Nov 14, 2017

UCLA players flying home from China after Trump talked to Xi

UCLA freshmen Jalen Hill (left), Cody Riley (center) and LiAngelo Ball were allegedly involved in a shoplifting incident in China. Photo: AP

Three UCLA basketball players, who were arrested in China on suspicion of shoplifting last week, are headed back home today, hours after President Trump said he asked Chinese President Xi to help their case, per Reuters.

Staff for Delta Airlines confirmed that the players had boarded a flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles.

What Trump told Xi over dinner in Beijing, per a pool report: "What they did was unfortunate. When I heard about [what happened] two days ago, I had a great conversation with President Xi... He was terrific, and they're working on it right now."

Go deeper

Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 1,083,084 — Total deaths: 58,243 — Total recoveries: 225,422 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 266,671 — Total deaths: 6,921 — Total recoveries: 9,445 — Map.
2020 latest: Wisconsin governor calls for last-minute primary election delay.
Oil latest: The amount of gasoline American drivers are consuming dropped to levels not seen in more than 25 years, government data shows.
Business updates: America's small business bailout is off to a bad start.
U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt: Senators call for independent investigation into firing of Navy captain.
What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Keep ReadingUpdated 2 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Alayna Treene, Courtenay Brown, Dan Primack

America's small business bailout is off to a bad start

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Websites have crashed, phones are jammed and confusion reigns as businesses rushed at today's kickoff to get their chunk of the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program.

Why it matters: This is a race to save jobs in the present and the future, and to ensure that as many workers as possible keep their benefits and paychecks during the coronavirus lockdown.

Go deeper32 mins ago - Health

Amy Harder

Coronavirus fuels historic drop in gasoline demand

Reproduced from EIA; Chart: Axios Visuals

The amount of gasoline American drivers are consuming dropped to levels not seen in more than 25 years, government data shows.

Driving the news: When most of us are staying home and not driving, this is one of the most predictable—but nonetheless still staggering—upshots of the unfolding coronavirus crisis.

Go deeper2 hours ago - Energy & Environment