thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Republicans ask administration how it will deal with rush of coronavirus victims to the border

Republican members of Congress are demanding to know how the Trump administration plans to respond if coronavirus outbreaks in Central America and Mexico prompt many to flee the region and head to the U.S.-Mexico border .
A group of 11 lawmakers , led by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas , sent the secretaries of health and human services , defense , and homeland security a letter Friday seeking information on what , if anything , they expect to see at the southern border and how they will respond .
`` Given the porous nature of our border , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the influence of dangerous cartels , it is foreseeable , indeed predictable , that any outbreak in Central America or Mexico could cause a rush to our border , '' the group wrote in the letter , obtained by the Washington Examiner .
`` Over time , this could impose a new burden at our southern border that will threaten the safety and health of individuals in the United States and could cause a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions along our border and at detention facilities . ''
Until Thursday , only one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported a coronavirus case .
On Friday morning , Mexico 's assistant health secretary announced two cases , marking the first known cases in Mexico or Central America .
The lawmakers , eight of whom represent southern border states , said that although the Department of Homeland Security and its Customs and Border Protection agency have rolled out health screenings for some international travelers reentering the country at U.S. airports , the government has not said how it will handle travelers arriving at the southern border or if it believes the outbreaks could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty rates to flee to the U.S. for help .
`` Considering that the Department of Homeland Security already has its hands full caring for migrants that have not previously carried the COVID-19 , we are seeking an understanding of what steps DHS , [ the Department of Health and Human Services ] , and [ the Defense Department ] are taking to be prepared to contain the virus while also maintaining law and order , especially if an outbreak happens in areas from or through which migrants historically have come to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It did not reference concerns about travelers at the U.S.-Canada border , although Canada had reported 13 cases of coronavirus as of Thursday .
Republicans asked what border officials are currently doing to screen legal border crossers at land ports of entry for coronavirus ; how they will screen people apprehended illegally crossing the border ; if CBP , Border Patrol , and HHS have tests and proper medical gear available ; if the federal government would consult with state officials before moving migrants in custody to public hospitals in Texas ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to quarantine and respond to virus concerns in a way that protects migrants and government employees .
Lawmakers also asked if the Pentagon will need to deploy personnel to support federal law enforcement and health officials at the border .
The letter did not inquire about the thousands of asylum seekers who are living in tent cities directly on the U.S.-Mexico border after being returned to Mexico , where they will wait weeks to months for court dates in the U.S .
The camps have been well-documented by lawmakers and reporters as filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent months .
Other lawmakers signed onto the letter are Reps. Brian Babin of Texas , Andy Biggs of Arizona , Michael Cloud of Texas , Louie Gohmert of Texas , Paul Gosar of Arizona , Jody Hice of Georgia , Gregory F. Murphy of North Carolina , Pete Olson of Texas , Scott Perry of Pennsylvania , and Randy Weber of Texas .
In January , 36,679 people were arrested illegally crossing the southern border or turned away at ports of entry , on trend with average levels over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figure were illegal crossers .
The majority of people encountered by federal law enforcement on the southern border since the start of fiscal 2020 in October are from Mexico , according to CBP data .

Republican members of Congress are demanding to know how the Trump administration plans to respond if coronavirus outbreaks in Central America and Mexico prompt many to flee the region and head to the U.S.-Mexico border.
A group of 11 lawmakers, led by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, sent the secretaries of health and human services, defense, and homeland security a letter Friday seeking information on what, if anything, they expect to see at the southern border and how they will respond.
"Given the porous nature of our border, and the continued lack of operational control due to the influence of dangerous cartels, it is foreseeable, indeed predictable, that any outbreak in Central America or Mexico could cause a rush to our border," the group wrote in the letter, obtained by the Washington Examiner. "Over time, this could impose a new burden at our southern border that will threaten the safety and health of individuals in the United States and could cause a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions along our border and at detention facilities."
Until Thursday, only one South American country, Brazil, had reported a coronavirus case. On Friday morning, Mexico's assistant health secretary announced two cases, marking the first known cases in Mexico or Central America.
The lawmakers, eight of whom represent southern border states, said that although the Department of Homeland Security and its Customs and Border Protection agency have rolled out health screenings for some international travelers reentering the country at U.S. airports, the government has not said how it will handle travelers arriving at the southern border or if it believes the outbreaks could prompt more people in countries with high poverty rates to flee to the U.S. for help.
"Considering that the Department of Homeland Security already has its hands full caring for migrants that have not previously carried the COVID-19, we are seeking an understanding of what steps DHS, [the Department of Health and Human Services], and [the Defense Department] are taking to be prepared to contain the virus while also maintaining law and order, especially if an outbreak happens in areas from or through which migrants historically have come to the United States," the letter states. It did not reference concerns about travelers at the U.S.-Canada border, although Canada had reported 13 cases of coronavirus as of Thursday.
Republicans asked what border officials are currently doing to screen legal border crossers at land ports of entry for coronavirus; how they will screen people apprehended illegally crossing the border; if CBP, Border Patrol, and HHS have tests and proper medical gear available; if the federal government would consult with state officials before moving migrants in custody to public hospitals in Texas; and if border facilities have a plan to quarantine and respond to virus concerns in a way that protects migrants and government employees. Lawmakers also asked if the Pentagon will need to deploy personnel to support federal law enforcement and health officials at the border.
[Click here for complete coronavirus coverage]
The letter did not inquire about the thousands of asylum seekers who are living in tent cities directly on the U.S.-Mexico border after being returned to Mexico, where they will wait weeks to months for court dates in the U.S. The camps have been well-documented by lawmakers and reporters as filled with sickness and having poor living conditions in recent months.
Other lawmakers signed onto the letter are Reps. Brian Babin of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Michael Cloud of Texas, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Jody Hice of Georgia, Gregory F. Murphy of North Carolina, Pete Olson of Texas, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and Randy Weber of Texas.
In January, 36,679 people were arrested illegally crossing the southern border or turned away at ports of entry, on trend with average levels over the past five years. Nearly 30,000 of that figure were illegal crossers. The majority of people encountered by federal law enforcement on the southern border since the start of fiscal 2020 in October are from Mexico, according to CBP data.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Kudlow: This market downturn is not like 2008, so buy stocks

President Trump ’ s top economic adviser is urging investors to buy cheap stocks after days of market free fall as he offered reassurances over the economic impact of coronavirus , saying the crisis did not resemble the 2008 crash .
White House economic Larry Kudlow told FOX Business ’ s Stuart Varney that economic fundamentals looked strong despite the external shock of COVID-19 .
“ Stocks look pretty cheap to me Stu , I got ta tell you that , ” he said .
He was speaking as markets opened again to losses , with some suffering their worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Administration officials have taken pains to say that the U.S. economy will be insulated from some of the worst impacts of any global slowdown .
This week , the White House took control of the response after contradictory statements , with some officials warning of a possibility of “ severe ” disruption to everyday life , were blamed for creating panic and destabilizing markets .
Speaking in the White House briefing room to reporters , Kudlow said job numbers , consumer spending , and house sales all suggested the economy remained in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the market , but I still think long-term investors should give very serious thought to coming back in or adding to their positions in the stock market , ” he said .
“ By the way , Warren Buffett has said something very similar to that a few days ago .
That is still my basic view , because again , our threat assessment is low , and the economy is fundamentally sound.
” That , he added , made it a different situation to what happened in 2008 .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called coronavirus coming out of China and has nothing really to do with internal domestic conditions here in the United States , ” he said .
And far from damaging the president ’ s reelection campaign , he said Trump ’ s decisive handling of the crisis would have a “ very positive effect.
” But he said it remained to be seen how the outbreak developed .
“ I 'm sure in the U.S. and elsewhere there will be more reports of a coronavirus cases .
But that does not mean that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North American U.S. , ” he said .

President Trump’s top economic adviser is urging investors to buy cheap stocks after days of market free fall as he offered reassurances over the economic impact of coronavirus, saying the crisis did not resemble the 2008 crash.
White House economic Larry Kudlow told FOX Business’s Stuart Varney that economic fundamentals looked strong despite the external shock of COVID-19.
“Stocks look pretty cheap to me Stu, I gotta tell you that,” he said.
He was speaking as markets opened again to losses, with some suffering their worst week since the financial crisis of 2008.
Administration officials have taken pains to say that the U.S. economy will be insulated from some of the worst impacts of any global slowdown.
This week, the White House took control of the response after contradictory statements, with some officials warning of a possibility of “severe” disruption to everyday life, were blamed for creating panic and destabilizing markets.
Speaking in the White House briefing room to reporters, Kudlow said job numbers, consumer spending, and house sales all suggested the economy remained in a strong position.
“The market is the market, but I still think long-term investors should give very serious thought to coming back in or adding to their positions in the stock market,” he said. “By the way, Warren Buffett has said something very similar to that a few days ago. That is still my basic view, because again, our threat assessment is low, and the economy is fundamentally sound.”
That, he added, made it a different situation to what happened in 2008.
“This is about an external shock from something called coronavirus coming out of China and has nothing really to do with internal domestic conditions here in the United States,” he said.
And far from damaging the president’s reelection campaign, he said Trump’s decisive handling of the crisis would have a “very positive effect.” But he said it remained to be seen how the outbreak developed.
“I'm sure in the U.S. and elsewhere there will be more reports of a coronavirus cases. But that does not mean that this thing is going to skyrocket in North American U.S.,” he said.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Trump faces second impeachment if Pelosi holds the House: Mulvaney

The acting White House chief of staff said he had told the president he is likely to be impeached a second time if Republicans do not regain control of the House of Representatives in November .
Mick Mulvaney told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday morning that taking back the House would empower the president to push on with tackling the “ deep state ” and overhauling the civil service , as well as embarking on a second phase of tax reform .
He described how the president asked him whether he was likely to face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to get the House back , ” he said .
“ People ask me all the time .
… The president asked me : 'Do you think I ’ ll be impeached again ? '
“ I said , ‘ I don ’ t know , you tell me who ’ s in charge of the House after the 2020 elections .
If it ’ s Nancy Pelosi , the answer ’ s sure , why not ?
But if it ’ s Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans , we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of years.
’ ” Among the priorities for a second term , he said , were making permanent some of the temporary measures in the president ’ s 2017 tax overhaul and reducing corporate tax rates .
And he said he wanted to press ahead with civil service reform .
“ I really tried to get people to sink their teeth into it in the first term , but it ’ s not sexy , ” he said .
`` But I think now after almost four years of the first term of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realize there is something that ’ s there , that no one wants to talk about .
… We call it the ‘ deep state.
’ ” The aim , he said , was to ensure that civil servants carried out their duties without bias .
“ You want bureaucrats who work just as hard for Donald Trump as they did for Barack Obama , ” he said .
“ That ’ s only fair .
They ’ re taking your tax dollars , they have to be indifferent .
“ They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s policies in and the day that Donald Trump takes over , they have to work just as hard for DT .
And that has not happened.
” He also defended the administration 's response to the growing coronavirus epidemic .

The acting White House chief of staff said he had told the president he is likely to be impeached a second time if Republicans do not regain control of the House of Representatives in November.
Mick Mulvaney told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday morning that taking back the House would empower the president to push on with tackling the “deep state” and overhauling the civil service, as well as embarking on a second phase of tax reform.
He described how the president asked him whether he was likely to face a second impeachment challenge.
“We need to get the House back,” he said. “People ask me all the time. … The president asked me: 'Do you think I’ll be impeached again?'
“I said, ‘I don’t know, you tell me who’s in charge of the House after the 2020 elections. If it’s Nancy Pelosi, the answer’s sure, why not? But if it’s Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans, we’re going to have a really good couple of years.’”
Among the priorities for a second term, he said, were making permanent some of the temporary measures in the president’s 2017 tax overhaul and reducing corporate tax rates.
And he said he wanted to press ahead with civil service reform.
“I really tried to get people to sink their teeth into it in the first term, but it’s not sexy,” he said. "But I think now after almost four years of the first term of this president, people are starting to realize there is something that’s there, that no one wants to talk about. … We call it the ‘deep state.’”
The aim, he said, was to ensure that civil servants carried out their duties without bias.
“You want bureaucrats who work just as hard for Donald Trump as they did for Barack Obama,” he said. “That’s only fair. They’re taking your tax dollars, they have to be indifferent.
“They have to work hard to get Obama’s policies in and the day that Donald Trump takes over, they have to work just as hard for DT. And that has not happened.”
He also defended the administration's response to the growing coronavirus epidemic.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Schools could shut down because of coronavirus: Mulvaney

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said schools might temporarily close in the United States because of the coronavirus .
Mulvaney , 52 , spoke about the Trump administration 's plans to respond to the threat of COVID-19 at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday morning .
“ Is it real ?
It absolutely is real , ” Mulvaney said .
“ But you saw the president the other day — the flu is real .
Are you going to see some schools shut down ?
Probably .
May you see impacts on public transportation ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We know how to handle this.
” As coronavirus spreads across the globe , Japan announced this week that schools in the country would be closed through March to reduce the risk of spreading the illness among children and teachers .
The White House official also criticized the media for their coverage of the outbreak .
“ We took extraordinary steps four or five weeks ago .
Why didn ’ t we hear about it ?
What was going on four or five weeks ago ?
Impeachment .
And that ’ s all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So while real news was happening and we were dealing with it in a way , I think that you would be extraordinarily proud of , ” he said .
“ The reason they are paying so much attention to it today is that they think this is going to bring down the president , that ’ s what this is all about , ” Mulvaney added .
Mulvaney 's criticism of the media came two days after the president announced Vice President Mike Pence would lead the administration 's response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in charge prompted backlash from Democrats .
The virus has infected about 82,400 people worldwide , and at least 2,800 people have died , mostly in mainland China .
So far , there have been a few dozen coronavirus cases identified in the United States , and no deaths have been reported .

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said schools might temporarily close in the United States because of the coronavirus.
Mulvaney, 52, spoke about the Trump administration's plans to respond to the threat of COVID-19 at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday morning.
“Is it real? It absolutely is real,” Mulvaney said. “But you saw the president the other day — the flu is real. Are you going to see some schools shut down? Probably. May you see impacts on public transportation? Sure,” he continued. “We know how to handle this.”
As coronavirus spreads across the globe, Japan announced this week that schools in the country would be closed through March to reduce the risk of spreading the illness among children and teachers.
The White House official also criticized the media for their coverage of the outbreak.
“We took extraordinary steps four or five weeks ago. Why didn’t we hear about it? What was going on four or five weeks ago? Impeachment. And that’s all the press wanted to talk about. So while real news was happening and we were dealing with it in a way, I think that you would be extraordinarily proud of,” he said.
“The reason they are paying so much attention to it today is that they think this is going to bring down the president, that’s what this is all about,” Mulvaney added.
Mulvaney's criticism of the media came two days after the president announced Vice President Mike Pence would lead the administration's response to the outbreak. The decision to put Pence in charge prompted backlash from Democrats.
The virus has infected about 82,400 people worldwide, and at least 2,800 people have died, mostly in mainland China. So far, there have been a few dozen coronavirus cases identified in the United States, and no deaths have been reported.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Why won't Trump follow Canada's lead in Prince Harry's and Meghan's security costs?

Here 's a question : Why does an administration which prides itself on `` America First ! ''
allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to take the American taxpayer for a ride ?
On this issue at least , Canada 's liberal prime minister is the one who is putting Canada first .
I say this in the context of Canada 's announcement on Thursday that it will no longer pay for protecting the un-royal-by-choice couple .
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have relocated to Canada on a part-time basis following their decision to abandon most duties for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , the law enforcement agency responsible for Canadian protective services , has been supporting the couple 's protection alongside its British counterpart .
The cost announcement suggests that Britain will either have to compensate Canada for its continued security provision or provide its own protection officers .
Canada is right .
The costs here are significant , involving logistics , accommodation for protection teams , salaries for the multiple shifts required on a 24-hour basis , equipment such as armored vehicles , and a surveillance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the royal couple can hardly now be regarded in the same light as their other royal counterparts and foreign government officials .
They have decided , after all , to step back from royal duties and pursue a life of private jet adventures and highly paid speaking gigs .
Unfortunately , the Trump administration lacks Canada 's courage on this issue .
I am told that the Diplomatic Security Service , the State Department arm responsible for protecting foreign VIPs below the rank of head of state , provided protection for Harry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summit in Miami earlier this month .
That trip apparently came with a rather nice $ 500,000 appearance paycheck for the royal couple , and you , dear taxpayer , helped make it possible .
This Miami trip alone likely cost the U.S. taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars .
Adding to the complication here is the fact that Britain 's Metropolitan Police Protection Command , responsible for protecting the royal family , takes advantage of U.S. security resources so as to offset its own costs .
This fits with its unfortunate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When I reached out to the DSS and the State Department press office , two separate State officials refused to comment on the Miami visit .
This , both spokespersons said , is because `` in keeping with longstanding security practice , we do not discuss details of our protective operations . ''
Sorry , but that 's a garbage excuse .
Of course the DSS does not comment on active protection missions , but it regularly advertises its protection of foreign dignitaries after their visits conclude .
The DSS has even posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harry !
I suspect that the Trump administration is trying to avoid media scrutiny of taxpayer costs entailed in protection of the two prima donnas ( as the Sun reports , they appear to have been using their protection team for shopping runs at organic delicatessens ) .
The Trump administration 's indulgence of their behavior should end .
It 's one thing to provide temporary protection for visiting foreign government officials on official business .
It is altogether another thing to subsidize Harry and Meghan 's money-earning jaunts .
If Harry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or even live in the United States , we should welcome them and do it without paying for their security .

Here's a question: Why does an administration which prides itself on "America First!" allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to take the American taxpayer for a ride?
On this issue at least, Canada's liberal prime minister is the one who is putting Canada first. I say this in the context of Canada's announcement on Thursday that it will no longer pay for protecting the un-royal-by-choice couple.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have relocated to Canada on a part-time basis following their decision to abandon most duties for the British royal family. And up until now, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the law enforcement agency responsible for Canadian protective services, has been supporting the couple's protection alongside its British counterpart.
The cost announcement suggests that Britain will either have to compensate Canada for its continued security provision or provide its own protection officers.
Canada is right. The costs here are significant, involving logistics, accommodation for protection teams, salaries for the multiple shifts required on a 24-hour basis, equipment such as armored vehicles, and a surveillance and monitoring post. Even more important, the royal couple can hardly now be regarded in the same light as their other royal counterparts and foreign government officials. They have decided, after all, to step back from royal duties and pursue a life of private jet adventures and highly paid speaking gigs.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration lacks Canada's courage on this issue. I am told that the Diplomatic Security Service, the State Department arm responsible for protecting foreign VIPs below the rank of head of state, provided protection for Harry and Meghan on a trip to a JPMorgan summit in Miami earlier this month. That trip apparently came with a rather nice $500,000 appearance paycheck for the royal couple, and you, dear taxpayer, helped make it possible.
This Miami trip alone likely cost the U.S. taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars. Adding to the complication here is the fact that Britain's Metropolitan Police Protection Command, responsible for protecting the royal family, takes advantage of U.S. security resources so as to offset its own costs. This fits with its unfortunate and dangerous tradition of underresourcing protective operations.
When I reached out to the DSS and the State Department press office, two separate State officials refused to comment on the Miami visit. This, both spokespersons said, is because "in keeping with longstanding security practice, we do not discuss details of our protective operations."
Sorry, but that's a garbage excuse. Of course the DSS does not comment on active protection missions, but it regularly advertises its protection of foreign dignitaries after their visits conclude. The DSS has even posted photos of its special agents protecting Prince Harry!
I suspect that the Trump administration is trying to avoid media scrutiny of taxpayer costs entailed in protection of the two prima donnas (as the Sun reports, they appear to have been using their protection team for shopping runs at organic delicatessens).
The Trump administration's indulgence of their behavior should end. It's one thing to provide temporary protection for visiting foreign government officials on official business. It is altogether another thing to subsidize Harry and Meghan's money-earning jaunts.
If Harry and Meghan want to make frequent trips here or even live in the United States, we should welcome them and do it without paying for their security.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--GOP fears election risk for Trump as markets tumble over coronavirus

Stock markets plunged on Thursday amid fresh warnings that the coronavirus outbreak is worsening , deepening fears among some Republican figures that a global pandemic could damage President Trump ’ s reelection campaign .
The latest market drop came a day after Trump appeared in the White House briefing room to signal he was taking control of a crisis response that had been plagued by muddled messaging .
However , his intervention , placing Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the response , raises the possibility that the White House will be held responsible for any missteps or deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders do , ” said a key 2020 campaign donor .
“ Barack Obama wouldn ’ t have done it , but , with that , comes risk.
” The fear in the White House was already that the coronavirus , which has infected 60 people so far in the United States , will turn out to be a “ black swan ” event , or a low-probability phenomenon that turns out to have unpredictable , large-scale effects .
On Thursday , those effects were a sixth day of stock market falls .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had dropped by as much as 11.2 % from record highs a week earlier .
Businesses around the world unveiled safety measures designed to prevent workers from falling ill. Facebook announced it was canceling its annual developer conference , scheduled for May in California , and Microsoft said it was pulling out of a gaming conference next month .
For a president running for reelection on a platform dominated by stock market growth and economic prosperity , the prospect of financial gloom spells electoral peril , according to a new analysis by Goldman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2Q of election years , has been a key predictor of past presidential elections , ” analysts said in a report released on Wednesday night .
“ If the coronavirus epidemic materially affects U.S. economic growth , it may increase the likelihood of Democratic victory in the 2020 election.
” Earlier , Trump had sought to play down the dangers and pushed back against his own officials , who had warned of the possibility of a “ severe ” impact on everyday life .
“ I think the stock market will recover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before conceding that the disease “ will have an impact ” on the gross domestic product .
His reassurances were welcomed by Republicans .
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said : “ I don ’ t have concerns about impacting the election .
Everybody just needs to make sure they are safeguarding themselves , washing their hands , doing all of the things necessary to prevent any sort of virus , whether it ’ s the flu that we experience every season or something like the coronavirus.
” Key figures even see a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A senior administration official said the crisis was a chance to underline the message to businesses that having China in the supply chain adds risk .
“ To be honest , while there is risk to the overall U.S. economy , the general state of the Democratic primary has most politicals in the administration feeling quite optimistic about their chances in November , ” he said .
“ The reviews for the president ’ s action yesterday , even among his sharpest critics , were largely positive .
He hit the right tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

Stock markets plunged on Thursday amid fresh warnings that the coronavirus outbreak is worsening, deepening fears among some Republican figures that a global pandemic could damage President Trump’s reelection campaign.
The latest market drop came a day after Trump appeared in the White House briefing room to signal he was taking control of a crisis response that had been plagued by muddled messaging.
However, his intervention, placing Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the response, raises the possibility that the White House will be held responsible for any missteps or deaths.
“But that’s what leaders do,” said a key 2020 campaign donor. “Barack Obama wouldn’t have done it, but, with that, comes risk.”
The fear in the White House was already that the coronavirus, which has infected 60 people so far in the United States, will turn out to be a “black swan” event, or a low-probability phenomenon that turns out to have unpredictable, large-scale effects.
On Thursday, those effects were a sixth day of stock market falls. It meant the S&P 500 had dropped by as much as 11.2% from record highs a week earlier.
Businesses around the world unveiled safety measures designed to prevent workers from falling ill. Facebook announced it was canceling its annual developer conference, scheduled for May in California, and Microsoft said it was pulling out of a gaming conference next month.
For a president running for reelection on a platform dominated by stock market growth and economic prosperity, the prospect of financial gloom spells electoral peril, according to a new analysis by Goldman Sachs.
“Economic growth, particularly in 2Q of election years, has been a key predictor of past presidential elections,” analysts said in a report released on Wednesday night. “If the coronavirus epidemic materially affects U.S. economic growth, it may increase the likelihood of Democratic victory in the 2020 election.”
Earlier, Trump had sought to play down the dangers and pushed back against his own officials, who had warned of the possibility of a “severe” impact on everyday life.
“I think the stock market will recover,” he said on Wednesday, before conceding that the disease “will have an impact” on the gross domestic product.
His reassurances were welcomed by Republicans.
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said: “I don’t have concerns about impacting the election. Everybody just needs to make sure they are safeguarding themselves, washing their hands, doing all of the things necessary to prevent any sort of virus, whether it’s the flu that we experience every season or something like the coronavirus.”
Key figures even see a potential upside for America First messaging.
A senior administration official said the crisis was a chance to underline the message to businesses that having China in the supply chain adds risk.
“To be honest, while there is risk to the overall U.S. economy, the general state of the Democratic primary has most politicals in the administration feeling quite optimistic about their chances in November,” he said.
“The reviews for the president’s action yesterday, even among his sharpest critics, were largely positive. He hit the right tone of concern but was not hysterical.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--The Senate is broken because senators broke it

Something broke the Senate .
It no longer legislates , and its members are frustrated .
Reflecting the mounting dissatisfaction with the status quo , a bipartisan group of 70 former senators recently published an in the Washington Post calling on the Democrats and Republicans who are currently in the Senate to form a “ bipartisan caucus ” to commit to making the institution work .
The letter ’ s diagnosis that the Senate is not currently functioning as the framers of the Constitution envisioned is correct .
And the former senators who signed it are right to link the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broader dysfunction in our politics .
Yet the letter ’ s superficial prescription of more bipartisanship misses what broke the Senate in the first place .
But while its solution is unlikely to fix the institution , the letter ’ s description of the problem unintentionally reveals what will .
More than 40 % of the former members who signed the letter served in the Senate at some point during the last 20 years .
Significantly , the Senate ’ s descent into dysfunction accelerated during this period .
That the letter ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ served in the institution to arrest its downward trajectory underscores the unwillingness of today ’ s senators to do what it takes to make it work .
The observed behavior of today ’ s senators suggests that they are not interested in advancing “ strongly held positions ” in committees or on the Senate floor .
By extension , senators do not “ vigorously engage in legislative combat.
” Instead , they increasingly spend their time in quorum calls and voting to confirm presidential nominees .
According to the letter , the culprit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mysterious force that prevents senators from trying to achieve their stated policy goals .
For example , the letter asserts confidently that “ Senate committees have lost responsibility for writing legislation.
” It unambiguously declares that “ filibusters are now threatened as a matter of course , and are too readily acceded to.
” And it laments the fact that “ rank-and-file members ” lack “ reasonable opportunities to advance their positions ” in the Senate .
But the letter does not identify the senators who are responsible for their institution ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which senators are preventing committees from finding their responsibility to write legislation .
Nor does the letter single out the senators who are threatening filibusters routinely or their colleagues who too readily accede to such threats .
Moreover , the letter emphasizes that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are not responsible for the Senate ’ s dysfunction .
And therein lies the absurdity of its analysis .
Its committees do not cause the Senate 's problem .
And it isn ’ t caused by rank-and-file senators or their party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one broke the World 's Greatest Deliberative Body .
It is not clear how a bipartisan caucus will fix what no one has broken .
In reality , responsibility for the Senate ’ s dysfunction rests on its members , Democrat and Republican .
That this dysfunction persists no matter who 's elected is one reason why anti-establishment politicians keep becoming so popular .
Fixing the institution requires that senators act like senators instead of victims of a mysterious force that prevents them from acting at all .
Senators are not victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrate compromise ” for it to occur .
They only need to legislate .
Compromise emerges out of the legislative process when senators debate controversial issues in committees and on the floor .
It happens when senators try to win .
It happens when they act .
Senators should ignore the counsel of their former colleagues .
They do not need another bipartisan caucus to reverse the Senate ’ s current dysfunction .
Instead , they need to be legislative warriors who are willing to engage in combat on behalf of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crucible of conflict .
It can not survive without it .
James Wallner ( @ jiwallner ) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner 's Beltway Confidential blog .
He is a senior fellow at the R Street Institute .
Previously he was a Senate aide and a former group vice president for research at the Heritage Foundation .

Something broke the Senate. It no longer legislates, and its members are frustrated.
Reflecting the mounting dissatisfaction with the status quo, a bipartisan group of 70 former senators recently published an open letter in the Washington Post calling on the Democrats and Republicans who are currently in the Senate to form a “bipartisan caucus” to commit to making the institution work.
The letter’s diagnosis that the Senate is not currently functioning as the framers of the Constitution envisioned is correct. And the former senators who signed it are right to link the malaise of their old institution to the broader dysfunction in our politics.
Yet the letter’s superficial prescription of more bipartisanship misses what broke the Senate in the first place. But while its solution is unlikely to fix the institution, the letter’s description of the problem unintentionally reveals what will.
More than 40% of the former members who signed the letter served in the Senate at some point during the last 20 years. Significantly, the Senate’s descent into dysfunction accelerated during this period. That the letter’s signatories did not act when they served in the institution to arrest its downward trajectory underscores the unwillingness of today’s senators to do what it takes to make it work.
The observed behavior of today’s senators suggests that they are not interested in advancing “strongly held positions” in committees or on the Senate floor. By extension, senators do not “vigorously engage in legislative combat.” Instead, they increasingly spend their time in quorum calls and voting to confirm presidential nominees.
According to the letter, the culprit responsible for this state of affairs is a mysterious force that prevents senators from trying to achieve their stated policy goals. For example, the letter asserts confidently that “Senate committees have lost responsibility for writing legislation.” It unambiguously declares that “filibusters are now threatened as a matter of course, and are too readily acceded to.” And it laments the fact that “rank-and-file members” lack “reasonable opportunities to advance their positions” in the Senate.
But the letter does not identify the senators who are responsible for their institution’s predicament. It does not say which senators are preventing committees from finding their responsibility to write legislation. Nor does the letter single out the senators who are threatening filibusters routinely or their colleagues who too readily accede to such threats. Moreover, the letter emphasizes that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are not responsible for the Senate’s dysfunction.
And therein lies the absurdity of its analysis. Its committees do not cause the Senate's problem. And it isn’t caused by rank-and-file senators or their party leaders. According to the letter, no one broke the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.
It is not clear how a bipartisan caucus will fix what no one has broken.
In reality, responsibility for the Senate’s dysfunction rests on its members, Democrat and Republican. That this dysfunction persists no matter who's elected is one reason why anti-establishment politicians keep becoming so popular. Fixing the institution requires that senators act like senators instead of victims of a mysterious force that prevents them from acting at all.
Senators are not victims. They do not need to “celebrate compromise” for it to occur. They only need to legislate. Compromise emerges out of the legislative process when senators debate controversial issues in committees and on the floor. It happens when senators try to win. It happens when they act.
Senators should ignore the counsel of their former colleagues. They do not need another bipartisan caucus to reverse the Senate’s current dysfunction. Instead, they need to be legislative warriors who are willing to engage in combat on behalf of the people they represent.
The Senate is a crucible of conflict. It cannot survive without it.
James Wallner (@jiwallner) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is a senior fellow at the R Street Institute. Previously he was a Senate aide and a former group vice president for research at the Heritage Foundation.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Don Trump Jr. demands apology from Democrat for 'serious altercation' threat

Donald Trump Jr. called on a Democratic representative to apologize for threatening him over a comment he made about the coronavirus .
Rep. John Garamendi , a California Democrat , said on Friday there would be `` a serious altercation '' if the president 's eldest son repeated his claim that Democrats secretly hope the coronavirus outbreak will do damage to President Trump 's reelection bid .
`` The outrageous remarks from Congressman Garamendi were beyond the pale and should be universally condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike , '' Andrew Surabian , a spokesman for Trump Jr. told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a response .
`` By threatening Don Jr. with physical violence on national TV , Congressman Garamendi made clear to everyone watching that he is better suited to represent antifa than the people of California ’ s 3rd Congressional District , '' Surabian said .
`` He should apologize immediately . ''
During a Friday morning interview on Fox & Friends , Trump Jr. , who is a Trump Organization executive , claimed Democrats `` seemingly hope '' that coronavirus will spread in the United States and lead to the death of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump 's streak of winning . ''
Garamendi was asked to respond to Trump Jr. during an interview with MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson .
“ He should not be near me when he says that , '' the California congressman said .
`` There would be a serious altercation.
” “ That is just totally outrageous .
That is totally outrageous .
I can assure you there ’ s not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick , ” he added , “ What we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this illness .
We 've known since December that there was an epidemic in China ... Don Jr. better not get any place close to me .
It would not be a healthy situation.
” The congressman 's office did not respond to an earlier request for comment .
SARS-CoV-2 , which is part of a family of coronaviruses that includes the 2003 SARS virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome , has killed more than 2,700 people and infected more than 80,000 globally .
The virus , which causes the disease known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past week , with outbreaks cropping up in Italy and Iran .
In the U.S. , California health officials are monitoring more than 8,000 people for possible infection .
There have been about 60 confirmed cases and no deaths so far in the U.S .

Donald Trump Jr. called on a Democratic representative to apologize for threatening him over a comment he made about the coronavirus.
Rep. John Garamendi, a California Democrat, said on Friday there would be "a serious altercation" if the president's eldest son repeated his claim that Democrats secretly hope the coronavirus outbreak will do damage to President Trump's reelection bid.
"The outrageous remarks from Congressman Garamendi were beyond the pale and should be universally condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike," Andrew Surabian, a spokesman for Trump Jr. told the Washington Examiner on Friday when asked for a response.
"By threatening Don Jr. with physical violence on national TV, Congressman Garamendi made clear to everyone watching that he is better suited to represent antifa than the people of California’s 3rd Congressional District," Surabian said. "He should apologize immediately."
During a Friday morning interview on Fox & Friends, Trump Jr., who is a Trump Organization executive, claimed Democrats "seemingly hope" that coronavirus will spread in the United States and lead to the death of "millions" in order to "end Donald Trump's streak of winning."
[Click here for complete coronavirus coverage]
Garamendi was asked to respond to Trump Jr. during an interview with MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson.
“He should not be near me when he says that," the California congressman said. "There would be a serious altercation.”
“That is just totally outrageous. That is totally outrageous. I can assure you there’s not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick,” he added, “What we are concerned about is the administration's response to this illness. We've known since December that there was an epidemic in China ... Don Jr. better not get any place close to me. It would not be a healthy situation.”
The congressman's office did not respond to an earlier request for comment.
SARS-CoV-2, which is part of a family of coronaviruses that includes the 2003 SARS virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome, has killed more than 2,700 people and infected more than 80,000 globally. The virus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19, has spread outside China in the past week, with outbreaks cropping up in Italy and Iran. In the U.S., California health officials are monitoring more than 8,000 people for possible infection. There have been about 60 confirmed cases and no deaths so far in the U.S.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--'Political interference': Jerry Nadler seeks testimony from John Durham about Russia inquiry review

House Democrats want U.S. Attorney John Durham to testify about his inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation .
Rep. Jerry Nadler , the chairman of the Judiciary Committee , sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Friday requesting documents and interviews with 15 officials with knowledge of cases of personal interest to President Trump .
`` The Judiciary Committee needs to examine a range of recent actions that smack of political interference , including the Department ’ s withdrawal of the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation ; intervening in the handling of the Michael Flynn prosecution ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Rikers Island ; opening investigations into career officials involved in the Russia investigation ; and a series of controversial interventions into sensitive antitrust matters , '' Nadler said in the four-page letter .
`` Our democracy is founded on the notion that no one is above the law , and strict adherence to the rule of law has separated us from all other nations , '' the New York Democrat added .
`` Attorneys General have supported this principle on a bipartisan basis throughout our history , but that principle is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long history of Attorneys General cooperating in oversight inquiries led by both Democrats as well as Republicans , and given the stakes for our nation , we expect Attorney General Barr ’ s full cooperation here . ''
Durham , a top prosecutor in Connecticut , was on the list of officials .
Nadler asked that Barr respond by March 13 `` given the urgent and serious nature of these requests . ''
A spokesperson for Durham declined to comment and referred the Washington Examiner to the Justice Department 's public affairs office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a request for comment .
Trump gave Barr “ full and complete authority to declassify information ” in the `` investigation of the investigators '' last year .
Durham was assigned to review possible misconduct by federal law enforcement and intelligence officials during the counterintelligence investigation into Trump 's 2016 campaign by Barr , who said in the spring that `` some of the facts '' surrounding the inquiry `` do n't hang together with the official explanations of what happened . ''
Following the DOJ watchdog ’ s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to focus just as much on the FBI ’ s actions after Trump ’ s election in November 2016 as before it .
Democrats have criticized the review as a politically motivated scheme to undermine the work of former special counsel Robert Mueller and attack Trump 's perceived enemies .
“ I have faith that Durham is going to get to the bottom of this , ” House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes , a California Republican , said at CPAC on Friday .
“ I really do.
” In October , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation , broadening his team to include additional agents and resources as the period of time they were examining expanded into 2017 .
Weeks later , it was revealed that Durham opened a criminal inquiry in his investigation , which gave the federal prosecutor the power to impanel a grand jury and hand down indictments .
Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith , who is believed to have altered a key document in FISA filings related to onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page , is the only person publicly known to be under criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ratcliffe , a Republican member of the House 's judiciary and intelligence panels , told Fox News on Sunday that he believes Durham is `` specifically '' looking into alleged FISA abuses , noting the Justice Department already determined that at least two of the four FISA orders targeting Page were not valid .
Durham is reportedly reviewing former CIA Director John Brennan ’ s analysis of Russian election interference , including scrutiny of his handling of a secret source said to be close to the Kremlin .
Some of the U.S. attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government eventually reached its January 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference and whether Brennan was pushing for a biased result .
The prosecutor is also focused on at least two clashes over sensitive information , according to sources cited by the New York Times , including an internal Obama administration squabble related to restrictions placed upon yet-unknown foreign intelligence by an unnamed intelligence agency and a fight over the White House preventing the FBI from viewing U.S. emails hacked by the Russians but obtained , copied , and given to the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Barr is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31 .
He was called to testify by House Democrats , who seek answers about the Justice Department 's conduct , including the scaled-back sentencing recommendation for longtime Trump associate Roger Stone and matters related to Russia and Ukraine .
Republicans have their own priorities .
According to House Judiciary Committee ranking member Doug Collins , the GOP side will focus on why the Justice Department dropped its criminal investigation into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watchdog report .
Collins told Sunday Morning Futures that he wants to hear more about Durham 's progress and whether the prosecutor has `` adequate resources '' for his investigation .
“ The Democrats ’ request today is yet another attempt to distract from the job they ’ ve failed to do , which is reform FISA and finally address the abuse that has plagued our nation over the last three years , '' the Georgia Republican said in response to Nadler 's letter .
`` The only political interference our committee should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlawful surveillance of Carter Page and the Trump campaign .
The fact that Democrats sent these requests just two days after canceling our FISA markup and putting our national security at risk is further proof that they care about one thing and one thing only : Attempting to take down President Trump .
”

House Democrats want U.S. Attorney John Durham to testify about his inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Friday requesting documents and interviews with 15 officials with knowledge of cases of personal interest to President Trump.
"The Judiciary Committee needs to examine a range of recent actions that smack of political interference, including the Department’s withdrawal of the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation; intervening in the handling of the Michael Flynn prosecution; overruling the decision to relocate Paul Manafort to Rikers Island; opening investigations into career officials involved in the Russia investigation; and a series of controversial interventions into sensitive antitrust matters," Nadler said in the four-page letter.
"Our democracy is founded on the notion that no one is above the law, and strict adherence to the rule of law has separated us from all other nations," the New York Democrat added. "Attorneys General have supported this principle on a bipartisan basis throughout our history, but that principle is now under assault. There is also a long history of Attorneys General cooperating in oversight inquiries led by both Democrats as well as Republicans, and given the stakes for our nation, we expect Attorney General Barr’s full cooperation here."
Durham, a top prosecutor in Connecticut, was on the list of officials. Nadler asked that Barr respond by March 13 "given the urgent and serious nature of these requests."
A spokesperson for Durham declined to comment and referred the Washington Examiner to the Justice Department's public affairs office. The DOJ did not immediately return a request for comment.
Trump gave Barr “full and complete authority to declassify information” in the "investigation of the investigators" last year. Durham was assigned to review possible misconduct by federal law enforcement and intelligence officials during the counterintelligence investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign by Barr, who said in the spring that "some of the facts" surrounding the inquiry "don't hang together with the official explanations of what happened." Following the DOJ watchdog’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act report, Barr said he told Durham to focus just as much on the FBI’s actions after Trump’s election in November 2016 as before it.
Democrats have criticized the review as a politically motivated scheme to undermine the work of former special counsel Robert Mueller and attack Trump's perceived enemies.
“I have faith that Durham is going to get to the bottom of this,” House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes, a California Republican, said at CPAC on Friday. “I really do.”
In October, Fox News reported that Durham expanded the investigation, broadening his team to include additional agents and resources as the period of time they were examining expanded into 2017. Weeks later, it was revealed that Durham opened a criminal inquiry in his investigation, which gave the federal prosecutor the power to impanel a grand jury and hand down indictments. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who is believed to have altered a key document in FISA filings related to onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, is the only person publicly known to be under criminal investigation by Durham.
Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe, a Republican member of the House's judiciary and intelligence panels, told Fox News on Sunday that he believes Durham is "specifically" looking into alleged FISA abuses, noting the Justice Department already determined that at least two of the four FISA orders targeting Page were not valid.
Durham is reportedly reviewing former CIA Director John Brennan’s analysis of Russian election interference, including scrutiny of his handling of a secret source said to be close to the Kremlin. Some of the U.S. attorney's scrutiny revolves around how the U.S. government eventually reached its January 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference and whether Brennan was pushing for a biased result.
The prosecutor is also focused on at least two clashes over sensitive information, according to sources cited by the New York Times, including an internal Obama administration squabble related to restrictions placed upon yet-unknown foreign intelligence by an unnamed intelligence agency and a fight over the White House preventing the FBI from viewing U.S. emails hacked by the Russians but obtained, copied, and given to the United States by an unnamed foreign intelligence service.
Barr is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31. He was called to testify by House Democrats, who seek answers about the Justice Department's conduct, including the scaled-back sentencing recommendation for longtime Trump associate Roger Stone and matters related to Russia and Ukraine.
Republicans have their own priorities. According to House Judiciary Committee ranking member Doug Collins, the GOP side will focus on why the Justice Department dropped its criminal investigation into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, as well as FISA reform following a scathing DOJ watchdog report. Collins told Sunday Morning Futures that he wants to hear more about Durham's progress and whether the prosecutor has "adequate resources" for his investigation.
“The Democrats’ request today is yet another attempt to distract from the job they’ve failed to do, which is reform FISA and finally address the abuse that has plagued our nation over the last three years," the Georgia Republican said in response to Nadler's letter. "The only political interference our committee should be examining is the FBI’s unlawful surveillance of Carter Page and the Trump campaign. The fact that Democrats sent these requests just two days after canceling our FISA markup and putting our national security at risk is further proof that they care about one thing and one thing only: Attempting to take down President Trump.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--House Democrats go full nanny state and pass overkill vape flavor ban

Nanny-state politicians in Washington already raised the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21 .
Now , as if they ’ re determined to make things worse , the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives just passed a bill to outright ban flavored e-cigarette products .
The , the “ Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 , ” was sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone , a Democrat from New Jersey .
It bans the online sale of vaping products and generally prohibits the sale and use of flavored e-cigarettes .
With 124 Democratic co-sponsors , the bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party .
But two House Republicans , Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Rep. Peter King , have backed the bill as well .
So much for individual liberty and free markets , huh ?
All this in response to the “ youth vaping crisis , ” an overhyped and exaggerated disaster led by misleading media reports .
Yes , teenagers increasingly use vaping products , and that ’ s not exactly ideal .
But vaping is 95 % healthier than traditional cigarette smoking , and almost all of the much-hyped “ vaping-related deaths ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will only become more prevalent as legal products are restricted .
Plus , current law already makes teenage vaping 100 % illegal .
Banning flavors is just regulatory overkill that won ’ t do much to discourage teenagers from vaping , but it will irreparably harm adult cigarette smokers trying to quit the much deadlier habit .
Don ’ t forget that roughly 480,000 people die in the United States every year from health problems related to traditional cigarette smoking .
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cigarette smoking .
Thankfully , though , e-cigarettes have helped mitigate and reduce smoking-related deaths in the U.S. , as they ’ ve assisted thousands if not millions of cigarette smokers in quitting or transitioning onto less-harmful nicotine products — vaping products dispense nicotine , but they do not contain the same cancer-causing chemicals as traditional cigarettes .
Writing in USA Today , one former smoker who used e-cigarette products to quit then started a vaping store , : I ’ ve met many adults in my personal life who have helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ products .
Several have told me they literally believe vaping saved their lives and that it would have been much more difficult to quit without good-tasting flavored vapes available .
House Democrats ’ latest regulatory push may be well-intentioned , and there ’ s little doubt that most folks who support flavor bans are genuinely concerned about youth vaping .
But good intentions inside , this proposed flavor ban would only make matters worse — and leave more adults hooked on dangerous , life-threatening traditional cigarettes .

Nanny-state politicians in Washington already raised the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21. Now, as if they’re determined to make things worse, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives just passed a bill to outright ban flavored e-cigarette products.
The bill , the “Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019,” was sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey. It bans the online sale of vaping products and generally prohibits the sale and use of flavored e-cigarettes. With 124 Democratic co-sponsors, the bill has the broad backing of the Democratic Party.
But two House Republicans, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Rep. Peter King, have backed the bill as well. So much for individual liberty and free markets, huh?
All this in response to the “youth vaping crisis,” an overhyped and exaggerated disaster led by misleading media reports. Yes, teenagers increasingly use vaping products, and that’s not exactly ideal. But vaping is 95% healthier than traditional cigarette smoking, and almost all of the much-hyped “vaping-related deaths” come from black-market vaping products, which will only become more prevalent as legal products are restricted. Plus, current law already makes teenage vaping 100% illegal.
Banning flavors is just regulatory overkill that won’t do much to discourage teenagers from vaping, but it will irreparably harm adult cigarette smokers trying to quit the much deadlier habit.
Don’t forget that roughly 480,000 people die in the United States every year from health problems related to traditional cigarette smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16 million people live with illnesses related to cigarette smoking. Thankfully, though, e-cigarettes have helped mitigate and reduce smoking-related deaths in the U.S., as they’ve assisted thousands if not millions of cigarette smokers in quitting or transitioning onto less-harmful nicotine products — vaping products dispense nicotine, but they do not contain the same cancer-causing chemicals as traditional cigarettes.
Writing in USA Today, one former smoker who used e-cigarette products to quit then started a vaping store, told his compelling story :
I’ve become increasingly concerned about the lack of facts about flavored nicotine vapor products and their benefits as the news media and politicians malign the products that have saved me, my customers and millions of other adults from cigarette addictions. Flavors are integral to the cessation process (I used blue raspberry to help me quit). We adult former smokers need flavors, not tobacco-tasting ones that resemble the harmful combustible tobacco cigarettes we are working hard to avoid.
I’ve met many adults in my personal life who have helped quit smoking through the use of vaping products. Several have told me they literally believe vaping saved their lives and that it would have been much more difficult to quit without good-tasting flavored vapes available.
Ample research confirms this anecdotal evidence.
House Democrats’ latest regulatory push may be well-intentioned, and there’s little doubt that most folks who support flavor bans are genuinely concerned about youth vaping. But good intentions inside, this proposed flavor ban would only make matters worse — and leave more adults hooked on dangerous, life-threatening traditional cigarettes.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Democrat threatens Trump Jr. with 'serious altercation' over coronavirus claim

A House Democrat threatened Donald Trump Jr. over his claim that Democrats hope the coronavirus outbreak will be bad enough to damage President Trump politically .
Rep. John Garamendi , a California Democrat , discussed the government 's response to the virus and how it plans to contain it during an interview with MSNBC on Friday morning .
The anchor , Hallie Jackson , asked him for his thoughts on Trump 's eldest son saying the Democratic Party hopes coronavirus “ comes here to kill millions of people so it can end the president ’ s streak of winning.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he says that , '' the congressman responded .
`` There would be a serious altercation.
” “ That is totally outrageous .
I can assure you that there is not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick , ” he added .
“ What we are concerned about is the administration 's response to this illness .
We 've known since December that there was an epidemic in China ... Don Jr. had better not get any place close to me .
It would not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
The Secret Service also did not immediately reply for comment .
Garamendi was referring to an interview Trump Jr. did on Fox & Friends earlier that morning .
`` The playbook is old at this point , but for them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump ’ s streak of winning is a new level of sickness , '' he said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat of coronavirus can destabilize the market , but the fact that the Democrats are seemingly hoping for this to happen , just like you ’ ve seen them over the last year pray for a disaster to happen in the economy , meaning people lose their Jobs , their mortgages , their livelihoods , so that they can own Trump somehow , is absolutely insane , '' Trump Jr. added .
The global outbreak has infected tens of thousands and led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases in the United States and no deaths .

A House Democrat threatened Donald Trump Jr. over his claim that Democrats hope the coronavirus outbreak will be bad enough to damage President Trump politically.
Rep. John Garamendi, a California Democrat, discussed the government's response to the virus and how it plans to contain it during an interview with MSNBC on Friday morning.
The anchor, Hallie Jackson, asked him for his thoughts on Trump's eldest son saying the Democratic Party hopes coronavirus “comes here to kill millions of people so it can end the president’s streak of winning.”
“He should not be near me when he says that," the congressman responded. "There would be a serious altercation.”
[Click here for complete coronavirus coverage]
“That is totally outrageous. I can assure you that there is not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick,” he added. “What we are concerned about is the administration's response to this illness. We've known since December that there was an epidemic in China ... Don Jr. had better not get any place close to me. It would not be a healthy situation.”
The congressman's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Secret Service also did not immediately reply for comment.
Garamendi was referring to an interview Trump Jr. did on Fox & Friends earlier that morning.
"The playbook is old at this point, but for them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning is a new level of sickness," he said.
"There’s no question that the threat of coronavirus can destabilize the market, but the fact that the Democrats are seemingly hoping for this to happen, just like you’ve seen them over the last year pray for a disaster to happen in the economy, meaning people lose their Jobs, their mortgages, their livelihoods, so that they can own Trump somehow, is absolutely insane," Trump Jr. added.
The global outbreak has infected tens of thousands and led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people around the world. There have been roughly 60 confirmed cases in the United States and no deaths.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Tim Kaine endorses Biden ahead of Virginia Super Tuesday vote

Former Vice President Joe Biden picked up a critical endorsement ahead of Super Tuesday .
Sen. Tim Kaine , a Virginia Democrat , announced he was backing Biden ahead of the critical March 3 Super Tuesday contest , when Virginia , 13 other states and entities , and American Samoa hold presidential primaries .
Kaine is the sixth senator to announce support for Biden , who represented Delaware in the chamber for 36 years before his two terms as President Barack Obama 's vice president .
In an announcement Friday , Kaine compared Biden with President Harry Truman , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , faith in the goodness of everyday Americans , and love of country made him a great president.
” Biden said in a statement that he had won the endorsement of 45 House Democratic lawmakers , who along with Senate Democrats , make up an important group of superdelegates who could end up deciding the nomination if none of the candidates wins 1,991 “ pledged ” delegates in the caucus and primary contests .
Kaine 's endorsement could prove to be critical for Biden .
Polling in Virginia has been limited but shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic socialist considered the front-runner .
A liberal-leaning polling outlet , Data for Progress , found Sanders ahead of Biden , 28 % to 19 % in a late Feb. 25 survey .
But a Monmouth University poll conducted a week earlier found Sanders tied with Bloomberg at 22 % and Biden trailing in third place with 18 % .
Kaine cited Biden ’ s role as Obama ’ s vice president in his statement of support .
“ Vice President Biden worked hand in hand with President Obama to rescue the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of people , revive creative diplomacy to keep Americans safe , tackle global challenges like climate change , and appoint high-quality people across the executive and judicial branches of our government , ” Kaine said .
“ As a senator , I saw first hand Joe ’ s role in these accomplishments.
” Polls show Biden poised to win the South Carolina primary on Saturday , which would mark his first victory in any contest so far .

Former Vice President Joe Biden picked up a critical endorsement ahead of Super Tuesday.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, announced he was backing Biden ahead of the critical March 3 Super Tuesday contest, when Virginia, 13 other states and entities, and American Samoa hold presidential primaries.
Kaine is the sixth senator to announce support for Biden, who represented Delaware in the chamber for 36 years before his two terms as President Barack Obama's vice president.
In an announcement Friday, Kaine compared Biden with President Harry Truman, “an outwardly ordinary man whose work ethic, faith in the goodness of everyday Americans, and love of country made him a great president.”
Biden said in a statement that he had won the endorsement of 45 House Democratic lawmakers, who along with Senate Democrats, make up an important group of superdelegates who could end up deciding the nomination if none of the candidates wins 1,991 “pledged” delegates in the caucus and primary contests.
Kaine's endorsement could prove to be critical for Biden.
Polling in Virginia has been limited but shows Biden trailing Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist considered the front-runner.
A liberal-leaning polling outlet, Data for Progress, found Sanders ahead of Biden, 28% to 19% in a late Feb. 25 survey.
But a Monmouth University poll conducted a week earlier found Sanders tied with Bloomberg at 22% and Biden trailing in third place with 18%.
Kaine cited Biden’s role as Obama’s vice president in his statement of support.
“Vice President Biden worked hand in hand with President Obama to rescue the American economy from catastrophe, expand healthcare to millions of people, revive creative diplomacy to keep Americans safe, tackle global challenges like climate change, and appoint high-quality people across the executive and judicial branches of our government,” Kaine said. “As a senator, I saw first hand Joe’s role in these accomplishments.”
Polls show Biden poised to win the South Carolina primary on Saturday, which would mark his first victory in any contest so far.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--GOP senator: Mark Zuckerberg admitted to bias against conservatives at Facebook

Sen. Josh Hawley said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted to him that some of his employees had displayed bias against conservatives while moderating content on the platform .
`` Conservatives should n't be shut out , '' Hawley said Friday during a discussion about Big Tech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor , Maryland .
`` We 've got ta make sure we 're getting fair treatment . ''
Hawley , a Missouri Republican , claimed Zuckerberg met with him privately on Capitol Hill last year and admitted there was bias present among employees at his company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted online by the anti-abortion group Live Action .
Hawley first made the claim last year , which prompted Live Action President Lila Rose to demand an apology .
`` If Facebook wants to make this right , they need to publicly apologize for this wrongdoing , '' the head of the anti-abortion group said at the time .
Donald Trump Jr. , who also appeared on the panel on Friday , said he doubted the censorship issue would improve .
`` It 's not just the leader at the top , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The inmates are running the asylum .
Even if [ Zuckerberg ] agrees there should not be bias , other employees are going to do what they want . ''
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , another panelist , praised Zuckerberg for his honesty but raised concerns about what large technology companies are doing with user data .
`` When someone does something right , stand up for him , '' the California Republican said .
`` If they ’ re gon na make money off what they know about us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off it , too . ''
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner .
The younger Trump , who often complains about bias against conservatives on social media , claimed Big Tech companies were a bigger threat to the average citizen than him or other prominent political figures .
`` If they can do it to someone like me , with a few million followers , what can they do to someone with 300 ? ''
he said .
`` We 're not asking for favoritism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues and win . ''

Sen. Josh Hawley said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted to him that some of his employees had displayed bias against conservatives while moderating content on the platform.
"Conservatives shouldn't be shut out," Hawley said Friday during a discussion about Big Tech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. "We've gotta make sure we're getting fair treatment."
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, claimed Zuckerberg met with him privately on Capitol Hill last year and admitted there was bias present among employees at his company that led to the censorship of videos posted online by the anti-abortion group Live Action.
Hawley first made the claim last year, which prompted Live Action President Lila Rose to demand an apology.
"If Facebook wants to make this right, they need to publicly apologize for this wrongdoing," the head of the anti-abortion group said at the time.
Donald Trump Jr., who also appeared on the panel on Friday, said he doubted the censorship issue would improve.
"It's not just the leader at the top," President Trump's eldest son said. "The inmates are running the asylum. Even if [Zuckerberg] agrees there should not be bias, other employees are going to do what they want."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, another panelist, praised Zuckerberg for his honesty but raised concerns about what large technology companies are doing with user data.
"When someone does something right, stand up for him," the California Republican said. "If they’re gonna make money off what they know about us, we should be able to make money off it, too."
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
The younger Trump, who often complains about bias against conservatives on social media, claimed Big Tech companies were a bigger threat to the average citizen than him or other prominent political figures.
"If they can do it to someone like me, with a few million followers, what can they do to someone with 300?" he said. "We're not asking for favoritism. We'll take them on the issues and win."


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--GOP voters, 2-1, want Romney punished for impeachment vote: Poll

A majority of Republicans want Utah Sen. Mitt Romney punished for voting to convict President Trump on one of two impeachment counts .
The latest Zogby Poll said 58 % believe that a penalty “ should result in some retribution , such as limiting his future role in the Senate.
” Just 27 % want no punishment , said the analysis shared with Secrets on Friday .
“ Among only Republican likely voters , we asked , ‘ Should Senate Republicans limit Mitt Romney 's future role in the Senate ( i.e .
legislation or committee chairs ) because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” pollster Jonathan Zogby told us .
Overall , a majority ( 58 % ) of Republican likely voters thought Romney ’ s vote to remove President Trump from office should result in some retribution , such as limiting his future role in the Senate , while slightly more than a quarter ( 27 % ) of Republicans did not agree , and 16 % were not sure .
Majorities of almost all demographics agreed that Romney should have a limited role in the Senate , but some groups agreed less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % no ) , suburban women ( 48 % yes/32 % no ) , and rural voters ( 46 % yes/27 % no ) all had pluralities say “ yes ” to Romney receiving retribution for his actions against the president , but with less intensity than most sub-groups .
The Republican voters who were most intense about Romney ’ s future role being limited were men ( 68 % yes/24 % no ) , weekly Walmart shoppers ( 73 % yes/16 % no ) , weekly Amazon shoppers ( 66 % yes/23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 69 % yes/21 % no ) , voters with college degrees ( 64 % yes/24 % no ) , urban voters in large cities ( 78 % yes/17 % no ) , and voters aged 30-49 ( 65 % yes/22 % no ) .
In Utah , Romey has seen support for his action , and people have even protested in favor of the senator .

A majority of Republicans want Utah Sen. Mitt Romney punished for voting to convict President Trump on one of two impeachment counts.
The latest Zogby Poll said 58% believe that a penalty “should result in some retribution, such as limiting his future role in the Senate.” Just 27% want no punishment, said the analysis shared with Secrets on Friday.
“Among only Republican likely voters, we asked, ‘Should Senate Republicans limit Mitt Romney's future role in the Senate (i.e. legislation or committee chairs) because he voted to remove President Trump from office?” pollster Jonathan Zogby told us.
His findings:
Overall, a majority (58%) of Republican likely voters thought Romney’s vote to remove President Trump from office should result in some retribution, such as limiting his future role in the Senate, while slightly more than a quarter (27%) of Republicans did not agree, and 16% were not sure. Majorities of almost all demographics agreed that Romney should have a limited role in the Senate, but some groups agreed less than others: women (48% yes/29% no), suburban women (48% yes/32% no), and rural voters (46% yes/27% no) all had pluralities say “yes” to Romney receiving retribution for his actions against the president, but with less intensity than most sub-groups.
Mitt Romney Booed At CPAC https://t.co/fgHtue4pMi — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 27, 2020
The Republican voters who were most intense about Romney’s future role being limited were men (68% yes/24% no), weekly Walmart shoppers (73% yes/16% no), weekly Amazon shoppers (66% yes/23% no), NASCAR fans (69% yes/21% no), voters with college degrees (64% yes/24% no), urban voters in large cities (78% yes/17% no), and voters aged 30-49 (65% yes/22% no).
In Utah, Romey has seen support for his action, and people have even protested in favor of the senator.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--WATCH LIVE: Trump holds South Carolina rally ahead of state's primary

President Trump will hold a `` Keep America Great '' rally in North Charleston , South Carolina , at 7 @ @ @ @ @ one day before the state 's Democratic presidential primary .

President Trump will hold a "Keep America Great" rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, at 7 p.m. EST on Friday, one day before the state's Democratic presidential primary.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--ANALYSIS: Biden can win in South Carolina Saturday and still be destroyed on Super Tuesday

Joe Biden could win big in South Carolina and score a string of victories on Super Tuesday and still fail to halt Bernie Sanders ’ s march to the Democratic nomination .
The Democratic Party awards convention-nominating delegates proportionally .
Those rules offer Sanders an opportunity to maintain the healthy delegate lead he has already built even with a loss to Biden on Saturday in South Carolina .
With Super Tuesday coming three days later , Sanders could emerge as unstoppable in the delegate chase , even if Biden slows the front-runner ’ s momentum by racking up impressive wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Sanders is positioned to do well both organizationally and financially , ” said Josh Putnam , a political scientist whose blog , FrontloadingHQ , specializes in analysis of party nomination rules .
“ Biden may be able to use a South Carolina win to springboard into Super Tuesday , but his case , and likelihood , for a large delegate haul hinges on any momentum he gains and his name recognition more than organizational bona fides or financial backing.
” After Iowa , New Hampshire , and Nevada voted , Sanders had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to secure the Democratic nomination on first ballot on the convention floor in Milwaukee .
Pete Buttigieg is a distant second with 25 delegates , followed by Biden with 15 , Elizabeth Warren with eight , and Amy Klobuchar with seven .
Another 54 delegates are up for grabs in South Carolina .
Should Sanders lose to Biden there , as recent polls suggest , he could still walk away with delegates thanks to Democratic rules .
The same is true of the Super Tuesday primaries , which are worth nearly 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The party distributes delegates proportionally to any candidate who wins 15 % of the statewide primary vote , with another batch allocated per congressional district to candidates who meet the 15 % threshold locally .
Sanders is positioned to easily surpass 15 % in nearly every consequential Super Tuesday primary .
This means that win or lose , Sanders will be picking up more delegates , making it tough for Biden to dent his lead .
And in delegate-rich California and Texas , fresh surveys show Sanders in first place and leading Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , historically , it is highly unusual for the candidate who amasses the most delegates in the early primary states to relinquish the lead .
That does not bode well for Biden , the former vice president , although he continues to attract high profile Democratic endorsements .
Michael Bloomberg is betting heavily against history and could be a factor on Super Tuesday .
The former New York City mayor skipped the early primaries and has spent nearly $ 500 million in a campaign for the 16 states and U.S. territories that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest that follow .
The money has been poured into television and digital advertising and robust field and data programs across several states that usually do not receive much attention .
“ Our campaign is building a nationwide organization to win in the primary and defeat Donald Trump in November , ” said Dan Kanninen , states director for the Bloomberg campaign .
The Democratic and Republican nominees are usually decided by the time the primaries reach a vast majority of the states .

Joe Biden could win big in South Carolina and score a string of victories on Super Tuesday and still fail to halt Bernie Sanders’s march to the Democratic nomination.
The Democratic Party awards convention-nominating delegates proportionally. Those rules offer Sanders an opportunity to maintain the healthy delegate lead he has already built even with a loss to Biden on Saturday in South Carolina. With Super Tuesday coming three days later, Sanders could emerge as unstoppable in the delegate chase, even if Biden slows the front-runner’s momentum by racking up impressive wins among the 16 primaries being held.
“Sanders is positioned to do well both organizationally and financially,” said Josh Putnam, a political scientist whose blog, FrontloadingHQ, specializes in analysis of party nomination rules. “Biden may be able to use a South Carolina win to springboard into Super Tuesday, but his case, and likelihood, for a large delegate haul hinges on any momentum he gains and his name recognition more than organizational bona fides or financial backing.”
After Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada voted, Sanders had accumulated 45 pledged delegates toward the 1,991 needed to secure the Democratic nomination on first ballot on the convention floor in Milwaukee. Pete Buttigieg is a distant second with 25 delegates, followed by Biden with 15, Elizabeth Warren with eight, and Amy Klobuchar with seven. Another 54 delegates are up for grabs in South Carolina.
Should Sanders lose to Biden there, as recent polls suggest, he could still walk away with delegates thanks to Democratic rules. The same is true of the Super Tuesday primaries, which are worth nearly 40% of all available pledged delegates.
The party distributes delegates proportionally to any candidate who wins 15% of the statewide primary vote, with another batch allocated per congressional district to candidates who meet the 15% threshold locally. Sanders is positioned to easily surpass 15% in nearly every consequential Super Tuesday primary. This means that win or lose, Sanders will be picking up more delegates, making it tough for Biden to dent his lead. And in delegate-rich California and Texas, fresh surveys show Sanders in first place and leading Biden handily.
Democratic operatives point out that, historically, it is highly unusual for the candidate who amasses the most delegates in the early primary states to relinquish the lead. That does not bode well for Biden, the former vice president, although he continues to attract high profile Democratic endorsements.
Michael Bloomberg is betting heavily against history and could be a factor on Super Tuesday.
The former New York City mayor skipped the early primaries and has spent nearly $500 million in a campaign for the 16 states and U.S. territories that will vote on Tuesday as well as the rest that follow. The money has been poured into television and digital advertising and robust field and data programs across several states that usually do not receive much attention.
“Our campaign is building a nationwide organization to win in the primary and defeat Donald Trump in November,” said Dan Kanninen, states director for the Bloomberg campaign.
The Democratic and Republican nominees are usually decided by the time the primaries reach a vast majority of the states.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-28--Californian first lady backs Warren while governor is mum on endorsement

LOS ANGELES — The first lady of California endorsed Elizabeth Warren for the Democratic Party 's presidential nomination .
In a statement released Friday afternoon , Jennifer Siebel Newsom , wife of Gov .
Gavin Newsom , announced her support for the Massachusetts senator .
California 's primary is Tuesday , along with 13 other states and entities in what could be a decisive day in the Democratic primary race .
“ I am proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren as the next president of the United States , '' she said .
“ Now , more than ever , women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , someone who will stand up for working moms , fight for our seats at the tables of power , protect our healthcare and reproductive choice , and lift up the underappreciated and often invisible contributions that women make daily to society .
There is no person better equipped to fight for us than Elizabeth.
” Newsom noted Warren 's various pledges , such as filling half of her White House cabinet with women and transgender people and her support for abortion access .
Notably , the endorsement is missing perhaps one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics : her husband .
Sources close to Gavin Newsom said he does not plan on endorsing any candidate before the Super Tuesday contests on March 3 , with one individual saying , `` He has nothing to gain from it . ''
Latest polls from the state show Sen. Bernie Sanders maintaining a strong lead over the rest of the Democratic pack .
A survey released from CNN on Friday found his support at 35 % , with Warren in second at 14 % .
California awards more delegates than any other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 494 up for grabs .
A total of 1,991 pledged delegates are needed to capture the Democratic nomination at the party 's convention this summer in Milwaukee , Wisconsin .

LOS ANGELES — The first lady of California endorsed Elizabeth Warren for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, announced her support for the Massachusetts senator. California's primary is Tuesday, along with 13 other states and entities in what could be a decisive day in the Democratic primary race.
“I am proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren as the next president of the United States," she said. “Now, more than ever, women need a champion in the White House, someone who will stand up for working moms, fight for our seats at the tables of power, protect our healthcare and reproductive choice, and lift up the underappreciated and often invisible contributions that women make daily to society. There is no person better equipped to fight for us than Elizabeth.”
Newsom noted Warren's various pledges, such as filling half of her White House cabinet with women and transgender people and her support for abortion access.
Notably, the endorsement is missing perhaps one of the biggest players in the state's politics: her husband.
Sources close to Gavin Newsom said he does not plan on endorsing any candidate before the Super Tuesday contests on March 3, with one individual saying, "He has nothing to gain from it."
Latest polls from the state show Sen. Bernie Sanders maintaining a strong lead over the rest of the Democratic pack. A survey released from CNN on Friday found his support at 35%, with Warren in second at 14%.
California awards more delegates than any other state in the Democratic primary, with 494 up for grabs. A total of 1,991 pledged delegates are needed to capture the Democratic nomination at the party's convention this summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.