10 Things in Politics: At least 22 governors haven't been vaccinated yet
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Brent D. Griffiths
Mar 15, 2021, 16:22 IST
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are among nearly half the nation's state governors who hadn't received a COVID-19 vaccination as of mid-March.Spencer Platt/Getty Images, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images, Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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Good morning! Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. It's officially March Madness!
1. GOVS DEBATE WHEN TO GET VACCINATED: As America sets another daily vaccination record, governors across the country remain unsure of when they'll receive their shot. An Insider review found that at least 22 governors have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine. Many said they would rather wait their turn than be accused of jumping ahead.
Some GOP governors who are reopening their states are protected: Greg Abbott of Texas, Larry Hogan of Maryland, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming have ordered a rollback on some or all statewide restrictions even as the White House and top health officials caution against reopening too soon. All three have also received the vaccine as most residents await their turn. Hogan, who is a cancer survivor, is the only one of the trio to keep a mask mandate in effect.
Some governors aren't actually jumping ahead: Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania meets his state's age requirement, but says he's waiting until more vaccines are available.
Health officials say it's fair for governors to receive a shot: Many of them used it as an opportunity to boost public confidence early on.
2. Biden breaks his silence on sexual-harassment allegations against Cuomo: President Biden declined to join calls for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign, telling reporters "the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us." It's unclear which investigation Biden was referring to, another sign of the multitude of scandals surrounding Cuomo.
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Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are taking a cautious approach, while other top Democrats are explicitly calling for Cuomo to step down.
Meanwhile, a top New York vaccine official was trying to gauge colleagues' loyalty: Larry Schwartz, the head of the state's vaccine rollout, phoned county officials over the past two weeks to take their temperature on the sexual-harassment scandal, The Washington Post reports. Needless to say, this is not going over well. One Democratic official was so unsettled that they filed an ethics complaint.
3. Attorney General Merrick Garland's new chief of staff is a former firefighter and Senate aide: Matt Klapper has no experience at the Justice Department, but he is expected to be Garland's political eyes and ears, building on a resume shaped while running Sen. Cory Booker's office. He also volunteered as an EMS worker during the pandemic. More in our exclusive profile.
The White House created a special position to oversee the implementation of Biden's $1.9 trillion relief plan: Multiple reports say Gene Sperling, a veteran of the Obama and Clinton administrations, could be announced as a relief czar as soon as today.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins his trip to Japan and South Korea.
7. AstraZeneca defends its vaccine as more countries suspend its use: The drugmaker said there is no evidence its shot carries an increased risk of blood clots after inoculation, as it monitors at least 39 cases of some type of clotting among the more than 17 million people that have received the vaccine. Several countries including the Netherlands, Ireland, and Denmark have paused the vaccine's rollout.
Note: AstraZeneca's vaccine has not received approval in the US.
8. GOP senator who "never felt threatened" during the Capitol riot says he would have been "a little concerned" if the protesters were BLM: Sen. Ron Johnson said of the Capitol rioters: "I knew those were people that love this country that truly respect law enforcement." More on Johnson's comments here.
9. America is in the most sophisticated spy game in history with Russia and China: "Welcome to the new Cold War, where three cybersecurity rivals hack into each other with the most sophisticated espionage in human history - and three very different points of view." More on what's happening in our exclusive report.
It starts early in the Carter family: Beyoncé and Jay-Z's nine-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, won a Grammy for her work on her mom's "Brown Skin Girl" music video.
Other things you missed: Read host Trevor Noah's opening monologue, which included jokes about the royal family and Zoom (of course). And here are 15 rock stars - including Bob Marley and Janis Joplin - who never won a Grammy but definitely should have.
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