US briefing: Super Tuesday, Washington state deaths and Netanyahu
March 8, 2020Tuesdays top story: moderates endorse Biden in bid to unify Democrats against Sanders. Plus, why Covid-19 conspiracy theories spread faster than the virus
Good morning, Im Tim Walker with todays essential stories.
Buttigieg and Klobuchar join centrist rush to Biden
As 14 states prepare to vote in the Democratic primary on Super Tuesday, moderates have begun to unify behind Joe Biden as the candidate with the best chance of beating progressive frontrunner Bernie Sanders. Bidens erstwhile rivals Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto ORourke all endorsed the former vice-president on Monday. Yet with Sanders consolidating crucial Latino support in Texas and California, his lead may soon be insurmountable.
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Lost votes. Greg Palast says Californias arcane rules for independent party voters could deprive Sanders of hundreds of thousands of votes. Meanwhile, some four million Californians cast early ballots before Klobuchar and Buttigieg left the race; they wont get a replacement pick.
Washington state at heart of US virus outbreak with 18 cases
At least six people have died as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Kirkland, near Seattle, with Washington state health officials confirming another 12 cases of the disease many linked to a nursing home in the area. As the threat of a major US outbreak grows, experts have expressed concern that the healthcare system is unprepared. South Korea has declared war on the virus with cases in the country nearing 5,000, while the chief of the WHO has warned the world is now in uncharted territory.
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Grim prospects. European stock markets rebounded on Tuesday morning amid hopes of central bank intervention. But expert economic modelling of the crisis predicts a sharp hit to growth worldwide.
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Coronavirus etiquette. Handshakes and cheek-kisses are out, elbow-bumps are in. Caroline Davies looks at how the virus is already altering our manners.
Netanyahu claims victory in Israeli election repeat
Two weeks before his criminal trial for corruption, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in Israels third general election in less than 12 months. Netanyahus Likud party appears to have secured 36 seats, contributing to a total of 59 for the rightwing alliance headed by the countrys longest-serving leader. That puts him two seats short of an overall parliamentary majority, so he will need to entice rival politicians to join a coalition in order to secure a historic fifth term.
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Blue and White. Partial results showed Likuds leading opponents, the Blue and White party led by Benny Gantz, with 32 seats, while the Joint List alliance representing Israels Arab minority is now the third-largest party in the Knesset.
Husband of LAs DA pulls gun on Black Lives Matter activists
The husband of the Los Angeles district attorney pulled a gun on Black Lives Matter activists protesting outside his home early on Monday morning, warning I will shoot you, video footage from the incident shows. David Lacey, whose wife Jackie Lacey is the citys top prosecutor, told the demonstrators: Get off of my porch. I will shoot you I dont care who you are Were calling the police right now.
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Tough on crime. Jackie Lacey, who is in the midst of a re-election fight, has long faced criticism for failing to prosecute LA police officers who kill civilians, as well as her other tough-on-crime strategies.
Cheat sheet
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Russia has been accused of committing war crimes by indiscriminately bombing civilian areas in Syria, as part of a UN investigation into atrocities perpetrated during the conflict.
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Chris Matthews, the veteran host of MSNBCs Hardball, has abruptly announced his retirement, apologising for his past inappropriate comments about women and saying a younger generation is ready to take the reins.
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Students at around a dozen US universities have taken part in protests against their schools proposed use of facial recognition technology on campus.
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James Lipton, the actor and writer best known for hosting the long-running interview series Inside the Actors Studio, has died aged 93.
Must-reads
The rise and fall of Greeces neo-Nazis
A decade ago, Greeces Golden Dawn a group of violent, racist neo-Nazis elbowed their way into the countrys mainstream political scene by exploiting a national economic crisis. Now the party is crumbling under the weight of a sprawling criminal trial, but their success remains a warning for the rest of the world, writes Daniel Trilling.
The leftwing Texan running to unseat John Cornyn
AOCs recently formed political action committee Courage to Change is backing six progressive women of colour in congressional races across the US. A seventh, Cristina Tzintzn Ramirez, has her eyes on a bigger prize, she tells Erum Salam: a Texas senate seat.
Joe Peras brilliantly boring comedy
His new series, Joe Pera Talks With You, showcases the small, beloved pleasures of a northern Michigan choir teacher. In a sea of toxic masculinity, says Laura Snapes, Pera cuts a benign figure and his show is an antidote to the hysteria of modern life.
Meet the Hollywood super-networkers working to beat Trump
Hollywood is famously full of celebrity Democrats. But who are the behind-the-scenes networkers who can bring together Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton and executives from Snapchat to help raise millions in the fight to oust Trump in 2020? Peter Savodnik reports.
Opinion
From Russian bots claiming Covid-19 originated in a US lab, to US senators claiming it started as a Chinese bio-weapon, conspiracy theories about the disease are spreading faster than the coronavirus itself, says Scott Radnitz.
As the coronavirus spreads to new countries, governments have resorted to conspiracy theories to distract from their own failures or to pre-empt criticism.
Sport
The NBA has issued a list of tips to players on how to avoid contracting the coronavirus, by avoiding high-fives with fans or taking any items to autograph, in a memo sent to teams on Sunday.
Europes 55 national football associations will meet on Tuesday for the annual Uefa congress. With talk of an expanded Club World Cup and even a breakaway superleague, David Conn asks what the future holds for the organisations flagship competition, the Champions League.
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