Jun 2, 2018

Trump nominates new Federal Communications Commission member

Federal Communications Commission. Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

The White House has announced the nomination of Geoffrey Starks to be a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a five-year term. Trump also nominated Elad Roisman to be commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a five-year term.

Why it matters, per Axios' Kim Hart: If confirmed, Starks would fill the seat vacated by commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, who announced her resignation in April. Starks and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai share Kansas roots. Starks currently works in the agency’s enforcement bureau, which investigates possible violations of FCC rules.

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 40 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Fauci: Trump hasn't been to a COVID task force meeting in months — Trump claims COVID "will go away" during debate.
  2. Sports: The youth sports exodus continues — Big Ten football is back.
  3. Health: How to help save 130,000 lives — FDA approves Gilead's remdesivir as treatment — How the pandemic might end — Many U.S. deaths were avoidable.
  4. Retail: Santa won't greet kids at Macy's this year.
  5. World: Spain and France exceed 1 million cases.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Shawna Chen
57 mins ago - Health

Fauci: Trump hasn't been to a COVID task force meeting in months

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump has not attended a White House coronavirus task force meeting in “several months,” NIAID director Anthony Fauci told MSNBC on Friday.

Why it matters: At the beginning of the pandemic, the task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, met every day, but in the "last several weeks," members have held virtual meetings once a week, Fauci said, even as the number of new cases continues to surge in the country.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
2 hours ago - Health

How to help save 130,000 lives

People wear face masks outside Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

Nearly 130,000 fewer people will die of COVID-19 this winter if 95% of Americans wear face masks in public, according to research published Friday.

Why it matters: “Increasing mask use is one of the best strategies that we have right now to delay the imposition of social distancing mandates," Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington told the N.Y. Times.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow