US briefing: Democrats debate, coronavirus and India violence

Wednesdays top story: centrist rivals target Sanders in messy South Carolina debate. Plus, the Amazon supermarket with no checkout lines

Good morning, Im Tim Walker with todays essential stories.

Republicans revel in spectacle of bickering Democrats

The Trump campaign described it as a hot mess, and the president was certainly among the beneficiaries of a chaotic and contentious Democratic debate on Tuesday evening. Bernie Sanders, his rivals biggest target on the stage in South Carolina, emerged relatively unscathed from the onslaught which, says Richard Wolffe, may have been the other candidates last, best chance to halt the momentum of the progressive frontrunner.

• Who won? Sanders won the debate, Warren kept her cool, but the other candidates did themselves a disservice in a debate heavy on vitriol and light on substance, writes Moira Donegan. That also appears to be the consensus among the Guardians panel of experts.

• California air. Sanders has teamed up with Latino activists to tackle industrial air pollution in California, where his campaigns longstanding ground game could bring him a big win on Super Tuesday, as Sam Levin reports from San Bernardino.

WHO says world not ready for coronavirus pandemic

People distribute protective masks in Afghanistan after the war-torn country reported its first cases of the virus. Photograph: Jalil Rezayee/EPA

A World Health Organization official has said countries outside China are

simply not ready for a potential coronavirus pandemic, as cases of the Covid-19 virus proliferate in parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. South Korea reported 284 new infections on Wednesday, war-torn Afghanistan reported its first cases in Herat province, and the virus has reached Latin America, after a 61-year-old man in So Paulo, Brazil, tested positive on Tuesday.

• Severe disruption. The CDC has said an outbreak of Covid-19 in the US could cause severe disruption to the lives of ordinary Americans, despite Trumps assertion that the virus is very well under control in our country.

• Home alone. A young boy in Chinas Hubei province was found alone at home after watching his grandfather die from the virus, because of state restrictions intended to halt its spread.

India: 21 dead amid worst religious violence for decades

Burnt-out vehicles in the aftermath of the sectarian clashes in New Delhi. Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

At least

21 people are dead in Delhi following sectarian clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups, the worst spate of religious violence in the Indian capital for decades. The violence, which began with attacks on mosques by Hindu mobs, was sparked by protests over a law passed in December that grants citizenship for refugees of every major south Asian religion except Muslims.

• Trump visit. The violence began during Trumps visit to India this week, a trip designed to stoke nationalism in both nations, says Ankita Rao. Trump and Narendra Modi, leaders of the worlds biggest democracies, are undermining their own countries founding values, says Michael H Fuchs.

With Weinstein in prison, spotlight turns on his enablers

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Harvey Weinstein: how the Hollywood mogul’s undoing unfolded video explainer

As he awaits his sentencing for rape and sexual assault on 11 March, Harvey Weinstein is to join the 7,000 inmates at New Yorks notorious Rikers Island jail. In the meantime, the focus may shift to the associates who helped enable his abuses and silence his accusers. With 105 women having levelled accusations against him, writes Ed Pilkington, how Weinstein managed to avoid trouble for decades is a burning issue.

• No perfect victim. Weinsteins former assistant Rowena Chiu, who accused him of trying to rape her at a Venice hotel in 1998, has called for greater empathy towards rape survivors, saying: The thing that weve learned from the trial is there is no such thing as the perfect rape victim.

Cheat sheet

• Bob Iger, the Disney CEO who masterminded the companys acquisitions of Marvel, Star Wars and the 20th Century Fox Studio, has abruptly stepped down after 15 years in charge of the worlds most successful entertainment brand.

• The Welsh singer Aimee Duffy who recorded as Duffy before her retreat from the public eye several years ago has said in an Instagram post that she was drugged, raped and held captive by an unidentified person.

• The 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater is leading a project to construct the worlds largest rideable, open-barrel, manmade wave at a new hotel complex in La Quinta, in the southern California desert.

• A former White House doctor has admitted he attempted to improve Trumps infamously unhealthy diet by sneaking cauliflower into the presidents mashed potato and making the ice cream less accessible.

Must-reads

Shanaya Ball with her son, Amari Shuler, at home in Philadelphia. Photograph: Hannah Yoon/The Guardian

How lead is poisoning Americas poorest children

After her young son was diagnosed with autism, Shanaya Ball learned he had dangerous lead levels in his blood, caused by the crumbling paint in their Philadelphia home. The toxin

endangers hundreds of thousands, reports Nina Lakhani, but parents whose children are most at risk may never be warned.

Amazon debuts first checkout-free supermarket

The first bricks and mortar Amazon Go Grocery store opened on Tuesday in Seattle, where sensors and cameras record everything in shoppers baskets and charge them automatically so you can walk out without waiting in line at checkout. Hallie Golden pays a visit.

The college QB leading Trumps deep state purge

Johnny McEntee, the 29-year-old White House director for presidential personnel, is the person responsible for leading the administrations purge of those thought to harbour anti-Trump sentiments. Tom McCarthy profiles a baby-faced assassin.

Is Gmail hiding Bernies emails from you?

Everyone knows Facebook and Twitter customise their news feeds. But Gmails email curation could prove just as consequential in 2020, with some candidates campaign mailouts proving more spam-prone than others, as a report by The Markup reveals.

Opinion

Michael Bloombergs digital campaign is deliberately poisoning online discourse with doctored videos and fabricated quotes. Its a cynical approach with toxic side-effects, says Julia Carrie Wong.

In many ways the Bloomberg campaign is only mimicking tactics that Donald Trump successfully harnessed in 2016, when his campaign enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the far-right meme machine.

Sport

When MLS launched a quarter of a century ago, many wondered whether it could survive, writes Tom Dart. But on the eve of its 25th season it continues to grow, attracting foreign stars and developing new ties to football-mad Mexico.

A senior member of the International Olympic Committee has said this summers Tokyo Games may have to be cancelled if the coronavirus crisis becomes too dangerous in Japan, where a dozen new cases of the disease were reported on Monday.

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