Aug 31, 2018

Trump admits to explosive off-the-record comments on Canada

Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

President Trump told reporters he was not offering Canada any concessions in NAFTA negotiations but couldn't say so publicly because it would kill the deal, he confirmed in a tweet which featured an accusation that Bloomberg had "BLATANTLY VIOLATED" an agreement that the remark was off-the-record.

The backstory: The Toronto Star's Daniel Dale first reported on the comment, and the fact that Canadian negotiators had confronted their U.S. counterparts over it. It's unclear how he found out about it. Bloomberg said in a statement: "When we agree that something is off the record, we respect that."

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Dion Rabouin

Coronavirus only part of the story behind the Dow’s drop

Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

As someone has certainly told you by now, the Dow fell by more than 1,000 points yesterday, its worst day in more than two years, erasing all of 2020's gains. Most news headlines assert that the stock market's momentum was finally broken by "coronavirus fears," but that's not the full story.

What's happening: The novel coronavirus has been infecting and killing scores of people for close to a month and, depending on the day, the market has sold off or risen to record highs.

Go deeper8 mins ago - Economy & Business

David Nather

Bernie's historic Jewish fight

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Sen. Bernie Sanders would be the first Jewish presidential nominee of a major American political party — but that history-making possibility is being overshadowed by his conflicts with America's Jewish leaders and Israel's leadership.

The big picture: That's partly because we're all focusing on the implications of Democrats nominating a self-described democratic socialist. It's also because a candidate's religion no longer seems to matter as much to voters or the media, making the potential milestone of a Jewish nominee more of a non-event.

Go deeper2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Eileen Drage O'Reilly

Coronavirus "infodemic" threatens world's health institutions

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak is being matched, or even outrun, by the spread on social media of both unintentional misinformation about it and vociferous campaigns of malicious disinformation, experts tell Axios.

Why it matters: The tide of bad information is undermining trust in governments, global health organizations, nonprofits and scientists — the very institutions that many believe are needed to organize a global response to what may be turning into a pandemic.

Go deeper3 hours ago - Health