Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

March 11, 2020

Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

By Remy Tumin, Jonathan Wolfe and Marcus Payadue

Good evening. Here’s the latest.

Mitch Smith, Amy Harmon, Keith Collins, Allison McCann and Jin Wu

1. “We have got to assume it is going to get worse and worse and worse.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, issued a stark warning to lawmakers that the coronavirus would continue spreading rapidly in the U.S.

His comments came within hours of the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak a pandemic, confirming what many epidemiologists have been saying for weeks.

President Trump plans to address the nation about the spread of the virus at 9 p.m. Eastern.

What exactly does the virus do to the body? Though it appears to home in on the lungs, it may also be able to infect cells in the gastrointestinal system. Here’s what else we know.

There are more than 1,100 cases in the U.S. and at least 32 deaths. This chart explains why slowing the spread of the infection is nearly as important as stopping it.

Continue reading the main story

Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times

2. Wall Street’s bull market died an ugly death. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged by nearly 6 percent, ushering in a bear market — that’s when stocks are down more than 20 percent from their peak — for the first time in 11 years.

The downturn reflects investors’ fears that Washington won’t be able to muster a response to the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus.

Continue reading the main story

Meanwhile, the White House and Democrats raced to strike a deal on a coronavirus relief package, with a vote expected on Thursday. They appeared to be coalescing around the idea of a short-term bill focused on paid leave, enhanced unemployment insurance, food assistance and help for small businesses. Above, Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday.

Caleb Kenna for The New York Times

3. Bernie Sanders will remain in the Democratic primary race, despite a series of stinging defeats on Tuesday night.

His announcement at a news conference came after Joe Biden took a commanding lead with wins in four states. Mr. Sanders acknowledged that he was “losing the debate over electability” to Mr. Biden, but challenged Mr. Biden to explain how he would address issues like health care and climate change.

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries, and why Mr. Biden may be poised to deliver the biggest surprise of 2020: a short, orderly primary.

The two will face off in a debate on Sunday in Phoenix without a live audience over coronavirus fears. Daytime talk shows have already done away with them.

Sarah Blesener for The New York Times

4. Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison, capping a stunning two-year downfall for the once influential Hollywood producer.

After his conviction for two felony sex crimes last month, Mr. Weinstein, above, could have been sentenced to as little as five years, or as many as 67. In the end, Judge Justice James A. Burke sided with prosecutors who urged a lengthy sentence.

Addressing the court, Mr. Weinstein suggested that he thought the relationships with his victims were consensual and said he was “totally confused” by what had happened to him.

“We may have different truths,” he said, speaking to his accusers, “but I have remorse for all of you and for all the men going through this crisis.”

Sarah Silbiger/Reuters

5. The Supreme Court temporarily revived the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy.

A federal appeals court had found that the program, which has forced about 60,000 asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their requests are heard, violated federal and international law and was causing “extreme and irreversible harm.”

The Supreme Court’s order was brief and unsigned, and it gave no reasons for staying the appeals court’s ruling while the case moved forward. Solicitor General Noel Francisco said the appeals court’s ruling had already caused chaos at the border.

Conor E. Ralph for The New York Times

6. For more than a decade, medical researchers were unsure whether Alcoholics Anonymous worked better than other approaches when treating people with alcohol use disorder.

Not anymore.

A new study found that A.A. leads to increased rates and lengths of abstinence, compared with other common treatments. In other measures, like cutting down on drinks per day, it was found to be as effective as approaches provided by doctors or therapists.

The review’s lead author, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said the fact that A.A. is free and widely available is also good news: “It’s the closest thing in public health we have to a free lunch.”

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

7. Our tech writer was not a fan of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone, which sells for $1,380.

While the foldable phone — think old-school Razr meets smartphone — sounded like a winning concept on paper, it was flawed in execution. He returned it a few weeks after purchase.

“Over two weeks, constantly having to unfold and fold up this phone got tedious and frustrating,” our reviewer wrote. “It is so delicate that you will want to carefully open it with two hands to answer a call.”

Found a fancy new phone you like? Here are some ways to take better pictures with its camera.

Lida Xing

8. This is the tiniest dinosaur in history.

Inside a tiny piece of amber from Myanmar — about 99 million years old — is the skull of what a team of scientists say is the smallest known bird and, therefore, dinosaur, ever discovered.

The creature has more teeth in its mouth than any other known bird species, suggesting it was a predator that hunted other creatures, and raising questions about bird evolution.

But the discovery isn’t without controversy. A growing number of scientists want to boycott research involving amber from Myanmar over the Rohingya genocide and the sourcing of the stone from mines in conflict zones.

HBO

9. What is “Westworld” without Westworld?

The sci-fi thriller’s third season mostly abandons the western setting, moving the story to the larger world. It’s not a reboot, precisely, but neither is the new season a straightforward continuation of what came before. Will sleek new scenery and a new star, Aaron Paul, be enough to win back those put off by the show’s convoluted story?

Separately, our TV critic just wants to stream “Homicide: Life on the Street” from the 1990s. While she waits for a service to pick it up, here’s what else she’s watching.

Zachary Hajian-Forooshani, University of Michigan

10. And finally, snails to the rescue of your morning cup of joe.

Coffee leaf rust is one of the biggest threats to coffee production, but a team of ecologists may have found its potent natural enemy: the Asian trampsnail.

A new study found that the invasive snail species is a greedy consumer of the bright orange spores. The findings do not ensure salvation, but may provide a measure of hope for coffee growers.

Have a robust night.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European, African or American morning.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

Continue reading the main story