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

1. Trump proposes payroll tax cut to boost economy during outbreak

President Trump on Monday proposed a payroll tax cut and other policies to stimulate the economy as the coronavirus outbreak damages global supply chains and financial markets. Trump said the measures, including support for hourly workers and the travel industry, would provide "very substantial relief." He said he would discuss the proposals with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Republican lawmakers. Trump had resisted taking dramatic action to avoid alarming the public and stoking fear in financial markets. He changed course after aides presented him with options, as U.S. stocks had their worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. "We have a very strong economy," Trump said, "but this blindsided the world."

The Washington Post

2. Stocks struggle to bounce back from Monday's historic losses

U.S. stock index futures jumped by more than 3 percent early Tuesday, signaling a partial rebound from the worst day for Wall Street since 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down by 2014 points at 23,851 on Monday, a decline of 7.8 percent. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also lost more than 7 percent. New York Stock Exchange trading was paused for 15 minutes Monday morning due to a "circuit breaker" tripped by the sharp opening dives of the Dow and the S&P 500. The declines were the most recent big swings for U.S. stocks as fears mount of economic fallout from the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. On Monday, Saudi Arabia contributed to market panic by slashing oil export prices, sending global crude prices plunging by more than 20 percent.

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3. Booker becomes latest former rival to endorse Biden

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Monday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president, saying he would "restore honor to the Oval Office." In an email to supporters, Booker said that "while I'm no longer running for president, I still know that to win, Democrats need a nominee who understands that the way to beat Donald Trump is to bring people together." Booker is the latest former Democratic candidate for president to back Biden after Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) all recently endorsed him. Booker on Monday campaigned with Biden in Michigan, one of six states holding nominating contests Tuesday.

The New York Times

4. Italy extends coronavirus restrictions to entire country

Italy is halting most travel and locking down the entire country of 60 million people to contain a coronavirus outbreak that started in the northern part of the country, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday. The announcement came a day after the government placed similar movement restrictions on a quarter of the population, signaling that the government was concluding that only drastic measures can keep the sometimes deadly flu-like virus from spreading. Israel, too, announced tough new steps to prevent a surge of infections, saying it would place everyone arriving in the country from abroad under quarantine for 14 days. Among other countries taking aggressive action to protect public health, Ireland canceled St. Patrick's Day parades and festivals.

The Washington Post The New York Times

5. Cruise ship docks in California after being held offshore due to outbreak

The Grand Princess cruise ship docked at the Port of Oakland on Monday after idling off the California coast with at least 21 coronavirus patients on board. The 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members will be transferred to military bases or their home countries for 14 days in quarantine. "None of the passengers who disembark will be released into the general public," a statement from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said. Passengers requiring immediate medical care of any kind were allowed to disembark first to begin treatment. Others who aren't from California will be sent to be tested and isolated at facilities in Texas and Georgia, while the 962 California residents will remain in the state. The U.S. death toll from the outbreak rose to 26 on Monday.

SFGate

6. U.S. troop withdrawal begins in Afghanistan

U.S. troops have started the initial withdrawal Afghanistan called for under the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, the U.S. military confirmed Monday. The pullout is intended to reduce the American military presence in the country from 13,000 to 8,600 over the next four and a half months, Army Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement. The peace deal was signed on Feb. 29, and it called for American forces to begin leaving within 10 days. An intensifying dispute between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival in last September's election, Abdullah Abdullah, threatened to complicate the way forward. Ghani was declared the election winner, but Abdullah said the result was marred by fraud, and both were sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday.

The Associated Press

7. 2 U.S. service members die in anti-ISIS operation in Iraq

Two American service members died in a mission targeting Islamic State forces, the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad said Monday. The Americans were "killed by enemy forces while advising and accompanying Iraqi Security Forces during a mission to eliminate an ISIS terrorist stronghold in a mountainous area of north central Iraq," the coalition said. The soldiers were the first Americans to die in combat in Iraq this year. Four other service members were wounded during the Sunday operation. The names of the soldiers who were killed were not immediately released. The Iraqi Parliament voted earlier this year to end authorization for foreign troops in the country in response to the U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in January. There are still about 5,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

ABC News CNN

8. Prosecutor: Prince Andrew has 'shut the door' on cooperating in Epstein case

Prince Andrew has "completely shut the door" on cooperating with U.S. prosecutors in the investigation into co-conspirators in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, said on Monday. Berman said the prince had failed to follow through on a "very public offer" to help investigators. He said his office was "considering its options" as it builds its case against associates of the convicted pedophile, who hanged himself in jail awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has said that when she was underage she was forced into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, who denied the allegation and said he could not remember meeting Giuffre.

CNN

9. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announces Senate run

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) announced Monday that he is running to unseat Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), boosting Democrats in their bid to retake control of the Senate. Bullock, a two-term governor who ended a long-shot presidential campaign in December, filed his paperwork on the last day to register. He had said he didn't plan to run, but changed his mind after meetings with influential Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.). Bullock instantly became the most high-profile candidate in the Democratic primary. President Trump, who overwhelmingly won the state in 2016, has tweeted support for Daines. Bullock noted during his presidential campaign that he was the only Democratic governor to win re-election in 2016 in a state Trump won.

NBC News The Washington Post

10. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially end their royal duties

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Monday made what's expected to be their last appearance as senior royals ahead of their planned step back. Harry and Meghan, alongside other members of the British royal family including Queen Elizabeth II, attended Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Last week, Harry and Meghan made their first official joint appearance since they announced in January that they would "step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family," attending the Endeavour Fund Awards in London. Harry and Meghan are set to officially step back as senior royals on March 31, and they are expected to fly to Canada now that their final duty is complete.

The Associated Press