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.”
U.S.National ReviewGOP Senators Grill FBI Director over Use of Geolocation Data to Track Capitol Rioters
Senators Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah) on Tuesday pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray on the procedures federal law enforcement officials have used to track down those who participated in the January 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. “I'm anxious to see those who committed unlawful, violent acts on January 6 brought to justice,” Lee said during a Senate Judiciary Hearing on Tuesday. The Utah Republican explained that he had “heard a number of accounts” of people who were in Washington, D.C. on January 6 who never went near the Capitol but were “inexplicably” contacted by FBI agents who knew of their presence in the district that day “with no other explanation, perhaps, other than the use of geolocation data.”
PoliticsThe WeekThe Trump administration reportedly quietly funded Operation Warp Speed with money set aside for hospitals
Congress granted the HHS permission to move pandemic-related money between accounts, though the agreement stipulated the agency had to give lawmakers a heads up. Former Office of Management and Director Russ Vought defended the decision and said "we would do it again," telling Stat that not only did the administration have the authority, it was also "the right thing to do in order to move as quickly as possible because lives were on the line." Other Trump officials seemed to agree, per Stat, arguing that successful vaccines would reduce hospitalizations, making Warp Speed the more consequential outlet.
U.S.NextSharkNBC Asian America Piece Has Readers Split Over 'Hate Crime' Statement
No hate crimes were reported this year so far. According to Yam, the 2,800 hate incidents collected by watchdog Stop AAPI Hate over five months last year “weren't necessarily hate crimes” as they included “less severe, yet insidious, forms of discrimination. Citing experts, the piece acknowledged the rise in “anti-Asian sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic but warns against labeling incidents without evaluating individually.
PoliticsThe IndependentMerrick Garland could be confirmed as Biden’s attorney general this week
Merrick Garland could be confirmed as the next US attorney general as early as this week, after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination for consideration before the full chamber by a bipartisan 15-7 vote. Mr Garland has breezed through his nomination process with the Senate Democratic majority controlling committee gavels. The longtime DC Circuit Court judge's ascent to the top spot in Justice Department leadership has been welcomed by Democrats and even some Republicans as a welcome change from the tumult of the Donald Trump years.
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.
PoliticsThe WeekArizona GOP lawyer tells Supreme Court the party needs certain voting restrictions to compete with Democrats
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments by Arizona Republicans in defense of two voting restrictions they are looking to keep intact. At one point, Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked Michael Carvin, a lawyer representing the Arizona GOP, what the party's interest in maintaining the policy of discarding ballots cast at the wrong precinct was. Carvin answered, without hesitation, that removing the rule would prevent Republicans from competing in the state.
WorldAssociated PressChinese vaccines sweep much of the world, despite concerns
The plane laden with vaccines had just rolled to a stop at Santiago's airport in late January, and Chile's president, Sebastián Piñera, was beaming. The source of that hope: China – a country that Chile and dozens of other nations are depending on to help rescue them from the COVID-19 pandemic. China's vaccine diplomacy campaign has been a surprising success: It has pledged roughly half a billion doses of its vaccine to more than 45 countries, according to a country-by-country tally by The Associated Press.
- HealthYahoo News Video
CDC's Walensky concerned about decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths stalling
At the White House COVID-19 response team briefing on Monday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky expressed concern about a leveling off of the decline in weekly coronavirus cases.
U.S.TheGrioWoman arrested after being linked to crime via Cheetos residue on teeth
An Oklahoma woman was literally caught red-handed on first-degree burglary complaint charges thanks to Cheetos snack dust. Sharon Carr was arrested on Feb. 26 after police reported an attempted home burglary. While she did not take anything, officers claim she left behind a Cheetos bag.
PoliticsNational ReviewMurkowski’s Vote on Tanden Confirmation is ‘Fluid,’ Thune Says
Senate GOP Whip John Thune (R., S.D.) said Tuesday that Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R., Alaska) critical vote for Neera Tanden's confirmation to become the director of the Office of Management and Budget is “fluid.” “She obviously wants to get their attention on things that are important to her state,” Thune said, according to Politico, referring to Biden administration officials. “It's been fluid,” Thune added.
WorldReutersCanada vaccine committee advises against use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots for 65 years and above
Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization released new guidelines on Monday that advise against vaccinating people who are 65 years and older with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, citing lack of information about efficacy in that age group. The vaccine was authorized for people who are 18 and older by drug regulator Health Canada on Friday. Health Canada's decision noted that available clinical trial data was too limited to reliably estimate how well the vaccine worked in people 65 and older.
U.S.The IndependentMitt Romney knocked unconscious and needed stitches after weekend fall
Utah senator Mitt Romney says he “took a fall” while visiting his grandkids in Boston over the weekend, knocking him unconscious and sending him to the hospital. Sen @MittRomney has a black eye and stitches, says he took a fall while visiting his son in Boston, “I took a fall, knocked me unconscious but I'm doing better.” Joked: “I went to CPAC, that was a problem...”
PoliticsTheGrioBiden’s top aide says White House will ‘start acting now’ on reparations for African Americans
This week, President Joe Biden's senior advisor, Cedric Richmond, confirmed that the White House plans “to start acting now” on reparations for African-American citizens. Richmond made the stunning admission to journalist Mike Allen during Sunday evening's broadcast of Axios on HBO. In the interview, the former Louisiana lawmaker explained to Allen that Biden remains consistent in his support of H.R. 40, the House of Representatives bill that received a Congressional hearing last month, that would look into the issue of reparations.
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
WorldBusiness InsiderBiden refused to sanction MBS over Khashoggi's murder because he doesn't want his relationship with Saudi Arabia to get worse, officials say
A newly declassified US intel report said the Saudi crown prince approved Jamal Khashoggi's killing. Joe Biden announced new sanctions over the murder but has declined to punish the crown prince. A US official told The Washington Post it's because Biden wanted to heal the US-Saudi relationship.
U.S.The Daily Beast‘Murdering’ Mom: Boyfriend Wanted Me to Ditch the Kids
In a press conference on Monday, Middletown Police Chief David Birk said Brittany Gosney, 29, confessed to killing young James, but said the motive was still unclear. According to the report, which was provided to The Daily Beast by the Preble County Sheriff's Office, Gosney told cops she drove Hamilton's 2005 Dodge Caravan to a local park on Feb. 27, where she tried to ditch James and her other kids, ages 7 and 9. “Brittany stated she had planned to get the kids out of the vehicle and to leave them behind as Hamilton had been pressuring her to get rid of the kids,” it says.
PoliticsThe IndependentFact-checking the wildest claims from Trump’s CPAC speech
As state electors, Congress, over 60 unsuccessful lawsuits, Trump administration officials like former attorney William Barr, and even many (but certainly not all) state-level Republican officials have confirmed, Joe Biden won the election fair and square. The ex-president also blamed a litany of factors for his loss, from dead voters being counted to new mail-in ballot expansions during the pandemic. The Democrats used the China virus as an excuse to change all of the election rules, without the approval of their state legislators, making it therefore illegal.
PoliticsBusiness Insider10 hours in Cancún hurt Ted Cruz's job approval more than when he tried to flip the presidential election
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz drew national ire after he attempted to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, but according to a new poll from Morning Consult, his overall job approval from Texans was hurt far more when he vacationed in Cancún during a winter storm that left much of Texas without power or water for days. According to polling conducted between February 18-28, Cruz's net approval rating dropped from +6 to -5 in the weeks following his Cancún excursion. A net approval rating is calculated by subtracting the share of disapproving Texan voters from the share of voters that approve of Cruz.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionFor Andrew Cuomo, there can be no sexual harassment double standard. He should resign.
There is no place for sexual harassment or abuse of power in any American workplace — be it in business or politics. No one, no matter where they work or what they do, should be subject to harassment or hostility from a co-worker, and especially not from someone in a position of power. No leader in a position of power can maintain their legitimacy under the kind of suspicion and allegations that have been leveled against Gov. Cuomo.
U.S.USA TODAY'What any good human would do': Louisiana man helped save infant abandoned along highway
Luke Dufrene said he saw something disturbing as he was driving to work Thursday evening. The 23-year-old Lockport, Louisiana, man said he was on his commute when he saw the driver of a vehicle "dropping a baby off" on the median of a highway. "I looked back and he took off leaving the child there, so I flipped a U-turn in the grass to get to the baby,” Dufrene said.
PoliticsBusiness Insider10 Senate Democrats tell Biden to implement recurring stimulus checks after $1.9 trillion bill is passed
Ten US senators are calling for President Joe Biden to support regular direct payments. A group of senior Democrats are calling for President Joe Biden to support regular direct payments to low-income Americans while the US economy recovers from the pandemic. Insider obtained a copy of the letter that's being sent to the White House, led by Democrats chairing key economic committees in the Senate.
CelebrityThe TelegraphRoyal Family has 'more important things to worry about' than Sussexes' interview as Prince Philip moves hospitals
The Royal Family has "more important things to worry about" than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Oprah Winfrey interview, Buckingham Palace aides said on Monday night, as the Duke of Edinburgh was transferred to a leading cardiac hospital. Prince Philip, 99, was taken by ambulance from the private King Edward VII's Hospital to St Bartholomew's Hospital in central London just hours after a dramatic clip of the Sussexes' “shocking” comments was released by a US television network. Palace aides suggested that the family's focus was solely on the Duke, who had already spent 13 nights in hospital and is expected to remain there until at least the end of the week.
LifestyleINSIDERIkea superfans share 7 affordable items they won't leave the store without
Lidia Salazar, an Instagrammer and TikToker focused on interior design, told Insider that her home is filled with Ikea baskets. There are baskets in the living room, entryway, kitchen, and throughout her entire house. So it makes sense that nearly every time she visits the store, she adds to her collection.
U.S.Tribune PublishingWith unusual speed, State Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal of ex-Minneapolis officer Noor's third degree murder conviction, which has implications on Chauvin trial
The state Supreme Court agreed Monday with unusual speed to hear former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor's appeal of his third-degree murder conviction. Noor's lawyer Thomas Plunkett filed a petition last Thursday, asking the court to hear the case. It is extremely rare for the court to grant review so quickly but the charge Noor appealed has implications in the case against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer set to go on trial in Hennepin County District Court on Monday in the death of George Floyd.
“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.”