10 things you need to know today: March 5, 2020

1. Bloomberg drops out and endorses Biden

Billionaire former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg on Wednesday suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Bloomberg spent half a billion dollars but Biden trounced him on Super Tuesday in their fight for the votes of moderate Democrats. "Defeating Donald Trump starts with uniting behind the candidate with the best shot to do it," Bloomberg said. "It is clear that candidate is my friend and a great American, Joe Biden." In a surprise surge that instantly established him as co-frontrunner with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Biden won 10 of the 14 Super Tuesday primaries, bolstered by late endorsements from two other moderates, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg after they dropped out of the race.

The Washington Post The Associated Press

2. House approves $8.3 billion coronavirus spending bill

The House approved spending $8.3 billion to fight the coronavirus outbreak, shortly after bipartisan House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement on the emergency spending package. It includes close to $7.8 billion for the federal agencies managing the response, far more than the White House originally proposed. Another $500 million will go to Medicare providers to offer home telehealth services to elderly patients, who face elevated risk. The House passed the bill 415-2. It goes next to the Senate before reaching President Trump's desk for his signature. The U.S. confirmed 150 COVID-19 infections caused by the virus across 16 states, with eleven deaths.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The New York Times The Washington Post

3. California declares emergency after state's 1st coronavirus death

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after the state reported its first death from the coronavirus. The California man who died fell ill while aboard the Grand Princess after a trip to Mexico. Public health authorities are trying to track down hundreds more passengers who also disembarked from the vessel in San Francisco, which traveled next to Hawaii. It was due to return to San Francisco after canceling a stop in Baja California, but was being held offshore so everyone on board could be screened for the flu-like virus, which has sickened more than 50 people in 12 California counties.

Los Angeles Times

4. Stock futures drop sharply after Wednesday's huge gains

U.S. stocks soared on Wednesday after former Vice President Joe Biden won a string of Super Tuesday presidential primary victories and overtook Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the delegate count. Investors consider Biden more pro-business. Health-care stocks led the gains, rebounding from losses caused by anxiety about what Sanders' Medicare-for-all plan would mean for the industry. UnitedHealth jumped by 10 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up by nearly 1,200 points or 4.5 percent at 27,090.86, while the S&P 500 gained 4.2 percent and the Nasdaq rose by 3.8 percent. The gains lifted the three main indexes out of correction territory, putting them within 10 percent of their recent highs. Dow futures dropped sharply, however, ahead of Thursday's opening bell.

CNBC

5. Greece: Turkey using tear gas to help migrants cross border

Greece on Wednesday accused Turkey of firing tear gas at a border crossing to help thousands of migrants cross into the European Union. Athens released a video clip of Turkish riot police firing what appear to be gas canisters toward Greek territory, and a Greek security official said Turkish officers were trying to push back Greek forces to make it easier for the migrants to slip across the border. Turkey said its officers were responding to Greek police shooting at migrants. Turkey has said it would open its borders and stop following a deal with the EU to house Syrian war refugees unless European nations increased aid.

Reuters The New York Times

6. Roberts criticizes Schumer for comments on Kavanaugh, Gorsuch

Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday rebuked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for warning Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch they would "pay the price" if they rule against abortion rights. "You have released the whirlwind," Schumer said at a rally of abortion rights supporters outside the court while justices heard arguments on a Louisiana law requiring abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. "You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions." Roberts, the potential swing vote in the case, said "threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All members of the court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter."

CNN The Washington Post

7. U.S. hits Taliban with first airstrike since peace deal

The United States on Wednesday conducted its first airstrike against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan since signing a peace deal with the Islamist militant group on Saturday. A U.S. forces spokesman, Col. Sonny Leggett, tweeted that the strike in southern Helmand province was "defensive," targeting Taliban fighters who were attacking a checkpoint operated by Afghan government forces. The strike came a day after President Trump said he had spoken with chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund on Tuesday, the first direct call between a U.S. president and a top Taliban official. "We call on the Taliban to stop needless attacks and uphold their commitments," Leggett said.

Reuters Politico

8. Fed reports that business conditions already taking coronavirus hit

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released a nationwide survey of business conditions that showed that the coronavirus outbreak had started hurting tourism, and manufacturers whose supply chains were being disrupted. The survey, which is compiled by the Fed's 12 regional banks and is known as the beige book, indicated that the economy continued to grow at a moderate rate in late February despite the impact of the rapidly spreading outbreak. The U.S. central bank this week made an emergency cut to its benchmark short-term interest rate, with some economists expecting a further cut at Fed policy makers' two day meeting that starts March 17.

ABC News

9. Defense linguist accused of leaking secrets to Hezbollah associate

The U.S. government said Wednesday it charged Defense Department linguist Mariam Taha Thompson with giving classified intelligence to a foreign national linked to Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah. Thompson, 61, is accused of revealing the names of key American intelligence assets, putting their lives at risk. "While in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defense information, including the names of individuals helping the United States, to a Lebanese national located overseas," said John Demers, Justice Department assistant attorney general for national security. "If true, this conduct is a disgrace." The charges came after Thompson looked up human intelligence files on a classified computer system, even though she had no legitimate need for them, following U.S. airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq in December.

Reuters

10. James Bond movie delayed 7 months due to coronavirus

No Time to Die, the newest James Bond movie, has been delayed seven months due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. MGM, Universal Pictures, and the producers of the James Bond franchise said Wednesday the film's release date would move "after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace." In the United States, No Time to Die will now open on Nov. 25 after previously being scheduled to hit theaters on April 10; it was originally set to be released internationally on April 2. Theaters in major markets like China have remained closed in recent weeks amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, and No Time to Die is the first major film release to subsequently face a delay.

The Hollywood Reporter Variety