😷 Axios PM: Next COVID target

Plus: Women's hoops records | Friday, March 31, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By TikTok   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Mar 31, 2023 🙌 Happy Friday afternoon. Today's PM — edited by Dave Lawler and Kate Nocera — is 545 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     😷 1 big thing — Scoop: House's next COVID target Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios The House subcommittee probing the government's COVID response will hold a hearing two weeks from now about intelligence collected by the U.S. that could shed light on COVID's origins, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The committee plans a series of hearings that will build a narrative arc about COVID origins — including intelligence, science and use of the media, a source familiar with committee leaders' thinking tells us. Two witnesses are expected at the April 18 hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic: John Ratcliffe, who was former President Trump's last director of national intelligence. David Feith, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs under Trump. Ratcliffe and Feith are expected to be asked about a State Department Fact Sheet — issued in the final days of the Trump administration — that included declassified intelligence related to COVID origins. Between the lines: Part of the committee's investigation will focus on accusations the media downplayed the lab-leak theory. The committee also may look at Twitter's handling of skepticism of the CDC. U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the virus. None has reached a conclusion with a high degree of confidence. Many scientists say COVID most likely originated naturally. Share this story.     2. 🥊 How Trump plans to fight Protesters gather outside Trump Tower this morning. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Former President Trump plans to fight any charges against him in court, his lawyer Joe Tacopina vowed today. "He's not going to hole up in Mar-a-Lago," Tacopina said on NBC's "Today" show, adding that there's "zero" percent chance Trump will take a plea deal because "there's no crime." Why it matters: Trump and his legal team are leaning on Trump's well-worn playbook of aggressively confronting legal threats, Axios' Erin Doherty writes. James Trusty, Trump's attorney in the probe of Trump's handling of classified documents, predicted the team will file a motion to dismiss the New York charges quickly. While initially "shocked" by the indictment, Trump "put a notch on his belt and he decided we have to fight now," Tacopina said. Trump claimed yesterday that the indictment was an act of "political persecution." The former president is the subject of at least four known criminal investigations. Go deeper.     A message from TikTok Data security and privacy: your concern, our commitment     To address concerns around data security, TikTok is building tailor-made systems overseen by U.S.-based teams specifically tasked with managing all access to U.S. user data and securing the TikTok platform. Learn more about data privacy.     3. Catch me up Image credit: NOAA An expansive and severe thunderstorm outbreak is bringing the threat of "strong to violent" tornadoes and wind damage to 42 million people across at least 12 states. Go deeper. The White House won't pay to have its staff's official Twitter profiles continue to be verified, Axios' Sara Fischer scoops.     4. 🏀 Women's March Madness breaks records Caitlin Clark (middle) and her Iowa Hawkeyes teammates after defeating the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday night in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA. Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images This year's women's NCAA March Madness tournament is smashing viewership records. The women's Elite Eight round drew 2.2 million average viewers — a record for women on ESPN and 43% higher than in 2022. Overall, viewership is up 42% from last season. Iowa Hawkeyes phenom Caitlin Clark led her team to the Final Four, beating Louisville in the most-watched Elite Eight game in the history of the women's tournament. She became the first player to achieve a 40-point triple-double in an NCAA tournament game — men's or women's. What to watch: How many fans tune in to Clark and the Hawkeyes' Final Four matchup tonight against South Carolina. Share this story.     A message from TikTok Data security and privacy: your concern, our commitment     To address concerns around data security, TikTok is building tailor-made systems overseen by U.S.-based teams specifically tasked with managing all access to U.S. user data and securing the TikTok platform. Learn more about data privacy.   Are you a fan of this email format? 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