Don't expect a 2020 announcement from former Vice President Joe Biden for at least a few more weeks.
Biden at this point is "95 percent committed" to running for president, his strategist has been telling Democrats, The New York Times reports. But his announcement is not expected to come until early April.
Biden said in early January he would decide "soon," but a final decision seems to have been delayed again and again. The Times reports Biden first planned to make a decision at the end of 2018, then in January, and then in March.
So what's the holdup? With approval from loved ones in hand, it reportedly comes down to Biden being "uncertain about his place in the 2020 Democratic primary" and worried about his family being subject to vicious attacks during the election. The former vice president said during an event last week he needs to decide "whether or not I am comfortable taking the family through what would be a very, very difficult campaign." Brendan Morrow
The Environmental Protection Agency approved a new chemical Monday for use in repelling mosquitos, ticks, and other disease-bearing insects. The newly approved chemical, nootkatone, is a nontoxic oil found in Alaskan yellow cedars (Cupressus nootkatensis) and grapefruits, and it is so aromatic and safe for humans it is used in foods and perfumes. "If you drink Fresca or Squirt, you've drunk nootkatone," Ben Beard, deputy director of the division of vector-borne diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tells The New York Times.
The CDC discovered that nootkatone repels mosquitos, ticks, bedbugs, and fleas, and might also work against lice, sandflies, and other pests, 25 years ago. In high enough concentrations, the oil can kill bugs resistant to synthetic insecticides like DDT and pyrethroids. And it last as long as the synthetic chemicals, unlike other plant-based oils, like citronella and peppermint oil, whose effects wear off after about an hour, says Iowa State University inset toxicology expert Joel Coats. Still, Coats said, his lab has found nootkatone to be "an impressive repellent but a weak insecticide."
The after Oregon State University and CDC scientists discovered the repellant properties of nootkatone, the CDC licensed its patent to a Swiss company, Evolva, the Times reports. Getting EPA approval to use the oil as an active ingredient in insect repellants or insecticides was too expensive a process until the Zika epidemic hit in 2015 and Congress set aside money for mosquito control. That funding "was the key to moving the boulder up the hill," Beard told the Times. Peter Weber
It is mathematically impossible for Kanye West to win the 2020 presidential election, but he is still running — with help from some Republicans who don't appear to be motivated by hopes for a President Kanye. It isn't clear what West is thinking.
West has told Forbes he's fine if his last-minute campaign siphoned votes off from Democrat Joe Biden and helped his friend President Trump win re-election. "I'm not denying it, I just told you," he told Forbes in July. "To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy." Last Thursday, he told Fobes he is "walking" for president, and when it was pointed out to him that he can only act as spoiler in 2020, West replied: "I'm not going to argue with you. Jesus is King."
Getting on the ballot in all 50 states takes work and expertise, and West has already missed his chances to appear on the ballot in California, Florida, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. It's not clear his petition for Wisconsin was submitted on time, but it was dropped off by Lane Ruhland, a lawyer whose clients include the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and other GOP candidates.
A GOP-linked law firm submitted West's petition in Ohio, and a longtime GOP operative in Colorado, Rachel George, asked at least one Republican strategist last week: "Would you help me get Kanye West on the ballot in Colorado? No, I am not joking, and I realize this is hilarious," according to an email obtained by Vice News.
It isn't clear if West and his unorthodox Birthday Party will actually help Trump or hurt Biden, but "it's possible" he could tip the election, Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan guide Inside Elections, tells the Los Angeles Times. "We don't know how close the most important states will be. We don't know if he will be on the ballot. And we certainly don't know how many votes he would receive," Gonzales added. "For people to say, 'Oh, Kanye is Black so he'll take Black voters from Biden' is a gross oversimplification of a more complex situation."
Part of the complexity is about West himself. After a bizarre South Carolina rally, West's wife, Kim Kardashian West, pointed to her husband's bipolar disorder and asked for "compassion and empathy." Peter Weber
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia has become the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, claiming victory in a global race to conquer COVID-19. The vaccine was developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, and Putin said one of his two daughters is among the Russians already inoculated with the vaccine, joining a small group that includes the researchers who developed it and about 50 members of Russia's military.
Medical experts expressed concerns that the Kremlin aggressively and dangerously rushed the vaccine approval process, putting global prestige over public health. Putin said the Gamaleya vaccine had proven effective in two months of early-stage human trials and offered lasting immunity. Russian officials said Phase III trial of the vaccine will be conducted in Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and maybe Brazil as thousands of Russian medical workers, teachers, and other groups are inoculated. The World Health Organization lists the Gamaleya vaccine trial as in Phase I.
Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci testified earlier this month that countries should only roll out vaccines after extensive testing. "I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone, because claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing, I think, is problematic at best," Fauci told Congress. Peter Weber
For the second night in a row, protesters who believe Belarus' presidential election was rigged took to the streets of Minsk, with thousands of people participating in Monday's demonstration.
In response, riot police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades at the crowd, BBC News reports. Officials said one protester was killed when the explosive device they were carrying went off in their hands. This comes as Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs tweeted early Tuesday that opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has fled to Lithuania, where she is now "safe."
On Sunday, the government said President Alexander Lukashenko, an authoritarian leader who has held power since 1994 and is known as "Europe's last dictator," won the presidential election with 80 percent of the vote. No outside observers were allowed to monitor the election, and the internet was down for much of the day, which opposition leaders claim was done on purpose so it was hard to share evidence of election fraud.
In years past, Lukashenko has not had any serious challengers, but this time, there was a popular opposition candidate: Tikhanovskaya, a former teacher. The government says Tikhanovskaya only received 9.9 percent of the vote, but she said on Monday she was the true winner, as the results announced by the Central Election Commission "do not correspond to reality and completely contradict common sense." Catherine Garcia