CDC cuts school distancing requirements to 3 feet
The new guidance says three feet of separation is safe — if everyone is wearing a mask.
Today's Liberal News
There’s Nothing Historic About Biden’s NASA Pick
Since the Apollo era, when every astronaut was white, and a man, NASA has worked to expand its vision of who participates in space exploration. Women used to sew spacesuits; now they wear them. Women, especially Black women, once weren’t credited for their contributions; now they serve in the agency’s upper echelons. President Joe Biden could have chosen the first woman to lead NASA in its 62-year history. Many people in the space community expected him to do exactly that.He did not.
Your Single-Cloth Mask Doesn’t Cut It. Here’s What Can Help.
Our health reporter wades through the options.
“The Sum of Us”: Heather McGhee on How Racism Undercuts the American Dream for Everyone
Amid a national reckoning with structural racism and the dangers of white supremacy, author Heather McGhee’s new book details how racism in the United States hurts not just people of color but also white people. In “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,” McGhee details how zero-sum thinking has worsened inequality and robbed people of all stripes of the public goods and support they need to thrive.
“Jim Crow in New Clothes”: In First Senate Speech, Raphael Warnock Slams GOP Assault on Voting Rights
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, whose election in January helped bring the chamber under Democratic control, used his first speech on the floor of the Senate this week to assail Republican efforts to restrict voting rights.
Dear Care and Feeding: My White Daughter Was Bullied Out of Her Majority-Black School
Parenting advice on racialized bullying, phone families, and nagging dads.
When the Coronavirus Finally Came for My Family, I Thought I Was Ready. I Was Very, Very Wrong.
In Italy, one year after this all started, it happened.
It’s Never a “Bicycle Accident”
Former NBA player Shawn Bradley was paralyzed after he was struck by a car.
Andrew Cuomo’s Last Big Project Might Be a Train That Goes in the Wrong Direction
A metaphor if you were looking for one.
“Please Come to the Michael Kors Cafeteria”: Four Students on Attending High School in a Macy’s
Going back to in-person learning—with a twist.
Marvel’s Most Superhuman Feat Was Saving Itself
In the 1990s, the company went bankrupt, and the entire comic book industry was in a tailspin.
Fed sees U.S. economic growth surging to 6.5 percent this year
Central bank officials now expect the unemployment rate to drop to 4.5 percent by the end of 2021.
Treasury secretary minimizes risk of inflation caused by Covid relief package
Janet Yellen said the greater risk was not strengthening the economy as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic.
Former Stockton Mayor Tubbs joins Newsom as economic adviser
He is best known for his work on a Stockton pilot project that provided $500 a month to a small group of low-income residents.
Biden’s ‘Morning in America’ moment sparks a furious debate
Another massive injection of federal cash could ignite the economy like never before. It also could drive up inflation and burst market bubbles, creating new headaches in an otherwise positive outlook.
U.S. adds a strong 379,000 jobs in hopeful sign for economy
The February gain marked a sharp pickup from the 166,000 jobs that were added in January.
“Suave”: New Podcast Follows One Man’s Journey to Freedom After a Life Sentence Without Parole at 17
A new Futuro Media podcast, “Suave,” tells the story of one person’s journey to freedom after receiving a life sentence without parole at the age of 17. David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez met journalist Maria Hinojosa in 1993 during a talk at the prison in Pennsylvania where he was serving a sentence for first-degree homicide. For years, Gonzalez and Hinojosa stayed in touch through letters, visits and phone calls that Hinojosa recorded.
Photos of the Week: Sandy Mask, Silver Man, Siberian Mandalorian
Stunt riding in Iraq, downhill skiing in Switzerland, a giant stuffed penguin in New York, drones over Dublin, a huge sand portrait in England, an unfinished border wall in Texas, green slime in California, a green river in Chicago, and much more.
News Roundup: Trump team lied about China threats; Florida ex-senator charged with election fraud
Good news: You’ve made it through another day. Here’s some of what you might have missed.
• Declassified report shows that Republican claims about election interference by China were lies
• Texas man arrested on weapons charge near vice president’s mansion in Washington, D.C.
Vaccine roll call! What’s your plan? (With poll)
The DKonversation: Something to talk about
Today’s questions:
Have you been vaccinated?
If not, what’s your plan?
Last weekend the U.S. crossed an important threshold: 100 million doses of vaccine administered. As a sign of hope, media captions and chyrons were switched from showing the death rate to the vaccination rate.
‘A proctological exam of the highest order’: Trump investigations really may be different this time
If you’re like me, you were continually frustrated by Donald Trump’s baffling ability to avoid real consequences for his serial perfidy over the past four (erm, 74) years, and you responded to this outrage by curling up into the fetal position, crawling into a giant bag of Kirkland Signature Rice Crackers, and treating it like some sort of artificial space placenta. If you’re not like me, you still probably hated all that unpunished lawbreaking.
This Week in Statehouse Action: Spring Cleaning edition
Confession time.
I … [[deep breath]] am a hoarder.
I hoard web browser tabs.
I open something I mean to read or use for research, and four times out of five it just … sits. Unused. Unread.
In the Chrome window I’m using to write this week’s missive, I have 38 tabs open.
I’m not proud.
It’s time to admit that I have a problem.
So I’ve decided: Out with them.
GOP Gov. Larry Hogan Slams Chip Roy’s ‘Disgraceful’ Comments About China
The House Republican went on a rant against Chinese communism during a hearing about surging violence against Asian Americans.
The Clearest Sign the Pandemic Could Get Worse
The number of people hospitalized with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States has been plummeting since early January. Until about three weeks ago, hospitalizations in Michigan were following the same pattern: More people with COVID-19 were leaving the hospital than were being admitted. But in the past few weeks, data from the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services have shown that hospitalizations have risen by 45 percent from the state’s recent low on February 25.
Sen. Grassley seems to think households making $400,000 a year are ‘middle income’
Is it sinking in for Republicans yet just how much they’ve fucked up? In the eyes of millions of Americans, they’re now the party of COVID-19, election theft, voter suppression, sedition, and smaller checks for fewer people.
Rand Paul Gets Schooled On Coronavirus Variants After Calling Fauci’s Masks ‘Theater’
“Masks are protective,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said before informing the senator that COVID-19 can still pose threats to those already infected or vaccinated.
Biden administration to rewrite family planning program rules
The announcement comes after the Supreme Court agreed to review the legality of the Trump policy change.
“Hmm, Maybe I Shouldn’t Be Prioritized”: The Vaccinated “Edge Cases” That Are Making People Angry
“I didn’t have any hesitation signing up to get it, but I had extreme hesitation telling anybody about it.
GOP Rep’s ‘Old Saying’ About Lynchings Is Really Just A Toby Keith Lyric
Twitter users were quick to correct Rep. Chip Roy, who uttered the disturbing line during a hearing about violence against Asian Americans.
‘Doesn’t make any sense’: DeSantis rejects Rick Scott’s call to return stimulus money
“I don’t think that would make sense for Floridians,” the Florida governor says.