AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EST

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This article was published 03/02/2020 (2160 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Iowans head to caucuses, may clarify Democratic field

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democrats anxious for fundamental political change headed toward caucus centres late Monday to decide the opening contest in the 2020 presidential primary season. It could bring new clarity to a field that still features nearly a dozen White House contenders vying for the chance to take on President Donald Trump.

In the hours before the evening caucuses, candidates gave last-minute pep talks and pitches, while hundreds of volunteers pressed on statewide . By day’s end, tens of thousands of Democrats were to have gathered at community centres, high school gyms and more than 1,600 other caucus locations in the premiere of more than 50 contests that will unfold over the next five months. The caucuses will render the first verdict on who is best positioned to take on Trump, whom Democratic voters are desperate to beat this fall.

The moment is thick with promise for a Democratic Party that has seized major gains in states since Trump won the White House in 2016. But instead of optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening intraparty resentment hung over Monday’s election,

“I’m the one who can pull our party together,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told supporters on a telephone call, suggesting her rivals could not. “I’m the one who is going to pull us all in to give us the ideas that we can all run on. The one who says both inspiration and inclusiveness.”

Polls suggest that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may have a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates — Sanders, former Vice-President Joe Biden, Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg — could score a victory in Iowa’s unpredictable and quirky caucus system as organizers prepared for record turnout. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents neighbouring Minnesota, was also claiming momentum, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard could be factors.

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AP VoteCast: Health care, climate are top issues in Iowa

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa Democrats came to the state’s caucuses Monday with two major issues dominating their thoughts: health care and climate change.

More than the economy, immigration or foreign policy, Democrats in the nation’s opening round of presidential primaries were overwhelmingly concerned about the cost of medical treatment and the health of a planet being rapidly warmed by the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities.

About 4 in 10 ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, while 3 in 10 identified climate change as the top, according to AP VoteCast. Democratic voters were largely supportive of government programs that would improve access to health insurance coverage as well as taxation of carbon emissions in order to limit climate change.

AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 2,700 voters who said they planned to take part in Monday’s Democratic caucuses in Iowa, conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

The solid economy, with unemployment at a half-century low, was an afterthought for Iowa Democrats, with just about 1 in 10 saying the economy was the top issue facing the nation. President Donald Trump has been rooting his reelection efforts around the economy’s growth, yet few Iowa Democrats seem willing to reward him for an expansion that began under his predecessor.

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Trump trial closing arguments aim at voters, history

WASHINGTON (AP) — Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate.

The House Democratic prosecutors drew on the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators — and Americans — to see that Trump’s actions are not isolated but a pattern of behaviour that, left unchecked, will allow him to “cheat”‘ in the 2020 election.

Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff implored those few Republican senators who have acknowledged Trump’s wrongdoing in the Ukraine matter to prevent a “runaway presidency” and stand up to say “enough.”

“For a man like Donald J. Trump, they gave you a remedy and meant for you to use it. They gave you an oath, and they meant for you to observe it,” Schiff said. “We have proven Donald Trump guilty. Now do impartial justice and convict him.”

The president’s defence countered the Democrats have been out to impeach Trump since the start of his presidency, nothing short of an effort to undo the 2016 election and to try to shape the next one, as early primary voting begins Monday in Iowa.

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Experts prepare but new China virus not a pandemic yet

Health authorities are preparing for a possible pandemic as they work to contain a respiratory illness in China that’s caused by a new virus. Governments are limiting travel, isolating sick people and keeping travellers returning from the affected region under quarantine to watch for symptoms.

Here’s what you should know about the illness:

IS IT A PANDEMIC?

Not yet. The virus is an epidemic in China, where more than 17,000 cases have been reported, but has not affected enough people around the globe to be considered a pandemic. So far, other countries have reported only a few dozen cases, most involving travellers returning from China and their close contacts.

And while there have been more than 360 deaths, all but one has been in China.

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Cross-examination drives key Weinstein accuser to tears

NEW YORK (AP) — A key accuser in the New York City rape trial of Harvey Weinstein broke down in tears on the witness stand on Monday during an exhaustive cross-examination over the nature of her relationship with the once-powerful movie mogul.

The drama, which prompted the judge to send the jury home about an hour earlier than usual, came after the defence sought to paint the 34-year-old woman as an opportunistic manipulator who took advantage of Weinstein while pursuing an acting career, even after he allegedly raped her. The woman said she “tried to make him my pseudo father” after a rough upbringing.

“I wanted him to believe I wasn’t a threat,” the woman testified. She added, “I was afraid of his unpredictable anger.”

Defence lawyer Donna Rotunno, a known #MeToo skeptic, sought to shoot down those explanations by zeroing in on the accuser’s admission that she also had non-coerced sexual encounters with Weinstein that she said only happened after “a long negotiation.” Even then, “I wasn’t happy to do it,” she said.

“You manipulated Mr. Weinstein every single time, isn’t that correct?” Rotunno asked.

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Rush Limbaugh says he’s been diagnosed with lung cancer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Conservative radio host and Republican kingmaker Rush Limbaugh said he’s been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

Addressing listeners on his program Monday, Limbaugh said he will take some days off for further medical tests and to determine treatment.

“I have to tell you something today that I wish I didn’t have to tell you,” announced Limbaugh, 69. The cancer diagnosis was confirmed by two medical institutions in late January after he experienced his only symptom so far, shortness of breath, on his Jan. 12 birthday weekend, he said.

He was reluctant to discuss personal matters and distract from his work, he said, and wasn’t seeking to cover up his illness. He realized it was better to be honest and avoid the speculation that would follow when he has to miss being on air for treatment or as the result of treatment, Limbaugh added.

“But it is what it is. And you know me, I’m the mayor of Realville,” he said. “My intention is to come here every day I can. And to do this program as normally” and competently as usual.

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Super Bowl halftime show draws praise, tears from US Latinos

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — When the Super Bowl halftime show began, Yol-Itzma Aguirre and her relatives watched with anticipation. The El Paso, Texas, family was curious how Colombian-born Shakira and New York-raised Jennifer Lopez, two of the world’s most popular Latino artists, would seize the stage.

The performance Sunday was draped in Hollywood tropes of female sexuality. But it also contained subtle political messages about anxieties shared by many Latinos in the U.S. — children in cages, Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the urge to be heard.

Aguirre, 39, had to watch the performance again. “My sister was tearing up. We saw more things,” Aguirre said. “We stopped caring about the game.”

Across the U.S., Latinos took to social media to praise and dissect the show.

Shakira paid homage to her Colombian roots by performing the mapalé —an Afro-Colombian style of dance from the country’s Caribbean coast. She also made a tongue expression called zaghrouta, a way to express joy in Arab culture. Her father is of Lebanese descent.

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Trump’s economy: Solid and steady but vulnerable to threats

WASHINGTON (AP) — A portrait of a robust U.S. economy is sure to take centre stage Tuesday night when President Donald Trump gives his third State of the Union address. It is an economy that has proved solid and durable yet hasn’t fulfilled many of Trump’s promises.

Nine months before the election, the economy keeps growing steadily if only modestly. Unemployment is at a half-century low. And consumers, the lifeblood of the U.S. economy, continue to spend. Average pay is rising faster than when Trump took office three years ago, with the largest percentage gains now going to lower-wage workers. Some research has found that this trend, which began in 2015 before Trump’s election, partly reflects higher state minimum wages.

Economists warn, though, that the U.S. expansion, now in its record-long 11th year, faces an array of threats. Most immediately, China’s viral outbreak has paralyzed business with the world’s second-largest economy. Starbucks and Apple have closed stores in China, airlines have cancelled flights and companies like General Motors have halted production there.

All of that could shave one-half percentage point off annual growth in the first quarter, Goldman Sachs economists forecast, though they expect the slowdown to be offset by a rebound in the second quarter. Boeing’s decision to halt production of its 737 MAX should also weaken growth in the first six months of the year, economists say.

America’s manufacturing sector is struggling, a reflection of Trump’s trade conflicts. High corporate debt levels have sparked concerns. Some analysts also worry that the Federal Reserve’s ultra-low interest rates have helped feed risky bubbles in stocks or other assets.

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‘Othered’ in America: An old story, still playing out daily

CHICAGO (AP) — Activist Hoda Katebi rarely takes a break from organizing. As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated in recent weeks, she became even busier.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, the 25-year-old Iranian American sat in her Chicago apartment shifting between monitoring her Twitter feed, taking phone calls and texting via encrypted messaging: She and other organizers had word that an Iranian student was being detained at O’Hare International Airport.

“This past week, I think I slept one night,” she said.

Across the U.S., Iranian Americans — many of whom have family in Iran — said they are experiencing renewed anxiety since an American drone strike killed a top Iranian general last month and Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq. They say they are concerned both about the safety of family members abroad and about Iranians who live in the U.S. facing extra scrutiny at airports as they return. At least 10 students have been sent back to Iran upon arrival at U.S. airports since August.

For many young Iranian Americans, this is a mobilizing moment: They are embracing their Iranian identity and beginning to identify as people of colour in the U.S. as part of a larger struggle alongside other ethnic minorities.

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Google 4Q revenue grew, but not enough for Wall Street

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google’s revenue grew, but Wall Street wanted more.

Parent company Alphabet’s stock fell nearly 5% after financial results came out Monday, even as profits rose 19% and beat expectations for the last three months of the year.

Helped by lower taxes, Alphabet said Monday it earned $10.7 billion, or $15.35 per share, more than the $12.49 a share analysts polled by FactSet were expecting. Net revenue, after subtracting advertising costs, was $37.6 billion, up 18% from a year ago. But analysts were looking for $38.4 billion.

This was the second rocky quarter in a row for the online search leader. Its third quarter brought higher-than-expected revenue but a profit shortfall due to higher spending on new hires, data centres and other expenses.

While Google is still the clear leader in the digital advertising market, it is seeing growing competition from the likes of Facebook and Amazon.