| Wednesday, Feb 26, 2020 | | | | We’re covering the spread of the coronavirus, last night’s Democratic debate and the fate of the students in the college admissions fraud. | |  By Chris Stanford | | | Federal health officials said on Tuesday that an outbreak in the U.S. was a question of when, not if, and urged hospitals, businesses and schools to prepare. | | | “We cannot hermetically seal off the United States to a virus,” Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, told a Senate panel. “And we need to be realistic about that.” | | | There are currently at least 57 people with the virus in the U.S., all of whom have either recently traveled to Asia or are closely connected to others who have. Infectious disease experts stressed that people shouldn’t panic. Here’s some of their advice. | | | From The Times: We’re starting an email newsletter that will feature the latest developments about the outbreak, as well as expert advice about prevention and treatment. Sign up here. | | | Another angle: In China, where the virus originated, the Communist Party has turned to propaganda to confront the biggest challenge to its legitimacy in decades. But our columnist reports that young people are openly questioning the official message. “News Coverage Should Stop Turning a Funeral Into a Wedding,” read the headline on one blog post. | | | From left, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer. Erin Schaff/The New York Times | | | News analysis: After a landslide victory in the Nevada caucuses, Mr. Sanders “was never surprised, never entirely smooth and, when it was done, not necessarily looking any less the favorite than he did going in,” our reporters write. | | | “The Daily”: Today’s episode is about the conclusion by American intelligence agencies that Russia is attempting to interfere in the election in support of Mr. Sanders and President Trump. | | | A refugee camp near the village of Atmeh, in Idlib Province, northern Syria. Burak Kara/Getty Images | | | Nearly a million Syrians have fled toward the border over the past three months, as the government tries to retake control of the last rebel-held territory. | | | “I dream about being warm,” he said. “I just want my children to feel warm. I don’t want to lose them to the cold.” | | | What’s next: Facing a wave of refugees, Turkey has begun a modest counteroffensive, which the Trump administration supports. But the U.S. has ruled out military involvement. | | | Background: The uprooting of civilians in Syria is the largest of the nine-year civil war, which has displaced 13 million people. | | | Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images | | | Both critics and supporters of the French president agree that he has had a deeper effect on the country’s economy, society and politics than any other recent leader. And many in France despise him for it. | | | Nearly three years into his presidency, Mr. Macron has governed against a backdrop of constant turmoil. But his policies have begun to have an impact, and he is poised to succeed in his fight to overhaul the pension system. | | | Our Paris bureau chief writes: “The real question now for the president and his country is: At what cost or benefit to France, now and in the future?” | | | PAID POST: A Message From XBrand | | Renewable Energy in Today's Age | | Look around you...All of the things that you love about this planet can be used to power it. the sun, rain, wind, tides and waves. We are creating renewable enery that benefits you and our planet, more efficiently and inexpensively. Recharge today with something different. | | | | Learn More | | | | Egypt’s fallen autocrat: The death of Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday underscored how Egyptian hopes for democracy have been crushed after he was deposed in the Arab Spring of 2011, our Cairo bureau chief writes. | | | Tony Luong for The New York Times | | | Snapshot: Above, part of a $4 million model of the Mississippi River, recreated at 1/65th scale, at a laboratory near Boston. Engineers are using the model in a project to rebuild Louisiana’s vanishing coast, which is being lost to rising seas and sinking land. | | | Late-night comedy: Trevor Noah offered his take after the Democratic debate: “I haven’t seen white people go at each other that hard since khakis were on sale at Banana Republic.” | | | What we’re reading: This essay in Bloomberg News about one editor’s personal struggle with his father’s former prison mate, Bernie Madoff, who has asked to be released so that he can die at home. It poses a tough ethical question: Can you support an idea in the abstract, even if the specifics deeply upset you? | | | Julia Gartland for The New York Times | | | Read: “The Mirror and the Light” concludes Hilary Mantel’s Tudor trilogy with the fall of its protagonist, Thomas Cromwell. Here’s our review. | | | Jason Horowitz, our Rome bureau chief, has been reporting from Milan on the spike in Italy’s coronavirus cases, and what it could mean for the rest of Europe. Melina Delkic, one of our Briefing writers, spoke to Jason on Tuesday to learn more. | | | What’s the feeling right now in the streets of Milan? | | | It’s this eerie sort of feeling. Milan is an extremely energetic, buzzing town. It’s the creative center of Italy, the economic center of Italy, the cultural center of Italy, I’d argue. It’s like somebody has let the air out. | | | In Milan on Tuesday. The Lombardy region is the economic engine of Italy. Claudio Furlan/LaPresse, via Associated Press | | | Is the virus making this reporting harder? | | | The place that’s most affected is under quarantine, and the police stop you on the road and tell you that you can’t go places. People are freaked out and don’t want to talk about it a little bit. But also, it’s important not to be foolhardy and go places that put you and your colleagues in danger. | | | How are public officials handling it? | | | There’s total confusion about the guidelines. There’s confusion between the government in Rome and the local government in Lombardy, the state in which Milan and most of the closed-down towns are. | | | What the head of the region said today was, basically: Do those places that don’t have cases really have no cases, or are they just not testing? Their view of it is that they have a ton of cases because they’ve done a ton of testing, and they’re being whacked for it. But on the other hand, they also have a lot of people who have it. | | | What are you watching for next? | | | We’re watching for whether people from Lombardy are being turned away from other countries now when they arrive — as well as people from Lombardy spreading when they go to other countries. | | | This is a wealthy region with people on the move. This is the economic engine of Italy; they’re not going to stay put, unless they’re told to. | | | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. | | Thank you
Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | | | Were you sent this briefing by a friend? Sign up here to get the Morning Briefing. | | |
