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| Three Democratic primaries due but Ohio cancelled amid coronavirus crisis - live updates | Three Democratic primaries due but Ohio cancelled amid coronavirus crisis - live updates |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Florida, Illinois, Arizona go to polls against backdrop of emergency measures and disruption that have cancelled Ohio primary | Florida, Illinois, Arizona go to polls against backdrop of emergency measures and disruption that have cancelled Ohio primary |
| Hello all, Joanna Walters here, taking over the US politics live blog in New York, from my colleagues in London. Voting is underway (with some glitches) in today’s primaries in Florida, Arizona and Illinois, with Ohio postponed. | |
| But the breaking news emerging is that there are pretty reliable reports that the Trump administration is seeking agreement from the US Congress for a whopping $850 billion stimulus package to boost the economy amid the coronavirus crisis. | |
| Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin plans to outline details to the US Senate later today. Media outlets including the Reuters news agency and the Washington Post are reporting the news, citing unnamed officials. | |
| I linked earlier to a piece in the Washington Examiner looking at what the coronavirus impact felt like on the ground in East Liverpool, a small Ohio city that won’t be voting in their postponed primary today. | |
| Jennifer Medina yesterday in the New York Times had a contrasting view from Phoenix, Arizona, where some Democrats were making the case that voting during a pandemic is a way to feel normal. | |
| But it is definitely not going to be a normal day of voting, and as anticipated, there are already reports of issues with the Florida primary. The Associated Press states that some Florida polling places have been unable to open as workers didn’t show up because of coronavirus fears. | |
| The Palm Beach County elections department told AP many workers failed to show up in at least five locations Tuesday. The county had 800 volunteers back out helping with the elections as of Monday, with 100 new volunteers offering to take their places. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he believes the election can be run safely. | |
| What next for Bernie Sanders? If we are to assume that the polling figures showing Biden with secure leads in the three states - Florida, Illinois, Arizona - that are voting today, it becomes increasingly hard to see a path to victory for Sanders. With the coronavirus outbreak disrupting the primary season - Ohio has suspended their primary today, Louisiana and Georgia are already deferring theirs till later in the year - there may be pressure on Sanders to concede early. | |
| Holly Otterbain and David Siders have been looking at this for Politico, suggesting that Bernie may not be ready for a quick exit though: | |
| They also make the point that, potentially, with primaries pushed back until the public has seen the full impact of the coronavirus outbreak, there might be a decided shift in mindset in favour of Sanders’ policies on, say, healthcare and labor laws, by the end of the campaign. | |
| Read it here - Politico: ‘Who is going to advise him to drop out?’: Bernie may not be ready for quick exit | |
| Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Secretary of State, has been on CNN talking about the state’s decision to cancel today’s primary vote. | Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Secretary of State, has been on CNN talking about the state’s decision to cancel today’s primary vote. |
| He told them that the decision had been taken after the guidance they were receiving about whether it was safe to proceed with the election “changed dramatically on Monday morning”. LaRose said: | He told them that the decision had been taken after the guidance they were receiving about whether it was safe to proceed with the election “changed dramatically on Monday morning”. LaRose said: |
| Ohio so far has 50 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. You can watch the clip here: | Ohio so far has 50 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. You can watch the clip here: |
| My colleague Lily Kuo in Shanghai has been following up on Chinese reaction to Trump’s decision to refer to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 as “the Chinese Virus”. | My colleague Lily Kuo in Shanghai has been following up on Chinese reaction to Trump’s decision to refer to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 as “the Chinese Virus”. |
| China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Trump should take care of his own matters first. “Some US politicians have tried to stigmatise China … which China strongly condemns,” he said at a press briefing. “We urge the US to stop this despicable practice. We are very angry and strongly oppose it [the tweet].” | China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Trump should take care of his own matters first. “Some US politicians have tried to stigmatise China … which China strongly condemns,” he said at a press briefing. “We urge the US to stop this despicable practice. We are very angry and strongly oppose it [the tweet].” |
| Kuo notes that the comment comes as Beijing and Washington appeared to be locked in a game of shifting blame. Last week, outspoken official Zhao Lijian from China’s ministry of foreign affairs accused the US military of bringing the virus to Wuhan. The US summoned Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai over the comment and issued a “stern” warning to Cui. | Kuo notes that the comment comes as Beijing and Washington appeared to be locked in a game of shifting blame. Last week, outspoken official Zhao Lijian from China’s ministry of foreign affairs accused the US military of bringing the virus to Wuhan. The US summoned Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai over the comment and issued a “stern” warning to Cui. |
| An editorial by the state news agency Xinhuatoday said: “Using racist and xenophobic names to cast blame for the outbreak on other countries can only reveal politicians’ irresponsibility and incompetence.” | An editorial by the state news agency Xinhuatoday said: “Using racist and xenophobic names to cast blame for the outbreak on other countries can only reveal politicians’ irresponsibility and incompetence.” |
| Those voting machines won’t be getting used today in Ohio. Salena Zito has been on the ground in the small Ohio city of East Liverpool for the Washington Examiner, and this is what they found… | Those voting machines won’t be getting used today in Ohio. Salena Zito has been on the ground in the small Ohio city of East Liverpool for the Washington Examiner, and this is what they found… |
| Read it here - Washington Examiner: Coronavirus has this small Ohio city longing for a return to normal | Read it here - Washington Examiner: Coronavirus has this small Ohio city longing for a return to normal |
| It may be that fears around coronavirus don’t have as much of an impact on voting trends in the three states holding their primaries today as you might expect, thanks to a big take-up of early voting. As Ed Kilgore observed yesterday in New York magazine: | It may be that fears around coronavirus don’t have as much of an impact on voting trends in the three states holding their primaries today as you might expect, thanks to a big take-up of early voting. As Ed Kilgore observed yesterday in New York magazine: |
| If you are voting in person, polls start closing at 7pm ET in Florida, and close at 8pm in Illinois and 10pm in Arizona. The latest round of polls show that Biden is well ahead of Sanders in Florida (+38), Arizona (+17) and Illinois (+21). | If you are voting in person, polls start closing at 7pm ET in Florida, and close at 8pm in Illinois and 10pm in Arizona. The latest round of polls show that Biden is well ahead of Sanders in Florida (+38), Arizona (+17) and Illinois (+21). |
| President of the advocacy organization Physicians for a National Health Program Adam Gaffney has not been impressed with Trump’s handling of the crisis. He writes for us: | President of the advocacy organization Physicians for a National Health Program Adam Gaffney has not been impressed with Trump’s handling of the crisis. He writes for us: |
| Read it here - Adam Gaffney: Trump sees the coronavirus as a threat to his self-interest – not to people | Read it here - Adam Gaffney: Trump sees the coronavirus as a threat to his self-interest – not to people |
| With huge movements on the market, and an emerging set of different rules and regulations going into force across the US to combat the spread of the coronavirus, its obvious that the administration and Congress are going to have to take more action to protect the ecomony and people’s livelihoods and well-being. NPR is reporting that: | With huge movements on the market, and an emerging set of different rules and regulations going into force across the US to combat the spread of the coronavirus, its obvious that the administration and Congress are going to have to take more action to protect the ecomony and people’s livelihoods and well-being. NPR is reporting that: |
| Read it here - NPR: Congress weighs new, massive wave of emergency funding to address coronavirus | Read it here - NPR: Congress weighs new, massive wave of emergency funding to address coronavirus |
| It was an unprecedented move to cancel the Ohio primaries at the 11th hour due to the coronavirus outbreak. | It was an unprecedented move to cancel the Ohio primaries at the 11th hour due to the coronavirus outbreak. |
| Republican Governor Mike DeWine failed to get a judge to halt the primary Monday evening, even though he contended the election results wouldn’t be viewed as legitimate in light of the pandemic. | Republican Governor Mike DeWine failed to get a judge to halt the primary Monday evening, even though he contended the election results wouldn’t be viewed as legitimate in light of the pandemic. |
| “To conduct an election tomorrow would would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at a unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus,” he said. | “To conduct an election tomorrow would would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at a unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus,” he said. |
| Ohio Judge Richard Frye ruled against a lawsuit by voters who were seeking a delay in the primary until 2 June , in the hope that the outbreak has subsided by then. The judge said it would set a “terrible precedent”. | Ohio Judge Richard Frye ruled against a lawsuit by voters who were seeking a delay in the primary until 2 June , in the hope that the outbreak has subsided by then. The judge said it would set a “terrible precedent”. |
| Health Director Amy Acton then declared a health emergency in Ohio that would prevent the polls from opening out of fear of exposing voters and volunteer poll workers, many of them elderly, to the virus. | Health Director Amy Acton then declared a health emergency in Ohio that would prevent the polls from opening out of fear of exposing voters and volunteer poll workers, many of them elderly, to the virus. |
| Officials in Arizona, Florida and Illinois still feel they have done enough to ensure the safety of voters, though concerns are mounting that there will not be enough poll workers in some precincts, and voters will be confused after polling places in nursing homes were moved to other locations. | Officials in Arizona, Florida and Illinois still feel they have done enough to ensure the safety of voters, though concerns are mounting that there will not be enough poll workers in some precincts, and voters will be confused after polling places in nursing homes were moved to other locations. |
| “Democrats now must to find a way to complete this primary given the uncertainty of when each state is going to vote and whether we’re even going to be able to have a convention in July.” | “Democrats now must to find a way to complete this primary given the uncertainty of when each state is going to vote and whether we’re even going to be able to have a convention in July.” |
| That was veteran Democratic consultant Simon Rosenberg yesterday reflecting the reality that the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak in the US is now so severe that there’s a real possibility that Democrats will have to rearrange their whole plan for nominating a challenger to Donald Trump. | That was veteran Democratic consultant Simon Rosenberg yesterday reflecting the reality that the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak in the US is now so severe that there’s a real possibility that Democrats will have to rearrange their whole plan for nominating a challenger to Donald Trump. |
| So, good morning - it should be a day where four states are voting, and Joe Biden would in all likelihood have been able to distance himself further from Bernie Sanders in the race. | So, good morning - it should be a day where four states are voting, and Joe Biden would in all likelihood have been able to distance himself further from Bernie Sanders in the race. |
| Instead, in-person voting in Ohio is cancelled, and it is unclear what the impact on voter turn-out is going to be in Florida, Illinois and Arizona. | Instead, in-person voting in Ohio is cancelled, and it is unclear what the impact on voter turn-out is going to be in Florida, Illinois and Arizona. |
| Advance polling suggests Biden will do well, but how many people will fancy standing in a long line to vote when you can see that other states like California have told people to “shelter in place”? | Advance polling suggests Biden will do well, but how many people will fancy standing in a long line to vote when you can see that other states like California have told people to “shelter in place”? |
| The coronavirus is going to dominate the president’s day too. He caused controversy yesterday by referring to it as the “Chinese” virus. It was a bleak day for business and the markets yesterday, and Trump has got White House meetings and calls scheduled today with restaurant executives, tourism industry executives and representatives of supply retailers and wholesalers. There’s also due to be a press briefing by members of the Coronavirus Task Force this morning. | The coronavirus is going to dominate the president’s day too. He caused controversy yesterday by referring to it as the “Chinese” virus. It was a bleak day for business and the markets yesterday, and Trump has got White House meetings and calls scheduled today with restaurant executives, tourism industry executives and representatives of supply retailers and wholesalers. There’s also due to be a press briefing by members of the Coronavirus Task Force this morning. |
| We’ll be bring you coverage of the day’s politics as they unfold here - we’ve also got global rolling coverage of the coronavirus crisis with my colleague Ben Quinn over here. | We’ll be bring you coverage of the day’s politics as they unfold here - we’ve also got global rolling coverage of the coronavirus crisis with my colleague Ben Quinn over here. |
| Still, at least the penguins given the run of Chicago Zoo while it remains closed are happy… | Still, at least the penguins given the run of Chicago Zoo while it remains closed are happy… |