Jan 6, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Trump says he "can relate" to furloughed federal workers during shutdown

Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump told reporters outside of the White House on Sunday that he "can relate" to furloughed federal workers, adding that he expects they "will make adjustments" while they do not receive paychecks during the ongoing government shutdown.

The big picture: Republican sources told Axios' Mike Allen that they believe the only thing that will make Trump cave on the shutdown and his border wall demands is the moment when the hardships of hundreds of thousands of furloughed government employees become a staple of local news coverage across Trump country. But Trump personally seems to believe that those workers will stand with him, telling reporters that "many of those people who won't be receiving a paycheck, many of those people agree with what I'm doing."

Go deeper

Sam Baker

54 mins ago - Health

We're losing the war on the coronavirus

Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

By any standard, no matter how you look at it, the U.S. is losing its war against the coronavirus.

Why it matters: The pandemic is not an abstraction, and it is not something that’s simmering in the background. It is an ongoing emergency ravaging nearly the entire country, with a loss of life equivalent to a Sept. 11 every three days — for four months and counting.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Jacob Knutson

12 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump commutes Roger Stone's sentence

Roger Stone arriving at his sentencing hearing on Feb. 20. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump on Friday evening commuted the sentence of his longtime associate Roger Stone, according to two senior administration officials. Stone in February was sentenced to 40 months in prison for crimes including obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress.

Why it matters: The controversial move brings an abrupt end to the possibility of Stone spending time behind bars. He had been scheduled to report to prison on July 14.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Orion Rummler

Updated 13 hours ago - Health

Which states have set single-day coronavirus records this week

Data: COVID Tracking Project and state health department data compiled by Axios; Map: Danielle Alberti and Naema Ahmed/Axios

13 states this week surpassed records set just last week for their highest number of coronavirus infections in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project and state health department data. 16 states in total reported new highs.

The big picture: The United States' alarming rise in coronavirus cases isn't just due to increased testing — particularly where the number of cases has grown fastest over the last month, Axios' Andrew Witherspoon and Caitlin Owens report.