Sep 29, 2017

Trump on Puerto Rico: "We're literally starting from scratch"

President Trump began his tax speech today by addressing the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. He vowed to stand by the people until they are safe, and acknowledged that the both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have been "wiped out" and rebuilding must start from scratch.

Other key quotes:

"We've never seen a situation like this. The electrical grid and other infrastructure were already in poor shape they were at their life's end prior to the hurricane. And now virtually everything has been wiped out and we will have to start all over again."
"Ultimately the government of Puerto Rico will have to work with us to determine how this massive rebuilding effort will end up being one of the biggest ever will be funded and organized."
"We will not rest until the people of Puerto Rico are safe. These are great people."

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Axios

Coronavirus cases rise, as more Americans on cruise confirmed ill

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

A U.S. public health official confirms more than 40 Americans on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan have coronavirus, while the remaining U.S. citizens without symptoms are being evacuated.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,770 people and infected almost 70,000 others. Most cases and all but five of the deaths have occurred in mainland China. Taiwan confirmed its first death on Sunday, per multiple reports, in a 61-year-old man with underlying health conditions. Health officials were investigating how he became ill.

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Sara Fischer, Jonathan Swan

Scoop: Inside the Trump campaign's big hedge on Facebook

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Trump campaign has invested most of its advertising budget to date on Facebook, testing thousands of versions of ads per day to maximize its spending.

But behind the scenes, a source familiar with the campaign tells Axios, the thinking has shifted: "As everyone can see, we still have strong spending on Facebook, but the percentage of our total media budget [on Facebook] is shrinking."

Go deeper4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Alayna Treene

Trump's revenge tour has the House in its sights

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Contributor

In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections — buoyed by Republican control of both chambers — President Trump viewed campaigning for the House as a lower-tier priority and instead poured his energy into rallying for the Senate.

But after the GOP reckoning in 2018, and experiencing firsthand how damaging a Democratic-led House has been to him, Trump is now personally invested in helping Republicans regain the majority in November, several people familiar with his thinking tell Axios.

Go deeper4 hours ago - Politics & Policy