Oct 30, 2018 - World

Justice Department indicts Chinese hackers for economic espionage

A view of the Chinese National Flag. Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Department of Justice announced indictments of 10 Chinese agents and conspirators for stealing intellectual property and business secrets in aerospace and other high tech industries.

Why it matters: The Chinese government has been believed to commit economic espionage for years — an allegation it denies. If what U.S. lawmakers, law enforcement officials, intelligence agents and private security firms believe is true, this is a multibillion dollar scheme illicitly converting U.S. firms' research and development into Chinese companies' profits.

The 10 indicted by the DOJ are headlined by two members of the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security, a regional arm of the Ministry of State Security.

  • They are accused of hacking 13 companies internationally, ranging from Massachusetts to Australia to France.

Go deeper

Jacob Knutson
7 mins ago - Technology

Misinformation thrives on social media ahead of presidential debate

Joe Biden speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sept. 27. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

A baseless conspiracy theory that Joe Biden would wear an electronic device in his ear during the first presidential debate on Tuesday went viral on social media hours before the event.

Why it matters: The conspiracy originated on social media before appearing in a text message sent by President Trump’s re-election campaign to supporters. It was then regurgitated by media outlets like Fox News and New York Post, who cited the Trump campaign, throughout the day, according to NBC News.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
38 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Appeals court upholds six-day extension for counting Wisconsin ballots

Photo: Derek R. Henkle/AFP via Getty Images

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that extended the deadline for counting mail-in ballots in Wisconsin until Nov. 9 as long as they are postmarked by the Nov. 3 election, AP reports.

Why it matters: It's a big win for Democrats that also means that the winner of Wisconsin, a key presidential swing state, may not be known for six days after the election. Republicans are likely to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, as the Pennsylvania GOP did after a similar ruling on Monday.

Go deeper: How the Supreme Court could decide the election

Axios
Updated 42 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 33,489,205 — Total deaths: 1,004,278 — Total recoveries: 23,243,613 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m ET: 7,183,367 — Total deaths: 205,883 — Total recoveries: 2,794,608 — Total tests: 102,342,416 — Map.
  3. Health: Americans won't take Trump's word on the vaccine, Axios-Ipsos poll finds.
  4. States: NYC's coronavirus positivity rate spikes to highest since June.
  5. Sports: Tennessee Titans close facility amid NFL's first coronavirus outbreak.
  6. World: U.K. beats previous record for new coronavirus cases.
  7. Work: United States of burnout — Asian American unemployment spikes amid pandemic
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow