Axios

Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) are reintroducing a 2013 bill that would enable members of Congress to virtually participate in committee hearings and vote remotely on suspension bills from their home districts amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to an advanced copy of the press release obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Congress, which is tasked with governing the country out of the coronavirus crisis, could quickly become a dangerous place for members and staffers, many of whom are over the age of 60 — the age group the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised to stay home as much as possible.

A new Quinnipiac University poll released Monday finds that Democrats and Republicans have polarized views on both the danger the coronavirus poses and how the Trump administration is handling the outbreak.

By the numbers: The poll finds that 43% of respondents overall approve of President Trump's response to the coronavirus, while 49% disapprove.

President Trump tweeted Monday that cratering oil prices and "Fake News" caused the stock market's plunge, brushing off Wall Street's increasing anxieties about the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Why it matters: While oil price issues are certainly a significant driver of the market drop, Trump's tweets came after the illness' spread continued to worsen over the weekend across the globe.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, announced Monday that he will run for Senate in 2020.

Why it matters: Bullock, a popular moderate in the state, will try to unseat first-term Republican Sen. Steve Daines, as Democrats attempt to gain back control of the Senate in November — which will require them to flip four seats to gain a simple majority.

Go deeper: These Senate seats are up for election in 2020

Cory Booker endorsed Joe Biden for president in a tweet on Monday, saying the former vice president will "show there's more that unites us than divides us."

Why it matters: Booker's approval is yet another endorsement for Biden from a former presidential candidate and the second from a black competitor for the White House. Sen. Kamala Harris endorsed the former vice president on Sunday.

Quarterly polling by Republican-founded Firehouse Strategies and 0ptimus finds that President Trump’s lead dropped considerably against both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders since December in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Why it matters: Although Trump leads when matched against Biden or Sanders, his leads against Biden are within the margin of error in each state, signaling a tight contest in those key states if the former vice president wins the nomination.

This is a new "Axios on HBO" column on the reality behind the curtain of the powerful, by Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen.

Joe Biden confidants are privately discussing potential leaders and Cabinet members for his White House, including the need to name a woman or African American — perhaps both — as vice president, top sources tell "Axios on HBO." 

Why it matters: Biden advisers describe a Return to Normal plan — a reversal of President Trump's unorthodox, improvisational style. Biden wants known, trusted people around him — many from the Obama years.

Donald Trump Jr. said he's "entitled to speak with hyperbole" when questioned in an interview with "Axios on HBO" about his statement suggesting Democrats want millions to die from the coronavirus.

Between the lines: Trump Jr. told Fox News in late February that "for Democrats to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump's streak of winning is a new level of sickness."

In an interview with "Axios on HBO," I asked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson why homelessness among the transgender population is growing at 43% — far higher than the rise in homelessness in the overall population.

Driving the news: Carson offered the theory that "a lot of them are youth and their families don't welcome them," while saying his personal view is that the Bible teaches "we should love everybody and leave the judging to God."

In an interview for "Axios on HBO," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson told me that the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage would be "very difficult" to live on and that in his view it should be higher.

Driving the news: "I don't have any problem with raising the minimum wage," Carson said. "My personal opinion is that it should be indexed."

In an interview for "Axios on HBO," Donald Trump Jr. tells Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei that President Trump “getting there” on hiring the right people for his Cabinet:

• “You have a guy that functioned as a businessman for a long time. It's an entirely new world. I think now he's figuring that out.”

Donald Trump Jr. said in an interview with "Axios on HBO" that he will not be running for president in 2024 and that his only goal is getting his father re-elected in 2020.

The big picture: An Axios poll last month showed Trump Jr. in second place for Republicans' top choice for a 2024 nominee. Vice President Mike Pence led at 40%, Trump Jr. at 29%, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 26% and Ivanka Trump at 16%.

Donald Trump Jr. said in an interview for "Axios on HBO" that he learned his Twitter tone from watching his father, who has told him at times to cool himself on the platform.

• "I have gotten that phone call before. It's like ... I'm picking up the phone, 'This is the White House operator.' I’m saying, 'Oh, boy, what did I [do] now.'"

In an interview for "Axios on HBO," Donald Trump Jr. told me he wants to debate Hunter Biden over who has benefited more financially from their father's government service.

Driving the news: "We can go full transparency, we show everything, and we can talk about all of the places where I am supposedly grifting but Hunter Biden isn't," said the president's eldest son, who still runs the Trump Organization with his brother Eric.

Sen. Bernie Sanders said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that he believes "the establishment" forced Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg out of the 2020 presidential race to ensure that voters "coalesced" around Joe Biden in order to defeat him.

Why it matters: Klobuchar and Buttigieg both dropped out and endorsed Biden last week, helping the former vice president earn a sweeping victory in 10 out of 14 Super Tuesday states — especially among late-deciding voters. Sanders said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he would have won more states if the two moderates hadn't dropped out.

Bernie Sanders said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that it is "disgusting" and "unspeakable" that a man unfurled a Nazi swastika flag during his rally in Phoenix last week.

Why it matters: Sanders, who lost family members in the Holocaust, could become the first Jewish presidential nominee of a major American political party.

Hillary Clinton said Sunday on CNN's "GPS" that she will not endorse a candidate for president, but that she does not believe Bernie Sanders is "our strongest nominee against Donald Trump."

Why it matters: Clinton would not say whether she would campaign for Sanders if he wins the nomination, saying, "I don't know if he would ask me to campaign for him, because I have no idea what he is thinking about for a general election campaign." However, she stipulated that she would "support" whoever wins the nomination.

Civil rights activist and former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday.

Why it matters: Jackson's endorsement is the kind of boost Sanders needs as he looks to slow the momentum of Joe Biden, whose surge in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday was driven largely by black voters.

As part of our What Matters 2020 series on the critical trends that will outlive this moment, Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen discuss what rapidly growing diversity means for the future of politics in America.

Former presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden for president on Sunday, saying in a tweet that he "has served our country with dignity and we need him now more than ever."

Why it matters: It's yet another endorsement of Biden from a former presidential candidate and an especially significant one considering that Harris' attacks on Biden over his support for busing in the first Democratic debate were viewed at the time as a massive blow.

The latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open featured a cameo by Sen. Elizabeth Warren as the show returned to last week's subject of the novel coronavirus.

The big picture: This time, "SNL" went after conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham for her coverage on the virus. Cast regular Kate McKinnon's Ingraham called COVID-19 an "urban legend." "The left continues to wage its deceitful, dishonest and frankly gay smear campaign against President Trump," she said, before moving on to "interview" Warren — who suspended her Democratic presidential campaign last Thursday. McKinnon surprised Warren by appearing beside the Massachusetts senator after a quick change at the end of the segment.

• Watch the clip below:

Flashback: "SNL" cold open tackles coronavirus

The AFL-CIO presidential forum that was to be held in Orlando, Florida, this week has been canceled because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, a spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.

Why it matters: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders were due to appear at the forum on Thursday, ahead of the Florida primaries on March 17.

Go deeper: Two dead in Florida after exposure to coronavirus from international travel

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The Auckland Waterfront restaurant Mexicali Fresh was transformed into a polling station Saturday, as Americans voted on a warm, sunny fall day in the global Democratic presidential primary.

Why it matters: Democrats Abroad New Zealand chair Mike Haught told Axios it's important for Americans outside the United States to stay connected and have a voice, especially as they must comply with a U.S. citizen-based tax system. "There are 9 million–11 million of us overseas, and if you put us together in a group, we're basically a state that's about the size of Virginia," he said. There are some 21,000 Americans in New Zealand.