Front...

Sen. Bernie Sanders said Friday that his campaign was briefed about Russian efforts to help his presidential campaign, intensifying concerns about the Kremlin's role in the US presidential race.

It remains unclear how Russia is attempting to help Sanders, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the effort. The revelation comes a day after it was reported that the US intelligence community believes Moscow is taking steps to help President Donald Trump win and at a time when Sanders is emerging as the Democratic front-runner.

Speaking to reporters in Bakersfield, California, Friday afternoon, Sanders confirmed that his campaign was briefed about the Kremlin's efforts about a month ago and condemned Russia's attempts to interfere in US elections. The Vermont senator speculated that the news broke on Friday afternoon in order to have an impact on Saturday's Nevada caucuses, in which he is a leading candidate.

Disperate...

Democrats  want a presidential nominee who can defeat President Donald Trump. But after nine series of debates, Democratic voters still don't know who that candidate is.

Former Vice President Joe Biden held the honor for many months but slipped precipitously after poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire's contests and amid lackluster fundraising.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is moving from movement candidate to most-electable candidate, but many in the party worry Sanders, if nominated, would lose the presidency and take the House down with him. In addition, Sanders is not a Democrat.

Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg has seen meteoric rises in polls after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ads, but that was before he got verbally body slammed at Wednesday night's debate by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

The contentious, and at times chaotic, debate underscored the upheaval in a party that hasn't settled on a vision for its future, with a single exception – a world that does not have Trump in a decision-making role.

Dvele...

California is the first state to require all new homes to have rooftop solar systems. Adding residential battery storage will help make Dvele homes more competitive in a crowded market.

Dvele has developed a new building envelope with a thermal barrier that ensures any heating or cooling produced in the house stays in the house, according to Curbed.  The company claims its homes need 84% less energy per square foot to operate than a conventional stick built home, which means running totally on solar power is actually achievable.

The company has two primary goals  efficiency and sustainability. Despite having many floor plans and styles to choose from, most of their homes use common modules, which keeps design and construction costs low. It also reduces the amount of waste created and permits the usage of leftover materials in other modules.

Tragic...

There are only two tragedies in life: 

one is not getting what one wants, 

and the other is getting it.

Philly...

A former heroin addict who dresses like Jesus Christ and preaches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was kicked out of a Roman Catholic cathedral and cited for trespassing.

Michael Grant, commonly known as “Philly Jesus,” was removed from an installation service for Archbishop Nelson Perez at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Tuesday.

Law enforcement removed Grant from the ceremony and he was eventually given a $25 citation for trespassing at the service and released from custody shortly after being detained.

“I said, ‘I’m a priest.’ He said, ‘You’re not a Roman Catholic priest.’ I’m a universal priest,” Grant told NBC's affiliate in Philadelphia. “I just kept standing my ground … I brought up my religious rights,” he added, explaining that police “dragged me out like head first through the double doors.”

Church...

 

The South Korean city of Daegu was facing an “unprecedented crisis” after coronavirus infections that centred on a controversial church surged to 38 cases, accounting for nearly half of the country’s total.

The city of 2.5 million people, which is two hours south of the capital Seoul, was turned into a ghost town after health officials said the bulk of country’s 31 new cases announced on Thursday were linked to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

“We are in an unprecedented crisis,” Daegu’s mayor, Kwon Young-jin, told reporters.

He ordered the shutdown of all kindergartens and public libraries. Schools in the city were considering postponing the beginning of the spring term scheduled for early March.

Shopping malls and movie theatres were empty and the usually busy city centre streets were quiet. A concert featuring BTS and other K-pop stars that was set for Daegu Stadium on 8 March has been postponed.

The defence ministry banned troops stationed in Daegu from leaving their barracks and receiving guests. The US military imposed similar restrictions on its army base in the city, which houses thousands of troops, family members and civilian employees, curbing travel and closing schools and child care centres.

Shelter...

Valentina Sampaio

Hundreds of Victoria’s Secret bras have reportedly been found discarded in a bin close to a recently closed branch of the lingerie store in Colorado.

The discovery comes at a time when the fashion industry is under fire for generating significant levels of waste, while Victoria’s Secret continues to face criticism regarding recent controversies.

The discarded garments were found alongside other Victoria’s Secrets products by Colorado resident Melanie Gelinas, who lives upstairs from what had previously been a Victoria’s Secret store.

“It had to be hundreds of bras and I just thought, ‘What a waste,’” she told American news network 9News, who originally reported the story. “These are all going to a landfill. They could be going to a homeless shelter or a battered women’s shelter.”

Remdesivir...

Doctors are likely to know within two to three weeks whether drugs being used to treat patients infected with the new coronavirus are working, according to the World Health Organization

Two trials were expedited on the recommendation of the WHO’s experts. Patients in one are being given Kaletra, taken by people with HIV. The drug is a combination of two antiretrovirals, lopinavir and ritonavir. Scientists are awaiting the results from the first 200 people to be treated with it.

The other drug in trials is remdesivir, made by Gilead. It was tested during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018 but it was not sufficiently effective against that virus.

The new trial of remdesivir will be “gold standard” and investigate how well it works in moderately and severely ill patients compared with others given a placebo.

The WHO’s director general said at a briefing there would be preliminary results within three weeks. The drugs chosen have been prioritised by the organisation’s research and development experts.

Covid...

The FBI has ordered $40,000 of hand sanitizer and face masks "in case the coronavirus becomes a pandemic in the United States," according to the acquisition document.

The bureau's "pandemic preparedness" supply order includes face masks from manufacturer 3M and disinfectants, including hand sanitizer, from PDI Healthcare, the document said.

In its purchase order, the FBI said it needs to have those items on hand if the coronavirus, or COVID-19, spreads widely throughout the U.S. The Trump administration last month declared the virus a public health emergency, but it's not yet met world health officials' designation of a global pandemic that spreads widely throughout the world.

Mike...

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said "it's a shame" that Bloomberg "can buy his way into the debate.

She tweeted: "At least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is the front-runner in Nevada in several polls, took similar aim at Bloomberg.

"Democracy to me means one person, one vote, not Bloomberg or anybody else spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy an election," Sanders said.

So these two are terrified from Mike Bloomberg's candidacy. He is rich, successful, a mayor of the largest city New York and have experience. He command respect. He didn't talk foolishly about taxing the Americans 50 Trillions of Dollars for a very bad idea.

Watch how the Democratic candidates proceed and falter. Just a thought.