The House of Representatives is closed today out of concern that QAnon believers—who believe Trump is to be restored to power on March 4—may attempt to storm the Capitol. / BBC, the Week An intelligence bulletin discusses extremists' plans to "take control of the US Capitol...on
Gov. Greg Abbott says it's time to "open Texas 100%" and end the statewide mask order. / Austin American-Statesman Companies like General Motors, Toyota, Target, and Macy’s say their Texas employees will keep their masks on, thank you very much. / Reuters Meanwhile: Houston is the
The Biden administration will allow families separated at the border under Trump to reunite and settle in the US. / POLITICO Reporters Without Borders accuses Crown Prince Mohammed of crimes against humanity in connection with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the prosecution of other journalists. / The Hill A third person
A steady decline in new coronavirus cases in the United States appears to have stalled. / The Washington Post Zeynep Tufekci lays out five key fallacies and pitfalls that have affected public-health messaging. / The Atlantic Vaccine refusal is actually a portfolio of issues—dissent, deliberation, distrust—requiring a portfolio of
US intelligence concludes Prince Mohammed approved the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, but the Biden administration says penalizing him would risk American interests. / The New York Times This morning, the House passed the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package. The bill now heads to the Senate, where debate is expected to
The House of Representatives votes on the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill today. It has already lost its minimum wage provision. / CNBC, NPR Anne Helen Petersen: The future of the middle class depends on student loan forgiveness. / Vox Related: The inhumanity of America's minimum wage, as told by
US regulators find the single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to be safe and effective, paving the way for it to be authorized within days. / BBC News A sweeping new Covid-19 data platform offers access to more than 5 million anonymized records from 160 countries. / STAT Helen Lewis:
A federal judge has banned Biden's 100-day moratorium on deportations, but did not require them to resume at their previous pace. / Associated Press The Biden administration has reopened a Trump-era facility in Texas to hold migrant teens. / The Washington Post Related: "Biden unveils cool teen
The United States' Covid-19 death toll passes half a million people. Mourners share stories of their loved ones on an Instagram post from the White House. / BBC News, Instagram Unrelated: Four years of stories from employees at DC's Trump Hotel, where directions for pouring the former
In February 2011, frigid temperatures took down part of Texas's power infrastructure. Officials ignored the warnings, setting the state up for last week's disaster. / BuzzFeed News After the 2011 freeze, El Paso—which isn't on the same grid as most of Texas—prepared its
