CBS News Throws a Chaotic Democratic Debate (Column) – Variety

Seth Doane is one of six CBS News employees who have been diagnosed with coronavirus. On Monday, the foreign correspondent joined CBS This Morning from his home in Rome, where he is currently quarantined as he recovers from the virus.

By Ted Johnson

The coronavirus was a topic heavily discussed by Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden during the latest Democratic debate on Sunday night. While the debate was originally set to take place in Phoenix, Arizona, it was moved to Washington, D.C.

By Dominic Patten

Standing six feet apart on an airless and suddenly sparse Democratic debate stage, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders set the tone for a particularly somber and unusual night. 

It’s understatement to say that things have changed since the candidates gathered for the last Democratic debate, on February 25. Following a shocking Super Tuesday and subsequent state primaries, we’re down to just two major presidential candidates: former Vice President Joe Biden, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

CBS News management, which saidWednesday that two New York-based employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said in a memo Thursday that a third employee has now tested positive. "We now have a third confirmed case of an employee testing positive for the virus," network president Susan Zirinsky said in the memo, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

The Democratic National Committee is moving Sunday's presidential debate from Arizona to Washington, D.C., because of concerns about coronavirus. The party had already announced that the debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders would be held without a live audience.

By Ted Johnson

CNN will move its planned coverage of the next Democratic debate to a studio in Washington D.C., while Univision journalist Jorge Ramos, who was slated to take part as a moderator, will bow out of the event, citing medical concerns.

CBS News president Susan Zirinsky on Wednesday told employees at the news division to work from home after two staffers tested positive for the coronavirus. The two employees worked in two different buildings used by CBS News.

NEW YORK -- CBS News shut down its New York City headquarters for cleaning and disinfecting on Wednesday after two of its employees tested positive for coronavirus.

By Dominic Patten

CBS News President Susan Zirinsky advised employees in New York to work remotely for at least two days after two employees at its production facilities tested positive for coronavirus. Employees who came into contact with the two people in question have been asked to self-quarantine and remain away from the offices for 14 days, the executive said.

The next Democratic National Committee debate will feature all qualifying candidates, but the event may be more notable for an element that will be missing.

By Ted Johnson

By Ted Johnson

NEW YORK -- CBS News faced an ill-timed blow to its reputation on Wednesday following a bruising Democratic presidential debate that its moderators struggled to keep from spiraling out of control.

Voters in South Carolina and across the country, as well as outspoken celebrities in Hollywood, tuned in on Tuesday to watch the remaining 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls engage in their most intense debate yet. The top remaining Democratic candidates for president — Michael Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer — met for a heated and contentious debate in Charleston, S.C.

In a rare moment of Tuesday's Democratic debate when candidates did not retread old arguments, Amy Klobuchar addressed what she would do about the spread of coronavirus if she were president. In response to CBS News moderator Gayle King's question about whether she would close borders to Americans exposed to coronavirus, Klobuchar seemed to say no.