1 Democrats Face Off In South Carolina
The Democratic presidential race is getting hotter. During their latest debate in South Carolina – which comes ahead of Saturday's South Carolina primary – Dems took aim at each other. Of course, special attention was paid to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. That’s not surprising, considering that Sanders is the frontrunner after wins in New Hampshire and Nevada. When they weren’t busy talking over each other, the candidates all fought to stand out. Along the way: Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg said Sanders will lose to President Trump in November. Sanders cited his "unprecedented" grass roots support across the country and said his key to victory is a massive voter turnout. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg warned Democrats could lose both the White House and the House if Sanders heads the ticket. For her part, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said Trump will win re-election if Democrats keep tearing each other apart. To that end, Sanders took plenty of heat over the cost of his universal healthcare plan – and his support of communist programs in Cuba and China. At one point when he was reasoning that bad regimes can make good decisions, he was booed by the audience. Speaking of other countries, former VP Joe Biden said he would make Russia pay for any further election interference. This, as billionaire Tom Steyer accused President Trump of continuing to side with a hostile foreign power. Biden also pledged to go after U.S. gun manufacturers if he becomes president. The candidates criticized Trump over his administration's response to the growing coronavirus threat. As part of that, Bloomberg and Biden slammed Republican budget cuts in federal health agencies. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren went after Bloomberg’s electability, saying the core of the Democratic Party will never trust him. Bloomberg is a former Republican. He dismissed criticism of his candidacy as a "sideshow." In a feistier moment, he also firmly rejected Warren's claim that he once advised a pregnant woman to get an abortion. At the end of the day, all the candidates showed they were on that stage to gain momentum. It's also the last before 14 states vote in next week's Super Tuesday contest.
2 Moderna Announces A Possible COVID-19 Vaccine
As concern about the coronavirus/COVID-19 grows, a biotech company Moderna says it has developed the first vaccine for the new coronavirus outbreak. The Massachusetts' company has sent its COVID-19 vaccine to government officials for human testing. But don’t get too excited. The first clinical tests are expected to begin in April and the results should be available in July or August. The company's stock price jumped 15-percent on the news. Sadly, the news wasn’t as great elsewhere on the stock exchange, as the Dow closed down by 800 points. Meanwhile, CDC officials say a coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. appears inevitable. After closed briefings with lawmakers, CDC official Nancy Messonnier told reporters – "It's not a question of if this will happen but when this will happen."
3 Trump Says Two SCOTUS Justices Shouldn't Hear Cases Involving His Administration
As President Trump sees is, two Supreme Court justices shouldn't hear any cases involving the Trump Administration. Speaking in India, the President also suggested Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. As for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the President said she looks to "shame people with perhaps a different view." In case you missed it, Sotomayor dissented late last week in a ruling that allowed the administration's so-called "public charge" rule to go into effect. “This is a terrible thing to say,” Trump also tweeted. “Trying to ‘shame’ some into voting her way? She never criticized Justice Ginsberg when she called me a ‘faker’. Both should recuse themselves on all Trump, or Trump related, matters!”