npr--2020-03-02--Lessons From U.S. Hospitals Caring For COVID-19 Patients

Lessons From U.S .
Hospitals Caring For COVID-19 Patients As Americans begin to cope with the prospect that the novel coronavirus could spread more widely in the U.S. , there are questions about how prepared and sufficiently funded most hospitals are to handle severe cases in a major outbreak .
So far , several dozen people or so , across the country have been hospitalized with the virus , and at least six people in the U.S. have died .
Government health officials now say they expect significantly more cases could arise , which means that hospitals need to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hospitals handling the first U.S. patients with COVID-19 , to get their insights and advice .
Four people who were infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship are now being treated at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane , Wash .
These patients are stable for now , but `` their level of symptomatology is pretty variable , '' according to Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips , executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Providence St. Joseph Health , a network of hospitals and clinics that includes Providence Sacred Heart Medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the hospital , as opposed to at home , is the result of an abundance of caution .
`` They are n't necessarily sick enough to be in the hospital , but because the virus is new and because it 's different and nobody knows exactly how it 's going to progress and we 're still at the phase where we 're trying to prevent the genie from getting out of the bottle — trying to prevent this from becoming the next big pandemic '' — this was the appropriate step for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
George Roberts , president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials , says many hospitals around the country already are at `` surge capacity '' treating patients who are sick with the flu .
The influenza season in the U.S. usually peaks from December to February , and this year 's has been pretty typical , so far , according to surveillance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Roughly 310,000 people nationally have been hospitalized with the flu , and about 18,000 have died .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they can be for coronavirus at this point in time , '' Roberts says .
But Compton-Phillips says the strain on U.S. hospitals could increase quickly if the coronavirus starts to circulate widely .
`` The flu is terrible already , not just the sickness it causes , but how many people it kills in the U.S. each year , says Compton-Phillips .
`` And so , if we have another [ big epidemic of respiratory illness around the same time ] , it could wreak havoc . ''
That 's why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying really hard to prevent it from getting a toehold here in the States . ''
In an effort to contain the spread , patients at Sacred Heart Medical Center are in special isolation rooms designed to prevent the virus from escaping .
`` All the air is sanitized before being exhausted out , '' says Compton-Phillips , `` so that germs can not go from being in the room , through a vent system into the rest of the hospital , or out into the air of the community . ''
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to isolate patients , she says .
At the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha , 14 patients have been treated .
Four have since been cleared and released from the hospital .
Two had tested negative , but because of close contact with infected individuals were being monitored .
Two had tested positive for COVID-19 , but are now symptom-free and have tested negative for the virus in three separate tests .
Eleven people are still in the hospital quarantine unit and are being monitored .
Most have `` minimal symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shelly Schwedhelm , executive director of emergency management and bio-preparedness at Nebraska Medical .
These patients , too , are being cared for in isolation rooms with special ventilation systems .
UNMC has a total of 41 beds to isolate patients .
That wo n't be enough to treat every severely ill patient if the virus spreads dramatically , Schwedhelm says .
`` If this virus becomes a virus of pandemic potential , every health system , every organization is going to need to be all in , '' she says , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital , for that reason , are working hard right now to equip their counterparts at other hospitals .
They are `` doing a lot with education and communication , sharing resources , sharing information , '' she says — `` starting to prepare for that scenario , should it evolve . ''
The hospital has set up webinars and been in touch with many hospitals nationwide about how to prepare for a pandemic .
A recent webinar organized by UNMC and aimed at hospital staff included county , regional , and state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as some first responders .
A total of 500 participants took part in the educational event .
Schwedhelm and a physician colleague told participants to `` do the best that you can and use the resources that you have available in terms of an airborne isolation room — but , if not , do the best that you can , and that is probably going to be good enough in most cases . ''
Hospitals have plenty of experience in dealing with severe cases of flu or other infectious diseases .
Schwedhelm told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be similar in some ways .
`` Putting them in a private room , no matter what that looks like is best , '' Schwedhelm advised .
`` Certainly , getting them masked even before moving them from the front door or reception area is best .
While we do n't completely know how this virus is transmitted , like most respiratory viruses , the most important routes of transmission certainly are going to be direct contact and droplet . ''
One concern in treating even the relatively few patients who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protective gear for health care workers , including respirator masks , gowns and gloves .
Such shortages would be likely in a bigger outbreak , says Compton-Phillips of Sacred Heart , since the gear has to be thrown out after use .
`` The first patient we had — when he was doing well , it took about six changes a day per shift for nurses and caregivers to take on and take off , as they were caring for that person , she says .
`` And then , as he started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 changes per shift . ''
That 's 22 sets of protective gear thrown out in a single shift .
Most of the gear is made in China .
While there are other manufacturers in other countries , Compton-Phillips says the demand from China is so great right now that even with protective equipment made elsewhere , `` suppliers are triaging to where the need is highest . ''
She says her hospital is working hard to be `` creative , conservative and judicious '' in using the equipment .
Dealing with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says NACCHO 's Roberts .
His organization is working with local health departments to help ensure they know what to look for and how to report suspected cases .
On top of all this , he says `` we are working with our community partners to disseminate credible information , calm fears and dispel myths . ''
But public health in general is chronically underfunded , he notes .
For example , hospitals have an immediate , and ongoing , need for epidemiologists at the local level who can help with contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of stopping an expanding epidemic in its tracks , he says , is spending money now , in the early days , to do good epidemiology .
`` We need boots on the ground — people that are ready to go and deal with these situations on a day to day basis , and not just when the emergency pops up , '' he says .
`` When the emergency pops up , many times it 's kind of too late . ''
That level of staffing , of course costs money — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government now allocates to public health .
There 's a debate going on now in Congress about how much additional funding should be allocated to contain and stop the spread of the new coronavirus .
While that debate continues , Roberts says , local hospitals and communities are n't yet getting the extra money they need .

Lessons From U.S. Hospitals Caring For COVID-19 Patients
Enlarge this image toggle caption Francis Joseph Dean/Corbis via Getty Images Francis Joseph Dean/Corbis via Getty Images
As Americans begin to cope with the prospect that the novel coronavirus could spread more widely in the U.S., there are questions about how prepared and sufficiently funded most hospitals are to handle severe cases in a major outbreak.
So far, several dozen people or so, across the country have been hospitalized with the virus, and at least six people in the U.S. have died. Government health officials now say they expect significantly more cases could arise, which means that hospitals need to be ready.
NPR checked in with two of the hospitals handling the first U.S. patients with COVID-19, to get their insights and advice.
Four people who were infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship are now being treated at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash.
These patients are stable for now, but "their level of symptomatology is pretty variable," according to Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Providence St. Joseph Health, a network of hospitals and clinics that includes Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.
She says treating these patients in the hospital, as opposed to at home, is the result of an abundance of caution.
"They aren't necessarily sick enough to be in the hospital, but because the virus is new and because it's different and nobody knows exactly how it's going to progress and we're still at the phase where we're trying to prevent the genie from getting out of the bottle — trying to prevent this from becoming the next big pandemic" — this was the appropriate step for health officials to take, she says.
George Roberts, president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, says many hospitals around the country already are at "surge capacity" treating patients who are sick with the flu.
The influenza season in the U.S. usually peaks from December to February, and this year's has been pretty typical, so far, according to surveillance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 310,000 people nationally have been hospitalized with the flu, and about 18,000 have died.
"I think hospitals are getting as prepared as they can be for coronavirus at this point in time," Roberts says.
But Compton-Phillips says the strain on U.S. hospitals could increase quickly if the coronavirus starts to circulate widely.
"The flu is terrible already, not just the sickness it causes, but how many people it kills in the U.S. each year, says Compton-Phillips. "And so, if we have another [big epidemic of respiratory illness around the same time], it could wreak havoc." That's why, she say, "we're trying really hard to prevent it from getting a toehold here in the States."
In an effort to contain the spread, patients at Sacred Heart Medical Center are in special isolation rooms designed to prevent the virus from escaping.
"All the air is sanitized before being exhausted out," says Compton-Phillips, "so that germs cannot go from being in the room, through a vent system into the rest of the hospital, or out into the air of the community."
toggle caption Josh Funk/AP
There are 10 such rooms at her hospital to isolate patients, she says.
At the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, 14 patients have been treated. Four have since been cleared and released from the hospital. Two had tested negative, but because of close contact with infected individuals were being monitored. Two had tested positive for COVID-19, but are now symptom-free and have tested negative for the virus in three separate tests.
Eleven people are still in the hospital quarantine unit and are being monitored. Most have "minimal symptoms and are stable," according to Shelly Schwedhelm, executive director of emergency management and bio-preparedness at Nebraska Medical. These patients, too, are being cared for in isolation rooms with special ventilation systems.
UNMC has a total of 41 beds to isolate patients. That won't be enough to treat every severely ill patient if the virus spreads dramatically, Schwedhelm says.
"If this virus becomes a virus of pandemic potential, every health system, every organization is going to need to be all in," she says, adding that the health care workers at her hospital, for that reason, are working hard right now to equip their counterparts at other hospitals.
They are "doing a lot with education and communication, sharing resources, sharing information," she says — "starting to prepare for that scenario, should it evolve." The hospital has set up webinars and been in touch with many hospitals nationwide about how to prepare for a pandemic.
A recent webinar organized by UNMC and aimed at hospital staff included county, regional, and state public health officials nationwide, as well as some first responders. A total of 500 participants took part in the educational event.
Schwedhelm and a physician colleague told participants to "do the best that you can and use the resources that you have available in terms of an airborne isolation room — but, if not, do the best that you can, and that is probably going to be good enough in most cases."
Hospitals have plenty of experience in dealing with severe cases of flu or other infectious diseases. Schwedhelm told participants that dealing with this respiratory illness will be similar in some ways.
"Putting them in a private room, no matter what that looks like is best," Schwedhelm advised. "Certainly, getting them masked even before moving them from the front door or reception area is best. While we don't completely know how this virus is transmitted, like most respiratory viruses, the most important routes of transmission certainly are going to be direct contact and droplet."
One concern in treating even the relatively few patients who are hospitalized now is a possible shortage of protective gear for health care workers, including respirator masks, gowns and gloves. Such shortages would be likely in a bigger outbreak, says Compton-Phillips of Sacred Heart, since the gear has to be thrown out after use.
"The first patient we had — when he was doing well, it took about six changes a day per shift for nurses and caregivers to take on and take off, as they were caring for that person, she says. "And then, as he started getting sicker, it got up to 22 changes per shift."
That's 22 sets of protective gear thrown out in a single shift. Most of the gear is made in China. While there are other manufacturers in other countries, Compton-Phillips says the demand from China is so great right now that even with protective equipment made elsewhere, "suppliers are triaging to where the need is highest." She says her hospital is working hard to be "creative, conservative and judicious" in using the equipment.
Dealing with a large outbreak goes well beyond hospital preparedness says NACCHO's Roberts. His organization is working with local health departments to help ensure they know what to look for and how to report suspected cases. On top of all this, he says "we are working with our community partners to disseminate credible information, calm fears and dispel myths."
But public health in general is chronically underfunded, he notes.
For example, hospitals have an immediate, and ongoing, need for epidemiologists at the local level who can help with contact tracing and monitoring, he says. Much of stopping an expanding epidemic in its tracks, he says, is spending money now, in the early days, to do good epidemiology.
"We need boots on the ground — people that are ready to go and deal with these situations on a day to day basis, and not just when the emergency pops up," he says. "When the emergency pops up, many times it's kind of too late."
That level of staffing, of course costs money — more money, he says, than the federal government now allocates to public health.
There's a debate going on now in Congress about how much additional funding should be allocated to contain and stop the spread of the new coronavirus. While that debate continues, Roberts says, local hospitals and communities aren't yet getting the extra money they need.


npr--2020-03-03--Vaccine Requirements Are On The Ballot In Maine, After A New Law Divided Parents

Vaccine Requirements Are On The Ballot In Maine , After A New Law Divided Parents Maine residents voting Tuesday in the presidential primary will also have a chance to cast ballots on another issue : vaccine requirements .
A statewide referendum asks if voters want to overturn a new law that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions for childhood vaccines .
Molly Frost of Newcastle wants the new law to remain in place .
Her 11-year old son , Asa , has a compromised immune system .
He was diagnosed with Hodgkin 's lymphoma , a type of cancer , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three times .
Frost says Asa has undergone several rounds of chemotherapy , radiation and , most recently , a stem cell transplant .
`` He at this point has no immunity against any of the things he was vaccinated for in the past , and could get very sick from those diseases were he to catch them , '' she says .
That worries Frost , especially because her family lives in a coastal county where vaccine exemption rates are at least 9 percent — one of the highest rates in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maine legislature passed the law last year intended to protect kids like her son .
It aims to boost immunization rates of kids entering school by eliminating non-medical exemptions .
The law will go into effect Sept. 1 , 2021 — unless opponents win their repeal effort on Super Tuesday .
`` It 's a huge infringement on personal freedoms , '' says Cara Sacks , co-chair of the group that put the repeal on the ballot .
`` On medical freedom in particular . ''
The group hoping to repeal any ban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenney who want to keep the philosophical exemption for vaccines .
Kenney has used the philosophical exemption to refuse immunizations for her kids — ever since her older daughter had an adverse reaction after receiving the chicken pox vaccine at 18-months-old .
`` She could not crawl , '' Kenney says .
`` She could n't walk .
She could n't even feed herself .
And this went on for almost a year . ''
Her daughter was diagnosed with a brain injury called ataxia .
It 's listed by the Centers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event that 's known to occur extremely rarely after chicken pox vaccination ; Kenney says she received a payment from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program .
Her daughter has recovered and is now a teenager .
But Kenney also has a 4-year-old and does n't think the state should force her to get either girl vaccinated .
`` I am not sacrificing my child for the greater good of the community , '' she says .
Across Maine , though , physicians and health organizations say the new law is urgently needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more parents are using exemptions .
More than 5 % of kindergartners in Maine now have non-medical exemptions — more than double the national average .
That 's pushed vaccination rates for many diseases below 95 % — the critical threshold to achieve `` herd immunity '' within a community , and thereby avoid spreading a disease to kids who , like Asa Frost , have compromised immune systems .
Pediatrician Dr. Laura Blaisdell says she has daily conversations with parents about vaccines , but has felt helpless in recent years as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maine .
`` We have gotten to a point where there are no other solutions , '' says Blaisdell of the new law eliminating non-medical exemptions .
She is now the spokeswoman for the group fighting the repeal effort .
Maine has the nation 's second-highest rate of pertussis , a vaccine-preventable disease that 's also known as whooping cough .
Blaisdell is also worried about measles — if other states have an outbreak of that highly contagious disease , she says , it could easily travel to Maine through the millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` That sort of traffic is exactly the sort of traffic that diseases like measles would just love , '' she says .
More than $ 1 million has been spent on the referendum battle .
The campaign to preserve Maine 's new law received its initial support largely from doctors , nurses and health organizations .
In the latest campaign filings , the group got a $ 500,000 boost from the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Merck .
The trade group Biotechnology Innovation Organization , which represents the biotech industry , also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign to repeal the law , Yes on 1 for Maine , adopted `` Reject Big Pharma '' as its primary slogan .
That campaign received much of its early support from individual donations and chiropractors .
More recently , the Organic Consumers Association contributed $ 50,000 .
The Minnesota-based group has been criticized for stoking vaccine fears and causing a measles outbreak in the state 's Somali community three years ago .
The backlash that 's erupted over Maine 's new law does n't surprise Alison Buttenheim , a professor at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hesitancy and state exemptions .
When states eliminate entire categories of exemptions , she says , some people perceive that as parental rights being sacrificed for public health .
`` You sort of wonder , could Maine have taken a different policy step ? ''
Buttenheim says , `` Maybe , [ by ] making those exemptions harder to get , [ the state could have ] accomplished the same goal of coverage and disease protection — without having to go through a big repeal effort . ''
If the new law is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states that do n't allow any non-medical exemptions for vaccinations .
This story is part of NPR 's reporting partnership with Maine Public Radio and Kaiser Health News .

Vaccine Exemptions Defeated In Maine, A New Law Dividing Parents Is Upheld
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patty Wight/Maine Public Radio Patty Wight/Maine Public Radio
Voters in Maine upheld a new state law that eliminates philosophical and religious exemptions for mandated childhood vaccines. A statewide referendum on Tuesday's ballot asked whether voters wanted to overturn the law that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions for childhood vaccines. Bangor Daily News called the results with more than half of precincts reporting: 71.5% voted against overturning the new vaccine law.
Molly Frost of Newcastle wanted the new law to remain in place. Her 11-year-old son, Asa, has a compromised immune system. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer, when he was 5 and has relapsed three times. Frost says Asa has undergone several rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and, most recently, a stem cell transplant.
"He, at this point, has no immunity against any of the things he was vaccinated for in the past and could get very sick from those diseases were he to catch them," she says.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patty Wight/Maine Public Radio Patty Wight/Maine Public Radio
That worries Frost, especially because her family lives in a coastal county where vaccine exemption rates are at least 9 percent — one of the highest rates in the state. She was glad when the Maine Legislature passed the law last year intended to protect kids like her son. It aims to boost immunization rates of kids entering school by eliminating non-medical exemptions. The law will go into effect Sept. 1, 2021.
"It's a huge infringement on personal freedoms," says Cara Sacks, co-chair of the group that put the repeal on the ballot, "on medical freedom in particular."
The group was hoping to repeal any ban on non-medical exemptions and includes parents like Angie Kenney who wanted to keep the philosophical exemption for vaccines. Kenney has used the philosophical exemption to refuse immunizations for her kids ever since her older daughter had an adverse reaction after receiving the chicken pox vaccine at 18 months old.
"She could not crawl," Kenney says. "She couldn't walk. She couldn't even feed herself. And this went on for almost a year."
Her daughter was diagnosed with a brain injury called ataxia. It's listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an adverse event that's known to occur extremely rarely after chicken pox vaccination; Kenney says she received a payment from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Her daughter has recovered and is now a teenager. But Kenney also has a 4-year-old and doesn't think the state should force her to get either girl vaccinated. "I am not sacrificing my child for the greater good of the community," she says.
Across Maine, though, physicians and health organizations say the new law is urgently needed to protect public health because more and more parents are using exemptions.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patty Wight/Maine Public Radio Patty Wight/Maine Public Radio
More than 5% of kindergartners in Maine now have non-medical exemptions — more than double the national average.
That has pushed vaccination rates for many diseases below 95% — the critical threshold to achieve "herd immunity" within a community and thereby avoid spreading a disease to kids who, like Asa Frost, have compromised immune systems.
Pediatrician Dr. Laura Blaisdell says she has daily conversations with parents about vaccines but has felt helpless in recent years as she has witnessed immunization rates drop in Maine.
"We have gotten to a point where there are no other solutions," says Blaisdell of the new law eliminating non-medical exemptions. She is now the spokeswoman for the group which fought the repeal effort.
Maine has the nation's second-highest rate of pertussis, a vaccine-preventable disease that's also known as whooping cough.
Blaisdell is also worried about measles. If other states have an outbreak of that highly contagious disease, she says, it could easily travel to Maine through the millions of tourists who visit the state each summer.
"That sort of traffic is exactly the sort of traffic that diseases like measles would just love," she says.
More than $1 million was spent on the referendum battle. The campaign to preserve Maine's new law received its initial support largely from doctors, nurses and health organizations. In the latest campaign filings, the group got a $500,000 boost from the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Merck. The trade group Biotechnology Innovation Organization, which represents the biotech industry, also contributed $98,000.
Meanwhile, the campaign to repeal the law, Yes on 1, adopted "Reject Big Pharma" as its primary slogan.
That campaign received much of its early support from individual donations and chiropractors. More recently, the Organic Consumers Association contributed $50,000. The Minnesota-based group has been criticized for stoking vaccine fears and contributing to a measles outbreak in the state's Somali community three years ago.
The backlash that has erupted over Maine's new law doesn't surprise Alison Buttenheim, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She studies vaccine hesitancy and state exemptions. When states eliminate entire categories of exemptions, she says, some people perceive that as parental rights being sacrificed for public health.
"You sort of wonder, could Maine have taken a different policy step?" Buttenheim says. "Maybe, [by] making those exemptions harder to get, [the state could have] accomplished the same goal of coverage and disease protection — without having to go through a big repeal effort."
With the new law preserved Maine joins four other states that don't allow any non-medical exemptions for vaccinations.
This story is part of NPR's reporting partnership with Maine Public Radio and Kaiser Health News.


npr--2020-03-03--Bloomberg Bets $500 Million On Super Tuesday Wins, Talks About Convention Deal

No matter what happens on Super Tuesday , former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has already made history .
The billionaire philanthropist and businessman has run the most expensive self-funded campaign ever , crossing the $ 500 million mark in ad spending alone in the days before Tuesday 's contests .
`` You 've all heard the slogans , 'Mike will do it , ' 'Mike will get it done . '
And if you have n't , I 've wasted an awful lot of money , '' he quipped at a campaign stop in Tennessee over the weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview on FOX News on Monday , that even if he does n't win in upcoming primaries he has another path to the nomination – a contested convention .
`` The most likely scenario for the Democratic Party is that nobody has a majority — it goes to a convention where there 's horse trading and everybody decides to compromise , '' Bloomberg said .
He added `` it does n't even have to be the leading candidate ; it could be the one with a smaller number of delegates . ''
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swap votes and make deals . ''
Bloomberg entered the race — exactly 100 days before Super Tuesday — at a moment of Democratic anxiety about the field and former Vice President Joe Biden 's performance .
Bloomberg announced his bid as `` a new choice for Democrats , '' with a focus on competing within the moderate wing of the party .
However , on the eve of Tuesday 's primaries , Biden is in a radically different position coming out of South Carolina , with a decisive victory over Vermont Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorsements going into Tuesday .
Bloomberg 's decision to forgo the early states and run a national campaign to win the nomination has never worked before , but no one has ever tried to do it with Bloomberg 's resources , either .
`` Mike Bloomberg has not been on the ballot yet , '' campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement , noting that Bloomberg is the only candidate to campaign in all 14 Super Tuesday states .
`` Mike 's record of successfully leading and managing through crises and challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a new president . ''
What scant polling exists in Super Tuesday states suggests otherwise .
The latest NBC poll , out Sunday , had Bloomberg lagging in third place behind Sanders and Biden in Texas and North Carolina .
Biden 's nearly 30-point win over Sanders in South Carolina , however , proved that polling can be wildly off in a race where so many voters are making up their minds at the last minute .
While Bloomberg has campaigned in all 14 Super Tuesday states , he 's particularly focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary fights : Arkansas , Oklahoma and Tennessee , as well as Texas and North Carolina because of their more centrist lean .
Bloomberg made stops in all of those states in the days before Tuesday 's contests .
He has promised to build a broad coalition of Democrats , Republicans and independents — all political affiliations he has shared at some point in his life .
Christy Dunbar , a chief financial officer for a small business and a lifelong Republican who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 , attended Bloomberg 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
`` I 've crossed party lines to vote for my first Democrat for president , '' she told NPR .
Dunbar said Bloomberg was the only Democrat she would vote for in November .
`` I do not want to vote for Bernie , sorry .
I 'm not socialistic . ''
Bloomberg victories in any number of Super Tuesday states would almost certainly keep him in the race and scramble the math for clinching the Democratic nomination .
One sign of confidence : He plans to spend Tuesday campaigning in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17 contest .
However , failure to win a single state — for a campaign that staked it all on Super Tuesday — would likely leave Bloomberg with no viable path to the nomination and calls for him to drop out of the race .
`` I 'm in it to win it , '' Bloomberg said Monday at a campaign stop in Northern Virginia .
He also tweeted that he plans to campaign this week in Michigan , Pennsylvania and Florida — key swing states holding primaries in March and April .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to continue .
He has pledged to continue to spend money to elect whoever is the nominee — even if it is Sanders .
That promise has engendered a lot of goodwill from the Democratic voters who have shown up at his rallies .
`` The last election , that was n't done .
Hillary was out there by herself , '' said Dominique Frost , a business consultant who is a first time candidate for local office from Memphis , Tenn. `` So for him to say that — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operating and he would support whatever Democrat wins in the primary — I think that says a lot about him . ''

Bloomberg Bets $500 Million On Super Tuesday Wins, Talks About Convention Deal
Enlarge this image toggle caption Michael Wyke/AP Michael Wyke/AP
No matter what happens on Super Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has already made history.
The billionaire philanthropist and businessman has run the most expensive self-funded campaign ever, crossing the $500 million mark in ad spending alone in the days before Tuesday's contests. "You've all heard the slogans, 'Mike will do it,' 'Mike will get it done.' And if you haven't, I've wasted an awful lot of money," he quipped at a campaign stop in Tennessee over the weekend.
But he also signaled in an interview on FOX News on Monday, that even if he doesn't win in upcoming primaries he has another path to the nomination – a contested convention.
"The most likely scenario for the Democratic Party is that nobody has a majority — it goes to a convention where there's horse trading and everybody decides to compromise," Bloomberg said. He added "it doesn't even have to be the leading candidate; it could be the one with a smaller number of delegates." He said the rules say you can "swap votes and make deals."
Bloomberg entered the race — exactly 100 days before Super Tuesday — at a moment of Democratic anxiety about the field and former Vice President Joe Biden's performance. Bloomberg announced his bid as "a new choice for Democrats," with a focus on competing within the moderate wing of the party. However, heading into Tuesday's primaries, Biden is in a radically different position coming out of South Carolina, with a decisive victory over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and with more enthusiasm and endorsements going into Tuesday.
Bloomberg's decision to forgo the early states and run a national campaign to win the nomination has never worked before, but no one has ever tried to do it with Bloomberg's resources, either.
"Mike Bloomberg has not been on the ballot yet," campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement, noting that Bloomberg is the only candidate to campaign in all 14 Super Tuesday states. "Mike's record of successfully leading and managing through crises and challenges is exactly what Americans are looking for in a new president."
What scant polling exists in Super Tuesday states suggests otherwise. The latest NBC poll, out Sunday, had Bloomberg lagging in third place behind Sanders and Biden in Texas and North Carolina. Biden's nearly 30-point win over Sanders in South Carolina, however, proved that polling can be wildly off in a race where so many voters are making up their minds at the last minute.
Politics Bloomberg Aims To Use Coronavirus Confusion To Appear Presidential Bloomberg Aims To Use Coronavirus Confusion To Appear Presidential Listen · 3:22 3:22
While Bloomberg has campaigned in all 14 Super Tuesday states, he's particularly focused on states rarely visited by Democrats in primary fights: Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee, as well as Texas and North Carolina because of their more centrist lean. Bloomberg made stops in all of those states in the days before Tuesday's contests.
He has promised to build a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans and independents — all political affiliations he has shared at some point in his life. Christy Dunbar, a chief financial officer for a small business and a lifelong Republican who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, attended Bloomberg's rally in Blountville, Tenn., last Friday. "I've crossed party lines to vote for my first Democrat for president," she told NPR. Dunbar said Bloomberg was the only Democrat she would vote for in November. "I do not want to vote for Bernie, sorry. I'm not socialistic."
Bloomberg victories in any number of Super Tuesday states would almost certainly keep him in the race and scramble the math for clinching the Democratic nomination. One sign of confidence: He plans to spend Tuesday campaigning in Florida ahead of the state's March 17 contest. However, failure to win a single state — for a campaign that staked it all on Super Tuesday — would likely leave Bloomberg with no viable path to the nomination and calls for him to drop out of the race.
"I'm in it to win it," Bloomberg said Monday at a campaign stop in Northern Virginia.
He also tweeted that he plans to campaign this week in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida — key swing states holding primaries in March and April.
Regardless, Bloomberg's role in 2020 is expected to continue. He has pledged to continue to spend money to elect whoever is the nominee — even if it is Sanders. That promise has engendered a lot of goodwill from the Democratic voters who have shown up at his rallies. "The last election, that wasn't done. Hillary was out there by herself," said Dominique Frost, a business consultant from Memphis, Tenn., who is a first-time candidate for local office. "So for him to say that — that he would keep all of his headquarters operating and he would support whatever Democrat wins in the primary — I think that says a lot about him."


npr--2020-03-03--Supreme Court Eyes The President's Power To Say 'You're Fired!'

Supreme Court Eyes The President 's Power To Say 'You 're Fired ! '
At the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday , the Trump administration is seeking to make it easier for the president to call in the heads of the nation 's independent agencies and say those words he was famous for on TV : `` You 're fired ! ''
In particular , the administration is asking the court to restrict or reverse a decision that dates back nearly a century , and that has been repeatedly reaffirmed .
In the short run , the fate of the Consumer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the long run , so too could the fate of independent regulatory agencies that have long governed everything from monetary policy to public health and safety .
In 2008 , the U.S. economy was on the brink of financial disaster .
Following nearly two decades of deregulation , U.S. banks had been offering home loans to people with poor credit , over leveraging , and engaging in widespread , excessive lending practices , resulting in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression .
In 2009 , Congress sought to re-establish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Among the remedies enacted was a law that consolidated the consumer protection powers of seven agencies into one — the CFPB .
Placed in the offices of the Federal Reserve and funded directly by the Fed , the new agency was charged with protecting consumers and preventing a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis .
`` The CFPB had two roles .
One was to try to prevent an economic collapse of that kind ever happening again , and that was done largely through putting in place rules that safeguarded the mortgage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the irresponsible and ultimately failed lending that had occurred , '' says Richard Cordray , the first director of the CFPB .
The other , he adds , was `` to protect consumers . ''
Once in place , the bureau moved aggressively to protect consumers from bad actors in the banking and financial services sector .
A prime example : the crack-down on Wells Fargo .
The bank faced heavy fines for creating an estimated 3.5 million fake deposit accounts and fake credit cards in the names of people who did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cars of military personnel .
Also in the CFPB 's sights — bill collectors , telemarketers , and others accused of misleading consumers .
Among those facing scrutiny — Seila Law , a law firm in California , which was under investigation for allegedly charging consumers illegal upfront fees for debt relief services and for deceiving consumers about those services with misleading advertising and marketing material .
As part of its investigation , the CFPB issued a letter to Seila demanding documents .
The firm refused to comply , contending that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its director can not be fired `` at will '' by the president .
Instead , the bureau 's director , like the heads of other independent federal agencies , can only be fired by the president `` for cause '' — specifically , inefficiency , neglect of duty , or malfeasance .
Seila lost that argument in the lower courts , but now the Supreme Court will take a crack at the case .
Tuesday 's arguments will center on a longstanding Supreme Court decision that forms the basis for all independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Franklin Roosevelt tried to fire William Humphrey , one of five commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission .
Roosevelt did n't have a problem with Humphrey 's job performance .
The sole reason for the dismissal was that Humphrey had been appointed by the previous president , Republican Herbert Hoover , and was a conservative who disagreed with Roosevelt 's policy views .
Because the FTC had oversight over many progressive New Deal policies , Roosevelt wanted Humphrey replaced with his own appointee .
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the president could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could his own Cabinet or other members of his administration .
It said that Congress had created the FTC to perform quasi-judicial , quasi-legislative functions and therefore intended it to be politically independent .
The Humphrey decision has been reaffirmed dozens of times since it was decided 85 years ago .
On Tuesday , however , Seila Law and the Trump administration will argue that the Humphrey decision does not apply to the CFPB .
They say the bureau is different because its power rests in the hands of a single director , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is an argument that is likely to find support among the five conservative members of the current court .
Before joining the court , Justice Brett Kavanaugh in particular took issue with the Humphrey decision repeatedly .
But he is not alone , Justice Neil Gorsuch also believes that the executive has been unconstitutionally weakened by a surplus of independent regulatory agencies and executive branch officials that are beyond the president 's control .
Justice Samuel Alito also expressed similar views before joining the court , saying of the presidency , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ powers , but the executive power — the whole thing . ''
Supporting that view is much of the business community .
`` The theory of our government is that the popularly elected president will appoint officials and remove them if they 're not doing what he wants , '' says Andrew Pincus , who wrote a brief on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in this case .
`` If you take away the president 's power to remove someone , then you 're drastically limiting '' the president 's `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CFPB 's single-director structure makes it different from the multi-member independent agencies that dominate much of the nation 's regulatory structure .
Multi-member agencies are required to have people from different parties , he observes .
The president picks the chairman `` who has a lot of control about how [ the agency ] operates .
The terms are staggered , so most presidents will have an opportunity to appoint a number of those people . ''
And the very fact that they are multi-member agencies means there has to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that , Pincus says , `` is a check on the exercise of government power '' and none of those features exists when an agency has a single director .
The Chamber of Commerce has not asked the court to go further than distinguishing between the CFPB and agencies governed by a multi-member board .
The Trump administration , however , is willing to go all the way , if necessary , telling the court that if need be , it should reverse the 1935 Humphrey decision and make all independent federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No government defense for the CFPB Typically , the Department of Justice defends federal agencies facing legal challenges .
But the Trump administration agrees with Seila Law , meaning there was literally nobody to defend the CFPB in this case .
So , the Supreme Court appointed former Solicitor General Paul Clement , a noted conservative , to argue on behalf of the bureau .
The constitution says nothing about the president 's power to remove officers who have been confirmed by the Senate , observes Clement .
And he points out that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unique among independent federal agencies .
Among those with a single director are the Comptroller of the Currency , and the Social Security Administration .
`` The issue in this case is like the thread on the sweater that if you start tugging on it , and you tug on it hard enough , potentially , the whole sweater comes undone , '' he says .
`` The sweater here really is ... he whole alphabet soup of agencies that all have these for-cause protections . ''
Start to unravel the sweater in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and you may well end up unraveling the dozens of federal agencies that regulate everything from the nation 's health and safety to its monetary policy , including the dozens of agencies that are governed by multi-member commissions .
`` The Federal Reserve is a great example of why Congress imposes these kinds of restrictions , '' so as to protect some of our most important institutions from destabilizing political cross-currents , Clement says .
The Trump Administration , however , is willing to roll the dice .
It argues that if a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a multi-member agency , the court should reverse the 85-year-old Humphrey decision , and all of the decisions that followed it .
That would throw into doubt not just the CFPB , but independent agencies that comprise roughly a third of the government , and not just those agencies , but also , potentially , the rules and regulations that those agencies have laid down over the years .
Former CFPB Director Cordray cautions against that approach .
He points out that even The Mortgage Bankers Association filed a brief in this case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strike down the agency as a whole because it would cause chaos in the mortgage market .
The rules that are in place , we 've all adjusted to those , those are working well . ''
The Supreme Court majority likely would want to avoid a decision that causes chaos .
But the conservative court majority is comprised of five justices who , to one degree or another , have indicated a hostility to the notion of independent agencies .
The question is , how far do they want to go ?

Supreme Court Eyes The President's Power To Say 'You're Fired!'
Enlarge this image Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
At the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Trump administration is seeking to make it easier for the president to call in the heads of the nation's independent agencies and say those words he was famous for on TV: "You're fired!" In particular, the administration is asking the court to restrict or reverse a decision that dates back nearly a century and that has been repeatedly reaffirmed.
In the short run, the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau hangs in the balance. In the long run, so too could the fate of independent regulatory agencies that have long governed everything from monetary policy to public health and safety.
A new watchdog for a broken system
In 2008, the U.S. economy was on the brink of financial disaster. Following nearly two decades of deregulation, U.S. banks had been offering home loans to people with poor credit, overleveraging and engaging in widespread, excessive lending practices, resulting in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Minchillo/AP John Minchillo/AP
In 2010, Congress sought to reestablish oversight and regulation of the financial system. Among the remedies enacted was a law that consolidated the consumer protection powers of seven agencies into one — the CFPB. Placed in the offices of the Federal Reserve and funded directly by the Fed, the new agency was charged with protecting consumers and preventing a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.
"The CFPB had two roles. One was to try to prevent an economic collapse of that kind ever happening again, and that was done largely through putting in place rules that safeguarded the mortgage market and ferreted out a lot of the irresponsible and ultimately failed lending that had occurred," says Richard Cordray, the first director of the CFPB. The other, he says, was "to protect consumers."
Once in place, the bureau moved aggressively to protect consumers from bad actors in the banking and financial services sector. A prime example was the crackdown on Wells Fargo. The bank faced heavy fines for creating an estimated 3.5 million fake deposit accounts and fake credit cards in the names of people who didn't authorize them and for improperly repossessing the cars of military personnel. Also in the CFPB's sights — bill collectors, telemarketers and others accused of misleading consumers.
The CFPB under fire
Among those facing scrutiny — Seila Law, a law firm in California, which was under investigation on allegations that it charged consumers illegal upfront fees for debt relief services and that it deceived consumers about those services with misleading advertising and marketing material.
As part of its investigation, the CFPB issued a letter to Seila demanding documents. The firm refused to comply, contending that the structure of the agency is unconstitutional because its director cannot be fired "at will" by the president. Instead, the bureau's director, like the leaders of other independent federal agencies, can only be fired by the president "for cause" — specifically, inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance.
Seila lost that argument in the lower courts, but now the Supreme Court will take a crack at the case. Tuesday's arguments will center on a longstanding Supreme Court decision that forms the basis for all independent federal agencies.
In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt fired William Humphrey, one of five commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission. Roosevelt didn't have a problem with Humphrey's job performance. The sole reason for the dismissal was that Humphrey had been appointed by the previous president, Republican Herbert Hoover, and was a conservative who disagreed with Roosevelt's policy views. Because the FTC had oversight over many progressive New Deal policies, Roosevelt wanted Humphrey replaced with his own appointee.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1935 unanimously that the president could not dismiss FTC commissioners the way he could his own Cabinet or other members of his administration. It said that Congress had created the FTC to perform quasi-judicial, quasi-legislative functions and therefore intended it to be politically independent. The Humphrey decision has been reaffirmed dozens of times since it was decided 85 years ago.
On Tuesday, however, Seila Law and the Trump administration will argue that the Humphrey decision does not apply to the CFPB. They say the bureau is different because its power rests in the hands of a single director, as opposed to a multimember commission.
Preserving executive power
It is an argument that is likely to find support among the five conservative members of the current court.
Before joining the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh in particular took issue with the Humphrey decision repeatedly. But he is not alone, Justice Neil Gorsuch believes that the executive has been unconstitutionally weakened by a surplus of independent regulatory agencies and executive branch officials that are beyond the president's control. Justice Samuel Alito expressed similar views before joining the court, saying of the presidency, "the president has not just some executive powers, but the executive power — the whole thing."
Supporting that view is much of the business community.
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
"The theory of our government is that the popularly elected president will appoint officials and remove them if they're not doing what he wants," says Andrew Pincus, who wrote a brief on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in this case. "If you take away the president's power to remove someone, then you're drastically limiting" the president's "political accountability."
Pincus argues that the CFPB's single-director structure makes it different from the multimember independent agencies that dominate much of the nation's regulatory structure.
Multimember agencies are required to have people from different parties, he observes. The president picks the chairman "who has a lot of control about how [the agency] operates. The terms are staggered, so most presidents will have an opportunity to appoint a number of those people." And the very fact that they are multimember agencies means there has to be a majority in order to act. All of that, Pincus says, "is a check on the exercise of government power" and none of those features exists when an agency has a single director.
The Chamber of Commerce has not asked the court to go further than distinguishing between the CFPB and agencies governed by a multimember board.
The Trump administration, however, is willing to go all the way, telling the court that if need be, it should reverse the 1935 Humphrey decision and make all independent federal agencies completely subservient to the president.
No government defense for the CFPB
Typically, the Department of Justice defends federal agencies facing legal challenges. But the Trump administration agrees with Seila Law, meaning there was nobody to defend the CFPB in this case. So, the Supreme Court appointed former Solicitor General Paul Clement, a noted conservative, to argue on behalf of the bureau.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP
The Constitution says nothing about the president's power to remove officers who have been confirmed by the Senate, observes Clement.
And he points out that the CFPB's single-director structure is not unique among independent federal agencies. Among those with a single director are the Comptroller of the Currency and the Social Security Administration.
"The issue in this case is like the thread on the sweater that if you start tugging on it, and you tug on it hard enough, potentially, the whole sweater comes undone," he says. "The sweater here really is ... the whole alphabet soup of agencies that all have these for-cause protections."
Start to unravel the sweater in the CFPB case, he contends, and you may well end up unraveling the dozens of federal agencies that regulate everything from the nation's health and safety to its monetary policy, including the dozens of agencies that are governed by multimember commissions.
"The Federal Reserve is a great example of why Congress imposes these kinds of restrictions," so as to protect some of our most important institutions from destabilizing political crosscurrents, Clement says.
The Trump administration, however, is willing to roll the dice. It argues that if a single-member agency cannot be distinguished from a multimember agency, the court should reverse the 85-year-old Humphrey decision, and all of the decisions that followed it.
That would throw into doubt not just the CFPB, but also independent agencies that make up roughly a third of the government — and, potentially, the rules and regulations that those agencies have laid down over the years.
The end of independent agencies?
Former CFPB Director Cordray cautions against that approach. He points out that even the Mortgage Bankers Association filed a brief in this case, saying, "Whatever you do, don't strike down the agency as a whole because it would cause chaos in the mortgage market. The rules that are in place, we've all adjusted to those, those are working well."
The Supreme Court majority likely would want to avoid a decision that causes chaos. But the conservative court majority is made up of five justices who, to one degree or another, have indicated a hostility to the notion of independent agencies. The question is, how far do they want to go?


npr--2020-03-02--Pence On Coronavirus: 'Risk Remains Low,' Says Treatments On The Horizon

Pence On Coronavirus : 'Risk Remains Low , ' Says Treatments On The Horizon On the heels of a meeting with President Trump and pharmaceutical company leaders , Vice President Pence offered words of calm to the American public about the spread of coronavirus : `` The risk remains low , '' he repeated numerous times during a news conference with reporters on Monday afternoon .
Pence , who on Friday was appointed by the president to lead the Coronavirus Task Force , delivered the remarks from the White House press briefing room , where he was surrounded by many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The vice president also said treatments for COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus , could be available within the next two months .
Several pharmaceutical companies `` formed a consortium to share information '' about the development of different treatments , he said .
Despite the day 's developments of a cluster of four new deaths tied to COVID-19 in Washington state , Pence underscored that the danger to most people is minimal .
`` This is a time to use common sense , a good time to wash your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections `` are centered in very specific areas that we 're working to identify the source on , '' he said , clarifying that 29 cases are concentrated in California or Washington .
As of Monday afternoon , six people in the U.S. had died after contracting the respiratory disease , all of which occurred at the same hospital in Kirkland , Wash. Across the country , there are 43 cases of COVID-19 detected in the U.S. , according to the latest figures from the task force .
Seventeen of those are `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and 26 `` are believed to have been spread `` person-to-person , '' Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during the same news conference .
Pence also sought to quell fears about the virus arriving in the U.S. from foreign shores .
Since January , U.S. airports have been screening travelers from China , where the disease was first detected .
However , in recent weeks , South Korea and Italy have also seen a surge in cases .
`` Within the next 12 hours there will be 100 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airports in Italy and South Korea , '' Pence said .
New flexibility designed to spur the capacity to test for coronavirus means that close to a million test kits will be available by the end of the week , Stephen Hahn , the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , told reporters .
`` Get it done .
We need it .
We want it fast '' Meanwhile , in the meeting with 10 pharmaceutical industry leaders , the president urged executives to work together to quickly develop treatments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done .
We need it .
We want it fast , '' Trump told the executives at the end of a lengthy roundtable session .
`` Anybody delays you – please call me , '' he said .
National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci cautioned the president that it would take a year or more to develop a vaccine , no matter how quickly the companies work .
However , the president , speaking to supporters later in Charlotte , N.C. , said : `` They 're gon na have vaccines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He promised `` something that makes you better '' even sooner .
In an apparent attempt to put the virus in context , Trump also noted that tens of thousands of Americans die each year of the flu , a fact he said was new information for him : `` Nobody knew that ; I did n't know that , '' he said .
In Congress , appropriations House aides say they are close to unveiling a supplemental funding bill to address the coronavirus crisis as early as Tuesday , and expect to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plan .
A congressional aide familiar with the negotiation says the package will be worth between $ 7 billion and $ 8 billion .
But things are moving more slowly on the Senate side , where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects the chamber to pick up a funding bill in the `` coming two weeks . ''
He also noted appropriations members and staff worked on a supplemental funding plan throughout the weekend .
Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy , the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus funding plan `` ideally this week . ''
If not , he said it could come to a vote by early next week , suggesting lawmakers should work through the weekend if it is n't finished by Friday .
Trump said he hopes the Federal Reserve considers stimulus measures to bolster the economy , which has taken a hit due to the epidemic .
He said , without providing details , that he would consider more restrictions for travelers from some countries hit hard by the virus .
Claudia Grisales , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keith contributed to this report .

Pence On Coronavirus: 'Risk Remains Low,' Says Treatments On The Horizon
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
Updated at 8:20 p.m. ET
On the heels of a meeting with President Trump and pharmaceutical company leaders, Vice President Pence offered words of calm to the American public about the spread of coronavirus: "The risk remains low," he repeated numerous times during a news conference with reporters on Monday afternoon.
Pence, who on Friday was appointed by the president to lead the Coronavirus Task Force, delivered the remarks from the White House press briefing room, where he was surrounded by many of the nation's top health officials.
The vice president also said treatments for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, could be available within the next two months. Several pharmaceutical companies "formed a consortium to share information" about the development of different treatments, he said.
Coronavirus COVID-19 clusters
Despite the day's developments of a cluster of four new deaths tied to COVID-19 in Washington state, Pence underscored that the danger to most people is minimal.
"This is a time to use common sense, a good time to wash your hands," Pence said.
The infections "are centered in very specific areas that we're working to identify the source on," he said, clarifying that 29 cases are concentrated in California or Washington.
As of Monday afternoon, six people in the U.S. had died after contracting the respiratory disease, all of which occurred at the same hospital in Kirkland, Wash.
Across the country, there are 43 cases of COVID-19 detected in the U.S., according to the latest figures from the task force. Seventeen of those are "travel related in one way or another" and 26 "are believed to have been spread "person-to-person," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during the same news conference.
Pence also sought to quell fears about the virus arriving in the U.S. from foreign shores.
Since January, U.S. airports have been screening travelers from China, where the disease was first detected. However, in recent weeks, South Korea and Italy have also seen a surge in cases.
"Within the next 12 hours there will be 100% screening on all direct flights across all airports in Italy and South Korea," Pence said.
New flexibility designed to spur the capacity to test for coronavirus means that close to a million test kits will be available by the end of the week, Stephen Hahn, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told reporters.
"Get it done. We need it. We want it fast"
Meanwhile, in the meeting with 10 pharmaceutical industry leaders, the president urged executives to work together to quickly develop treatments and vaccines for coronavirus.
"Get it done. We need it. We want it fast," Trump told the executives at the end of a lengthy roundtable session.
"Anybody delays you – please call me," he said.
National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci cautioned the president that it would take a year or more to develop a vaccine, no matter how quickly the companies work.
However, the president, speaking to supporters later in Charlotte, N.C., said: "They're gonna have vaccines, I think, relatively soon."
He promised "something that makes you better" even sooner.
In an apparent attempt to put the virus in context, Trump also noted that tens of thousands of Americans die each year of the flu, a fact he said was new information for him: "Nobody knew that; I didn't know that," he said.
Lawmakers work toward consensus on funding
In Congress, appropriations House aides say they are close to unveiling a supplemental funding bill to address the coronavirus crisis as early as Tuesday, and expect to be the first chamber to offer up the plan. A congressional aide familiar with the negotiation says the package will be worth between $7 billion and $8 billion.
But things are moving more slowly on the Senate side, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects the chamber to pick up a funding bill in the "coming two weeks." He also noted appropriations members and staff worked on a supplemental funding plan throughout the weekend.
Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says he hopes the Senate will vote on the coronavirus funding plan "ideally this week." If not, he said it could come to a vote by early next week, suggesting lawmakers should work through the weekend if it isn't finished by Friday.
Trump said he hopes the Federal Reserve considers stimulus measures to bolster the economy, which has taken a hit due to the epidemic.
He said, without providing details, that he would consider more restrictions for travelers from some countries hit hard by the virus.
NPR's Claudia Grisales, Kelsey Snell, Ayesha Rascoe, Sarah McCammon and Tamara Keith contributed to this report.


npr--2020-03-02--Supreme Court Considers Writing Itself Out Of Speedy Deportation Cases

Supreme Court Considers Writing Itself Out Of Speedy Deportation Cases In a potentially historic case , the Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on the Trump administration 's policy of speeding deportations of asylum seekers without them ever having a chance to have their cases heard by a judge .
At the heart of the case is the right of habeas corpus , embedded in the Constitution , which guarantees that people who are held by the government have the right to go to court asking to be released .
A long line of Supreme Court cases protects that right — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States illegally and even for those detained at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , after 9/11 .
Monday 's case involved a Sri Lankan farmer — Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam — who was abducted from his fields , blindfolded by men in a white van , interrogated about his political activities , and beaten so badly with wooden sticks that he spent 11 days in a hospital .
Thuraissigiam is Tamil , an ethnic minority that has long been persecuted by the majority Sinhalese government in Sri Lanka .
The beating he alleges follows a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Tamils by security forces in Sri Lanka .
After the beating , Thuraissigiam traveled for seven months to get to Mexico , where he crossed the border into the U.S. , was arrested , and asked for political asylum .
A 2004 immigration policy targets any undocumented immigrant picked up within 100 miles of the border and within 14 days of entering the country for quick deportation .
The Trump administration has sought to expand the deportation policy so that undocumented immigrants anywhere in the U.S can be picked up for any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years after their arrival .
Thuraissigiam 's case illustrates the speed of the expedited deportation proceedings that have become routine .
Following a quick hearing with no lawyer present , an immigration officer denied Thuraissigiam 's asylum claim — finding that he did not `` credibl [ y ] fear '' for his life if he were returned to his home country and therefore did not merit asylum .
After a 13-minute hearing , an immigration judge — an executive branch officer , distinct from a traditional judge — upheld that decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his arrival , Thuraissigiam was ordered deported back to Sri Lanka .
He filed a habeas petition alleging that the denial of his asylum claim was due to the immigration officer 's failure to properly carry out the asylum interview .
The district court ruled that even though Thuraissigiam had raised valid legal concerns , he was not entitled to have a judge review his case because he was subject to expedited removal .
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals , however , intervened .
It ruled that under the U.S. Constitution Thuraissigiam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim reviewed by the judiciary in order to ensure that , at the very least , legal errors were not made by the immigration officers who handled his case .
At the Supreme Court Monday , Thuraissigiam 's lawyer , Lee Gelernt of the ACLU , told the justices that the case is of historic importance .
`` There has never been a time in the history of this country when a non-citizen could be forcibly removed and deported , especially where they 're in danger , without any court at any time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Gelernt told NPR after arguments .
Inside the court , Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler , representing the Trump administration , told the justices that under the immigration statute , there is no right to judicial review .
`` Come on , '' interjected Justice Stephen Breyer .
What if an immigration official `` behaved unlawfully , '' ruled against the asylum seeker `` for religious reasons '' ... would there really be no recourse for judicial review ?
Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that `` what he 's challenging is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' not the final decision of whether he gets to stay .
Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked whether `` as a pure matter of law , '' if , for example , there was no interview conducted at all , could there be an appeal to a judge ?
`` No , '' replied Kneedler .
In writing the statute , Congress did not provide for habeas corpus relief in the federal courts , and `` Congress ' judgement should count for something . ''
Justice Sotomayor shot back , `` Should n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The writ of habeas corpus is there `` to ensure that the executive acts according to law .
What 's left if you tell me there are laws '' but the courts ca n't review `` whether those laws are being followed . ''
Kneedler however , said that Congress designed the system to be `` quick screening . ''
He argued that there are 9,000 rulings against asylum seekers each year , and a Supreme Court decision that would allow judicial review of those rulings would `` bog down the system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , he disputed that , noting that of those 9,000 cases where people were denied asylum , only 30 had sought judicial review under the Ninth Circuit 's ruling that allowed such appeals .
Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out , however , that Thuraissigiam `` does not have a right to be to be in the United States . ''
`` That 's beside the point , '' said Gelernt , habeas was put into the Constitution `` to ensure that the law is followed . ''
In this context @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be review at least for gross misapplication of the statute . ''
And here , he said , `` no reasonable adjudicator '' would have seen this case as failing to meet the criteria for asylum .
Gelernt conceded that Congress and the president have `` enormous power in the immigration area . ''
But , he noted , the Supreme Court has never allowed the political branches to `` remove a check on themselves . ''
A decision in the case is expected by summer .

Supreme Court Considers Writing Itself Out Of Speedy Deportation Cases
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP
In a potentially historic case, the Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on the Trump administration's policy of speeding deportations of asylum seekers without them ever having a chance to have their cases heard by a judge.
At the heart of the case is the right of habeas corpus, embedded in the Constitution, which guarantees that people who are held by the government have the right to go to court asking to be released. A long line of Supreme Court cases protects that right — including for people who are in the United States illegally and even for those detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after 9/11.
Monday's case involved a Sri Lankan farmer — Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam — who was abducted from his fields, blindfolded by men in a white van, interrogated about his political activities, and beaten so badly with wooden sticks that he spent 11 days in a hospital.
Thuraissigiam is Tamil, an ethnic minority that has long been persecuted by the majority Sinhalese government in Sri Lanka. The beating he alleges follows a pattern of "white van" abductions of Tamils by security forces in Sri Lanka. After the beating, Thuraissigiam traveled for seven months to get to Mexico, where he crossed the border into the U.S., was arrested, and asked for political asylum.
A 2004 immigration policy targets any undocumented immigrant picked up within 100 miles of the border and within 14 days of entering the country for quick deportation. The Trump administration has sought to expand the deportation policy so that undocumented immigrants anywhere in the U.S can be picked up for any reason up and quickly deported up to two years after their arrival.
Thuraissigiam's case illustrates the speed of the expedited deportation proceedings that have become routine. Following a quick hearing with no lawyer present, an immigration officer denied Thuraissigiam's asylum claim — finding that he did not "credibl[y] fear" for his life if he were returned to his home country and therefore did not merit asylum. After a 13-minute hearing, an immigration judge — an executive branch officer, distinct from a traditional judge — upheld that decision. And so, a month after his arrival, Thuraissigiam was ordered deported back to Sri Lanka.
He filed a habeas petition alleging that the denial of his asylum claim was due to the immigration officer's failure to properly carry out the asylum interview. The district court ruled that even though Thuraissigiam had raised valid legal concerns, he was not entitled to have a judge review his case because he was subject to expedited removal.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, intervened. It ruled that under the U.S. Constitution Thuraissigiam has a right to have his asylum claim reviewed by the judiciary in order to ensure that, at the very least, legal errors were not made by the immigration officers who handled his case.
At the Supreme Court Monday, Thuraissigiam's lawyer, Lee Gelernt of the ACLU, told the justices that the case is of historic importance.
"There has never been a time in the history of this country when a non-citizen could be forcibly removed and deported, especially where they're in danger, without any court at any time looking at whether the deportation is legal," Gelernt told NPR after arguments.
Inside the court, Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler, representing the Trump administration, told the justices that under the immigration statute, there is no right to judicial review.
"Come on," interjected Justice Stephen Breyer. What if an immigration official "behaved unlawfully," ruled against the asylum seeker "for religious reasons" ... would there really be no recourse for judicial review?
Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that "what he's challenging is whether he's getting a fair hearing," not the final decision of whether he gets to stay.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked whether "as a pure matter of law," if, for example, there was no interview conducted at all, could there be an appeal to a judge?
"No," replied Kneedler. In writing the statute, Congress did not provide for habeas corpus relief in the federal courts, and "Congress' judgement should count for something."
Justice Sotomayor shot back, "Shouldn't this court count for something?" The writ of habeas corpus is there "to ensure that the executive acts according to law. What's left if you tell me there are laws" but the courts can't review "whether those laws are being followed."
Kneedler however, said that Congress designed the system to be "quick screening." He argued that there are 9,000 rulings against asylum seekers each year, and a Supreme Court decision that would allow judicial review of those rulings would "bog down the system."
When opposing counsel Galernt got up, however, he disputed that, noting that of those 9,000 cases where people were denied asylum, only 30 had sought judicial review under the Ninth Circuit's ruling that allowed such appeals.
Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out, however, that Thuraissigiam "does not have a right to be to be in the United States."
"That's beside the point," said Gelernt, habeas was put into the Constitution "to ensure that the law is followed." In this context, he added, "there has to be review at least for gross misapplication of the statute." And here, he said, "no reasonable adjudicator" would have seen this case as failing to meet the criteria for asylum.
Gelernt conceded that Congress and the president have "enormous power in the immigration area." But, he noted, the Supreme Court has never allowed the political branches to "remove a check on themselves."
A decision in the case is expected by summer.


npr--2020-03-02--The Recording Academy Fires Deborah Dugan, Its Short-Lived Leader

The president and CEO who was brought in to change the culture behind the Grammy Awards — and whose tenure lasted only five months — has been fired .
The Recording Academy , the non-profit organization which gives out the awards , said in an announcement to its membership today that it had commissioned `` two exhaustive , costly independent investigations relating to Ms. Dugan and the allegations made against her and by her . ''
That phrase refers to a complex and chaotic volley of accusations and counter-accusations between Dugan and the Academy which transfixed the American music industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 16 , just days before the 2020 awards were given out .
At the time , the Academy said that she was suspended due to `` a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team , '' and that she had been placed on administrative leave .
On Jan. 21 , Dugan filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Academy .
That filing contained a number of bombshell accusations , including that her predecessor , Neil Portnow , raped a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was pressed to hire Portnow as a consultant for $ 750,000 by the Academy 's then-board chair , John Poppo ; and that the Academy 's general counsel and former board chair , Joel Katz , sexually harassed Dugan in May 2019 , as she was being courted for the top Academy job .
Both Portnow and Katz have strongly denied Dugan 's allegations ; Portnow has said that he was exonerated by an independent investigation .
Dugan also alleged that the Grammy nominating and voting process itself was `` rigged '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Recording Academy has denied .
In a statement on Monday afternoon , Dugan 's attorney , Douglas Wigdor , said : `` The Academy 's decision to terminate Ms. Dugan and immediately leak that information to the press further demonstrates that it will stop at nothing to protect and maintain a culture of misogyny , discrimination , sexual harassment , corruption and conflicts of interest .
The decision is despicable and , in due course , the Academy , its leadership and its attorneys will be held accountable under the law . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Academy , she promised a new era of transparency , diversity and inclusivity at the Grammys .
In a Monday letter that the Academy 's executive committee addressed to its members , the organization said that the board 's decision to fire Dugan was due in part to the simultaneous investigations .
According to the Academy , those were led by unnamed `` experienced individuals with no prior relationship to the Academy , '' who had interviewed 37 witnesses in total , and that they had reviewed `` numerous '' documents and emails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide any information about the results of those investigations .
According to Dugan 's EEOC complaint , the investigators were selected by the law firm Proskauer Rose .
A partner at Proskauer Rose , Charles Ortner , serves as national legal counsel to the Academy .
Records show the law firm also worked for the Academy in the past , charging over $ 900,000 in 2017 and over $ 870,000 in 2016 , the most recent years for which financial information is available .
The Recording Academy requested that NPR submit questions about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations by email .
The Academy said that both investigations have concluded , and that `` all [ Dugan's ' ] allegations against the Recording Academy are categorically false and that the allegations made against her are true . ''
In a press statement Monday , Tammy Hurt , the vice chair of the Academy 's national board of trustees , said : `` The investigation overwhelmingly confirmed the serious complaints that had been lodged against her by a multitude of Academy staff members . ''
In its email exchange with NPR , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dugan `` revealed a multitude of allegations across the Recording Academy 's staff that are consistent with those made earlier . ''
The organization declined to say how many individuals made accusations against Dugan , or what the allegations were .
This appears to be the first public statement by the Grammys organization that more than one person has made allegations against Dugan .
The Academy declined to confirm that , writing instead : `` The independent investigation has confirmed it and that is new . ''
It also said that it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legally allowed to , including what 's in today 's letter to members , '' though it did not give a timeline for that information to be shared .
The Recording Academy also said in its letter to its membership that Dugan had exhibited `` consistent management deficiencies and failures '' during the five months that she was at the Academy .
In 2018 , the Academy formed a task force to address diversity and inclusion at the organization and its awards .
Referring to that work in its letter , the organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we will initiate a search for a new president/CEO who will leverage the Academy 's diverse membership and rich history and help us transform it to better serve our members today and into the future .
As we structure this new search , we will look carefully to see where the last one led us astray and make any necessary changes going forward .
... From this point forward , our focus will be on moving forward with the transformation agenda we initiated prior to hiring Ms. Dugan , and on working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this work has been happening but much of it is yet to come .
We realize that we are not perfect , but we want you to know that our attention and energy will remain squarely on you and on the positive changes we are making together . ''
In a statement this afternoon , Dugan said in part : `` While I am disappointed by this latest development , I am not surprised given the Academy 's pattern of dealing with whistleblowers .
Is anyone surprised that its purported investigators did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims of conflicts of interest and voting irregularities ? ''
Dugan continued with a reference to her Academy predecessor , Neil Portnow , who infamously said that women in the music industry needed to `` step up '' to be recognized : `` Instead of trying to reform the corrupt institution from within , I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal , taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate against women and people of color .
Artists deserve better .
To me , this is the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The Recording Academy Fires Deborah Dugan, Its Short-Lived Leader
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Kim/Getty Images for the Recording Academy Rob Kim/Getty Images for the Recording Academy
The president and CEO who was brought in to change the culture behind the Grammy Awards — and whose tenure lasted only five months — has been fired.
The Recording Academy, the non-profit organization which gives out the awards, said in an announcement to its membership today that it had commissioned "two exhaustive, costly independent investigations relating to Ms. Dugan and the allegations made against her and by her."
That phrase refers to a complex and chaotic volley of accusations and counter-accusations between Dugan and the Academy which transfixed the American music industry several weeks ago.
Dugan was suspended on Jan. 16, just days before the 2020 awards were given out. At the time, the Academy said that she was suspended due to "a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team," and that she had been placed on administrative leave.
On Jan. 21, Dugan filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Academy. That filing contained a number of bombshell accusations, including that her predecessor, Neil Portnow, raped a female artist in New York; that she was pressed to hire Portnow as a consultant for $750,000 by the Academy's then-board chair, John Poppo; and that the Academy's general counsel and former board chair, Joel Katz, sexually harassed Dugan in May 2019, as she was being courted for the top Academy job. Both Portnow and Katz have strongly denied Dugan's allegations; Portnow has said that he was exonerated by an independent investigation.
Dugan also alleged that the Grammy nominating and voting process itself was "rigged" and "corrupt," which the Recording Academy has denied.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, Dugan's attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said: "The Academy's decision to terminate Ms. Dugan and immediately leak that information to the press further demonstrates that it will stop at nothing to protect and maintain a culture of misogyny, discrimination, sexual harassment, corruption and conflicts of interest. The decision is despicable and, in due course, the Academy, its leadership and its attorneys will be held accountable under the law."
When Dugan was named to lead the Academy, she promised a new era of transparency, diversity and inclusivity at the Grammys.
In a Monday letter that the Academy's executive committee addressed to its members, the organization said that the board's decision to fire Dugan was due in part to the simultaneous investigations. According to the Academy, those were led by unnamed "experienced individuals with no prior relationship to the Academy," who had interviewed 37 witnesses in total, and that they had reviewed "numerous" documents and emails. However, the letter does not provide any information about the results of those investigations.
According to Dugan's EEOC complaint, the investigators were selected by the law firm Proskauer Rose. A partner at Proskauer Rose, Charles Ortner, serves as national legal counsel to the Academy. Records show the law firm also worked for the Academy in the past, charging over $900,000 in 2017 and over $870,000 in 2016, the most recent years for which financial information is available.
The Recording Academy requested that NPR submit questions about Dugan's firing and about the two investigations by email. The Academy said that both investigations have concluded, and that "all [Dugan's'] allegations against the Recording Academy are categorically false and that the allegations made against her are true."
In a press statement Monday, Tammy Hurt, the vice chair of the Academy's national board of trustees, said: "The investigation overwhelmingly confirmed the serious complaints that had been lodged against her by a multitude of Academy staff members."
In its email exchange with NPR, the Academy said that the investigation against Dugan "revealed a multitude of allegations across the Recording Academy's staff that are consistent with those made earlier." The organization declined to say how many individuals made accusations against Dugan, or what the allegations were.
This appears to be the first public statement by the Grammys organization that more than one person has made allegations against Dugan. The Academy declined to confirm that, writing instead: "The independent investigation has confirmed it and that is new." It also said that it has committed to releasing "everything it is legally allowed to, including what's in today's letter to members," though it did not give a timeline for that information to be shared.
The Recording Academy also said in its letter to its membership that Dugan had exhibited "consistent management deficiencies and failures" during the five months that she was at the Academy.
In 2018, the Academy formed a task force to address diversity and inclusion at the organization and its awards. Referring to that work in its letter, the organization continued, "In the coming days, we will initiate a search for a new president/CEO who will leverage the Academy's diverse membership and rich history and help us transform it to better serve our members today and into the future. As we structure this new search, we will look carefully to see where the last one led us astray and make any necessary changes going forward. ... From this point forward, our focus will be on moving forward with the transformation agenda we initiated prior to hiring Ms. Dugan, and on working to improve the Academy. Much of this work has been happening but much of it is yet to come. We realize that we are not perfect, but we want you to know that our attention and energy will remain squarely on you and on the positive changes we are making together."
In a statement this afternoon, Dugan said in part: "While I am disappointed by this latest development, I am not surprised given the Academy's pattern of dealing with whistleblowers. Is anyone surprised that its purported investigators did not include interviewing me or addressing the greater claims of conflicts of interest and voting irregularities?"
Dugan continued with a reference to her Academy predecessor, Neil Portnow, who infamously said that women in the music industry needed to "step up" to be recognized: "Instead of trying to reform the corrupt institution from within, I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal, taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate against women and people of color. Artists deserve better. To me, this is the real meaning of 'stepping up.'"


npr--2020-03-03--LISTEN: Super Tuesday Live Coverage

LISTEN: Super Tuesday Live Coverage

Super Tuesday is here , and voters in 14 states and one territory are heading to the ballot box on @ @ @ @ @ important day of the Democratic presidential primary .
Listen to NPR 's live coverage of @ @ @ @ @ .
Follow along with our live blog for the latest updates , analysis and results @ @ @ @ @ has shrunk considerably since South Carolina 's primary just four days ago .
Billionaire businessman @ @ @ @ @ his campaign on Saturday after failing to receive any delegates in the state 's primary @ @ @ @ @ Bend , Ind.
, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar , D-Minn. , both @ @ @ @ @ and Monday , respectively .
Voters will also find a new name on their ballots @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Mike Bloomberg , who did n't compete in any of the first four states @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of millions of dollars saturating the airwaves with ads in Super Tuesday states .

LISTEN: Super Tuesday Live Coverage
Enlarge this image toggle caption Caroline Amenabar/NPR Caroline Amenabar/NPR
Super Tuesday is here, and voters in 14 states and one territory are heading to the ballot box on what could be the most important day of the Democratic presidential primary.
Listen to NPR's live coverage of the Super Tuesday races here.
Live Coverage Of Super Tuesday
Follow along with our live blog for the latest updates, analysis and results.
The field of candidates has shrunk considerably since South Carolina's primary just four days ago. Billionaire businessman and activist Tom Steyer suspended his campaign on Saturday after failing to receive any delegates in the state's primary. Meanwhile, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., both suspended their campaigns on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Voters will also find a new name on their ballots: former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who didn't compete in any of the first four states, but who has spent hundreds of millions of dollars saturating the airwaves with ads in Super Tuesday states.