President uses public health concerns to fuel his argument for travel bans and cuts to interest rates, Medicare and social security
As the threat of the coronavirus in the US grew and markets reeled amid growing uncertainty, Donald Trump on Tuesday promoted one of his signature policy proposals. “We need the Wall more than ever!” he tweeted.
Trump has sought to downplay the severity of the public health crisis. And he has capitalized on the panic and disruption in some American communities to push for many of his longstanding campaign promises, including stricter border security, travel bans, tax cuts and lower interest rates.
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Joe Biden takes big step towards Democratic nomination with crucial primary wins – live
Voters go to the polls in Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Michigan, Idaho and Washington state with the Vermont senator needing a boost
The Guardian’s Tom Perkins reports from a Sanders watch party in Michigan:
As results came in and showed Joe Biden’s lead widening beyond reach, Bernie Sanders’ Michigan campaign coordinator, Michael Fasullo, addressed supporters and volunteers, characterizing the night as “difficult” and “frustrating,” while underscoring what the progressive cause is up against.
“This work is not easy. If it was something that’s in the bag, then we would’ve had Medicare For All and a Green New Deal a long time ago,” Fasullo said.
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang just endorsed Joe Biden while speaking live on CNN.
“The math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee,” said Yang, who joined CNN as a commentator after dropping out of the race last month.
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Melbourne professor quits after health department pressures her over data breach
Vanessa Teague reported on a dataset of Medicare and PBS payments that was supposed to be anonymous but wasn’t
A prominent university professor has quit after the health department pressured her university to stop her speaking out about the Medicare and PBS history of over 2.5 million Australians being re-identifiable online due to a government bungle.
In 2016, Vanessa Teague, a cryptographer from the University of Melbourne, and two of her colleagues reported on a dataset, published on an open government data website by the federal government, of 2.5m Australians’ Medicare and PBS payment history dating back to 1984 that had supposedly been de-identified so people were anonymous.
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Super Tuesday: voting under way as Sanders bids to extend lead amid Biden surge – live
- Fourteen states vote in Democratic primaries
- Explainer: your guide to Super Tuesday
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My colleague on the west coast, Maanvi Singh, will take on the blog now as Super Tuesday voting - and related drama - continues. Later, Joan Greve in Washington, DC, will helm the blog as the polls begin to close and the results trickle in tonight.
Here’s what’s happened so far today:
The Trump administration is considering using a national disaster program to pay hospitals and doctors for their care of uninsured people infected with the coronavirus.
As concerns rise over costs of treating some of the 27 million Americans without health coverage, the government is looking for news ways to step in, a person familiar with the conversations told the Wall Street Journal. This would certainly be unexpected.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has been in discussions about using that program to pay providers who treat uninsured patients with coronavirus, the person said.
Dr. Robert Kadlec, who is the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, also said Tuesday at a congressional hearing that discussions are being held about using the National Disaster Medical System reimbursement program.
Related: Coronavirus: health experts concerned US hospitals are not prepared
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US supreme court to hear Affordable Care Act appeal that could cast doubt on law
Lower court’s ruling that individual mandate was unconstitutional to be reviewed after 19 Democratic states appealed the decision
US supreme court to hear third Affordable Care Act challenge
The US supreme court has announced it will hear a case on whether a part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. A decision is not expected until after the 2020 election.
In December, a federal appeals court ruled that the ACA’s individual mandate, which requires every American to have health insurance, was unconstitutional. The ruling cast doubt upon the rest of the law, which is known colloquially as Obamacare.
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Pete Buttigieg drops out as crucial Super Tuesday looms – live updates
- Democrat departs race after poor showing in South Carolina
- Full report: Pete Buttigieg drops out of 2020 race
- What is Super Tuesday? Your guide to the night
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The news of the Supreme Court taking up an Obamacare case is another reminder of how far apart the presidential candidates remain on the issue of healthcare.
Bernie Sanders has said he wants to create a government-run, single-payer healthcare system, which would eliminate the need for Obamacare.
The Supreme Court has announced it will hear a case on whether a part of Obamacare is unconstiutional.
The justices said they would take up the case in their next term, which begins in October, so a decision is not expected until after the 2020 election.
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Bernie Sanders comes under attack as latest Democratic debate kicks off – live
- Opponents seek to slow Sanders’ momentum before Super Tuesday
- Bloomberg needs strong showing after last week’s poor performance
- Full story: Sanders braced for onslaught from rivals
Asked about his declining support among African American voters, Joe Biden expressed confidence he would win Saturday’s South Carolina primary.
Biden noted polls indicate he still leads the Democratic field with black voters. “I’ve worked like the devil to earn the vote of the African American community,” Biden said.
Elizabeth Warren has taken aim at Bernie Sanders tonight. It’s not the first time she’s tried to contrast herself with him, but it’s definitely her sharpest rebuke of the senator yet. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed:
That’s the most direct criticism @ewarren has ever laid at @BernieSanders: “I dug in, did the work, and Bernies team trashed me for it.”
Warren has had to figure out how to deal with Sanders for the entire length of the campaign — contrast without alienating mutual supporters. This answer tonight is the first true, direct attempt at that. This was a huge moment, no question. #DemDebate
Wow. Big moment.
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Elizabeth Warren has seemed to drop her truce with Bernie Sanders. She just said she did the work to fight banks and figure out how to pay for Medicare for all and Bernie’s supporters “trashed me for it.”
“I would be a better president than Bernie,” she said.
Nevada caucuses: crucial ‘first in the west’ Democratic contest kicks off – live
Saturday’s vote could be a make-or-break moment for candidates in the first state with a diverse electorate
- Bernie Sanders has invested big in Nevada. Will it pay off?
- Health, heat and deportations: the issues voters care about
At Sparks high school outside Reno, a group of Sanders supporters were the first to arrive hours before the caucus, encouraging voters to back the Vermont senator as they lined up.
Essie Richard, 73, one of the first voters to arrive. Supporting @JoeBiden. “I’m Biden all the way. He was Vice President for eight years. He has the experience.” Protecting social security and Medicare are most important to her: “I’m barely surviving.” pic.twitter.com/Ibb8YF6fVb
Naomi Zamarripa, 18, high schooler voting for first time: “I love his commitment. He’s been around for so long, he keeps fighting + stays true to his beliefs.” @BernieSanders will win, she said: “Nevada is the first state that has a diverse makeup, he appeals to a lot of groups” pic.twitter.com/btVEPFiCV6
As the caucuses get underway, social media streams are starting to fill with “first alignment” results from individual caucus sites. But what about the actual, official results?
Tom Perez, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, told reporters today that results will be released as soon as possible, but that the priority is, “first and foremost, to get it right,” according to the AP.
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Controversy rages over Trump interference in Roger Stone case – live updates
- Attorney general to testify before congress
- Chuck Schumer warns of ‘crisis in the rule of law in America’
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This morning, Trump had some insults to throw at Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is using his vast personal fortune to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign ads.
Mini Mike Bloomberg is a LOSER who has money but can’t debate and has zero presence, you will see. He reminds me of a tiny version of Jeb “Low Energy” Bush, but Jeb has more political skill and has treated the Black community much better than Mini! https://t.co/qIef5VhjDr
.@realDonaldTrump - we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.
I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://t.co/fO4azmZaUg
The Democratic establishment is worried about Bernie Sanders becoming the party’s nominee, as the New York Times, the Hill, Politico and others report today.
We are spending twice as much per capita on healthcare as do the people of any other country. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the healthcare industry last year made $100 billion in profit. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are wasting $500 billion a year trying to administer thousands and thousands of different plans. What Medicare for All will do is save the average American substantial sums of money.
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Biden calls for Sanders to disown ‘doctored’ video on Social Security
- A long-standing philosophical fissures between the candidates
- A Very Stable Genius review: at the court of King Donald
Joe Biden has called for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign to “disown” what he calls “doctored video” that some Sanders supporters say shows the former vice-president endorsing Republican calls to cut Social Security and Medicare.
Related: 'The red wall is cracking': Buttigieg gets ovation after expecting protests
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