Ben White on US Elections & the Coronavirus Bill

Ben White on US Elections & the Coronavirus Bill | Dem Debates | US Politics In :60 | GZERO Media

Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent for Politico, provides his perspective on the news in US politics:

What were the main takeaways from the first one on one Biden-Sanders debate?

Well, the takeaway is that Biden did just fine. No major blow-ups. Bernie Sanders needed to have a breakthrough moment to stop Biden's momentum. He didn't get it. It seems increasingly clear that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee for president, which is what we all thought from the start.

Is it possible that the coronavirus could delay the November elections?

Some rumors floating around about that, that President Trump could try to delay the election. He doesn't have the authority to do that. So that's not going to happen. It could be that the vote is spread out over a couple of days, if we're still in a bad virus situation and have social distancing and other measures could have to be taken, but the vote will happen in November.

What's in the current coronavirus bill before Congress?

Well, it's passed the House. Now before the Senate. It mainly focuses on sick leave and unemployment insurance. There are some questions whether the Senate might want changes. The White House and Treasury are already working on another bill that would be more directed towards bailing out businesses like airlines and hotels. So, we've got to get through this one and then we'll move to the next stimulus measure.

More from GZERO Media

Elon Musk in an America Party hat.
Jess Frampton

Life comes at you fast. Only five weeks after vowing to step back from politics and a month after accusing President Donald Trump of being a pedophile, Elon Musk declared his intention to launch a new political party offering Americans an alternative to the Republicans and Democrats.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London, United Kingdom, on July 2, 2025.
PA Images via Reuters Connect

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has struggled during his first year in office, an ominous sign for centrists in Western democracies.

- YouTube

“We wanted to be first with a flashy AI law,” says Kai Zenner, digital policy advisor in the European Parliament. Speaking with GZERO's Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Zenner explains the ambitions and the complications behind Europe’s landmark AI Act. Designed to create horizontal rules for all AI systems, the legislation aims to set global standards for safety, transparency, and oversight.

More than 60% of Walmart suppliers are small businesses.* Through a $350 billion investment in products made, grown, or assembled in the US, Walmart is helping these businesses expand, create jobs, and thrive. This effort is expected to support the creation of over 750,000 new American jobs by 2030, empowering companies like Athletic Brewing, Bon Appésweet, and Milo’s Tea to grow their teams, scale their production, and strengthen the communities they call home. Learn more about Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing. *See website for additional details.

Last month, Microsoft released its 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report, demonstrating the company’s sustained commitment to earning trust at a pace that matches AI innovation. The report outlines new developments in how we build and deploy AI systems responsibly, how we support our customers, and how we learn, evolve, and grow. It highlights our strengthened incident response processes, enhanced risk assessments and mitigations, and proactive regulatory alignment. It also covers new tools and practices we offer our customers to support their AI risk governance efforts, as well as how we work with stakeholders around the world to work towards governance approaches that build trust. You can read the report here.