CDC: Vaccinated people can safely gather indoors without masks . . . New guidelines from the CDC suggest it is safe for fully vaccinated people to gather indoors with each other without masks. The hotly anticipated guidance is limited, and only aimed at what people are safe to do in private. "If you and a friend, or you and a family member are both vaccinated, you can have dinner together" without wearing masks or without distancing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters Monday. In addition, vaccinated people can visit with someone in a single household who is unvaccinated, without protections. The CDC said Americans are “fully vaccinated” once two weeks have passed since they received the final dose of their vaccine regimen. The Hill

 

Trump's House GOP fans seek higher office . . . At least half a dozen of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in the House are exploring bids for higher office, eager to carry the Trump mantle into the Senate — as well as into governors' mansions. A wave of retirements by veteran Senate Republicans has created fresh opportunities for the House’s hard-liners in deep red states such as Alabama, Ohio and Missouri. But even in states won by Biden, such as Arizona and Georgia, some of the former president’s most loyal devotees are willing to test their political fortunes. The potential crop of Trumpworld candidates could usher in a new era for the more reserved Senate, with negotiators traded in for bomb throwers. And should this new breed of conservative candidate succeed, it could spell even more bad news for Biden’s pledges of bipartisanship during the end of his first term in office. Politico

Ratcliffe says Durham agrees there was ‘no intelligence’ showing Trump-Russia collusion . . . John Ratcliffe, former spy chief in the Trump White House  said that he, former Attorney General William Barr, and now-special counsel John Durham “unanimously agreed” last year that intelligence did not show Trump-Russia collusion, and the Crossfire Hurricane investigation was launched without proper justification. “I do expect that the Durham report will be another scathing recounting of abuses — abuse of power at the FBI. And I say that because I have reviewed the intelligence with John Durham and Bill Barr,” Ratcliffe said on Fox News. “Last summer, . . . we all unanimously agreed that there was no intelligence . . . that reflected actual, real Russian collusion with the Trump campaign — but there was intelligence that it was created by the Hillary Clinton campaign — and that there was no proper predicate for Crossfire Hurricane to begin.” Ratcliffe added: “I really do expect that the Durham report will talk about that abuse of power because I know that intelligence.” Washington Examiner

Biden seems to forget defense secretary’s name, calls him ‘the guy who runs that outfit’ . . . President Biden on Monday seemed to forget Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name at a White House event — calling the Pentagon chief “the guy who runs that outfit over there.” Biden was announcing the nomination of two female generals to lead US military combatant commands. “And I want to thank the sec — the, the, ah former general. I keep calling him general, but my, my — the guy who runs that outfit over there,” Biden said.” New York Post

AP reporter: Biden White House has no plan for dealing with migrant border surge . . . Even Julie Pace of the Associated Press, a veteran White House reporter and not exactly a raving right winger, thinks that the Biden White House has no plan for dealing with the influx of migrants it has caused. It is predicted that 117,000 unaccompanied children will arrive at the border this year. This is an unimaginable crisis, worse than the influx that occurred under Donald Trump. What are they going to do with these children? Set them free on the streets so they don’t get accused of putting them in cages? President Biden came into office and, without thinking, dismantled an immigration strategy that was working. White House Dossier

Dems turn blind eye to Antifa in rush to condemn right-wing riot at U.S. Capitol . . . Democrats in the post-Jan. 6 era are downplaying Antifa’s years of violence, saying the left-wing group’s rioting is not comparable to the right-wing militias and Proud Boys who stormed the U.S. Capitol. In a series of House and Senate hearings over the past two weeks, Republicans repeatedly raised Antifa’s violent history. They say Democrats have remained silent, even in denial, as Antifa set fires, tossed Molotov cocktails at police, killed a Trump supporter and rampaged through banks, shops, government buildings, police stations and clinics. Ted Wheeler, the mayor of Antifa’s home base of Portland, Oregon, said after weeks of nightly riots that Antifa was trying to destroy his city. Democrats dismiss the Antifa-Jan. 6 comparisons. Washington Times

China Increases Defense Budget, Military Prepares for War . . . China will increase its military budget to 1.35 trillion yuan (about $207.8 billion) in 2021, which is 6.8 percent higher than 2020, Chinese state-run media reported on Mar. 6. One expert told The Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s top priority is to strengthen its military. During the ruling party’s most important annual meeting, known as the “two sessions,” on Mar. 5, Premier Li Keqiang said, “[We should] comprehensively strengthen the military exercises and fully prepare for war.” “Building a strong military is one of [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping’s top tasks," US-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times on Mar. 7. “I think Xi will take aggressive actions after he can take another tenure [in 2022].” Epoch Times

 

Laboratory viruses pose ‘existential threat’, warns bioweapons expert . . . Laboratories working on novel viruses and other dangerous pathogens must be more tightly controlled to prevent accidents or terrorism causing another pandemic, a leading bioweapons expert has warned. “I think we need to see biological hazards as an existential threat to the 21st century in the same way that atomic science was to the 20th century,” said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon the former commander of the UK’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear regiment. Covid-19 has highlighted the threat caused by highly-infectious viruses, many of which are being studied or stored in facilities around the world with inadequate security protocols, de Bretton-Gordon told the Financial Times. While chemical facilities are closely monitored by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, there is no such designated body to police biological labs. Financial Times

The Pentagon had an email security problem. The pandemic fixed it . . . The scramble to protect coronavirus research from hackers has spurred the Defense Department to fix a much larger problem — a long-known security hole that allowed tens of thousands of emails to go into the world unprotected from snooping. In December, the Pentagon quietly adopted a security measure for ensuring that its email conversations with outsiders would be encrypted — more than a decade after many private companies and other institutions had done the same. Attempts to permanently fix the flaw didn’t gain momentum until last year, when DoD officials realized that the weakness was exposing electronic conversations with a host of civilian agencies and companies developing Covid-19 vaccines. It took nearly a year to complete what engineers consider a minor technical fix. Politico

$1,400 stimulus check update: When could you get your third payment? . . . Senate Democrats approved the Biden administration's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, paving the way for a third $1,400 stimulus check for millions of Americans — and households could start to receive the money in just a few weeks. The American Rescue Plan will now head to the House for final approval, which could happen as soon as Tuesday. Once Congress approves the emergency aid bill, President Biden needs to sign the legislation to release the money; he's widely expected to do so before Sunday, when two key jobless aid programs are set to expire. The IRS and Treasury Department would then distribute the cash payments through direct deposit, mailed checks and prepaid debit cards. Fox Business

 

Biden's $1.9T stimulus bill expands social safety net at unprecedented level . . . The bill contains billions of taxpayer dollars for the expansion of government programs related to rent, utilities, food, and taxes. President Biden and the Democrats' $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, the second largest rescue package in U.S. history, expands the social safety net in the U.S. at an unprecedented level. The bill includes the largest direct stimulus payments ever provided in legislation at $1,400 per adult who filed tax returns with a Social Security number. The amount of the rebate begins to phase out for individuals earning $80,000 per year and above. The bill also expands the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit to the largest amount on record of $3,000 per child and $3,600 for children under age six. Just the News

 

Restaurant re-openings boost recovery in US jobs market . . . Increasing number of restaurant owners expanding their workforces as warmer weather boosts demand for al fresco eating while the return of indoor dining brings the promise of more customers. Restaurants and bars added 285,900 jobs in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week Friday, a massive increase over the 17,000 added in January. When combined with hotels and recreational facilities, restaurants accounted for the bulk of the 379,000 jobs added to the US economy last month, helping nudge the unemployment rate down to 6.2 per cent. Financial Times

 

An Open Letter to Twitter by Newt Gingrich . . . 

I have been locked out of my Twitter account since March 3.  Twitter locked me out over a tweet that criticized the Biden administration’s approach to the Southern Border – and raised concern over immigrants crossing the border illegally who may be infected with COVID-19.  I was reacting to a recent story that federal officials have no way of testing people who are picked up by US Customs and Border Patrol – or forcing them to quarantine.   My tweet said:  “If there is a covid surge in Texas the fault will not be Governor [Greg] Abbott’s common sense reforms. The greatest threat of a covid surge comes from Biden’s untested illegal immigrants pouring across the border. We have no way of knowing how many of them are bringing covid with them.” Twitter promptly sent a note explaining that my account was locked for, “[v]iolating our rules against hateful conduct,” saying:  “You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.”  To unlock the account, the message informed me I must delete the tweet or go through an appeals process. Gingrich360

 

 

Some Liberals Are Sick of Cancel Culture . . . A mounting discontent with “cancel culture” is emerging, even in some liberal circles. On a recent episode of “Real Time,” host Bill Maher dedicated a monologue to the cancel culture phenomenon. Maher is very much a man of the left, and of course used some of his time to attack Republicans. But he also noted that cancel culture from the left is real, undeniable, and out of control. “Liberals need a Stand Your Ground law … for cancel culture,” Maher said. “So that when the woke mob comes after you for some ridiculous offense, you’ll stand your ground, stop apologizing.” He then criticized those who deny cancel culture’s existence. “Cancel culture is real, it’s insane, it’s growing exponentially, coming to a neighborhood near you,” Maher said. Daily Signal