memeorandum: White House takes aggressive public posture amid new coronavirus spread (Nihar Kabinittal/ABC News)

6:05 PM ET, March 2, 2020

Top Items:

Democratic Primary Voters Flock Back to Biden After South Carolina Victory — Former VP pulls within striking distance of Sanders in national poll — Getty Images / Morning Consult illustration by Samantha Elbouez — 26% of Democratic primary voters nationwide are backing former Vice …

Discussion: NBC News, National Review, OpenSecrets.org, The Nation, The Hill and The B|E note

Seema Mehta / Los Angeles Times:

Harry Reid endorses Joe Biden for president; Amy Klobuchar also plans to back him — Former Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid endorsed Joe Biden's presidential bid on Monday, saying the former vice president's resume and stability make him the best candidate to beat President Trump.

Discussion: Townhall, The Hill, Daily Kos, HuffPost and Political Wire

New York Times:

Amy Klobuchar Drops Out of Presidential Race and Plans to Endorse Biden — Ms. Klobuchar made her decision hours before Super Tuesday. She shocked the primary field with a third-place finish in New Hampshire, but ultimately could not compete with better-funded rivals.

The Nation:

‘The Nation’ Endorses Bernie Sanders and His Movement — We are proud to endorse Sanders, a democratic socialist with a program both realistic and radical enough to meet the challenges of our time. — EDITOR'S NOTE: We've put a lot of thought into our endorsement, and we want you to know why.

Discussion: Common Dreams, The Hill, Paste, NBC News and Slate

Elie Mystal / The Nation:

Black Voters Didn't Vote for Biden in South Carolina Because They ‘Lack Information’ — Black voters opted for Biden because they have no faith that white voters will do the right thing and vote for a true progressive. — Joe Biden smashed the competition in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary over the weekend.

Discussion: NPR, National Review and The Guardian

William Kristol / The Bulwark:

The Simple Answer — Don't overthink your Super Tuesday vote. — “They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers.” — You are a normal American. You don't like demagogues of the right or the left.

Discussion: The Week and Althouse

Ginger Gibson / Reuters:

Pete Buttigieg plans to endorse Joe Biden in Democratic primary — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg plans to endorse Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential nominating contest on Monday, shortly after ending his own bid for the White House, a top Buttigieg adviser told Reuters.

Discussion: HuffPost, Fox News, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, National Review and USA Today

Amy Wang / Washington Post:

Amy Klobuchar drops out of presidential race, will endorse Joe Biden — Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota who cast herself as a Midwestern pragmatist who could appeal to voters across the political spectrum, has ended her presidential bid, campaign officials said.

Discussion: Associated Press, VICE, The Moderate Voice, The Bulwark, Washington Free Beacon, HuffPost, The Week, Rolling Stone, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos

CNN:
Amy Klobuchar will end 2020 presidential campaign and endorse Joe Biden

Discussion: NBC News, ABC News, POLITICUSUSA, Outside the Beltway and UPI

San Diego Union-Tribune: Vote Joe Biden for president to unite America

Justine Coleman / The Hill:
Obama spoke with Buttigieg after he dropped out of 2020 race: report

Discussion: Associated Press, Redstate, New York Times and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

CNN:
Pete Buttigieg to endorse Joe Biden at Dallas rally

Discussion: New York Times, The Atlantic, Breitbart and Townhall

David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Bernie or Biden. Period.

Discussion: New York Post, Slate and Common Dreams

Jenna Portnoy / Washington Post:
McAuliffe and others trapped in elevator before Biden event in Richmond

Discussion: Mediaite, Daily Kos and The Hill

Frank Bruni / New York Times:
Mayor Pete Flew Sky High

Discussion: The Federalist, Washington Examiner and The Hill

FBI.gov — FBI:

Joint Statement from DOS, DOJ, DOD, DHS, ODNI, FBI, NSA, and CISA on Preparations for Super Tuesday — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, Acting Director of National Intelligence …

Discussion: Raw Story

Connor O'Brien / Politico:

White House withdraws nomination of Defense official who questioned Ukraine aid freeze — The White House is withdrawing the nominee for a top Pentagon post, according to two Senate aides, following reports that she questioned the legality of the administration's efforts to freeze military aid to Ukraine.

Discussion: The Hill

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:

White House takes aggressive public posture amid new coronavirus spread — Experts say it could take a year or more to develop a vaccine. — The White House on Monday continued to project an image that's it's on on the offensive in how it's handling the new coronavirus …

Discussion: The Hill and IJR

Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:
Trump says it's safe to hold rallies amid coronavirus outbreak

Discussion: Associated Press and The Intellectualist

Associated Press:

U.S. death toll climbs to 6 as viral crisis eases in China — SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The death toll from the coronavirus in the U.S. climbed to six Monday and the disease spread to ever more countries and world capitals, even as new cases in China dropped to their lowest level in six weeks.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Week and Washington Post

Timothy Bella / Washington Post:
Trump retweets video of him defeating his critics after second confirmed coronavirus death reported in U.S.

Discussion: The Root

Washington Post:
Live updates: Global coronavirus death toll surpasses 3,000; markets stage cautious recovery on stimulus hopes

Discussion: Townhall, Raw Story, The Verge, VTDigger, The Moderate Voice, The Daily Signal, COVID-19 Daily, CBS News, UPI and New York Times

Max Abelson / Bloomberg:

Can We Get a Vaccine Early? How the Rich Are Preparing for Coronavirus — Langone dials hospital experts, others hunt supplies or meds — One investor may fly to Idaho with or without family. A doctor in a Colorado ski town is soothing wealthy clients who want a cure.

New York Times:

Ivanka Trump Completes a Political Evolution: 'I'm a Proud Trump Republican' — In an interview, the president's older daughter described her anger at her father's impeachment and the role she will play fund-raising for his campaign. — WASHINGTON — She told the Fox News host Sean Hannity …

Richard Salame / The Guardian:

Texas closes hundreds of polling sites, making it harder for minorities to vote — Guardian analysis finds that places where black and Latino population is growing by the largest numbers experienced the majority of closures and could benefit Republicans — Last year, Texas led the US south …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Daniel Kreps / Rolling Stone:

Public Enemy Fire Flavor Flav After Bernie Sanders Rally Spat — “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well” — Public Enemy announced they are permanently “moving forward” without Flavor Flav, firing one of hip-hop's most memorable hypemen after more than 35 years.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Daily News, New York Times, Twitchy, SPIN, NPR, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times, NB Blog, The Week, IJR, Breitbart, Paste, VICE, Fox News, UPI, The Root, Variety and NBC News

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Is it legal to fire an employee for his political views? What if he were Flavor Flav?

Discussion: One America News Network, Rolling Stone and TMZ.com

Gil Hoffman / Jerusalem Post:

Benjamin Netanyahu defeats Benny Gantz with striking 60-seat bloc — It is expected that after the third election in one year, this time the prime minister will succeed in forming a government. — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in winning 60 seats for his bloc of right-wing …

Discussion: Townhall, Power Line, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Caller

Justine Coleman / The Hill:

Trump administration announces new restrictions on Chinese journalists — President Trump's administration on Monday announced new restrictions against Chinese journalists working for state media, a reaction to how American and other foreign journalists are treated in China.

Discussion: National Review, NBC News, Axios and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »

Carol Morello / Washington Post:
Trump administration orders four Chinese news outlets in U.S. to reduce staffs

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, IJR and Committee to Protect …

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Judge orders Hillary Clinton deposition in email flap — A federal judge has ordered former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to sit for a sworn deposition for the first time in connection with her use of a private email account during her State Department tenure.

Discussion: National Review and The Intellectualist

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Federal judge orders Hillary Clinton deposition to address private emails: ‘Still more to learn’

Discussion: Townhall and PJ Media Home

Marty Steinberg / CNBC:

Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of GE, dies at 84 — Jack Welch was a railroad conductor's son who rose to chairman and CEO of General Electric. — During the 20 years he led the conglomerate, its market value grew from $12 billion to $410 billion.

Discussion: New York Times, The Week, New York Post, Marketplace and Variety

NBC News:

FEMA preparing for possible coronavirus emergency declaration — “To me this is another indication that the president and the White House are finally aware of the gravity of the situation,” said former FEMA official Michael Coen. — WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency …

Discussion: VICE, The Week and New York Post

Politico:

Azar in the crosshairs for delays in virus tests — Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes blame for testing delays that may have led to hundreds of Americans being quietly infected with the coronavirus, officials inside the health department and the White House …

Discussion: The Hill and FOX6Now.com

Susannah Luthi / Politico:

Supreme Court will hear major challenge to Obamacare — The Supreme Court on Monday said it will take up a Republican challenge to Obamacare, in a move that boosts Democrats who want to highlight the lawsuit's threat to health care coverage during campaign season.

Discussion: NBC News, New York Times, Daily Kos, The Intellectualist, Breitbart, Rolling Stone, The Daily Caller and Townhall

George Packer / The Atlantic:

The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions — When Donald Trump came into office, there was a sense that he would be outmatched by the vast government he had just inherited. — The new president was impetuous, bottomlessly ignorant, almost chemically inattentive …

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

How Bloomberg Buys the Silence of Unhappy Employees — Every year, Mike Bloomberg's company pays hundreds of fired employees to not say anything bad. — Every year, hundreds of departing employees at Bloomberg L.P. are presented with a choice: Either leave the company empty-handed or accept …

Discussion: Spectator USA, more at Mediagazer »

Max Boot / Washington Post:

Bernie Sanders would be an awful president — Joe Biden has come out of the South Carolina primary as the most plausible moderate candidate. Now is the time for Democrats to coalesce around him and make Super Tuesday a terrible day for Bernie Sanders. — Plenty of polling shows that Sanders …

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:

President Trump appears to have boxed in the Senate by nominating Ratcliffe as intel chief — The Senate must confirm as DNI a Texas congressman who inflated his resume, or leave in place an acting director without significant intel experience. — WASHINGTON — With the country distracted …

Discussion: Politico, CBS News and MSNBC

Andrew Marantz / New Yorker:

The Man Behind Trump's Facebook Juggernaut — Brad Parscale used social media to sway the 2016 election. He's poised to do it again. — In September, at a resort hotel in the Coachella Valley, the California Republican Party held its fall convention. Brad Parscale—forty-four …

Discussion: Washington Post

Carla K. Johnson / Associated Press:

More testing sheds light on how virus is spreading in US — SEATTLE (AP) — An increase in testing for the coronavirus began shedding light Monday on how the illness has spread in the United States, including among nursing home residents in one Washington state facility.