Remote students report anxiety & Trump wins fight for Republican soul

Good morning, NBC News readers.

Happy Presidents Day! Today we are looking at the effects of remote learning and what lies ahead for former President Donald Trump — and the GOP — after his Senate acquittal.

Here is what we're watching this Monday morning.

Remote students are more stressed than their peers in the classroom, study shows

As debates rage across the country over whether schools should teach online or in person, students have experienced both the pros and cons of remote learning—feeling safer at home but also being worn down by online classes.

There’s no question that the pandemic has been hard on children, whether or not their schools have reopened. A flood of research in recent months has found alarming spikes in depression and anxiety among children and their parents. Multiple studies have found that students — especially those with disabilities and from low-income families — are learning less than they should.

But a new study from NBC News and Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford Graduate School of Education, is one of the first to shed light on the differences between students whose classes have been exclusively online and those who’ve been able to attend in person at least one day per week.

The survey of more than 10,000 students in 12 U.S. high schools found that students who’d spent time in the classroom reported lower rates of stress and worry than their online peers.

The report comes after the CDC unveiled its roadmap for reopening the nation’s schools Friday. Here’s how teachers responded.

Read more about the issue here.

All this week, make sure to tune in to "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt" and the "TODAY" show for more on "Kids Under Pressure," a series examining the impact of the pandemic on children.

After a speedy impeachment trial, Trump wins battle for Republican soul as Biden pushes ahead with agenda

While former President Donald Trump was spared conviction in the Senate on Saturday, he is not out of the woods just yet.

After the most bipartisan vote in any impeachment trial, with seven GOP senators voting against party lines, Trump still faces three investigations relating to his business dealings in New York and his attempts to overturn his election loss in the state of Georgia.

However, the decision by most GOP senators to acquit Trump in the 57-43 vote on a charge of incitement of insurrection demonstrates the deep hesitation among Republicans to disown the former president or his brand of politics. This comes despite Trump's role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt by his supporters to overturn his defeat in the election. For now, Trumpism is here to stay.

Meanwhile the rapid acquittal allows President Joe Biden to move ahead on the promises that got him elected: a Covid-19 relief bill and an infrastructure package.

• Meet The Press: How the Senate map shift helped Trump win acquittal.

• Raskin: Trump found guilty in 'the court of public opinion and the court of history.'

• Democrats defend lack of witnesses: 'We needed more senators with spines.'

• 7 Republicans found Trump 'guilty' of inciting Capitol riot. They explain their vote.

• After acquitting Trump, McConnell slams him for a 'disgraceful dereliction of duty.'

Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here.

Plus

• Their lives were consumed as entertainment. Years later, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are reassessed as many reckon with celebrity-infatuated culture.

• After 25 years on the run, a fugitive drug-trafficking suspect was arrestedin Florida, where he had been hiding in plain sight.

• Archie is becoming a big brother: Prince Harry and Meghan announce they are expecting a second child.

• China says the U.S. has "gravely damaged," international cooperation as a feud escalates between the two countries over a WHO Covid-19 probe.

• Pregnant, unemployed and evicted: A hard-hit mobile home owner fears 'losing it all.'

THINK about it

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner refused salaries while working in the White House. But that didn't stop the couple from making millions during their stint in Washington, Jordan Libowitz, communications director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, writes in an opinion piece.

Live BETTER

Ask yourself this: "Would you like to be married to you?" A 93-year-old Holocaust survivor and psychologist shares tips for how to choose love and forgiveness over anger and stress.

Shopping

Unsure which masks work best? Doctors share their favorite facemasks available to buy online.

Quote of the day

"Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

— George Washington wrote in a letter addressed to the Protestant Episcopal Church, the new name of the American branch of the Anglican Church, on Aug 19, 1789. Today the nation celebrates his birthday.

One fun thing

Love still manages to find a way during the Covid-19 pandemic. Listen to how couples across the U.S. found love during a time when human interaction has been severely limited.

Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.

I'm filling in for Petra Cahill while she takes a week off. If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: yasmine.salam@nbcuni.com.

If you would like to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox Monday to Friday, please sign-up here.

Thanks, Yasmine Salam