By Julia Stalnaker
● To keep Biden’s stimulus plan on track and appease moderates, Senate Democrats have agreed to keep weekly federal unemployment benefits at $300 through August. This agreement follows objections to their bid to raise those benefits to $400, which halted the bill. Votes on the stimulus package can now resume. (The New York Times)
● Chloé Zhao made history at the Golden Globes, becoming the first Asian woman (and second woman ever) to win best director. This was also the first time in the Golden Globes’ 78-year history in which three women directors were nominated for best director. Zhao’s film, Nomadland, also won best picture. (CNN)
● NASA’s Perseverance rover, after landing on Mars on February 18th, took its first drive on March 4th. The rover traversed 21 feet and sent back photos of its landing site, named after influential science fiction author Octavia E. Butler (CNN).
● Maia Chaka has been added to the NFL’s 2021 roster of game officials, making her the first Black woman to be hired as an NFL official. (NPR)
● In a move to diversify, the American Academy of Arts and Letters has announced 33 new members, including writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Betye Saar. The honor society, founded in 1898, capped membership at 250 in 1908. Not only will current membership be expanded to 283, but the Academy also announced it would grow its membership to 300 by 2025. (The New York Times)
● Scientists have found evidence of the first known “space hurricane,” which occurred in 2014 125 miles over the North Pole. For almost eight hours, streams of plasma poured electrons into the upper atmosphere. The phenomena, previously unknown, could potentially have implications for navigation and/or communication systems. (NBC News)
● The FBI has found evidence of a phone call tying a member of Trump’s White House to a Proud Boys member. Cellular data shows the communication as happening just before the January 6th storming of the Capitol. The names of neither party have been released. (The New York Times)
Comments