Good morning. I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily

2002 for Tuesday, February 18. In today's news, the number of coronavirus cases in the US doubles. The Boy Scouts of America

files for bankruptcy and the Trump administration rolls back a regulation limiting mercury pollution.

But first, the big idea.

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg the big idea.

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has qualified for Wednesday's Democratic debate in Las Vegas,

setting the stage for a clash that will test the staying power of a campaign that has so far been defined by its astronomical advertising spending.

Bernie Sanders is called Bloomberg's spending on his campaign, which is now topped more than $300 million, precisely what the corruption of the American

political system is all about. Elizabeth Warren has demanded that Bloomberg release

women who worked for him from legal settlement agreements.

Joe Biden said he's going to go after Bloomberg's record on race,

from his past criticisms of anti-redlining policies, to his defenses of stop and frisk, which Bloomberg didn't

apologize for until days before he got into the contest.

Bloomberg is the first candidate to make the Democratic debate stage this cycle without meeting any fundraising goals.

Following a change last month by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez that allowed candidates to qualify for the debate by scoring 10% or better in four qualifying polls.

Bloomberg's fourth poll, which came out this morning from NPR, PBS and Marist,

shows him with the support of 19% of Democratic primary voters nationwide

in second place behind Sanders who receives 31%.

Bloomberg has pummeled the airwaves in states that vote on Super Tuesday with so many ads that a

questioner at a Tennessee news conference late last week thanked him for a

three and a half million dollar buy at the TV station that he works for before proceeding with his question.

After two contests in states with overwhelmingly white electorates,

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