HealthYahoo NewsWhy experts like Dr. Fauci think 'there's a really good chance' the worst of the U.S. pandemic is behind us
According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, two-thirds of Americans are either somewhat or very worried about the “newer, potentially more contagious” COVID-19 variants that have triggered huge overseas outbreaks and are now spreading in the United States. To be clear, worrying less about variants doesn't mean abandoning precautions; nothing will suppress cases and shorten the U.S. pandemic like wearing a mask, avoiding indoor gatherings, staying 6 feet apart and getting vaccinated. Asked if the worst of the pandemic was behind the U.S., Fauci told Yahoo News Tuesday that “it might be.”
PoliticsFort Worth Star-Telegram$1,400 stimulus checks set for House vote today. Here’s what to know
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan with $1,400 stimulus checks for most Americans on Friday before sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration. Democrats are hoping to pass the stimulus deal into law before Mar. 14, the day that $300 weekly unemployment benefits approved in December's coronavirus package expire. Around 11.4 million workers could lose their unemployment benefits between Mar. 14 and Apr. 11 unless Congress passes the bill before the mid-March deadline, a study by The Century Foundation found.
PoliticsThe WeekHusband of Hitler-quoting GOP congresswoman parked his militia-stickered truck outside Capitol Jan. 6
Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R), the husband of freshman U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), acknowledged Thursday that his pickup truck was parked in a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, but he said the "Three Percenter" militia sticker on the back window doesn't mean anything. "Army friend gave me decal," Miller told The Daily Beast in an email late Thursday. The Three Percenters, founded in 2008, are a "radical militia group" implicated in leading the Jan. 6 siege along with the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other far-right extremist groups, the FBI said in an affidavit filed in the case against alleged rioter Robert Gieswein.
PoliticsAxiosSchumer privately says he wants to freeze last-minute stimulus changes in order to pass bill
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is privately saying he can pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus package but wants to avoid any last-minute changes jeopardizing its trajectory, three sources familiar with the talks tell Axios. Why it matters: While the president hoped to enlist Republican support for the measure, Schumer has worked to ensure he has a solid 50 votes to muscle it through if necessary. What we're hearing: Schumer met with a group of moderate Democratic senators Thursday morning.
U.S.Associated PressOwners of company involved in crash that killed 7 charged
The owners of the truck involved in a crash in New Hampshire in June 2019 that killed seven motorcyclists are facing charges of falsifying company records, federal prosecutors announced Friday. Dunyadar Gasanov, also known as Damien Gasanov, 36, was indicted on charges of falsification of records, conspiracy to falsify records and making a false statement to a federal investigator, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Boston. Dartanayan Gasanov, 35, was indicted on a charge of falsification of records.
U.S.National ReviewDeSantis Defends COVID Record, Needling Critics: ‘The Lockdown States Got It Wrong’
Florida governor Ron DeSantis defended his state's response to the coronavirus pandemic in a Friday morning speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. DeSantis was the first elected official to speak to the conference, which is being held in Orlando, Fla. this year.
PoliticsThe WeekBernie Sanders unveils his Plan B for a $15 minimum wage after Senate parliamentarian setback
Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough on Thursday effectively killed a Democratic push to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, ruling that the measure doesn't pass muster under the budget reconciliation rules Democrats are using to pass the package with a simple majority in the Senate. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), have already said they would vote against including the $15 minimum wage provision in the relief package, dealing it a near-fatal blow in the 50-50 Senate. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was among them, but he also had a Plan B.
PoliticsUSA TODAYSen. John Cornyn, Gov. Greg Abbott — but not Ted Cruz — to meet with Joe Biden in Texas
Two out of Texas' top three Republican officials will meet with President Joe Biden during his Friday trip to Houston following the state's winter storm and power outages last week. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, plan to join Biden and first lady Jill Biden as they survey storm and power grid damage, visit an emergency operations center and food bank and stop by NRG Stadium, a mass vaccination site. The state's other senator, Ted Cruz, won't be joining them.
U.S.NextSharkAsian Man in Critical Condition After Being Stabbed in the Back With a Butcher Knife in NY Chinatown
An Asian man is in critical condition after getting stabbed by a butcher knife in New York's Chinatown on Thursday evening. The 36-year-old local resident was attacked around 6:15 p.m. near the federal courthouse, near the corner of Worth Street and Baxter street next to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, reports PIX11. Call came in at 6:20 for report of a stabbing at Baxter Street and Worth Street.
U.S.AxiosActing Capitol Police chief: Phone logs show Jan. 6 National Guard approval was delayed
Acting U.S. Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman testified on Thursday that cellphone records show former USCP chief Steven Sund requested National Guard support from the House sergeant-at-arms as early as 12:58pm on Jan. 6, but he did not receive approval until over an hour later. Why it matters: Sund and former House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving clashed at a Senate hearing on Tuesday over a dispute in the timeline for when Capitol Police requested the National Guard during the Capitol insurrection. Irving insisted that he has no recollection of receiving the request until after 2pm.
PoliticsThe WeekJournalist Tim O'Brien, who's seen Trump's taxes, thinks Trump's accountant will now flip in D.A. inquiry
Bloomberg's Tim O'Brien, one of the few journalists who has seen former President Donald Trump's tax returns, told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday night he will sleep better now that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance finally has eight years of Trump's financial documents, from 2011 to 2019. O'Brien went on to explain why he thinks it's likely Trump's chief accountant, Allen Weisselberg, will flip on Trump. "The thing to really focus in on here is that it's not just the tax records that Cy Vance has now," O'Brien said.
U.S.Defense NewsU.S. Air Force top general isn’t ready to buy the E-7 Wedgetail just yet
The Air Force's top general wants to take a deliberative approach to replacing its aging E-3 airborne early warning and control planes and isn't ready to commit to the Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail, despite support from the service's top general in the Asia-Pacific. “I want to actually look at what options do we have,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown said during a roundtable with reporters for Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium on Feb. 25. One of those fans is Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, who told reporters on Feb. 24 that he is in favor of a near-term purchase of the Boeing 737-based Wedgetail to replace the aging E-3 Sentry, which is based on the older Boeing 707 and colloquially called the “AWACS.”
PoliticsTheGrioRep. Al Green scolds GOP over Equality Act: ‘You used God to enslave my foreparents’
Green pushed back against Republican arguments invoking religion as a reason to kill the bill that protects LGBTQ rights. Congressman Al Green, who represents Texas' Ninth District, delivered an impassioned speech on the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday, where he spoke out in support of the Equality Act, which would establish federal LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections.
PoliticsThe WeekNewly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is 'obsessed' with creating 'clean-energy jobs'
The Senate on Thursday confirmed former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, 64-35, to lead the Energy Department, with 14 Republicans joining all 50 members of the Democratic caucus to give President Biden his 10th Cabinet-level appointee (plus one deputy secretary). After her confirmation, Granholm tweeted that she's "obsessed with creating good-paying clean energy jobs in all corners of America in service of addressing our climate crisis" and "impatient for results." Granholm repeated her priorities on MSNBC Thursday night.
WorldReutersFrance could impose more regional lockdowns in worst COVID-hit areas
France will impose measures including weekend lockdowns in Paris and 19 other regions from the start of March if signs of the coronavirus accelerating persist, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. Castex said a new nationwide lockdown was not on the agenda, but said French citizens needed to be in a state of heightened alert to make sure they contain the spread of the virus while vaccines are rolled out. "We must do all that we can to delay it, to give time to the vaccination campaign to yield its effects", Castex added.
U.S.Architectural DigestMore Inside A New Safari Lodge Treehouse Tucked Away in Botswana’s Okavango Delta
Only reachable by canoe, this Xigera hideaway is centered along lush riverbeds and a rich concentration of wildlife. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe GuardianWhat the Neera Tanden affair reveals about the Washington DC swamp
When sifting through the wreckage to try to make sense of this epoch, future anthropologists should dust off whatever records will be preserved about Neera Tanden's star-crossed nomination to an obscure-but-powerful White House office. As a political operative and head of a corporate-funded thinktank, she does not have especially relevant experience for the appointment – in fact, whether in gubernatorial administrations, mayoral offices or Capitol Hill budget committees, there are far more qualified experts for this gig. Critics allege that Tanden busted a union of journalists.
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Oklahoma man released early from prison accused in 3 family deaths
An Oklahoma man who had been released early from prison in January as part of a mass commutation effort is now accused of three killings, including the death of a neighbor whose heart he cut out, authorities said.
WorldBusiness InsiderBiden orders airstrikes against infrastructure used by 'Iranian-backed militant groups' in Syria
The US launched airstrikes Thursday night against "Iranian-backed militant groups" in Syria. The Defense Department said the strikes were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden. The strikes came after rocket attacks targeting US forces in Iraq.
LifestyleMiami HeraldThis spot in the Florida Keys was just named one of the best coastal cities in America
Everybody loves the Florida Keys. Especially Key West, which international travel website Big 7 Travel placed in one of the top 10 spots on its annual 50 Best Coastal Towns in the United States report. “Many consider Key West to be the best beach area in the States,” Big 7 Travel writes.
HealthThe StatePfizer COVID vaccine dramatically cuts need for ventilators in older adults, CDC says
New preliminary data adds real-world evidence that coronavirus vaccines can reduce severe COVID-19 cases on a national scale, according to a report released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In about three months, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot lowered the need for mechanical ventilation among people 70 and older by 67%, compared to those younger than 50. The study was conducted in Israel, which has the highest per capita vaccination rate in the world.
PoliticsThe IndependentMarjorie Taylor Greene calls Liz Cheney ‘a fool’ for criticising Trump
Marjorie Taylor Greene called her fellow House Republican Liz Cheney "a fool" for refusing to support Donald Trump. "Liz Cheney and any other Republican that wants to make statements against President Donald Trump is a fool," she said. Ms Greene's comments come a day after Ms Cheney publicly broke with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy by saying she did not think Mr Trump should speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference nor should have any leadership role in the party or the country's leadership.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderStephen Miller, the architect of Trump's migrant-family-separation scheme, called Biden's immigration policies 'cruel' and 'inhumane'
In a Fox News interview, Stephen Miller weighed in on Biden's reopening of a child-migrant facility. "What we're seeing here is the cruelty and inhumanity of Joe Biden's immigration policies," he said. Stephen Miller, the Trump administration official who masterminded the policy of separating migrant children from their families at the US-Mexico border, described President Joe Biden's immigration policies as "cruel" and "inhumane" during an appearance on Fox News' "Ingraham Angle" on Wednesday night.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMarjorie Taylor Greene faces backlash after attacking congresswoman with transgender daughter
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the freshman congresswoman whose support for QAnon and other extremist conspiracy theories has made her a flashpoint in the House, is facing condemnation again for putting up a sign denying the existence of transgender identities — across the hall from another congresswoman who has a transgender child. Newman talked about the importance of the Equality Act for transgender individuals such as her daughter. Greene then posted a tweet denying her daughter's gender identity.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden raises human rights in call with Saudi king as intelligence officials to release report on Khashoggi killing
President Joe Biden has spoken with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia ahead of the release of a report from US intelligence officials that is expected to reveal that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved and likely ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. A White House report of their phone call on Thursday did not disclose whether they discussed the findings in the report. The leaders “discussed regional security, including the renewed diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations and the United States to end the war in Yemen, and the US commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups,” according to a readout of their call.
“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.”