May 18, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Trump taps acting secretary Robert Wilkie to lead Veterans Affairs

Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Images

President Trump announced Friday that he will be nominating Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to officially lead the agency.

Timing: The announcement comes nearly one month after Dr. Ronny Jackson announced he was withdrawing his nomination following allegations of alcohol abuse and overprescription of medication.

The curveball: Trump said Acting VA Sec. Wilkie did not know about his announcement and that he was sorry to ruin the surprise.

The VA's latest: The VA just awarded a $10 billion contract to Cerner to upgrade the VA's electronic health records system, Axios' Bob Herman reports.

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Axios
Updated 13 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 21,295,429 — Total deaths: 767,714— Total recoveries: 13,295,750 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,345,610 — Total deaths: 169,146 — Total recoveries: 1,796,326 — Total tests: 65,676,624 — Map.
  3. Health: The coronavirus-connected heart ailment that could lead to sudden death in athletes — Patients grow more open with their health data during pandemic — FDA issues emergency use authorization for Yale's saliva coronavirus test.
  4. Education: "Historic" laptop demand leads to shortages ahead of remote school — Why learning pods aren't a panacea for remote learning — The COVID-19 learning cliff.
  5. States: New York to reopen gyms, bowling alleys, museums.
  6. Podcasts: The rise of learning pods — Special ed under pressure — Not enough laptops — The loss of learning.
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Kim Hart, Alison Snyder
33 mins ago - Politics & Policy

The COVID-19 learning cliff

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Perhaps the most jarring reality of the COVID-19 pandemic for families has been the sudden and dramatic disruption to all levels of education, which is expected to have deep social and economic repercussions for years — if not decades — to come.

Why it matters: As millions of students are about to start the school year virtually, at least in part, experts fear students may fall off an educational cliff — missing key academic milestones, falling behind grade level and in some cases dropping out of the educational system altogether.

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Mike Allen
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Postal slowdown threatens election breakdown

In 24 hours, signs of a pre-election postal slowdown have moved from the shadows to the spotlight, with evidence emerging all over the country that this isn't a just a potential threat, but is happening before our eyes.

Why it matters: If you're the Trump administration, and you're in charge of the federal government, remember that a Pew poll published in April found the Postal Service was viewed favorably by 91% of Americans.

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