Feb 20, 2019

Beto O'Rourke doesn't rule out a VP candidate bid

Gigi Sukin

Beto O'Rourke. Photo: Paul Ratje/Getty Images.

Beto O'Rourke, who reportedly plans to decide whether to run for president in the next 10 days, said Tuesday at an honorary luncheon in El Paso that he would not rule out the VP slot in a 2020 presidential election, AP reports.

Between the lines: In December, former Vice President Joe Biden's camp said they were eyeing O'Rourke to share the 2020 ticket. At the time, O'Rourke said he wouldn't dismiss the idea. O'Rourke is also reportedly toying with the idea of challenging Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the Republican whip.

Go deeper: Why Democrats are taking Beto seriously for 2020

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Coronavirus spreads to more countries, and U.S. ups its case count

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread to more nations, and the U.S. reports a doubling of its confirmed cases to 34 — while noting those are mostly due to repatriated citizens, emphasizing there's no "community spread" yet in the U.S. Meanwhile, Italy reported its first virus-related death on Friday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 2,359 people and infected more than 77,000 others, mostly in mainland China. New countries to announce infections recently include Israel, Lebanon and Iran.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 8 hours ago - Health
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Orion Rummler

Wells Fargo agrees to pay $3 billion to settle consumer abuse charges

Clients use an ATM at a Wells Fargo Bank in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo: Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Wells Fargo agreed to a pay a combined $3 billion to the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday for opening millions of fake customer accounts between 2002 and 2016, the SEC said in a press release.

The big picture: The fine "is among the largest corporate penalties reached during the Trump administration," the Washington Post reports.

Go deeperArrow10 hours ago - Economy & Business