Senate Republicans block plans to make elections more secure from foreign interference

Republicans in the US Senate have blocked the passage of several election security measures that would require campaigns to alert federal authorities about foreign influence and ban voting machines from connecting to the internet.As part of the Senate's procedure, Democrats sought "unanimous consent" to bring the measures to the body, meaning any one opponent could effectively end the bills' passage just nine months from contentious 2020 federal elections.

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China's Hubei province reports 242 new coronavirus deaths on February 12, new cases rise 14,840

The number of deaths in China's central Hubei province from a coronavirus outbreak rose by 242 to 1,310 as of Wednesday, the province's health commission said on its website on Thursday.

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UK's Big Ben tower more badly damaged by Nazi bombs than thought

Britain's Big Ben tower at the Houses of Parliament was more badly damaged by German bombs during World War Two than originally thought, experts said on Thursday, as the bill for its restoration rose by nearly 20 million pounds ($25 million).

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The Democratic establishment is out of time

Unlike Gaul, the Democratic primary electorate is divided into only two parts. Bernie Sanders's victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary reminded observers of what we have known for a long time, namely that the smaller of these two parts remains united in favor of his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. The larger moderate one remains split, not quite evenly, between Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden.We know which side the Democratic National Committee, the party's leadership in Congress, wealthy mega-donors, and luminaries like the Obamas and the Clintons are on. We also know that they are willing to do pretty much anything to prevent Sanders from winning the nomination in 2020. The question is whether they will be able to.I am not so sure the answer is yes. The biggest obstacle to a moderate candidate edging out Sanders is not the opinions of Democratic voters, more than two-thirds of whom have rejected him in the two nominating contests held so far, but his opponents themselves. There are too many of them. If the vote shares of Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Warren, who have all denounced Sanders as either too radical, a sexist, or both, were combined, he would lose by a wide margin. Instead the moderate vote is spread thin across five campaigns — and likely to be subdivided even further when Michael Bloomberg begins to appear on ballots. The fact that delegates are awarded to the winner of Democratic primaries and caucuses on a proportional rather than a winner-take-all basis makes the math for taking Sanders out even more difficult. Even in states in which he is not expected to win he is likely to place no lower than second. This could be enough to win if voters in states whose electorates as varied as those in South Carolina, Texas, and Indiana cannot make up their minds about which non-Sanders candidate is the most viable.In other words, beating Bernie will require all but one of these people to drop out, and soon. So far as I am aware, not even the machinations of the DNC are sinister enough to remove the names of unhelpful has-been moderates from ballots in order to make room for Buttigieg or Klobuchar or whomever they decide in March to coalesce around. No one will be able to make it happen except the candidates themselves. And while the pressure collectively will be intense, individually speaking all of these people will no doubt find it easy to justify remaining in the race as long as they have the ability to raise funds. This is especially the case for both Klobuchar and Warren. In a race that is already devoid of a non-white candidate following Andrew Yang's departure on Tuesday night, will it really be easy to accept the reality that there should not be a single woman as well?A large number of Americans want to be told that while the mean orange man in the White House is an evil fascist demagogue, the vast increases in the size of their investment portfolios under his administration and the generous health care plans they have been given by their employers and their debt-free college educations are things to which they are entitled because they worked hard. They don't want a revolution; they want more of the same, but without the mean tweets and with the approval of their neighbors. This is what the Democratic party establishment would like to offer them in November 2020.Whether they get their wish — at least without resorting to last-minute convention shenanigans or allowing the nomination to be bought and sold like a piece of real estate by another New York billionaire — remains an open question.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.More stories from theweek.com Barr sets March 31 congressional testimony amid Roger Stone controversy Brokered convention gets close 2nd place in FiveThirtyEight's Democratic nomination forecast Trump says the lesson he learned from impeachment is that 'Democrats are crooked'

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Two dolphins found with gunshot and stab wounds in Florida

Federal officials are offering up to $20,000 for information about the two most recent cases.

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2 police officers serving attempted murder warrant shot in Baltimore; suspect dead

One officer was shot in the leg and the other was shot in the stomach, but the injuries were not life-threatening.

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US-led coalition clashes with Syria regime loyalists

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group said its forces in northeast Syria confronted gunmen with live fire after one of its patrols came under attack on Wednesday. "Coalition forces, conducting a patrol near Qamishli, Syria, encountered a checkpoint occupied by pro-Syrian regime forces," coalition spokesman Myles Caggins said. An AFP correspondent saw a US flag flying above an armoured vehicle as it left the village.

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How the Army could end Vindman's career without an investigation

The Army is not investigating Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman for testifying during the House impeachment inquiry despite President Trump's wishes. But an anonymous retired senior Army officer told The Daily Beast that doesn't necessarily meant the coast is clear for the Purple Heart recipient.For starters, the Army could always change its mind and wind up launching an investigation into whether his testimony was appropriate. But there's also a chance his career may hit a wall. If Vindman is denied a promotion to colonel by the next Army promotions board, that means his service is up, per The Daily Beast. The retired officer said bias can easily "creep into" those discussions, and it could just take one person who has "an issue with his testimony to tank his promotion possibility."And even though his position is safe at the moment, no one in a position of leadership in the Army has spoken up on Vindman's behalf, either, which the officer finds troubling. "It smacks of craven careerism that has permeated the ranks of our senior corps officers," he told The Daily Beast. "It's definitely dishonorable when public accountability and public ethics are so in question that those people whose careers are built on alleged public ethics and accountability are not present." Read more at The Daily Beast.More stories from theweek.com Barr sets March 31 congressional testimony amid Roger Stone controversy Brokered convention gets close 2nd place in FiveThirtyEight's Democratic nomination forecast The Democratic establishment is out of time

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Australia's government listed 113 native animal species that need 'emergency intervention' in order to survive after its devastating bushfires

Koalas, platypuses, and some species of echidna, possum, potoroo, and dunnart were listed as "high-priority" for government intervention.

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Coronavirus updates: Some test kits sent to states were flawed, CDC says

As the death toll in mainland China reaches 1,113, here is the latest news.

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Voters approve of Romney's impeachment vote to convict Trump 50%-39%, poll finds

The Utah senator's vote marked the first time in U.S. history a senator voted to convict a president from his own party in an impeachment trial.

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Scientists discover 'baby giant' exoplanet already 10 times the mass of Jupiter

Scientists just discovered a "baby giant" planet closer to Earth than any other — a mere 330 light years away.The exoplanet — a planet beyond our solar system — was discovered by scientists at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the findings were published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.Named 2MASS 1155-7919 b, the planet has an uncommonly wide orbit around its "parent" star — 600 times farther than the distance between Earth and the sun. The origin of systems so far from their parent star are the "subject of vigorous debate," according to the findings. Scientists are hoping to further study 2Mass 1155-7919 b to understand how giant planets can have such wide orbits, per a press release from RIT.The planet's parent star is just 5 million years old, making it 1,000 times younger than the sun, per the release.2Mass 1155-7919 b is an infant, so it's likely still in the process of forming, said Annie Dickson-Vandervelde, lead author of the paper. But it's already roughly 10 times the mass of Jupiter, one of the gas giants in our solar system. The new planet was discovered using data from the Gaia space observatory, which was launched in 2013 by the European Space Agency.More stories from theweek.com Barr sets March 31 congressional testimony amid Roger Stone controversy Brokered convention gets close 2nd place in FiveThirtyEight's Democratic nomination forecast The Democratic establishment is out of time

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Stealth Killer? China’s Air Defenses Are Surpassing Russia’s Anti-Aircraft Weapons

While the West has been focusing on the power of advanced Russian anti-aircraft missiles such as the S-400, it should have been watching China.

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Suit: District wrong to punish students over racist posts

Four students in a southeastern Michigan town sued their school district over discipline they received in the wake of racist social media posts directed at black students. The white students, who were not identified, were among those added to a private group on Snapchat, according to the lawsuit.

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Joe Biden continues to slip, while Bloomberg climbs to 2nd among black Democrats: poll

A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday had universally bad news for former Vice President Joe Biden, right as he heads into the New Hampshire primary. Nationally, the poll found, Biden dropped into second place at 17 percent, the new frontrunner being Sen. Bernie Sanders, with 25 percent.

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Former Mexican Oil Chief Arrested in Spain on Bribery Charges

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Harvard and Yale Ensnared in Education Dept. Crackdown on Foreign Funding

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I Worry About Sanders, and His Coattails

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Golden Retriever Snubbed at Westminster Is Getting Lots of Hugs, Owner Says

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Democrats, Roger Stone, Condé Nast: Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

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A Mohawk Protest Camp Sends Ripples Across Canada

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In Coronavirus, $45-Billion Cruise Industry Faces a Big Challenge

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Paula Kelly, Who Danced From Stage Onto the Screen, Dies at 77

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