Mar 15, 2018 - World

Trump: Reports of staff shakeup are "very exaggerated and false"

Photo: AFP / Getty Images

President Trump batted away recent reports of a Cabinet shakeup during a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office this morning, calling the rumors "very exaggerated and false." But then he kept the confusion alive, adding:

"There will always be change. And I think you want to see change. I want to also see different ideas."

The bottom line: As Axios' Jonathan Swan reported earlier today, no one in Trumpworld knows what the president will do next.

More from Trump:

Was Vladimir Putin behind the nerve agent attack in the U.K.? Trump issued his strongest denouncement yet: "It looks like it ... It certainly looks like the Russians were behind it. Something that should never ever happen, and we're taking it very seriously."
A nod to the Taoiseach: "A tremendous number of Irish are living in New York, where I grew up and they’re living in the United States. And these are truly wonderful people. We love ‘em.”

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Axios

Updated 29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. ET: 31,175,205 — Total deaths: 962,076— Total recoveries: 21,294,229 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. ET: 6,829,956 — Total deaths: 199,690 — Total recoveries: 2,590,695 — Total tests: 95,121,596 — Map.
Health: CDC says it mistakenly published guidance about COVID-19 spreading through air.
Media: Conservative blogger who spread COVID-19 misinformation worked for Fauci's agency.
Politics: House Democrats file legislation to fund government through Dec. 11.
World: "The Wake-Up Call" warns the West about the consequences of mishandling a pandemic.

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Axios

53 mins ago - Politics & Policy

McConnell: Senate has "more than sufficient time" to process Supreme Court nomination

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a floor speech Monday that the chamber has "more than sufficient time" to confirm a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the election, and accused Democrats of preparing "an even more appalling sequel" to the fight over Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said "nothing is off the table next year" if Republicans push ahead with the confirmation vote before November, vowing alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to use "every procedural tool available to us to ensure that we buy ourselves the time necessary."

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Alayna Treene

3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

House Democrats file legislation to fund government through Dec. 11

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Democrats on Monday released their proposal for short-term legislation to fund the government through December 11.

Why it matters: This is Congress' chief legislative focus before the election. They must pass a continuing resolution (CR) before midnight on Oct. 1 to avoid a government shutdown — something both Hill leaders and the White House have claimed is off the table.