“More than one-third of U.S. adults — about 90 million people — have received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine.
Nearly every state has announced that it will meet President Joe Biden’s directive to make all adults eligible by May 1. Only two states — Arkansas and New York — have not laid out their timeline for universal eligibility. Check your state here. Wyoming has also not said when all adults will be able to get the shot, but 20 of the state’s 23 counties now allow them to.
The exact threshold for herd immunity for the coronavirus is unknown, but recent estimates range from 70 percent to 90 percent. If the U.S. can continue at the current rate of vaccination, about 2.68 million doses per day on average, that point could be reached by mid-July.
Case numbers remain high — an average of 60,545 cases per day over the past week — so coronavirus testing remains essential.” Read more at New York Times
“Brazil is facing the most new Covid-19 cases and deaths in the world. Every hour, roughly 125 people there die from the virus.
The virus has killed more than 300,000 people in the country, a crisis fueled by a highly contagious variant, political infighting and conspiracy theories. Hospitals are overwhelmed with a torrent of Covid-19 patients who are arriving younger and sicker.
‘We have never seen a failure of the health system of this magnitude,’ the executive director of Doctors Without Borders in Brazil said. ‘And we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.’” Read more at New York Times
Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times
“President Biden, pictured above in Delaware on Friday, is set to travel to Pittsburgh this week to formally unveil the next phase of his economic agenda: a sprawling collection of infrastructure proposals.
The package, which includes programs that would invest in education, carbon reduction and working mothers, would cost $3 trillion to $4 trillion — and may require almost as much in new tax revenue. Democrats see an opportunity to raise taxes on big corporations and the wealthy but do not agree on the details. And because Republican support is unlikely, they have no room for error in a closely divided Senate.
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a critical Democratic swing vote, has signaled openness to making changes to the 2017 tax overhaul. Mr. Manchin is now at the center of the most important policy debates in Washington, most notably the one over the filibuster. Eliminating that voting mechanism would give Mr. Manchin even more influence in the 50-50 Senate, but he’s against doing so.” Read more at New York Times
Stephen Speranza for The New York Times
“Nearly a week after a man walked into a supermarket in Boulder, Colo., and killed 10 people, investigators say they are still searching to understand a motive.
Ahmad Alissa, 21, who has been charged in the mass shooting, came from an immigrant family that had achieved many of the outward signs of success. But the family’s life was not without troubles in the two decades since leaving Syria for a new home in the Rocky Mountains.
The Boulder attack was the second U.S. mass shooting in a week, once again leaving Democrats and Republicans in a stalemate over gun control measures. Public health experts say a new round of federal research could pave the way for gun policies that avoid partisan gridlock — and ultimately save thousands of lives.” Read more at New York Times
“In Myanmar, dozens of people were fatally shot as the security forces cracked down on protests in what appeared to be one of the deadliest days since the military coup there last month. A rights group said it had documented 90 killings by the security forces on Saturday, while one local news outlet put the death toll as high as 114.
The killings took place in more than two dozen cities across the country, on a holiday honoring the Tatmadaw, as the military is known. Many of the victims were bystanders, including children. A Times photographer was there.
A dissident called it ‘a day of shame for the armed forces.’ The U.S. ambassador to Myanmar, Thomas Vajda, called the bloodshed ‘horrifying.’ Earlier in the week, the U.S. announced financial sanctions on the country.
We’re also following reports out of Mozambique where an attack by insurgents trapped nearly 200 people, including foreign workers, in a hotel near the site of a major gas project.” Read more at New York Times
“With U.S. vaccinations picking up, the travel itch is real these days.
Most of Europe has been off-limits to most U.S. citizens for over a year, and the continent is currently grappling with a third wave of coronavirus infections. Some countries, like Turkey, above, Croatia and Iceland, have started to welcome vaccinated travelers. Others, like Greece and Spain, are preparing for summer visitors.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending against nonessential travel, even for the vaccinated.
Domestic travel is also poised to pop. Here’s what to know about flying this summer.” Read more at New York Times
“After touring a controversial migrant facility in Texas on Friday, a pair of Republican senators told USA TODAY they were stunned by the overcrowded conditions in which children are being held.
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said the Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, Texas, was ‘completely overwhelmed.’
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said he was ‘absolutely stunned’ with the conditions he saw Friday morning at the CBP facility.
‘It's breathtaking to be there because every one of those old, plexiglass cells is literally packed,’ Lankford said. ‘The entire floor is covered with kids, and then there'll be sitting around the edge because there's no floor space for them.’
Braun and Lankford were part of a group of more than a dozen Republican senators who visited the Rio Grande Valley as the Biden administration continues to come under fire by both Republicans and Democrats for the influx of migrants at the southern border.
The Biden administration is struggling to grapple with an increase of migrants coming to the U.S.-Mexico border. Officials have said they will only accept children, and in some cases, have begun accepting some families, saying that Mexico will not take some families with small children.” Read more at USA Today
“The blockage of the Suez Canal by a skyscraper-sized cargo ship could worsen monthslong snarls in the global supply chain, causing shortages of products such as toilet paper, coffee and furniture in the U.S.
About 10% of global trade passes through the canal, or nearly $10 billion of goods daily.
There are virtually no alternative routes for shipping goods from Asia to Europe. As a result, imports to the U.S. from Europe could be delayed and the blockage could prevent empty shipping containers from being returned to Asia, compounding a worldwide container shortage sparked by the pandemic and rising consumer demand.
Although U.S. imports from Asia generally traverse the Pacific Ocean to California, delays of parts sent from Asia to Europe could push back deliveries of finished products from Europe to the U.S. A blockage that's cleared within days is unlikely to slow shipments but the affects would be more severe if the crisis drags on for weeks.” Read more at USA Today
“Defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot continue to crowdfund their legal fees online using popular payment processors and an expanding network of fundraising platforms, despite a growing crackdown from tech companies.
The Capitol riot extremists and others are engaging these companies in a game of cat-and-mouse as they spring from one fundraising tool to another, utilizing new sites, usernames and accounts.
In one case, a crowdfunding website set up in late 2020 has been adopted by a defendant charged with storming the Capitol, who has used it to raise almost $180,000. His was one of only eight fundraisers on the site as of last week, and his donations accounted for 84% of the money raised on the platform.
The trend isn't limited to extremists connected to Jan. 6. Neo-Nazi Paul Millerhas crowdfunded legal fees through Cash App and asked for Bitcoin donations, even after federal authorities arrested him this month for being a felon in possession of a firearm….
In the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, the popular crowdfunding site GoFundMe said it banned fundraising for travel to political events that have a ‘risk for violence.’
After Jan. 6, payment processors like PayPal and Stripe, which handle credit and debit card payments for millions of online businesses, found themselves in a seemingly never-ending shell game. Like other bad actors, extremists involved in the insurrection worked to circumvent their systems by switching payment accounts and methods and hopping from one fundraising platform to the next.
Crowdfunding websites that were less squeamish about extremists stepped into the breach. Most notably, as CNN previously reported, the website GiveSendGo, which bills itself as a the ‘#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,’ became a refuge for insurrectionists hoping to raise a buck….” Read more at USA Today
“Only once has a No. 12 seed reached the Elite Eight before. Never has a No. 15 seed gotten there.
We got one of the two, following Oregon State's 65-58 upset of Loyola Chicago in the men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Saturday. Of course, more history is being written in a March Madness that's already seen a record number of upsets and double-digit seeds advancing to the second weekend. The Pac-12 is now 10-1.
Oral Roberts came oh-so-close to pulling off a historic upset in a two-point loss to Arkansas, ending the Golden Eagles' Cinderella run.
Villanova was poised to pull off an upset of its own by giving No. 1 seed Baylor all it could handle. But the Bears showed their mettle in fending off an inspired effort. And Houston ended No. 11 seed Syracuse's tournament by locking down Buddy Boeheim.
A look at the biggest winners and losers from Saturday's Sweet 16 games in Indianapolis:
Winners
Arkansas. The comeback team of this tournament did it again. Coach Eric Musselman's Razorbacks (25-6) fended off a determined effort by Max Abmas and Oral Roberts with key points in the paint in the closing minutes of the game. Arkansas used second-chance points off offensive rebounds and took advantage of a Golden Eagles team that lacked depth. Jalen Tate (22 points) came up big and Davonte Davis' game-winner with four seconds left helped Arkansas escape. It wasn't pretty (the Razorbacks shot just 11% from three), but much like against Colgate and Texas Tech in the previous two rounds, it's a win that advances this team to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995.
Houston. The Cougars (27-3) looked much more like the dark-horse Final Four team many hyped them up to be in a 62-46 rout of Syracuse. Much more than in a close win over Rutgers in the second round. Houston locked up marksman Buddy Boeheim (3-for-13 shooting, 1-for-9 from three) and got key offensive plays against the Orange's signature 2-3 zone. A No. 2 seed is still standing, fending off an upset by a double-digit seed. That's saying something this March.
Oregon State. Coach Wayne Tinkle's game plan against the most disciplined halfcourt offense in the country was brilliant – playing zone and forcing Loyola Chicago into 5-for-23 shooting from beyond the arc. The Beavers (20-12) fed off their star, Ethan Thompson (22 points), and shot 18-for-20 (90%) from the free throw line to reach their first Elite Eight (non-vacated) since 1966.
Baylor. The Bears (25-2) played about as bad as they could have in the first half, missing most of their threes and getting out-muscled by a physical Villanova squad driven to pull off an upset. But coach Scott Drew's group came out a different team in the second half and took control of the game midway through on its way to a 62-51 win. Baylor survived despite first-team All-American Jared Butler's struggles (1-for-9 from beyond the arc). Davion Mitchell (14 points) carved through the 'Nova defense to drive the Bears, who advanced to their first Elite Eight since 2012 and third under Drew's tenure.
Losers
Loyola Chicago. The Ramblers (26-5) were the favorites against No. 12 seed Oregon State, coming off the second-round upset of No. 1 Illinois. But a zone defense, which this team had only seen in 5% of games previously, completely took a normally potent offense out of its element – contributing to a season-worst 16 first-half points. By the time Loyola Chicago caught up in the second half and players not named Cameron Krutwig started making shots, it was too late. This team led the nation in defense and had a legitimate shot to get back to the Final Four after its surprise run in 2018. But they underperformed against the Beavers to bow out earlier than expected.
SWEET 16:What you missed in women's, men's tournaments Saturday
Oral Roberts. Abmas' potential game-winning 3-pointer vs. Arkansas just rimmed out and that was the difference between the first No. 15 seed going to the Elite Eight and the Razorbacks advancing for the first time since the Nolan Richardson era. Abmas (25 points) and Kevin Obanor (58 points the first two games) were the best 1-2 punch in this tournament, and against the Razorbacks their co-stars – Carlos Jurgens (13 points) and Francis Lacis (11 points) – stepped up. But no bench points and a shaky defense in the paint ultimately cost the Golden Eagles.
Villanova. The No. 5 seeded Wildcats (18-7) came out swinging and built a seven-point lead at halftime. They kept that momentum going early in the second half. But Baylor's guards proved to be just too good. Coach Jay Wright inspired this team — playing without Big East player of the year Collin Gillespie — to silence doubters as a Cinderella slayer (beating Winthrop and North Texas to get to the Sweet 16). Yet it was the absence of Gillespie that was most felt late in the second half when 'Nova needed a boost.
Syracuse. The Orange (18-10) lived and died by the three-point shooting of Buddy Boeheim. Boeheim was contained to 1-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc, largely as a result of Houston's smothering defense. 'Cuse barely got into the field as an NCAA bubble team but turned that trip as a No. 11 seed into two NCAA Tournament wins. In those games, Boeheim had 55 combined points off 13 three-pointers.” Read more at USA Today
“Oklahoma City police officers fatally shot an inmate who took a correctional officer hostage at a county jail Saturday, authorities said.
Officers had tried to deescalate the situation at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, but authorities fired their weapons after the suspect held something against the neck of the hostage, Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said during a news conference.
The correctional officer was then rescued safely and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Officials did not give details about the officer's injuries, but Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said, ‘I'm just glad the detention officer wasn't more seriously hurt.’
The inmate had overrun the officer while medications were being distributed, officials said. The suspect then used the officer's keys to free other inmates on the jail’s 10th floor, officials said.
Authorities did not immediately release the names of either the inmate or the officer who had been taken hostage.
As the incident unfolded, demonstrators went to the jail to protest how inmates are treated within the facility, KOCO-TV reported.” Read more at USA Today
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