Oct 14, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Trump fuels Mattis departure speculation: He's "sort of a Democrat"

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President Trump told CBS News' Lesley Stahl in a "60 Minutes" episode, which airs Sunday night, that he thinks Secretary of Defense James Mattis is "sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth."

The big picture: While Mattis has denied reports that he's thinking of leaving his post at the Pentagon, Trump says on "60 Minutes" that while he hasn't been told anything, "[h]e may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves." Trump also said he has "people now on standby" to fill administration positions.

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
20 mins ago - Economy & Business

A white-collar crime crackdown

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

America has waited a decade for an aggressive government crackdown on white-collar crime. Now, just before the election, and in the middle of a bull market, it has arrived.

Why it matters: When times are good, investors become more trusting and more greedy. That makes them more likely to put their money into fraudulent or criminal enterprises.

  • After a decade-long bull market, there is no shortage of those frauds to prosecute.
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Ashley Gold
48 mins ago - Technology

Lawyers crystal-ball the Google antitrust case

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Justice Department's antitrust suit against Google is a strong, straightforward monopoly case, competition lawyers and experts tell Axios. But that doesn't mean it'll be an easy journey for the government.

The big picture: Winning any antitrust case is a heavy lift. It's even more of a challenge to pull off victory in a future-looking case that seeks to make room for potential new competition to flourish.

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Sam Baker, Andrew Witherspoon
53 mins ago - Health

The pandemic is getting worse again

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Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Note: Due to a database error, Missouri had a 3 day gap in reporting from Oct. 11-13; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Every available piece of data proves it: The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse again, all across America.

The big picture: As the death toll ticks past 212,000, at a moment when containing the virus ought to be easier and more urgent than ever, we are instead giving it a bigger foothold to grow from.

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