Feb 5, 2019

Justin Fairfax's accuser hires firm that repped Christine Blasey Ford

Marisa Fernandez

Photo: Logan Cyrus/AFP/Getty Images

The California woman who accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of a 2004 sexual assault has hired the same D.C.-based law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford for her sexual assault claims against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, NPR reports.

What's new: According to a source close to the legal team, NPR says the woman is "consulting with her attorneys about next steps." Fairfax has denied the allegation, which first appeared on right-leaning blog Big League Politics and was later acknowledged in a report from The Washington Post, amid the uproar over the racist photo on Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page.

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Axios

Coronavirus spreads to more countries, and South Korea ups its case count

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread to more nations, and the U.S. reports a doubling of its confirmed cases to 34 — while noting those are mostly due to repatriated citizens, emphasizing there's no "community spread" yet in the U.S. South Korea's confirmed cases jumped from 204 on Friday to 433 on Saturday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 2,362 people and infected more than 77,000 others, mostly in mainland China. New countries to announce infections recently include Israel, Lebanon and Iran.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 6 mins ago - Health
Orion Rummler

Centrist Democrats beseech 2020 candidates: "Stand up to Bernie" or Trump wins

Bernie Sanders rallies in Las Vegas, Nevada on Feb. 21. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Center-left think tank Third Way urgently called on the Democratic front-runners of the 2020 presidential election to challenge Sen. Bernie Sanders on the South Carolina debate stage on Feb. 25, in a memo provided to Axios' Mike Allen on Saturday.

What they're saying: "At the Las Vegas debate ... you declined to really challenge Senator Sanders. If you repeat this strategy at the South Carolina debate this week, you could hand the nomination to Sanders, likely dooming the Democratic Party — and the nation — to Trump and sweeping down-ballot Republican victories in November."

Go deeperArrow55 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Axios

Situational awareness

Warren Buffett. Photo: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage

Catch up on today's biggest news:

  1. Warren Buffett releases annual letter, reassures investors about future of Berkshire Hathaway
  2. Greyhound bars immigration sweeps
  3. U.S. military officially stops offensive operations in Afghanistan
  4. America's future looks a lot like Nevada
  5. Centrist Democrats beseech 2020 candidates: "Stand up to Bernie" or Trump wins
Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy