May 16, 2019

Trump admin. sends TSA employees to southern border

Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

The Trump administration is sending hundreds of Transportation Security Administration employees to the U.S.-Mexico border to help with the flow of migrants who are crossing, reports AP.

Why it matters: Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan told a group of border personnel over the weekend: “We’re going to put all DHS hands on deck ... You’re going to see more HSI, you’re going to see more TSA, you’re going to see Coast Guard team of secret service. We’re going to send all available professionals down here to help manage this problem,” Axios' Stef Kight reports.

Details: The TSA is requesting volunteers from across its workforce, but it is not anticipated to impact air travel, per the AP. The plan reportedly will affect less than 1% of TSA's employees An agency official said nearly 100 TSA employees are the process of moving to the border.

Go deeper: On the scene: The Pentagon commits to the border crisis

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Joe Biden makes first public appearance in over two months

Photo: Oliver Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in over two months on Monday to honor Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a Delaware veterans park, AP reports.

Why it matters: Biden, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, has taken the unprecedented step of campaigning from his home during the coronavirus pandemic, ever since canceling a rally in Cleveland on March 10.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow50 mins ago - Politics & Policy

WHO temporarily suspends trial of hydroxychloroquine over safety concerns

Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

The World Health Organization is temporarily pausing tests of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment in order to review safety concerns, the agency's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said Monday.

Why it matters: The decision comes after a retrospective review published in The Lancet found that coronavirus patients who took hydroxychloroquine or its related drug chloroquine were more likely to die or develop an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death, compared to those who did nothing.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow1 hour ago - Health

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 5,449,135 — Total deaths: 345,721 — Total recoveries — 2,188,200 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 1,647,741 — Total deaths: 97,811 — Total recoveries: 366,736 — Total tested: 14,163,915 — Map.
  3. 2020: Trump threatens to move Republican convention from North Carolina.
  4. World: White House announces travel restrictions on Brazil — Over 100 cases in Germany tied to single day of church services — Top Boris Johnson aide defends himself after allegations he broke U.K. lockdown
  5. Public health: Officials are urging Americans to wear masks over Memorial Day.
  6. Economy: White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett says it's possible the unemployment rate could still be in double digits by November's election.
  7. What should I do? Hydroxychloroquine questions answered — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

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Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy