Today's Top Political and Coronavirus News Compilation - Friday, March 19, 2021

Below are some of the top political news stories of the day:

U.S. charges Proud Boys with conspiracy in Capitol assault that turned deadly
A federal grand jury charged four leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to block Congress from certifying U.S. President Joe Biden's election on the day of a deadly assault on the Capitol, according to court papers unsealed on Friday.

Updated 4:46 PM CDT

Battling bigness: Congress eyes action against monopolies

Biden approval grows as more Americans receive vaccinations: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Spa killings likely 'targeted attack driven by personal grievance': Source

‘Very angry’: Democrats face tough choices on immigration

Biden stumbles multiple times, falls as he scales Air Force One stairs

Biden 'proud' of Blinken after tense exchange with Chinese officials

Justices meet in person for first time in a year

Why US, Chinese officials erupted into open debate during fiery first meeting

Judge refuses to delay, move trial of ex-cop in Floyd death

Kremlin: Putin’s offer of a call with Biden was to save ties

Chinese government restricting Tesla use over security concerns
Suspect in Atlanta-area attacks said they weren't racially motivated. Experts say he doesn't get to decide.

Biden admin under fire over lack of transparency on border crisis

Biden picks ex-U.S. Senator Nelson as NASA chief: White House

Amid border surge, confusion reigns over Biden policies

Federal judge pens dissent slamming decades-old press protections

DHS Secretary Mayorkas to visit border amid controversy over migrant surge

Is Donald Trump still president? On Republican websites across Florida, the answer is yes
Mission to clean up space debris around Earth is poised for launch

WH signals Mexico must curb migrants to get vaccine

What's next in the California recall

Democrat introduces resolution to expel GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

U.S. says had serious talks with China despite 'theatrics'

China says 'strong smell of gunpowder' sensed in US talks

Texas mayor blindsided by migrant arrival at holding facility tells President Biden to 'get control'

Biden urges Congress to pass hate crime legislation in response to violence against Asian Americans

U.S. moves to reengage Europe in person after Trump snubs

Legal expert dismisses 'absurd' Democratic claims filibuster is rooted in racism

The victims in the Georgia spa shootings: 'She was one of my best friends'

Marine ecologist Lubchenco to lead climate in White House science office

GOP Rep. Tom Reed accused of sexual misconduct

14 House Republicans vote against a measure condemning military coup in Myanmar

Trudeau 'confident' 2 detained Canadians will be discussed in U.S.-China talks

China military bans Tesla cars citing camera, sensor spy concerns

Senate's new finance cop, Oregon's Wyden, holds keys to Biden trade agenda

Cuomo probe in New York will examine claims of retaliation: report

Taliban expect US withdrawal in May; vow to restore Islamic rule

Biden’s over-under for Paris climate goal: 50 percent

Texas wax museum removes Trump wax statue after visitors kept vandalizing it

‘Unacceptable’: Erdogan slams Biden over ‘killer’ Putin comment

Trump aides seeking jobs 'blocked everywhere'

Biden, Harris offering solace to grieving Asian Americans

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield gives powerful speech at U.N.: "I know the ugly face of racism"

Running to replace husband who died from Covid-19, Julia Letlow hopes to bring her own experience to Congress

Atlanta shooting suspect's church decries killings as 'wicked betrayal'

‘In the dark of night’: Trump’s Interior chief snuck Murkowski an 11th-hour win

Trump Jr. shares edited video showing father knocking Biden down with golf ball

Biden offers veiled criticism of Trump in visit to CDC, says 'science is back'
New Pentagon No. 2 warns China's "aggressive" actions pose threat to global order

Austin meets with India’s Modi as U.S.-China summit gets off to rocky start

EXCLUSIVE: Cigna's critical race theory training: Don't say 'brown bag lunch' and be mindful of 'religious privilege'

5 White House staffers lose jobs over drugs, marijuana use

White House says Biden doing fine after stumbling while boarding Air Force One

Klobuchar pushes for antitrust enforcement of big tech

Biden is president 'in name only' based on admin's left-wing agenda: Hilton

The GOP's voter suppression crusade is costing them donors. This is why they won't stop.

Georgia lawmaker set to meet with Biden wants shootings investigated as hate crimes
Myanmar junta faces calls to halt bloodshed but more die in anti-coup protests

Dem troubled by House review that could overturn Iowa Republican's election win

China challenges Biden team on state of US democracy

DC judge dismisses Penn State climate professor's defamation case against National Review

Glory days of Trump's gold-plated 757 seem far away as plane sits idle at a sleepy airport

The details of the Johnson allegation

NY prosecutors interview Cohen an 8th time in Trump inquiry

Congressional fundraisers lobby companies that suspended donations after riot

Biden to reinstate accountability measures stripped by Trump

Taliban insist on Islamic system for Afghanistan and sticking to troop withdrawal deadline

Cuomo accuser Boylan says Hillary Clinton is no longer her personal 'hero' after her response to allegations

Biden meets with UN Security Council members to talk climate

Florida spring breaker flees patrol car in handcuffs as revelers cheer him on: Police

Nelson wins bipartisan praise in bid for top NASA job

UN secretary general calls upon US to lead the way in fighting extremism

White House says 5 staffers no longer employed over marijuana use policy

Facebook services restored after global outage

Marjorie Taylor Greene says Twitter locked her out, platform says it was 'error'

Tornadoes rip through South, leaving trail of destruction

IRS chief warns start of child tax credit payments may be delayed

Pelosi says Marjorie Taylor Greene expulsion not endorsed by top Dems
Names of remaining four victims in Atlanta-area spa shootings released

Collins opposes key Pentagon nominee, narrowing confirmation path

Fire at Saudi Arabia oil facility after drone attack

In a first, US pipeline agency weighs climate change impacts

Asian grandmother who fought off attacker gets $645k in GoFundMe donations

Nearly nine-in-10 call voter photo ID 'common sense,' most back limits on mail-in ballots

Britain says unionist anger over Brexit deal could put Northern Ireland 'in quite a dangerous place'

South Dakota Gov. Noem hesitates on bill to ban transgender women from female sports

U.S. dollar rises after Fed lifts bank leverage exemption

‘He’s dead wrong’: Fauci and Paul trade TV barbs after sparring on the Hill

Majority of New York voters say Cuomo should resign
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Posted 7:05 AM CDT

U.S., Chinese diplomats clash in high-level meeting of Biden administration

Trump's chief of staff could face scrutiny in Georgia criminal probe

How Trump's 2020 loss is dictating the future of elections in battleground states

McCarthy tries to rewrite history by claiming that he didn't back Trump's efforts to overturn the election

U.S. to push more 'aggressive' messaging effort to deter migrants

Trump's 'Chinese Virus' tweet led to rise in anti-Asian Twitter content: Study

Here are the highlights from the heated U.S.-China exchange in Alaska

The Memo: America faces long war with extremism

Secretary of State calls back media after China ambushes U.S. in first direct talks

House scuttles GOP attempt to boot Swalwell from intel panel

Kremlin, on possible new Cold War, says: we always hope for best but prepare for worst

US and China trade angry words at high-level Alaska talks

Mary Trump has her next act — and believes her uncle's guilty of sedition

Bill Clinton leaves big influence on Team Biden

Supreme Court conservatives want to topple abortion rights -- but can't seem to agree on how

Some Democrats fear huge midterm backlash without filibuster reform

Michigan's Whitmer, ex-health director to waive confidentiality agreement over resignation following backlash

Sen. Brian Schatz and why Senate Democrats are walking on eggshells

Beyond child detentions, other surging stats reflect grim reality of border crisis

Insults fly as Biden locks horns with Russia and China

'We're Going To Keep Digging,' FBI Director Wray Says Of Capitol Siege

Emergency sites for migrant children raising safety concerns

Advocates demand transparency in Biden migrant facilities

The details of the Johnson allegation

Gavin Newsom admits coronavirus 'communicating' errors as recall battle looms

Yes, Capitol Rioters Were Armed. Here Are The Weapons Prosecutors Say They Used

Biden may bump income taxes to 39% for high-earning Americans to pay for an infrastructure package - BI

GOP lawmaker stands by lynching comments at House hearing

Everything you need to know about the effort to recall California's governor

Biden considers delaying U.S. troop exit from Afghanistan to later this year

Agency working to clear refund backlog: IRS chief

US and China spar in 1st face-to-face meeting under Biden

Video shows shootings suspect at spa before deadly rampage

POLITICO Playbook: Don’t call it a crisis

Immigration bill creating green card process for farmworkers passes House, legislation now goes to Senate

Roger Stone makes appearances in pair of Oath Keeper court filings

Liberals Grow Impatient With Biden's Foreign Policy Decisions - NY Times

U.S. to erase $1 billion in debt for students scammed by for-profit colleges

AOC has only tweeted about child migrant detention twice under Biden

White House press secretary slips up, calls border migrant surge a 'crisis'

Coons considering hauling in Facebook, Twitter CEOs for hearing

Biden meets with UN Security Council members to talk climate

Known For Its Floods, Louisiana Is Running Dangerously Short Of Groundwater

Bond managers say pace of rise in U.S. bond yields 'unsettling'

Former Florida state senator charged with three criminal counts in sham candidate scheme

Idaho lawmakers target COVID-19 rules even as they get sick - AP

US Border Patrol has encountered 32 large groups along the US-Mexico border this fiscal year

‘God, no’: GOP immigration allies disappear as crisis mounts

Georgia spa killings: Police up patrols in Asian American communities

Biden and Harris head to Atlanta as frustrations grow over a lack of action on anti-Asian American discrimination

Ex-wife of Trump Org executive has spoken to investigators 'multiple times'

Biden grooms Harris as top surrogate with public displays of togetherness

Some New Mexico lawmakers pocketing per diem cash despite working from home: report

Climate change returns to EPA's website: "It's not optional, it's essential"

Fleeing Myanmar police: We defied orders to kill protesters

Migrant children trickle into Dallas convention center as administration races to accommodate kids

Ron DeSantis Is Very Pleased With Himself

More than 500 migrant children have been in Border Patrol custody more than 10 days

Texas wax museum moves Trump statue because visitors kept hitting it: report

Germany's Greens vow to scrap Russian gas pipeline after election

Biden, Harris offering solace to grieving Asian Americans

Treasury says states can cut taxes under massive COVID relief bill – but there's a catch

Now is the time to invest in private space stations

Biden's foreign policy moves raise bipartisan eyebrows: The Note

Tanzania swears in its first woman president

Democrats introduce bill on Puerto Rico status in House and Senate

Nunes: Swalwell 'doesn't have any friends' among House GOP after he spread 'Russian propaganda'

Lebanese are gripped by worry as economic meltdown speeds up

Biden inauguration priest being investigated in California

Canadian tried in China on spy charges, no verdict announced

Armie Hammer accuser comes forward; actor's attorney releases alleged texts

Coronavirus News and Updates:
Updated 4:46 PM CDT

The Latest: US clears 100M shots, Biden next aims for 200M

U.S. backs distance of 3 feet between students, which may help schools open

Which States Are Leading The Way In COVID Vaccinations?

CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer

Sen. Rand Paul accused Fauci of 'theater' and wearing masks 'for show' after being vaccinated - BI

Surging COVID-19 cases in Europe, Brazil signal warning for US

US military says a third of troops opt out of being vaccinated, but the numbers suggest it's more

Idaho Legislature shuts down due to COVID-19 outbreak

EXCLUSIVE: Pompeo casts doubt on WHO-China coronavirus origins inquiry

Keep using AstraZeneca vaccine, WHO urges world
Covid changed everything. But the happiest country in the world stayed the same.

Restaurant owner defying virus orders is arrested

Covid: Germany warns of 'exponential' rise in coronavirus cases

COVID-19 strikes Brazil's Congress as third senator dies

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy found out he had Covid-19 and never knew it

Mexico: 2.7M US vaccine doses to arrive next week

Venezuela opposition seeks to use frozen U.S. funds to import COVID-19 vaccines

UK PM Boris Johnson gets his first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine
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Posted 7:05 AM CDT

Nearly a dozen countries resume AstraZeneca shots after EU, UK regulators say benefits outweigh risks

'Very promising' data shows vaccines may stop Covid transmission, but big questions remain

Clinics across U.S. bring expertise, community connections to vaccine drive

Some teachers uneasy about returning before getting vaccine

Biden eyes mid-May to begin relaxing Covid travel restrictions, sources say

Experts urge caution as 15 states see uptick in COVID-19 infections

Lockdown extension looms in Germany as COVID case numbers rise

Kamala Harris flips from vaccine skeptic to vaccine booster

Europe pause of AstraZeneca sends ripple of doubt elsewhere

Fauci warns possible 4th surge in COVID-19 cases could undermine progress

After gambling France could dodge new COVID lockdown, Macron forced to back down

How Do You Reach Trump Voters Who Say They Don't Want The Vaccine? Try Doctors

Paris goes into lockdown as COVID-19 variant rampages

Biden sets bar low for easy COVID wins

Governors bullish about beating Biden's May 1 vaccine directive

UK to pilot COVID-19 certificates to reopen sports events

Why is India staring at a ‘second peak’ of COVID cases?

The Latest: Philippines reports record daily virus cases

Germany could imagine signing deal for Sputnik V shot, minister says

Brazil vaccine drive faces challenges in remote communities