“President Joe Biden will make his first prime-time address Thursday night to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the start of coronavirus shutdowns. The address comes a day after Biden won final approval of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will discuss ‘the many sacrifices that the American people have made over the last year and the grave loss communities and families across the country have suffered.’ Biden is also likely to tout his administration's work in deploying COVID-19 vaccines, which have increased from a weekly average of 900,000 when Biden took office to 2.2 million last week. Biden spoke at a White House event Wednesday with the heads of Johnson & Johnson and Merck, the pharmaceutical company that is partnering with its competitor to help produce COVID-19 vaccines. The administration has arranged to purchase an additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine.” Read more at USA Today
“One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared that the spread of COVID-19 had become a pandemic . From that alarming announcement, a national tragedy ensued. By the end of March 2020 the U.S. had the most cases of any nation; today, more than 529,000 Americans have died from the COVID-19 virus, with about 1,900 more still dying each day. Apart from the brutal death toll, Americans have had to endure masks and lockdowns, loss of jobs, and the interruption of countless pleasures great and small. The amazingly rapid development of vaccines has renewed hope for a swift end to the nightmare. Even so, experts say it may be many more months before we can truly declare victory over COVID-19.” Read more at USA Today
“Drugmakers are crafting Covid-19 vaccines that would target more than one strain of the virus, hoping to strengthen the immunization campaign against the pathogen as it evolves.
Researchers at Moderna Inc., MRNA -0.86%Novavax Inc. NVAX 1.53%and the University of Oxford are designing the shots, known as multivalent vaccines, to protect not only against the form of the virus commonly circulating globally but also potentially contagious strainsthat have emerged or might in the future.
The work belongs to a range of efforts vaccine makers and drug researchers are undertaking to get ahead of variants like the one identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil.
Research indicates some vaccines currently in use generate weaker immune responses against the strain found in South Africa in particular, though there isn’t evidence indicating that current vaccines don’t protect against variants.
To be safe, companies are exploring strengthening the protection conferred by existing shots by adding doses, updating the shots or crafting a booster. A multivalent shot is another approach in the works.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“All living former presidents of the United States have come together for a new ad campaign urging Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine—all of them, that is, but for one obvious exception. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama—and their respective former first ladies—united to fight back against vaccine skepticism ahead of the shots becoming available to all U.S. adults in the coming months. The first ad shows the ex-presidents getting their shots, while the second features Clinton, Bush, and Obama standing together to deliver their pro-vaccine message. Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump are nowhere to be seen in either video.” Read more at CNN
“The Senate confirmed Merrick Garland as attorney general. Twenty Republicans voted for his confirmation, including Mitch McConnell.” Read more at New York Times
“Rep. Marcia Fudge was sworn in as secretary of Housing and Urban Development.” Read more at CNN
“The GOP’s national push to enact hundreds of new election restrictions could strain every available method of voting for tens of millions of Americans, potentially amounting to the most sweeping contraction of ballot access in the United States since the end of Reconstruction, when Southern states curtailed the voting rights of formerly enslaved Black men, a Washington Post analysis has found.
In 43 states across the country, Republican lawmakers have proposed at least 250 laws that would limit mail, early in-person and Election Day voting with such constraints as stricter ID requirements, limited hours or narrower eligibility to vote absentee, according to data compiled as of Feb. 19 by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. Even more proposals have been introduced since then.” Read more at Washington Post
“President Biden is slated to sign into law this week a $1.9 trillion stimulus package that clears one hurdle for broad student debt cancellation and tightens federal regulation of for-profit colleges.
Congressional leaders seized an opportunity to accomplish some long-standing objectives through the latest pandemic relief bill, which passed the House on Wednesday. Chief among them is eliminating the tax burden many student loan borrowers would face if any portion of their debt was discharged.
The tax relief is good only through January 2026, but lawmakers say it is a key step in canceling some of the $1.5 trillion in federal student loans held by 45 million Americans. Among the many concerns surrounding widespread forgiveness is whether debt relief would be subject to taxation, which could undermine the benefit to borrowers and ultimately the economy.” Read more at Washington Post
Donald Trump and his supporters have alleged vote fraud in Georgia pressed to have the results overturned. The former president is seen waving to people in New York on March 9. PHOTO: CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS
“ATLANTA—Then-President Donald Trump urged the chief investigator of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office to look for fraud during an audit of mail-in ballots in a suburban Atlanta county, on a phone call he made to her in late December.
During the six-minute call, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump repeatedly said that he won Georgia. ‘Something bad happened,’ he said.
‘When the right answer comes out, you’ll be praised,’ Mr. Trump told the chief investigator, Frances Watson.
Listen to Trump Call to Georgia Secretary of State Investigator
She responded: ‘I can assure you that our team and the [Georgia Bureau of Investigation], that we are only interested in the truth and finding the information that is based on the facts.’
The Washington Post reported on the call in January, but this is the first time the recording has been released.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has launched a criminal investigation into alleged efforts to have officials in Georgia overturn the state’s results of November’s presidential election. In a February letter to officials, Ms. Willis said a grand jury would convene this month.
In early January, media outlets, including the Journal, published news of a recording of a telephone conversation between Mr. Trump and several supporters and Mr. Raffensperger and his staff. During that Jan. 2 call, Mr. Trump urged Mr. Raffensperger to ‘find’ votes to change the election outcome. He berated Mr. Raffensperger for not doing more to overturn the election.
Representatives of the former president didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“A judge in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin granted prosecutors' request to add a third-degree murder charge Thursday, giving the jury more options as it considers Chauvin's culpability in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin is also charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd in May. Prosecutors contend Floyd, 46, was killed by Chauvin's knee, compressed against Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes while he was handcuffed and pinned to the pavement.
Jury selection was set to continue Thursday following debate on the new charge. Potential jurors will be questioned about their knowledge of the case and the protests over Floyd's death and asked whether they can set aside any existing opinions to serve impartially.” Read more at USA Today
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced a new allegation of inappropriately touching a female aide after a report said he summoned her to the governor's mansion and ‘aggressively groped her.’ According to the Times Union of Albany, the unnamed aide said in 2020, Cuomo allegedly reached under her blouse and fondled her. In a statement, Cuomo denied the claim.” Read more at USA Today
“Enraged Louisiana legislators and distraught student survivors grilled Louisiana State University Interim President Tom Galligan about his decision not to fire employees found to have contributed to the school's years-long, systemic failure to address sexual misconduct. An investigation was conducted after reporting by USA TODAY revealed widespread problems.” Read more at USA Today
“Federal health officials on Wednesday substantially relaxed the government’s guidelines for family and friends to see nursing home residents in person, saying that vaccinations and a slowing of coronavirus infections in the facilities warrant restoring indoor visits in most situations.
The nursing home guidance, the first federal advice on the subject since September, says ‘outdoor visitation is preferred,’ even when a nursing home resident and family or friends are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
But acknowledging that weather or a resident’s poor health might make an outdoor visit impractical, the recommendations encourage nursing homes to permit indoor visits ‘at all times and for all residents,’ regardless of whether people have been vaccinated, except in a few circumstances.” Read more at Washington Post
“Prince William spoke publicly about Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's bombshell interview for the first time Thursday, denouncing claims the royal family is racist.
‘We're very much not a racist family,’ he told reporters during a visit to a London school, adding that he has not spoken to his brother ‘yet,’ but plans to.
An explosive interview with Harry and Meghan, conducted by Oprah Winfrey, aired Sunday in the U.S. and featured shocking revelations the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made about why they stepped down from their royal roles and fled to America last year, including a claim that someone at the palace – but neither the queen nor Prince Philip – raised conversations when Meghan was pregnant about ‘how dark’ her future baby's ‘skin might be when born.’” Read more at USA Today
“Lawmakers in Mexico approved a bill Wednesday night to legalize recreational marijuana, a milestone for the country, which is in the throes of a drug war and could become the world’s largest cannabis market, leaving the United States between two pot-selling neighbors.
The 316-to-129 vote in Mexico’s lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, came more than two years after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the country’s ban on recreational marijuana was unconstitutional and more than three years after the country legalized medicinal cannabis.
The chamber approved the bill in general terms Wednesday evening before moving on to a lengthy discussion of possible revisions introduced by individual lawmakers. In its final form, though, the measure is widely expected to sail through the Senate before being sent to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has signaled support for legalization.
The measure, as of Wednesday night, would allow adults to smoke marijuana and, with a permit, grow a small number of cannabis plants at home. It would also grant licenses for producers — from small farmers to commercial growers — to cultivate and sell the crop.” Read more at New York Times
“Andrea Sahouri, the Iowa journalist who was arrested as she reported on racial justice protests last summer, was found not guilty in a case that drew widespread condemnation from journalism and free press organizations.” Read more at USA Today
“The Senate voted to confirm Michael Regan, President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, making him the first Black man to be administrator of the agency.” Read more at USA Today
“Lives Lived: In 1994, thieves stole “The Scream,” Edvard Munch’s masterpiece, from the National Gallery in Oslo. Three months later, it was returned, thanks largely to the efforts of a Scotland Yard detective named Charles Hill. Hill died at 73.” Read more at New York Times
The Cornell University historian Walter LaFeber with a student in 1973. He became a full professor in 1967 and, unlike many colleagues, continued to teach undergraduates regularly. Credit...Russell Hamilton/Cornell University
“Walter LaFeber, a Cornell University history professor and author whose unvarnished version of American diplomacy drew hundreds of students and spectators to his Saturday morning lectures, and whose acolytes went on to influence the nation’s foreign policy, died on Tuesday in Ithaca, N.Y. He was 87.”
Evangelist and author Beth Moore speaks at the Dove Nominee Luncheon at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Oct. 6, 2014 in Nashville. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Dove Awards)
“For conservative evangelical critics of former president Donald Trump, the past few years have been painful and isolating. But this week things got personal in a new way, with a dramatic announcement by celebrity Bible teacher Beth Moore that she no longer considers herself a Southern Baptist.
Moore, a joke-cracking Texan, runs a $15 million ministry that is wildly popular among conservative Christian women. She has for several years been raising concerns about what she sees as hypocrisy in evangelicalism. On Tuesday, she went further, ending her affiliation with the Southern Baptists and parting ways with the denomination’s publishing arm that distributed her Bible teaching.
While the Southern Baptist Convention has been losing members for years, it remains the country’s largest Protestant group, and Moore’s exit has fueled chaos for the denomination which has debated women’s roles in recent years.
Her exit has prompted many of her followers to consider whether to emulate her in some way, even if they plan to stay at their churches.” Read more at Washington Post
“Jeffrey Epstein’s seven-story mansion in Manhattan, the home where he allegedly engaged in countless illegal sex acts with underage girls, has been sold to a mystery bidder for well below its initial valuation. The asking price for the infamous home was set at $88 million—but, according to CNN, it was sold Tuesday for approximately $51 million. The funds from the sale will be handed over to the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, which has recently stalled payments because it was running low on money. ‘We are eager to resume issuing compensation offers as soon as possible,’ said Esptein estate attorney Dan Weiner. It’s the first time one of Epstein’s homes has been sold since his jail cell death in August 2019.” Read more at CNN
“If you’ve struggled to cope during the past year, here’s some hard proof that you’re far from alone. The American Psychological Association released a new survey Thursday—a year to the day since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic—that illustrates the enormous stress everyone has been under, and its impact on our health. Some 61 percent of respondents to an online poll said their weight had fluctuated over the past year, with 42 percent saying they’d gained more weight than they wanted to—almost 30 pounds on average. Ten percent of respondents reported gains of more than 50 pounds. Nearly 25 percent of survey-takers said they’d been drinking more than usual during the pandemic—a figure that more than doubled to 52 percent among parents with children in early elementary school. ‘When stressors go up, there are changes in behavior that affect our bodies,’ said Scott Bea, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic. ‘I think those effects are going to last for some time.’” Read it at NBC News
“Georgetown Law is promising an investigation after a professor was recorded disparaging Black students in a Zoom call with another professor. ‘We learned earlier this week that two members of our faculty engaged in a conversation that included reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students. We are responding with the utmost seriousness to this situation,’ William Treanor, the dean of Georgetown University Law Center, said in a statement Wednesday promising a ‘thorough investigation.’ Treanor did not identify the professors in question, but the Georgetown Black Law Students Association named them as Sandra Sellers and David Batson. Video of their conversation was reportedly leaked by a student after the recorded Zoom conversation was left readily available to students for several days.
In a brief clip circulated on social media, a woman identified as Sellers can be heard complaining about interacting with students she said were ‘jumbled’ before plunging into a tirade. ‘You know what? I hate to say this, I end up having this angst every semester, that a lot of my lower ones are Blacks,’ she says. ‘It happens almost every semester, and it’s like, oh, come on. You know, we get some really good ones but there also usually are some of them that are just plain at the bottom.’ Batson, having listened to Sellers disparage Black students, offers no similar statements of his own in the video but appears to nod along in agreement. The BLSA is now calling on the university to immediately fire Sellers, an adjunct professor, and require a public apology from Batson for his ‘failure to adequately condemn’ her comments.
View this cheat in a browser to see this embedded tweet.” Read more at Daily Beast
“Former President Donald Trump issued a statement Wednesday on presidential letterhead that read less like an official missive and more like one of his old tweets: ‘Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America: I hope that everyone remembers when they’re getting the COVID-19 (often referred to as the China Virus) Vaccine, that if I wasn’t president, you wouldn’t be getting that beautiful ‘shot’ for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn’t be getting it at all. I hope everyone remembers!’ Trump was banned from Twitter on Jan. 8 in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol.” Read more at Daily Beast
“68% — The share of students who were accepted to Stanford University last year and opted to enroll in the fall of 2020, down from 82% the year before. The rates of admitted students enrolling have also dropped across other major universities, injecting uncertainty into colleges’ admissions calculations and leading many to plan unusually long wait lists for the next incoming class.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“9,297 — The number of children who crossed the southern U.S. border illegally in February, up 63% from a month earlier. President Biden has pledged to roll back his predecessor’s immigration agenda, including the Trump administration policy of expelling unaccompanied minors from the U.S. back to their home countries. About 3,000 children were in Border Patrol custody as of Wednesday, with more than 1,500 remaining there longer than 72 hours.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
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