Apr 7, 2017

Trump on Xi: "We have developed a friendship"

Alex Brandon / AP

President Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping dined at Mar-a-Lago tonight with their wives and about 20 other people, including Ivanka Trump, Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner, Wilbur Ross, and Reince Priebus, per a pool report. Trump sidestepped questions about Syria and North Korea, but said of the conversations with Jinping so far:

We had a long discussion already. So far, I have gotten nothing. Absolutely nothing. But we have developed a friendship. I can see that.

One key takeaway: Kushner sat by the Chinese couple, but Bannon was at the end of the table, just days after being sidelined from the National Security Council and amid reports of a rift with the president's son-in-law.

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Ben Geman

10 mins ago - Energy & Environment

The alarm over climate financial risk gets louder because of coronavirus

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores why market regulators, companies and investors should do a better job planning for climate risks to the financial system, a pair of reports finds.

Driving the news: The International Monetary Fund said projected increases in the frequency and severity of natural disasters are a potential threat that investors probably aren't weighing enough.

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Ina Fried

12 mins ago - Technology

Facebook's first major public worker walkout

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Disgruntled Facebook employees, upset for days over the company's decision not to take down what they saw as calls for violence from President Trump, made their grievances public on Monday, with reportedly hundreds of workers staging a virtual walkout.

Why it matters: Facebook staffers have pushed back against controversial management choices in the past, but they've never before made public their dissent en masse. The protest suggests that the company — already battered by privacy scandals and political tensions — could be beginning to lose at least some of its workforce's trust.

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Dave Lawler

24 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Secret Service blocks off area surrounding White House after protests

Trump walks through an area recently cleared of protesters before arriving at St. John's Church. Photo: Brendan SmialoskiI/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Secret Service has closed the streets immediately on all four sides of the White House, with an agent telling Axios they'll remain closed "probably until the riots become peaceful, or stop."

Why it matters: Protesters near the White House were aggressively dispersed with tear gas and shields last night, before President Trump walked across Lafayette Park to St. John's Church. This decision will presumably force any protests to take place farther from the White House.

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