Headlines Edition

Wednesday headlines: Aloha!

President Joe Biden will announce a $1.8 trillion spending proposal tonight aimed at assisting American families and lifting millions out of poverty. / The Washington Post

“If secondhand cars are getting cheaper and rentals are easy to book, then the US is making progress.” / Bloomberg

Related: In Hawaii, a shortage of vehicles to rent means tourists are driving U-Hauls. (Last month, the cheapest car went for $722 a day.) / Hawaii News Now

The CDC eases its guidelines on the wearing of masks outdoors. Experts explain where we still need to keep them on. / The Associated Press, Vox

A new way to catch novel coronaviruses: focus on people who are constantly in contact with animals. / NPR

Oregon moves 15 counties into the extreme risk category, including its biggest cities, despite vaccines exceeding demand. / The Associated Press

Where did India’s Covid crisis come from? Perhaps when the authorities swung from swift lockdown to deadly overconfidence. / Foreign Policy

Meanwhile: Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to hold rallies. Active cases are expected to peak in May. / CNN, The Times of India

China offers assistance to India, but the gesture is viewed as insincere, meant to highlight Washington’s decision to not send raw vaccine materials. / The South China Morning Post

See also: “If there is an apocalypse, this has to be one.” / STAT

You’ve heard that restaurants and retail shops are struggling to fill jobs—well, perhaps it’s because the economic model is broken. / Culture Study

In ancient Rome, the justice system was based on personal responsibility, though Tiberius "was basically a wannabe Fox Mulder." / Atlas Obscura

In 1930, the Indiana Bell building was rotated 90 degrees, and supposedly no one inside felt it move. / The Morning News

"How I draw is how I draw." An interview about process with illustrator Amy Moss. / It's Nice That

Blake Bailey’s biography of Philip Roth is now permanently out of print unless another publisher picks it up. / New York Magazine

Breaking down the "copyright nightmare" of an NFT being sold by Emily Ratajkowski—that's also trolling "art troll" Richard Prince. / The Verge

Your weekly white paper: The “most instagrammable bird” is the frogmouth, formerly “the world’s most unfortunate-looking." / i-Perception

Today marks 10 years since the first Ed Balls Day. Also, a British man has completed his Magnum Opus: to park in every available spot at his local supermarket. / MetaFilter, Twitter