The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the APTA – Biden riding high as Sanders laments Super Tuesday

by Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver - 03/05/20 6:36 AM ET

Presented by the American Public Transportation Association

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It’s a two-man fight for the 2020 Democratic nomination as former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have their sights set on each other with less than a week until the next slate of contests on March 10.

Of the 14 states on the Super Tuesday map, Biden won 10, including four that were considered surprises (Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Maine). That momentum continued on Wednesday when he won the support of one of his last remaining rivals for the nomination: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Bloomberg announced that he is suspending his campaign after an underwhelming Super Tuesday that saw him take home only 12 delegates after spending north of $500 million in more than three months. He had been banking on Biden struggling in South Carolina, leading to a strong showing on Tuesday night for his team to consolidate the moderate lane (The Hill).

Like former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Monday, Bloomberg threw his weight behind Biden. In the process, he completely cleared the moderate lane for the former vice president, who is looking ahead to 10 state primaries and caucuses over the next two weeks.

“I’ve always believed that defeating Donald Trump starts with uniting behind the candidate with the best shot to do it, and after yesterday’s vote, it is clear that candidate is my friend and a great American, Joe Biden,” Bloomberg told supporters, adding that the path to the nomination had become “virtually impossible.”

Unsurprisingly, the momentum has led to a fundraising uptick for the former VP. His campaign announced Wednesday evening that it had raised $7.1 million in 42 hours. Sanders also announced that he had raised $5.5 million since Tuesday.

The Associated Press: Sanders refocusing his campaign after Biden’s super Tuesday.

Reid Wilson, The Hill: Delegate battle ahead likely favors Biden.

The Hill: Biden surge calms Democratic jitters.

While Biden received the boost, Sanders was left to lament his Tuesday night performance. The Vermont Independent took home the big prize of the evening — California — but admitted on Wednesday to reporters that he was “disappointed” in how he fared across the board, leading to his current deficit in the delegate count (433 to 388, as of Wednesday evening).

“Of course I’m disappointed. … I would like to win every state by a landslide. It’s not going to happen,” he said at his campaign office in Burlington, Vt., adding that his focus is on March 10 and winning the Michigan primary.

The Hill: Sanders predicts race will be “neck and neck” once California is counted.

The Washington Post: Bernie Sanders’s political movement faces a reckoning after Super Tuesday setbacks.

With Bloomberg’s exit, the attention is now on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as she reassesses her campaign following a dismal Super Tuesday, which was headlined by her third place finish back home in Massachusetts. Making matters worse, she remains under the 15 percent threshold for a share of California’s 415 delegates.

After indicating they were moving ahead to the March 10 contests on Tuesday night, Warren campaign manager Roger Lau said in a memo that while the race has been extremely volatile, the senator is “talking with our team to assess the path forward.”

“This decision is in her hands, and it’s important that she has the time and space to consider what comes next,” Lau said.

Sanders told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in an interview Wednesday night that “It’s too early” to talk about a potential Sanders-Warren ticket, but wants to sit down and discuss her potential role in a Sanders administration.

The Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Warren plots next move after disappointing Super Tuesday.

The Hill: Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema (D) endorses Biden.

The Associated Press: How winning turned Biden into a confident candidate.

Democratic nomination betting odds: Biden, -450 (bet $450 to win $100); Sanders, +400 (bet $100 to win $400); Warren, +5000.

Despite Biden’s strong Tuesday night, there was a scary moment during his celebratory campaign event as a pair of anti-dairy activists rushed the stage, forcing former second lady Jill Biden and campaign spokeswoman Symone Sanders to take on the roles of offensive linemen to keep them away from the former VP. The incident has led to renewed calls for Biden and Sanders to receive Secret Service protection in the immediate future (CNN).

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) sent a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, along with Democratic and GOP leaders in Congress, requesting they determine if any of the remaining Democratic presidential contenders warrant Secret Service protection.

“As the process for nominating the Democratic candidate for President of the United States continues to advance, Americans deserve to know that the major candidates for President are protected from all threats to their safety,” Thompson wrote (The Hill).

The New York Times: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) is poised to run for Senate, officials say.

The Hill: As Biden surges, GOP Ukraine probe moves to the forefront.

LEADING THE DAY

CORONAVIRUS: In the not-too-distant future, confirmed infections in the United States of COVID-19 will outpace the news media’s ability to report on the up-close accounts of transmission, treatment, recovery or death.

To get a sense of the human dimensions, take a few minutes to read The New York Times report describing six Americans who are recovering from COVID-19 and the resilience and fortitude their experiences have required. Experts believe many of us will soon know friends and relatives who have the virus. And the majority will recover.

On Wednesday, members of President Trump’s coronavirus task force warned Americans that the available case data drawn from China, South Korea and Italy corroborates the earliest clues that the most serious illnesses occur in patients with a median age of 60 and that death is most common in the elderly, especially among those who have been treated for other diseases, including cancer and heart disease. In South Korea, no patient under the age of 30 with COVID-19 has died.

Deborah Birx, an immunologist and physician with extensive experience in the study of infectious diseases who is detailed to the White House from the State Department, said the “elderly and frail” face the clearest jeopardy. It’s why the government, under Medicare’s power, is focused now on inspections and reinforcement of “infection control” at all nursing homes and senior living facilities in the country.

“We really want everyone to know what we know,” Birx said when reporters asked if she would recommend that senior citizens travel to visit family members this spring while community transmission of the virus is continuing. “It does look like there is significant greater risk of serious illness as you become older, and if you have other medical conditions,” she added.

As of this morning, there have been 3,286 deaths from COVID-19 around the world, and 95,748 confirmed infections in more than 70 countries, according to the latest information. There are 159 confirmed cases in the United States. Experts believe many more infections have not been confirmed.

“We are seeing this rapid escalation around the world,” said Leana Wen, a physician, writer and public health professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “At this point I believe things will get much worse before they get better” (The Associated Press).

As the president’s task force, led by Vice President Pence, met again on Wednesday, New York City reported four new COVID-19 infections, apparently transmitted by a 50-year-old lawyer who is hospitalized in Manhattan and had not traveled to any of the countries experiencing coronavirus outbreaks. His wife, two children and neighbor, who drove him to the hospital, tested positive for COVID-19 (The New York Times).

In California, an elderly man near Sacramento died from the infection on Wednesday, becoming the 11th fatality in the United States and the first outside of Washington state.

The patient, who had underlying health conditions, had been treated for the virus in isolation at a hospital. Officials believe the man was likely exposed last month on a cruise ship, which departed from San Francisco to Mexico (The New York Times).

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to marshal available powers to deal with the coronavirus throughout his state (The Hill).

The federal government is relying on private medical labs and academic centers to test people for the coronavirus. While tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health labs are free, most tests will be done by hospitals, private labs and academic centers that will likely bill patients and insurance companies. That dynamic poses a public health risk if patients delay testing or treatment because of the costs.

For that reason, House and Senate lawmakers from both parties wrestled behind the scenes this week over key provisions of an $8.3 billion emergency appropriations measure approved by the House on Wednesday before sending it to the Senate. Four hundred fifteen House members approved the funds for coronavirus response and vaccine research. Republican Reps. Ken Buck (Colo.) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.) voted against the bill (The Hill).

Pence, who met with lawmakers in the Capitol on Wednesday, will fly today to Washington state to meet with Gov. Jay Inslee (D) to discuss the coronavirus outbreak there. Separately, the vice president met with members of the state’s congressional delegation who have complained to federal officials that a shortage of COVID-19 test kits has prompted high anxiety and confusion among their constituents (The Seattle Times and The Hill).

Science Magazine: The United States badly bungled coronavirus testing — but things may soon improve.

The New York Times: Coronavirus testing now offered with just a doctor’s approval, CDC says.

Pence described his day trip to the West Coast as a federal effort “just to make sure” that state and local officials have what they need. He said the government wants any American to be able to see a physician and be tested, if needed. The Health and Human Service Department has determined that laboratory testing for coronavirus infection is now an “essential health benefit” under all federal and private health coverage in the United States and is “fully reimbursable.”

Pence, 60, said he has no qualms about potential exposure to the virus while traveling. Washington state has reported 10 deaths from coronavirus. “We believe … it’s safe to fly,” he said, noting the meetings Trump held with executives of domestic airline companies who seek to reassure air travelers.

He repeated that the threat of contracting the virus “remains low” but said all passengers flying directly from Italy and South Korea to the United States will be screened multiple times for infection. Pence also described new efforts by airlines to “clean” planes (The Hill).

In another twist likely to concern many people, the School of Public Health of The University of Hong Kong recommends practicing virus “hygiene” with pets, including no kissing, washing hands before and after handling animals and after touching pets’ food and supplies. Households where someone has tested positive for the virus should put pets into quarantine, according to researchers there. People who are sick should avoid contact with pets and a veterinarian’s advice should be consulted (The Associated Press). The Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department concluded it is not possible for pets to pass the coronavirus to humans, but if pets contract the virus from their owners, it is possible for the animals to test positive for low levels of the pathogen.

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

ECONOMY: Economists and market analysts continued on Wednesday to debate the implications of this early phase of coronavirus spread in the United States, concerned that downturns in certain industry sectors, including travel and the domestic airlines, will soon show up in the economic data.

The effects globally continue to spark uncertainty about a potential recession this year. “We have a real shock here,” one analyst said, noting that experts still hope to see more overt coordination in Washington between fiscal and monetary policy.

Trump, who has been saying for months that he and Republicans in Congress planned to unveil another round of proposed tax cuts this summer before the November elections, has shown little interest in a major stimulus plan. The administration will not propose a payroll tax cut or a rollback of tariffs on Chinese imports, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said this week. Instead, Trump appears content to wait out the emergency in order to downplay any need to resuscitate the economy, which he considers his strongest calling card for reelection (Bloomberg News).

The Bank of Canada on Wednesday identified COVID-19’s spread as a “material negative shock” when announcing an interest rate cut of 50 basis points. The bank followed by a day similar action announced by the Federal Reserve (Financial Post).

Hong Kong’s monetary authority also cut rates on Wednesday, as did central banks in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England are expected to announce stimulus measures in the coming days (CNBC), even as economists debate the ultimate benefits of the rate-cut decisions.

The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that the economic fallout of the coronavirus would be more “dire” than previously thought and said that uncertainty would remain as long as the severity and duration of the spread of the virus remain unpredictable (The New York Times).

On Wednesday, a report on payroll data for February indicated that fears about business contraction had not shown up in hiring decisions last month. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said it is “just a matter of time” before private payrolls begin to reflect changes in consumer behavior and employer caution about the uncertainties of the situation (CNBC).

Indeed, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways on Wednesday announced new cost controls, including fewer flights and hiring freezes to deal with depressed travel demands (Reuters).

The International Air Transport Association today projected that the coronavirus emergency could cost passenger airlines up to $113 billion in lost revenue this year, more than three times a projection it made two weeks ago (Reuters).

The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!

OPINION

Grocery stores can be anchors of resilience during disasters, by Carmela Hinderaker and Jeff Schlegelmilch, opinion contributors, The Hill. https://bit.ly/2IwMjWd

How Joe Biden won Super Tuesday, by former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/32RNmt1

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WHERE AND WHEN

The House will meet at 9 a.m. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense will hear testimony at 9 a.m. from Pentagon officials who will describe the military’s coronavirus response and discuss other health related issues.

The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will vote on the coronavirus supplemental package.

The president will meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 11:45 a.m. at the White House. After a short flight to Pennsylvania, Trump headlines an hour-long live town hall in Scranton, moderated by Fox News at 6:30 p.m. He returns to the White House tonight (Scranton is Biden’s hometown) (WGAL).

Pence will travel to Minneapolis this afternoon to meet with 3M CEO and Chairman Mike Roman in Maplewood, Minn., to discuss supply chain issues tied to the coronavirus epidemic. The vice president will convene a conference call with the federal coronavirus task force at 2:30 p.m. from Air Force Two. Pence will fly to Tacoma, Wash., where he will discuss with the governor the outbreak of COVID-19 in Washington state from the state Emergency Operations Center. The vice president returns to the nation’s capital tonight.

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Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-stage.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.

ELSEWHERE

➔ Supreme Court: A seemingly divided Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. The court’s election-year look at a Louisiana dispute could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to roll back abortion rights. A decision should come by late June (The Associated Press).

➔ Human DNA editing: Seeking to restore vision in a patient with an inherited genetic defect, Portland scientists at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health and Science University used the gene editing tool CRISPR inside someone’s body for the first time. The companies that make the treatment said on Wednesday that it will take up to a month to determine if the patient, who was not identified, can see (The Associated Press).

➔ Tech: Top companies, including Amazon and eBay, testified on Capitol Hill on Wednesday about efforts to combat sales of online counterfeits (The Hill) … Lawmakers and industry competitors sharply criticized Chinese telecom group Huawei during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, which also served as a forum to explore ways to avoid using the company’s 5G equipment because of national security concerns (The Hill).

➔ “Jeopardy!”: Host Alex Trebek on Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of his diagnosis with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. In a two-minute video, Trebek opened up about his struggles over the past year, including chemotherapy treatments and depression, but said any idea of giving up “would have been a massive betrayal” to those who view him as an “inspiration and a cheerleader.” The longtime host said his chances of reaching the one-year mark were 18 percent, and that the two-year survival rate for the disease is just 7 percent (The Hill).

THE CLOSER

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz! Inspired by all that we’re learning about the spread of the coronavirus, we’re eager for some smart answers about the pathogen named COVID-19.

Email your responses to asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and/or aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com, and please add “Quiz” to subject lines. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

Which group of humans is least likely to die after infection with COVID-19, according to available medical data?

Elderly
Children
Smokers
Health care workers

Europe’s epicenter of the new coronavirus is in ______.

Germany
Spain
Belgium
Italy

Which is recommended by U.S. and international experts to avoid COVID-19 infection?

Wash hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based products
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Practice social distancing (three feet) from people who cough or sneeze
Avoid nonessential travel to China, South Korea, Italy and Iran
All of the above

When do researchers and medical experts (including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, pictured below) predict a COVID-19 vaccine will be approved and available for the general public?