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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! Ever dreamed of being an astronaut? Now is your chance: NASA is accepting applications for its storied astronaut corps from March 2 to 31. Or maybe you can help solve the mystery of this unexplainable radio signal from outer space that repeats every 16 days. |
| Back on earth, coronavirus cases continue to spike, the end of Harvey Weinstein's trial nears, and the Houston Astros start spring training. |
| It's N'dea, and here's what you need to know Thursday. |
Coronavirus: Cruise ship stuck in limbo finally anchors, cases in China spike |
| A cruise ship that was turned away from multiple ports in Asia over coronavirus fears finally anchored Thursday off Cambodia, which is checking the health of its over 2,200 passengers and crew. Holland America's MS Westerdam departed Hong Kong on Feb. 1 and was scheduled to disembark in Shanghai on Saturday before coronavirus gripped mainland China. It then was turned away from ports in Japan, Guam, and Thailand, despite the cruise line's assertion that there are no known cases among the 1,455 passengers and 802 crew. Cambodia granted the ship permission to disembark at Sihanoukville on Wednesday as the death toll from the coronavirus in mainland China spiked 23% and the total number of confirmed cases spiked to 60,286 - an increase of more than 15,000 from the previous day. Also Wednesday, a second case of coronavirus was confirmed in the U.S. among evacuees from China, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced. |
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Equal Rights Amendment to get help from House |
| The House is expected to vote Thursday to remove the 1982 deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. The House vote comes weeks after Virginia became the 38th – and potentially pivotal – state to ratify the amendment. If codified into the Constitution, the amendment would explicitly declare that women have equal rights under the law – something supporters say is necessary to protect women against workplace discrimination, domestic violence and sexual harassment. But the House move will be mostly symbolic, as the Senate is not expected to follow suit and the ability of Congress to change the deadline would likely be challenged in court. |
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A tale of two Democrats: Klobuchar, Bloomberg hit trail with momentum |
| Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg don't have a lot in common, but at least two things are the same: Both will be on the campaign trail Thursday and both have seen a surge in momentum in recent weeks. Coming off a surprisingly strong third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday and a good performance in last week's debate, Klobuchar raised more money in four days than half the cash she raised during the last three months of 2019. She'll take her "Klomentum" into Nevada on Thursday for a town hall in Las Vegas ahead of the state's caucuses on Feb. 22. Bloomberg, who now enjoys double-digit support in several national polls, is pumping more money than the other candidates into ads, ignoring the early voting states and focusing on the 19 that go to the polls on Super Tuesday (March 3rd). His visits to three North Carolina cities and Houston on Thursday night illustrate that strategy. |
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Trial of Harvey Weinstein nears conclusion |
| Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Thursday in the dramatic sexual misconduct trial of Harvey Weinstein . Once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, Weinstein has been on trial in New York since early January on five charges, including rape and assault, in connection with accusations from two women. Four additional women testified and accused him of similar behavior. Weinstein, 67, faces up to life in prison if convicted. He faces similar charges in Los Angeles after the New York proceedings conclude. |
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After a tumultuous offseason, Houston Astros begin spring training |
| Houston Astros pitchers and catchers will gather for their first spring training workout in Florida on Thursday and, after a tough offseason, will begin an apology tour – or a tour of contrition anyway. Not only did the Astros lose the 2019 World Series to the Washington Nationals despite having a better record, but the ongoing sign-stealing scandal not only tainted the 2017 title the Astros did win, but established them as international villains. USA TODAY's Gabe Lacques offered his advice on how the Astros players who were on the 2017 team should handle what's coming and a couple of players have already employed his suggestions. Utilityman Marwin Gonzalez, now with the Minnesota Twins, expressed regret and added that he is "remorseful for everything that happened in 2017." Pitcher Charlie Morton, who now plays with the Tampa Bay Rays, said he regrets not doing anything to try to stop the sign stealing and relaying of information. |
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Bonus: Will you be my Galentine? |
| It's Feb. 13, aka Galentine's Day, a day created in 2010 by Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope on "Parks and Recreation." Grab your BFFs and check out some of these sweet deals. |
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