Government

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports: Palm Beach County won’t follow Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order to lower flags at the county courthouse to honor the late conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, officials said late Tuesday. The governor ordered the U.S. and Florida state flags to be flown at half-staff Wednesday at Florida’s Capitol, the Palm Beach County courthouse in …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Nearly 20 years ago, Texas shifted from using full-service regulated utilities to generate power and deliver it to consumers. The state deregulated power generation, creating the system that failed last week. And it required nearly 60% of consumers to buy their electricity from one of many retail power companies, rather than a local utility. Those …

The Washington Post reports: Democrats are expected to grill Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Postal Service board of governors chair Ron Bloom over the agency’s handling of mail over the holidays and delivery issues that have persisted for months, delaying prescription medications, paychecks, bills and more. More than 90 House Democrats have already called for DeJoy’s ouster and many are …

Reuters reports: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Tuesday it was ordering immediate inspections of Boeing 777 planes with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines before further flights after an engine failed on a United flight on Saturday. The engines are used on 128 older versions of the plane accounting for less than 10% of the more than 1,600 777s …

CNN reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he expects US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for fully vaccinated people will be coming soon. Fauci said that the CDC wants “to make sure they sit down, talk about it, look at the data and then come out with a recommendation …

The Wall Street Journal reports: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to face a tough confirmation hearing Tuesday as Republicans are set to argue that President Biden’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary is overly liberal and lacks public-health experience. Mr. Becerra’s hearing Tuesday with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will be followed by a …

The Associated Press reports: For Native Americans, Deb Haaland is more than an elected official on track to become the first Indigenous secretary of the Interior Department. She is a sister, an auntie and a fierce pueblo woman whose political stances have been molded by her upbringing. On Tuesday, Haaland’s confirmation hearing will be closely watched in tribal communities across …

ABC News reports: Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland will face another day of questioning Tuesday on how he’ll oversee probes ranging from the Jan. 6 Capitol breach to Hunter Biden’s business dealings — along with his stance on left-wing rioters in Portland and Seattle. Garland pledged during Monday’s hearing that handling the investigation into last month’s deadly siege on the …

The New Jersey Advance reports: More than three years after he took office with hopes of legalizing marijuana in 100 days, Gov. Phil Murphy signed three bills that together legalize marijuana in New Jersey and put an end to thousands of arrests. But it took more than a marijuana-friendly governor to make reform a reality. There were years of failed …

CNN reports: At last, Merrick Garland gets his Senate confirmation hearing. Five years ago, Garland became the poster child for the Republican blockade of an open Supreme Court seat in the final year of President Barack Obama’s term when Senate Republicans denied even a hearing to the Supreme Court nominee. Now Garland gets another chance to go before the Senate …

NBC News reports: Israel reopened swathes of its economy including malls and leisure facilities on Sunday, with the government saying the start of a return to routine was enabled by Covid-19 vaccines administered to almost half the population. Shops were open to all, but access to gyms, hotels and theatres was limited to people with a “Green Pass”: those who …

Bloomberg News reports: Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, is pledging he’ll take the lead in prosecuting participants in the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. “If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 — a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone …

Politico reports: The campaign to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had nearly 670,000 signatures validated with a month left to reach roughly 1.5 million, according to an official Friday update, but the total number of valid signatures submitted is likely larger. It’s shaping up to be a tight finish for the drive to qualify only the second gubernatorial recall …

Cincinnati’s ABC News affiliate reports: Federal officials said they found around 44 pounds of cocaine-coated corn flakes, seized in Cincinnati from incoming freight from Peru. U.S. Customs agents said they intercepted the smuggled narcotics, with an estimated street value of $2,922,400. K-9 Bisco picked up the scene, federal officials said, alerting agents to a large shipment of cereal heading to …

The Associated Press reports: FEMA opened its first COVID-19 mass vaccination sites Tuesday, setting up in Los Angeles and Oakland as part of an effort by the Biden administration to get shots into arms more quickly and reach minority communities hit hard by the outbreak. Snow and ice across much of the U.S., meanwhile, forced the cancellation of many vaccination …

Politico reports: The Democratic House members who prosecuted the case against former President Donald Trump last week say they’ve been laser-focused on his trial. But as their speeches were being piped into Americans’ homes 24-7, they also elevated their national profiles — in some cases, generating considerable buzz about their prospects for higher office. Rep. Madeleine Dean is being talked …

Mediaite reports: “Lindsey! Get away from the window!” someone shouted at Senator Lindsey Graham as a mob of Trump supporters overtook the Capitol building, as those in the building remained unaware of the magnitude of events that occurred on January 6th. This is but one detail revealed by Jonathan Swan of what went down amongst U.S. Senators sheltering in a …

NPR reports: Since vaccine distribution began in the U.S. on Dec. 14, more than 50 million doses have been administered, reaching 11.2% of the total U.S. population, according to federal data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is currently administering over 1.6 million shots a day. Getting millions of people vaccinated, in order of priority, …

Axios reports: Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi told “Axios on HBO” that “Congress is morally obligated to respond” to the island’s recent vote in support of statehood, and said he expects a bill to be introduced in the House by mid-March. Although statehood has been discussed for years, advocates say it is more likely now because Democrats control the House, …

The Associated Press reports: The Senate briefly paused its trial Friday for senators to recognize Officer Eugene Goodman’s efforts at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack. Sen. Chuck Schumer asked for legislation to be introduced to honor the Capitol Police officer with the Congressional Gold Medal. The proposal drew a standing ovation from those present in the Senate Chamber. …