Newsletter Mar 11, 2021

The House helped President Joe Biden clear the final hurdle to passing his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Now all he has to do is sign it.

3 Things

Done deal: On the 50th day since President Joe Biden was inaugurated, he and fellow Democrats passed "historic" legislation to get a nation battered by the coronavirus pandemic back on its feet.
The $1.9 trillion relief package passed the House 220-211, with Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, the lone dissenting vote among Democrats. Along with the 50-49 vote last week in the Senate, only one member of Congress crossed party lines to weigh in on Biden's stimulus plan.
By the narrowest of margins, Democrats were able to pass sweeping relief efforts to help pull Americans out of a year-long pandemic that has shuttered businesses and pushed many citizens into poverty.
"This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation -- the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who keep this country going -- a fighting chance," Biden said.
Republicans were able to take some small bites out of the bill, including the $15 per hour minimum wage increase and stricter limits on stimulus payment eligibility. But the $1,400 stimulus checks are set to go out this month, and funds for unemployment, schools, and vaccination programs will roll out shortly after Biden signs the bill.
FIND OUT ALL THE DETAILS OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN

Check, please: The biggest, fastest and most popular provision in the new relief bill is the third round of stimulus checks, which the Treasury Department has confirmed will start going out this month.
The $1,400 stimulus checks have some tighter qualifying limits this time around. Single taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of up to $75,000 ($150,000 for married filing jointly) are eligible for the full $1,400 payments, with the amount incrementally decreasing for those earning up to $80,000 ($160,000 for married filing jointly).
So now that you know who qualifies, when will the checks arrive? There's no firm date but those who have filed for direct deposit with the IRS will be the first to see the payments arrive in their bank accounts. That list includes anyone who filed electronically in 2019 or 2020. The IRS will send paper checks or EIP cards to others, but without Biden's signature like his predecessor insisted upon doing.
"We are doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them, which is why the president's name will not appear on the memo line of this round of stimulus checks," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. "This is not about him. This is about the American people getting relief, almost 160 million of them."
WHEN WILL YOUR STIMULUS CHECK MOST LIKELY ARRIVE?

Instant stimulus: Struggling Americans weren't the only ones to get a boost from the new relief bill. So did the economy and the markets.
U.S. equities reacted favorably to Wednesday's House vote approving the stimulus bill, easing investors' concerns about inflation and creating a record-setting day on the Dow Jones Industrial Index.
Growing fears that inflation might force the Federal Reserve to begin curtail its business-friendly monetary policies, including record low interest rates, saw investors react by selling off equities last week.
"Wednesday's data does suggest that, for now at least, the fears over inflationary pressures have been overstated," one analyst said.
Industries getting particularly good news from the stimulus bill are energy companies and airlines, which received some much-needed support. European equities also experienced a bounce from the bill.
SEE HOW THE NEW RELIEF BILL IS IMPACTING THE ECONOMY

Markets

DJIA	32,297.02	1.46%
S&P 500	3,898.81	0.60%
Nasdaq Composite	13,068.83	-0.04%
Japan: Nikkei 225	29,217.60	0.62%
UK: FTSE 100	6,725.60	-0.07%
Crude Oil Futures	64.84	0.62%
Gold Futures	1,732.20	0.60%
Yen	108.76	0.34%
Euro	1.19	-0.06%
* As of market close

Invested in Vesta

Artificial intelligence is projected to replace manpower in the coming decades. In the meantime, it takes a lot of humans to create one robot.

That was one of many cool revelations about Amazon's "Vesta" program, which is reportedly building an interactive home roaming device to perform everyday household chores, sort of like Alexa on steroids.

A leak from the company shed some light on the operation, which has been rumored to be experiencing technical difficulties amid questions about its marketability. It turns out Amazon is putting a lot more into the project than originally thought, including 800 workers focusing on Vesta.

The report claims employees on the top-secret project are required to remain anonymous and work in an undisclosed location called Lab 126. There was no firm information about a targeted release date, perhaps because Amazon itself isn't 100% sure the Vesta will be a success.

"People are very skeptical," one anonymous source and Amazon insider told Business Insider, "we're worried it could turn into another Fire Phone."

GET AN INSIDE LOOK AT AMAZON'S VESTA HOME ROBOT PROJECT

Spontaneous vaccination

Are you the type of person who doesn't mind flying stand-by? Or buying soon-to-expire fruit to save a few bucks? For those frustrated by the hectic search for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, this website may be for you.

Going by the name Dr. B, this website offers text alerts to inform users about available vaccines in their area that are at risk of going unused. If eligible vaccination candidates are flexible and willing to act swiftly, they could find themselves pushed to the front of the line at the last minute.

Users have 15 minutes to respond to a text to confirm their appointment, and two hours to get to the vaccination site. The site groups users based on their eligibility and they are prioritized by the order they signed up.

Dr. B was launched by Cyrus Massoumi, the co-founder and former CEO of online doctor's appointment booking website Zocdoc. More than 1 million people have already signed up for the service nationwide.

So if you're a planning freak who doesn't handle surprises well, this service might not work for you. But for those who don't mind a little spur-of-the-moment inoculation, Dr. B is prescribing some good medicine.

FIND OUT HOW TO SIGN UP FOR A LAST-MINUTE VACCINATION

Feeling the Heat

Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard is on the verge of becoming the first player in NBA history to suffer a career-ending violation via video game.

Already recovering from an injury, the nine-year NBA veteran took to live-streaming video games last week and dropped an anti-Semitic comment that set the internet -- as well as NBA executives and fans -- on fire.

Leonard released an apology and the Heat immediately suspended him and condemned the player's behavior. Now Miami must decide whether to cut Leonard in the last year of his contract and pay the $4.8 million buyout. However, his $10 million option for next season is in doubt.

It's a costly mistake for a 29-year-old to make, but he isn't alone in the sports world. NASCAR driver Kyle Larson lost his job for using a racist remark after winning a virtual NASCAR race during the pandemic.

It just goes to show that playing video games really can ruin real life.

SEE HOW MUCH LEONARD'S SLIP WILL COST HIM AND THE HEAT