The Daily Moth 3-2-2020
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Monday, March 3. Hope your weekend was good. Ready for news?
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Biden wins South Carolina, Buttigieg / Steyer / Klobuchar drops out; Super Tuesday looming
The race for the Democratic nomination has completely changed.
Joe Biden had a decisive win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, coming away with 48% of the vote and winning 35 delegates.
In second place is Bernie Sanders with 20% of the vote and 13 delegates. Biden had 150,000 more votes than Bernie.
Tom Steyer and Pete Buttigieg came in third and fourth places, and both announced they would drop out of the race.
Biden, in his victory speech on Saturday night, thanked South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn for his endorsement by saying “you brought me back.” He said just a few days ago, the press declared him dead, but because of the state’s support, they are very much alive.
Buttigieg’s end was a bit of a shock because he is in third place for delegate totals and had success in Iowa and New Hampshire. However, he struggled with gaining the trust and support of black voters, only getting 2% from this bloc in South Carolina. It meant he was likely to continue struggling throughout the race.
In his announcement that he was ending his race in South Bend, he said “the truth is that the path has narrowed to a close.” He said he would help the eventual Democratic nominee. He was on the phone with Biden later that night, so it is possible that Buttigieg will endorse Biden.
Buttigieg has made history as the first openly gay candidate to win delegates for a major political party during a primary season.
Steyer said he honestly can’t see a path where he can win the presidency so he is suspending his campaign.
This Monday afternoon Amy Klobuchar announced she is dropping out of the race and is expected to fly to Dallas tonight to announce her endorsement of Joe Biden.
So the Democratic race has dramatically changed and it’s the Bernie vs Biden show. Elizabeth Warren vowed a few days ago to continue campaigning until the end.
What’s next? Tomorrow is Super Tuesday. It is the biggest day in the primary season with 14 states voting and more than 1,300 delegates up for grabs.
It will be the first time that Michael Bloomberg shows up on the polls. He entered the race late but has spent more than $500 million of his own money on ads and appeared in two debates, so we’ll see what those 14 states think of him.
The states are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Vermont. American Samoa will have Democratic caucuses. California is the biggest prize of them all with 415 delegates at stake, to be given out proportionally to those who get at least 15% of the vote.
The magic number to win the Democratic nomination is 1,991 delegates. Bernie has 60 delegates, Biden has 54, Buttigieg has 26, Warren has 8, and Klobuchar has 8.
What will happen to the delegates that are “left behind” when a candidate drops out? An analysis from heavy.com explained that it depends on the states. Some states allow the “left behind” delegates to choose another delegate at the Democratic National Convention. Some states like Virginia and Nevada require that delegates still vote for their original candidate even if it’s meaningless, but if the candidate that dropped out endorses another active candidate, then the delegates are expected to vote for them.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/01/810813892/4-takeaways-from-joe-bidens-big-win-in-south-carolina
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/super-tuesday-everything-you-need-know-n1146501
https://apnews.com/be14026452cb8d39de828ac25ff041cf
https://heavy.com/news/2020/03/what-happens-delegates-candidate-drops-out/
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Coronavirus spreading in the United States
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is officially here and spreading in the United States.
This is not shocking news as scientists have said they expect this, but it can be jarring to see the virus travel from around the world to our back door.
Two Americans died of the coronavirus in the Seattle area on Saturday and Sunday. One was a man in his 70s and the second was a man in his 50s. Both are linked to an outbreak at a nursing home in the Seattle area — the Life Care Center of Kirkland.
This Monday afternoon, news broke that Washington state announced that four more people died of the virus. Three of them were from the Kirkland nursing home and the sixth is a person in Snohomish County in the Seattle area.
So, at least six people have died in Washington State, most of them from the nursing home. Scientists say it is likely that there is already an outbreak in Washington State and that over 1,000 people may be infected.
The symptoms for coronavirus are similar to the flu, so it can be difficult to detect. Most cases are mild, but it can be dangerous for those who are elderly or have underlying health problems.
There is a U.S. Postal Service employee in Federal Way, Washington — south of the Seattle area — who tested positive for coronavirus. She worked at a package sorting facility and is now recovering at home while the USPS facility is closed for cleaning.
In New York City, there is a woman who tested positive for COVID-19 and is now isolated and recovering in her home in Manhattan. She recently traveled to Iran and that’s likely how she got the disease.
In Rhode Island, there are two people from a high school trip to Europe who tested positive for coronavirus. One is an adult and the second is a teenager.
In New Hampshire, there is an adult who tested positive for coronavirus. The person recently traveled to Italy and is now isolated at home. He is an employee at a hospital.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, two healthcare workers tested positive for coronavirus and likely contracted it from treating an infected patient in Sacramento.
There are cases in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
In Texas, officials announced that there was a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 after she was evacuated from Wuhan, China. She was quarantined and fully isolated for treatment and the CDC allowed her to be released after two negative tests. But a third test came back positive after the patient had already gone to a hospital, hotel, and the North Star Mall. The patient is now back in quarantine and Texas officials are criticizing the CDC and said the hotel and the mall has to get a “deep cleaning.”
Four Americans have been released from the quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. They were from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Two of them previously tested positive and have recovered while the other two were never infected and tested negative throughout the quarantine process.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced he would make a $8 billion proposal for a funding package to respond to coronavirus. President Trump had previously suggested a $2 billion package but said he would agree to a higher amount.
In China, Xinhua, a state-run media organization, reported that there are two deaf patients who are infected with COVID-19 who are staying at the Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan. A video showed healthcare workers in protective suits practicing sign language so they can communicate with them. The patients are seen sitting together in a room waving through a small glass window that has metal bars outside of it. The hospital was built in several days as a response to the epidemic in Wuhan. Xinhua said both the patients are in stable condition.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/federal-way-usps-employee-tests-positive-for-covid-19/281-cba66803-1385-4283-93cf-09250706a2cd
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/1st-confirmed-case-of-coronavirus-in-nh/2084452/
https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-02-20-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/san-antonio-mayor-cdc-released-patient-who-later-tested-positive-for-covid-19/
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/28/c_138826683.htm
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That is all for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!