Monday News: “World Closes In on Itself as Measures to Slow Virus Intensify”; “Stocks dive as Fed & co fail to calm panicky markets”; “The first pandemic-era debate distills the choice of Biden vs. Bernie”; “Trump must be held to account over coronavirus”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, March 16.

• China’s Economy Suffers Historic Slump Due to Virus Shutdown
• Stocks dive as Fed & co fail to calm panicky markets
• Here’s what’s happening in the world besides the coronavirus pandemic
• Israel’s president gives Benny Gantz first chance at forming a government (“Gantz, the former military chief of staff, will try to bring together unlikely partners to reach a majority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been similarly unable to form a government.”)
• Trump’s embrace of Mohammed bin Salman is now costing him dearly
• MBS and Putin are fighting an oil-price war: The world must seize the opportunity (“Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed have driven down crude prices. Time for the world to get off fossil fuel”)
• Few U.S. shale firms can withstand prolonged oil price war
• Global Deaths From Coronavirus Surpass 6,000
• I’m an epidemiologist. When I heard about Britain’s ‘herd immunity’ coronavirus plan, I thought it was satire
• Global Stock Markets Plunge
• U.S. Offered ‘Large Sum’ to German Company for Access to Coronavirus Vaccine Research, German Officials Say (WTF???)
• Trump ‘offers large sums’ for exclusive access to coronavirus vaccine (Completely deranged.)
• Coronavirus Live Updates: World Closes In on Itself as Measures to Slow Virus Intensify (“The Centers for Disease Control recommended that all gatherings of more than 50 people be banned. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York called for the military to help. And public life is severely curtailed.”)
• A Complete List of Trump’s Attempts to Play Down Coronavirus
• ‘There Is Plenty of Food in the Country’
• Federal Reserve slashes interest rates to zero as part of wide-ranging emergency intervention
• Federal Reserve cuts rates to zero and launches massive $700 billion quantitative easing program
• Fed slashes interest rates to zero in massive intervention
• Stock futures drop — hit ‘limit down’ — even as Fed slashes rates; Dow futures off 1,000 points
• Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
• A Deadly Lack of Leadership (“The president congratulates himself.”)
• Trump says he’s ‘strongly considering’ pardoning Michael Flynn
• Virus Relief Risks Being Slowed by a Few GOP Senators’ Concerns
• Trump tells US ‘relax, we’re doing great’ as his virus expert says worst is yet to come
• Four Ways Experts Say Coronavirus Nightmare Could End
• Trump finds his MAGA movement fracturing over coronavirus (“The president’s red-capped followers were united against a socialist candidate. And they had economic winds at their backs to propel Trump toward reelection. Now everything is suddenly scrambled.”)
• Trump is increasingly irrelevant (“Pelosi and Mnuchin run the government.”)
• Americans urged to scrap gatherings of 50 or more people as states start shutdowns
• Juan Williams: Trump must be held to account over coronavirus
• Why can’t mainstream media stop echoing Trump’s coronavirus misinformation? (“In a crisis, people need to be able to trust mainstream outlets for accurate info — not the administration’s spin”)
• States begin imposing harsher measures to contain outbreak as U.S. cases rise sharply
• Social Distancing Is Not Enough to Stop the Coronavirus
• New York City Public Schools Closed Over the Coronavirus
• The Coronavirus’s Economic Effect On Sports Could Be Staggering
• Winners and Losers of the Democratic Debate (Biden 7.6, Sanders 7.1)
• Results or a Revolution? Biden and Sanders Debate the Coronavirus
• Joe Biden Just Sealed the Deal (“The debate ought to make people feel more comfortable picturing him on a stage opposite Donald Trump.”)
• 5 takeaways from the Biden vs. Sanders debate
• Biden says he will pick woman to be his vice president
• Democrats’ choice is clearer than ever: Fight Trump or fight for revolution (“A politician versus a prophet.”)
• 5 takeaways from the Democratic debate: Joe Biden promises a woman VP (“Analysis: The two candidates offered contrasting visions on handling the coronavirus and clashed over their records.”)
• 5 takeaways from the Democratic debate
• The first pandemic-era debate distills the choice of Biden vs. Bernie (“Biden stresses ideological flexibility, Sanders ideological consistency. So far, voters like what Biden is offering more.”)
• Biden and Bernie face off: Key moments from Sunday’s debate
• 4 winners and 2 losers from the March Democratic debate (“Biden won. Trump lost. And coronavirus cast a shadow on the first one-on-one Democratic debate.”)
• Biden commits to female running mate, touts electability in heads-up debate with Sanders
• Biden says he’d pick a woman as running mate; Sanders says ‘in all likelihood’ he would
• Winners and losers from the Bernie Sanders-Joe Biden debate (Winners: Biden, Would-Be Female VPs, Audience-Free Debates)
• Bernie Sanders shows no sign of giving up as he challenges front-runner Joe Biden’s record
• After this debate, what possible rationale does Bernie Sanders have for staying in the race? (“Biden puts any doubts to rest.”)
• Biden makes his debut as the Democrats’ presumptive nominee
• Sanders says Trump should stop ‘blabbering’ about virus
• ‘Go to the YouTube right now’
• There’s a Pandemic. Four States Are Holding Elections Tuesday Anyway.
• Biden Did What He Had to Do
• Thousands leave Miami cruise ship without screenings after former passenger got COVID-19
• Rep. Devin Nunes Contradicts Health Experts: “It’s a Great Time to Go Out” (Why on earth would anyone vote for someone as stupid and crazy as Devin Nunes?)
• California governor calls for bar closures, restaurant restrictions as crisis worsens
• Pritzker orders all bars and restaurants to close to dine-in customers by end of day Monday
• Gillum withdraws from politics after link to suspected drug overdose 
• Virginia Democrats pass sensible measures on undocumented immigrants
• BREAKING: Gov. Ralph Northam Bans All Gatherings of >100 People Statewide
• Video: Gov. Ralph Northam Updates Virginia on COVID-19/Coronavirus Situation
• Virginia officials encourage social distancing, stop short at widespread closures or quarantine
• Trump Turns Dulles Airport Into Coronavirus Petri Dish
• Landing at Dulles Airport, I encountered a case study in how to spread a pandemic
• Region’s elected leaders take dramatic steps to stem spread of coronavirus
• VDEM employee tests positive for coronavirus; Virginia Gov. Northam bans events over 100 people statewide
• From early voting to photo ID repeal, Va. Democrats have overhauled election rules to to make voting easier
• Video: “Gutsy Women: Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Talk to Danica Roem”
• Which Virginia State Senators Took the Most/Fewest Committee Votes in 2020? How Did That Compare to 2019?
• New Democratic majority in Richmond wrests money, power for Northern Virginia from downstate (“The region gets increased funding for schools and transportation, but at the price of higher taxes.” What a bizarre framing in the headline…and not really reflected in the article itself.)
• Editorial: Taking aim at state contract inequality
• The latest on the coronavirus pandemic in Loudoun and Virginia
• Virginia nursing homes restrict visitors over coronavirus fears, families worry about separation
• Fairfax County School Buildings Closed Until Further Notice
• Fairfax, Loudoun Shut Down Libraries In Response To Coronavirus
• Residential Customers in the Roanoke Valley May Soon Get Broadband Access
• Mostly good weather through Friday, with temperatures trending up