Dec 14, 2018

Trump says Mulvaney will be his acting chief of staff

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is going to be "acting" White House chief of staff, President Trump announced today on Twitter. It wasn't clear immediately who would take on the role permanently. A senior administration official told reporters Russell Voight would replace Mulvaney as OMB Director.

The big picture: Since Trump’s first choice to be his chief of staff, Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers, declined to take the job, the White House has been scrambling to fill the role. Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus Mark Meadows and Chris Christie have both declined to fill the role as well.

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Axios

Updated 29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

CNN crew arrested live on air while reporting on Minneapolis protests

CNN's Omar Jimenez and his crew were arrested Friday by Minneapolis state police while reporting on the protests that followed the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in the city.

What happened: CNN anchors said Jimenez and his crew were arrested for not moving after being told to by police, though the live footage prior to their arrests clearly shows Jimenez talking calmly with police and offering to move wherever necessary.

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Alayna Treene

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

First look: Trump courts Asian American vote amid coronavirus

Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

The president's re-election campaign debuts its "Asian Americans for Trump" initiative in a virtual event tonight, courting a slice of the nation's electorate that has experienced a surge in racism and harassment since the pandemic began.

The big question: How receptive will Asian American voters be in this moment? Trump has stoked xenophobia by labeling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" and the "Wuhan virus" and equating Chinatowns in American cities to China itself.

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Eileen Drage O'Reilly

2 hours ago - Health

How the U.S. might distribute a coronavirus vaccine

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Now that there are glimmers of hope for a coronavirus vaccine, governments, NGOs and others are hashing out plans for how vaccines could be distributed once they are available — and deciding who will get them first.

Why it matters: Potential game-changer vaccines will be sought after by everyone from global powers to local providers. After securing supplies, part of America's plan is to tap into its military know-how to distribute those COVID-19 vaccines.

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