While starting a debate
focused on the coronavirus by coughing wasn’t the best move by former
Vice President Joe Biden, he employed the right strategy in his first
one-on-one matchup against Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday night, making
it about solutions versus a revolution. Biden addressed the coronavirus
crisis and every topic discussed with real answers to the existing
challenges we face today. In contrast, Sanders missed the mark by
relying on his stump speech about a revolution to change health care and
other important aspects of American society. With a very strong performance, Biden was the clear winner of the debate between the Democratic presidential candidates. SANDERS ATTACKS BIDEN RECORD AS ONE-ON-ONE DEBATE TURNS PERSONAL: ‘DON’T LAUGH, JOE’ Yes,
many headlines will focus on the commitment Biden made to select a
woman as his vice presidential running mate. He also made news by
committing to put an African-American woman on the Supreme Court if he
becomes president. But it was the stark contrast between Biden and
Sanders, and by extension with President Trump, that really mattered in
the debate. Biden’s pledges on female appointments were
meaningful historically and politically. It was also smart to make sure
there was a headline or two, in case the evening didn’t go well. But
Biden not only made news – he delivered a great performance as well.
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The
former vice president provided specifics throughout the debate –
whether it was calling for dealing with the worsening coronavirus crisis
by adding more hospital beds or deploying the military to assist the
emergency response. He showed he knew what to do about the pandemic, as
well as a range of other topics. Rarely did Sanders tackle a
problem head-on with a solution. Instead, he leaned on his well-worn
campaign rhetoric or parts of his record – especially his oft-repeated
desire to reform the health care system with “Medicare-for-all.” In
contrast, Biden did an especially good job defending the Obama
administration bailouts that saved the economy and prevented the Great
Recession from becoming a depression. He pointed out that many of the
very people who Sanders constantly claims to represent – blue-collar
workers, small-business owners, and hourly wage earners – would have
been hurt the most if Sanders had his way and thwarted the bailout. The
context of this debate was clear before it started. Biden is the
presumptive Democratic nominee with what looks like an insurmountable
delegate lead. He is expected to defeat Sanders in upcoming primaries
and clinch the party’s presidential nomination. In this first and
perhaps only one-one-one Sanders-Biden debate (if Sanders ends his
campaign early) Sanders tried to get commitments from Biden to support
his policies and move to the left. Sanders foreshadowed his strategy in remarks he made in the wake of his losses last Tuesday in a string of primaries. But
Biden preempted Sanders by announcing before the debate he supported
free public college tuition for any family with an income less than
$125,000. Looking ahead to the November election, each candidate
pledged to support and campaign for the other if his competitor becomes
the Democratic presidential nominee. Sanders likes Biden, which
will advance efforts at party unity. Biden has always treated Sanders
well from the day Sanders walked into the Senate. This also made for a much better debate and allowed viewers to focus on the stark policy differences between the two candidates. At
the end of the debate, you saw the differences between Biden and
Sanders. But you could also see the differences between Biden and Trump.
And a debate between them could be a doozy. WINNER: Joe Biden Holding
a debate focused on the coronavirus without an audience was the best
idea of the night. It allowed everyone to see how Sanders, Biden and
Trump are reacting to the pandemic. Add to this Biden’s strong, aggressive performance throughout and that made him the clear winner. From
his experience in the Obama White House and long Senate service, Biden
repeatedly offered specific details about how to tackle problems,
pointing to his previous experience doing the same and showing voters he
could get the job done. In one exchange Biden got right to the
point by focusing on “Medicare-for-all” and the coronavirus, showing
viewers that proselytizing for single-payer government health insurance
isn’t the answer. “That has nothing to do with whether or not you
have an insurance policy,” Biden said. “This is a crisis. We’re at war
with a virus. We’re at war with a virus. It has nothing to do with
co-pays or anything." Biden repeatedly stated that now isn’t the
time for a revolution because we need to solve problems immediately.
Then he pointed to the fact that Sanders still hasn’t said how much
“Medicare-for-all” would cost.
Sanders knows he won’t
be the nominee and you could see it in his debate performance. That
doesn’t mean he won’t keep trying to get Biden onboard with his
positions.
Biden really hit his stride talking about
BidenCare building on ObamaCare to tackle health care and the
coronavirus pandemic, and reminding viewers in a very personal way about
his own experience with health care crises. His first wife and daughter
died in a car accident in 1972 and his son Beau died in 2015 of brain
cancer. The former vice president noted that most people want to have hope when faced with a health crisis. Biden
put it all together on a night when our country is facing one of its
biggest challenges in the coronavirus pandemic. If he can continue to
perform during the next eight months the way he did Sunday night then
Trump will have an even bigger challenge on his hands to stay in the
White House. LOSER: Bernie Sanders With
what seems to be an insurmountable delegate hill to climb, Sanders
entered the debate looking like the loser in the nomination race. So
Sanders’ strategy in the debate was to get Biden to move to the left and
endorse Sanders’ proposals about health care, climate change,
immigration and other issues. But Sanders failed to push Biden as
far left as the senator from Vermont would have liked. In addition,
Sanders hesitancy to commit to picking a woman running mate gave us a
window into him and his campaign that wasn’t a winning look. Sanders was effective when he reminded viewers of votes Biden has taken in the past that don’t look good today. As
a senator in 1996, Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which
barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions for the
purpose of federal benefits. Also as a senator, he voted in 2002 to give
President George W. Bush the right to take military action against
Iraq, voted for the Hyde Amendment that barred the use of federal funds
to pay for abortions except to save the life of the woman or if the
pregnancy was a result of rape or incest, and voted for legislation that
made it harder to declare bankruptcy. Sanders voted against all the above measures and sought to use the old votes against Biden in their debate Sunday night. But
even that effort failed when Biden hit back by reminding everyone that
Sanders voted against the Brady Act gun control legislation five times
and voted to give gun manufacturers protection from lawsuits. Furthermore,
Sanders never answered Biden’s question about why he voted against
sanctions on Russia for interfering in our 2016 presidential election. While Sanders may have won some points in these exchanges he lost the debate. Finally,
Sanders at one point lectured Biden that Biden would be a weak
candidate against Trump because he couldn’t muster the enthusiasm of
voters. Biden punctured that argument by noting he increased turnout and
broke records in the primaries while Sanders outspent him more than
two-to-one in some contests. Sanders knows he won’t be the nominee
and you could see it in his debate performance. That doesn’t mean he
won’t keep trying to get Biden onboard with his positions. But Sanders
is unlikely to have any more luck with that in the future. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY MARY ANNE MARSH
It was the week that changed everything. Federal, state and local governments, in the past 72 hours, have taken unprecedented steps to try and slow the coronavirus’
spread, and bolster small businesses, first-responders and hospitals
that prepare for an influx of patients exhibiting serious symptoms. HOUSE CORONAVIRUS BILL TO EASILY PASS THE SENATE? DON'T BET ON IT Newt
Gingrich, the former House speaker who is spending some time in Italy,
wrote in Newsweek that the U.S. should plan for a "worst-case pandemic."
He called for a unified effort with the kind of "intensity of
implementation which served us so well in World War II." Exhausted Italian nurses have taken to social media
to give grim updates about patient care in the country's northern city
of Lombardy. Some health care workers there say hospitals can’t keep up
with the demand, and they’re running out of beds. CLICK FOR THE LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS "It's
as if you were asking what to do if an atomic bomb explodes," Dr.
Antonio Pesenti, the head of Lombardy's intensive crisis care unit, told
the Washington Post. "You declare defeat. We'll try to salvage what's
salvageable." Doctors in Italy had the grim task of issuing
guidelines on which patients have access to the dwindling supply of
ventilators. The young and those with the best chance of survival are
prioritized, the Post reported. President Trump, at a news conference on Sunday,
said the U.S. is studying how countries effectively managed the
outbreak. South Korea and China are two countries praised for their
efforts. Italy, which has a large elderly population, is considered, at
this point, to be a cautionary tale. The outbreak of COVID-19
has sickened more than 162,000 people worldwide and has left more than
6,000 dead, with thousands of new cases confirmed each day. The death
toll in the United States climbed to 68, while infections passed 3,200.
West Virginia is the only state without a confirmed case. STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN The
coronavirus, for most, causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as
fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with
existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including
pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover. Americans have
seen dramatic steps taken that affect their everyday lives, from reduced
hours at work, new concerns for an elderly relative or an urgent need
for childcare. But the country has also seen measures that affect our national identity. NBA, NHL, MLB pre-season, NCAA and PGA seasons
have been suspended. The Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial and Ellis
Island are closed to the public effective immediately. There is going to
be an emergency meeting to discuss the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The
U.S. Capitol will cease all public tours. Walt Disney World theme parks
and the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles will also close. MGM
Resorts announced Sunday that it will suspend operations on Tuesday at
famed Las Vegas casinos, including The Bellagio, MGM Grand and
Mandalay Bay. No reservations will be prior to May. Fourteen total
hotels there are set to close by Tuesday. Trump on Sunday worked
to assuage Americans who’ve seen their schools closed and grocery stores
emptied. He said these grocery stores will remain open. The National
Security Council took to Twitter late Sunday to deny rumors of a
"national quarantine." "We're doing great, it all will pass," Trump said. The
president has been pushing for calm, but the crisis has evoked the
memory of the 9/11 attacks and the financial crisis of 2008. Axios reported
that Delta Airlines' recent decision to cut its flight capacity by 40%
went further than in 2001. New York's hotel market is in its own "state
of emergency," according to Hospitality.net. John Lam, a hotel developer and CEO of the Lam Group, said "this is worse than 9/11." "During
9/11 you still had government employees and the Red Cross coming in and
staying at hotels. Now no one is coming to New York," he said. Perhaps
the most troubling aspects of the coronavirus are the uncertainties.
China said it will try to slowly get back to normal in Wuhan, the city
where medical experts believe the virus originated, but it remains to be
seen if the infection rate will increases there once again during the
transition. The virus on Sunday, for the first time, officially killed
more people outside China than within. Trump has worked to calm
the markets, but the long-lasting repercussions of the virus on business
life in the U.S. and the world is anyone’s guess. Biotech companies are
working to develop a vaccine, and the first human trials are expected later Monday in Seattle. Jason
Furman, an adviser to then-President Obama during the 2008 financial
crisis, told NBC News that the coronavirus is potentially more serious
than the financial crisis. He said timing is everything. If the virus is
gone in two months, he would not be worried. "The problem with the economic side is that if it lasts more than a few months, it then takes on its own momentum," he said.
"If you look across the United States and across other countries, the
unemployment rate can go up very quickly, but it can’t come back down
very quickly. It never has. A business whose balance sheet is in tatters
after nine months without revenues might go bankrupt, it might go out
of business, or it won't be in position to hire people back immediately
even if demand returns." The Federal Reserve, like other central
banks, slashed its benchmark interest rate to near zero and promised
to buy $700 billion in Treasury and mortgage bonds. U.S. futures for the
benchmark S&P 500 index responded by falling 5% on Sunday night, triggered a halt in trading. "Despite
whipping out the big guns," the Fed's action is "falling short of being
the decisive backstop for markets," said Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank
in a report. "Markets might have perceived the Fed's response as panic,
feeding into its own fears." CITIES TAKE ACTION The
coronavirus has prompted some of the largest cities in the country to
take swift actions to prevent an overwhelming outbreak. New York
City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced late Sunday an executive order that
"in an effort to save the lives of loved ones and our neighbors," the
city will limit bars, restaurants, cafes to delivery only. The executive
order will call for the closures of all city nightclubs, movie theaters
and concert venues. The restrictions are in line with other cities like
Washington, D.C. and the state of California. The mayor announced
earlier that the city’s public school system will also close until
April 20. The school system will use remote learning beginning on March
23. The school system has about 1.1 million students. "The notion of having a school year disrupted in this fashion, I have no words for how horrible it is," he said. Los
Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also invoked an executive order and closed
all bars, night clubs and movie theaters until March 31. Like de Blasio,
he said these restaurants can deliver food. Miami Beach and Fort
Lauderdale closed their beaches, where thousands of college spring
breakers flocked. The cities also ordered restaurants and bars closed by
10 p.m. and to keep crowds below 250. "We cannot become a petri
dish for a very dangerous virus," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said.
"Spring break is over. The party is over." The decisions of these
major cities to close these establishments follow the recommendation by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to bar all gatherings of
50 people or more for the next eight weeks. It added that, at any event,
people should take proper precautions, including handwashing and
keeping one's distance. Dr. Anthony Fauci,
the federal government's top infectious disease expert, said he would
like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed to prevent the virus's
spread. "I think Americans should be prepared that they are going
to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are
doing," said Fauci, a member of the White House task force on combating
the spread of coronavirus. He heads the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. There is no indication Trump is considering such a move. STATES TAKE ACTION Vice
President Mike Pence, who has been tapped to run the president’s
coronavirus task force, told a press conference Sunday that the federal
government is in contact communication with states and said there’s a
need for a “whole-of-America” approach to fighting the virus. “We
couldn’t be more grateful for all of the governors, particularly in
areas where we’ve had community spread, for the seamless cooperation
that’s taking place,” he said. “And we commend local health authorities
and all of those who are literally on the frontlines.” Governors
across the U.S. have also implemented executive orders that they say
help prepare their states for a coronavirus case surge. Gov.
Gavin Newsom, the California Democrat, released an executive order last
week that includes the authority for the state to take over hotels and
motels for medical use for potential coronavirus patients. Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer, the Michigan Democrat, signed an executive order on Sunday
that imposes new restrictions on price gouging. ClickonDetroit reported
that the order makes it illegal for someone to resell a product that
grossly exceeds its purchase price. Gov. Henry McMaster, the South
Carolina Republican, ordered schools and universities in the state to
be closed until at least March 31. The state is working to equip some
school buses with WiFi in remote areas of the state to accommodate
students who live there, a report said. Some
leaders took a different position on called to self-isolate and
maintain a six-foot distance from each other. Oklahoma's Republican Gov.
Kevin Stitt tweeted a picture of himself and his children at a crowded
metro restaurant Saturday night. Republican Rep. Devin Nunes had a
similar message on Fox News Sunday and encouraged people to go to local
restaurants and pubs. Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio’s director of the
state’s health department, told reporters last week that the virus is
"among us, but we can't see it yet." She said that even though
there were only five confirmed cases in the state, the more realistic
figure is likely about 100,000, since many were not tested and the
symptoms could be mild. "This is certainly an unprecedented time.
It is this one in 50 years pandemic that we have been planning for that
we talk a lot about in my over 30 years in public health," Acton said.
"We have never seen a situation exactly like this." 2020 ELECTIONS Sen. Bernie Sanders told the New York Times Sunday that it might make sense to suspend primaries during the coronavirus outbreak. SANDERS TRIES TO GO ON OFFENSIVE DURING HEATED DEBATE The
report pointed out that Louisiana and Georgia have already postponed
their primaries, but the states that vote on Tuesday—including Ohio,
Illinois, Florida and Arizona—plan to go forward. Ohio Secretary
of State Frank LaRose defended his state’s decision to proceed with the
primary elections, calling the vote a “sacred thing.” “And if we
can do so in a way that's healthy based on what the scientists are
telling us based on what the PhDs are telling us that we need to move
forward with that, to abandon that because of fear or to abandon that
because we're maybe sort of replacing the professional expert guidance
with our own would be irresponsible,” he told Fox News. Sanders said he would hope state officials listen to public health experts and avoid gatherings of 50 or more people. "I'm
thinking about some of the elderly people sitting behind the desks,
registering people, all that stuff. It does not make a lot of sense. I’m
not sure that it does," he said. Kate Bedingfield, Joe
Biden's deputy campaign manager, wouldn’t weigh in on whether or not
Tuesday’s contests should be postponed. But she stressed that “we
encourage everybody to follow the guidance of pubic health officials and
public officials in their states. We believe that we can uphold the
values of our democracy while protecting public health.” Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Containment measures are being implemented in the U.S. and throughout the globe to limit the spread of coronavirus, but only a vaccine can prevent people from getting sick from the virus. Roughly
35 companies and academic institutions are rushing to create a vaccine
and at least four have tested it on animals. Moderna, a biotech company
in Massachusetts, has already shipped the first batches of its COVID-19
vaccine to the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It
was said to be ready for human trials in April, but the first patient
will receive an experimental dose on Monday, a government official said. NEW YORK CITY CLOSING MOVIE THEATRES, ENTERTAINMENT VENUES DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
A gun store customer that gave his name only at John waits in
line, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Burbank, Calif. As consumers are buying
all kinds of goods in large quantities amid coronavirus concerns,
putting pressure on inventories.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The trials will be held at Kaiser Permanente
Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Testing will involve 45
young, healthy volunteers and it uses Moderna's mRNA-1273 vaccine. "Unlike
a normal vaccine, RNA vaccines work by introducing an mRNA sequence
(the molecule which tells cells what to build) which is coded for a
disease-specific antigen, once produced within the body, the antigen is
recognized by the immune system, preparing it to fight the real thing,"
according to the University of Cambridge. The
goal of the trial is to make sure the vaccines show no worrisome side
effects before researchers begin larger tests. Participants can't get
infected from the shots. The speed in getting to this part of the
process was assisted by scientists in China who were able to uncover the
virus's genome sequence -- called SARS-CoV-2, which they shared back in
early January. That step has allowed researchers to grow the virus and
study how it impacts the body. It was also assisted by the
knowledge that flu is generally considered the biggest pandemic risk,
according to the Guardian. Scientists have been working on "prototype"
pathogens following the SARS and MERS epidemics in previous years. “The
speed with which we have [produced these candidates] builds very much
on the investment in understanding how to develop vaccines for other
coronaviruses,” said Richard Hatchett, the CEO of a Norweigan company
that is leading efforts to finance and coordinate the development of the
COVID-19 vaccine. CORONAVIRUS VACCINE DEVELOPMENT: WHERE DOES IT STAND? Work
to help develop vaccines for those viruses was shelved after their
outbreaks were contained, but it's now being looked at again. The
Moderna vaccine was also built from earlier work on the MERS virus,
according to the paper. Still, clinical trials are a lengthy
process that will take over a year to make sure the virus is safe and
works. The patients who are being tested with the Moderna vaccine during
trials will be closely monitored for about a year. After that, the
distribution of the virus to the necessary populations will take a good
bit of time. "Getting a vaccine that’s proven to be safe and
effective in humans takes one at best about a third of the way to what’s
needed for a global immunization program,” global health
expert Jonathan Quick told the Guardian. “Virus
biology and vaccines technology could be the limiting factors, but
politics and economics are far more likely to be the barrier to
immunization.” While President Trump has vowed a vaccine will be
ready come election time in November, the World Health Organization has
estimated a vaccine will be ready in 18 months. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE Even
if initial safety tests go well, “you’re talking about a year to a year
and a half” before any vaccine could be ready for widespread use,
according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases. That still would be a
record-setting pace. But manufacturers know the wait — required because
it takes additional studies of thousands of people to tell if a vaccine
truly protects and does no harm — is hard for a frightened public. Fox News' Nick Givas and the Associated Press contributed to this report
“Do not underestimate the challenge the Senate could face passing this bill.” Those
were the words of a senior Republican source about how tough the path
may be for the Senate to align with the House of Representatives and
approve a massive coronavirus measure. There is one school of thought
that the Senate could simply take up the House bill and pass it on the
spot. But frankly, the course is much, much harder than that. US SHOULD REEVALUATE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AFTER CORONAVIRUS, REP SAYS In fact, there are some technical problems in the drafting of the coronavirus legislation that requires the House to pass the bill again – perhaps with a skeleton staff – later this week. More on that in a moment. The
House overwhelmingly okayed the emergency coronavirus package in the
wee hours of Saturday morning after more than 20 phone calls between
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. “What made it hard is that we could never get everyone in the same room,” said one source. In
other words, social distancing contributed to a problem in the drafting
of the legislation and trading of offers. Usually, the sides would lock
themselves into a room and go around the table. But not in the age of
coronavirus. That prompted dozens upon dozens of phone calls between Pelosi,
Mnuchin, other officials at Treasury, the White House, Republican
Congressional leaders, House Committees, legislative counsel, et al. You
get the idea. Don’t forget that President Woodrow Wilson fell ill
with the Spanish Flu in 1919. Wilson’s bout with the flu nearly
sidetracked the Treaty of Versailles to end World War I. In other words,
there’s precedent for pandemics shaping the curve of negotiating some
of the most important things in politics. So, the road to passage
in the Senate? Unclear – even though 140 House GOPers voted for the plan
in a witching hour vote Saturday morning and President Trump tweeted
his support for it – just hours after dismissing the legislation. Perhaps
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was prescient about the
possible problems facing the Senate with this bill. McConnell bolted
from the Capitol mid-afternoon Thursday as Pelosi and Mnuchin continued
to talk. There was no clear route to pass any coronavirus bill on
Thursday afternoon. There was no final bill. And, it took the House an
additional 34 hours to assemble the coronavirus package. But
Pelosi and Mnuchin wouldn’t have continued to bargain into the night on
Thursday and all day Friday had there not been a deal to be had. So, when the Senate finally adjourned Thursday, it locked in a procedural vote at 5:30 p.m. et Monday –related to FISA. That’s
the controversial surveillance program which expired over the weekend.
Yep. Nothing pertaining to (at that point) any possible coronavirus
bill. In fact, the Monday vote tied to FISA in the Senate is two
parliamentary steps removed from actually reauthorizing FISA. In Senate
language, this is a motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to
the FISA bill. In layman’s terms, that means the Senate must break a
filibuster (with 60 yeas) just to start debate on FISA. If 60
senators vote yes, and there’s no other agreement, and they do it by the
book, then the Senate wouldn’t formally start debate until late Tuesday
night on FISA. Another procedural vote would be required later in the
week just to wrap up all debate. Only then would the Senate be able to vote on FISA and move to the House coronavirus bill. That’s if they do it by the book. And Fox is told there are plenty of senators who want to alter the House coronavirus bill. Let’s start with the status of the FISA package. Attorney General Bill Barr came
to Capitol Hill last Monday night to negotiate a final version with
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and members of the
conservative Freedom Caucus. The sides forged a bipartisan pact with
Pelosi and other Democrats. The House approved the FISA renewal. And
then President Trump tweeted that “Many Republican Senators want me to
Veto the FISA bill until we find out what led to, and happened with, the
illegal attempted ‘coup’ of the duly elected President of the United
States and others!” But McCarthy signaled Friday night he expected Mr.
Trump to sign FISA once it got through the Senate. In other words,
if the Senate can wrap up FISA quickly, only then can the senators
advance to the coronavirus bill. But if FISA is stalled, who knows. A
top aide to McConnell e-mailed the Capitol Hill press corps after the
House finished voting in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The staffer
observed it would take the cooperation of 100 senators to start work on
the coronavirus bill – regardless of FISA. But, since the House must
still resolve problems with its own bill, McConnell suggested Sunday
night that it would wait for the House to re-approve that measure. A
senior House Democratic aide expected the House to pass the fixed
version of the bill via unanimous consent this week – that’s so long as
no one objects. An objection from any lawmaker would stall the bill in
the House and require all House members to return to Washington to vote.
You might recall an episode last spring where the House tried to
move a $19.1 billion disaster measure to help areas ravaged by
hurricanes and flooding. The House hoped to okay the plan via unanimous
consent since communities needed the funding. Yet on three different
occasions, Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and John Rose
(R-TN) all objected. That delayed the bill – forcing the House to vote
on the package about a week later. So…. One may ask who
would want to get in the way of getting the actual coronavirus bill over
to the Senate. Well, there is precedent for lawmakers blocking swift
approval of the disaster bill. Many of the 40 House Republicans who
opposed the measure Saturday morning complained they only had a few
minutes to read the coronavirus bill text. And, to this point, no one
truly knows the cost of the measure. It’s anywhere from tens of billions
of dollars to the hundreds of billions of dollars. “We don’t know the price tag because we don’t know the coronavirus model yet,” said one source. The
world has never witnessed a modern pandemic like coronavirus. So any
attempt to assign a dollar figure at this stage is potentially a fool’s
errand. Keep in mind that this coronavirus bill was supposed to be
the easy bill. One can anticipate just how complicated and onerous
other bills could be. Industry bailouts. Increases in wages. Back pay.
Amplified social programs. A recalibration of health care. Oh, and don’t
forget the looming issues with re-insurance. Say what? Here
we have a major event which upends the economy and forces the
cancellation of practically everything. As we saw after 9/11, it may be
tough for some current insurers to remain solvent because of major
payouts. Therefore, insurance firms cede the risk to another insurer. That helps mitigate some of the risk. Complicated? You bet. It’s truly unclear what path the Senate may take with the coronavirus measure this week. Or, maybe it bleeds into next week. And
that’s the issue. Some will argue Congress needs to act – and fast.
Others will protest that the bill(s) are too big. Too massive. Congress
should slow down. “This all needs to be sorted out at the usual
Tuesday lunches,” said one source, referring to the typical policy
lunches on Capitol Hill. Each Tuesday, all of the Republicans huddle in
the Mike Mansfield Room at the Capitol for lunch. The Democrats crowd
into the Lyndon B. Johnson Room. Yes. Business as usual, apparently. Senators bunching up together in the same room – over lunch, no less. “We really just need to get these guys out of the building, before everyone gets sick,” said one aide.
BARCELONA,
Spain (AP) — A new round of restrictions and border closures was
announced in Europe and beyond on Sunday as public life and travel
increasingly ground to a halt and even worship was disrupted amid
efforts to keep people apart and slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Spain
awoke to the first day of a nationwide quarantine. Austria’s
chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said his government was limiting people’s
movement nationwide, shortly after the country’s Tyrol province followed
Italy and Spain in barring people from leaving their homes except for
essential errands and work. Europe is currently the main front line of
the fight against COVID-19.
Other
than essential errands, people should go out “only alone or with the
people with whom (they) live in their apartment,” Kurz, whose country
has confirmed 800 infections, told the Austria Press Agency. Neighboring
Slovenia said it would shut down all public transport starting Monday
and planned to shut all but food shops and pharmacies.
Estonia
and Latvia said they would close their borders to foreign nationals,
except residents, from Tuesday. Turkey put aside quarantine beds for
more than 10,000 people returning from pilgrimage to Islam’s holy sites
in Saudi Arabia.
Italy,
the worst-hit European country with more than 21,000 infections and
1,400 deaths, ratcheted its nearly week-old lockdown still tighter. The
transport ministry banned passengers from taking ferries to the island
of Sardinia, and also banned overnight train trips — which many in the
worst-affected north had been taking to reach homes and families in the
south.
Spain joined Italy on lockdown after the government declared a two-week state of emergency.
In
Barcelona, people who ventured out on quiet streets to buy bread at one
bakery formed long lines with a meter (about three feet) between each
person as recommended by authorities to reduce the risk of contagion.
Police patrolled parks and told people who were not taking their dog on a
quick walk to go home.
A
police patrol car cruised Barcelona’s streets slowly a with loudspeaker
blasting a recorded message that people should respect the restrictions
on movement.
The
state of emergency “is necessary to unify our efforts so we can all go
in the same direction,” Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau said on Sunday. “If we
show solidarity and think about one another we can get through this.
Other countries have, and it is in our hands to give our best answer to
this huge challenge.”
Spain’s
government said late Saturday that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife
had tested positive for the coronavirus. Begoña Gómez and the prime
minister are in good health, the government said.
There
were tough steps in Southeast Asia too: soldiers and police sealed the
densely populated Philippine capital, Manila, from most domestic
travellers in one of the region’s most drastic containment measures. In
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, President Joko
Widodo asked all people to work, study and worship from home.
Travellers scrambling to return to the U.S. after the Trump administration imposed a wide-ranging ban on people entering from Europe faced hours-long waits for required medical screenings.
Videos
and photos posted on social media showed packed, winding lines of
returning travelers. On Twitter, airports like Dallas/Fort Worth and
Chicago O’Hare acknowledged the delays and asked for patience.
In
China, where the virus was first detected in December, those arriving
on overseas flights were routed to a converted exhibition center for
initial checks before being shuttled off to their homes or other
quarantine locations.
It
was clear, however, that the center of gravity in the crisis had
shifted toward Europe and North America. The virus has infected more
than 156,000 people worldwide and killed over 5,800. China, Italy, Iran,
South Korea and Spain are the countries with the most cases.
For
most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms,
such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people
with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness,
including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover in a matter of
weeks.
Even as
social life largely halted — the German capital, Berlin, closed bars,
cinemas and other facilities on Saturday evening, for example — some
attempts at keeping up public life persisted.
France, which has reported 4,500 cases and 91 deaths. went ahead Sunday with nationwide elections
to choose mayors and other local leaders despite a crackdown on public
gatherings. The government ordered unprecedented sanitary measures at
polling stations.
Organizers
were under orders to allow a one-meter (about three-foot) gap between
people in lines, and to provide soap or hydro-alcoholic gel and
disinfectant wipes for voting machines. Voters were told to bring their
own pens to sign the voting register.
The
state of Bavaria in neighboring Germany, which had reported nearly
3,800 cases and eight deaths nationwide as of Saturday, also went ahead
with municipal elections. Local officials said more people filed postal
ballots than five yeaars earlier, while election workers used
precautions such as protective gloves.
The
increasing restrictions weighed on Sunday worship in Spain, where
orders stipulated that a one-meter gap be kept between parishioners.
At
least one church in Madrid streamed midday Mass online. The faithful
were allowed in the main chapel to pray but given instructions to keep
apart. Holy water bowls had been emptied, and a room for confession was
prepared because ordinary confessionals would have put the priest and
the faithful too close.
At
the Vatican, Pope Francis for the second Sunday delivered his noon
remarks and spoken blessing from inside the Apostolic Library instead of
from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square. He praised people who
might risk contagion to help the poor and homeless even as fears of the
virus prompt ever more countries to restrict everyday life.
With
Easter less than a month away, the Vatican said Holy Week religious
ceremonies — usually a string of massive public occasions that draws
huge numbers of tourists and pilgrims to Rome — will go ahead, but just
how hasn’t yet been decided.
Britain,
which has taken a different approach and hasn’t yet restricted everyday
activities, said it plans to set out emergency powers this week,
including requiring elderly to self-isolate and banning mass gatherings.
“We
will do the right thing at the right time,” Health Secretary Matt
Hancock told the BBC. “We will publish the bill this week coming, we
will change the law so that we take the power to be able to close mass
gatherings if we need to.”
Other measures include potentially requiring people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months, he said.
In
the Middle East, Muslim authorities announced that Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, would be closed indefinitely due to
concerns about the outbreak, with prayers continuing to be held on the
sprawling esplanade outside.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial on serious corruption charges, which was supposed to begin this week, was postponed for two months because of restrictions on public gatherings.
The
U.S. has seen 60 deaths and more than 2,100 cases. In hard-hit
Washington state, officials said the disease is straining the supply of
protective gear available to medical providers despite shipments from
the federal government.
President Donald Trump tested negative for the new coronavirus, the president’s personal physician said Saturday.
___
Geir
Moulson reported from Berlin. Frances D’Emilio in Rome, Iain Sullivan
in Madrid, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Yanan Wang in Beijing, Andrew Taylor
in Washington, and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.
___
The
Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from
the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.
The AP is solely responsible for all content.
WASHINGTON — As the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates
return to the debate stage, their party, the stakes, and the world look
much different than in their last meeting less than three weeks ago. The fast-moving coronavirus was something of an afterthought in that debate; now the escalating crisis is likely to dominate Sunday’s contest.
Rising infections in the United States and around the world have
prompted a dramatic slowdown of global travel, upended financial
markets, and raised questions about President Donald Trump’s ability to
lead the nation through a prolonged period of uncertainty. Just two Democrats — former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
— remain to make the case that they are best-positioned to challenge
Trump in November. Five other candidates who joined them on stage in the
Feb. 25 debate in South Carolina have dropped out, with many rallying
behind Biden’s surging candidacy. For
both Biden and Sanders, the debate is a moment to display their
leadership skills in front of what could be one of the largest audiences
of the primary. They’ll aim to draw a contrast with Trump, but also
with each other, arguing that they have the right experience,
temperament and policy prescriptions to lead the nation through a
crisis. “Moments like these don’t come around often in campaigns
and this is a perfect opportunity to show millions that you have what it
takes,” said Robert Gibbs, former White House press secretary and
campaign adviser to President Barack Obama. “They must show voters they
are the answer to what is missing right now by being calm, honest, ready
to lead and empathetic.”
"This is a perfect opportunity to show millions that you have what it takes." — Robert Gibbs, former White House press secretary
The
coronavirus crisis rapidly upended plans for Sunday’s debate. First,
the Democratic National Committee announced that it would hold the
contest without a live audience. Then the debate was moved from a large
venue in Arizona, one of the states holding a primary Tuesday, to a
television studio in Washington because of concerns about cross-country
travel. One of the moderators had to withdraw because of potential
exposure to a person who tested positive for coronavirus. It is
Biden who will step on stage as the front-runner, a distinction that
seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. After disappointing showings in
the early contests, Biden roared back with a commanding victory in South
Carolina and has continued to rack up wins across the country, winning
broad and diverse coalitions of voters. Moderate Democratic leaders,
including former rivals Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, have rallied
behind his candidacy and voters have done the same. Advisers say
Biden will aim in Sunday's debate to show voters who backed Sanders or
other liberal candidates that they have a home in his campaign. In one
overture to liberals, Biden announced his support for a bankruptcy plan
championed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who ended her campaign earlier this
month and has yet to endorse. In a virtual town hall on Friday,
Biden said his support for Warren's proposal, which aims to simplify the
bankruptcy process, is "one of the things that I think Bernie and I
will agree on." Biden holds a solid lead over Sanders in the
all-important delegate race, and a strong showing in Tuesday’s primary
contests could effectively guarantee his nomination. Four big states
will be up for grabs: Illinois, Ohio, Arizona and Florida, a perennial
general election battleground where Biden appears to have an edge over
Sanders. After a strong start, the race has moved rapidly away
from Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist with a loyal
following among young voters and liberals. But he’s failed to expand his
appeal, particularly among black voters, and his calls for a sweeping
political and economic revolution have also fallen flat with suburban
voters. Sanders is facing some pressure from within the Democratic
Party to step aside and allow Biden take Trump on one-on-one. Several
Democratic groups that were waiting to endorse until after the primary
have consolidated around Biden, including super PAC Priorities USA. Sanders’
advisers say he is a realist about his current standing and the
difficulty of the path ahead. Yet the senator is pledging to grill Biden
in Sunday’s debate on his plans for tackling college debt, for his past
support of the Iraq war and for his backing of multilateral trade
agreements. “I’m going to ask Joe Biden, I mean Joe is part of the
establishment for a very long time, ‘Joe, what role have you played in
trying to make sure that we end this massive level of income and wealth
inequality where three people own more wealth than the bottom half of
America?" Sanders said Saturday during an online “fireside chat” with
supporters. Yet it’s unclear if the issues Sanders is aiming to
highlight will resonate with voters at a time when much of the nation’s
focus has shifted to the growing toll of the coronavirus and put a
spotlight on the need for presidential leadership. Schools and
businesses across the country are closed, and many hospitals and clinics
are struggling to obtain tests for the coronavirus. For Biden,
the outbreak of a global pandemic has been a moment to bolster the
central argument of his candidacy: that his eight years as vice
president give him the experience, as well as the relationships in
Washington and around the world, that are needed in the Oval Office
during turbulent times. With
campaign rallies halted because of warnings against large gatherings,
Biden delivered a speech in front of reporters and advisers on his
proposal for combating coronavirus, including guaranteeing free testing.
Sanders’ later announced his own speech, which focused largely on
advocating for his call to overhaul the nation’s health insurance system
and replace it with a Medicare for All program. After Sunday’s
debate, it’s unclear where the candidates and the campaign go from here.
Neither Biden or Sanders has announced any public rallies for next week
or given any indication of when they may be able to appear in person
for voters again. Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.
Louisiana is moving to postpone its April 4 presidential primary due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, state election officials announced Friday. The
primary – which includes mayoral races and local propositions as well
as the presidential ballot – would instead be held June 20, Louisiana
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced at a news conference in Baton
Rouge. Christina Stephens, a spokeswoman for Louisiana Democratic
Gov. John Bel Edwards, told Fox News the governor will sign an executive
order Friday moving the election to the later date. The governor is
also planning to hold a press conference in New Orleans on Friday. “The
governor and the secretary of state began this discussion of delaying
the primary several days ago out of concern for the aging population of
poll workers and a desire to prevent the spread of illness,” Stephens
said. “We are experiencing community spread of coronavirus in Louisiana
and the governor is taking decisive action to slow its progress.” Louisiana is the first state that’s holding an upcoming primary or caucus to move to delay their contest.
Christina Stephens, a spokeswoman for Louisiana Democratic Gov.
John Bel Edwards (pictured), told Fox News the governor will sign an
executive order Friday moving the election to the later date. The
governor is also planning to hold a press conference in New Orleans on
Friday. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte, File)
"Today I have certified that a state of emergency
exists and requested that the governor issue an executive order
postponing the elections this spring. We have requested postponing the
April 4 primary election until June 20 and postponing the May 9 general
election until July 25," Ardoin, the secretary of state, said. "While
hurricanes, floods and tornadoes are at the forefront of all
Louisianan's minds, the threat we face from the COV-19 virus is an
unprecedented threat and unlike any we have faced," the secretary of
state added. "Safe and secure elections also mean safety to the people of Louisiana," he emphasized. Four states hold primaries on Tuesday – Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio. Meanwhile,
Arizona's Secretary of State's office told Fox News it couldn't move
the date of their primary because it would require legislative action. That
comes as election officials in the four states are making last-minute
moves -- such as moving polling places away from locations with
heavy concentrations of high-risk people, like nursing homes. The
secretary of states of Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio put out a
joint statement emphasizing that “we are working closely with our state
health officials to ensure that our poll workers and voters can be
confident that voting is safe.” “Unlike concerts, sporting events
or other mass gatherings where large groups of people travel long
distances to congregate in a confined space for an extended period of
time, polling locations see people from a nearby community coming into
and out of the building for a short duration,” they noted. And
the secretary of states highlighted that “guidance from voting machine
manufacturers on how best to sanitize machines, guidance from CDC on
best practices for hand washing, and guidance from our respective state
health officials is being provided to every polling location.” Democratic
presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders - asked about the
postponement of Louisiana's primary - told reporters at a press
conference in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont that "elections are
the bedrock of our democracy and we don’t want to be delaying elections
on a willy nilly basis." But he stressed that "there is obviously a
growing concern about bringing people together and spreading the
virus…. I don’t think there’s anybody out there – no matter what your
political view may be – that wants to see people become infected because
they are voting." Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign put out a statement following the move by Louisiana. “Voting
is at the very heart of who we are as a democracy. As election
officials working with public health officials are demonstrating
throughout the country, our elections can be conducted safely in
consultation with public health officials,” deputy campaign manager Kate
Bedingfield said. “If voters are feeling healthy, not exhibiting
symptoms, and don’t believe they've been exposed to COVID-19, please
vote on Tuesday," Bedingfield said of the upcoming contests. "If voters
are members of an at-risk population, exhibiting symptoms, or have been
exposed to a diagnosed case of COVID-19, we encourage them to explore
absentee ballots and vote by mail options.”
Thousands of travelers returning from Europe crowded terminals at several U.S. airports Saturday night in cramped, hours-long lines amid newly implemented heightened coronavirus screening. The
massive lines came hours after the Trump administration's 30-day travel
ban on most of Europe took effect. The ban doesn’t apply to American
citizens or permanent U.S. residents. Travelers returning from
across the Atlantic were being routed to 13 U.S. airports, including
Chicago O’Hare where waits were reportedly as long as eight hours to get
through screening for the virus. Coronavirus at the airport: How can I avoid germs?
'Safety ... is first & foremost'
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf of the Department of Homeland Security called for patience in a pair of Twitter messages early Sunday. "DHS
is aware of the long lines for passengers who are undergoing increased
medical screening requirements. Right now we are working to add
additional screening capacity and working with the airlines to expedite
the process," he wrote. He said it takes about one minute for medical professionals to screen each passenger. "We will be increasing capacity but the health and safety of the American public is first & foremost," he wrote.
Mayor, governor respond
Nevertheless, Chicago's mayor and Illinois' governor, both Democrats, criticized federal agencies' handling of the situation. Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the O’Hare crowding “unacceptable.” “The
reactionary, poorly planned travel ban has left thousands of travelers
at ORD forced into even greater health risk,” she tweeted.
@realdonaldtrump and @CBP: no one has time for your incompetence. Fully
staff our airport right now, and stop putting Americans in danger.” Gov.
J.B. Pritzker said he had spoken to Lightfoot and the state’s U.S.
senators -- Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats -- to get
the government to resolve the situation. “The federal government needs to get its s@#t together. NOW,” he pointedly tweeted. The
“enhanced entry screening” includes questions about medical history,
current health and contact information for local health officials,
according to The Washington Post. O'Hare's
management thanked passengers for their patience. "Customs processing
is taking longer than usual inside the Federal Inspection Services (FIS)
facility owing to enhanced #COVID19 screening for passengers arriving
from Europe," the airport tweeted.
'So close to others'
Meanwhile,
similar conditions at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport raised worries
about the recommended social distancing measure of at least 6 feet. “Passengers
waited in line for hours at customs at @DFWAirport,” Steven Dial of FOX
4 in Dallas tweeted Saturday night. “Many concerned about being so
close to others during the #COVIDー19 outbreak. The airport saying 'CBP
officers and the CDC are following federal guidelines to conduct
enhanced screening for passengers.'” Dallas-Fort Worth airport officials also asked for patience. “Just
waiting in a very long line with thousands of people to clear Customs
at JFK T4. Not sure who's really taking things seriously,” a passenger
arriving in New York City tweeted. “Friend just returned to Dulles
from Amsterdam this evening,” another tweeted. “Crowds were the same!
Said if she got the coronavirus it was the 4 hours waiting in that line
for just a temp check and told to 'try' and quarantine for 14 days.
Outrageous!!!” President
Trump announced the 30-day European travel ban Wednesday evening during
an Oval Office address on coronavirus. The temporary ban on foreign
nationals traveling from most European countries went into effect Friday
at midnight. On Saturday, the United Kingdom and Ireland were added to
the list, effective Monday.
A gun store customer that gave his name only at John waits in
line, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Burbank, Calif. As consumers are buying
all kinds of goods in large quantities amid coronavirus concerns,
putting pressure on inventories.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Christina Stephens, a spokeswoman for Louisiana Democratic Gov.
John Bel Edwards (pictured), told Fox News the governor will sign an
executive order Friday moving the election to the later date. The
governor is also planning to hold a press conference in New Orleans on
Friday. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte, File)
