But it does show that federal officials are listening to the criticisms that they've been too slow and too cautious. It also provides the largest incentive yet to many who remain skeptical about getting vaccinated, though winning $1 million is nice too.
But what about people who aren't vaccinated?: "We know the vaccines are so effective that fully vaccinated people, even if they are mixing and mingling with people who haven't done that, are at relatively low risk of getting infected," Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said on CNN.
The announcement shocked many public-health experts: Hundreds of epidemiologists, many of whom have been more cautious in their guidance during the pandemic, told The New York Times that they expected public mask-wearing for another year.
Experts tell my colleagues the new guidelines are really a test for how much risk you're willing to tolerate: "It doesn't mean that you have to take your mask off," said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. "It means that you can take your mask off."
2. Rep. Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg will plead guilty to 6 felony counts: Greenberg, a former Florida county tax collector, plans to plead guilty to six counts including sex trafficking, identity theft, and wire fraud, a significant downgrade from the 33 federal charges he was facing through multiple indictments, Insider has learned. Greenberg will appear in court Monday to formalize his plea agreement. This could be very bad news for Gaetz.
5. Republicans are expected to replace Liz Cheney today: Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy prefers for the No. 3 leadership post, is no longer running unopposed to replace the now-ousted Cheney. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, is mounting a conservative challenge to Stefanik, pointing out the New Yorker's past votes are far less conservative than his. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Stefanik and called for Roy to face a primary challenge.
6. Colonial said to have paid $5 million to ransomware hackers: The operator of the major East Coast fuel pipeline paid extortionists nearly $5 million in bitcoin to recover its stolen data, The New York Times reports. The move helped ease a supply crunch that led to 10,000 stations running out of gas amid panic buying, but it complicates efforts to deter cyberattacks.
7. A major overhaul of how the military handles sexual assault is nearing passage: Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa now have more than 60 supporters for their legislation, meaning it is now filibuster-proof, The Wall Street Journal reports. The bill would still need to pass the House and be signed into law by Biden, but its supporters are optimistic it will happen this year.
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8. A Trump prosecution would mean security nightmares in New York, Atlanta, and Washington, DC: Making matters more challenging for government officials and law-enforcement jurisdictions is that any Trump proceedings could take place in more than one location over weeks or months. One big reason for concern around Trump is simply his presence in a courthouse.
Key quote: "Security would become a serious issue, and there would need to be precautions that are taken, precisely because of Trump's continuing policy of having no enemies on his right," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat of Maryland who was an impeachment manager for Trump's Senate trial early this year.
9. Pelosi suggests House Ethics Committee should review Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's "verbal assault" of AOC: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Taylor Greene's shouting and following of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez down a hallway was "beyond the pale" and amounted to "abuse." Taylor Greene insisted she did not "scream" at Ocasio-Cortez, though two Washington Post reporters who observed the incident described her as shouting. "This is beneath the dignity of a person serving in the Congress of the United States," Pelosi said of Taylor Greene.
10. The run on trading cards is so bad that Target has temporarily halted sales: The retail giant announced that starting today it would suspend all in-store sales of MLB, NFL, NBA, and Pokémon trading cards after fights broke out. The collectible market has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, causing increasingly violent competitions between resellers and other customers. One man pulled a gun during a fight in a parking lot outside a Wisconsin Target.
Today's trivia question: What was the unofficial nickname for the president's plane before it received its "Air Force One" designation? Hint: Bart Simpson might have approved. Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
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