.By Mary Clare Jalonick and Eric Tucker
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., stepped aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday after the FBI served a search warrant for his phone as part of an ongoing insider-trading investigation tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the move, saying he and Burr had agreed it was in the Senate's best interests.
FBI officials showed up at Burr's home with the warrant on Wednesday, marking a significant escalation into the Justice Department's investigation into whether Burr broke the law with a well-timed sale of stocks before the coronavirus caused markets to plummet,
The Justice Department declined to comment. His attorney did not respond to phone and email messages, but said last month that the law is clear that any senator can participate in stock market trading based on public information "as Sen. Burr did."
Stocks and bond yields fell sharply Thursday as fears about fallout from the virus outbreak sent more shudders through markets.
The Senate has passed an $8.3 billion measure to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak in hopes of reassuring a fearful public and accelerating the government's response.
Stocks are falling in midday trading on Wall Street, erasing 2 percent from major indexes, a day after they surged 4 percent as the mood swings back to fear about economic fallout from the virus outbreak.
Elizabeth Warren, who electrified progressives with her “plan for everything” and strong message of economic populism, dropped out of the Democratic presidential race on Thursday, according to a person familiar with her plans.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, March 5, 2020.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared more than 1,100 points, or 4.5%, Wednesday as governments and central banks around the globe took more aggressive measures to fight the virus outbreak and its effects on the economy.
Carolyn Dewitt, president of Rock the Vote, a non-profit focused on building the political power of the younger generation, told Cheddar Wednesday that the voting bloc has been flexing their civic muscles in some localities this primary season.
Stocks are rising sharply in morning trading on Wall Street, led by health care stocks after Joe Biden scored a number of Super Tuesday wins. Investors see him as a more business-friendly alternative to Bernie Sanders.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, March 4, 2020.
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and has endorsed Joe Biden.
