Jan 9, 2017

Trump fires heads of U.S. nuke security

Shane Savitsky

The Trump team plans to oust the Obama-appointed heads of the National Nuclear Security Agency on Inauguration Day, according to Gizmodo.

Under Secretary Frank Klotz and his deputy Madelyn Creedon will lose their jobs on day one of Trump's administration — potentially along with dozens of employees working underneath them.

The NNSA:

  • Maintains the security of the United States' nuclear weapons arsenal
  • Reduces the global threat of nuclear weapons by advocating nonproliferation
  • Acts as a first response unit for a nuclear or radiological disaster in the United States

Why this matters: It's another sign of the Trump administration's desire to purge the government of all traces of President Obama, even if it leaves key jobs unfilled on Day 1. These are positions that require Senate confirmation and could take months to fill.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9 a.m. ET: 614,884 — Total deaths: 28,687 — Total recoveries: 135,671.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 9 a.m. ET: 104,837 — Total deaths: 1,711 — Total recoveries: 894.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to provide businesses and U.S. workers economic relief.
  4. State updates: Alaska is latest state to issue stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month.
  5. World updates: Italy reported 969 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the country's deadliest day.
  6. Business latest: President Trump authorized the use of the Defense Production Act to direct General Motors to build ventilators for those affected by COVID-19. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been appointed to enforce the act.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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The one-minute coronavirus story

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

News about the coronavirus is so big and coming so fast that it's hard to remember what happened just last week, let alone last month.

Here's the quickest possible review of the story so far — how it happened and how the U.S. lost control.

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Alaska becomes latest state to issue coronavirus stay-at-home order

Data: Axios reporting; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Alaska issued a mandate Friday evening for all people in the state to "remain at their place of residence and practice social distancing" except for those engaged in essential services, including health care and government functions, effective Saturday at 5 p.m.

The big picture: This is the latest state to announce policies to enforce social distancing. More than 1.5 billion people worldwide were asked to stay home Monday.

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