Thursday, March 25 top stories

It is Thursday, March 25. Here are today’s top stories.

Today President Joe Biden gave his first press conference since becoming president in January. The White House provided a CDI on their YouTube livestream. Biden announced that he hopes to see 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines go out during his first 100 days, which is double his original goal of 100 million doses. He is sticking to his goal of getting a majority of K-8 schools reopened within his first 100 days and said right now it’s nearly half K-8 schools that are open. Biden said conditions at Texas border facilities with migrant children were unacceptable and that he would make things better quickly. He said the majority of migrant families at the border are being sent back home. Biden said he will make an announcement tomorrow in Pittsburgh about an infrastructure proposal. News reports said it could be worth $3 trillion. Biden said he will run for reelection in 2024 with Vice President Kamala Harris.

In Atlanta, a 22-year-old man who entered a Publix (grocery store) with two rifles, three pistols, and body armor was arrested and charged with reckless conduct. His name is Rico Marley. CNN explained that a witness saw him going in the store openly carrying a rifle and when he went into the bathroom, the witness notified police, who immediately came and arrested the man when he exited the bathroom. The man is undergoing a mental health evaluation.

The Navajo Nation, located in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, reported no new Covid-19 cases and deaths on Sunday through Tuesday, but on Wednesday, reported 10 new cases and two deaths. It is very positive news because the Navajo Nation has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic with over 30,000 cases and 1,235 deaths. The area has just under 200,000 residents and so far, 197,000 vaccines have been administered. The reservation is still requiring daily curfews, 25% capacity for some businesses, and has a mask mandate.

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Today the Boulder mass shooting suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, had his first court appearance. He did not enter a plea on his murder charges. His defense lawyer requested that the next hearing be delayed for two months so he could undergo a mental illness assessment. Alissa bought a semiautomatic rifle several days before the shooting on Monday in which 10 people died.

Reuters reported that North Korea (this is the right sign) launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan today. Both missiles launched at 7 a.m. local time and flew about 260 miles. It can be viewed as a threat against Japan because today Japan kicked off the 2021 Olympics torch relay in anticipation of the games that will take place at the end of July through the first week of August. The missile launch is also a test of the new Biden administration. North Korea did launch cruise missiles a few days ago. Today Biden said the U.S. would respond if North Korea continues to escalate.

News reports say 30 million Social Security recipients are still waiting for their $1,400 stimulus checks. The delay has to do with the IRS waiting for “payment files” from the SSA. There are many who are frustrated because the second stimulus checks that went out in December were sent out quickly, within two days of former president Donald Trump signing a bill. MassLive reported that it may be another 10 days before SS beneficiaries get the checks. It is not clear why there is a delay — it could be because the lawmaking process for this relief package is different from the first two rounds of stimulus payments. The current SSA commissioner is Andrew Saul, who was appointed by Trump and there are some who say he should be replaced. So, if you’re waiting for stimulus checks, you’re not the only one, and there is now great pressure on the SSA and IRS to get the checks out, and hopefully they go out in 10 days or less.

That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/joe-biden-news-conference-03-25-21/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/24/us/atlanta-man-with-guns-supermarket-publix

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/navajo-nation-reports-no-new-coronavirus-cases-and-no-deaths/6050346/?fbclid=IwAR3QcmN1FDcDg16_wZYVDYCE-4HQYczk6d6zNqiS-Pk03vqwOXtN_5831rg#.YFk_DyROHow.facebook

https://www.abqjournal.com/2373403/after-3-days-with-no-covid-deaths-navajo-nation-reports-2.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/25/boulder-shooting-suspect-in-court/6994259002/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-north-korea-missile/n-korea-missile-launch-tests-biden-alarms-japan-ahead-of-olympics-idUSKBN2BG3CO

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stimulus-check-social-security-recipients-delay/

https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2021/03/third-stimulus-check-millions-of-social-security-recipients-may-face-at-least-10-day-wait-for-covid-payments.html