May 31, 2018

Trump floats clemency for Martha Stewart and Rod Blagojevich

Trump speaking to an audience after signing a bill. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Trump said he would consider pardoning Martha Stewart's insider trading conviction and commuting the political corruption sentence of ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich during a session with reporters on Air Force One.

The list: Trump already has several pardons under his belt as president, including former sheriff Joe Arpaio, Scooter Libby, Navy sailor Kristian Saucier, boxing champion Jack Johnson, and — earlier today — right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza.

What Trump said:

  • "There’s another one that I’m thinking about: Rod Blagojevich. 18 years in jail for being stupid and saying things that every other politician, you know, that many other politicians say."
  • "I don’t know him other than that he was on The Apprentice for a short period of time. ... And he’s a Democrat. He’s not my party. But I thought that he was treated unfairly."
  • "I think to a certain extent Martha Stewart was harshly and unfairly treated — and she used to be my biggest fan in the world … before I became a politician. But that’s OK, I don’t view it that way."

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Axios
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Jeff Sessions loses Alabama Senate primary runoff

Jeff Sessions. Photo: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions has lost the Republican nomination for Senate to Tommy Tuberville in Alabama in Tuesday night’s primary runoff, AP reports.

Why it matters: Sessions had been the underdog in the race against former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville, who had the backing of President Trump. Tuberville will now face off against Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) in November, who is considered to have one of the most vulnerable Democratic Senate seats in the country.

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Axios
Updated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET: 13,273,537 — Total deaths: 577,006 — Total recoveries — 7,367,106 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET: 3,424,304 — Total deaths: 136,432 — Total recoveries: 1,049,098 — Total tested: 41,764,557 — Map.
  3. Politics: Biden welcomes Trump wearing mask in public but warns "it’s not enough"
  4. Public health: Four former CDC heads say Trump's undermining of agency puts lives at risk — CDC director: U.S. could get coronavirus "under control" in 4–8 weeks if all wear masks.
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Courtenay Brown
8 hours ago - Economy & Business

Bank CEOs brace for worsening economic scenario

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. Photo: J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Wells Fargo swung to its first loss since the financial crisis — while JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup reported significantly lower profits from a year earlier — as the banks set aside billions of dollars more in the second quarter for loans that may go bad.

Why it matters: The cumulative $28 billion in loan loss provisions that banks have so far announced they’re reserving serves as a signal they’re preparing for a colossal wave of loan defaults as the economy slogs through a coronavirus-driven downturn.

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