Bernie Sanders unloads on Joe Biden as Super Tuesday makes it a two-man race

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. —  Sen. Bernie Sanders took aim at former Vice President Joe Biden, his chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, at a rally here, as Super Tuesday results trickled in from across the country. Sanders did not utter Biden's name, but the senator predicted that he would win the nomination and defeat President Trump, because the race would become a “contrast of ideas.” Sanders continued attacking Biden, who scored numerous victories in Tuesday's contests and cemented his status as a leading contender for the Democratic nomination.

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  UnitedHealth soars in wake of Joe Biden’s Super Tuesday victory

  Yahoo Finance Video
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  Matt Taibbi Visits a Massive Bernie Sanders Event Before Super Tuesday

  Rolling Stone

EPA administrator criticizes inspector general's conclusions on Scott Pruitt's alleged abuses

Scott Pruitt, the onetime administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, was once a potent symbol of corruption within the Trump administration, as well as of its push to roll back environmental protections. With his penchant for first-class flights and other reported excesses — including, most infamously, an ill-fated search for a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel — Pruitt became an increasing problem for a White House that had promised to hold public officials accountable. Trump fired Pruitt just a day after Ingraham's second call for him to do so.

U.S. opposes releasing a dying Bernard Madoff from prison early

The U.S. government opposed Bernard Madoff's request to be freed from prison even if he is close to death from kidney failure, saying he has never accepted responsibility for his massive Ponzi scheme or shown compassion for victims. In a Wednesday night court filing, prosecutors said denying the 81-year-old Madoff's request would uphold victims' and public faith in the justice system. They said Madoff should continue serving his 150-year sentence, to ensure that "one of history's worst fraudsters" faces the consequences of his crimes.

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  Feds: Keep Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff in prison for his 'extraordinarily evil' crimes

  USA TODAY
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  Prosecutors urge denial of early prison release for Bernie Madoff

  MarketWatch

A California man who self-quarantined after returning home from China amid the coronavirus outbreak said he is '100x more concerned' for his health in the US than he was in China

A Bay Area resident visited Kunming, in China's Yunnan province — about 1,000 miles southwest of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak originated — on January 25. Seeing how differently the Chinese and US governments handled the outbreak convinced him that he felt safer in China than he does on American soil. A 36-year-old US citizen from Cupertino, California, visited Kunming, China, almost 1,000 miles southwest of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak originated, on January 25.

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  New Hampshire Coronavirus Patient Breaks Quarantine to Attend Dartmouth Event

  Time
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  You Already Live in Quarantine

  The Atlantic

Rand Paul says he'll 'stay here all weekend' to get foreign aid cut included in coronavirus bill

Congress agreed to put a bipartisan emergency spending package to curb the spread of COVID-19 up for a House vote Wednesday, but it may get held up by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who wants to include an amendment to the bill. Paul, a deficit hawk, wants to ensure the U.S. has some way to fund the COVID-19 package, so he's trying to sneak a foreign aid cut in there. Paul is confident he'll get a vote, but he's prepared to stick around in Washington all weekend either way.

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  Congress reaches bipartisan $8 billion spending deal to fight coronavirus

  The Week
• U.S. House to vote on coronavirus funding on Wednesday -

  Reuters

The Best Mowers for Big Lawns

If you have too much lawn for a standard push mower but not enough for a riding mower, consider these capable machines. From Popular Mechanics

College student brings llama in tuxedo to his sister's wedding, keeping years-old promise

A Cleveland college student pulled a stunt for the ages at his sister's wedding, beginning with a promise made nearly half a decade ago. Mendl Weinstock, 21, a student at the University of Akron, made a peculiar proposal to his sister, Riva, during a 2015 road trip from Ohio to Indiana: He would only attend her wedding – whenever it would be – with a llama in tow. He told USA TODAY that he was peeved that his sister was talking about her wedding "as if it was going to happen the next day."

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  Brother of the Bride Goes Viral for Bringing Llama as His Wedding Date

  the knot
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  Bride angry over 'guest' brother brought to wedding: 'She definitely thought it was bluffing'

  In The Know

Should You Cancel Travel Plans Amid COVID-19 Concerns? Here's What to Consider

Airlines have suspended operations to certain airports and a growing number of companies are restricting business travel amid concerns over COVID-19, raising questions about whether people should cancel their upcoming international and domestic trips. Several airlines have suspended or reduced service to countries with some of the highest number of cases, such as China, and grounded flights to South Korea, Iran and parts of Italy, where more than 2,000 cases have been reported in each country. Roger Dow, U.S. Travel's president, says that although businesses are warning people away from traveling, members of the public should heed notices from health agencies while deciding on travel plans.

South Korea Is Getting An 'Aircraft Carrier' To Compete With China And Japan

Key point: Seoul for years has mulled a purchase of F-35Bs to complement the country's land-based F-35As. South Korea is getting an aircraft carrier. The vessel could help Seoul's navy to compete with its main rivals, the Chinese and Japanese fleets.

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  South Korea reports lowest new infections for a week

  AFP
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  China is recording so few new coronavirus infections that South Korea looks like the new center of the epidemic

  Business Insider

Warren weighs her options. Endorsing Sanders is probably No. 1.

And even in the state where Warren did best, she still lost to both Biden and Sanders. The fact that it was her home state of Massachusetts added insult to injury. All told, Warren emerged from Super Tuesday — a day when 1,357 delegates were up for grabs — with a gain of just 36 delegates, for a total of around 60, compared with more than 500 for both Sanders and Biden.

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  Joe Biden’s hopes soar as Mike Bloomberg quits and endorses him for White House

  PA Media: World News
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  Rep. Jim Clyburn urges Democrats to 'sell Joe Biden to people who may be wavering'

  The Week

Dubai’s Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, Abducted and Imprisoned Daughters, Says London Court

LONDON—Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, ordered his henchmen to abduct two of his daughters and force them into captivity after they tried to flee from his controlling grasp, according to a British court. One of the women was subjected to inhumane treatment amounting to torture in the view of a British High Court judge, whose findings about the 70-year-old leader were unsealed in London on Thursday. Sir Andrew McFarlane, the most senior family judge in England, published his findings as part of a case that was brought to protect two of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's younger children, who currently live in the U.K. Their mother is the daughter of Jordan's late King Hussein.

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  Dubai ruler ordered abduction of daughters: UK judge

  AFP
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  Dubai ruler kidnapped and detained two of his daughters, UK court rules

  The Independent

Moscow imposes 'high alert regime' to stem coronavirus outbreak

Moscow authorities announced a "high alert regime" and imposed extra measures on Thursday to prevent a spread of the coronavirus in the Russian capital. A document posted on the Moscow mayor's website said that Russians who return from China, South Korea, Iran, France, Germany, Italy and Spain and other states who display possible "unfavorable" signs of coronavirus should self-isolate themselves at home for 14 days. Russia has not reported any confirmed cases of people contracting coronavirus on its territory, although six people who picked up the virus elsewhere have received or are receiving treatment.

8% of Iran's parliament has the coronavirus, and it released 54,000 prisoners as the country descends into chaos

Eight percent of Iran's parliament — 23 out of 290 members — has been infected with the coronavirus. At least seven government officials also have it, including one of Iran's vice presidents, and a key adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died from the virus. Iran is descending into chaos amid the coronavirus outbreak, with the government seemingly incapable of handling the scale of the crisis and going as far as to threaten the death penalty to those who hoard necessary materials or equipment.

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  Coronavirus has spread to nearly all Iran provinces: president

  Reuters
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  Iran says 92 dead as coronavirus reaches all but one province

  Yahoo News Video

Chicago cops in station shooting stripped of police powers

Chicago's interim police superintendent on Wednesday stripped two officers of their police powers pending the outcome of the investigation into their roles in the non-fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect inside of a downtown train station last week. Superintendent Charlie Beck made the decision hours after the head of the agency that investigates officer-involved shootings in Chicago, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, recommended that he take that step. The officers, whose names haven't been released, were placed on desk duty after Friday's shooting, in keeping with the department's policy in cases in which officers shoot people.

Bloomberg: Guns for Me, but Not for Thee

More importantly, Clarke Chitty, one suspects, has zero interest in stripping away Bloomberg's constitutional right to own a firearm, or to hire professional armed bodyguards to protect him from legitimate threats. The former mayor of New York City, on the other hand, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to pass laws and regulations that would leave Americans like Clarke Chitty defenseless. It's this kind of arrogance that brought about District of Columbia v.

Coronavirus: New York lawyer, his wife, children and neighbour all test positive as city braces for community spread

A Manhattan lawyer who was hospitalised suffering from coronavirus is in “severe condition” according to New York City health officials, as tests confirm his family have also tested positive. On Wednesday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the man's wife, son, daughter, and a neighbour in Westchester County have contracted the virus — none are thought to be in a serious condition. This takes the total number of cases in New York to six.

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  Coronavirus News: Positive case of COVID-19 in Westchester County, 1st community spread in state

  WABC – NY
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  New York City Lawyer, Family, Neighbors Infected with Coronavirus

  The Daily Beast

Bernie Sanders rules out a unity ticket with Biden: '1 old white guy is probably one too many for some'

"I feel like your argument for your electability is flawless," she said. But actually "expanding the electorate" and "trying to reach a diverse coalition" is "not happening in your campaign, and it's not happening in your campaign more so in your campaign now than it did in 2016. And I want to know if you have any analysis yourself of why that's not improving?"

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  Dow surges 1,100 points after Biden's Super Tuesday wins

  The Week
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  Matt Taibbi Visits a Massive Bernie Sanders Event Before Super Tuesday

  Rolling Stone

Progressives Want To Take Down The Electoral College

It seems that there isn't a prominent progressive left in America who hasn't come out in favor of abolishing the Electoral College. The latest is Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who called for an end to our 200-plus-year-old presidential election system on Twitter earlier this month. Sanders didn't explain why he wanted to ditch the Electoral College (it was a tweet after all), but it's interesting that as a senator from a small state, he has benefited enormously from the supposedly “undemocratic” nature of the American political system.

With North Korea border shut, China warns citizens to keep away, or else

SINGAPORE/SEOUL (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have told people to stay away from the border with North Korea, which has banned people from China to keep out the coronavirus, or risk being shot by North Korean guards, residents of the area said. Residents said the warning came in a printed notice that Chinese authorities in the area issued this week, the latest indication of how seriously North Korea takes the threat of the virus. Close allies China and North Korea share a 1,400-km (880-mile) frontier that is especially porous in winter, when rivers separating the countries freeze, allowing people to cross.

Tulsi Gabbard may have just qualified for the next Democratic debate thanks to American Samoa

Associated Press Under the most recent rules, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii may have qualified for the next televised debate by snagging a delegate in American Samoa's primary. Later on Tuesday night, a DNC official said the delegate threshold "will go up" to qualify for future debates. Gabbard is the fifth major candidate remaining in the race despite not qualifying for the debate stage recently and failing to crack the top five in any of the first four states.

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  Did Bloomberg run the worst presidential campaign ever? Probably. But Biden will be thankful for his deep pockets

  The Independent
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  Bloomberg addresses supporters following campaign exit

  Yahoo News Video

Mormon-owned BYU: Same-sex romantic behavior still banned

Brigham Young University in Utah reiterated Wednesday that “same-sex romantic behavior” is not allowed on campus — dashing the hopes of LGTBTQ students who thought they could be more open after the college previously revised its code of conduct. The university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted a letter online, saying it was clarifying a misinterpretation after it dropped a section of the code banning behavior that reflected “homosexual feelings." “Same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage and is therefore not compatible with the principles included in the honor code,” wrote Paul V. Johnson, commissioner of the church education system.

Yemen cafes shut, women harassed as Huthis impose harsh morals campaign

The Huthi rebels arrived without warning, heavily armed and in a furious mood, as they barged into Ophelia, the only cafe for women in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and demanded it be shut down immediately. In recent months, restaurants where men and women mingle have been shut down, scissor-wielding militia have policed men's hairstyles, and rebel forces have patrolled college campuses to enforce dress codes. Yemen's long war has pitted the Huthis, who are backed by Iran and control large swathes of the north, against the internationally recognised government which has the support of a Saudi-led military coalition.