Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to think the coronavirus threat is ‘exaggerated,’ new survey finds

Both groups agree, however, on how they would react to a federally mandated two-week self-quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19, the survey said

The CDC cautions that 'more cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified in the United States in the coming days, including more instances of community spread.' David Ryder/Getty Images
March 10, 2020 

As U.S. health officials confirm more cases of the new coronavirus, a new survey suggests that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe COVID-19 concerns are overblown.

Some 62% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the seriousness of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is “generally exaggerated,” according to a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll of 4,633 adults conducted last week. Just 31% of Democrats and Democrat leaners and 35% of independents said the same.

Greater shares of Democrats than Republicans said they were likely to avoid large events like concerts or sporting events (67% vs. 49% “very” or “somewhat” likely); public spaces like malls, theaters and restaurants (53% vs. 37%); and social gatherings at friends’ and family members’ homes (38% vs. 25%).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that community-based interventions like “social distancing” — defined as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible” — can help slow the disease’s spread, among other measures. No vaccine exists.

Democrats and Republicans in the survey agreed, however, on how they would react to a federally mandated two-week self-quarantine for people exposed to the disease: Only 22% of respondents from both parties said such a measure would threaten personal rights and freedoms. Independents were slightly more likely to say the same, at 30%.

There were 116,588 COVID-19 cases and 4,090 deaths globally as of Tuesday afternoon; about 64,391 people had recovered, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The U.S. had 791 cases as of Tuesday afternoon.

As the 2020 U.S. presidential race forges ahead, the coronavirus outbreak has hit the U.S. economy and further inflamed partisan tensions. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and former Vice President Joe Biden — the top vote getters in the Democratic primaries — have criticized President Trump’s response to the outbreak and said they would do a better job.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top congressional Democrats, have also publicly urged Trump to “prioritize the needs of American workers and their families before the needs of major corporations” while responding to the outbreak.

Trump, who is reportedly considering options including a payroll-tax cut and paid sick leave, has accused media outlets and Democrats of spreading fear and trying to leverage the outbreak for political advantage.

“The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power (it used to be greater!) to inflame the CoronaVirus situation, far beyond what the facts would warrant,” Trump wrote Monday on Twitter TWTR, +5.69%.

Personalities on presidentially favored Fox channels have offered divergent opinions on the severity of the outbreak: Fox News host Tucker Carlson warned that COVID-19 was a “real” threat that was “definitely not just the flu,” while Fox Business host Trish Regan called criticism of Trump’s response “yet another attempt to impeach the president.”

(Fox News and Fox Business parent Fox Corp. shares common ownership with News Corp NWSA, +7.57%, the parent of Wall Street Journal and MarketWatch publisher Dow Jones.)

The CDC says that immediate risk of exposure to the virus “is thought to be low” for the majority of people, noting that there isn’t widespread circulation in most U.S. communities. But it also cautions that people living in areas with community spread of the virus are at elevated risk, and that “more cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified in the United States in the coming days, including more instances of community spread.”

“It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur,” the agency said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden told a pro-gun worker he was “full of s***” during a testy exchange after speaking at an auto plant in Detroit.

William Cummings, USA TODAY•March 10, 2020

Michigan could redefine Democratic primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden got into a heated exchange with a worker over gun rights during a tour of a Detroit auto plant on Tuesday.

The worker, among a group surrounding Biden in their hardhats at the Fiat Chrysler plant, accused Biden of "actively trying to end our Second Amendment right" and "take away our guns" in the exchange, which was caught on video.

"You're full of ----," Biden responded. "I support the Second Amendment." He then appeared to tell an aide who was trying to end the conversation to "shush."

Biden went on to explain that he believes there are limits to the Second Amendment. He compared it to the limits on the First Amendment right to free speech, such as the famous example of not being able to yell "fire!" in a crowded theater.

The former vice president told the man he owned shotguns and that his sons were hunters.

"I'm not taking your gun away at all," Biden said.

The man repeated his accusation that Biden had pledged to take away peoples' guns.

"I did not say that," Biden said, his voice rising.

The man replied that there was a "viral video" of him saying he would.

"It's a viral video like the other ones they've been putting out that are simply a lie," said Biden. A recent video clip of remarks by Biden that was retweeted by President Donald Trump was labeled "manipulated media" by Twitter and "partly false" by Facebook.

"I support the Second Amendment," Biden adds while vising under-construction auto plant in Detroit. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/sueOSBaY9P
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 10, 2020

A video of Biden meeting with former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who supports a mandatory buyback program, after O'Rourke endorsed him has been shared as evidence that Biden plans to confiscate guns. But FactCheck.org determined that such spin on that video was "misleading."

In the video, Biden expresses admiration for O'Rourke's positions on assault weapons and climate change and warns O'Rourke's wife, Amy, that if he wins the election he is "coming for him," presumably to work under a Biden administration. Some conservative sites have shared the video with the implication that Biden was saying, "I'm coming for them," referring to guns.

After denying the claim that he wanted to confiscate guns, an agitated Biden then waved his finger in the man's face and mistakenly referred to "AR-14s."

The two men exchanged more words at that point, which were difficult to discern in the video.

"You're working for me, man," the worker then tells Biden, as the audio becomes clear again.

"I'm not working for you," Biden said. "Give me a break, man. Don't be such a horse's ---."

"Here's the deal. Are you able to own a machine gun?" Biden asks the worker.

"Machine guns are illegal," the man replies. Biden argues AR-15s should be illegal for the same reason before the man is led away by other workers.

Fact check: O’Rourke Endorsement Triggers False Posts on Biden’s Gun Policy
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden meets workers as he tours the Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit, Michigan on March 10, 2020.

According to the platform laid on his website, Biden favors a ban on the sale and manufacture of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Those already in possession of such weapons would have a choice between selling them as part of a voluntary government buyback program, or registering them with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

He also endorses expanded background checks, "red flag laws" aimed at keeping guns away from people suffering from mental illness, limits on how many guns people can buy and expanding the list of prohibited buyers.

Six states are voting in the Democratic presidential race on Tuesday, and of those Michigan has the most pledged delegates up for grabs. Polls have suggested Biden is the strong favorite to carry Michigan, though Sen. Bernie Sanders defied the polls and defeated Hillary Clinton there in 2016.

Biden has had other clashes with voters on the campaign trail.

Last month, he called a New Hampshire voter a "lying dog-faced pony soldier" after she asked him a question about his fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.

In December, he called a man at an event in Iowa a "damn liar" when the man accused Biden of selling access to Ukraine. And at a New Hampshire campaign event later that month he called a heckler "an idiot."

'Manipulated media': Twitter uses label for first time after Trump retweets edited video clip of Biden

Contributing: Saranac Hale Spencer, FactCheck.org; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden has heated gun control exchange with Michigan worker

502

Published: March 10, 2020 at 2:25 p.m. ET

By 

Shawn Langlois

Joe Biden says he’s got no intention of confiscating guns.

 Reuters

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‘You’re full of sh—. ... Don’t tell me that, pal, or I’m going to go out and slap you in the face. ... Don’t be such a horse’s ass.’

That’s presidential hopeful Joe Biden at a campaign stop in Michigan firing back at a construction worker who accused him of trying to confiscate Americans’ guns.

“You are actively trying to end our Second Amendment right and take away our guns,” the man told Biden, adding that the former vice president vowed to do just that in “a viral video.”

The worker was likely referring to a clip that recently racked up clicks with the Facebook FB, +5.12% headline, “Joe Biden says if he wins he’s coming for our guns”. FactCheck.org determined the video was “used as fuel for misinformation” about Biden’s gun policy.

“I support the Second Amendment,” Biden explained. “I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. ... I’m not taking your gun away at all.”

Here’s a clip of the exchange in Detroit, via CBS News:

Biden was on hand to tour the Fiat Chrysler FCAU, +4.36% FCA, 2.498% assembly plant, where he was reportedly greeted warmly by hundreds of IBEW members before the spat.

“You’re the best damn workers in the world,” Biden said. “I promise you if I become your president you will never have a better friend in the White House. I’m union from, as my — I won’t say what my grandfather used to say — but from belt buckle to shoe sole, man.”

According to CBS, Biden was scheduled to meet with the leaders of a gun-control advocacy organization in Columbus, Ohio, later in the day. 

20 leading economists just signed a letter arguing Medicare for All would generate massive savings for American families

Business Insider•March 10, 2020

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks while introducing health care legislation titled the "Medicare for All Act of 2019" with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), during a news conference on Capitol Hill, on April 9, 2019 in Washington, DCMore

Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images


Twenty of the nation's leading economists argued in favor of Medicare for All in an open letter that Business Insider first published on Tuesday.

They argue that existing research suggests there would be massive savings and it would reduce waste in healthcare.

"There's been too much loose talk that Medicare for All is unaffordable. What's really unaffordable is the current system," signatory Gerald Friedman said in an interview.

Twenty of the nation's leading economists argued in support of Medicare for All in an open letter first published by Business Insider on Tuesday.

"We believe the available research supports the conclusion that a program of Medicare for All (M4A) could be considerably less expensive than the current system, reducing waste and profiteering inherent in the current system, and could be financed in a way to ensure significant financial savings for the vast majority of American households," the economists wrote in the open letter.

"Most important, Medicare for All will reduce morbidity and save tens of thousands of lives each year," the group of economists said.

The letter was provided by Business for Medicare for All, an advocacy group pressing for universal healthcare in the US.

The economists aren't coming out in favor of a specific candidate, though some have individually consulted with Democratic presidential campaigns (at least one has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders).

Instead, they're making the case that a government-run health insurance system would slash wasteful spending and generate massive savings for most Americans.

Dr. Gerald Friedman, a professor at the University of Massachussetts Amherst, told Business Insider that the best argument for a universal healthcare system is its potential ability to rein in the skyrocketing costs of healthcare.

"There's been too much loose talk that Medicare for All is unaffordable," Friedman said. "What's really unaffordable is the current system. We spend about twice the average for affluent countries in the OECD on healthcare," referring to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

Friedman also noted that increased spending often leads to worse health outcomes compared to other developed nations.

Among the letter's signatories are prominent progressive economists like former Labor secretary Robert Reich; Jeffrey Sachs, a leading expert on poverty; Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez, two professors at the University of California, Berkeley, who laid out plans for a wealth tax; and Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics at the Ohio State University and a pioneer in economic inequality research.

Medicare for All is the signature plan of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the remaining progressive candidate in the Democratic primary. It would set up a new government health insurance system that provides comprehensive benefits to Americans and toss out deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket spending. Private insurance would be eliminated as well.

Estimates for a system that ensures benefits on the scale Sanders is seeking is upwards of $30 trillion over 10 years. A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning organization, suggested it could increase the wages of workers and boost the development of small businesses.

The proposal turned into an ideological faultline in the primary, dividing moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden who sought incremental measures to expand coverage and progressives such as Sanders calling to replace the existing system with something entirely new.

In addition to Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren also rolled out a plan to achieve universal healthcare within four years before dropping out of the race.

Skeptics of Medicare for All argue it's a progressive pipe dream that won't be achieved anytime soon. They note it'd be an enormous lift politically even among Democrats, most of whom don't support the idea, The New York Times reported.

An ongoing poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that while a slim majority of the public supports Medicare for All, backing flips when respondents learn they could lose their private health insurance or pay more in taxes.

The economists in the letter, though, say that "shifting the burden" onto taxation of wealthier households would "magnify savings."

"A system that cuts costs and shifts financing to income and wealth taxes will dramatically lower this burden, producing significant savings for workers and businesses," they write.

HOW TO PAY FOR MEDICARE FOR ALL 

CUT MILITARY ENTITLEMENTS

A Look at the Complete Works of Antoni Gaudí

His investigation into classical architecture extended to Barcelona’s Parc Güell, where Doric-inspired columns fill the market hall. But in signature Gaudí style, the ceiling is decorated with colorful mosaics. The park was built between 1900 and 1914.

An earlier project constructed between 1878 and 1888, Casa Vicens in Barcelona has wrought-iron balconies that display similarities to many Art Nouveau structures. But its colorful mosaic-clad façade is definitively Gaudí.

Built between 1883 and 1885, the El Capricho house in the town of Comillas in Northern Spain has a minaret inspired by the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran.

Gaudí was known for using some unusual building materials—the finials shown here, found in Parc Güell, are decorated with mosaics made from broken coffee cups.

Fed Will Trap U.S. Economy in Recession With 0% Interest Rates

W. E. Messamore, CCN•March 9, 2020

If the Fed cuts rates to zero like markets believe it will, that will put the U.S. in the same boat as the rest of the world.

Markets are pricing in near-100% odds the Federal Reserve will drive interest rate targets down to zero percent next week.

If that happens, the Fed will trap itself between a recession and runaway inflation should prices skyrocket while GDP falls.

That is a horrific situation for the economy to be in: stagflation. It happened in the U.S. before, and it could easily happen again.

Earlier today, the market’s confidence that the Federal Reserve will slash its benchmark interest rate target to zero by next week temporarily soared to nearly 95%.

But if the Fed cuts interest rates all the way to zero, there’s a real danger of inflation making the financial crisis worse

The market briefly priced in a 93% probability of a massive interest rate cut that would take the Fed’s target down to zero. | Source: CME

Because the economy could slip into recession despite monetary intervention with record-low interest rates.

‘Let’s persist together’: Elizabeth Warren staffers endorse Bernie Sanders on crucial primaries day

Chris Riotta

,

The Independent•March 10, 2020

Getty Images

A group of nearly 40 staffers who worked for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign has endorsed Bernie Sanders in an open letter, calling on their supporters to "persist together" in the battle for the White House.

In a letter published to Medium.com on Tuesday titled “Team Warren for Bernie Sanders”, the group of organisers and campaign directors stated their goals included working “to consolidate those who are ready to jump from Warren to Sanders immediately and build a community to facilitate the transition”.

The campaign staffers also said they wanted to reach out to Ms Warren’s supporters and urged them to support the Vermont senator in his bid against former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.

Those new forms of outreach, the letter stated, would use the foundation built by Ms Warren’s campaign and “the grassroots networks that we have cultivated” throughout the Democratic primaries.

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The letter comes just five days after Ms Warren, once considered a potential frontrunner in the Democratic primaries, dropped out of the race. It was published as voters in six battleground states participated in primaries across the country following last week’s Super Tuesday — with Mr Sanders fighting to maintain his campaign against Mr Biden’s newfound frontrunner status.

“Elizabeth ran a campaign on intersectional policy issues like Medicare for All, a Wealth Tax, a Green New Deal, cancelling student loan debt, providing universal free college, expanding Social Security, legalising marijuana at the federal level and erasing convictions, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour,” the letter read. “Now that Elizabeth has told us that her campaign is concluded, we know that she is considering how to best continue the fight for big, structural change. We respect that process and trust that she, as she always does, will do what is best to advance this movement.”

It continued: “We also understand and respect that many Warren supporters are still processing their feelings as well. We urge them to take care of themselves first and we stand ready to welcome them back into the fight when they are ready.”

The organisers said they ultimately made the decision to endorse Mr Sanders after Ms Warren dropped out of the race, writing: “We know that we won’t beat Donald Trump by simply talking about a return to business as usual.”

Ms Warren herself has declined to endorse anyone since dropping out of the race. If she were to choose Mr Sanders, her support could be seen as a boost of energy to his campaign after the former vice president raked in endorsements from previous Democratic presidential hopefuls just before last week’s vote.

If she chooses Mr Biden, that could potentially signal Mr Sanders’ campaign is dead in the water, according to some analysts.

35 former Warren staffers (and counting) just officially endorsed @BernieSanders and it’s honestly the most #NotMeUs thing I’ve even seen! 😭

Read their endorsement letter here: https://t.co/Agv8GHwaq2

h/t @People4Bernie for this wonderful solidarityforever graphic pic.twitter.com/S5bLVSnUga

— Bhavik Lathia (@bhaviklathia)

March 10, 2020

In announcing the end of her campaign, Ms Warren said she would need time before potentially making an endorsement during a press conference with reporters outside of her home in Cambridge.

"I need some space around this," she said, "and I want to take a little time to think a little more."

‘Let’s persist together’: Elizabeth Warren staffers endorse Bernie Sanders on crucial primaries day

Chris Riotta, The Independent•March 10, 2020

Getty Images

A group of nearly 40 staffers who worked for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign has endorsed Bernie Sanders in an open letter, calling on their supporters to "persist together" in the battle for the White House.

In a letter published to Medium.com on Tuesday titled “Team Warren for Bernie Sanders”, the group of organisers and campaign directors stated their goals included working “to consolidate those who are ready to jump from Warren to Sanders immediately and build a community to facilitate the transition”.

The campaign staffers also said they wanted to reach out to Ms Warren’s supporters and urged them to support the Vermont senator in his bid against former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.

Those new forms of outreach, the letter stated, would use the foundation built by Ms Warren’s campaign and “the grassroots networks that we have cultivated” throughout the Democratic primaries.

The letter comes just five days after Ms Warren, once considered a potential frontrunner in the Democratic primaries, dropped out of the race. It was published as voters in six battleground states participated in primaries across the country following last week’s Super Tuesday — with Mr Sanders fighting to maintain his campaign against Mr Biden’s newfound frontrunner status.

“Elizabeth ran a campaign on intersectional policy issues like Medicare for All, a Wealth Tax, a Green New Deal, cancelling student loan debt, providing universal free college, expanding Social Security, legalising marijuana at the federal level and erasing convictions, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour,” the letter read. “Now that Elizabeth has told us that her campaign is concluded, we know that she is considering how to best continue the fight for big, structural change. We respect that process and trust that she, as she always does, will do what is best to advance this movement.”

It continued: “We also understand and respect that many Warren supporters are still processing their feelings as well. We urge them to take care of themselves first and we stand ready to welcome them back into the fight when they are ready.”

The organisers said they ultimately made the decision to endorse Mr Sanders after Ms Warren dropped out of the race, writing: “We know that we won’t beat Donald Trump by simply talking about a return to business as usual.”

Ms Warren herself has declined to endorse anyone since dropping out of the race. If she were to choose Mr Sanders, her support could be seen as a boost of energy to his campaign after the former vice president raked in endorsements from previous Democratic presidential hopefuls just before last week’s vote.

If she chooses Mr Biden, that could potentially signal Mr Sanders’ campaign is dead in the water, according to some analysts.

35 former Warren staffers (and counting) just officially endorsed @BernieSanders and it’s honestly the most #NotMeUs thing I’ve even seen! 😭
Read their endorsement letter here: https://t.co/Agv8GHwaq2

h/t @People4Bernie for this wonderful solidarityforever graphic pic.twitter.com/S5bLVSnUga
— Bhavik Lathia (@bhaviklathia)

March 10, 2020

In announcing the end of her campaign, Ms Warren said she would need time before potentially making an endorsement during a press conference with reporters outside of her home in Cambridge.

"I need some space around this," she said, "and I want to take a little time to think a little more."