Viral News: President Biden now says every American age 18 and over will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by April 19^th. This morning, just shy of 33 percent of the American population has had at least one dose of vaccine.

  But as the country administers three million shots a day, Covid-19 is surging again with cases up 19 percent over the past two weeks. Twelve states are confronting high rates of infection with the British variant, B.1.1.7. Among them are Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, and Texas.

   Some states are pushing to fully re-open and return to normal as the danger of Covid-19 still lurks. It’s like spiking the ball and celebrating on the five yard line.

  Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, who rescinded the state’s mask mandate weeks after taking office, has come down with Covid-19. The 59-year-old Republican got his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine last Thursday, but evidently not soon enough. Six members of the state legislature have also tested positive since January.

  The virus has become both a political and a religious issue. According to a survey, of the roughly 41 million white evangelical Christians in the United States, about 45 percent say they will refuse the Covid-19 vaccine. The reluctance seems to be issued from the pulpit. Although some of the more mainstream preachers such as Franklin Graham recommend getting vaccinated, a few of the lesser knowns are spreading fear and suspicion.

  The New York Times quotes one man saying, “The vaccine is not the savior,” and a woman who said, “It would be God’s will if I am here or if I am not here.”

 Presumably they look both ways before they cross the street.

Neck and Neck: As testimony continues in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the officer who trained Chauvin regarding neck restraints said keeping a knee on a suspect’s neck after he’s handcuffed and on his stomach is not a technique they teach.

  Nine current and former officers have broken the Blue Wall and testified against Chauvin. 

  Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes 29 seconds. Lt. Johnny Mercil said, “A knee on the neck, would be something that does happen in use of force that isn’t unauthorized.” That’s police speak for “not allowed.”

  A use of force expert with the Los Angeles Police Department, the first outsider in the case, said, “My opinion was that the force was excessive.”

Play Ball: After announcing it’s pulling the All-Star Game out of Georgia because of the state’s new anti-voter law, Major League Baseball has awarded the game and the $100 million in business it produces to Colorado.

  Coca Cola and Delta airlines, both based in Georgia, have protested the state’s new voting law, much to the indignation of Republicans who depend upon corporate money to get elected.

  Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell said, “My warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics. It’s not what you’re designed for.” It is when he wants money.

  McConnell went on, “Republicans buy stock, and fly on planes, and drink Coca Cola too. So what I’m saying here is I think this is quit stupid to jump in the middle of a highly controversial issue.”   

The Spin Rack: In the closing days of the Trump administration, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who’s under investigation for possibly having an affair with a teenage girl, quietly asked the White House for blanket pre-emptive pardons for himself and unidentified friends for unspecified crimes they may have committed, The NY Times reports according to sources. — The Biden administration is launching a funeral assistance program that will provide up to $9,000 to cover the burial costs for each American who died of Covid-19 — Despite failing to win a majority in Israel’s recent snap election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again been asked by the country’s president to attempt to form a ruling coalition of parties. — North Korea says it is skipping the Tokyo Olympics over fears of Covid-19. — Former Republican House Speaker John Boehner says in his new book that Donald Trump  “incited that bloody insurrection” by supporters at the Capitol on January 6^th and that the Republican Party has been taken over by “whack jobs.”

The Obit Page: Florida Rep. Representative Alcee Hastings, a former federal judge who was impeached and removed from office before winning a seat in Congress, has died at age 84 of pancreatic cancer. Until a special election, his death threatens to reduce the 218-211 Democratic majority in the House by one vote. 

  As a politician, Hastings was a crusader for civil rights. He had been Florida’s first black federal judge, but the House impeached him on a charge of soliciting a bribe and the Senate found him guilty, removing him from the bench. 

The Rumor Mill: The right wing press doesn’t need facts to find conspiracies in the Biden administration.

 During Monday’s White House press briefing John Gizzi, a reporter for Newsmax, asked Press Secretary Jen Psaki about a mysterious  “private memo” being “circulated in the business community and to some Republican senators” that reveals Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan actually costs $3 trillion.

  While assuming the role of a journalist, Gizzi said, “Somebody went through it, or is claiming to have gone through it, and added it up and came up with $1 trillion more than  the president listed as the price tag.” 

  “Somebody”? “Claiming”?

  Psaki responded: “Sounds mysterious — the memo, the secret memo.”

She pointed out that the specifics of Biden’s plan and costs are public and clearly detailed. She said, “So I would encourage y’all to get your calculators out and charge that up and see how it compares to the secret memo.”

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