Sen. Blackburn: Biden needs to 'stand up' to China, 'protect democracy'
Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on Biden's response to China's threats against Taiwan
Health: Coronavirus cases hold steady at 65,000 per day — CDC declares racism "a serious public health threat" — WHO official: Brazil is dealing with "raging inferno" of a COVID outbreak.Vaccines: America may be close to hitting a vaccine wall — Pfizer asks FDA to expand COVID vaccine authorization to adolescents — CDC says Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply will drop 80% next week.Economy: Treasury says over 156 million stimulus payments sent out since March — More government spending expected as IMF projects 6% global GDP growth.Politics: Supreme Court ends California's coronavirus restrictions on home religious meetings.World: Iran tightens COVID restrictions amid fourth wave of pandemic.Variant tracker: Where different strains are spreading.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeCases: Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday: 135,030,071 — Total deaths: 2,920,537 — Total recoveries: 76,746,058 (no longer includes U.S. recoveries as of Dec. 15) — MapU.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday: 31,145,168 — Total deaths: 561,074 — Total tests: 405,384,077 — MapWhat should I do? Axios asked the experts:When you can be around others after contracting the coronavirusTraveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagiousMasks, lending books and self-isolatingExercise, laundry, what counts as soapPets, moving and personal healthAnswers about the virus from Axios expertsWhat to know about social distancingHow to minimize your riskOther resources: CDC on how to avoid the virusWhat to do if you get itThe right mask to wearDownload our app and follow the Coronavirus channel to get the latest news.Editor's note: Johns Hopkins University stopped reporting U.S. COVID-19 recoveries on its dashboard on Dec. 15, citing a Coronavirus Tracking Project post that explained the national data is incomplete since several states do not keep records of recovered patients. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
Dan Bongino and Steven Mosher discuss how the Biden administration has given China a pass, while criticizing Georgia
The Legendary and Warner Bros. release's robust commercial performance has been all the more notable because it comes as COVID restrictions are in place, limiting capacity in theaters, and also as the film is available on HBO Max. The film dropped 58 percent compared to its opening weekend gross of $32.2 million. Warner Bros. is releasing its entire 2021 slate on HBO Max at the same time they debut in theaters as a concession to coronavirus and a way to bolster the streaming service.
A growing number of Chinese tech start-ups are cancelling plans to list on Nasdaq-style markets at home with some eyeing Hong Kong share sales instead, as regulators tighten scrutiny of IPO applicants after the halting of Ant Group's $37 billion float. Over 100 companies have voluntarily withdrawn applications to list on Shanghai's STAR Market and Shenzhen's ChiNext since Ant's termination of its initial public offering (IPO) in November, according to Reuters review of exchange filings. The unprecedented withdrawals come against the backdrop of sharply intensified grilling of listing prospects by regulators, leading to IPO delays, outright rejection or even penalties, say bankers and company executives.
At the end of a stressful day, Sara Sidner seeks the friendly wag of a dog's tail. Each is covering one of the nation's biggest stories, the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin. Each is also a Black journalist, reporting on an issue of great racial significance and forced — as part of their jobs — to watch video of George Floyd's life ending again and again.
A plea deal for Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg would "almost certainly be very bad" for the Florida Republican, said a former federal prosecutor.
The Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 vote ruled that California's coronavirus restrictions on religious gatherings in private homes were unconstitutional, saying the state violated the First Amendment by disfavoring religious activities.Why it matters: The court has consistently ruled in favor of religious freedoms over coronavirus restrictions starting in November 2020 when it ruled against limitations imposed on New York's places of worship.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Context: California currently caps both religious and non-religious gatherings in homes to no more than three households.The majority — comprised of Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Barrett — argued that California violated the Constitution by disfavoring religious activities.The majority also said the state treated comparable secular operations, such as hair salons, retail stores and movie theaters, more favorably by allowing them to remain open.In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor argued the order was constitutional since the state treated religious and non-religious activities in private homes equally under the blanket restriction.The dissent also noted that the majority equated in-home religious meetings with incomparable secular activities.Of note: Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal members in dissent, though he did not join their opinion.Roberts said he would have left the 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals' order intact, which ruled that because the state treated both secular and non-secular home gatherings the same, the state restriction was constitutional, according to NPR.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
Rocker gifted instrument to one of his guitar heroes, Mountain's Leslie West, in the late-Eighties
The situation could complicate efforts by the U.S. to re-enter the atomic accord aimed at limiting Tehran’s program.
Guns laws have long been one of the most contentious arenas in American politics. Now President Joe Biden has entered the fray, announcing he will take his first executive actions on gun control and...
Pittsburgh's offense should be much improved in 2021.
The Dallas Mavericks will look to continue their climb up the Western Conference standings and take advantage of a rare break from the rigors of the COVID-influenced NBA schedule when they host the reeling San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening. The Mavericks have won six of their past seven games to move into the seventh spot in the West. Dallas' most recent game was a 116-101 home win over short-handed Milwaukee on Thursday that came a night after the Mavs lost at Houston.
Prosecutors hope to preserve a July trial date for Ghislaine Maxwell by defending a late-hour expansion of charges against her, saying they developed when a woman spoke after Maxwell’s arrest about her abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s. The rewritten indictment lodged against the 59-year-old British socialite on March 29 added sex trafficking charges to allegations that Maxwell recruited three teenage girls from 1994 to 1997 for then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Two days after the superseding indictment was returned in Manhattan federal court, defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim called it “shocking, unfair, and an abuse of power," saying the charges were based on evidence prosecutors had in their possession for years.
An Ukrainian serviceman walks in a trench by a sort of mannequin as he stands at his post on the frontline with Russia backed separatists near the town of Zolote, in the Lugansk region on April 8, 2021. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was travelling to the country's eastern frontline on April 8, 2021, after a surge in clashes with separatist forces and a spike in tensions with Moscow. After a lull in fighting since last July, the last few weeks have seen an outbreak of violence along the ceasefire line separating the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine with the rest of the country… prompting Moscow to start massing troops along Ukraine’s border.
MIT Sloan MBAs erupt with their anger and frustration on a Slack channel The post MIT Sloan MBAs Hit Breaking Point With Administration appeared first on Poets&Quants.
The Queen has said that the death of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, has “left a huge void in her life”. In the monarch's first reported comments on Prince Philip's death, she was also said to have described her husband’s passing as a “miracle". The Queen's words were relayed by the Duke of York, as he left a church service in Windsor. Her Majesty is understood to have taken huge comfort in the warm tributes that have flooded in from across the globe. Prince Andrew, 61, described the depth of his mother's grief as he spoke of how she had been coping in recent days. "The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person,” he said. “And she described his passing as a miracle. “She's contemplating, I think is the way that I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life, but we, the family, the ones that are closer, are rallying around to make sure that we're there to support her. “And I know that there is a huge amount of support, not just for her but but for everybody as we go through this enormous change.” Details about Prince Philip's final moments emerged on Sunday, as the Countess of Wessex told a member of the public: “It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful.”
Nothing says “home sweet home” like planters overflowing with gorgeous summer flowers. Whether you’re putting your house on the market or just want to make your entryway more welcoming, flowers add instant...
China's competition watchdog is adding staff and other resources as it ramps up efforts to crack down on anti-competitive behaviour, especially among the country's powerful companies, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Beijing's plan to bulk up the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) comes as China revamps its competition law with proposed amendments including a sharp increase in fines and expanded criteria for judging a company's control of a market. On Saturday, the watchdog slapped a record $2.75 billion fine on Alibaba after an antimonopoly probe found the e-commerce giant had abused its dominant market position for several years.
A sixth person has died following a shooting earlier this week at the hands of a former NFL player who also killed four members of a South Carolina family, local officials said Saturday. Robert Shook, 38, an air conditioning technician from Cherryville, North Carolina, has died from injuries sustained in the Wednesday shooting while he was working at the home, according to York County Coroner Sabrina Gast. Authorities say Phillip Adams killed Rock Hill physician Robert Lesslie; his wife, Barbara; two of their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie; and another air conditioning technician, James Lewis, who had been working with Shook at the Lesslie home.
Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on the Hunter Biden story, arguing that the media has 'misinformed the America people' in a wide-ranging interview on 'Sunday Morning Futures.'