Feb 11, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Former CNBC anchor to challenge AOC in Democratic primary

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (left). Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images. AOC (right). Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera has filed to challenge Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for New York's 14th congressional district.

Why it matters: The race pits Caruso-Cabrera, a proponent of free markets and limited government, against Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist and one of the most popular progressive politicians in the country.

The 29-year-old AOC stunned the country and the Democratic establishment when she defeated 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in the 2018 primary.
Caruso-Cabrera is among a dozen total candidates — both Republicans and Democrats — who have filed to run in the 14th district.

What they're saying: "I am the daughter and granddaughter of working class Italian and Cuban immigrants," Caruso-Cabrera said in a statement, according to CNBC.

"I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful career and I want everybody to have the opportunity that I've had. That's why I'm running."

Go deeper ... AOC: "In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party"

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Black Americans' competing crises

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

For many black Americans, this moment feels like a crisis within a crisis within a crisis.

The big picture: It's not just George Floyd's killing by police. Or the deaths of EMT Breonna Taylor and jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Or the demeaning of birdwatcher Christian Cooper and journalist Omar Jimenez. Or the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate harm to African Americans. It's that it's all happening at once.

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Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Amnesty International: U.S. police must end militarized response to protests

Washington State Police use tear gas to disperse a crowd in Seattle during a demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd. Photo: Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

Amnesty International issued a statement on Sunday morning calling for an end to militarized policing in several U.S. cities and the use of "excessive force" against demonstrators protesting police brutality.

Why it matters: The human rights group said police across the country were "failing their obligations under international law to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, exacerbating a tense situation and endangering the lives of protesters."

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Coronavirus looms over George Floyd protests across the country

Protestors rally in Minneapolis. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Health experts fear that massive protests against police brutality in major cities around the United States could result in new coronavirus outbreaks due to the close proximity of demonstrators, AP reports.

Why it matters: The U.S. has already recorded more confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country in the world. A potential surge in cases stemming from the protests would come as many states are weeks into their phased reopening plans.

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