May 8, 2017

Trump beefing up federal courts with 10 conservatives

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

The New York Times has the scoop on a sweeping set of federal judge nominations President Trump is slated to announce tomorrow, the first in what are expected to be routine rounds of appointments to fill out the courts.

It could take a while: The Times notes there are more than 120 openings on the lower courts.

U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals:John K. Bush - 6thJoan L. Larsen - 6th Amy Coney Barrett - 7th David R. Stras - 8th Kevin C. Newsom - 11th District Judges:Dabney L FriedrichTerry F. MoorerDavid C. NyeScott L. Palk U.S. Court of Federal Claims:Damien M. Schiff

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Tech's long hot summer of antitrust

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Google, Facebook and other tech giants face a summer of regulatory grilling as long-running investigations into potential anticompetitive practices likely come to a head.

The big picture: Probes into the power of Big Tech launched by federal and state authorities are turning a year old, and observers expect action in the form of formal lawsuits and potentially damning reports — even as the companies have become a lifeline for Americans during the pandemic lockdown.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow27 mins ago - Technology

Palantir CEO hits Silicon Valley "monoculture," may leave California

Palantir is "getting close" to a decision on whether to move the company out of California, CEO Alex Karp said in an interview for "Axios on HBO."

The state of play: "We haven't picked a place yet, but it's going to be closer to the East Coast than the West Coast. ... If I had to guess, I would guess something like Colorado."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow34 mins ago - Economy & Business

A reckoning for Russia's space program

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

SpaceX's first attempt at launching astronauts from American soil this week is a historic moment that will stress the decades-long relationship between the U.S. and Russia in space.

Why it matters: Since the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia have collaborated intimately in space. As the U.S. regains the ability to launch people with its own rockets, the future of Russia's already struggling civil space program — and how the U.S. will collaborate with it — is unclear.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow36 mins ago - Science