10 things you need to know today: March 16, 2020

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1. Biden, Sanders debate, criticizing Trump's coronavirus response
2. U.S. coronavirus cases surge to more than 3,000
3. Fed slashes rates to near zero in emergency coronavirus response
4. Trump says he's considering pardon for Michael Flynn
5. Gantz gets 1st chance to form government in Israel
6. Andrew Gillum drops out of politics after link to suspected overdose
7. Spain's King Felipe cuts financial ties with scandal-plagued father
8. Explosion at Nigeria gas plant kills 15
9. NFL players reach 10-year deal with team owners
10. Domestic weekend box office falls to 20-year low

published 16 March 2020

1. Biden, Sanders debate, criticizing Trump's coronavirus response

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) faced off Sunday in their first one-on-one debate, with both of the Democratic presidential contenders criticizing President Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. They said Trump fueled rising concerns about the outbreak by minimizing it for weeks before declaring a national emergency on Friday. Sanders pointed to the crisis as a reason America needs his Medicare-for-all health plan. Biden said there are hard-hit countries like Italy that have single-payer health care and that was no solution. "People are looking for results, not a revolution," Biden said. Biden also said that if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee he will select a woman as his running mate. Sanders then said he would "in all likelihood" pick a woman too.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged past 3,000 on Sunday, with at least 61 deaths, according to CDC and government data. Across the country, several cities and states announced new measures to limit the spread of the disease, including the closure of restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues. The CDC called for canceling all events of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks, and urged "social distancing" through early May. New York City Public Schools, the nation's largest school district, announced that it is closing all schools starting Monday. Meanwhile at the White House, President Trump said the virus was "something that we have tremendous control over." He urged Americans not to hoard groceries. "Take it easy. Relax," he said.

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The Federal Reserve on Sunday announced that it was cutting interest rates by 100 basis points to near zero, setting its target range at 0 percent to 0.25 percent. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the move was necessary to help offset damage to the economy from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. President Trump, who has repeatedly called for the Fed to slash rates more aggressively, said "people in the market should be very thrilled." The Fed also said it was buying at least $700 billion in government and mortgage-related bonds in a broad effort to stimulate the economy. Futures for the three main U.S. stock indexes fell by more than 4 percent early Monday as investors worried that the Fed can't do much more to ease the crisis.

President Trump tweeted on Sunday that he is considering a possible pardon for Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians before Trump took office. "So now it is reported that, after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family (and many others also), the FBI, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, has 'lost' the records of General Michael Flynn," Trump wrote. "How convenient. I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!" It was not immediately clear what records Trump was claiming had been lost. Flynn's lawyers have said in court that prosecutors have not handed over evidence that could clear Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying about his contacts with Russia's ambassador.

Benny Gantz, the centrist rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, received endorsements from enough opposition parties to give him a narrow majority of 61 in the 120-seat parliament. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said Gantz would now have the first chance to form a government following the country's third national elections in a year ended in a near tie. In a first, Gantz lined up the backing of all 15 members of the combined slate of predominantly Arab parties known as the Joint List. He also got an endorsement from Avigdor Liberman's ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party. Gantz won't necessarily become Israel's next prime minister, but he will have 42 days to put together a ruling coalition. His party is considering pushing legislation to block Netanyahu from heading a new government since he's under a corruption indictment.

Andrew Gillum, the former Tallahassee, Florida, mayor and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee, said Sunday that he was dropping out of public life "for the foreseeable future" after he was found drunk in a Miami Beach hotel room with a man suspected of overdosing on crystal meth. Gillum said he didn't use any drugs. "This has been a wake-up call for me," Gillum said. "Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse. I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles." Gillum, who has worked as a CNN commentator since losing to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), said he was checking into a rehabilitation facility. He apologized and requested privacy.

King Felipe VI of Spain on Sunday renounced any future personal inheritance from his father, King Emerit Juan Carlos I, following revelations regarding a Swiss investigation into an offshore account reportedly operated for Juan Carlos. The royal house said in a statement that Felipe also was stripping his father of his annual stipend, which totaled $216,000 in 2018. Juan Carlos, 82, abdicated in 2014 facing personal scandals and health problems. Felipe, 52, took over as king vowing to "preserve the prestige" of the monarchy. The announcement that Felipe was severing financial ties with his father came a day after the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that Felipe was named as a beneficiary of the offshore account, allegedly established with a $72 million gift from Saudi Arabia.

An explosion at a gas processing plant killed at least 15 people in a suburb of Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, on Sunday. The blast destroyed about 50 nearby houses and caused a fire. Several survivors were taken to hospitals. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation said the disaster started when a truck hit gas cylinders stacked outside the plant near the company's pipeline. The state-owned oil company said it halted pumping operations on the pipeline. Pipeline fires are common in the country, which is Africa's biggest producer of crude oil. Most of the blazes are caused by sabotage or theft.

The NFL Players Association announced on Sunday that its members had narrowly ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with team owners. The vote was 1,019 for, 959 against. The owners had already signed off on the deal, so it takes effect immediately. The agreement will run through the 2030 season, paving the way for changes including a bigger playoff field and a 17-game regular season. The last 10-year deal started in 2011 after the owners locked out the players when negotiations broke down. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the deal "transformative," saying it would "provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety, and give our fans more and better football."

The domestic box office fell to a 20-year low of $55.3 million over the weekend as some movie theaters shut down and others saw a sharp decline in attendance as customers stayed home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Disney and Pixar's Onward saw its North America ticket sales fall to $10.3 million, a 73 percent drop compared to the animated film's opening weekend. It was the biggest second-week drop ever for a Pixar film. On Sunday night, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all movie theaters, as well as nightclubs and other entertainment venues, to close as of Tuesday. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a similar order. As of early Sunday, all cinemas were closed in 32 countries, including China and many nations in Europe.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.