Capitol Police officer who shot pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6 won't face charges

The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6 as she joined a pro-Trump mob ransacking the Capitol will not face criminal charges, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. Driving the news: In their investigation, federal prosecutors were unable to prove that the officer was not acting in self-defense or acting...

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Coinbase opens at $102 billion valuation on first day of public trading

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase opened trading on Wednesday at $381 per share, giving it a fully diluted market value of around $102 billion.Why it matters: This is a slight premium to the most recent private trades for Coinbase stock, and more than 50% higher than the reference price set last night by the Nasdaq.The big picture: Coinbase's public...

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U.S. intelligence expects a stormy year in the Middle East

Ongoing conflicts, economic crises and the fallout from COVID-19 will likely destabilize several countries in the Middle East in 2021 and could even put some on the brink of collapse, according to the U.S. intelligence community's annual Threat Assessment Report, released on Tuesday.Why it matters: The report is the most comprehensive assessment the...

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Officer Kim Potter to be charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death

Kim Potter, the former police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright outside Minneapolis on Sunday, was arrested and charged by Washington County Pete Orput with second-degree manslaughter on Wednesday.Why it matters: The shooting of the 20-year-old Black man in Brooklyn Center, Minn., just ten miles from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis...

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NVIDIA tops highest paying internships list

In the past year as the pandemic raged on, some of the world's most valuable companies continued to grow and compensate their workers well above national medians – interns included. Driving the news: Workplace review platform Glassdoor published its 2021 report today on the 25 highest paying U.S. internships.Tech companies once again dominated the list,...

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Biden says he will not pass war in Afghanistan to a fifth president

President Biden will say in a speech Wednesday that it's "time to end America’s longest war," as he sets out plans to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, according to prepared remarks. Driving the news: "I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats....

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Bernie Madoff, perpetrator of largest Ponzi scheme in history, dies in prison at 82

Bernie Madoff, a former investor sentenced to 150 years in prison for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history, died Wednesday at age 82, AP reports.The big picture: Madoff pleaded guilty in 2009 to a multibillion-dollar scheme that investigators said began in the 1970s and defrauded as many as 37,000 people in 136 countries — including...

4h

"We are talking to China about talking": John Kerry's long road ahead on climate

Yes, special climate envoy John Kerry's really in China and no, don't look for a huge breakthrough between the world's two largest carbon-emitting nations.Driving the news: The State Department yesterday announced Kerry's visit this week, confirming plans that began emerging Saturday.The intrigue: State's announcement went far beyond logistics. Their...

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Podcast: Coinbase president Emilie Choi on going public and mainstreaming crypto

Coinbase plans to go public on Wednesday, in a watershed moment for the cryptocurrency industry.Axios Re:Cap speaks with Coinbase president and COO Emilie Choi about how she thinks about crypto, why Coinbase eschewed a traditional IPO and if we’re ever going to use bitcoin to buy a cup of coffee.

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Hundreds of corporations sign statement in massive condemnation of voting restrictions

Hundreds of companies and executives released a letter on Wednesday condemning legislation that restricts "any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to cast a ballot," per the New York Times.Why it matters: It's the most concerted action yet by big business in opposition to GOP-sponsored bills at the state level that limit mail-in...

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