PoliticsAxiosJoe Manchin pledges to block Biden's infrastructure bill if Republicans aren't included
The big picture: Manchin said he'll push for tax hikes to pay for Biden's upcoming infrastructure and climate proposal, and will use his Energy Committee chairmanship to force the GOP to confront climate reality. Why it matters: My conversation yielded the most extensive preview yet of how Manchin — a Democrat from a Trump state, in a 50-50 Senate, who relishes standing up to a Democratic White House — will use his singular power. Manchin, 73, said Biden expects, and understands, the pushback: "He's the first president we've had to really, really understand the workings of the Senate since LBJ."
WorldReutersIran releases British-Iranian aid worker Zaghari-Ratcliffe from house arrest but court summons looms
Iran has released British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from house arrest at the end of her five-year prison sentence, but she has been summoned to court again on another charge, her lawyer said on Sunday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government would continue to do everything possible to secure her permanent release so she could return to the UK. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at a Tehran airport in April 2016 and later convicted of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment.
U.S.Associated PressClaimed value of sleepy NY estate could come to haunt Trump
It's sleepy by Donald Trump's standards, but the former president's century-old estate in New York's Westchester County could end up being one of his bigger legal nightmares. Seven Springs, a 213-acre swath of nature surrounding a Georgian-style mansion, is a subject of two state investigations: a criminal probe by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and a civil inquiry by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both investigations focus on whether Trump manipulated the property's value to reap greater tax benefits from an environmental conservation arrangement he made at the end of 2015, while running for president.
PoliticsThe IndependentJoe Manchin explains himself after Covid relief saga
After a chaotic week in the Senate in which he absorbed most of the political spotlight, Senator Joe Manchin blitzed the Sunday political talk show circuit to explain his position on everything from the $1.9trn Covid relief bill, to the minimum wage, to the bipartisan negotiation process in Congress. The West Virginia Democratic senator – widely described as a “centrist” due to both his policy positions and his approach to the legislative process – held up passage of the Covid relief bill this weekend for hours over the size and duration of a key pandemic-era unemployment programme. Fundamental to Mr Manchin's governing approach is his belief in that the majority ought to negotiate as much as it can in good faith with the minority party.
PoliticsReutersU.S. could send $1,400 COVID bill payments within days; child tax credit a bigger challenge
With plenty of practice sending coronavirus relief payments to Americans, the federal government should be able to launch the delivery of $1,400 checks almost immediately once Congress finalizes the new aid bill and President Joe Biden signs it, tax experts say. Some Americans might see direct payments as soon as this week if the bill passes the House of Representatives on Tuesday as expected, compared with several weeks' lag in April 2020. The Treasury Department's Internal Revenue Service will have new challenges on its hands, though, thanks to the $1.9 trillion relief bill.
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Mayor of Texas border city calls on governor to reconsider federal proposal to fund COVID testing for migrants
Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbott has rejected a proposal from the Biden administration that would reimburse local officials for offering coronavirus testing and shelter to migrants as they await their immigration hearings. Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez joins CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss the potential benefits of federal assistance and why he says it's time for Governor Abbott to "stop playing politics."
U.S.Business InsiderA Trump appointee who was arrested over the Capitol riot asked a judge if he could be transferred to a cell with no cockroaches
A former State Department aide arrested over the Capitol riot has complained of his cell conditions. The former aide, Federico Klein, told a judge he felt "cockroaches crawling" over him in his cell. Klein is believed to be the first Trump appointee arrested in connection to the Capitol riot.
PoliticsThe IndependentLauren Boebert: Congresswoman linked to QAnon attacks Democrats for being ‘obsessed with conspiracies’
A freshman congresswoman who has previously expressed support for the false and fringe QAnon conspiracy theory attacked Democrats during a recent Fox News appearance and claimed they were “obsessed” with conspiracies following the Capitol insurrection. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Co) joined Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Saturday night to lambast House leadership and security officials over continued safety measures at the Capitol building in the wake of the attacks on 6 January, when pro-Trump extremists stormed the building.
BusinessFort Worth Star-TelegramEven Texans with fixed electricity plans may face high energy costs due to this fee
Heather Helton thought she was in the clear, at least when it came to her February electricity bill. Despite those headaches, Helton considered herself spared from the brunt of the electricity crisis. She has a fixed rate plan with Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy Services, which insulates her from the skyrocketing electricity prices faced by Texans who signed up for variable rate plans with companies like Griddy. “I didn't have any concerns for myself,” Helton said.
U.S.The StatePeople threaten to call ICE on Texas Mexican restaurant that kept mask rule, it says
A Mexican restaurant in Houston says it's been getting some “horrific” threats after announcing it was keeping its mask requirement as Texas reopens. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order lifting the statewide mask mandate and allowing businesses and facilities to operate at 100% capacity. After Picos announced it would still require masks for diners, co-owner Monica Richards said she started receiving some disturbing messages and calls from people threatening to report the Picos staff to Immigration and Customs and Enforcement, The Houston Chronicle reported.
U.S.Business InsiderThousands of people who visited a COVID-19 vaccination site in California reportedly received the wrong dose, but officials say nobody needs a booster shot
An estimated 4,300 people received less of the Pfizer vaccine than they should have, KTVU reported March 4. Too little of the vaccine was administered due to a problem with syringes on March 1, the media outlet said. Thousands of people who visited a mass vaccination site in Oakland, California, on March 1 received the wrong dosage of the Pfizer vaccine, KTVU reported.
U.S.USA TODAYMan dies when gunfire erupts near 'George Floyd Square' in Minneapolis as Chauvin trial looms
A manhunt was underway Sunday in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of a man near "George Floyd Square," an intersection that serves as a memorial to the man whose death at the hands of police in May set off Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. Police provided few details of the shooting, which took place less than 48 hours before jury selection is set to begin in the murder trial of the police officer charged in Floyd's death. Police spokesman John Elder said police were alerted to Saturday's shooting at about 5:45 p.m. local time and were told the victim or victims had been brought to the "autonomous zone" at the edge of the intersection.
SciencePoliticoDiplomats Warned of a Coronavirus Danger in Wuhan—2 Years Before the Outbreak
On January 15, in its last days, President Donald Trump's State Department put out a statement with serious claims about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement said the U.S. intelligence community had evidence that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) laboratory were sick with Covid-like symptoms in autumn 2019—implying the Chinese government had hidden crucial information about the outbreak for months—and that the WIV lab, despite “presenting itself as a civilian institution,” was conducting secret research projects with the Chinese military. The State Department alleged a Chinese government cover-up and asserted that “Beijing continues today to withhold vital information that scientists need to protect the world from this deadly virus, and the next one.”
CelebrityThe TelegraphFive thorny issues in Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview that could make for uncomfortable viewing
The Royal family will assume the brace position as it awaits a stream of damaging revelations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their Oprah Winfrey interview. The slickly produced, dramatic teasers quashed any lingering hopes that the couple might stick to more mundane and diplomatic subject matters. Instead, they will tell “their truth”, lifting the lid on life behind palace walls in a manner no member of the family has done for decades.
U.S.The Daily Beast20-Year-Old Bowling Green Sophomore on Life Support After ‘Deathly’ Hazing Incident
A 20-year-old sophomore at Bowling Green State University is fighting for his life after being found in “dire” condition following a fraternity hazing incident. Stone Foltz was rushed to a hospital early Friday after he was found by his roommates following what one fellow student described as a “deathly” and “crazy” alcohol-related hazing event. The 20-year-old had attended an off-campus event for the BGSU chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity on Thursday night where pledges were pressured to drink “copious” amounts of alcohol, according to Sean Alto, the attorney for the family.
HealthBusiness InsiderMississippi governor says his goal 'has never been to get rid of the virus' in defense of his decision to end COVID-19 mask mandate
Mississippi GOP Gov. Tate Reeves defended his decision to end the state's mask mandate. Reeves told CNN's Jake Tapper that it was never his "objective" to eradicate the virus. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, in an interview Sunday defended his decision to roll back the state's mask requirement even as public health officials warn such actions are premature.
U.S.Business InsiderProminent Georgia family sued their local grocery clerk after she made claims on Facebook about their role in the Capitol riots, report says
A family is suing a grocery clerk after she posted allegations about their roles in the Capitol riots. Katheryn and Thelma Cagle had helped organize buses from Georgia to DC, according to the Washington Post. Grocery clerk Rayven Goolsby confronted them on Facebook after seeing videos of them at the rally.
U.S.INSIDERFormer neo-Nazi says Fox News radicalizes people by saying the same stuff he used to say
A former neo-Nazi was interviewed by CNN's Pamela Brown Saturday about domestic extremism in the US. Frank Meeink said Fox News has radicalized Americans by saying the same stuff he used to say. Fox News has been accused in the past of using language that echoes white supremacists.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell planning an 'escape hatch' in case he leaves Senate before his term expires, report says
When President Donald Trump lost his reelection bid in November, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, then the Senate majority leader, became the most powerful Republican in Washington, DC. With the upper chamber ultimately split between 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, the 79-year-old McConnell, who was reelected last year to a seventh term, will most certainly fight hard to regain the majority in 2022. But McConnell, always a tactician, is said to have created a list of successors in case he doesn't serve out his full term, which expires in January 2027.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCuomo said lawmakers will have to impeach him if they want him out of office after top Democrats call for his resignation
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing calls for his resignation over allegations of sexual harassment. The New York Democrat said lawmakers will have to impeach him if they want him out, AP reported. Six New York state lawmakers have already called for impeachment proceedings against him.
CelebrityThe TelegraphHarry and Meghan got married in secret three days before their fairytale public wedding
Follow the latest reaction in our liveblog here The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married in their back garden by the Archbishop of Canterbury three days before their fairytale wedding, they have revealed. In her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex said the wedding at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 was a "spectacle for the world". The couple decided to have their own moment and married days before.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderLindsey Graham says he deals with Trump's 'dark side' because he thinks he has a 'magic' other Republicans don't
Sen. Lindsey Graham told "Axios on HBO" that he still thought Donald Trump was good for the GOP. Graham said Trump had a "dark side" but also a "magic" lacked by other Republicans.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz's claims about undocumented people getting $1,400 stimulus checks were shot down by Dick Durbin as 'just plain false'
Senator Dick Durbin offered a rebuke to Senator Ted Cruz over who would get $1,400 stimulus checks. Senator Dick Durbin on Saturday offered a searing rebuttal to claims made by Senator Ted Cruz about undocumented immigrants getting stimulus checks, as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Cruz on Saturday morning had proposed an amendment to the bill, seeking to block some $1,400 stimulus checks that he said would be sent to "every illegal alien in America."
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Texas Democrat on migrant surge at border: Biden owns this now
Rep. Henry Cuellar, who represents a district on the U.S.-Mexico border, says he has a lot of tough questions for the Biden administration on immigration policy.
U.S.Business InsiderCalls for Cuomo to resign ramp up after the NY governor says stepping down over harassment allegations would be 'anti-democratic'
Five women have now accused the New York governor of inappropriate behavior. Cuomo said resigning over the allegations would be "anti-Democratic." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said during a phone call with reporters he would not resign in light of the rising number of allegations against him, saying that doing so would be "anti-Democratic."
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”