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Billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, pictured at a rally in New York in January, has shaken up the Democratic nomination race. He was attacked by rivals at a debate in Nevada on Wednesday, but his ad spending is far outstripping anything they can deliver. Photo: JStone / Shutterstock 

Opponents attack Bloomberg at debate

CNBC and Reuters say that nearly all of the Democrats vying for the 2020 presidential election nomination “jumped on their first opportunity” to lay into latecomer candidate Michael Bloomberg at the televised debate in Las Vegas. The BBC says Bloomberg has been attacked by rivals over his wealth and his past remarks on race and gender. Donald Trump joined in the attacks via Twitter during the debate, mocking Bloomberg’s height and accusing him of “buying” his candidacy. In an interesting interview with CNN, New York City political reporter Azi Paybarah of The New York Times likens Bloomberg to Quentin Tarantino--a man who influences everything about his films, but is a terrible on-screen presence when he acts in them. Meanwhile, The Washington Post says that Bloomberg’s unprecedented spending has bought him 2 billion ads on Facebook and Google this year alone--equivalent to 30,000 a minute.

Controversy surrounds Assange pardon claims

Former Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher has said he did not talk to US president Donald Trump about offering Julian Assange a pardon, the BBC and The Guardian report. He was responding to claims made by WikiLeaks founder's lawyer that the offer had been made in exchange for Assange denying Russian involvement in the Democratic National Committee email leak, as reported by CNN, Vanity Fair, and Reuters. The White House has also denied the claim, reports The New York Times. But The Washington Post says that Assange’s claim “kind of fits and kind of doesn’t” fit the backstory that Rohrabacher had floated a deal to the White House after visiting Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2017. Meanwhile, Charles P. Pierce writing for Esquire reckons that “Assange is behaving like anyone else caught in a snare. He’s selling information.”

Coronavirus: Japan slammed over cruise ship chaos

The BBC says that health experts visiting the stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess in the port of Yokohama have described the situation on board as "completely chaotic". In its live blog, CNBC reports that two passengers aboard the ship have died. Aljazeera says that the deaths of two elderly people in Iran on Wednesday are the first reported fatalities in the Middle East. Reuters reports that expectations of more Chinese stimulus has benefited Asia stock markets. The BBC has video of Beijing’s empty streets. The Guardian reports that tourism in Bali has been plummeting because of fears over the virus outbreak.

EU leaders convene for budget talks

Brussels is bracing itself for fraught and lengthy discussions as EU leaders gather today to hammer out the bloc’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027. The Guardian says the summit threatens to be the most difficult yet as the hole in finances left by the UK’s exit has to be somehow plugged. The FT says the richest member states “have dug in their heels” over the budget. Reuters has a fact check on how the MFF can manage to meet the Commission’s pledge of €1 trillion to finance the European Green Deal.

Eight die in Hanau shooting

Deutsche Welle, the BBC, and CNN have all reported on a shooting in the German town of Hanau near Frankfurt that has left eight people dead. Five others were injured, and police have apparently made one arrest. One other suspect was later found dead in an apartment alongside another person according to live updates from The Guardian.

Google to place UK user accounts under US jurisdiction

Google says that “the protections of the UK GDPR will still apply” to British users of its services after it places their accounts under US jurisdiction and moves them from under the scrutiny of EU privacy regulators, Reuters reports. The tech giant says it will require British users to acknowledge new terms of service.

AfD investigated over racist colouring book

A colouring book handed out at an event in North Rhine-Westphalia by the right wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party included drawings of men brandishing guns under a Turkish flag and women wearing headscarves in a swimming pool, the BBC reports. Police are investigating.

Something for the weekend

Friday 21 February: Catch “Bodyguard, das Musical” with German dialogue but the original English-language songs at the Rockhal (also on Saturday and Sunday). Also down south, Gregório Entringer performs an acoustic set with Julia Agudo at Kulturfabrik. Saturday 22 February: Belgian rap collective Choolers Division featuring 2 MCs with Down syndrome and 2 independent musicians, performs at de Gudde Wëllen. Sunday 23 February: Swiss pianist and composer Max Petersen brings his trio to play Neimënster’s apéro jazz concert at 11am. And in the evening, at 8pm, the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle returns to the Philharmonie for a concert featuring Alban Berg’s violin concerto “To the memory of an angel” and Beethoven’s “Christ on the Mount of Olives” oratorio.

Patient plays violin during brain surgery

The BBC has video of Dagmar Turner playing the violin while undergoing an operation to remove a tumour. Surgeons at King's College Hospital in London wanted to ensure parts of the brain which control hand movements and coordination were not damaged during the procedure.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts