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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Bishop shakeup: West Virginia Catholic diocese issues audit

By JOHN RABY | February 23, 2020

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The net assets of West Virginia's Roman Catholic Diocese dropped by $4.8 million during a fiscal year that coincided with the resignation of its bishop amid allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, an audit shows.The...

South Korea put on high alert, Italy battles virus outbreak

By HYUNG-JIN KIM | February 23, 2020

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president said Sunday that he was putting his country on its highest alert for infectious diseases, ordering officials to take “unprecedented, powerful” steps to fight a soaring viral outbreak, while a continent...

10,000 mourn victims of racist shooting rampage in Germany

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER | February 23, 2020

BERLIN (AP) — Around 10,000 protesters marched through the central German town of Hanau on Sunday to mourn the nine people who were killed by an immigrant-hating gunman four days ago.“These days and hours are the blackest and darkest our town has...

Moderates hustle to blunt Sanders’ momentum after Nevada win

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE | February 23, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders’ commanding Nevada caucus victory made him a top target for his Democratic rivals and a growing source of anxiety for establishment Democrats worried that the nomination of a self-avowed democratic socialist could cost the party the White House.

Sanders' win solidified his front-runner status in the crowded field as the race turns to Saturday's presidential primary in South Carolina, where his moderate opponents will scramble to try to blunt the Vermont senator's momentum. Just three days later after that contest, 14 states vote on Super Tuesday, March 3, when one-third of the delegates are awarded. A strong showing in those states could put Sanders on a glide path to the nomination against Republican President Donald Trump.

That prospect has amplified concerns for Democrats who believe Sanders' liberal policies will drive away moderate and independent voters in the general election in November. South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the top-ranking black leader in Congress, warned of added risk for Democrats if Sanders was the nominee.

“I think it would be a real burden for us in these states or congressional districts that we have to do well in," Clyburn told “This Week” on ABC.

He noted that congressional districts that helped Democrats win back the House are moderate and conservative. "In those districts, it's going to be tough to hold on to these jobs if you have to make the case for accepting a self-proclaimed democratic socialist,” Clyburn said.

Sanders' campaign argue the candidate will bring in new voters — largely progressives, young people and voters of color — who have been alienated by politics.

He successfully relied on that coalition Saturday to dominate his Democratic rivals in Nevada, pulling far ahead of second-place finisher former Vice President Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who came in third. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren landed in fourth, while Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer were still in a close race for fifth on Sunday.

“We are bringing our people together," Sanders said Saturday night. “In Nevada we have just brought together a multigenerational, multiracial coalition which is not only going to win in Nevada, it’s going to sweep this country.”

Sanders' new status was clear as both Buttigieg and Biden went after him harder than they have before.

In his speech to supporters in Las Vegas, Buttigieg denounced Sanders in his sharpest terms yet, changing that the senator was calling for an “inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats.”

"Not to mention most Americans,” Buttigieg said.

He said Sanders has shown a “willingness to ignore or dismiss, or even attack the very Democrats that we absolutely must send to Capitol Hill."

Biden, whose struggling campaign got only a slight boost in Nevada, took an indirect swipe both billionaire candidate Mike Bloomberg and Sanders, who is an independent and not a member of the party he's seeking to represent in November.

“I ain’t a socialist. I’m not a plutocrat. I’m a Democrat," Biden told supporters.

But some Democrats are worried that the new focus on Sanders may be too little, too late. Democratic strategist James Carville bemoaned the fact that until recently, most of Sanders' opponents have largely failed to attack Sanders or draw scrutiny to his record.

“We gotta hope that some of these candidates develop political skills quickly,” he said.

If Sanders is the nominee, Carville said, “the risk in losing the election is deep and profound.” He added: “We just gotta pray.”

Indeed, Trump gloated on social media, continuing his weekslong push to sow discord between Sanders and his Democratic rivals.

“Looks like Crazy Bernie is doing well in the Great State of Nevada. Biden & the rest look weak,” Trump tweeted. “Congratulations Bernie, & don’t let them take it away from you!”

All the Democratic candidates are pledging to stay in the race through South Carolina, and some candidates were already campaigning Sunday in Super Tuesday states.

Nevada's caucuses were the first chance for White House hopefuls to demonstrate appeal to a diverse group of voters in a state far more representative of the country as a whole than Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders won by rallying his fiercely loyal base and tapping into support from the state's large Latino community.

In a show of confidence, Sanders left Nevada on Saturday for Texas, which offers one of the biggest delegate troves in just 10 days on Super Tuesday.

Saturday's win built on his victory earlier this month in the New Hampshire primary. He essentially tied for first place in the Iowa caucuses with Buttigieg, who has sought to position himself as an ideological counter to Sanders’ unabashedly progressive politics.

But for all the energy and attention devoted to the first three states, they award only a tiny fraction of the delegates needed to capture the nomination. After South Carolina, the contest becomes national in scope, putting a premium on candidates who have the resources to compete in states as large as California and Texas.

That when Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who dominated the political conversation this week after a poor debate-stage debut, intends to become a factor after skipping the first four contests.

The stakes were high for Nevada Democrats to avoid a repeat of the chaos in the still-unresolved Iowa caucuses, and it appeared Saturday’s contest was largely successful.

Nevada Democrats sought to minimize problems by creating multiple redundancies in their reporting system, relying on results called in by phone, a paper worksheet filled out by caucus organizers, a photo of that worksheet sent in by text message and electronic results captured with a Google form.

Buttigieg’s campaign is raising questions about the results, citing more than 200 reports of problems allocating votes. It wants the state party to disclose more details of the votes and address concerns before releasing final results. But the party said it was not planning to offer a more detailed voting breakdown and appeared to be inviting the campaign to follow recount rules if it wanted to challenge the results.

Michigan sex-misconduct claims mirror Ohio State doctor case

By KANTELE FRANKO and LARRY LAGE | February 23, 2020

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — When the University of Michigan announced last week that allegations of decades-old sexual misconduct by a sports doctor were under investigation, former wrestler Mike DiSabato was stunned by the parallels to an abuse scandal...

Third-seeded Garin beats Coric to reach Rio Open final

By MAURICIO SAVARESE | February 23, 2020

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Third-seeded Christian Garin of Chile reached the final of the Rio Open after beating Croatia's Borna Coric 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday.Their match was interrupted shortly after midnight due to heavy rains, when Garin had already won the...

Passage to India: Trump ready for warm embrace, adulation

By JILL COLVIN and JONATHAN LEMIRE | February 23, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was the Trumpiest of offers.A rally at one of the world's largest stadiums. A crowd of millions cheering him on. A love fest during an election year.President Donald Trump's packed two-day visit to India promises the kind of welcome...

US to lay out case against Assange at extradition hearing

By JILL LAWLESS | February 23, 2020

LONDON (AP) — The U.S. government and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will face off Monday in a high-security London courthouse, a decade after WikiLeaks infuriated American officials by publishing a trove of classified military documents.A judge at...

For Virginia Tech parents, new gun laws a long struggle

By ALAN SUDERMAN | February 23, 2020

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — When Virginia lawmakers pass sweeping new gun control laws in the coming days, it will mark the culmination of nearly 13 years of often thankless work for two parents whose children were shot in one of the country's worst mass shootings.Lori...

US ‘honor roll’ of historic places often ignores slavery

By JAY REEVES | February 23, 2020

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Antebellum Southern plantations were built on the backs of enslaved people, and many of those plantations hold places of honor on the National Register of Historic Places - but don’t look for many mentions of slavery in the...

Moscow targets Chinese with raids amid virus fears

By DARIA LITVINOVA and FRANCESCA EBEL | February 23, 2020

MOSCOW (AP) — Bus drivers in Moscow kept their WhatsApp group chat buzzing with questions this week about what to do if they spotted passengers who might be from China riding with them in the Russian capital.“Some Asian-looking (people) have just...

Iran says voter turnout dips below 50% in a first since 1979

By Associated Press | February 23, 2020

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s interior ministry said voter turnout in recent parliamentary elections stood at 42.57%, the first time it dipped below the 50% mark since the country's 1979 revolution that ushered in a Shiite theocratic establishment to...