Dec 7, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Trump mocks Tillerson, who accused him of wanting to break the law

Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump tweeted Friday that he thinks his former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell" in his leading role at the State Department.

The backdrop: Tillerson said Thursday at an event in Texas that Trump "often" asked him to do things that would break the law. The conversations between the president and his then-Secretary of State about what Trump could not do "strained" their relationship, as Trump "would get very frustrated."

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Axios
Updated 4 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Pence chief of staff Marc Short tests positive for coronavirus — COVID-19 looms over White House Halloween celebrations
  2. Health: Fauci says maybe we should mandate masks if people don't wear them — America was sick well before it ever got COVID-19
  3. World: Polish President Andrzej Duda tests positive for COVID-19.
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Jonathan Swan, Mike Allen
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Pence chief of staff Marc Short tests positive for coronavirus

Marc Short with Katie Miller, Vice President Pence's communications director, in March. Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times via Reuters

Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday and is quarantining, according to a White House statement.

Why it matters: Short is Pence's closest aide, and was one of the most powerful forces on the White House coronavirus task force.

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Rebecca Falconer
6 hours ago - World

Opposition leader Leopoldo López flees Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo López outside the Spanish embassy in Caracas, in 2019. Photo: Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Leopoldo López, a former political prisoner and prominent Venezuelan opposition leader, has left the country, his Popular Will party confirmed in a statement Saturday.

Why it matters: He's been an influential force in the push to oust President Nicolás Maduro's regime and a mentor to opposition leader Juan Guaidó. He'd been in the Spanish ambassador's Caracas residence since escaping house arrest in April 2019 following a failed military uprising.

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