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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The rapid spread of the coronavirus across the U.S. makes Social Distancing a necessity -- and in many places, that means some pretty major changes to daily life.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders faced off in their first one-on-one debate, clashing over their voting records on Social Security and multiple other issues, while CNN’s moderators did little to referee the fight.

And lastly, Nancy Pelosi’s paid sick leave bill, passed in a rush as part of a coronavirus aid package, covers only 20 percent of American workers, leaving gaping holes in the most vulnerable sections of the economy. Typical.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The coronavirus’s rapid spread through the United States provoked some widespread and drastic measures this weekend. In major metropolitan areas, bars and restaurants cut their attendance or closed outright, often by order of their local governments.

In New York City, which has seen over 300 confirmed cases and 5 deaths, all restaurants and bars will be forced to operate via delivery only starting Tuesday. For most of the country, this may become a benchmark, and for good reason.

Closing public spaces won’t be fun, but it will help with something public health experts call “social distancing.” The term may sound overly academic, but what it really means is staying the hell away from other people as much as possible.

You don’t have to live in constant fear, but what you should do is limit your social interactions as much as possible and spend as much time as you can at home.

The idea is to try to “flatten the curve,” or spread out the spike in new cases of the virus to an extent that they don’t overwhelm our already-precarious healthcare system.

The cautionary tale here is Italy, which saw its country’s fortunes turn in a flash as it went from isolated hot spots of cases to a full country lockdown in less than two weeks.

We might not have gotten to this point had the U.S. instituted robust testing measures and established proper quarantine policies early on into the outbreak. But instead, the Trump Administration waffled around until it was too late, and now we all have to pay the price -- especially the millions of service workers who will feel the economic impact of the social shutdown right away.

And of course, it’s not those workers who will get a bailout -- Trump’s more concerned about the cruise ship bosses and airline CEOs.

So when this crisis is all over, make sure to splurge on the tip.

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden went head to head for the first time on Sunday night with nobody, except a typically feckless CNN moderating team on stage to separate them.

The two candidates went at it from opposite ends of a small stage in CNN’s DC studio, with no live audience to mitigate possible exposure to the coronavirus.

The sharpest exchange of the night came over Social Security, as Sanders hammered Biden on his voting record on Social Security.

Biden floundered, and on several occasions outright lied about his support for the bankruptcy bill that left Americans drowning in medical debt, and on his past comments on cutting social security and other entitlements.

Bernie, delivering a luddite’s killing blow, implored the Amercian people to quote “go on the You Tube” and look up Biden’s past comments on the Senate floor.

It’s true! You can find all sorts of good things on the You Tube, including many, many instances of Joe Biden voting against the American working class. You can also find the Majority Report with Sam Seder. What a world.

Nancy Pelosi this weekend passed an expansive coronavirus relief package through the House, which included a paid sick leave bill that would ensure workers who fall sick have at least some time to recover from work. The only problem? The bill only covers a fraction of the actual workforce.

Pelosi celebrated the bill, even though any reasonable labor leader would consider it a massive failure.

The bill covers only 20 percent of the workforce, and the biggest corporations running aren’t beholden to it. Companies with more than 500 workers are exempt, and companies with fewer than 50 employees can apply for hardship exemptions from the Trump administration.

Why was it written that way? Well, because Republicans asked for it. In return for bipartisan support, House Republicans insisted on the exemptions, knowing that they could keep their corporate overlords happy and keep flogging the “small business” rhetoric they use every day.

And Pelosi fell for it, hook line and sinker, declining to use her majority in the House to push for anything more radical.

The Senate will take up the legislation today, so stay tuned to see if any Democrat in that body decides to stand up to the Republican’s crisis capitalism.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

The New York Times reports that Donald Trump may be using the frantic coronavirus news cycle to slip in a pardon to disgraced National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Exploiting a crisis for open cronyism? So unlike him.

The man who bought almost 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer with the plan to sell them at marked-up prices online donated his entire stash on Sunday, right after the Tennessee Attorney General began investigating him for price gouging.

Donald Trump’s chaotic European travel ban caused massive lines, crowds, and delays at U.S. international airports as tourists and ex-pats rushed to get home in uncertain times, creating a fertile breeding ground for the virus.

Youth activists with the climate strike movement are keeping the momentum going online, swapping out street protests for online social media campaigns from home. With widespread school closures around the world, they’ve got a whole lot more bored teenagers to draw on, and that could be pretty formidable.

The Trump administration allegedly tried to persuade a German biotech firm working on a coronavirus vaccine to move its work to the U.S.. According to one anonymous source, the company was offered a quote “large sum” endquote of money to make sure the U.S. got the vaccine first. Sound like Trump to you? Yep.

I’m Sam Seder, and that’s all for the AM Quickie today. Check back in this afternoon for the full Majority Report.

#AMQuickie March 16, 2020

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn