PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramWhat’s next for $1,400 checks? Biden weighs lower income threshold, Senate vote looms
After the U.S. House of Representatives approved President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus deal and sent it to the Senate, White House officials indicated Biden is open to lowering the income threshold for direct payments. The legislation passed by the House last week includes $1,400 direct payments for individuals making up to $75,000 a year and married couples earning up to $150,000 a year. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Fox News Sunday that Biden is willing to lower the maximum income for stimulus check eligibility to “ensure they hit the Americans who need that help the most.”
PoliticsNational ReviewHillary Clinton: Cuomo Sexual Harassment Allegations ‘Raise Serious Questions’
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday supported an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “These stories are difficult to read, and the allegations brought forth raise serious questions that the women who have come forward and all New Yorkers deserve answers to,” she said in a statement. “I'm glad to see that there will be a full, independent, and thorough investigation,” the former senator from New York added.
WorldAssociated PressRooster kills Indian man during banned cockfight
A man was killed by a rooster with a blade tied to its leg during an illegal cockfight in southern India, police said, bringing focus on a practice that continues in some Indian states despite a decades-old ban. The rooster, with a 3-inch knife tied to its leg, fluttered in panic and slashed its owner, 45-year-old Thangulla Satish, in his groin last week, police inspector B. Jeevan said Sunday. Jeevan said police filed a case and were looking for over a dozen people involved in organizing the cockfight.
U.S.National ReviewNew Orleans Archdiocese Asks Catholics to Avoid Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine
The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans is asking Catholics to avoid the recently-approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, which it says is “morally compromised” by its “extensive use of abortion-derived cell lines.” In a statement on Friday, the archdiocese noted that while deciding whether to receive the vaccine is an individual choice, that “the latest vaccine from Janssen/Johnson & Johnson is morally compromised as it uses the abortion-derived cell line in development and production of the vaccine as well as the testing.” While a number of COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have used cells originally derived from an aborted fetus in the 1970s, the archdiocese argues that Johnson & Johnson “extensive use” is worse than that of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which used the cells lines only to test their vaccines, according to Religion News Service.
HealthReutersNew York virus variant harbors another worrisome mutation; vaccinating elderly adds most years of life
The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. New York variant harbors a third worrisome mutation The coronavirus variant on the rise in New York City contains the same E484K mutation seen in variants in Brazil and South Africa believed to make COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapies less effective, as well as a mutation called S477N that helps it bind more tightly to cells when it breaks into them. A report by New York State Department of Health researchers posted on Monday on medRxiv ahead of peer review adds new information.
PoliticsArchitectural DigestHouse Call: Cue the Waterworks and Welcome to March
Zoë's newsletter comes to a web page near you, and the theme of the day is damp Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe WeekTrump reportedly quietly got his COVID-19 vaccine in January
Former President Donald Trump never ended up getting his COVID-19 vaccine publicly before he left office — but he reportedly did so off camera. At the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday, Trump encouraged supporters to get their COVID-19 vaccine, renewing questions over whether the former president has done so himself. Numerous officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence, got vaccinated on live television as part of an effort to demonstrate to Americans that it's safe.
U.S.The StateAre your tires among the 440,000 across 9 brands that have just been recalled?
Cooper's Discoverer models A/T3/275/65R18; AT3 4S/275/55R20; AT3 4S/275/65R18; RTX/275/65R18; and Evolution H/T/275/65R18. Discount Tire's Discoverer ATP/275/65R18. Hercules' Terra Track A/T II/275/65R18.
PoliticsNational ReviewCuomo Apologizes for ‘Insensitive’ Remarks as Pelosi Calls Harassment Allegations ‘Credible’
New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday responded to recent allegations of sexual harassment by former aides by saying that he was “being playful” at work, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and other prominent Democrats called for an investigation into the claims. Two former aides, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, came forward over the past week to allege sexual harassment by Cuomo. Boylan wrote on Medium that in one incident the governor kissed her on the lips without consent, which Cuomo has denied, while Bennett described interactions in which Cuomo asked intrusive questions regarding her sex life, including whether she was open to sleeping with older men.
WorldReutersTwo Jordanian ministers fired for partying in breach of their own rules
Jordan's interior and justice ministers were fired on Sunday for attending a dinner party at a restaurant that violated the coronavirus restrictions that their own ministries are supposed to enforce. Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Samir Mobeideen and Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni, days after the announcement of new rules intended to stem a month-old surge of infections driven by a more contagious variant of the virus. Their appearance in a public banqueting room, disregarding social distancing rules, added to widespread outrage at the hefty fines slapped on ordinary people while officials go unpunished for attending functions with far more than the 20 guests allowed.
PoliticsLos Angeles Times OpinionLetters to the Editor: Trump's CPAC speech was just about the only thing that could make me thankful for Twitter
To the editor: Can we all acknowledge what a great gift Twitter has given those American people who still cherish and adhere to democratic principles? Former President Trump's 90-minute speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando this weekend was entirely predictable: perpetuating the Big Lie about the 2020 election; excoriating the 17 Republican lawmakers who voted with the Democrats to impeach him; bitterly criticizing and ridiculing President Biden's actions; demonizing Democrats in general; boasting about his "great" accomplishments while in office. If it were not for Twitter's ban on him we would be getting a daily dose of these juvenile, bitter and toxic tirades.
PoliticsTheGrioMarcus Flowers to run for Congress against Marjorie Taylor Greene
The military veteran announced his campaign on social media as Georgia Democrats aim to oust the freshman representative. Sgt. Marcus Flowers has announced his official campaign against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for her seat in Georgia's 14th Congressional district. In his newly released campaign video shared on social media, the military veteran laid out his case as a Democratic candidate.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump at CPAC 2021: Ex-president to taunt his enemies and underscore commitment to leading Republican party
Donald Trump is set to deliver a marathon speech railing against his political opponents, laying out the direction of the Republican party, and doing everything short of announcing a bid for president in 2024. The former president's keynote address to wrap up the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orland, Florida, on Sunday will mark his first major speech since leaving office in January. Mr Trump – whose cult of personality has come to dominate the GOP even after his departure from the White House, as media interviews with numerous CPAC attendees have underscored – is expected to inch “right up to the line of announcing another campaign” without doing so, Fox News has reported.
PoliticsUSA TODAY21 Republican governors attack Biden's COVID-19 stimulus bill for 'penalizing' their states
Twenty-one Republican governors and one Democrat are taking aim at a key component of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief bill, arguing a proposed allocation of funds "punishes" states that did not fully lock down businesses amid the pandemic. The governors, led by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, issued a statement over the weekend critical of what they called a "biased" formula used to decide how much money in direct aid each states receives. One Democrat, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, also supported the statement.
U.S.Business InsiderAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez shoots back at Ted Cruz, saying he treated storm-hit Texas as a 'layover' between trips to Cancun and CPAC
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Sen. Ted Cruz after he mocked her during his CPAC speech. Ocasio-Cortez again criticized Cruz for fleeing Texas during the recent electrical-grid collapse. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Sen. Ted Cruz after the Texas Republican mocked her in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Friday.
- PoliticsAssociated Press Videos
DHS Sec.: Trump admin. 'gutted' immigration system
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says immigration was "gutted" by the Trump administration. After 27 days in office, Mayorkas told reporters: "It takes time to build out of the depths of cruelty," (March 1)
U.S.The Daily Beast‘Heartbreaking’: Ohio 6-Year-Old Died After Clinging to Car as Mom Abandoned Him, Cops Say
An Ohio mother who police say tried to abandon her 6-year-old son at a local park, dragged him along the pavement when he tried to get back into the car, then dumped the boy's lifeless body in a river the following day, confessed to killing the child but has shown little remorse, the Middletown police chief revealed Monday. Brittany Gosney, 29, is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Cops say Gosney's two other children—both of whom are second-graders—were in the car at the time of the killing, but were not harmed.
PoliticsINSIDERThe lawyer for the 'QAnon Shaman' wants to use Trump's speech before the insurrection as part of his defense
The lawyer for "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley wants to use Trump's January 6 speech for his defense. It's the "public authority defense," where defendants say officials told them to break the law. The lawyer for Jacob Chansley, the "QAnon Shaman" who stormed the Capitol building at the vanguard of the January 6 insurrection, wants to use Donald Trump's words as part of his legal defense.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe White House says it never wants an assassination like Khashoggi's again, but won't punish MBS for ordering the killing
The White House is facing criticism for not sanctioning MBS over Khashoggi's murder. A report released last week explicitly implicated MBS in the murder. White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said that the actions the Biden administration has taken in response to the declassified intelligence assessment on Jamal Khashoggi's 2018 murder represent the "the best way to prevent a crime like this from ever happening again."
- NewsReuters Videos
UK says more than 20 million vaccinated
"A magnificent achievement for the country." That's how British Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the UK's vaccination effort on Twitter Sunday, after more than 20 million people across the UK received a COVID-19 vaccine. Britain has rolled out Europe's fastest COVID-19 vaccination program, raising the prospect of a lifting of its current lockdown restrictions between now and the end of June.
U.S.The Daily BeastFauci Fires Back at Kristi Noem Saying He’s ‘Wrong’: ‘The Numbers Don’t Lie’
Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci hit back at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's harsh criticism of him on Sunday, saying her comments about him at this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) were “not very helpful” and “unfortunate.” Noem, who has received praise from conservatives for largely ignoring coronavirus restrictions and guidelines, got a standing ovation from the CPAC crowd when she boasted about ignoring the medical advice of experts and called out Fauci for supposedly being “wrong.” Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation, Fauci was asked if that sentiment was an impediment to the nation's recovery.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCuomo reverses course, asks New York Attorney General and top judge to appoint independent investigator over sexual harassment claims
New York Attorney General Letitia James asked Gov. Cuomo to allow her office to investigate claims against him. Two former staffers have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. Numerous lawmakers, including Biden, have called for an independent investigation into the claims.
U.S.INSIDERA man who refused to wear a mask at a high-school basketball game killed a police officer following a confrontation, authorities say
A man in Louisiana was accused of fatally shooting a police officer named Martinus Mitchum. The police in Louisiana said they arrested a 35-year-old man who killed an officer who tried to break up an altercation over face masks at a high-school basketball game. The New Orleans Police Department identified the officer as Martinus Mitchum, an officer in Tulane.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Supreme Court finally rejected Sidney Powell's election-conspiracy-theory lawsuits
The Supreme Court rejected two lawsuits filed by the Trump ally Sidney Powell. It extends the extraordinary losing streak for lawsuits seeking to overturn 2020 election results. President Joe Biden was inaugurated more than a month ago.
U.S.Miami HeraldHe went to look for his ball at a Florida golf course. Then he vanished, deputies say
A Florida golfer who went missing at the East Lake Woodlands Country Club Sunday morning in Oldsmar turned up dead hours later. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to the golf course around 7:30 am. on a missing adult call. Hermilo Jazmines had been on the green with a friend on the third hole when his ball rolled out of sight.
“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”