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National

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the messaging around the COVID-19 pandemic and changing guidance should have been clearer.

State of play: Walensky is being coached by media experts and is planning to have more press briefings by herself in order to ensure that CDC is seen as an independent, scientific entity, rather than as a political one, the Journal reports.

What she's saying: "I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations," Walensky said, adding that she is committed to communicating CDC guidance more clearly.

The big picture: The CDC recently changed its isolation guidance to say that the people who have tested positive for the virus should isolate for at least five days, and did not initially recommend that a negative COVID test be the condition to end isolation. 

Walensky said the new guidance was based on over 100 papers on the risks of the Alpha and Delta variants, before Omicron became the dominant strain. 

As a result, the agency faced mounting criticism from health experts who say ending isolation after five days risks putting those contagious in contact with others.

The CDC later added testing recommendations saying that anyone ending isolation who "has access to a test" and "wants to test" can do so. This new language was added after it was clear that people wanted guidance on how to use rapid tests to check if they're infectious.

Walensky told the Journal, however, that rapid tests were not intended be used to test out of isolation, and that negative tests could work to measure infectiousness if they're used repeatedly over several days.

If you’re positive — you should probably stay at home,” Walensky said. “But a negative — that doesn’t mean you’re not contagious. And we needed to be very clear about that.”

Go deeper: Another point of confusion over COVID guidance

CDC director says COVID-19 messaging should have been clearer

"I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations," Walensky said.

Rochelle Walensky. Photo: Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Coronavirus

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed asked Secretary of State Tony Blinken in a phone call Monday to re-designate the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist organization, a senior Emirati official told Axios.

Why it matters: Less than a month after he assumed office, President Biden rolled back the Trump administration’s decision to make the designation. He said it hampered humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people. Since then, the Houthis have escalated their attacks against Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region — including an attack Monday in Abu Dhabi.

What they are saying: “During the call between Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed and Secretary Blinken, there was a discussion regarding the idea of re-designation of the Houthis based on their current actions," a senior Emirati official told Axios.

"The latest attack on civilian targets in Abu Dhabi, and the hijacking of a UAE-flagged ship, fall squarely in that category.”

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the Houthi attack.

“We will work with the UAE and international partners to hold them accountable," Sullivan said in a statement.

"Our commitment to the security of the UAE is unwavering, and we stand beside our Emirati partners against all threats to their territory."

Driving the news: What started as a civil war in 2004 had escalated into a regional conflict, as the Saudis and other Middle Eastern players have come to the aid of the Yemeni government in the face of the Houthi insurgency.

On Monday noon local time, three oil tankers near Abu Dhabi port exploded after being attacked.

Three civilians were killed and at least six were wounded.

The Houthis claimed responsibility and said they fired missiles and drones at Abu Dhabi port.

Since the attacks, Emirati officials held talks with several of their regional allies and with the Biden administration regarding next steps.

The Emiratis publicly called the international community to condemn the attack.

UAE asks U.S. to reinstate Houthi terrorist designation after attack

The request follows an attack on Abu Dhabi that left three dead.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken listens as the Emirati foreign minister speaks.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken (L) listens to United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan during a joint news conference at the State Department iin October. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

Macro

Axios Macro

For the last two decades, incomes in poorer countries were catching up to rich countries. The pandemic economy of the 2020s may reverse the trend, the World Bank warns in a new report.

Why it matters: Falling inequality between countries has been one of the most positive trends of the 21st century. If it reverses, it implies more human suffering and geopolitical instability.

The big picture: In its Global Economic Prospects report, the development organization lays out a constellation of factors that are making the economic impact of the pandemic more lasting and severe in countries that were poorer to begin with.

They are less likely to have effective mechanisms to obtain and rapidly distribute vaccines.

They tend to have more limited access to debt markets and therefore less capacity for large-scale government borrowing to cushion the economic pain.

Inflation tends to be more of a problem. For rich countries, higher food prices are an annoyance; for poor countries, they can cause mass starvation.

What they're saying: "I'm very worried about a permanent scar on development," World Bank President David Malpass told reporters Tuesday.

By the numbers: The bank projects overall global growth will slow from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.1% in 2022 and 3.2% in 2023.

But whereas advanced economies are on track to return to their pre-pandemic economic trend, emerging market and developing economies are forecast to remain "markedly below" those levels. 

Our thought bubble: Emerging economies face a paradox. Their citizens suffer from high inflation but they also stand to suffer from efforts by central banks to contain inflation by raising interest rates, which constrains credit worldwide.

When the Fed raises interest rates to fight inflation, it tends to slow the economies of Asia, Latin America and beyond, where borrowing takes place in dollars.

The bottom line:  The world faces a bumpy road in recovering from the pandemic recession, and it is bumpiest in the places with the fewest resources.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Jan. 12. 

World Bank: Gap between rich and poor countries is widening

The pandemic may reverse poor countries' gains.

Economic inequality

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

State of play: Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement that Milley — who is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot — is experiencing "very minor symptoms" and is "working remotely and isolating himself."

Butler said that all other "Joint Chiefs of Staff except for one" have tested negative for the virus.

The other joint chief to test positive was Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, commandant spokesperson Maj. Eric Flanagan told Axios. 

What he's saying: "Gen. Milley's most recent contact with President Biden was on Wednesday, Jan. 12" during Gen. Raymond T. Odierno's funeral, Butler said.

Milley "tested negative several days prior to and every day following contact with the President until yesterday," he added.

Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Mark Milley tests positive for COVID-19

Milley, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, is experiencing "very minor symptoms,"  a spokesperson said.

Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images

Mark Milley

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Pro Rata

Axios Pro Rata

Some progressive Democrats and MAGA Republicans are uniting on a proposal to ban sitting lawmakers from trading individual stocks, although it's unlikely that leadership will bring the bill up for a vote.

Why it matters: Members of Congress have great power to move stock prices, and great financial incentives to do so. 

"One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars," former Rep. Brian Baird (D-Ore.) told "60 Minutes" in 2011.

Baird spent years advocating for The Stock Act, which prevented lawmakers from trading on inside information and increased financial disclosures. It became law in 2012, after being passed on a bipartisan basis, but later was watered down and is rarely enforced.

Driving the news: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) plans to introduce an ethics bill that would ban lawmakers, their spouses and dependent children from trading individual stocks while in office, not just if they have inside information.

Ossoff is in talks with potential Republican co-sponsors, a Democratic told Axios, without confirming specific candidates. 

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Tuesday tweeted his support for a trading ban, although it's not clear if he'd endorse including spouses and family members (who are included in Ossoff's more stringent bill). Hawley's office didn't respond to a request for comment.

Another one to watch is Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), the only Republican senator who has reported using a qualified blind trust for his personal investments.

Over in the House, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is interested in legislation to limit or ban lawmakers from trading stocks if the GOP wins control of the House, according to Punchbowl News. One such bill already exists, with more than two dozen co-sponsors.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — whose husband, Paul Pelosi, recently bought millions of dollars worth of tech stocks — refused to support a ban on legislators' market activity.

"We're a free-market economy," she told reporters last month. "[Lawmakers] should be able to participate in that."

Senate candidates from both parties have hopped on the ban bandwagon. Among them are Democrats Tom Nelson (Wis.) and John Fetterman (Pa.), both of whom this week endorsed Ossoff's proposal, and Republican Blake Masters (Ariz.). 

“Democrats and Republicans equally take advantage of this and it is wrong,”  Nelson tells Axios. “They don’t need to be trading like Gordon Gekko or Bud Fox. Just get mutual funds and CDs like the rest of us. How difficult can that be?”

The bottom line: The unusual coalition behind the most recent effort to stop lawmakers from trading stocks may not immediately translate into law, but it puts pressure on Congress to address one of Washington’s most glaring and persistent financial conflicts. 

Momentum builds to ban lawmakers from trading stocks

It's an idea that has bipartisan support, but still faces major hurd

Illustration of caution tape with dollar signs on it covering the Capitol Dome

Wall Street

Mqfx3st5oapnv7np

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, one of the people taken hostage in a synagogue outside Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, said in an interview with CBS on Monday that he initially took in the man because he thought he needed shelter.

The big picture: Cytron-Walker said he spoke to the hostage taker, identified by the FBI as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram, for several minutes and made him tea before Akram took the rabbi and three other people hostage for around 11 hours during Shabbat services in Colleyville.

The standoff between Akram and law enforcement officials ended after Cytron-Walker and two other hostages who were still in the synagogue were saved by a hostage rescue team and the gunman was killed. 

Authorities said they believe the suspect was motivated by a desire to free a Pakistani neuroscientist serving an 86-year sentence in a Texas prison for assaulting U.S. federal agents, employees and nationals in Afghanistan.

What they're saying: "It was terrifying. It was overwhelming and we're still processing. It's been a lot," Cytron-Walker said.

"The last hour or so of the standoff, he wasn't getting what he wanted. It didn't look good. It didn't sound good. We were terrified," Cytron-Walker said.

"When I saw an opportunity where he wasn't in a good position, I made sure that the two gentlemen who were with me that they were ready to go. The exit wasn't too far away. I told them to go, I threw a chair at the gunman and I headed for the door. And all three of us were able to get out without a shot being fired."

"I just want to give thanks and appreciation for all of the love and all of the support from the Jewish community, my people, from the Muslim community, from the Christian community, from all faiths, all backgrounds, friends, acquaintances, strangers all over the world. It's truly been overwhelming. Thank you so much."

Cytron-Walker said members of his congregation had taken active shooter courses with the FBI, the Colleyville Police Department, the Anti-Defamation League and the Secure Community Network. 

"They really teach you in those moments that when your life is threatened, you need to do whatever you can to get to safety, you need to do whatever you can to get out," he added.

Go deeper: British national named in Colleyville synagogue standoff

Colleyville Rabbi credits survival to active-shooter training

"It was terrifying. It was overwhelming and we're still processing."

Hostages

Latino

Axios Latino

School districts from Pennsylvania to Wyoming are bowing to pressure from some conservative groups to review — then purge from public school libraries — books about LGBTQ  issues and people of color. 

Book bans are back in style

Campaigns led by primarily white parents seek to ban certain books dealing with racism and gender identity as public schools become more diverse.

Axios

Monday's top stories