10 things you need to know today: March 4, 2021

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Harold Maass
·7 min read
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1.

The House canceled Thursday's session due to a warning by security officials that an unnamed militant group was plotting to breach the Capitol. Right-wing extremists reportedly have been circulating credible threats of violence timed to what they called "true Inauguration Day," March 4, when they believe that former President Donald Trump, who lost the November election to President Biden, will be sworn in for a second term. House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett said in a memo to lawmakers that the Capitol Police had "enhanced their security posture" to counter the threat. Authorities also reportedly have extended the assignment of a special security detail for the House's Democratic impeachment managers, who argued the case against Trump for incitement of the insurrection. The Senate plans to be in session Thursday. [The Washington Post]

2.

President Biden on Wednesday harshly criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves for lifting coronavirus restrictions. He slammed the decisions by Abbott and Reeves, both Republicans, saying it was "Neanderthal thinking" to tell people it was safe to stop wearing masks now that coronavirus infection and death rates are falling. "I hope everybody's realized by now these masks make a difference," Biden said. He said continued restrictions are necessary to contain the pandemic until enough people are vaccinated to truly get the pandemic under control. Abbott said Tuesday that the increased availability of vaccines made it possible to "restore livelihoods and normalcy." [The Hill]

3.

At least 38 people died Wednesday after Myanmar security forces opened fire on protesters in the deadliest violence since the military seized power from the country's civilian government a month ago, according to the United Nations' special representative for the country. Police and soldiers recently have been escalating their crackdown on crowds demanding the restoration of democracy. Demonstrators have donned goggles, hard hats, and homemade shields and continued to take to the streets despite what Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a human rights activist based in Yangon, described as a "daily slaughter." One of the victims on Wednesday was a 14-year-old boy. Another was a 19-year-old woman shot in Mandalay and shown in images posted to social media wearing a T-shirt reading, "Everything will be OK." [The New York Times, The Guardian]

4.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) apologized Wednesday for "whatever pain I caused" related to sexual harassment allegations three women, including two former aides, have made against him recently. Cuomo defended himself by saying he often greets people with a kiss, pointing to "hundreds" of photos of "me kissing people." Cuomo, speaking at a news conference, said he "never touched anyone inappropriately" or intended to pressure or humiliate anyone. "I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable," Cuomo said. "It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly I am embarrassed by it." The governor said he is "not going to resign" over the scandal despite calls for him to step down. New York's attorney general is leading an investigation. [NPR, NowThisNews]

5.

Trump administration Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao used her office to help family members with a shipping business tied to China, according to a report released Wednesday by the Transportation Department's inspector general. "A formal investigation into potential misuses of position was warranted," Mitch Behm, the Transportation Department's deputy inspector general, told House lawmakers in a letter accompanying the report. The inspector general referred the matter to the Justice Department in December, but two Justice Department divisions declined to launch criminal investigations in the final weeks of the Trump administration. Chao, the wife of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), announced her resignation the day after the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters. [The New York Times]

6.

The House on Wednesday passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a police reform bill seeking to ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants. The legislation, if passed by the Senate, would create a national database to track police misconduct cases, make it easier to hold officers accountable in court for misconduct, and end racial and religious profiling. The bill was named after George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man who died last May after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd's death sparked protests across the United States against police brutality. The bill passed 220 to 212, with two Democrats voting against it and one Republican, Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas, accidentally voting for it. [The Washington Post]

7.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said in an op-ed published in The Daily Signal that the 2020 presidential election was "marked by significant irregularities and numerous instances of officials setting aside election law." Pence criticized Democrats for their voter reform push and indirectly supported former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Without outright calling the 2020 vote fraudulent, Pence — who was a target of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 seeking to overturn President Biden's victory — argued against the For the People Act, which includes measures such as required early voting and same-day voter registration. Pence called the bill "an unconstitutional power grab." [The Daily Signal]

8.

House Democrats on Wednesday pushed through a bill seeking to expand federal voting rights. The legislation, approved 220 to 210 with Republicans unified against it, seeks to impose requirements that would weaken restrictive state voter ID laws that critics say unfairly burden some minority and immigrant voters. The legislation would mandate automatic voter registration, and expand early and mail-in voting. If passed by the Senate and signed by President Biden, the legislation would amount to the biggest expansion of federal voting protections since the 1960s, as Democrats counter efforts by Republican-controlled statehouses to impose restrictions proponents argue are necessary to prevent vote fraud. Opposition by Republicans appears certain to stall the bill in the Senate, where Democrats lack the 60 votes needed to beat a GOP filibuster. [The New York Times]

9.

The 13 people who died when a semitruck hit their packed SUV near the U.S.-Mexico border had just entered the United States through a hole in a border fence, Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday. "Border Patrol is investigating the smuggling events," the agency said in a statement. Authorities said two SUVs were seen on surveillance video leaving the area near the 10-foot fence hole Tuesday morning. One of the vehicles, 1997 Ford Expedition with its seats removed, was carrying 25 people when it was hit by the semitruck about 10 miles from the border, near Holtville, California. The other SUV, a Chevrolet Suburban, was carrying 19 people. It caught fire. All the passengers got out and were taken into custody. [USA Today]

10.

Walmart announced Wednesday that it would invest $350 billion in American-made products over the next decade. The plan covers textiles, plastics, small electrical appliances, food processing, and pharmaceutical supplies that are produced, grown, or assembled in the United States. Walmart, the world's largest retailer, said the effort would help create 750,000 jobs. "U.S. manufacturing really matters," John Furner, chief executive of Walmart U.S., said in a statement. "More businesses are choosing to establish their manufacturing operations in the United States, and the result is more jobs for Americans — a lot more jobs." The company in 2018 said it would invest $250 billion in domestic goods, although that effort faced skepticism after consumer advocacy groups reported allegedly misleading labels on Walmart.com to federal regulators. [The Washington Post]

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The National Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living estimate the U.S. long-term care industry will see a 16% drop in revenue in 2021 and some 1,670 closures or mergers. In some states, nursing homes can be penalized with Medicaid funding cuts if their occupancy drops too low. Even many high-end nursing homes, once solicitors of only the affluent, have been taking younger patients, some in their 30s and 40s, most who have only Medicaid. These younger patients often have coexisting conditions: substance abuse problems along with psychiatric illnesses. Some have lost contact with their families. Some are without income; others are on disability. Often, they have no place to go. Even for those getting help from their families, the cost of extended care is not affordable, nor can families provide the care themselves. Although estimates vary widely, the best assessment suggests more than 125,000 young and middle-aged adults, most with mental illness, lived in nursing homes before the pandemic. While federal law requires alternatives to this type of institutionalization for younger patients who spend years in a nursing home, implementation of these laws varies from state to state. Insurance companies often prefer nursing homes as a more cost-effective option than in-home or supervised care, especially for those with severe mental illness. But putting psychiatric patients near elderly and infirm residents can cause problems. Active drug addicts may seek medications, particularly opiates. Active psychotics can be volatile, even violent. These patients may live in nursing homes for years and eventually saturate the facility with a significant psychiatric population. The staff members at these homes often don’t know how to care for this kind of patient. They need training similar to what’s given at psychiatric hospitals. Instead, they can become overwhelmed. They deal with behavioral issues, including assaults. Behavioral health nurses have the highest turnover rate among nursing specialties. One-third of them quit within two years. For nursing home administrators, this is just one more confounding problem they face. COVID-19 has been a devastating experience for them. The virus has ravaged their facilities. One administrator told me she lost nearly one-third of her residents to this illness. I could relate – more than 100 of my patients have died from COVID-19 in the last year. An AARP video discusses the impact of COVID-19 on nursing home residents. A tremendous emotional toll Certainly, death is always a presence in a nursing home. But the sheer number of deaths due to the pandemic has been staggering. Death, grief and fear are not a good psychological cocktail. 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