Newsletter Feb 19, 2021

With the country suffering from the 1-2 punch of COVID-19 and a cold snap, Democrats started a push to pass new relief and recovery plans.

3 Things

Stimulus schedule: "Beware the ides of March" takes on a different meaning this year as Democrats hope to pass the next stimulus bill by mid-March. But that could be easier said than done as another budgetary battle with Republicans remains as a potential road block.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi laid of the Democrats' timeline for passing President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. If everything goes according to schedule, you could see a $1,400 stimulus check by March 14, as well as various recovery programs.
In addition to the individual stimulus payments, Dems are proposing $3,600 per child credits, a $15 minimum wage, $350 billion for state and local governments, $20 billion for vaccination efforts and $170 billion to reopen schools. It all adds up to more than the GOP can swallow, but Dems have a plan for that too -- it's called reconciliation.
Democrats will use the budgetary measure that lowers the passage threshold from 60 to 50 in the Senate by eliminating filibusters. Without having to negotiate with Republicans, Dems have decided to muscle their way to a pricey stimulus package to help Americans. But will it damage hopes of possible bipartisanship in the future?
JUST HOW BIG DO DEMS WANT TO GO IN STIMULUS BILL?

Flyin' Ted: While millions of Texans were freezing and still without power, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was boarding an airplane with his family to fly to warmer climes in Cancun, Mexico. His tropical getaway got cut short, however, after photos of him hit social media.
Cruz was spotted on a flight Wednesday and the internet erupted, pointing out the hypocrisy of an elected official abandoning his constituents during a time of crisis. Reports say Cruz even had the audacity to request a police escort to the airport for his winter retreat.
After news of his trip broke and "#flyin'ted" began trending on Twitter, Cruz quickly returned to his home state Thursday claiming that he was merely escorting his family to their vacation destination. Cruz said he was in "constant communication" with Texas officials during his round-trip flight and overnight stay south of the border.
But the damage had already been done for the senator's status in the Lone Star State, where residents endured more hardships on top of the pandemic "all while blocking $2000 (stimulus) cash relief," one Texan tweeted. "Americans are suffering -- Ted vacations. Horrid."
SEE TWITTER'S REACTION TO CRUZ'S CANCUN GETAWAY

Dream weaver: While Cruz was crossing the southern border with ease, President Joe Biden was unveiling his new plan to address "dreamers" who don't want to make the return trip to their countries.
Some 11 million undocumented workers have been left in limbo by the Dream Act, which has proven problematic for American immigration policy. The law has seen several changes in interpretation and enforcement over the past three decades, causing a backlog in cases of immigrants hoping to remain in the U.S.
Biden unveiled his plan for two new paths to citizenship: a standard eight-year process and a three-year version only for special cases. But his proposal faces opposition in the Senate, pushing Democrats to pass the bill through reconciliation, in order to a GOP filibuster.
Biden's plan is a sharp departure from the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which saw families separated and invested heavily in a border wall over more high-tech detection methods.
FIND OUT BIDEN'S PLAN TO PUSH IMMIGRATION REFORM

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Fuel freeze

Assuming your vehicle isn't covered in snow in like many across the country, you might want to fill up your tank soon before the supply drops and the prices jump as a result of the devastating winter weather in several fuel-exporting states.

The deep freeze in Texas, by far the top energy-producing state in the nation, has shut down oil refineries and natural gas operations statewide, in addition to creating the mass power outages and frozen water pipes that have residents waiting for help and heat.

At least 11 refineries have partially halted production in the Lone Star State and Kansas alone. A major shortfall of millions of barrels of oil will cause an estimated price increase in the price of gas by as much as 10 to 20 cents per gallon.

â€œThe quicker the affected refineries are able to come back online, the better, and perhaps less painful for motorists than if they remain out of service for even longer,â€ a petroleum analysis for GasBuddy said.

The current price of $2.54 a gallon could go even higher if the winter storms create more delays or result in long-term damage to gas-production facilities.

HOW MUCH WILL THE WEATHER COST YOU AT THE PUMP?

Touchdown dance

We haven't seen this many nerds so excited since the release of the last "Star Trek" sequel, but this drama was some real-life sci-fi that had even non-Trekies and anti-techies on the edge of their computer chairs.

NASA's Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars on Thursday to the delight of the scientists in the control room. The spacecraft, which has been described as a high-tech Hummer on steroids, survived the "seven minutes of terror" like a champ and is ready to start the next phase of the exploration mission.

President Biden called the achievement "historic" and praised NASA's engineers: "Today proved once again that with the power of science and American ingenuity, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility," he said.

"Percy," as the rover is nicknamed, is expected the start sending the first radio signals from Mars to Earth soon, as well as drilling The Red Planet's surface and collecting samples. Just like the agonizing waits between "Star Trek" movies, Percy won't be returning the discoveries until sometime in the 2030s.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS AND VIDEO FROM PERCY'S BIG DAY

Modest Dolly

Singer/songwriter/actress/businesswoman and all-around wonderful person Dolly Parton has been in the spotlight since she was knee high to a grasshopper (that's Tennessee-ese for very young). But at 75 years young and still going strong, she doesn't like folks making a fuss over her.

Parton penned a polite letter to her home state's lawmakers asking them not to move forward with a proposed bill to erect a statue in her honor at the Tennessee statehouse: "Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time," she wrote.

It's the latest in a series of unselfish acts Parton has displayed, from twice refusing the Presidential Medal of Freedom in similar humble fashion and her foundation's $1 million donation to COVID vaccinations programs.

In a society obsessed with Twitter followers and Instagram likes, it's nice to see a celebrity deflecting the spotlight and reflecting her star power.

SEE HOW DOLLY IS KEEPING BUSY DURING THE PANDEMIC