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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  Southern black voters carry Joe Biden to huge victories on Super Tuesday

  Business Insider
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  Behind the Scenes on Super Tuesday, the ‘Super Bowl’ for Network News Stations

  Inside Edition CBS

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

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

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.

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

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.

Chief Justice John Roberts Scolds Schumer for ‘Dangerous’ Threat Directed at Conservative Justices

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday criticized Senator Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) over comments the minority leader made in reference to an abortion case currently being debated by the court. “For Justice Roberts to follow the right wing's deliberate misinterpretation of what Senator Schumer said, while remaining silent when President Trump attacked Justices Sotomayor and Ginsberg last week, shows Justice Roberts does not just call balls and strikes,” a spokesperson for Schumer responded. Earlier Wednesday, Schumer appeared to threaten Republican justices.

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  I'm an Orthodox Jewish Woman Who Had an Abortion with the Blessing of My Rabbi

  People
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  Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Demonstrators Meet outside the Supreme Court

  National Review

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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  Sanders Calls Race Against Biden a ‘Conflict of Ideas’

  Bloomberg
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  Bad night for Elizabeth Warren capped by losing home state of Massachusetts

  USA TODAY

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The Democratic Party Super Tuesday winners, state by state

Former vice president Joe Biden scored a string of wins over leftist Bernie Sanders in the Super Tuesday contests to pick the Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump this November. Among the 14 states at play, US networks have so far projected nine wins for the centrist Biden, with his strong showing in the country's south demonstrating the depth of his support among African Americans. Biden claimed the second biggest prize of the night in Texas though the very biggest was yet to come: delegate-rich California, where the self-described socialist Sanders is strong favorite.

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  Joe Biden wins Maine, adding to former vice president's Super Tuesday victories

  USA TODAY
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  Bloomberg to Stay in Race Pending Assessment of Super Tuesday

  Bloomberg

'Serial stowaway' beaten in jail after she was imprisoned, despite calls for her to be treated in community

The “serial stowaway”, Marilyn Hartman, has been beaten up inside a Chicago jail. Ms Hartman is currently serving time in Cook County Jail for violating her probation. CBS 2 reports that she was assaulted on Tuesday and that the offending inmate may have been having some kind of mental health episode at the time.

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

Trump Brags: Coronavirus Response Could ‘Help, Not Hurt’ Me in November

Over the past week, Democrats and public health experts have excoriated the Trump administration for its response to the novel coronavirus. Outside pundits have wondered whether the handling of the ballooning threat could damage the president's chance for re-election. Donald Trump himself appears to have a somewhat unique point of view on the matter.

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.