Aug 15, 2017

Trump-backed and Trumpian candidates face off in Alabama

Erica Pandey, author of @Work

Olivier Matthys / AP

Alabama Republicans will cast votes for their Senate nominee today. If no candidate takes 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff election on Sept. 26 — a likely outcome. The choice is between a candidate that has the support of the president and one of two opposers who echo Trump's populist message.

Luther Strange, the incumbent, was appointed after Sen. Jeff Sessions became attorney general. Strange has the support of President Trump and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose allies have funneled millions of ad dollars into his campaign.
Roy Moore, the front-runner, is a former Alabama chief justice. His campaign strategy most closely aligns with Trump's, with ads that promise he'll "drain the swamp."
Rep. Mo Brooks, the anti-McConnell candidate, echoes Moore's anti-establishment message. His ad addresses Trump directly: "Mr. President, isn't it time we tell McConnell and Strange, 'You're fired?'"

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Updated 29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 18,543,662 — Total deaths: 700,714 — Total recoveries — 11,143,031— Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 4,771,236 — Total deaths: 156,807 — Total recoveries: 1,528,979 — Total tests: 57,543,852 — Map.
States: New York City health commissioner resigns in protest of De Blasio's coronavirus response — Local governments go to war over schools.
Public health: 59% of Americans support nationwide 2-week stay-at-home order in NPR poll.
Politics: Trump's national security adviser returns to work after coronavirus recovery — Republicans push to expand small business loan program.
Sports: Indy 500 to be held without fans — Rafael Nadal opts out of U.S. Open.

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 32 mins ago - World

Azar to lead delegation to Taiwan in first high-level U.S. visit in decades

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during a June briefing in Washington, DC. Photo: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday night he will lead a delegation to Taiwan "in the coming days."

Why it matters: It's the highest-level visit by a U.S. cabinet official to Taiwan since 1979. Azar is also the first U.S. Cabinet member to visit the island state in six years. The visit has angered China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory. Chinese officials accused the U.S. early Wednesday of "endangering peace" with the visit, AFP reports.

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Updated 2 hours ago - World

At least 100 killed, 4,000 injured after massive explosion rocks Beirut

Photo: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

A major explosion has slammed central Beirut, Lebanon, damaging buildings as far as several miles away and injuring scores of people.

Driving the news: At least 100 people have been killed and over 4,000 injured in the blast — and the death toll is likely to rise, the Lebanese Red Cross said, per AP. Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the explosions occurred at a warehouse that had been storing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate for the past six years.

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