Mar 13, 2018 - World

Trump to May: U.S. is with U.K. "all the way" on spy attack

Trump and May at the G20 summit last year. Photo: Matt Cardy / Getty Images

President Trump told Prime Minister Theresa May in a call this afternoon that the U.S. would be with the U.K. "all the way" over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal with a Russian-manufactured nerve agent on U.K. soil, according to Downing Street's readout of the call.

The White House said that Trump agreed that Russia "must provide unambiguous answers" and said that Trump and May are united in calling for "the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons."

The backdrop: Trump hedged this morning, saying he wanted to wait to get the "facts straight" before condemning "Russia — or whoever it may be."

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Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Amy Coney Barrett's immediate impact

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

In her first week on the job, Amy Coney Barrett may be deciding which votes to count in the presidential election. By her third week, she’ll be deciding the fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Where it stands: The Senate votes on Barrett’s nomination tomorrow. If she’s confirmed, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to swear her in at the Supreme Court within hours, an administration official tells Axios.

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Alexi McCammond, Hans Nichols
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Texas Democrats beg Biden to spend now

Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The Biden campaign is rebuffing persistent pleas from Texas Democrats to spend at least $10 million in the Lone Star state, several people familiar with the talks tell Axios.

Why it matters: If Texas — which has 38 electoral votes and is steadily getting more blue, but hasn't backed a Democrat for president since 1976 — flipped to the Biden column, it would be game over. But the RealClearPolitics polling average stubbornly hovers at +2.6 for Trump — and Team Biden appears more focused on closer targets.

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Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Election night in Trumpworld

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images

A luxe election-night watch party at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue is being planned for President Trump's donors, friends and advisers — but Trump's hand in it is minimal because he's "very superstitious" — people familiar with the plans tell Axios.

The big picture: This "mecca for all things MAGA," as one adviser described it, is one of three hubs where they say Trumpworld will watch returns. The others are the war room at campaign HQ in Rosslyn, Virginia, and the White House residence, where Trump and the first lady will gather close family and advisers before heading to the hotel later that night, the sources said.

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