Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders delivered an address on the coronavirus outbreak, rounding out three perspectives from the current president and the two Democratic challengers to his presidency.
Sanders, who trails former Vice President Joe Biden in the delegate race to the nomination, used his speech to contrast with his rivals. He called for the Trump administration to declare a national emergency and appoint an "emergency bipartisan authority of experts" to determine the next steps in the crisis.
Like Biden earlier, Sanders criticized the White House response, calling the administration incompetent and point out that its "incompetence and recklessness have threatened the lives of many, many people in this country."
Sanders and Biden both mentioned the lack of intensive care units and ventilators, an issue raised by health officials but one that the administration has not touched upon. The senator called for mobilizing retired medical professionals and medical students to increase medical care. He implored the nation to protect doctors, medical professionals, and nurses with proper instructions and personal protective equipment both because their safety is important and because "if they go down, then our capacity to respond to this crisis is diminished."
"Our country is at a severe disadvantage," Sanders said, "because we do not guarantee healthcare to people as a right."
During the speech, news came in that France's Emmanuel Macron called coronavirus the worst health crisis in a century, ordered changes to businesses and education and, echoing the very words Sanders was delivering across the Atlantic Ocean, said France will massively increase hospital capacity to deal with the novel coronavirus.
Both Democratic hopefuls today pleaded for an expansion of current practices. Biden called for mobile testing centers and Sanders for an expansion of community health centers.
Sanders also listed proposals to support people from low-income neighborhoods and working-class families, including calling for providing healthcare to immigrants regardless of immigration status, emergency funding for paid medical and family leave and a moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shutoffs.
Repeatedly, health officials and, now, the Democratic hopefuls, have said a choice between a paycheck and staying home when sick will expedite the spread of a virus in need of slowing down so as not to overwhelm America's health system likely to be overwhelmed in the coming weeks.
"Here is the bottom line and that bottom line is that in the midst of this unprecedented moment, we need to listen to the scientists, to the researchers, to the medical folks — not the politicians," he said of the spread of the virus as "on the scale of major war."
The South African-born host of "The Daily Show" says President Trump's behavior reminds him of strongmen, dictators, and corrupt leaders from Africa or the Middle East.
Stocks kick off the week with a rally after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the prospect of a trade war was "on hold" following an agreement to suspend tariff threats. Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils details of the souped-up Model 3. President Trump is going after the FBI. Fortnite is launching on Android phones this summer.
There are meaningful gun reform bills that never make it to the floor of the House because Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is standing in the way, says Rep. Green, a Democrat representing Texas's 9th District. A shooter opened fire at a high school in Santa Fe, Tex., on Friday, killing at least 10 people. The incident is reigniting the national gun reform debate that emerged after the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., three months ago.
A school shooting in Santa Fe, Tex., on Friday left at least 10 people dead and 10 more wounded. The fact that students around the country "know that this is a possibility, and the fear that they carry with them every day when they walk into their school" is horrifying, says Becca DeFelice, San Antonio volunteer leader with Moms Demand Action. The Texas shooting comes just three months after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 people dead and reignited the national debate on gun control.
The Senate's confirmation of Gina Haspel as director of the Central Intelligence Agency comes at a time when President Trump faces several national security concerns.
A gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School on Friday, killing 10 people, said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. He identified the alleged gunman as 17 year-old student at the school 35 miles southeast of Houston.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) says the racist rant by a New York lawyer that went viral is a reflection of the "toxic rhetoric" coming from the White House. The Congressman filed a formal complaint against the attorney on Thursday.
After all Senate Democrats voted in favor of keeping the internet open and fair, the party is using this opportunity to paint itself as a champion of the consumer going into the midterm elections later this year, says Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.
Senators voted Wednesday to override the FCC's repeal of net neutrality rules, keeping the internet free and open...for now. The resolution now heads to the House, where it is still 57 votes short of passing.
The Democrat from Rhode Island said doing away with the internet regulations would give large service providers too much power over the content that people see. The Senate on Wednesday voted to reinstate the Obama-era legislation, sending the bill to House, where it's expected to be shot down.
