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Biden boosted by endorsement from influential South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn – live Biden boosted by endorsement from influential South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn – live
(32 minutes later)
Clyburn gives Biden a crucial boost ahead of state’s Democratic primary while the Boston Globe endorses Elizabeth WarrenClyburn gives Biden a crucial boost ahead of state’s Democratic primary while the Boston Globe endorses Elizabeth Warren
Bernie Sanders is “taking aim” at Amy Klobuchar’s home state of Minnesota, according to Associated Press.
Sanders’ campaign announced earlier that he will hold a rally on Monday in St. Paul, the day before Minnesotan Democrats go to the polls in the “Super Tuesday” extravaganza.
“It comes after Sanders already announced rallies Friday night and Saturday in Elizabeth Warren’s home state of Massachusetts,” AP reports.
Klobuchar is averaging 5.4% in national polls, but seems unlikely to drop out before Tuesday’s vote.A total of 14 states, plus American Samoa, vote on Tuesday, coughing up 1,357 delegates. Candidates need 1,991 delegates to win the nomination.
Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has filed a libel lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing the newspaper of intentionally publishing a false article related to the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit was being filed in the New York State Supreme Court, the state’s trial-level court, on Tuesday.
The lawsuit relates to an opinion piece in the New York Times, published in March 2019.
The statements Trump’s campaign alleges are false are, according to a Trump attorney: “That Trump had an ‘overarching deal’ with ‘Vladimir Putin’s oligarchy’ to ‘help the campaign against Hillary Clinton’ in exchange for ‘a new pro-Russian foreign policy, starting with relief from ... economic sanctions’”.
In 2016 USA Today found that Trump had been involved in 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades.
There are now 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US, health secretary Alex Azar said this afternoon.There are now 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US, health secretary Alex Azar said this afternoon.
“As of this morning, we still had only 14 cases of the novel coronavirus detected in the United States involved travel to or close contacts with travelers. Coming into this hearing, I was informed that we have a 15th confirmed case, the epidemiology of which we are still discerning,” Azar said.“As of this morning, we still had only 14 cases of the novel coronavirus detected in the United States involved travel to or close contacts with travelers. Coming into this hearing, I was informed that we have a 15th confirmed case, the epidemiology of which we are still discerning,” Azar said.
Three Americans repatriated from Wuhan had already been diagnosed with the coronavirus, along with 42 people evacuees from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, bringing the total to 60.Three Americans repatriated from Wuhan had already been diagnosed with the coronavirus, along with 42 people evacuees from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, bringing the total to 60.
Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign is deploying musician John Legend to South Carolina, as the Massachusetts senator seeks to shore up support among black voters here.Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign is deploying musician John Legend to South Carolina, as the Massachusetts senator seeks to shore up support among black voters here.
Legend, in his introductory remarks for Warren today, used some of the same anti-corporate largesse arguments as his chosen candidate.Legend, in his introductory remarks for Warren today, used some of the same anti-corporate largesse arguments as his chosen candidate.
Speaking in front of a largely black audience at South Carolina State University, a Historically black college and university, Legend pointed out that Warren “supports creating a commission on reparations.”Speaking in front of a largely black audience at South Carolina State University, a Historically black college and university, Legend pointed out that Warren “supports creating a commission on reparations.”
He also knocked former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Warren’s favorite punching bag of late, over the billionaire’s past positions and comments on housing.He also knocked former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Warren’s favorite punching bag of late, over the billionaire’s past positions and comments on housing.
“Unlike Mayor Bloomberg, she knows that housing discrimination through redlining has been a national tragedy,” Legend said.“Unlike Mayor Bloomberg, she knows that housing discrimination through redlining has been a national tragedy,” Legend said.
Much of Legend’s speech was tailor-made to appeal to the audience. He said Warren “knows that racism has been codified in our criminal justice system” and that the country needs “progressive criminal justice reform”.Much of Legend’s speech was tailor-made to appeal to the audience. He said Warren “knows that racism has been codified in our criminal justice system” and that the country needs “progressive criminal justice reform”.
Warren, during her remarks, didn’t call out Bloomberg by name but did use some of her favorite anti-billionaire lines, like when she was checking off her proposals for reducing inequality.Warren, during her remarks, didn’t call out Bloomberg by name but did use some of her favorite anti-billionaire lines, like when she was checking off her proposals for reducing inequality.
“You may have heard some billionaires don’t like this. Some of them go on TV and cry,” Warren said. “Some of them run for president,” Warren added, quipping that it isn’t so easy.“You may have heard some billionaires don’t like this. Some of them go on TV and cry,” Warren said. “Some of them run for president,” Warren added, quipping that it isn’t so easy.
Warren has struggled in the first few primary contests. In the Nevada caucuses and New Hampshire primary she placed fourth both times, failing to net any delegates.Warren has struggled in the first few primary contests. In the Nevada caucuses and New Hampshire primary she placed fourth both times, failing to net any delegates.
South Carolina is a more conservative state than some of the earlier contests, and recent polls have shown Warren trailing her rivals here. A recent Eastern Carolina university survey found Warren trailing former vice-president Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and billionaire Tom Steyer.South Carolina is a more conservative state than some of the earlier contests, and recent polls have shown Warren trailing her rivals here. A recent Eastern Carolina university survey found Warren trailing former vice-president Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and billionaire Tom Steyer.
Warren usually offers a selfie line at her events. At this event, Legend performed instead.Warren usually offers a selfie line at her events. At this event, Legend performed instead.
Trump pushing back on coronavirusTrump pushing back on coronavirus
Donald Trump pushed back today against criticism that his administration isn’t doing enough to meet the coronavirus threat, as lawmakers called for giving disease fighters much more money than the $2.5 billion the White House has requested.Donald Trump pushed back today against criticism that his administration isn’t doing enough to meet the coronavirus threat, as lawmakers called for giving disease fighters much more money than the $2.5 billion the White House has requested.
A day after he sought to minimize fears of the virus spreading widely across the U.S., Trump prepared to hold a White House press conference with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AP reports.A day after he sought to minimize fears of the virus spreading widely across the U.S., Trump prepared to hold a White House press conference with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AP reports.
Meanwhile, two new coronavirus cases have been reported in Americans who had traveled on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, health officials said Wednesday. The new cases bring the US tally to 59.Meanwhile, two new coronavirus cases have been reported in Americans who had traveled on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, health officials said Wednesday. The new cases bring the US tally to 59.
Trump tweeted Wednesday that the CDC, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and others in the administration are “doing a great job with respect to Coronavirus!” and accused some news outlets of “panicking markets.”Trump tweeted Wednesday that the CDC, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and others in the administration are “doing a great job with respect to Coronavirus!” and accused some news outlets of “panicking markets.”
The White House said Wednesday that it had faith in Azar and was not considering appointing a virus czar.The White House said Wednesday that it had faith in Azar and was not considering appointing a virus czar.
You can follow our global live blog on the coronavirus crisis here.You can follow our global live blog on the coronavirus crisis here.
Mike Bloomberg is out with a new ad accusing Trump of putting Americans’ health at risk with his handling of coronavirus.Mike Bloomberg is out with a new ad accusing Trump of putting Americans’ health at risk with his handling of coronavirus.
“Managing a crisis is what Mike Bloomberg does,” the ad’s narrator says. “In the aftermath of 9/11, he steadied and rebuilt America’s largest city, oversaw emergency response to natural disasters, upgraded hospital preparedness to manage health crises, and he’s funding cutting edge research to contain epidemics.”“Managing a crisis is what Mike Bloomberg does,” the ad’s narrator says. “In the aftermath of 9/11, he steadied and rebuilt America’s largest city, oversaw emergency response to natural disasters, upgraded hospital preparedness to manage health crises, and he’s funding cutting edge research to contain epidemics.”
Bloomberg was the first person to mention coronavirus during last night’s Democratic debate, which came after two days of steep stock market losses due to concerns about the spreading health threat.Bloomberg was the first person to mention coronavirus during last night’s Democratic debate, which came after two days of steep stock market losses due to concerns about the spreading health threat.
“The president fired the pandemic specialist in this country two years ago,” Bloomberg said last night. “There’s nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing. And he’s defunded the CDC.”“The president fired the pandemic specialist in this country two years ago,” Bloomberg said last night. “There’s nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing. And he’s defunded the CDC.”
Moderator Gayle King then tried to cut Bloomberg off to return to the topic of his efforts to ban soda in New York, prompting criticism on Twitter. The moderators eventually asked the candidates a question about coronavirus, nearly an hour and a half into the debate.Moderator Gayle King then tried to cut Bloomberg off to return to the topic of his efforts to ban soda in New York, prompting criticism on Twitter. The moderators eventually asked the candidates a question about coronavirus, nearly an hour and a half into the debate.
Things are looking up for Joe Biden, in South Carolina at least:Things are looking up for Joe Biden, in South Carolina at least:
The state votes on Saturday.The state votes on Saturday.
We haven’t heard much from Donald Trump today. This was him earlier. I have absolutely no idea where he got this from:We haven’t heard much from Donald Trump today. This was him earlier. I have absolutely no idea where he got this from:
On Tuesday an Economist poll found Trump had 11% support among black voters, and last week an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found he had 14% support.On Tuesday an Economist poll found Trump had 11% support among black voters, and last week an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found he had 14% support.
Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, told aides “good work” in 2017, after an Atlanta newspaper exposed problems in the way voters were removed from electoral rolls.Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, told aides “good work” in 2017, after an Atlanta newspaper exposed problems in the way voters were removed from electoral rolls.
“Good work, this story is so complex folks will not make it all the way through it,” Kemp, then Georgia’s secretary of state, wrote in an email. Kemp was elected governor in 2018.“Good work, this story is so complex folks will not make it all the way through it,” Kemp, then Georgia’s secretary of state, wrote in an email. Kemp was elected governor in 2018.
The email was released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which is investigating voter suppression in Georgia, Texas and Kansas.The email was released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which is investigating voter suppression in Georgia, Texas and Kansas.
The 2017 story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed the way local election officials were inaccurately removing people from the rolls.The 2017 story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed the way local election officials were inaccurately removing people from the rolls.
It featured one woman whose voter registration was challenged because her name did not show up on water utility records. The story quoted an election official in the secretary of state’s office saying it was “not appropriate” to use a water bill to begin the process of removing a voter.It featured one woman whose voter registration was challenged because her name did not show up on water utility records. The story quoted an election official in the secretary of state’s office saying it was “not appropriate” to use a water bill to begin the process of removing a voter.
David Dove, a Kemp aide, wrote back that he agreed not a lot of people would read the story.David Dove, a Kemp aide, wrote back that he agreed not a lot of people would read the story.
“I think she wrote this to appease her folks on the left, but this won’t help draw eyeballs,” he wrote.“I think she wrote this to appease her folks on the left, but this won’t help draw eyeballs,” he wrote.
Kemp has long faced scrutiny over the way his office has aggressively removed people from the voter rolls. Stacey Abrams, his opponent in the 2018 gubernatorial race, said Kemp won the race because of voter suppression.Kemp has long faced scrutiny over the way his office has aggressively removed people from the voter rolls. Stacey Abrams, his opponent in the 2018 gubernatorial race, said Kemp won the race because of voter suppression.
The committee also released some information from its probe into voter suppression accusations in Kansas and Texas. You can read the full memo here.The committee also released some information from its probe into voter suppression accusations in Kansas and Texas. You can read the full memo here.
How about this then:How about this then:
FiveThirtyEight’s forecast gives Sanders a 44% chance of winning the Democratic nomination. Party grandees (well, one) appear to be coming to terms with the concept.FiveThirtyEight’s forecast gives Sanders a 44% chance of winning the Democratic nomination. Party grandees (well, one) appear to be coming to terms with the concept.
(According to FiveThirtyEight the next most likely winner is “no one”.)(According to FiveThirtyEight the next most likely winner is “no one”.)
In head-to-head polls, pitting Democratic candidates against Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders outperforms every one of his rivals.
RealClearPolitics polling average suggests that the progressive Sanders would defeat Trump, nationally, by 4.4 points, while moderates like Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg would also triumph by 4.3% and 3.3% – which could allay fears that Sanders is too left-wing to win.
Those numbers could, however, “be a mirage”, according to a new article by Vox.
Vox surveyed 40,000 people in early 2020, asking them to choose between Trump and a Democratic candidate. The results reflected polling that shows Sanders would defeat Trump nationally.
However, according to Vox: “On closer inspection [...] this finding relies on some remarkable assumptions about youth turnout that past elections suggest are questionable.”
Vox found that if Sanders is the nominee, some independents would be driven away from the Democratic party. And yet:
Specifically, one “in six left-leaning young people who otherwise wouldn’t vote would need to turn out because Sanders was nominated”, Vox says, for Sanders to defeat Trump. Vox reckons this surge in young people voting for Sanders is unlikely.
Read the Vox piece in full here.
A bipartisan group of 70 former senators have penned a letter to the current US Senate, claiming it is “not fulfilling its constitutional duties”
The former Senators, writing in the Washington Post, include John Kerry; recently ousted Democrats Claire McCaskill and Heidi Heitkamp; and the Republicans Jeff Flake and John Warner.
They appear to suggest – the letter is quite mealy-mouthed – that the Senate, and the House, have handed over too much power to the president in recent years.
The solution to this, the former senators believe, is “the creation of a bipartisan caucus of incumbent senators who would be committed to making the Senate function as the framers of the constitution intended”.
Clyburn has represented South Carolina in the House since 1993, and currently serves as the House majority whip.
His congressional district includes predominantly African American neighborhoods in and around Charleston and Columbia, and as the third-ranking Democrat in the House, Clyburn holds huge sway in South Carolina.
Black voters made up 55% of ballots in the 2008 South Carolina primary, and 61% in 2016. Biden’s lead in the state has been narrowing, but the former vice-president will hope that with Clyburn’s backing he can finally notch his first victory.
Jim Clyburn has endorsed Joe Biden for president, a crucial boost ahead of the Democratic primary in South Carolina.
Clyburn is seen as a key backer given his support and influence among South Carolina’s African American community.
Here’s Clyburn’s statement, posted on Twitter:
Most of the Democratic frontrunners are attending a National Action Network breakfast in South Carolina this morning.
All eyes are on Jim Clyburn, the state’s influential congressman whose endorsement could be crucial as candidates hope to boost their support among African American voters.
Clyburn is expected to endorse Joe Biden... but he hasn’t done it yet, according to our man Oliver Laughland.
CNN are reporting that Senate Democrats are preparing to request $8.5 billion to combat the coronavirus. The Trump administration has only asked for $2.5 billion so far, not all of which is new funding.
There are only 57 cases of coronavirus in the US of the illness that has affected over 80,000 people globally - but officials have already said they expect it to spread further domestically. [See 13:10]
President Trump is holding a news conference about the outbreak at 6pm.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting more pressure being applied to Elizabeth Warren over her past claims of Native American heritage.
Warren has been sent an open letter from over 200 citizens of the Cherokee nation and other Native American groups, which opens:
Warren apologised for her claims back in February 2019.
The continued relevance of the issue centres around an LA Times investigation that found “more than $800 million in government contracts reserved for minorities instead went to companies set up by members of groups with dubious claims to being Cherokee and Creek Indian tribes” - claims often fuelled by commercial DNA tests.
The open letter cites the investigation, and concludes:
You can read the open letter in full here.
Struggling Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren will be buoyed somewhat by the endorsement of the Boston Globe today.
Despite a so-so performance at the debate last night in South Carolina and having been eclipsed on the progressive wing by Bernie Sanders in recent weeks, as he moved into position as the frontrunner for the nomination, the Globe reminds everyone it’s far from over and its local US Senator is the one to pick.
The publication praises the top six candidates still in the race and says each would make a way better president than Donald Trump.
But it adds:
The president has confirmed he will be giving a news conference today about the coronavirus outbreak. Along the way he couldn’t resist having a swipe at the media and the opposition.
As of Tuesday, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the number of cases in the United States has risen to 57.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, has said that “We expect we will see community spread in this country. It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”
Trump has faced criticism for the way the administration is handling the crisis, with Chuck Schumer being one of the most vocal.
Bernie Sanders was also scathing during the Democrat debate last night, saying: “In the White House today, we have a self-described ‘great genius’, and this ‘great genius’ has told us that this Coronavirus is going to end in two months. April is the magical day that this great scientist we have in the White House has determined.”
Joe Biden also criticised Trump, comparing his handling of coronavirus with the way the Obama administration tackled the threat of Ebola, and how the current president has dismantled that operation: “What we did with Ebola -- I was part of making sure that pandemic did not get to the United States, saved millions of lives. We set upthat office in the presidency on diseases that are pandemic diseases. We increased the budget of the CDC. We increased the NIH budget. And our president today - he’s wiped all that out.”
CBS have published a full transcript of last night’s debate if you want to pick over the bones of it.
There’s also an interesting - if slightly unwieldy - set of fact checks from the New York Times on some of the claims made last night by the candidates.
Perhaps most damaging of these findings are the suggestion that Bernie Sanders mischaracterised studies of the costs of his health care plan, falsely stating that they all say it will save money.
Joe Biden was also found to be ‘mostly false’ when said that the Obama administration did not know about Russian involvement in subverting American elections until the end.