What happened
Riding momentum from his Super
Tuesday comeback, Joe Biden all but
clinched the Democratic nomination this
week, racking up commanding wins over
Sen. Bernie Sanders in four out of six
states. Biden won handily in Missouri,
Idaho, Mississippi, and most notably
Michigan, a closely watched state where
Sanders scored an upset over Hillary
Clinton in 2016 but lost this time in a
landslide. Washington, long seen as a
Sanders-friendly state, was too close to
call as The Week went to press; Sand-
ers scored a clear victory only in North
Dakota. The former vice president built a broad coalition, faring
well with African-Americans, working-class whites, and college-
educated and suburban voters. As contests loom in highly favorable
states such as Florida and Georgia, Biden’s 864-710 delegate lead
seems near insurmountable, a stunning turnaround for a candidate
who was all but counted out after weak early showings. Biden
reached out to Sanders voters in a subdued speech Tuesday, praising
their “passion” and “tireless energy.” “We share a common goal,”
he said, “and together we’ll defeat Donald Trump.”Sanders, who declined to address voters after his losses, pledged the
next day to soldier on, despite calls from some Democrats to step
aside. At a news conference in Vermont, Sanders acknowledged
he’s “losing the debate over electability.” But he cited his strength
among young voters and ticked off a list of issues he plans to raise
in a debate with Biden in Arizona, including climate change, income
inequality, and mass incarceration. “A strong majority of the Ameri-
can people support our progressive agenda,” he said.What the editorials said
The message is clear, said The Wall Street Journal: “Democrats re-
ally, really want to defeat President Trump.” And they’ve decided a
socialist revolutionary isn’t going to get them there. The “mass voter
mobilization of the proletariat” Sanders promised didn’t material-
ize. By contrast, Biden powered a huge turnout and showed strength
among a remarkable range of groups Democrats need to win. The
GOP should not be complacent. “If this coalition and enthusiasm
don’t scare Republicans and the Trump campaign, they should.”Biden is the right candidate for the
moment, said The Detroit News. In an
uncertain time, “Americans are looking
for steady, respectable leadership, not
a revolution.” In contrast to the far-left
Sanders, Biden “is an institutionalist who
recognizes the fundamentals of America
are sound: They’ve just been undermined
by weak and self-interested leaders.”
With a proven ability to build bipartisan
consensus, Biden is our best ticket out of
“gridlock and gotcha” politics that “are
not serving us well.”What the columnists said
Take a moment to “appreciate the magnitude of what has trans-
pired,” said Matt Lewis in TheDailyBeast.com. Just 10 days ago,
Sanders seemed unbeatable. But the Democratic Party succeeded
where the GOP failed in 2016: It beat back an insurgent outlier
and avoided a “hostile takeover” of the party.Democrats “shouldn’t bust out the party horns quite yet,” said
Jonathan Tobin in the New York Post. They’ve hitched their wagon
to “the most backward-looking” candidate in memory—and one
tied “inextricably” to Barack Obama, whose liberal elitism drove
voters to Donald Trump in the first place.Except that’s not the reason that Democrats lost the White
House, or that Sanders did so well in 2016, said Sarah Isgur in
TheDispatch .com. The reason for both is that voters just really
didn’t like Hillary Clinton. After Clinton’s loss, Sanders and his
backers argued that a progressive shift was Demo crats’ only hope.
Now it looks as if his strength in 2016 was actually built on “an
anti-Hillary vote.”Biden needs to “negotiate a truce with Bernie’s immoderate rebels,”
said Eric Levitz in NYMag.com. Winning the election and “fortify-
ing the Democratic coalition” in the future requires reaching young,
progressive voters. Biden should adopt popular Sanders positions
such as legalizing marijuana and imposing a wealth tax, and “pick a
running mate who is better aligned with the future of his party than
himself.” If he fails to bring young voters under his tent, “Demo-
crats could be headed for another long spell in the wilderness.”Biden celebrates a historic comeback.AP,
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Biden advances with decisive victories
... and how they were covered NEWS 5
It wasn’t all bad QA University of Akron student has made good on the
promise he made to his sister five years ago—by bringing a
llama to her wedding. During a 2015 road trip, then 16-year-
old Mendl Weinstock grew irked by Riva’s constant chatter
about her dream wedding. To
tease her, Mendl pledged he’d
only attend the ceremony—
whenever that would be—if he
could bring a llama. Thinking it
was a joke, Riva gave her OK.
But when Riva got engaged last
October, Mendl was deter-
mined to honor his vow. He
hired a llama for the big day for
$400 and even had a custom
tuxedo made for the beast. “It
was worth it just to see [Riva’s]
reaction,” said Mendl.QWhen architect Brian Bononi was
sent to measure up a bankrupt
portrait studio for a leasing agent,
he was horrified to discover unde-
livered photos stacked on the floor,
ready to be thrown out. Knowing
the portraits meant a lot to the
people in them, Bononi put them in
his minivan. The next day, he began
calling the phone numbers that
were listed on some of the portraits
and posting messages online about
his find. At least 63 people have
since been reunited with their pho-
tos. Lisa O’Connor, who got back
portraits of her two granddaugh-
ters, said Bononi’s kindness “is an
example of how we all should be.”QA retired British teacher has been
named the oldest man in the world
at the age of 111. Bob Weighton took
the title when its previous holder
died last month in Japan. The secret
to his longevity, Weighton said,
has been “to avoid dying.” Born in
northern England in 1908, Weighton
taught English in Taiwan and decoded
Japanese military communications
during World War II. A few years ago,
he asked to stop receiving birthday
cards from Queen Elizabeth II—the
monarch sends cards to all British
centenarians—because he didn’t want
“a huge collection” in his apartment. Riva, Mendl, and llama