Sweet relief
At long last, the coronavirus relief bill has passed. Merrick Garland is the 86th U.S. attorney general. And our colleague Andrea Sahouri has been acquitted of all charges stemming from reporting at a protest last summer.
It's Alex and Laura. What a Wednesday!
But first, the man behind the mask: Google's logo tribute celebrates the doctor responsible for inventing the surgical face mask.
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Is it Friday yet?
The House officially passed Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package Wednesday, but don't expect the president's signature until Friday. The bill sailed through the House despite complaints from liberal Democrats that too many concessions were made. The final vote was 220-211, in which one Democrat voted against the bill and all Republicans opposed it. The legislation's passage concludes a months-long process beginning when Biden introduced the plan in mid-January. The bill, one of Biden’s signature legislative priorities, delivers on his promise to send aid to millions of Americans grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
$1,400 checks are coming in the new coronavirus relief bill. This is who will get them, and who won't.
The COVID-19 aid bill explained in 6 graphics, including its expansion of Obamacare.
A win for the free press
Andrea Sahouri, the Iowa journalist who was arrested as she reported on racial justice protests last summer, was found not guilty. Sahouri, a Des Moines Register reporter, was one of a handful of journalists whose charges stemming from coverage of the protests in the wake of George Floyd's killing were not thrown out. "It's important for journalists to be on the scene and document what's happening," Sahouri testified. "Protests erupted not just across the country but all over the world. I felt like I was playing a role in that. I know we are a small city, but I felt like I was playing a role in that." Sahouri was acquitted of both misdemeanor charges against her: failure to disperse and interference with official acts. Both could have carried up to 30 days in jail.
Real quick
A mother of four wanted a new life in America, but she died in a crash near the U.S.-Mexican border.
"Anticipation and anxiety": Derek Chauvin trial highlights America's racial divide after George Floyd's death.
Heavy rains lead to catastrophic floods in Hawaii; homes damaged and residents forced to flee.
Texas formally dropped its mask mandate, and businesses shed all restrictions as Gov. Greg Abbott followed through on his plan to "open Texas 100%."
Attorney general and HUD secretary confirmed by Senate
The Senate was busy with confirmations Wednesday. Merrick Garland was confirmed as the 86th attorney general of the United States, and Marcia Fudge as secretary of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. After he’s sworn in, Garland will face a job unlike any other incoming attorney general, overseeing the Justice Department at a pivotal moment in American history. He'll inherit criminal justice and law enforcement issues, as well as questions on domestic terrorism. Fudge received strong bipartisan support in a 66-34 vote, becoming the second Black woman to serve in the post and one of the most powerful government leaders in the nation, heading an agency facing the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression.
Biden’s Cabinet: Tracking the confirmation of each nominee.
From Trump to Hunter Biden, a lot hangs over Merrick Garland's Senate confirmation hearing.
What everyone's talking about
A manhunt ended for a person of interest in a quadruple homicide in New Mexico and a slaying in New Jersey, officials say.
New Yorkers combat COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by going door-to-door. Their goal? 10,000 inoculations.
"Scared me to death": Watch Jackie Chan's "Vanguard" Jet Ski stunt that went perilously wrong.
A historic housing crisis has America in its grip. Can Marcia Fudge save the day?
Why did Breonna Taylor become a household name?
She didn’t have a fancy job, and she wasn’t a high-profile figure. But something about her death moved people to the streets. As America battled the COVID-19 pandemic and health care workers were lauded as heroes, one of their own – a 26-year-old emergency room technician – was shot while many of them slept. Nearly a year since her death, Breonna Taylor remains an enigma. What made her, more than the women who died before her, become a household name? Black women across the country sat in their bedrooms, their dorm rooms and their boardrooms when the news of Taylor’s death spread, Marina Affo writes. With it came this harrowing truth: As unique as she was, Taylor could have been them. She could have been their younger sisters, their aunties, their ride-or-die girlfriends.
A break from the news
Sober living is rising in popularity to improve health and well-being. Just ask Chrissy Teigen.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID stimulus bill, Andrea Sahouri, Merrick Garland, Breonna Taylor: Wednesday's news
