| McConnell Mocks ‘the Same Democrats Who Want to Take Over Everyone’s Healthcare’ for Botching Iowa Caucus Posted: 04 Feb 2020 12:52 PM PST  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a harsh rebuke to the Democratic Party on Tuesday after the Iowa caucus descended into chaos the previous night amid "inconsistencies" in reporting voting results."The same Democrats who want to take over everyone's healthcare and micromanage the entire economy couldn't even organize their own traditional Iowa caucuses?" McConnell wrote in a tweet.The Iowa Democratic Party failed for hours to report the final results of Monday night's caucus, sending the Democratic presidential primary into a limbo state as candidates await the final vote tally, expected Tuesday evening. State party officials blamed glitches in a new smartphone app being used to report results -- a "coding issue" that resulted in precinct managers calling the state party hotline to report results, only to be put on hold for hours."This is not a good night for democracy," said Senator Bernie Sanders, who led his rivals in initial caucus results. "You know, if I'm a first time voter when I came out and I voted, and the results are not coming in for 16 hours, you know, it's a little bit disconcerting."Most 2020 Democrats are running on a Medicare for All platform, although some, such as former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg, back expanding Medicare but not eliminating private health insurance.McConnell has criticized Medicare for All as a "socialist" proposal and vowed it will not pass the Senate as long as he is majority leader."You want to turn America into a socialist country this is the first step," the Kentucky Republican said last year. "I think what we're seeing here is full socialism on display in the Democratic primaries for president."McConnell has said he instead supports "niche fixes to try to improve the current system," such as lowering Obamacare's expensive co-pays and deductibles and lowering the costs of prescription drugs.
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| Coronavirus spreads fear and racism worldwide Posted: 04 Feb 2020 12:55 AM PST  As the deadly coronavirus has spread worldwide, it has carried with it xenophobia -- and Asian communities around the world are finding themselves subject to suspicion and fear. When a patient on Australia's Gold Coast refused to shake the hand of her surgeon Rhea Liang, citing the virus that has killed hundreds, the medic's first response was shock. Chinese tourists have reportedly been spat at in the Italian city of Venice, a family in Turin was accused of carrying the disease, and mothers in Milan have used social media to call for children to be kept away from Chinese classmates.
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| MSNBC Flips Out After Bernie Adviser Nina Turner Calls Bloomberg an ‘Oligarch’ Posted: 03 Feb 2020 06:55 PM PST  Moments before the Iowa Democratic caucuses kicked off Monday night, Bernie Sanders' national campaign co-chair Nina Turner sparked fireworks on the MSNBC set when she repeatedly described billionaire Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg as an "oligarch."Criticizing the Democratic National Committee for overhauling its debate requirements in a clear move to allow Bloomberg to qualify moving forward, Turner told MSNBC host Chris Matthews that American voters are concerned about "the oligarchs" being able to buy their way into elections."Do you think Mike Bloomberg is an oligarch?" Matthews, taken aback, exclaimed."He is," Turner shot back. "He skipped Iowa. Iowans should be insulted. Buying his way into this race, period. The DNC changed the rules. They didn't change it for Senator Harris. They didn't change it for Senator Booker. They didn't change it for Secretary Castro."Matthews then asked if Turner believed Bloomberg bought his way into the debates, prompting the former Ohio lawmaker to declare that he "absolutely did" and it was a "stain on democracy."After Matthews finished interviewing Turner, anchor Brian Williams turned to MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson, who apparently also had a strong reaction to Turner's assessment of Bloomberg."Calling Mike Bloomberg an oligarch has implications in this country are unfair and unreasonable," he huffed. "I disagree with a lot of things Mike Bloomberg has done as a mayor. Oligarchy in our particular term makes you think of a rich person who got their money off of royal in Russia, who is taking advantage of a broken system.""Mike Bloomberg is a rich guy," Johnson continued. "Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're an oligarch that abuses power. Mike Bloomberg was given power by the voters of New York... It ain't the kind of language you should be using. It's dismissive, unfair and the kind of thing that blows up in your face if you become the nominee and you have to work with Mike Bloomberg three or four months from now. That's the issue Sanders people never want to remember."Following a commercial break, MSNBC had Turner and Johnson debate her use of the term. The Sanders adviser, for her part, was unapologetic, saying it was "ironic" that "somebody would defend the wealthiest people in this country over the working people in this country." "That is the same message Bernie Sanders has to the everyday people of this nation, that I welcome the hatred of the elites because I am standing up for you," she added. "So cry me a river for the wealthiest."Johnson, meanwhile, contended that his issue was what the word "oligarch" implied while also claiming that Turner herself worked for someone who's part of the one percent, wondering if she would call Sanders an oligarch.Things continued to get more and more heated between the two, with Turner accusing Johnson of name-calling and "defending somebody who is buying his way through democracy" while Johnson complained that this was "just how you guys operate."Eventually, at the end of the very tense exchange, Matthews asked if she wanted to change her word for Bloomberg."No, he doesn't tell me what to say or how to change my words," she emphatically replied. "My word stands!"Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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