Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from across the United States. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.
A preview for Super Tuesday, MSNBC host Chris Matthews’ retirement, tornadoes in Tennessee, a court case on the constitutionality of the men-only draft and the virus outbreak fueling the return of the White House briefing room make up this week’s five national stories.
Super Tuesday test: Biden looks to blunt Bernie’s rise
The fight for the Democratic presidential nomination reaches a critical juncture Tuesday as millions of voters in 14 states head to the polls. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders seeks to pull away from the rest of the field with liberal and young voters, former Vice President Joe Biden hopes to ride a wave of momentum and establish himself as the standard-bearer for moderates and it’s the first test of billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s massive spending in the Democratic race.
Read More: Election 2020
Chris Matthews retires from MSNBC, cites comments to women
Longtime MSNBC host Chris Matthews abruptly retired from his “Hardball” show Monday, apologizing for making inappropriate comments about women and following a brutal week where he took heat from Bernie Sanders’ and Elizabeth Warren’s supporters. His exit came after discussions with his bosses, three days after GQ ran a column by a freelance journalist about her “own sexist run-in” with Matthews in the makeup room before appearing on his show.
Read more: Chris Matthews
Disaster: Tornadoes shred 40 buildings around Nashville
At least two tornadoes touched down early Tuesday in central Tennessee, including one that ripped across downtown Nashville and caused about 40 buildings to collapse around the city. Authorities pleaded with people to stay indoors until daybreak could reveal the dangers of blown-down walls and roofs, snapped power lines and huge broken trees. Some schools closed for Super Tuesday voting will be kept closed for another week or more to handle repairs.
Read More: Tornadoes
Court considers whether men-only draft is constitutional
Weeks before a government commission weighs in on the subject, a federal appeals court will consider whether the military’s all-male draft system is constitutional. A Texas-based federal judge ruled last year that it is not, in response to a National Coalition for Men lawsuit. The government appealed, leading to Tuesday’s hearing before a three-judge panel. The case is one of three being argued before the panel at Tulane University’s law school in New Orleans.
Read more: Courts
Virus news fuels return of forlorn White House briefing room
The historic James S. Brady Press Briefing Room had fallen into something of a state of neglect during the era of President Donald Trump, who prefers to act as his own spokesman rather than send out his press secretary to brief reporters. With the arrival of the coronavirus threat in the U.S., Trump himself has made two appearances in the briefing room in the past week and Vice President Mike Pence and other officials briefed the press from the podium there on Monday.
Read More: Virus outbreak