Mar 18, 2018

Trump attacks FBI and Mueller investigation in morning tweets

Erica Pandey

Kicking off a series of morning tweets, President Trump accused former FBI Director James Comey of lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee during testimony last May. At that time, Comey stated that he had not authorized an FBI employee to be an anonymous source for a reporter in matters relating to the Trump-Russia investigation or the Clinton email investigation.

The inspiration: Trump saw a Fox & Friends segment this morning, which juxtaposed fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's statement defending his actions at the bureau with Comey's testimony from last year.

The Fox & Friends segment that Trump saw:

Trump's other tweets:

  • Axios' Mike Allen and Jonathan Swan broke the news last night that McCabe handed over memos detailing his interactions with Trump to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
  • Trump is referencing a Daily Caller report from last month on the political makeup of Mueller's team. PolitiFact reported last year that a handful of Mueller's then-known team members had indeed donated to Democratic-related causes — though it's worth noting that Mueller himself was at one time a registered Republican.

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Marisa Fernandez

China reopens Wuhan after 10-week coronavirus lockdown

People wearing facemasks stand near Yangtze River in Wuhan. Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

China has lifted its lockdown of Wuhan, the city in Hubei province where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported in December, according to the New York Times.

Why it matters: As cases surged in January, China took the draconian step of sealing off the city of 11 million and shutting down its economy — a response that was viewed at the time as only possible in an authoritarian system, but which has since been adopted by governments around the world.

Go deeperArrow8 mins ago - Health
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 1,381,014— Total deaths: 78,269 — Total recoveries: 292,973 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 378,289 — Total deaths: 11,830 — Total recoveries: 20,003 — Map.
  3. Trump administration latest: Trump removes watchdog overseeing rollout of $2 trillion coronavirus bill
  4. Federal government latest: Senate looks to increase coronavirus relief for small businesses this week — Testing capacity is still lagging far behind demand.
  5. States update: New York death toll surged to its highest one-day total as state predicts a plateau in hospitalizations.
  6. 🎧 Podcast: The race to reopen America
  7. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 18 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Jacob Knutson

Trump removes watchdog overseeing rollout of $2 trillion coronavirus bill

Glenn Fine, acting Pentagon watchdog

President Trump on Monday replaced the Pentagon's acting Inspector General Glenn Fine, who had been selected to chair the panel overseeing the rollout of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed last month, Politico first reported.

Why it matters: A group of independent federal watchdogs selected Fine to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, but Fine's removal from his Pentagon job prevents him from being able to serve in that position — since the law only allows sitting inspectors general to fill the role.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 28 mins ago - Politics & Policy