it comparable to deaths from smoking.

Go deeperArrow3 hours ago - Health