Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Kari Paul in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve and Martin Belam (earlier)

Bloomberg campaign again criticized for social media tactics – as it happened

Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks during a “United for Mike,” event held in Aventura, Florida.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks during a “United for Mike,” event held in Aventura, Florida. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Late evening summary

That’s all from me for the night! Here is all of the news you need to know from the last few hours.

  • Bloomberg’s campaign is upset that his offices are being vandalized with political graffiti across the US.
  • Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are nearly tied in Texas ahead of the important Super Tuesday vote, a new poll found.
  • Bloomberg’s campaign is facing criticism over its social media policies once again after sharing misleading tweets misrepresenting what Sanders has said about political leaders in the past.
  • MSNBC host Chris Matthews apologized to Bernie Sanders for comparing his Nevada win to a Nazi invasion.
  • Joe Biden has secured an important endorsement from South Carolina Democratic representative James Clyburn ahead of an upcoming vote there.

Updated

Joe Biden is set to recieve a notable endorsement this week: South Carolina Democratic representative James Clyburn will reportedly endorse the former vice president for the Democratic nomination on Wednesday.

The Hill on why this endorsement is important:

The House majority whip and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Clyburn carries significant weight in the South Carolina primary. The state is seen as a major test for Democratic candidates as they seek the support of African American voters.

After suffering major defeats in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Biden is banking on a positive performance in the upcoming South Carolina vote to keep his campaign alive.

A Portland, Oregon, journalist shared her heartbreaking story of being failed by the for-profit healthcare system in the United States on Twitter over the weekend, in a passionate statement in support of Bernie Sanders for president.

Her tweets explained what happened when her one-year-old son was struck by a careless driver and died after two surgeries, leaving her to navigate $175,000 in medical bills while grieving for her child. She noted that this happened “despite Obamacare and ‘good’ union insurance”.

Sanders’s call for Medicare for All has become a central part of his campaign, as Americans struggle with rising healthcare and prescription costs.

Updated

The MSNBC host Chris Matthews made a public apology to Bernie Sanders for comparing the Democratic presidential candidate’s win in the Nevada caucus to a Nazi invasion.

“I’m sorry for comparing anything from that tragic era in which so many suffered, especially the Jewish people, to an electoral result in which you were the well-deserved winner”, Matthews said in a statement.

Matthews had faced increasing calls to resign from his hosting position over the statements about Sanders, who is Jewish and lost many family members in the Holocaust.

Updated

Donald Trump’s staffers have to hide ice cream from the president so he doesn’t eat too much - who among us cannot relate?

In a story by the New York Times, Trump’s doctor Ronny Jackson followed up on previous public statements that he was attempting to help the president lose 10 to 15 pounds by bringing an exercise machine into the White House.

He said those plans never came to fruition. In the past, Trump has said that he believes exercise is a waste of energy. From past reports:

“Other than golf, he considers exercise misguided, arguing that a person, like a battery, is born with a finite amount of energy.”

Instead Jackson said staffers are focusing on Trump’s diet, secretly hiding cauliflower in the president’s mashed potatoes and making ice cream less accessible.

Joe Biden made a public statement on Monday in support of Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant. The tweet was sent out on the day of the late basketball legend’s public memorial service, which attracted 20,000 mourners.

Biden has frequently spoken about his own personal tragedies and how he has handled them. In 1972 his wife and one-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident, and his first son, Beau, died of cancer during Biden’s vice presidency.

“There will come a day, I promise you, when the memory of Kobe and Gianna will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye”, Biden said.

Updated

Bloomberg campaign in hot water once again over misinformation on Twitter

Mike Bloomberg is again facing criticism for sharing misleading and offensive tweets.

The campaign team for the Democratic candidate posted a real video of rival Bernie Sanders defending the Castro administration of Cuba. It then attempted to start an online campaign with the hashtag #BernieOnDespots, imagining what the Vermont senator would say about other regimes.

Backlash over the tweets have called into question just how effective Bloomberg’s massive spending spree on advertising has been. The candidate has burnt $500m in advertising since he launched his campaign and previously said he was willing to spend up to $1bn on his run for president.

Some users pointed out on Twitter it was difficult to discern that the latest hashtag was a joke and not real quotes Sanders said about the leaders, including “Vladimir Putin is willing to poison anyone who disagrees with him, but have you seen how that guy looks without a shirt!! Mmm delish!” Some have called the Putin tweet homophobic.

Ultimately the team clarified with a tweet that “all of these are satire” with the exception of the original video shared.

Bloomberg was criticized earlier this month for a video he tweeted that was misleadingly edited. Twitter said under its new policy against misleading content, in the future it would be flagged as a doctored clip, but those features will not go into effect until 5 March.

Twitter did not respond for request for comment on whether the #BernieOnDespots tweets also violated its policies on misinformation.

Updated

A new survey from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston found Biden and Bernie Sanders are neck and neck among voters in Texas, a key state for the race to the Democratic nomination.

Bernie Sanders is polling at 22.1% there while Joe Biden is 22.5% in the lone star state. Elizabeth Warren is in third place at 18.3%.

The most important issue for voters there, according to the survey, are that the candidate can win the election against Trump.

There differences in support between genders among all candidates except for Sanders: men were more likely to support Biden and women were more likely to support Warren while men and women were equally likely to support Sanders, the poll found.

Texas will vote in its primary election on 3 March.

Updated

A number of campaign offices of Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg have been vandalized, his team tweeted on Monday.

In Chicago, Michigan, Ohio, and Utah offices of Bloomberg have been defaced with graffiti criticizing his history of racially-charged policing policies and his extraordinary wealth.

His campaign team said the incidents are indicative of people who use “hateful rhetoric and intimidation to influence this election” and who are “driving our country further and further apart”.

The tweets have sparked a variety of responses, some defending the graffiti and criticizing the former New York City mayor for the policies highlighted by the vandalism.

Updated

Hello readers, Kari Paul here to keep you posted on the latest for the next few hours. Stay tuned for updates.

Evening summary

That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Kari Paul, will take over the blog for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • Mike Bloomberg has officially spent more than $500m in his efforts to win the Democratic presidential nomination. His first real test will come next week on Super Tuesday, but his widely panned debate performance in Nevada could hurt his chances.
  • Joe Biden’s campaign criticized Bernie Sanders for the frontrunner’s flattering comments about Fidel Castro, which intensified concerns of the effect a Sanders nomination would have on down-ballot Democrats.
  • Trump addressed 100,000 people at a rally in India, where he praised the prime minister, Narendra Modi.
  • Harvey Weinstein, the film producer who was accused of repeated sexual misconduct, was convicted on two charges, marking a key victory for the #MeToo movement.
  • Global markets dropped as fears spread about the coronavirus, which has already claimed 2,600 lives.

Kari will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Updated

The US stock market has closed down by more than 1,000 points as fears intensify of a spreading coronavirus.

The Washington Post reports:

The Dow Jones industrial average sank by more than 1,000 points or 3.5 percent, as Wall Street interpreted disease clusters in South Korea, Italy and Iran as a sign that the disease has outraced confinement efforts in China.

Factories around the world are grappling with parts shortages as their Chinese suppliers struggle to resume normal operations. As global economic engines sputter, the Federal Reserve and other central banks are facing calls for emergency help.

The Trump administration is expected to ask Congress for funding to help combat the virus, but experts fear they will not request enough money to adequately address the health threat.

A new South Carolina poll out today shows Joe Biden leading by double digits, a result that is a bit at odds with other surveys from the state.

According to PublicPolicyPolling, Biden stands at 36% in South Carolina compared to Bernie Sanders’ 21%. Tom Steyer, who has been in third place in other polls, was tied for fourth place at 7%.

If Biden were to win South Carolina by double digits, it would allow him to claim he is the dominate moderate candidate in the race, potentially putting more pressure on candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar to withdraw.

But there is reason to be skeptical of those PPP numbers, considering the RealClearPolitics polling average of the state shows Biden up by just 5 points.

Biden criticizes Sanders over Castro comments

Joe Biden’s campaign has released a statement criticizing Bernie Sanders for his flattering comments about Fidel Castro.

“Make no mistake: Bernie Sanders’ comments on Fidel Castro are a part of a larger pattern throughout his life to embrace autocratic leaders and governments across the globe,” said Biden campaign adviser Cristóbal Alex.

“We already have one president who praises dictators and their mob-like tendencies; we don’t need another one.”

Democrats in Florida, a state with a large Cuban-American population, have similarly released statements criticizing Sanders for praising Castro’s literacy program.

Democratic officials in the state fear Sanders’ potential nomination could have negative down-ballot consequences in Florida, and Biden, who has sought to portray Sanders as unelectable, is clearly trying to capitalize on those concerns.

Set your alarms: Trump will hold a press conference in New Delhi at 6:30 am ET tomorrow.

The president has developed a habit of holding long, freewheeling press conferences at the end of his international trips, so the appearance could generate a number of headlines.

Florida Democrats are trying to distance themselves from some flattering comments Bernie Sanders made about Fidel Castro during his 60 Minutes interview.

Given Florida’s large Cuban-American population, some Democrats in the state have expressed fears that a Sanders nomination would have negative down-ballot consequences in November.

Sanders’ comments about Castro intensified those concerns. “We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad,” the self-describe democratic socialist said.

“You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”

Updated

There are still some results left to count from the Nevada caucuses, but it appears Bernie Sanders won two-thirds of the state’s 36 delegates.

Many states still need to vote, but Sanders has opened up a large delegate lead early in the race, which could be crucial on Super Tuesday next week.

Pete Buttigieg is campaigning in South Carolina, which will hold its presidential primary on Saturday.

The former Indiana mayor joined a march calling for an increased minimum wage:

But some Black Lives Matter protesters were also there for the march, criticizing Buttigieg for previously opposing increases to the minimum wage:

Bernie Sanders appears to be enjoying a bump in national polls thanks to his strong performance in Nevada.

According to Morning Consult’s polling, Sanders’ national standing has increased by four points since the Nevada debate, while his opponents have held steady or slightly dropped.

With Super Tuesday just eight days away, the numbers are another indication that Sanders may soon gain an insurmountable delegate lead.

Updated

Coming off his landslide Nevada victory, Bernie Sanders is now investing in South Carolina, which will hold its primary on Saturday.

Joe Biden has said he has built a “firewall” in South Carolina, where more than half of 2016 primary voters were African American.

But a South Carolina poll released yesterday showed Biden’s lead over Sanders narrowing to five points, so Sanders’ team is expressing hope that they may be able to eclipse the former vice-president in the state.

Updated

Bloomberg's campaign spending surpasses $500m

The latest numbers are in, and Mike Bloomberg has spent more than $500m so far on his presidential campaign.

Bloomberg’s spending dwarfs that of any of his opponents, including fellow billionaire Tom Steyer.

The former New York mayor has expressed a willigness to spend up to $1bn on his campaign, though he said it will “hopefully not” cost quite that much.

Bloomberg’s first test will come on Super Tuesday next week, but there are some signs that his support is slipping after his widely panned debate performance.

Updated

Afternoon summary

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • Harvey Weinstein, the film producer accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, was convicted on two counts, marking a key victory for the #MeToo movement.
  • Trump held a massive rally in India, where he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “very tough.”
  • Global markets dropped amid fears of a spreading coronvirus, which has already claimed 2,600 lives.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

With Bernie Sanders’ status as the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary cemented, Republican senator Marco Rubio tweeted a video lamenting the dangers of democratic socialism.

“Democratic socialism sounds benign, but at the core of Democratic socialism is Marxism, and at the core of Marxism is this fake offer that if you turn over more of your individual freedom, we’re going to provide you security. We’re going to provide you free healthcare. We’re going to provide you free education,” Rubio said.

“But the problem is that when they can’t deliver on it or you’re not happy with it, you don’t get your freedoms back.”

Rubio’s video (oddly filmed as he drives a car) likely foreshadows the talking points Republicans will use against Sanders, a self-identified democratic socialist, if he wins the nomination.

But some proponents of Sanders’ policies have suggested this line of attack may not be as successful as Republicans think:

Another Democratic congresswoman from Florida has criticized Bernie Sanders for offering some flattering comments about Fidel Castro in his 60 Minutes interview.

Murphy, a moderate Democrat who serves as one of the co-chairs of the Blue Dog Coalition, won her 2018 race by 15 points, but a number of Florida Democrats have voiced concerns about down-ballot effects in heavily Cuban districts if Sanders wins the nomination.

Updated

Weinstein convicted on two charges

Harvey Weinstein, the film producer whose alleged sexual misconduct inspired the #MeToo movement, has been convicted on two counts.

The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington reports:

The movie mogul’s epic fall from grace is now complete, toppled from the pinnacle of independent cinema where he helmed films such as Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love, amassing a total of 81 Oscars. The glamorous Manhattan and Los Angeles lifestyle he once enjoyed will soon be replaced by a New York state prison cell as he faces jail time.

The jury of seven men and five women at the New York supreme court took five days to reach their verdict.

The conviction marks the final comeuppance for a towering figure who wielded his power in the movie industry – as well as his commanding physical presence – over vulnerable young women seeking his help.

Weinstein was found guilty of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, but he was acuitted on the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and rape in the first degree.

As Ed notes, Weinstein’s conviction marks a victoty in the #MeToo movement:

Though Judge James Burke cautioned the jury not to see the case as a referendum on #MeToo, Weinstein’s conviction is certain to have far-reaching consequences for gender relations in the workplace, in Hollywood and far beyond. The world of powerful men who deploy their seniority as tools of sexual control is much less secure in its wake.

Senator Amy Klobuchar leads the Democratic primary field in her home state of Minnesota, which will vote on Super Tuesday.

According to a new MPR News/Star Tribune Minnesota poll, Klobuchar is at 29% in Minnesota, compared to frontrunner Bernie Sanders’ 23%. Elizabeth Warren is at 11%, and no other candidate hits double digits.

Although the poll is good news for Klobuchar, who has so far failed to win a single contest, Sanders’ strong second-place position will likely cause some alarm among her advisers.

Sanders’ has had impressive showings in the first three voting states, which will almost certainly help him to attract additional support, and Klobuchar needs to win her home state (at an absolute minimum) to stay alive.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is overseeing the case of Roger Stone, will hold a closed hearing tomorrow to consider the former Trump associate’s request for a new trial.

Stone, who was sentenced to more than three years in prison last week for obstructing Congress’ Russia investigation, has claimed his trial was tainted due to anti-Trump juror bias.

But Jackson seems unlikely to issue a favorable ruling on his motion for a new trial, considering she praised the jurors for their service when she announced Stone’s sentence last week.

Updated

Mike Bloomberg’s campaign is using Russia’s reported efforts to help Bernie Sanders in the 2020 election as a means of criticizing the Vermont senator’s electability.

Reports emerged Friday that the Kremlin was interfering in the 2020 campaign to help Sanders, news that came two days after reports indicated Vladimir Putin’s government was trying to help Trump get re-elected.

The subject of Russian election interference is almost guaranteed to come up during tomorrow’s debate, but the varying accounts of who the Kremlin is trying to help could muddy the waters.

Another Florida Democrat, freshman congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, criticized Bernie Sanders for offering some praise for the former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

During his “60 Minutes” interview that aired last night, Sanders was asked about his past comments on the late communist leader.

“We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad,” Sanders said.

“You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”

That did not sit will with Mucarsel-Powell, who flipped a heavily Cuban House district in 2018.

The comments also underscore how Sanders’ increasingly likely nomination could leave down-ballot Democrats in Florida, a key swing state where many Cuban Americans reside, at a disadvantage.

Markets nosedive amid coronvirus fears

Global markets are dropping as fears intensify of an expanding coronvirus, which has already claimed 2,600 lives.

The AP reports:

Stocks are opening sharply lower on Wall Street, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than 700 points, as virus cases spread beyond China, threatening to disrupt the global economy. The early plunge in U.S. trading erased the Dow’s gains for the year. Markets in Europe and Asia had even bigger losses as infections spread in Italy, Iran and South Korea. Bond and gold prices surged as investors sought safety. The S&P 500 dropped 84 points, or 2.5%, to 3,251. The Dow fell 775 points, or 2.7%, to 28,212. The Nasdaq lost 298 points, or 3.1%, to 9,282.

The White House is expected to ask Congress for more money to fight the virus, but expects have warned that the potential request of $1 billion is not enough to address the health threat.

Mike Bloomberg is hitting Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders for his record on guns, possibly foreshadowing tomorrow’s debate in South Carolina.

In a new ad, Bloomberg’s campaign recounts how Sanders won the support of the National Rifle Association before he was first electied to Congress in 1990 because his opponent had supported banning assault weapons.

During his long career in Congress, Sanders repeatedly voted against the Brady Bill, which called for waiting periods before acquiring guns and instant background checks. Sanders also supported a law that has been cited to halt lawsuits from mass shooting victims against gun manufacturers.

Joe Biden has also tried to hammer Sanders for his record on gun control, but the Vermont senator has said his thinking of the issue has evolved.

“We deserve a president who has never been bought by the NRA,” Bloomberg’s ad concludes. The billionaire candidate will likely echo that message on the debate stage tomorrow.

This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.

As many Democratic leaders freak out over the possibility of Bernie Sanders winning the presidential nomination after his landslide victory in Nevada, one senior House Democrat is preparing to endorse another candidate.

House majority whip Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s longest-serving member of Congress, reportedly intends to endorse Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Politico reports:

The planned endorsement is expected three days ahead of the state’s Saturday primary, giving Biden an important boost in a state that will likely determine the fate of his candidacy. Clyburn, the highest ranking African American in Congress, has long been close with Biden and has been open about his affinity for the former vice president during the Democratic primary. ...

Clyburn was already considering formally backing Biden but the pressure intensified after Sanders’ landslide win in Nevada on Saturday night, according to two people familiar with the endorsement discussions.

‘I will endorse Wednesday morning,’ Clyburn said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. ‘I’m going to tell everybody who I’m going to vote for. I’m just not going to do it today.’

Clyburn’s endorsement will come as some centrist Democrats are calling on candidates like Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, who currently has a very narrow lead over Sanders in the Iowa caucuses, to drop out of the race to consolidate the moderate vote.

But all the candidates have signaled they intend to carry on until at least Super Tuesday, when billionaire Mike Bloomberg will join the mix. All those factors could quickly give Sanders an insurmountable delegate lead in his path to the nomination.

Bernie Sanders has angered people, including fellow Democrats, with comments he made about Cuba in last night’s CBS News 60 Minutes interview.

While being asked about past comments on Cuba, he said: “We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad.

“You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”

Sanders did go on to condemn the imprisonment of political dissidents under Castro, but that wasn’t enough to prevent bipartisan criticism of the remarks.

“I’m hoping that in the future, Senator Sanders will take time to speak to some of my constituents before he decides to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro” tweeted Democrat Donna Shalala of Florida.

Marco Rubio also criticised the comments.

During the interview segment, Sanders attacked the current US president’s policy of being cosy with authoritarian regimes, saying “Unlike Donald Trump, I do not think that Kim Jong-un is a good friend. I don’t trade love letters with a murdering dictator. Vladimir Putin, not a great friend of mine.”

You can watch the whole interview here.

Updated

The president has now left the Taj Mahal in India, where he was accompanied by the first lady and by Ivanka Trump, and is heading for New Delhi on Air Force One. Someone has also obviously just handed his phone back to him, because his account has stopped tweeting in Hindi and he is tweeting about the Roger Stone case again.

The pictures coming out of the Trump visit to New Delhi are going to be a lot less welcoming than those this morning in Ahmedabad, which is in Indian prime minister Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

While a group of Hindu nationalists held a prayer meeting in which they put a vermilion mark on the forehead of Trumps photograph on a poster, blessing him, there have also been anti-Trump demonstrations on streets in several Indian cities.

A protest against US president Donald Trump’s visit to India in Siliguri
A protest against US president Donald Trump’s visit to India in Siliguri Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP via Getty Images

While anti-Trump street demonstrations have been seen in the cities of Gauhati in the northeast, Kolkata in the east and Hyderabad in the south, it is in New Delhi where police have fired tear gas. Coinciding with the Trump visit, continuing clashes have erupted between hundreds of supporters and opponents of a new Indian citizenship law that provides fast-track citzenship for some foreign-born religious minorities living in the country, but explicitly not to Muslims.

A burnt vehicle is pictured following clashes between supporters and opponents of a new citizenship law in New Delhi ahead of US president’s arrival
A burnt vehicle is pictured following clashes between supporters and opponents of a new citizenship law in New Delhi ahead of US president’s arrival Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

At the rally early in Ahmedabad, Trump had praised India’s history of religious tolerance, saying many faiths “worship side by side in harmony.”

A survey of US business economists has suggested that they are a lot happier with the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy than the president is.

Trump has frequently tweeted his irritation about interest rates, and has in the past described Fed officials as “boneheads”. However nearly two-thirds of the economists asked by the National Association for Business Economics say that the Fed’s interest rate policy is “about right”.

Beginning last summer, the Fed cut its key rate three times in 2019, reducing it to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, which is very low by historic standards. Trump has repeatedly suggested the Fed should cut rates further, to zero, or even into negative territory.

Confidence in the Trump economy seems high though. Just 13% of respondents forecast a downturn in 2020, which is down from 42% in last year’s survey. 37% still foresee a recession in 2021. The results reflect the views of 210 economists from companies, trade associations and academia.

Julian Assange has just stood up in court in London to speak

It is the first day of the court hearing into the US attempt to extradite Assange from the UK. My colleague Ben Quinn has filed this report of proceedings so far.

Jonathan Swan has an interesting looking exclusive for Axios, about Trump’s “Deep State” hit list of “disloyal government officials to oust — and trusted pro-Trump people to replace them.”

According to Swan’s reporting “a well-connected network of conservative activists with close ties to Trump and top administration officials is quietly helping develop these ‘Never Trump’/pro-Trump lists” and using them to suggest who the president should hire and fire.

They are said to be playing on Trump’s belief, after his impeachment acquittal, that “his government — from Justice to State to Defense to Homeland Security — is filled with ‘snakes.’ He wants them fired and replaced ASAP.”

You can read the piece in full here - it goes into quite a lot of specifics about three specific memos, and backs up what the New York Times’ Peter Baker wrote on Saturday, that “in some of the most critical corners of the Trump administration, officials show up for work now never entirely sure who will be there by the end of the evening — themselves included.”

It has not been a great few days in court for long-time Trump ally Roger Stone, who on Thursday was sentenced to forty months in prison by Judge Amy Berman Jackson. Stone’s attorneys had filed on Friday calling for her recusal.

On Sunday his attempt to get her removed failed when she rejected his lawyers’ arguments and vigorously defended her impartiality.

In the court filing she insisted that she had been fair to Stone “even after he took to social media to intimidate the Court, after he violated conditions imposed by the Court, after he was convicted at trial, and after he was sentenced to a term of incarceration.”

She went on to say that the attempt to remove her appeared to be “nothing more than an attempt to use the Court’s docket to disseminate a statement for public consumption that has the words ‘judge’ and ‘biased’ in it.”

In sentencing Stone, Jackson had said that the veteran Republican operative’s lies to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election amounted to a threat to American democracy. Stone was convicted of lying to the Intelligence Committee about his attempts to contact Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks.

Over on the Outside The Beltway blog James Joyner has some stinging words for Tom Steyer, who he describes as “the vanity candidate”

“I’ve long viewed Tom Steyer’s quest for the Democratic presidential nomination as a bad joke. He has never held elective office and was pretty much a non-entity on the national scene before his announcement. He has spent millions of dollars manipulating the DNC’s insipid rules and managed to get on the debate stage, where he’s mostly been ignored. So far, that’s gotten him to 2.2% in the national polls.”

Joyner goes on to argue that Steyer’s presence as a spoiler in South Carolina risks, if not handing the nomination over to Bernie Sanders outright, at least doing enough to damage to any chance that Joe Biden could use South Carolina to pick up some campaign momentum.

Read in full: “Steyer as South Carolina Spoiler”

As Super Tuesday approaches and with his debate debut behind him, at the Guardian we’ve been taking a closer look at Mike Bloomberg - the billionaire candidate.

Here’s part two of our series on Bloomberg, from Amanda Holpuch in New York, asking “Can Mike Bloomberg buy his way to the White House?”

“A key issue with trying to buy the presidency is that if a candidate isn’t relying on small donors, it is more difficult to establish their actual popularity among the electorate. That’s why in normal election years, the parties would usually be leaning toward candidates who demonstrated how well-liked they are through many donations. But half a billion dollars goes a long way in a US election.”

It’s also worth noting today that the Bloomberg campaign has bought ad-space in the influential Axios newsletter. If you don’t catch the words “A message from Mike Bloomberg 2020” in the small-print, it looks like one of their top stories is “Bloomberg is the strongest Democrat to take on Trump in November”. Sanders, Biden, Warren and the rest would be sure to disagree.

There really are some incredible photos coming out of Trump’s visit to India today. This shot might give you an idea of the scale of the audience that Narendra Modi and the US president were addressing.

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium ahead of the rally today
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium ahead of the rally today Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, where the rally took place, has a seated capacity of 110,000 and is the second largest sports stadium in the world. This image gives an indication of the security precautions placed around the two leaders.

President Donald Trump speaking behind perspex screens in India today
President Donald Trump speaking behind perspex screens in India today Photograph: Alexander Drago/Reuters

My colleague Hannah Ellis-Petersen was there and has a full report.

“Archna Singh, 31, was among the locals from Ahmedabad who had turned out for the rally and had brought her two children. ‘This is a very exciting day for us, to have the US president here shows how India is a very important country,’ she said. ‘This good relationship will make us stronger.’”

The president’s visit has now moved on to the world famous Taj Mahal monument.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose as they visit the Taj Mahal in Agra
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose as they visit the Taj Mahal in Agra Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

There is sometimes speculation on whether Trump actually writes some of the more official sounding tweets on his timeline in person, but I think we can safely assume that he isn’t typing these Hindi ones out himself today.

This one does sound very much like the president’s own words in translation though: “America and India will strengthen their countries, enrich their people, make big dreamers bigger and make their future brighter than ever ... and this is only the beginning.”

Assange extradition hearing commences in London

Something to watch for in London today: Julian Assange is set for his latest face off with the US government as his extradition hearing begins in the British courts.

Assange is wanted on 18 charges over the publication of US cables a decade ago, and faces up to 175 years in jail. He is accused of working with former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents.

My colleague Ben Quinn is covering the case, reporting that in the opening exchanges lawyers acting for the US government have said “Reporting for journalism is not an excuse for breaking laws”, claiming that by disseminating material in an unredacted form, Assange knowingly put human rights activists, dissidents, journalists and their families at risk of serious harm in states operated by oppressive regimes.

As anticipated, there is a large presence of protestors outside the hearing - some even, it is reported, having crossed over from France to join the protests.

Protestors hold placards as they block the entrance to Woolwich Crown Court
Protestors hold placards as they block the entrance to Woolwich Crown Court Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Today is only the next step in a lengthy process though. After opening arguments this week, the case is expected to be adjourned until May, when both sides will have an opportunity to lay out their evidence. The judge is unlikely to rule until several months after that, and whichever way the court decides, an appeal against the verdict is almost inevitable.

Away from Trump’s visit to India, people are still taking stock of the size of the Bernie Sanders victory in Nevada at the weekend. Here are Natasha Korecki and David Siders in Politico arguing that the Democratic establishment is truly beginning to panic about the prospect of a left-wing Sanders nomination.

“In 30-plus years of politics, I’ve never seen this level of doom. I’ve never had a day with so many people texting, emailing, calling me with so much doom and gloom”

Former candidate Andrew Yang believes that the Sanders lead may be insurmountable by the middle of March.

South Carolina is the next stop for the primaries. In 2016 Sanders was completely crushed by Hillary Clinton - she won with 73% of the vote to his 26%. It is going to be a very different story this time - with the Sanders opposition split between several candidates.

Yesterday CBS News issued a poll, taken before the Nevada result, of voting intentions in South Carolina. It places Joe Biden in the lead with 28%. Sanders, though, is a close second on 23%, with Tom Steyer (18%), Elizabeth Warren (12%) and Pete Buttigieg (10%) showing how divided the race is. And that is without factoring in the presence of Mike Bloomberg, whose strategy has been to not compete until Super Tuesday on 3 March.

Trump sings Modi's praises at massive rally in India

Here are some video highlights of the speech that US president Donald Trump has given today at a huge rally attended by 100,000 people in Ahmedabad.

He said: “The first lady and I have just travelled 8,000 miles around the globe to deliver a message to every citizen across this nation - America loves India”

Trump heaped praise on Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, saying that “everybody loves him” but that he is “very tough”.

And he spoke of improving trade and military co-operation between the US and the world’s biggest democracy, saying: “The prime minister and I will also continue our important discussions about how to deepen the relationship between our two great countries. Both of us understand that when leaders put the interest of their own citizens first, we can forge strong and fair partnerships, to build a safer and more prosperous world.”

The “Namaste Trump” rally is a follow up to the “Howdy Modi” event that the Indian prime minister attended in Houston in September.

Before the rally in the stadium, the president, along with the first lady and Narendra Modi, attended the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. Trump wrote “To my great friend Prime Minister Modi...Thank you for this wonderful visit!” in the guest book.

Narendra Modi, Donald Trump and Melania Trump visit the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad
Narendra Modi, Donald Trump and Melania Trump visit the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad Photograph: Alexander Drago/Reuters

Thousands of well-wishers lined the streets before the event waving flags, with a lot of support on display for president Trump and for the relationship between India and the US. At the rally Modi lead the crowd in a chant of “Long live India-U.S. friendship.”

People wait beside a street to catch a glimpse of US president Donald Trump’s motorcade in Ahmedabad
People wait beside a street to catch a glimpse of US president Donald Trump’s motorcade in Ahmedabad Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

In his speech, Trump called Modi a “tremendously successful leader” who has transformed the country. He announced more military sales to India, including helicopters, and said he is working with Modi on a trade deal. The huge audience cheered when Trump mentioned US strikes on radical Islamic extremists.

Good morning.

Nevada is already in the rear-view mirror for the Democrats after the resounding win by Bernie Sanders there in the caucuses. With nearly 90% of the vote counted, the leftwing senator has 47.1% of the vote. Joe Biden has picked up 21%, and Pete Buttigieg is on13.7%, with Elizabeth Warren (9.6%) and Tom Steyer (4.7%) coming in 4th and 5th.

But it is Steyer who is in the news, after he has qualified for Tuesday’s debate, as focus turns to the South Carolina primary which seems like it is Biden’s to lose.

The president, meanwhile is up and about on a visit to India and tweeting in Hindi.

He has been addressing a huge rally with India prime minister Narendra Modi, who he described as a “true friend”.

The gathering in Ahmedabad was expected to draw a crowd of 100,000. Trump’s visit, which he has described as the “biggest event’ India has ever had, will last 36 hours.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Sean Penn Wasn't At The Academy Awards But His Oscar Win Still Made History
The One Battle After Another star joined three other actors with a prestigious record
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
‘There Were Some Lines That Were Crossed’: Travis Barker’s Ex Shanna Moakler On What It’s Like Co-Parenting With Kourtney Kardashian
Alabama and Landon's mom speaks out.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Nobody Wants This Is Inviting One Lucky Viewer To Set for Season Three Filming
Nobody Wants This Is Inviting One Lucky Viewer To Set for Season Three Filming
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
I'm Rewatching Orange Is The New Black, And The BTS Financial Situation Still Bothers Me
Justice for the women of Litchfield.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
The Brutally Honest Response A TV Exec Had When Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan Pitched The Show
Turns out not everyone thought Breaking Bad sounded like a good idea.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
‘As Douchey As It Is…’ Charlie Day Knows Why It’s Always Sunny Co-Star Rob Mac Changed His Name
This is a fair (and funny) take.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play