Wednesday News: “Virus reality sets in as U.S. shuts down, global cases near 200,000”; “Pence Warns Coronavirus Outbreak Could Last ‘Well Into July’”; “After big wins, Biden makes appeal to young Sanders voters: ‘I hear you'”; “Are Virginia Prisons Prepared for COVID-19?”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, March 18.

• China Banishes U.S. Journalists from Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post
• China dangerously expels more U.S. journalists as the world seeks credible coronavirus reporting
• Coronavirus live news: Belgium goes into lockdown as global infections near 200,000
• Global Markets Fall as Alarm Persists: Live Updates (“Hopes for an enormous stimulus package from Washington could not overcome worries about the world economy.”)
• Virus reality sets in as U.S. shuts down, global cases near 200,000
• Trump’s damage is already done (“It could be the costliest presidential bungle in history”)
• McConnell backs massive stimulus after opposing it under Obama (“McConnell once described the 2009 stimulus as a ‘trillion dollar mistake.'”)
• Does Congress Have It Right on the Coronavirus Bailout? (Republicans “believe in opportunistic, partisan Keynesianism: expansionary policy under GOP presidents, and contractionary policy under Democrats.”)
• Why Republicans are embracing bailouts
• Trump Told Mnuchin to Go Big, and a $1 Trillion Stimulus Emerged
• Part of the Coronavirus Conventional Wisdom Has Become Too Pessimistic (“The better we get at interventions to identify and isolate specific people with the virus, the less we should need to rely on interventions that isolate the entire population.”)
• U.S. Coronavirus Plan Warns Pandemic ‘Will Last 18 Months or Longer’
• States May Not Have Enough Time to Institute Voting by Mail
• Trump claims his racism is OK because it’s ‘very accurate
• The Era of Small Government Is Over (“We’re going to have to reach much deeper than stimulus and bailouts into the way we conduct business with each other.”)
• Citing Coronavirus, Trump Will Announce Strict New Border Controls
• Trump’s late conversion to reality leaves out his supporters
• These Places Could Run Out of Hospital Beds as Coronavirus Spreads
• Pence Warns Coronavirus Outbreak Could Last ‘Well Into July’
• Trump Finally Enlists Much of Government in Coronavirus Attack
• Trump Now Claims He Always Knew the Coronavirus Would Be a Pandemic (“The president tried to rewrite his history with advising Americans about the coronavirus. His own words prove him wrong.”)
• Trump Must Resign From Our Lives
• Anger builds over virus dangers in immigration courts
• Senate coronavirus vote delayed after Rand Paul pushes doomed amendment
• Mnuchin Reportedly Warned Senators Of 20% Unemployment Without Coronavirus Rescue (“A Treasury official said the secretary was not providing a forecast but trying to illustrate the potential risks of inaction.”)
• Federal personnel chief quits abruptly amid coronavirus planning for the workforce of 2.1 million
• OPM chief Dale Cabaniss abruptly resigns
• U.S. delays April 15 tax payment deadline by 90 days for millions
• The Coming Bailout Is a Moral Failure (“Congress has leverage to rebalance the economy, but so far, it isn’t using it.”)
• A terrible precedent: We lost one of Tuesday’s four primary states (“States need to stick to the schedule”)
• 5 Takeaways, As Biden Sweeps 3 More States Amid Coronavirus Fears (“Biden is on track to be the Democratic nominee…Biden needs Sanders supporters…Coronavirus means leadership matters…Women have propelled Biden over the last few weeks and did so again…Sanders’ Latino support erodes”)
• 4 takeaways from Joe Biden’s sweep of Arizona, Florida and Illinois
• After big wins, Biden makes appeal to young Sanders voters: ‘I hear you’
• It’s over. Biden is the presumptive nominee.
• We’re in the midst of a public health crisis. Stop pretending the Democratic primary is competitive. (Agreed. It’s over.)
• 3 winners and 3 losers from Tuesday’s Democratic primaries (“Winners: Joe Biden and voting by mail. Losers: Day-of turnout and anti-abortion Democrats.”)
• Biden Sweeps Tuesday Votes, Taking Command of Democratic Race
• Biden’s Three-State Win Puts Nomination Out of Sanders’s Reach
• Biden Takes on Mantle of Nominee With Virus Hanging Over Campaign
• The End Days of the Democratic Primary
• Live updates: Joe Biden picks up wins in Florida and Illinois
• Biden Sweeps Three States and Takes Commanding Lead, as Virus Reshapes American Politics
• On coronavirus, Fox News and right-wing media failed their audience
• Right-wing pundits’ shameless pivot: It was a “hoax,” but now it’s an “emergency” (“After weeks of minimizing coronavirus, now conservatives are trying to blame Democrats for the pandemic”)
• A Progressive Challenger Has Beaten One Of The Last Anti-Abortion Democrats In Congress
• Marie Newman Beats Dan Lipinski, Democratic Incumbent, in Illinois House Primary
• Oprah Winfrey after trending on Twitter: I ‘haven’t been raided, or arrested’ (“Oprah Winfrey denied that she had been arrested or raided after she became one of Twitter’s top trending topics Tuesday.”)
• My Recent 12 Rounds With the Healthcare System Reinforced My View That It’s Past Time for Universal Healthcare in America
• Sen. Mark Warner Proposes “we immediately set up a small and mid-sized business liquidity facility”
• Nutty Nick Freitas (R-HD30) Is at It Again, This Time with Error-Ridden Facebook Ad and Literature for the VA-07 GOP Nominating Convention on April 25
• Kaine, Warner press to safeguard seniors, disabled from virus
• Rep. Spanberger: students lacking high-speed internet access must receive additional support amid COVID-19 closures
• Graphic: VA House Dems’ “Contested Floor Votes” Unity Score Soared in 2020, While VA House GOP’s Plummeted. Why?
• 2020 VAPLAN Progressive Legislative Scorecard
• 8 state workers asked to self-isolate after emergency management employee’s positive COVID-19 test
• Virginia officials say all voters can cast ballots by mail for May municipal elections
• Is Virginia prepared for a surge in coronavirus cases? So far, the state’s medical capacity remains a mystery.
• Video: Gov. Ralph Northam Briefing on Coronavirus Crisis Response Efforts in Virginia
• Governor and Health Commissioner Issue Public Health Emergency Order to Enforce 10-Patron Limit
• Supreme Court of Virginia Suspends All Non-Emergency Evictions
• Coronavirus cases surge as Northam bans gatherings of more than 10, Hogan postpones primary
• Northam bans gatherings of 10 or more, urges ‘high-risk’ Virginians to self-quarantine
• Virginia hospitals could be overwhelmed by COVID-19, state won’t say how many ventilators it has
• With limited guidance, some Virginia day cares remain open during coronavirus outbreak (“‘We’re nervous. We’re upset. We’re bewildered,’ said one operator. But she’s staying open for parents who have no other option.”)
• Editorial: Virginia is leading the way in the search for insulin solutions
• Schools Ramp Up Food Distribution But Some Are Turned Away
• Virginia looking to cancel state SOL testing amid coronavirus pandemic
• UVa students pack up for semester as classes move online
• Newport News Shipbuilding extends liberal leave to March 31, adjusts because of coronavirus
• Drive-Through Coronavirus Testing Site to Open in Arlington
• Are Virginia Prisons Prepared for COVID-19?
• Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy charged with sexually assaulting prisoner (“Deputy Patrick McPartlin also was involved in the deaths of Natasha McKenna and Jovany Gomez” WTF???)
• Jails around Hampton Roads are trying to stop the coronavirus from getting inside (“I can’t stress how bad it would be if we had a pandemic in here”)
• Before closing, Norfolk’s animal shelter found homes for all of its animals — and many more
• Slightly cooler today, then major warming through Friday; much cooler this weekend