Newsletter Mar 15, 2021

The COVID pandemic has overshadowed another national crisis on the southern border, and now the Biden administration is forced to address it.

3 Things

Border disorder: While President Joe Biden has focused all his energy on getting pandemic relief to million of Americans, another festering crisis has cropped up along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Unaccompanied minors have showing up in increasing droves seeking asylum in the U.S., creating a logjam of new cases and those carried over from the Trump administration. February saw a 21-month high of 9.457 unaccompanied minors held at facilities
Biden ordered FEMA to the border over the weekend to provide humanitarian aid to the growing number of migrant children. The move comes after DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' March 1 announcement that it would explore "lawful pathways" for families separated under the Trump administration to reunite in the U.S.
"Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children," Mayorkas said Saturday.
FIND OUT HOW BIDEN PLANS TO DEAL WITH THE BORDER

Feeling stimulated?: You might want to check your bank account this morning. If you are eligible to receive the $1,400 stimulus check that was signed into law last week, you may already be a winner.
The Treasury Department confirmed that it began processing the stimulus payments over the weekend, and the first wave of checks have already started posting electronically. Those counting on paper checks to be mailed will have to wait by the mailbox for a few weeks.
The payments are part of Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that Congress passed last week to deal with coronavirus pandemic relief. The bill sends $1,400 for single taxpayers earning less than $75,000 ($2,800 for married couples filing jointly and making less than $150,000), as well an additional $1,400 per dependent.
The act also addresses unemployment benefits, vaccination programs, school reopenings, funding for state and local governments and more. Zero Republicans supported the bill.
FIND OUT WHEN YOUR STIMULUS CHECK WILL ARRIVE

Three-foot rule?: Divided Americans could be getting closer in the near future (physically speaking, that is, not necessarily politically).
On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci addressed a possible change to the long-held social distancing decree that says people should maintain 6 feet of personal space. That rule could be cut in half to 3 feet.
The potential move would go a long way toward allowing schools to reopen. The current distance restrictions create issues with classroom size, bus seating capacity, cafeterias and other common areas, but this change could conceivably double the number of school children safely allowed within an enclosed space.
The news comes after a new study shows "no substantial difference in the number of cases of Covid-19 among either students or staff" between those observing the 3- and 6-foot rules when all wore masks. The CDC is expected to issue new regulation as the country continues to make advances in vaccinations and spread prevention.
SEE WHAT OTHER RULE CHANGES THE CDC IS CONSIDERING

Markets

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Euro	1.20	-0.03%
* As of market close

Queen Bee crowned

Beyonce's title of "Queen Bee" became official Sunday night when she won her 28th Grammy, surpassing Alison Krause for the all-time record.

Beyonce claimed for the honor after picking up the award for best female artist. She teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion to win two others for best rap performance and best rap song for their collaboration on â€œSavage."

"This is so overwhelming," Beyonce told a ballroom of socially distanced fellow nominees and performers. "I've been working my whole life, since 9 years old, and I can't believe this happened. It's such a magical night."

Cardi B turned up the heat with her performance of "WAP" on a stage modeled after a giant bed, and Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, DaBaby and Taylor Swift turned in strong performances. Swift also grabbed the award for Artist of the Year for her surprise pandemic project "folklore" and Billie Eillish's hit "Everything I Wanted" won for Record of the Year.

SEE ALL THE BIG WINNERS FROM THE 63RD ANNUAL GRAMMYS

'Thank you very much'

Music memorabilia collectors are getting itchy bidding fingers over the chance to own a red-hot piece of rock 'n' roll history -- Elvis Presley's iconic flaming red Hagstrom Viking II guitar -- at an upcoming auction.

The same guitar "The King" famously played in his 1968 "Comeback Special" is hitting the auction block March 27 to the delight of dedicated Elvis collectors. The starting bid of $250,000 is expected to approach the $1 million range, and the winning bidder will even get the sheet music.

Kruse GWS Auctions, which specializes in celebrity-owned assets, has some other hand-raising items up for sale, including Michael Jackson's studded glove (only one, of course), Elizabeth Taylor's earrings (a gift from one of her many ex-husbands?) and the 1950 Cadillac Fleetwood from "The Godfather" (just make them an offer they can't refuse).

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BID ON A PIECE OF MUSICAL HISTORY

Bracket busters

Even by traditional March Madness standards, this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is already off to a crazy start. Between COVID protocols keeping some teams out of the Big Dance and remote working taking all the fun out the fun of the office pool, it just doesn't feel normal.

Remember when Gonzaga used to be a Cinderella? Now undefeated at 26-0, the Zags are the No. 1 overall seed and trying to become the first undefeated team to win the national championship since Indiana in 1976.

Another oddity involves teams that didn't make the Big Dance. Perennial powers Duke and Kentucky, who own a combined 13 national championships, failed to make the field for the first time since 1976

The other No. 1 seeds are Baylor, Illinois and Michigan, but home region advantage won't play a factor. This year's Big Dance takes place all within the state of Indiana and gets under way Thursday with play-in games.

CHECK OUT THE FULL FIELD AND THEIR ODDS TO WIN IT ALL