‘This Was a Grift’: Bloomberg Staffers Explain Campaign's Demise  —  When Elizabeth Warren embarrassed Bloomberg on the debate stage, his lackluster campaign was effectively over.  —  Michael Bloomberg ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday after being walloped on Super Tuesday.

Trump's trip to CDC in flux after coronavirus scare  —  President Donald Trump abruptly canceled his scheduled Friday visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta even as the coronavirus outbreak escalates.  —  Trump's schedule Friday, which was released publicly at nearly midnight …

As Bernie Sanders Pushed for Closer Ties, Soviet Union Spotted Opportunity  —  Previously unseen documents from a Soviet archive show how hard Mr. Sanders worked to find a sister city in Russia when he was a mayor in the 1980s.  Moscow saw a chance for propaganda.

Judge Calls Barr's Handling of Mueller Report ‘Distorted’ and ‘Misleading’  —  The judge said the attorney general lacked credibility on the matter and said he would review the report to decide whether to make its redacted portions public.  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge …

‘Doomed from the Start.’ Experts Say the Trump Administration's Coronavirus Response Was Never Going to Work  —  The Trump Administration's strategy to combat COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, began with a relatively simple focus: keep it out of the United States.

Dems Pounce After Trump Says He Intends to Cut Entitlements  —  Any cuts would represent a change of direction, as Trump has generally maintained that he won't trim programs like Social Security and Medicare.  —  President Donald Trump said he intends to cut entitlement programs during …

Why Southern Democrats Saved Biden  —  For those who live in the shadow of segregation and racial terror, the election is not about policy or personality.  It's about something much darker.  —  Ms. Gay is a member of the editorial board.  —  At the Lorraine Motel in Memphis …

‘This is absolutely abhorrent’: Nazi flag at Sanders rally sparks outcry, concerns about safety  —  Moments after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took the stage at his campaign rally in Phoenix Thursday night, the crowd was on its feet cheering madly for the Democratic presidential candidate.

Chaos at hospitals due to shortage of coronavirus tests  —  As COVID-19 cases spike, the test kits needed to help stem the spread of the disease remain in short supply, with healthcare workers across the state reporting widespread failings in the federal government's response to the growing crisis.

Trump loses another White House ‘original’  —  Adam Kennedy, who led the White House's rapid response efforts on impeachment and other crises, including Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation battle, is leaving the government later this month, according to two White House officials.

Controversial execution carried out despite pleas from advocates  —  Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey refused to step in and stop the lethal injection.  —  The controversial execution of Nathaniel Woods was carried out late Thursday in Alabama just minutes after the Supreme Court denied a temporary stay, issued only hours earlier.

Exclusive: The Strongest Evidence Yet That America Is Botching Coronavirus Testing  —  “I don't know what went wrong,” a former CDC chief told The Atlantic.  —  It's one of the most urgent questions in the United States right now: How many people have actually been tested for the coronavirus?

POLITICO Playbook: The next coronavirus crisis  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THINK ABOUT THIS: What if this is only the beginning of the coronavirus economic downturn?  Imagine if stocks keep on slipping and, even more concerning, if Americans truly stop traveling domestically and internationally over the spring and summer.

Job growth smashes expectations for February as unemployment falls back to 3.5%  —  By Jeff Cox@JEFF.COX.7528@JEFFCOXCNBCCOM  — Nonfarm payrolls rose by 273,000 in February vs. a 175,000 estimate, while the unemployment rate edged lower to 3.5%.  — Job gains were widespread, with health care adding 57,000 to lead the way.

Trump's Calamitous Coronavirus Response  —  A whole-of-government mobilization to protect the president's ego.  —  Last month, after analyzing figures on epidemics since 1960, The Economist concluded that people die at a higher rate from such disease outbreaks in authoritarian countries …

Person who travelled to Vegas tests positive for coronavirus; Toronto Public Health monitoring  —  A person who travelled to Las Vegas for an international conference has tested positive for COVID-19.  This brings the total number of infections in Ontario to 24.

The ‘Million Dollars Per Person’ Affair Is Telling  —  Herewith, a good example of why the Democratic Party is stuck in its current mode. … Obviously, the math here is spectacularly off.  If Michael Bloomberg had divided the money he spent on his presidential run evenly among Americans, we would each have got $1.53, not $1 million.

I Helped Fact-Check the 1619 Project.  The Times Ignored Me.  —  The paper's series on slavery made avoidable mistakes.  But the attacks from its critics are much more dangerous.  —  Getty Images  —  Leslie M. Harris is professor of history at Northwestern University …

Collin Peterson to announce reelection run  —  Peterson is one of few remaining rural Democrats in Washington.  —  House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson has built a reputation as a brash straight shooter not afraid to buck his own party.  Tom Brenner/Getty Images

'It's Pure Panic': A Wrenching Wait at Nursing Home Where Coronavirus Took Hold  —  Cut off from their relatives inside a virus-stricken nursing center, families are frantically searching for help and basic information.  —  KIRKLAND, Wash. — The hardest day of Debbie de los Angeles's life …

‘Life After Bernie’: The Young Left Braces for Disappointment in 2020  —  Dear Washington,  —  I expected to find all eyes fixed on the televisions mounted above the bar, alternating expressions of triumph and torture on the spectators' faces as they clung to every syllable muttered by the candidates on stage.

Bill Clinton Explains Monica Lewinsky Affair as ‘Managing My Anxieties’  —  Mr. Clinton was asked about the scandal for the Hulu documentary series “Hillary.”  —  Former President Bill Clinton, recalling the sex scandal that led to his impeachment in 1998, says in a new documentary series …