Sep 30, 2018 - Economy & Business

U.S. Navy destroyer sails near disputed islands in South China Sea

Imagery of the Subi Reef in the South China Sea, a part of the Spratly Islands group. Photo DigitalGlobe via Getty Images.

A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed close to disputed islands in the South China Sea on Sunday, a move that is expected to further heighten U.S.-China tensions, Reuters reports.

The big picture: A U.S. official told Reuters that the destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands to counter Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the area. "[W]e have done [so] in the past and will continue to do in the future,” the official said. The decision comes just days after President Trump accused China of election interference and as trade tensions between the two nations continue to ratchet up.

Go deeper

Shawna Chen
Updated 26 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Voters in Wisconsin, Michigan urged to return absentee ballots to drop boxes

Signs for Joe Biden are seen outside a home in Coon Valle, Wisconsin, on Oct. 3. Photo by KEREM YUCEL via Getty

Wisconsin Democrats and the Democratic attorney general of Michigan are urging voters to return absentee ballots to election clerks’ offices or drop boxes, warning that the USPS may not be able to deliver ballots by the Election Day deadline.

Driving the news: The Supreme Court rejected an effort by Wisconsin Democrats and civil rights groups to extend the state's deadline for counting absentee ballots to six days after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 3. In Michigan, absentee ballots must also be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
34 mins ago - Technology

Facebook warns of "perception hacks" undermining trust in democracy

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Facebook warned Tuesday that bad actors are increasingly taking to social media to create the false perception that they’ve pulled off major hacks of electoral systems or have otherwise seriously disrupted elections.

Why it matters: "Perception hacking," as Facebook calls it, can have dire consequences on people's faith in democracy, sowing distrust, division and confusion among the voters it targets.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Orion Rummler
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Obama: Trump is "jealous of COVID's media coverage"

Former President Barack Obama launched a blistering attack on President Trump while campaigning for Joe Biden in Orlando on Tuesday, criticizing Trump for complaining about the pandemic as cases soar and joking that he's "jealous of COVID's media coverage."

Driving the news: Trump has baselessly accused the news media of only focusing on covering the coronavirus pandemic — which has killed over 226,000 Americans so far and is surging across the country once again — as a way to deter people from voting on Election Day and distract from other issues.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow