'Dan Daley Pushes for Mandated Student School IDs," by The Floridian's Jim McCool

'House Passes Two Immigration Bills Providing Pathway To Citizenship For Illegals And Dreamers," by The Floridian's Mona Salama

'Biden Flubs, Calls VP Kamala ‘President Harris’ During Speech," by The Floridian's Mona Salama

 

“DeSantis says Florida Will Stop Receiving COVID-19 Vaccines” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken heat over his COVID-19 vaccine roll out by Florida Democrats because they believe that he has not done enough to vaccinate all Floridians, even though vaccines being distributed by the federal government have been slow to arrive. But now Gov. DeSantis is warning that the supply of vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson has dried up, and there will not be any vaccines being shipped to Florida for several weeks, possibly even longer. Yet the Biden administration is sending vaccines to Mexico. “We’re projecting NO increase in the vaccine for Pfizer or Moderna for the next two or three weeks under the projected allotments right now,” said DeSantis. “We thought by the time we get into April the flood gates would open. As of right now, we are projected to get NO additional Johnson & Johnson for the foreseeable near future.” This is not what Floridians who have not received the vaccine wanted to hear, but DeSantis believes that vaccines will “eventually” start arriving. “We know eventually we’re going to start getting more Moderna, more J& J, and more Pfizer, that will happen, but it isn’t going to happen over the next few weeks it seems,” added DeSantis.

“Brandes To Abolish CRC in FL” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – Today in the Florida Senate, Senator Jeff Brandes (R-24) moved to totally abolish the Constitutional Revision Commission. This arises from Brandes’ concerns of non-elected officials tampering with Florida Constitutional law. Senator Darryl Rouson (D-19) however, confronted Brandes on the Senate floor and asked why Brandes wanted to jump to such extremes. Brandes then told the Senate, “the Constitution is a foundational document and now unelected officials are tampering with it, with no accountability”, adding that we already, “have multiple ways to hold elected officials accountable, through the ballot box.” Brandes then characterized the commission as, “An abomination of the Republic.” Rouson however, believes that a more effective move on the commission would be, “getting rid of bundling of amendments in elections.” Bundling being putting two issues in one amendment. Brandes continues to believe that only the people, and who they choose should lead the state and should decide the law, telling Rouson that, “you just can’t put lipstick on this pig, the best thing you can do is put the pig down.”

“DeSantis Vows to State Open During COVID is a Priority” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has faced scrutiny over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Sunshine State. Most recently, he was even dubbed “Governor DeathSantis” by Sunny Hostin, a host of the View. Moreover, his vaccine rollout has also received heavy criticism, being called “criminal” by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), a potential gubernatorial rival in the upcoming 2022 election. However, during his health care roundtable meeting in the Capitol on Thursday, Governor DeSantis assured that he is not paying attention to the criticism, choosing to focus on his “Seniors First” agenda while trying to keep the state open. “That’s really when the state does well,” the Governor told journalists this morning as he discussed the measures that the Sunshine State is taking to help Floridians during the ongoing pandemic. “Florida’s doing the strategy of focused protection, we have 40 states in our country that have higher per capita… COVID-related mortality for 65 and up senior citizens,” DeSantis explained. He added that this is due to “poor policies” regarding nursing homes in those states. The Governor also shared that he believes the issue of growing unemployment also falls under the category of “public health.” He pointed out that states such as California and New York have experienced skyrocketing unemployment rates, questioning “just think if our unemployment was 89%…how many fewer people would have health insurance through their jobs?”

“Rubio: ‘If you Show up in America at the Border, They’re Gonna let you in” by The Floridian's Daniel Molina – Earlier this week, Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R) and 19 other Texas House Republicans directed a letter to Ken Paxton (R), Texas Attorney General, asking him to file a lawsuit against the Biden administration to uphold Title 42. The lawmakers argued that “thousands of illegal immigrants entering our nation” are not being tested for COVID-19, and this poses “an incredible threat to the health and safety of the American people.” Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) has also criticized the Biden administration, arguing that “this is a crisis which has the potential to escalate into a humanitarian catastrophe.” This week, in an interview with FOX News, the Florida lawmaker further discussed his view on the matter, saying that the Democrats “created a perception” that is not the case. This week, President Joe Biden (D) issued a plea to asylum-seekers to not “come over.” In response, Senator Rubio argued that Democrats have missed the mark on effectively responding to the concern. “They are being told by trafficking networks, ‘there’s a new President, he’s not like the other President, if you show up in America at the border, they’re gonna let you in, and if you show up with kids, they’re gonna really let you in even faster,’” Rubio said, discussing the influx in immigration.

“LaMarca’s HB 15 To ‘Level Playing Field’ For FL Business” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – Representative Chip LaMarca (R-93) has recently Tweeted that his new legislation, HB 15, will, “level the playing field for Florida retailers.” The Floridian sat down with LaMarca where he explained that this is something he has been working on since his days in county-level politics. However, the Floridian asked LaMarca how this bill will, “level the playing field”, LaMarca characterized HB 15 as, “just a more mainstream way to collect sales tax”, LaMarca adds, “with respect to unemployment, we basically save about 5 to 8% of the unemployment fund, we’ve emptied that through COVID.” “Rather than do that, this will help refill funds for unemployment,” said LaMarca. For clarification, we asked LaMarca if this plan would prompt taxes to increase where he gave a resounding, “No!” “What I’d like to see happen in future years is see this as a vehicle to lower the tax on commercial rent.”, said LaMarca. Ironically, LaMarca informed the Floridian that all but two people voted yes in committee on HB 15, one being Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-47) and the other being Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-32). “The tips of the left and right-wing.”, LaMarca called the two naysayers.

“Pay attention to oppressive Florida legislative proposals, advocates say” by Local 10’s Hatzel Vela and Andrea Torres – Advocacy groups recently met in Miami-Dade County to denounce what they say are several oppressive Florida legislative proposals that are in the works. Some of the bills deal with protests, public education, and the election process. There is also an idea that advocates said violates the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. Melba Pearson, an attorney with Florida International University’s Center for the Administration of Justice, said people need to pay attention to what the Florida Legislature is doing. “What they are doing to us is not what Democracy looks like,” Pearson said. “Dissent my friends; dissent is patriotic!” Florida Senate Bill 484 and Florida House Bill 1 are framed to “combat” public disorder, but some attorneys fear that the proposed law is designed to criminalize minorities who meet to protest against injustice. The proposed bills increase penalties for offenses committed during a riot, prohibits “cyber intimidation” by publication, and “mob intimidation.” It also limits civil litigation if a victim of police brutality “participated in a riot or unlawful assembly.” If the proposed bill passes, an accused could be denied bond until their first appearance in court, even on the newly created misdemeanors.

“Florida Gov. to speak at State Capitol Friday morning” by WTSP – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be holding a press conference in Tallahassee Friday morning. The governor will be speaking at the State Capitol at 9 a.m. Outgoing Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz will be joining DeSantis. Moskowitz announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down from his role in April. He's led the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic and now the current vaccine rollout.

“$260M of federal relief money proposed to help revive Florida’s struggling seaports” by WFTV’s Angela Jacobs and Adam Poulisse – Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to use $260 million of the state’s federal relief money to help revive Florida’s struggling seaports. Last Saturday marked one year since the CDC issued its no-sail order, which ended about seven months later. The agency then issued rules that cruise lines need to follow to get back up and running. One requirement is running simulated trips, which hasn’t happened yet. The proposed relief for Port Canaveral is just the first step to recovery. Port officials in Brevard County said they estimate Port Canaveral’s possible share would cover the deep losses from a year of idle ships. It’s a level of support for which Port CEO Capt. John Murray expressed his gratitude this week, saying the port is committed “to reviving the economic prosperity delivered for decades.” However, Murray said the complete steps to recovery are still unknown, because once sailing fully resumes, the business as they knew it may not look the same. “A lot of people who were committed to the cruise industry and made a livelihood out of it (have) maybe moved onto something else now, so it could be a different world when we get started again,” he said. Still, there’s optimism. Longshoremen like Paul Kellem haven’t worked in a year.

“Florida lawmakers look to crack down on misuse of DAVID system” by WCJB Staff – Law Enforcement and others like state employees and 911 operators with access to the Driver Vehicle Information Database will face stiffer penalties for misusing the system to acquire personal information of members of the public under legislation passed by its final Senate committee Thursday morning. Current misuse of the system results in a $500 fine, but the legislation would raise financial penalties as high as $2,000. Sponsor Senator Ed Hooper said it wasn’t one, but many incidents that inspired the change. “It turns out that there are multiple pages of inappropriate research on that database and I thought now is the time to address it and let’s see if we can encourage folks not to misuse this data system,” said Hooper. The legislation also requires law enforcement agencies include training on the proper use of the DAVID system in initial and ongoing training for officers.

“Florida won’t require COVID-19 ‘vaccine passports,’ governor says” by Click Orlando’s Adrienne Cutway – Floridians who plan to attend concerts and major sporting events in the Sunshine State won’t have to show proof that they’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine, if Gov. Ron DeSantis gets his way. As the European Union announced its “Digital Green Certificate” that would allow those who are fully vaccinated to travel freely across the bloc, DeSantis cautioned against so-called “vaccine passports.” “I just want to make very clear in Florida, we are not doing any vaccine passports. All those experts said that it was a bad idea. I think it’s a bad idea and so that will not happen. And so folks should get vaccinated, if they want to, we’ll obviously provide that, but under no circumstances will the state be asking you to show proof of vaccination, and I don’t think private companies should be doing that either,” the governor said Thursday. He said each Floridian should decide for themselves whether they get the vaccine and what types of activities or events they’re comfortable attending. “To start going down the road of vaccine passports, I mean, you have some of these states saying to go to a sporting event, you have to show either a negative test or a vaccine proof. I think you just got to make decisions. If you want to go to an event, go to an event. If you don’t, don’t. But to be requiring people to provide all this proof, that’s not how you get society back to normal so we’re rejecting any vaccine passports here in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

“Florida Supreme Court rejects ex-public defender’s guilty plea to ethics violations” by News 4 Jax Staff – Former Jacksonville public defender Matt Shirk’s conditional guilty plea filed last month with the Florida Supreme Court was rejected. Shirk had agreed to plead guilty to violating several rules of the Florida Bar -- including the Rules of Professional Conduct, violation of the oath taken by a lawyer to support the constitutions of the US and Florida, providing competent representation to a client and others -- in exchange for a six-month suspension from practicing law. The suspension would have taken effect 30 days from the date of the final order, but the Supreme Court said it considered the conditional plea for consent judgment and rejected it. “The Florida Bar is hereby directed to prepare and file a formal complaint against Matt Shirk,” the Court wrote. The issues stem from Shirk’s time as a public defender in Jacksonville from 2009-2017. A grand jury investigation into his actions in office eventually got sent to the Florida Commission on Ethics, which led to public censure, reprimand and a $6,000 civil penalty. It also found he violated state statute by serving or consuming alcoholic beverages in a city building, and by revealing information relating to the representation of a former child client through an interview he gave to a documentary crew.

“Realtor accused of sexual assault released from Florida custody” by The Signal – A Placerita Canyon man arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in Florida due to an allegation from Nevada was released from custody in lieu of posting $100,000 bail, according to court records available online Wednesday. Mike Bjorkman, 48, was released from a Miami-Dade County facility after the Realtor’s attorney, David Chesnoff, made an appearance in a Las Vegas courtroom Tuesday and guaranteed Bjorkman would appear for a March 30 hearing, according to court records. Records also indicated a $100,000 bond was promised and that Chesnoff had custody of Bjorkman’s passport as part of the terms for his release. Officials with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office have refused to release any information regarding the nature of the incident and the allegations, as have Las Vegas Metro Police Department officials. Chesnoff declined to comment when reached Wednesday. He previously stated he was leading a separate investigation into the allegations. The criminal complaint notes that Bjorkman has been accused of two counts of sexual assault with respect to an alleged Aug. 29 incident.

“Florida man charged with COVID relief fraud” by The Associated Press – Federal prosecutors say a South Florida tax preparer received nearly $1 million in coronavirus relief funds after submitting more than 100 fraudulent applications for himself and others. Court records say 35-year-old Leonel Rivero was charged Tuesday with wire fraud. His first appearance hearing in Miami federal court is set for next Tuesday. A criminal complaint says Rivero owned a tax-preparation business and submitted approximately 118 fraudulent loan applications on behalf of himself and his accomplices. Investigators say those loan applications sought a total of more than $2.3 million, and Rivero and his accomplices received approximately $975,582.

“Florida authorities say Columbus lobbyist’s death an apparent suicide” by Cleveland.com’s Andrew J. Tobias – Police believe that a longtime Columbus lobbyist charged in connection with the House Bill 6 probe who died earlier this week took his own life, officials said on Thursday. Michelle Batten, a spokeswoman for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, said the Collier County Medical Examiner’s Office will make the final determination on the cause of death. But investigators are treating Neil Clark’s death as an apparent suicide and don’t suspect foul play was involved, she said. The sheriff’s office also on Thursday released a new version of an incident report documenting their initial investigation into Clark’s death. They previously released the report on Tuesday, but it was heavily redacted. The report says police found Clark, 67, around 11:30 a.m. on Monday lying on the ground about 400 feet off the roadway, and about 350 feet from his vehicle, near the brush line by a retention pond in the area close to his home in Naples, Florida. A passerby who called police said that Clark appeared to be “beyond help.” Police said Clark had a single gunshot wound to his head, and recovered a handgun that was near his body, according to the report. Clark’s attorney, William Ireland, didn’t immediately return a message. He told the USA Today Ohio network earlier this week: ”This is a tragic loss for his friends and family. Neil remains not guilty. We lost a good friend.”

National:

“AOC has only tweeted about child migrant detention twice under Biden” by Fox News’ Evie Fordham and Cameron Cawthorne – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has only tweeted about the situation at the border a handful of times since President Biden took office, compared to her dozens of tweets about the border, including accusations that the GOP constructed "mass concentration camps," during the Trump administration. "This is not okay, never has been okay, never will be okay - no matter the administration or party," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter on Feb. 23 in response to a Washington Post story titled "First migrant facility for children opens under Biden." "It’s only 2 [months] into this admin [and] our fraught, unjust immigration system will not transform in that time. That’s why bold reimagination is so impt. DHS shouldn’t exist, agencies should be reorganized, ICE gotta go, ban for-profit detention, create climate refugee status [and] more," she continued. On the same day, Ocasio-Cortez responded to a Twitter user asking about how to deal with unaccompanied migrant children. "1 short term shift is requiring influx facilities w/ children to be licensed. Another issue is whether these services should be contracted out the way they are," she wrote. "And whether facilities w/ controversial records (ex. Homestead) should even be reopened." Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about the terms "cages," "concentration camps" and "internment camps" in relation to the border nearly two dozen times between February 2018 and July 2019.

“Biden calls his second-in-command 'President Harris'” by Fox News’ Morgan Phillips – President Biden misspoke in a speech Thursday offering updates on an update on vaccination progress in the U.S., referring to his vice president as "President Harris." "When President Harris and I took ..." Biden said, before momentarily pausing, "a virtual tour of a vaccination site in Arizona not long ago, one of the nurses on that tour injecting people, giving vax each shot, was like administering a dose of hope." At the same time, the president announced the administration would achieve its goal of 100 million vaccines administered in 100 days on Friday, the 58th day of the new administration. At this point, Biden said, 65% of people aged 65 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. The president has made such gaffes before. In December he mistakenly referred to Harris as "president-elect," also during a speech on Covid-19 vaccines. "I took it to instill public confidence in the vaccine. President-elect Harris took hers today for the same reason," Biden said. The comments ignited speculation of cognitive decline from the right, following a campaign where Biden repeatedly appeared tongue-tied. Harris, too, once accidentally dubbed herself commander-in-chief. "A Harris administration, together with Joe Biden as the president of the United States," she said at a virtual roundtable in September. "The Biden-Harris administration will provide access to $100 billion in low-interest loans and investments from minority business owners," she continued.

“AOC downplays talk of replacing Pelosi or Schumer: ‘This isn’t about saviorism politics’” by Fox News’ Dom Calcicchio – Supporters of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be wrong to consider her some sort of political messiah, the New York Democrat says in a new interview. The second-term "Squad" congresswoman appeared to downplay talk that she might seek more power in Washington, such as the House speakership, a U.S. Senate seat or even a run for president in 2024 in a conversation with Business Insider. "That’s a lot to put on one person," she told the outlet, adding later, "This isn’t about saviorism politics." She stressed that Democrats should instead pursue a broader strategy of electing more candidates who share her views, rather than focus on elevating her. That way, she reasoned, left-leaning legislation such as a higher federal minimum wage, Medicare for All and her signature Green New Deal climate plan would each have a better chance of becoming law. Nevertheless, D.C. is hearing chatter that Ocasio-Cortez may look to replace an "establishment" Democratic leader such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the years ahead, the Insider reported. Pelosi will turn 81 years old on March 26 – nearly a full half-century older that Ocasio-Cortez, who turned 31 in October. n November, Pelosi reaffirmed that her new four-year term as speaker – which started in January – would be her last. The pledge came as Democrats were considering formal term limits for their top three leaders in Congress.

“Senate confirms William Burns to be next CIA director after Cruz lifts hold” by CNN’s Jeremy Herb – The Senate on Thursday confirmed William Burns to be President Joe Biden's CIA director, approving his nomination with no objections after Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz lifted his hold. The Senate cleared Burns' nomination by voice vote on the floor Thursday. With his confirmation, Biden now has his full team of top national security officials in place. Biden tapped Burns as CIA director in January, turning to a longtime diplomat who was deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration and held foreign service posts for more than three decades. He will become the first leader in the CIA's history whose lifelong experience comes from the State Department. Burns was approved unanimously by the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month, and he received bipartisan praise during his February confirmation hearing. The nomination was never in doubt, but a quick confirmation on the Senate floor was initially blocked by Cruz, who put a hold on Burns' nomination in an effort to pressure the Biden administration over the Russia-Germany natural gas Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Republicans, including Cruz, have called on the administration to issue sanctions to stop the completion of the pipeline between Russia and Germany. On Thursday, Cruz said statement that he welcomed a new statement from Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that "reinforces to the international community that there is a bicameral, bipartisan, and whole of government commitment in the United States to stopping Putin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline."

“House passes pair of immigration bills amid influx of migrants crossing US-Mexico border” by CNN’s Clare Foran, Daniella Diaz, and Annie Grayer – House Democrats pushed ahead to approve two separate bills on immigration Thursday, marking the first time Congress has voted on a pathway for citizenship for undocumented immigrants since Democrats won slim majorities in both chambers of Congress with President Joe Biden in the White House. In the first vote, the House passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard of California. It would provide a pathway to citizenship for the young undocumented immigrants known as "Dreamers" as well as for Temporary Protected Status recipients and Deferred Enforced Departure beneficiaries. The legislation stands to make up to 4.4 million individuals eligible for permanent residence, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The final vote count was 228-197. Nine Republicans voted with Democrats in support: Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, David Valadao of California, Fred Upton of Michigan, Dan Newhouse of Washington, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Chris Smith of New Jersey and Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida. The House next voted to pass H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, bipartisan legislation from Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California and Newhouse. The bill would permit farm workers, and their spouses and children, to earn legal status through continued employment in the agricultural sector, and would make changes to the H-2A agricultural guest worker program.

“Controversial House Republican talks to Trump ahead of likely Senate bid” by CNN’s Daniella Diaz and Manu Raju – Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, who led the House effort to object to the election results on January 6, told CNN he plans to make an announcement on Monday about whether he will run for the Senate. A Senate candidacy would be controversial given his role seeking to overturn the 2020 election results and his speaking in stark terms at the January 6 rally before the Capitol riot — and it will likely divide the GOP over what would traditionally be a safe seat. Brooks told CNN he has spoken with former President Donald Trump about running for the Alabama Senate seat. "Yes I am considering a run for the Senate," he told CNN on Wednesday. When asked if Trump is supportive of the Senate run, Brooks said: "I think that's for him to announce at the appropriate time." He told CNN he will make the announcement Monday, March 22, about whether to run for reelection to the House or launch a campaign for the Senate. Stephen Miller, a former senior adviser to Trump when he was president, is expected to be at his announcement Monday, according to a person familiar. A Senate seat will be vacated by GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, who announced in February he would not run for reelection in 2022, after serving 42 years in Congress.

“Putin Responds Icily After Biden Says He Considers Russian Leader a Killer” by WSJ’s Thomas Grove – Russian President Vladimir Putin responded icily to President Biden the day after he said he considered the Russian leader a killer, as a barrage of criticism from the Russian government threatened to put more pressure on already strained ties between Moscow and Washington. Relations between the countries dipped to a recent low earlier this week after a U.S. intelligence agency report said Mr. Putin had directly ordered an influence operation to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election to hurt Mr. Biden’s campaign. In a televised interview, Mr. Biden said his Russian counterpart would pay the price for those actions. When asked if he thought Mr. Putin was a killer, he said: “I do.” On Thursday, Mr. Putin launched a salvo against the White House, a day after Moscow recalled its ambassador to determine the next steps in relations with the U.S. under the Biden administration. Mr. Putin, while speaking to citizens in Crimea on the anniversary of its annexation, said the U.S. has had dark periods in its own history and should recognize its shortcomings. “We often project on other people that which…we are, in essence,” he said. Mr. Putin went on to address the U.S. president. “How would I respond to him? I would say: be well, I wish him health,” Mr. Putin said. The Russian leader said Washington would have to deal with Moscow regardless.

“How Israel Delivered the World’s Fastest Vaccine Rollout” by WSJ’s Felicia Schwartz and Yaroslav Trofimov – In the world’s fastest coronavirus vaccine rollout to date, Israel has given at least one shot to nearly 60% of its residents, a feat propelled by an ample supply of doses and an uncommon healthcare system that combines competition with tax-funded universal coverage. Israel, a small, wealthy nation with a young population, was uniquely qualified to confront the pandemic: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had secured enough vaccine stocks by paying more, as well as by offering access to Israelis’ personal health data to gauge the vaccine’s effectiveness. Its healthcare system had the means to quickly deliver the shots into the arms of Israelis. The country’s four health-management organizations used centralized data-keeping, technology and the cradle-to-grave ties between Israelis and their doctors to speed up the vaccination drive, targeting residents nationwide with text messages, emails and phone calls. The efficiencies of Israel’s HMOs have been honed by years of competing for patients—and for the tax revenue gained by adding each new member—as they try to outdo each other in quality and availability of care. “It’s really a unique structure,” said economist Moshe Bar Siman Tov, who oversaw Israel’s coronavirus response last year. “I’m not sure it’s possible to duplicate it. It’s a mixture of socialist fundamentals and entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Cuomo Administration Probed Over Nursing-Home Covid-19 Liability Immunity” by WSJ’s Corinne Ramey, Jimmy Vielkind and Joe Palazzolo – Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are investigating a push by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration to enact broad protections for nursing homes from lawsuits and criminal prosecution early in the Covid-19 pandemic, according to people familiar with the matter. Nursing homes were included in a provision giving liability immunity to doctors, hospitals and their executives, as well as healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak last spring, surprising some lawmakers and healthcare officials. The provision’s language originated in Mr. Cuomo’s office and was presented to state lawmakers in final drafts of the state’s $178 billion budget, according to lawmakers and legislative officials. Federal prosecutors’ examination of how nursing homes came to be included in the immunity law is part of a broader probe into the Cuomo’s administration’s actions regarding nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Investigators’ interest in the immunity law was earlier reported by The City, a nonprofit news organization in New York. Prosecutors are also examining the state’s handling of nursing-home-death data, including a public report in July about factors that led the virus to spread in the facilities, The Wall Street Journal has previously reported.

“U.S. to push more 'aggressive' messaging effort to deter migrants” by Reuters’ Ted Hesson – The U.S. government will be “more aggressive” in telling migrants not to come to the United States, a top U.S. official said on Thursday, after earlier warnings failed to stem the flow of thousands of Central Americans to the U.S.-Mexico border. “The message isn’t, ‘Don’t come now,’ it’s, ‘Don’t come in this way, ever,’” Roberta Jacobson, the White House’s southern border coordinator, told Reuters in an interview. “The way to come to the United States is through legal pathways.” The Biden administration is wrestling with a growing humanitarian crisis at the southern U.S. border, where an uptick in the number of migrants fleeing violence, natural disasters and economic hardship in Central America is testing President Joe Biden’s commitment to a more humane immigration policy. Biden’s promise to end former President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies has been complicated by a recent spike in the number of migrants crossing the border illegally. U.S. officials are struggling to house and process an increasing number of unaccompanied children, many of whom have been stuck in jail-like border stations for days while they await placement in overwhelmed government-run shelters. The Biden administration’s message to would-be migrants has become stricter in recent days amid intense criticism from opposition Republicans that Biden’s relaxation of some of Trump’s policies has encouraged people to come to the United States.

“Asian Americans 'screaming out for help' as abuse surges: congressional hearing” by Reuters’ Makini Brice – U.S. lawmakers, professors and actor Daniel Dae Kim said the Asian-American community was reeling from a year of heightened anti-Asian attacks in a congressional hearing held just days after the killing of six Asian women in Georgia. Thursday’s hearing, which was scheduled before the attack, aimed to examine a spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans, which rose by 149% in 2020 in 16 major cities compared with 2019, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. “Our community is bleeding, we are in pain and for the last year we’ve been screaming out for help,” Democratic Representative Grace Meng told the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Experts have linked the surge to the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China, after some Americans, including Republican former President Donald Trump, started calling the coronavirus the “China virus,” “the China plague” and even “kung flu.” A 21-year-old white man has been charged with killing eight people, six of them Asian women, at three spas in the Atlanta area on Tuesday. Police are investigating motives and have not ruled out the possibility that the attacks were provoked, at least in part, by anti-immigrant or anti-Asian sentiments.

“IRS chief: Tax-deadline postponement could delay launch of child tax credit program” by Politico’s Brian Faler – The delay in the tax-filing deadline could potentially postpone the launch of a new monthly child tax credit payment program, the head of the IRS warned Thursday. Commissioner Chuck Rettig also said he expected that people will not have to file amended returns in order to claim a new tax break on jobless benefits. Appearing before a House tax subcommittee, he rejected suggestions the agency postpone its deadline for filing quarterly estimated tax payments, as it did for annual returns. And Rettig pushed back against complaints about a backlog of unprocessed tax returns at the agency, pointing to the coronavirus pandemic and recent tax legislation approved by Congress. “The importance of getting through this is not lost on anyone,” he told the Ways and Means subcommittee on oversight. His comments came one day after the IRS announced it was postponing the main tax-filing deadline until May 17 from the usual April 15, and amid an unusually difficult filing season for the agency. The deadline postponement was demanded by lawmakers in both parties, and Rettig made clear he did not like the idea. That’s partly because it would make it harder for the IRS to launch the new child tax credit program — which involves creating a special Web portal for beneficiaries — that is supposed to open for business on July 1, he said. “The same people who do our income tax processing” and stimulus check processing “are the people who need to develop that portal, so I don’t have the resources to devote to that portal until filing season ends,” he said. “We now have one month less to do the development.”