This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/feb/27/mike-pence-coronavirus-donald-trump-democrats-live-updates

The article has changed 26 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 14 Version 15
'Unity, unity, unity': Pelosi insists Democrats will support nominee amid Sanders surge – live 'Unity, unity, unity': Pelosi insists Democrats will support nominee amid Sanders surge – live
(32 minutes later)
House speaker says party will ‘wholeheartedly’ support whoever earns the nomination: ‘We know how to win. We are all unified’House speaker says party will ‘wholeheartedly’ support whoever earns the nomination: ‘We know how to win. We are all unified’
Former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh, 69, was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Thursday.
The disgraced politician pleaded guilty last year to tax evasion and conspiracy for arranging fraudulent sales of her self-published children’s book series to non-profit foundations.
From the Baltimore Sun:
She initially faced a possible 4-5 years sentence. Attorneys for the former mayor called the judge’s ruling “very fair.” And those children’s books? Rather than donating them to local schools, prosecutors and Pugh agreed to destroy all those currently in government custody.
Mike Pence breaks Reagan record for CPAC appearances
Vice President Mike Pence is making his 14th appearance at the the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor near Washington, breaking former president Ronald Reagan’s record.Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, introduced Pence by asking: “Can you imagine being to the right of Dick Cheney? Well, that’s our vice president.”Pence, put in charge of the US response to the coronavirus, said 15 cases have been detected in America so far. “While the risk to the American public remains low, as the president said yesterday, we’re ready. We’re ready for anything.”He added: “I promise you, we will continue to bring the full resources of the federal government to bear to protect the American people.”In a swipe at Democratic critics, Pence said: “This is not the time for partisanship. The American people expect us to work together.”
A new poll found Joe Biden 20 points up over Bernie Sanders in South Carolina, which will hold its primary on Saturday.A new poll found Joe Biden 20 points up over Bernie Sanders in South Carolina, which will hold its primary on Saturday.
According to Monmouth University, Biden is capturing the support of 36% of likely primary voters in the Palmetto state, compared to 16% for Sanders and 13% for Tom Steyer.According to Monmouth University, Biden is capturing the support of 36% of likely primary voters in the Palmetto state, compared to 16% for Sanders and 13% for Tom Steyer.
Biden is relying on a decisive victory in South Carolina to reinvigorate his campaign after dismal performances in Iowa and New Hampshire and a distant second-place finish in Nevada.Biden is relying on a decisive victory in South Carolina to reinvigorate his campaign after dismal performances in Iowa and New Hampshire and a distant second-place finish in Nevada.
If Biden were to secure a 20-point victory, he will likely declare himself the dominant moderate candidate in the race in the hope of mitigating Sanders’ expected Super Tuesday delegate gains.If Biden were to secure a 20-point victory, he will likely declare himself the dominant moderate candidate in the race in the hope of mitigating Sanders’ expected Super Tuesday delegate gains.
But Biden still faces the test of Mike Bloomberg’s $500 million campaign machine in Super Tuesday states, so his own path to the nomination faces numerous challenges.But Biden still faces the test of Mike Bloomberg’s $500 million campaign machine in Super Tuesday states, so his own path to the nomination faces numerous challenges.
Stop Sanders movement within party?Stop Sanders movement within party?
Here’s what one team of journalists at the NYT found:Here’s what one team of journalists at the NYT found:
Bernie Sanders rallying in North Carolina today, a Super Tuesday voting state.Bernie Sanders rallying in North Carolina today, a Super Tuesday voting state.
Nancy Pelosi as a white knight. Innnnnteresting.....Nancy Pelosi as a white knight. Innnnnteresting.....
It’s been a whirlwind of a morning as Democrats head into South Carolina primary. Black voters may be ‘Feeling the Bern’ more than many analysts thought and the Trump campaign is even taking notice. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the party will support whoever wins. More on South Carolina, including latest polls, in the afternoon. Stay tuned!It’s been a whirlwind of a morning as Democrats head into South Carolina primary. Black voters may be ‘Feeling the Bern’ more than many analysts thought and the Trump campaign is even taking notice. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the party will support whoever wins. More on South Carolina, including latest polls, in the afternoon. Stay tuned!
Poll: Americans are extremely concerned about election securityPoll: Americans are extremely concerned about election security
Steven Segal mislead the public about his cryptocurrency dealSteven Segal mislead the public about his cryptocurrency deal
The US government is creating a division for denaturalizing US citizensThe US government is creating a division for denaturalizing US citizens
Nancy Pelosi says Democrats are unified, except for superdelegatesNancy Pelosi says Democrats are unified, except for superdelegates
“Unity, unity, unity” is what US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi reiterated in a press conference today, telling reporters that Democrats are focused on winning back the White House and Senate, not infighting ahead of the 2020 US presidential race.“Unity, unity, unity” is what US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi reiterated in a press conference today, telling reporters that Democrats are focused on winning back the White House and Senate, not infighting ahead of the 2020 US presidential race.
“Contrary to what you may be hearing or writing, we are all unified,” she said. “Whoever the nominee is of our party, we’ll wholeheartedly support.”But when asked about her thoughts on the fight over superdelegates totals in winning the nomination, Pelosi remained mum.“Contrary to what you may be hearing or writing, we are all unified,” she said. “Whoever the nominee is of our party, we’ll wholeheartedly support.”But when asked about her thoughts on the fight over superdelegates totals in winning the nomination, Pelosi remained mum.
“That’s not the issue, the person who will be nominated will be the person who wins the majority-plus-one,” she said, adding that “that may happen before we even get to the convention but we’ll see.”“That’s not the issue, the person who will be nominated will be the person who wins the majority-plus-one,” she said, adding that “that may happen before we even get to the convention but we’ll see.”
Maine Newspaper rips Warren and Sanders, endorses KlobucharMaine Newspaper rips Warren and Sanders, endorses Klobuchar
The Bangor Daily News is praising pragmatism. Maine’s only independently run paper officially endorsed Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar’s bid for the White House calling her “a centrist who earns praise from Republicans.”The Bangor Daily News is praising pragmatism. Maine’s only independently run paper officially endorsed Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar’s bid for the White House calling her “a centrist who earns praise from Republicans.”
“This should be seen as a benefit, not a drawback at a time when both political parties too often move to their extremes and gridlock is a hallmark in Washington,” staff editors wrote.“This should be seen as a benefit, not a drawback at a time when both political parties too often move to their extremes and gridlock is a hallmark in Washington,” staff editors wrote.
Perhaps more notable, however, is who the paper is staunchly against. Editors excoriated fellow New Englanders, senators Bernie Sanders from Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, calling them “too liberal to gain the needed support to become reality.”Perhaps more notable, however, is who the paper is staunchly against. Editors excoriated fellow New Englanders, senators Bernie Sanders from Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, calling them “too liberal to gain the needed support to become reality.”
Klobuchar was also the only candidate who agreed to speak the paper’s editorial board. Coincidence?Klobuchar was also the only candidate who agreed to speak the paper’s editorial board. Coincidence?
The US Dept. of Justice announced it had created a division tasked with denaturalizing immigrants.The US Dept. of Justice announced it had created a division tasked with denaturalizing immigrants.
The Denaturalization Section “underscores the department’s commitment to bring justice to terrorists, war criminals, sex offenders and other fraudsters who illegally obtained naturalization” officials said in a statement.The Denaturalization Section “underscores the department’s commitment to bring justice to terrorists, war criminals, sex offenders and other fraudsters who illegally obtained naturalization” officials said in a statement.
From the Washington Post:From the Washington Post:
The Justice Dept. did not announce who would be tapped to lead the new section.The Justice Dept. did not announce who would be tapped to lead the new section.
According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, actor Steven Seagal allegedly failed to disclose a promotional agreement related to cryptocurrencies.According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, actor Steven Seagal allegedly failed to disclose a promotional agreement related to cryptocurrencies.
The SEC alleges Seagal accepted $250,000 in cash and $750,000 worth of Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G) tokens in exchange for online promotion of the currency, including “posts on his public social media accounts encouraging the public not to ‘miss out’”.The SEC alleges Seagal accepted $250,000 in cash and $750,000 worth of Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G) tokens in exchange for online promotion of the currency, including “posts on his public social media accounts encouraging the public not to ‘miss out’”.
Seagal violated the anti-touting provisions of the federal securities laws. He’ll pay a $157,000 fine.Seagal violated the anti-touting provisions of the federal securities laws. He’ll pay a $157,000 fine.
The SEC issued a warning to investors to “be wary of celebrity endorsements.”The SEC issued a warning to investors to “be wary of celebrity endorsements.”
Republicans are betting on black voters, tooRepublicans are betting on black voters, too
Democrats aren’t the only ones banking on black voters. The Trump campaign announced they’re also getting in the race to engage African Americans ahead of the 2020 presidential election. How? By opening field offices in key swing states just days before the country’s first primary featuring a majority black electorate.Democrats aren’t the only ones banking on black voters. The Trump campaign announced they’re also getting in the race to engage African Americans ahead of the 2020 presidential election. How? By opening field offices in key swing states just days before the country’s first primary featuring a majority black electorate.
From NPR:From NPR:
It’s an uphill climb though, according to Pew, black voters remaining overwhelmingly Democratic.It’s an uphill climb though, according to Pew, black voters remaining overwhelmingly Democratic.
Some polls have shown increasing black support for Trump. But his approval ratings remain historically low, winning only 8 percent of the black vote in 2016. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll found 8 out of 10 African Americans think Trump is a racist.Some polls have shown increasing black support for Trump. But his approval ratings remain historically low, winning only 8 percent of the black vote in 2016. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll found 8 out of 10 African Americans think Trump is a racist.
Nine out of 10 disapprove of his job performance.Nine out of 10 disapprove of his job performance.
Good Morning. I’m taking over for the live blog and we’re talking black voters.Good Morning. I’m taking over for the live blog and we’re talking black voters.
A new national poll indicates Bernie Sanders is leading among black voters. According to the Hill/HarrisX survey, Sanders extended his lead after Tuesday night’s debates, including a 9-point advantage among African Americans.A new national poll indicates Bernie Sanders is leading among black voters. According to the Hill/HarrisX survey, Sanders extended his lead after Tuesday night’s debates, including a 9-point advantage among African Americans.
Despite US vice president Joe Biden’s popularity among them, black voters aren’t a monolith. Last week, I spoke with African American democrats in South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s primary who insisted there’s a progressive movement in the state that is largely ignored.Despite US vice president Joe Biden’s popularity among them, black voters aren’t a monolith. Last week, I spoke with African American democrats in South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s primary who insisted there’s a progressive movement in the state that is largely ignored.
As Bill Frey of the Brookings Institute noted, black migration from the Northeast and Midwest may be a factor.As Bill Frey of the Brookings Institute noted, black migration from the Northeast and Midwest may be a factor.
One row that looks set to run between now and the South Carolina primary on Saturday is the sight of former president Barack Obama taking legal action over what he claims is a misleading TV ad from a Republican super PAC that was due to air in the state.
The lawyers letter makes this objection to the advert, saying that:
It is significant that the ad is targeting minority voters in the state, as Biden’s path to winning the primary on Saturday over Bernie Sanders relies on him capturing a significant share of the African American vote.
The Committee to Defend the President super PAC attempting to run the ads started life in 2013 as the Stop Hillary PAC. Earlier this month the same super PAC had a Facebook ad that purported to show a photo of “the Bernie bros” removed for being against Facebook’s ad policies.
The Biden campaign were tweeting last night that they were close to having raised $1 million dollars in a day.
Barack Obama is yet to openly endorse anybody in the race for the Democrat nominations, which some have found surprising, given the extent to which Joe Biden has been using his relationship with Obama and their time spent together in government. Biden himself will be at a campaign event at Conway in South Carolina from 5:30pm EST tonight.
As much as Donald Trump likes to paint it as a fake news hoax, concerns about foreign interference in US elections are not going to go away, as has been revealed by a new joint poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
They have found that Americans have widespread concerns about the security and integrity of elections, with few saying they have high confidence that votes in the 2020 presidential election will be counted accurately.
There are widespread fears about security vulnerabilities, as well as voter suppression and voter fraud. About half of Americans say they are highly concerned that the country’s voting systems might be vulnerable to hackers, and about that many also are strongly concerned about foreign governments interfering by tampering with election results or influencing American attitudes.
But, perhaps unsurprisingly concerns vary significantly by partisanship. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to express worries about the security of elections - with about 6 in 10 Democrats saying they are very or extremely concerned that voting systems might be vulnerable to hackers. Roughly two-thirds are highly concerned that foreign governments will interfere in 2020, by tampering with results or influencing what Americans think about political candidates.
By contrast, fewer than half of Republicans express significant concern about hackers, and just about a quarter are highly concerned about any form of foreign interference.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,074 adults was conducted between 13 February and 16 February, with a sample designed to be representative of the US population as a whole.
It is fair to say that opinion is divided as to whether Vice-president Mike Pence is the right man to take charge of a potential disease pandemic situation. Shannon Palus at Slate has listed Pence’s horrible history on public health initiatives.
While Donald Trump seems keen to talk down the impact of coronavirus in an attempt to quell any panic about it on Wall Street, high on Pence’s agenda today will be that the US appears to have seen its first human-to-human transmission of Covid-19 to someone who has no track record of contact with anybody who had travelled.
With the news that Japan is planning to close all schools for a month to combat the spread of the coronavirus and other countries taking drastic measures like Saudi Arabia halting pilgrimages, it is clear that the economic disruption caused by a prolonged outbreak in the US could be significant.
Vivian Ho has walked around the San Francisco’s historic Chinatown for us, to see the impact that fear is already having.
AP is reporting a diplomatic push from Russia to extend their last remaining nuclear treaty with the US.
Vladimir Leontyev, a deputy head of the Russian foreign ministry’s arms control department, said during parliamentary hearings that it’s impossible to modify the New Start treaty that expires in February 2021.
Leontyev said that the US has continued to stonewall Russian offers to extend the pact and recently refused to hold a meeting between experts to discuss legal aspects of its possible extension.The New Start, which was signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.
The treaty, which can be extended by another five years, includes a comprehensive verification regime to check compliance, including on-site inspections of each sides nuclear bases. Its expiration on 5 February next year would remove any limits on Russian and US nuclear arsenals for the first time in decades.
Much fuss has been made about Mike Bloomberg’s campaign spending power, but USA Today have just published a piece looking at his ground game in Richmond, Virginia. Their reporter was out and about with 63-year-old retiree Sean Mee, and it is an interesting look at the reaction the billionaire’s campaign is getting on the street.
Read it here - USA Today: How billionaire Michael Bloomberg is campaigning for the White House
Bernie Sanders’ comments about Cuba at the weekend during his “60 Minutes” interview have continued to provoke responses throughout the week. Here’s Aaron Hicklin on what Sanders’ words felt like for the LGBTQ movement.
United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has delivered a broadside in Geneva against Donald Trump’s policies on environment and migration, accusing the president of endangering public health and the rights of children.
The former Chilean president criticised recent moves to deregulate the US economy and weaken environmental protection standards.
“Untreated pollutants may now be poured directly into millions of miles of streams and rivers, putting ecosystems, drinking water and human health at risk. Weaker fuel emission standards for vehicles and decreased regulations on the oil and gas industries could also harm human rights”
Bachelet also criticised US migration policies that she said raised significant human rights concerns.
“Reducing the number of people trying to enter the country should not be done in disregard of asylum and migrant protections. The situation of children in detention is of particular concern,” she said.
Here’s the pick of a few things around the web to have a read of this morning.
Politico’s leading piece on the Democrat race is a closer look at the Bernie Sanders’ relationship with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
Read it here - Politico: Inside Bernie’s relationship with Chuck and Nancy
The New York Times opinion section has gone big on making the case for each of the six main challengers for the Democrat presidential nomination. They’ve devoted one essay each to Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Mike Bloomberg, Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar.
Read it here - New York Times: Choose your champion
The Hill has an interesting look at just what Donald Trump is up to with his administration’s shake up of the justice department and the intelligence community.
Read it here - The Hill: Trump shakes up Justice Department, intelligence community
AP are reporting that one of the nation’s largest labor unions is unveiling plans to invest $150 million in a nationwide campaign to help defeat president Donald Trump. The campaign will be aimed at eight key states: Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The union and its local members will pay particular attention to two key urban battlegrounds: Detroit and Milwaukee. They believe will play a defining role in the 2020 general election, and the investment will focus primarily on direct contact and online advertising targeting minority men and women who typically don’t vote.
It is the largest voter engagement and turnout operation in the history of the Service Employees International Union, which claims nearly 2 million members.
Union president Mary Kay Henry has called it “a make-or-break” moment for working people in America under Trump’s leadership.
“He’s systematically unwinding and attacking unions. Federal workers rights have been totally eviscerated under his watch,” Henry said in an interview. “We are on fire about the rules being rigged against us and needing to elect people that are going to stand with workers.”
The SEIU has yet to endorse a specific challenger for the Democrat nomination. It is one the most diverse unions in the US. Membership features those who work in health care, food service, janitorial services and state and local government workers, among others. Half its members are people of color, and more than half make less than $15 an hour.
Good morning. It’s a busier in-tray than usual for Vice-President Mike Pence after president Donald Trump put him in charge of the US response to coronavirus.
The administration has been giving mixed signals on the crisis. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have described the further community spread of Covid-19 as inevitable, even while Trump downplays the significance of the spread of the virus.
There’s evidence that for the first time there is a case in the US that involves someone with no known link to foreign travel.
Pence is also due to be speaking at the 2020 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland this morning. Ted Cruz, Kellyanne Conway and Betsy DeVos are also on the bill.
Meanwhile Trump’s lawyers are going to be busy after an escalation of the Republican president’s long-running battle with the news media. His team say they are filing a lawsuit against the New York Times. The campaign said the aim of the litigation was to “hold the news organization accountable for intentionally publishing false statements against President Trump’s campaign”.
For the Democrats we’ll find out on Saturday whether Joe Biden can get over the line in first place in South Carolina. Frequently described as one of ‘firewall’ states, its a test of his appeal to minority voters. There are fifty-four delegates up for grabs.
But the campaign already seems to have moved on to looking at the states that will vote on Super Tuesday - and in particular Texas. Mike Bloomberg has spent more than $13.5 million on television ads around Houston alone. Elizabeth Warren will be in San Antonio today with its former mayor and her former rival for the nomination, Julian Castro. She visits Houston on Saturday. Pete Buttigieg will be in Dallas on Sunday. Texas will award 228 delegates on Super Tuesday, second only to California.
And if you fancy something a little leftfield and you live in New York, you can sign up for a “Mindfulness for Mike” yoga session with the Bloomberg campaign before volunteering. It starts at 9:15.