Welcome back to Politics in Review, our column to explore the latest in national news and politics. This week we’ll look into the Democratic presidential race, the spread of the Coronavirus, and the latest from Capitol Hill.
Nevada
Last Saturday, Nevada became the third state to vote in the Democratic Presidential nominating process, following Iowa and New Hampshire. With 100% of precincts reporting, self proclaimed Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders won 46.8%, easily beating out moderates Joe Biden, who received 20.2 %, and Pete Buttigieg, who disappointed by placing third with 14.3%. Translating these results to the national delegate count for the nomination leaves Sanders as the frontrunner, with 45 overall, followed by Buttigieg at 25, then Biden, Warren, and Klobuchar, with 15, 8, and 7.
With South Carolina arriving on the 29th, and 14 states including Utah, (or 1,357 of the total 3,979 pledged delegates!) coming to vote March 3rd, the race will continue to intensify as Sanders seeks to champion the progressive movement into a Presidential victory. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg holds the moderate standard for now. However, former NYC mayor and billionaire Micheal Bloomberg will enter the race on March 3rd and has ratcheted up hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising. In short, this primary could get messy. If no one candidate has a majority of delegates by the Convention in July, the nomination will be contested, and thousands of delegates will have to agree on a single candidate.
We’ll continue to follow the race as it develops. (For FAQs on voting in the Utah Primary, see here.)
Coronavirus
Word of a deadly virus sweeping China has raised worldwide fears of a global pandemic. This virus, known informally as the Wuhan or China coronavirus, has infected over 81,000 and killed roughly 2,600. The virus is said to have originated from a wild animal market in Wuhan, China, and has confirmed cases in over 18 countries, including the U.S. Symptoms include sore throat, headache, fever, etc., and it appears it is most deadly among patients who are elderly.
Currently, the threat to the U.S. seems to be limited, although the Center for Disease Control, or CDC recommends taking precautions such as washing hands often and avoiding those who appear to be sick. Non-essential travel to China is not advised.
Continue to take these precautions and keep an eye on the CDC Website for crucial updates.
Other Developments
After being acquitted by the Senate (see our last edition), President Trump has fired two of the initial witnesses who testified in the impeachment inquiry. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman of the National Security Council have been removed from their positions, with Vindman reassigned. As little official reasoning has been given, Democrats have accused the President of mob-like retaliation.
In other news, both houses of Congress passed a resolution limiting the President’s ability to attack Iran unless attacked. Although the bill is unlikely to survive a veto, it is a rare moment of bipartisan support against the President’s use of war powers. For more of the background of the Iran tensions, see our inaugural issue.
As always, we’ll monitor what comes next.
That concludes this edition of our Politics column here at the UVU Review. Is there a political issue you want to be discussed on the column? Have feedback? Feel free to reach out to me on twitter @JoeyChowen or at joeychowen@gmail.com, or comment below. See you next week!
