Here's what we're following today. |
Two Democratic presidential candidates ended their run for the White House over the weekend, shrinking the field ahead of this week’s Super Tuesday contests. Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund investor and environmental activist, suspended his campaign on Saturday. On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and the first openly gay candidate to win delegates, announced he was dropping out of the running.
People will head to the polls all across the country on Super Tuesday, the biggest day of the 2020 Democratic primary campaign. Click here for NPR’s state-by-state guide to tomorrow’s races.
As testing for the coronavirus quickly ramps up across the United States, public health officials are warning that more new cases are likely to be confirmed. A second person in Washington has died from the disease, and new cases of the coronavirus were identified in at least four states on Sunday. More than 3,600 people have been tested so far nationwide.
For the first time in history, the U.S. Census Bureau is trying to count most households using an online form despite concerns about cybersecurity. Some paper forms are still scheduled to arrive in homes by the middle of this month.
The U.S. signed a historic agreement with Taliban leaders over the weekend, and already there’s a snag. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is rejecting a timeline for a prisoner swap with the militant group. |
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A new Smithsonian Channel documentary, Black in Space: Breaking the Color Barrier, tells the story of Ed Dwight, the first African American selected to be an astronaut. Dwight never made it into orbit, despite pleas from journalist Edward R. Murrow. (Listening time, 7:12 or read the story here)
Oh, the places we’ve been and the pops we’ve hopped on! The Whos we’ve heard and the doors we’ve knocked on! Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep and David Greene pay tribute to Dr. Seuss on what would have been his 116th birthday. (Listening time, 1:21)
Laura Mam is one of Cambodia's biggest pop stars, but she wasn't born or raised in the country. She’s American. But with her mother’s help, Mam is reviving a Cambodian pop music movement wiped out almost 40 years ago by Cambodia’s bloody civil war. (Listening time, 8:40 or read the story here) |
Demetrios Ioannou for NPR
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Greek fencer Panos Triantafyllou was in a car accident in 2004 that left him paralyzed from the thorax down. Now 33, Triantafyllou has already won silver at Rio's 2016 Paralympic Games and is getting ready for the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August. Despite his huge success, he says Greece hasn't always been very supportive of people with activity limitations. |
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
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- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is engaged to be married to partner Carrie Symonds. The couple are expecting their first child.
- The original Trader Joe, Joe Coulombe, died at age 89 on Friday. He opened the first store in 1967 with oddball nautical decor and a guiding principle: "Trader Joe's is for overeducated and underpaid people."
- A new, unauthorized, satirical musical imagines Michael Jackson’s story as told by his famous sparkly silver glove from outer space.
- Award-winning novelist James McBride has a bit of advice for new writers: “I tell them that a simple story is the best story, and that time and place is really crucial to good storytelling."
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Suzette Lohmeyer contributed to today’s newsletter. |
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