With so many crazy things happening, sometimes things fall through the cracks. Here are some headlines that you may find interesting and worth discussing. Please feel free to post ‘headlines’ you would like to share that we may have missed.
Biden Administration:
- Biden on Tuesday signed into law an extension of a loan program intended to help small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, hailing the legislation as a “bipartisan accomplishment” and crediting Democratic and Republican lawmakers during an event at the Oval Office.
- The bill that Biden signed extends the Paycheck Protection Program through June 30. The initiative was set to expire on Wednesday.
- Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday announced that the Justice Department will conduct a 30-day internal review to determine how the agency can bolster the tracking and prosecutions of hate crimes and bias incidents motivated around race, gender and other factors.
- President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he plans to nominate a prominent judge to the federal appellate bench, a promotion that is sure to stir speculation about her potential future nomination to theSupreme Court.
- U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed to the federal court by President Barack Obama in 2013, will be nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That court, one of the most high-profile in the nation, has long been viewed as a steppingstone for Supreme Court nominees.
- President Joe Biden’s dog Major has been involved in a second biting incident at the White House, NBC News has confirmed.
- “Major is still adjusting to his new surroundings and he nipped someone while on a walk. Out of an abundance of caution, the individual was seen by the White House Medic Unit and then returned to work without injury,” said Michael LaRosa, Jill Biden’s press secretary, Michael LaRosa.
Congress:
- Senators in both parties plan to push the White House to create a “chief manufacturing officer” who would report directly to President Biden, mirroring representation now enjoyed by science and technology, Axios has learned.
Voter Suppression/Voting Rights:
- New Jersey’s Democratic governor signs early voting expansion, calls out Georgia
COVID-19 Updates and COVIDIOTS:
- New U.S. coronavirus cases rise by 13 percent; nation braces for fourth pandemic wave
White ISIS/MAGAts/ White Supremacists/Wing Nut Watch/GUNZ!:
- Majority of Catholic Republicans Say Biden Shouldn’t Receive Communion Over Abortion Stance.
- Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump have launched a website for the couple’s personal offices.
- The site — found at 45office.com — states it is “committed to preserving the 😂 magnificent legacy of the Trump Administration, 😂 while at the same time advancing the America First agenda.”
- The Tennessee General Assembly has approved Gov. Bill Lee’s legislation to allow most adults to carry handguns without obtaining a permit, a measure some Republicans sought for years to pass.
Other Headlines:
- Day Two of former police officer Derek Chauvin resumed today:
- Many recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and other federal benefits are still waiting to receive their stimulus fund. The Internal Revenue Service has yet to announce a payment date, as of Tuesday.
- The Social Security Administration website currently advises: “The IRS has not announced when it will begin paying EIPs [Economic Impact Payments] to Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income recipients.”
- BUT WAIT! There’s more: Stimulus payments are set to be processed this weekend for Social Security recipients and other federal beneficiaries who don’t normally file a tax return, the IRS said Tuesday. The agency projects that the majority of these payments will be sent electronically and received by April 7.
- The Minnesota Supreme Court has overturned a ruling against a convicted sex offender on the grounds that the victim had become intoxicated before meeting their assaulter.
- New billboard outside of Mar a Lago:
