The Global Threat: The World Health Organization plans an emergency meeting Monday to confront the Zika virus, which they say is “spreading explosively” in the Americas and threatening to infect 4 million people by the end of the year. The director general of the WHO said in a speech in Geneva that “The level of alarm is extremely high.”

Zika is spread by mosquito bite and usually has little effect unless it strikes pregnant mothers, resulting in babies born with unusually small heads and damaged brains, a condition called microcephaly. There is no treatment or cure for the virus.

US health officials say the risk in the US is extremely low, but half a million people from around the world are expected to visit ground zero of the epidemic for the Brazil Olympics this year.

Debatable: Ted Cruz opened with a dig on Donald Trump for not being in last night’s Republican debate. He got laughs but wasn’t funny.

Jeb! Bush said, “I kind of miss Donald Trump … Everyone else was in the witness protection program when I went after him.” Marco Rubio railed against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The Republicans tend to go on about how “conservative” they are, suggesting that voters should back the most conservative among them, sticking to “conservative principles” rather than discussing how they will solve problems.

-Bush: “Conservative principles, believing in limited government.”

-Christie: “I’ve gotten conservative things done.”

-Cruz: “You’ve got to be able to bring together conservatives and evangelicals and libertarians.”

The candidates promised to crush the Islamic State and rebuild the military. They complained about not getting time to respond to their opponents.

And they all reminded us that they are followers of God. Rubio said, “My goal is not simply to live on this earth for 80 years, but to live an eternity with my creator. And I will always allow my faith to influence everything I do.”

Hillary and Bernie: Clinton and Sanders are in a virtual dead heat in Iowa. Economist and commentator Robert Reich writes on his blog about Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders that, “In my view, she’s the most qualified candidate for president of the political system we now have. But Bernie Sanders is the most qualified candidate to create the political system we should have, because he’s leading a political movement for change. The upcoming election isn’t about detailed policy proposals. It’s about power – whether those who have it will keep it, or whether average Americans will get some as well.”

Death of a Patriot: The FBI released helicopter video of the police shooting of LaVoy Finicum, one of the “patriots” who had occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. After several of his friends surrendered at a roadblock, Finicum took off in a white truck and a mile or so went off the road into snow trying to avoid another roadblock. He got out of the truck, at first with his hands up, but then clearly reached under the left side of his jacket and was shot to death. Police later found a handgun where he was reaching.

#OscarsSoWhite: The Motion Picture Academy scrambled and rounded up some nonwhite presenters to give awards to white recipients at this year’s Oscars. Among them; Benicio del Toro, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, Parrell Williams, “The Weeknd” – he’s a musician.

The Evangelical Vote: Carly Fiorina (1.6 %) prominently wore a cross for the undercard debate in Iowa last night while she savaged Barack Obama in a rather un-Christian way.

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