May 18, 2017

Trey Gowdy expected to replace Jason Chaffetz

Alexi McCammond

Erik Schelzig / AP

Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy recently said he "would not be the right person" to replace James Comey as FBI director — perhaps because he's reportedly expected to take Jason Chaffetz's House Oversight Committee chairman position, per Politico.

Why now: Chaffetz is leaving Congress in June and will not seek re-election, as he's reportedly going to assume an on-air role at Fox News. In his absence, the committee will need a new chairman for the high-profile position, and various members of the House Steering Committee panel (which decides the chairmanship) told Politico Gowdy could "easily" win this position.

Why it matters: Gowdy led the investigation into the Benghazi attacks, and if selected as chairman, he would lead the investigation into whether Trump encouraged James Comey to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn's possible collusion with Russia.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 p.m. ET: 885,687 — Total deaths: 44,216 — Total recoveries: 185,447 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 p.m. ET: 190,089 — Total deaths: 4,127 — Total recoveries: 7,141 — Map.
  3. Federal government latest: Vice President Mike Pence said that White House modeling suggests "Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States" in terms of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
  4. State updates: Washington and California appear to have slowed their surges of new cases — Florida cases have been doubling the past four days, approaching 7,000.
  5. China: The coronavirus could threaten D.C.'s bipartisan China consensus.
  6. 2020 update: Bernie Sanders urges Wisconsin to delay April 7 primary.
  7.  🎧 Podcast: The Defense Production Act
  8. What should I do? 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.

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Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 37 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Axios

Podcast: The Defense Production Act

The Trump administration has been hesitant to fully invoke the Defense Production Act to address medical supply shortages during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The New York Times reports that the Department of Defense has implemented DPA regularly during Trump’s presidency. Dan goes deeper with the Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs.

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Fadel Allassan

Pence: Coronavirus impact in U.S. may be "most comparable" to Italy

Vice President Mike Pence told CNN Wednesday that White House modeling suggests "Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States" in terms of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: Italy has become one of the global epicenters of the pandemic, with 105,792 cases and 12,428 deaths. Public health experts have warned for weeks that the U.S. would be on the same path if it didn't take drastic measures to stem the spread of the virus.

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