Apr 24, 2019

Pete Buttigieg says Bernie Sanders may lack the "novelty" to win in 2020

Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Sen. Bernie Sanders. Photo: Getty Images

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with the New York Times that "people were refreshed by the novelty" of the progressive proposals that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) brought to the 2016 election, but that he doubts the 77-year-old Sanders can bring together the "coalition" necessary to beat Trump in 2020.

Why it matters: 2020 Democratic candidates have been largely hands-off with one another so far, focusing primarily on Trump and their individual candidate pitches. Buttigieg, who has surged into the double digits in recent early state polls, has repeatedly drawn parallels between Sanders voters and Trump voters for their anti-establishment, blow-up-the-system style of populism — though he clarified to CNN that he views the two men as "stupendously different."

Buttigieg also said he doesn't see himself "as competing against any one" of the others Democratic candidates, but the Times notes that many voters view his appeal as overlapping with Beto O'Rourke's in "something of a parallel primary."

Go deeper: Everything you need to know about 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg

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Rebecca Falconer

In photos: Deadly Storm Dennis lashes U.K., Ireland and western France

A family is rescued from a property in Nantgarw, Wales, on Sunday. The storm comes a week after the U.K. was battered by storm Ciara, which killed two people, per the BBC. Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

Storm Dennis continued to pummel parts of England, Wales and Ireland over Sunday night with heavy rain after battering Northern Ireland and Scotland, per the official British weather agency the Met Office.

Why it matters: It's the second-strongest nontropical storm ever recorded in the North Atlantic Ocean, with its hurricane-force winds and heavy rains that caused widespread flooding across the U.K., the Washington Post notes. Police in Wales confirmed Sunday they found the body of a man who fell into a river as the storm lashed Ystradgynlais.

See photos1 hour ago - World

Axios

Sanders accuses Bloomberg of trying to "buy" the 2020 election

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg. Photos: Drew Angerer; Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders tore into 2020 rival Michael Bloomberg at a Las Vegas campaign event Saturday, saying the billionaire and former New York mayor is trying to "buy the presidency" by paying millions of dollars in advertising.

Why it matters: Bloomberg has surged in national polling recently, having poured millions of dollars into campaign ads largely targeting Trump. His candidacy has become an obvious foil for Sanders, whose grassroots campaign railing against billionaires and the establishment has vaulted him to front-runner status.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

Coronavirus cases rise, as more Americans on cruise confirmed ill

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

A U.S. public health official confirms more than 40 Americans on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan have coronavirus, while the remaining U.S. citizens without symptoms are being evacuated.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,770 people and infected almost 70,000 others. Most cases and all but five of the deaths have occurred in mainland China. Taiwan confirmed its first death on Sunday, per multiple reports, in a 61-year-old man with underlying health conditions. Health officials were investigating how he became ill.

Go deeperUpdated 5 hours ago - Health