Oct 9, 2019

Simone Biles leads U.S. women's gymnastics to world title amid turmoil

Kendall Baker, author of Sports

Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

The U.S. women's gymnastics team, led by superstar Simone Biles, won its 5th straight world title yesterday at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

By the numbers: Biles' 15th career gold medal brings her total medal count to 21, moving her past Russia's Svetlana Khorkina for the most by a woman and inching her closer to Vitaly Scherbo's record for both men and women (23).

Podium:

  1. 🥇 USA (172.330 points)
  2. 🥈 Russia (-5.801)
  3. 🥉 Italy (-7.534)

The backdrop: "The U.S. women are here representing a federation on its fourth national team coordinator and fourth CEO in four years, as it continues to wrestle with its own handling of [Larry] Nassar," writes WSJ's Louise Radnofsky (subscription).

  • "USA Gymnastics has been scheduled for decertification by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, a decision that has been stalled by its move to enter bankruptcy proceedings instead."
  • "It has no major sponsors, no national training base for the women's team, or the ability to make payments, including bonuses to its medalists' coaches."

Go deeper: Robot judges are coming to gymnastics

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 32,471,119 — Total deaths: 987,593 — Total recoveries: 22,374,557 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 7,032,524 — Total deaths: 203,657 — Total recoveries: 2,727,335 — Total tests: 99,483,712 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places —The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Mike Allen, author of AM
8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden pushes unity message in new TV wave

A fresh Joe Biden ad, "New Start," signals an effort by his campaign to make unity a central theme, underscoring a new passage in his stump speech that says he won't be a president just for Democrats but for all Americans.

What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow