: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., U.S. 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate speaks to the media and supporters outside a polling location at Canfield Center on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 in Dearborn Heights, MI. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke at length about the need to defeat Donald Trump and discussed his campaign today after falling behind in another set of Democratic primaries on Tuesday but did not announce his intention to drop out of the contest.
While he cited that he appeared to be losing the race on the issue of electability, Sanders also stated that he felt his campaign was winning the ideological debate. He then directed several questions and challenges on healthcare, climate change, and mass incarceration to his rival former Vice President Joe Biden leading up to the Sunday debate in Arizona.
Biden, the only other remaining candidate aside from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (far removed in the delegate count) took what looks to be a commanding lead in delegates following victories in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, and Idaho, while Sanders won the North Dakota caucus.
The results from the primary in Washington state still show Biden and Sanders nack-in-neck with 67 percent of precincts reporting as of this report.
Sanders, the social democrat who carried the banner, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, of what was considered the "progressive" side of the Democratic party, showed signs of leading the race early on among a still-large group of candidates. After a close race with former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Iowa for its caucus delegates, Sanders racked up wins in New Hampshire and Nevada.
But things would change after Biden garnered a dramatic and lopsided victory in South Carolina's primary. From there, other members of the "moderate" wing of the party, Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, dropped out, both endorsing Biden before Super Tuesday.
The Super Tuesday primary day featured the largest share of delegates to date, and while Sanders pulled off a victory in the largest prize of California, and wins in Colorado, Utah, and his own Vermont, Biden's momentum grabbed the lion's share of delegates throughout the Southeast, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.
The primary will conclude with the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 13 to 16.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is projected to keep his job. Around two-thirds of the votes have been reported, and roughly 64% of those votes are in favor of keeping Newsom as their governor.
Daniel Strauss, senior political correspondent at The New Republic, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more about what Newsom's win means to both political parties moving into Midterm elections season.
The Department of Justice is suing Texas over the state's new abortion law that prohibits abortions after six weeks, well before many women even know they're pregnant. The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent. It was filed last week in federal court in Texas, but could go all the way to the high court within weeks. Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, discusses the DOJ lawsuit and what it could mean for other abortion laws across the country.
26 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their population with Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts fully vaccinating at least two-thirds of their residents. These three states are among the ones with the lowest new Covid-19 cases per capita, but in states with low vaccination rates, hospitals are filling up again.
Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and executive director of Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more.
The Biden Administration has officially extended a ban on a Trump-era policy that prohibits traveling with a U.S. passport to North Korea. The extension is expected to last until August 2022. The ban was initially enforced after the death of Otto Warmbier, who entered a vegetative state while in North Korean custody. Advocates against the ban argue that it has caused crippling impacts on Korean Americans who have not been able to reunite with their families back home. Senior Fellow at The Foundation For Defense of Democracies Anthony Ruggiero joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss more.
