Newsletter Mar 29, 2021

A vaccine passport could be your ticket to everything from air travel to concerts if the Biden administration can successfully launch the program.

3 Things
  • Passport, please: With more than 100 million Americans getting the COVID-19 vaccine and that number growing at a rate of more than 2 million inoculations per day, confusion is mounting over how to tell the difference between who has and hasn't received their shots.

    As Americans try to merge back into the normal lane, there are obvious concerns about allowing the uninoculated to prematurely put the pedal to the metal. Especially due to the recent surge in cases and the continuing spread of potentially vaccine--resistant variants.

    The Biden administration is on it, coordinating efforts to develop and launch a vaccine passport that will allow users to provide instant and verifiable proof they've been given the green light. Best of all, the information can be stored and scan on a cell phone for easy access.

    Although the dynamics of how the system will work are still in the early stages, the concept is to open certain activities to those who have been inoculated, like international travel and special events that don't lend themselves to social distancing. Just think of it as a VIP pass -- as in Vaccinated Individual Privileges. 

    SEE HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO GET A VACCINE PASSPORT

  • Slowing the flow: The Biden administration has adopted a new strategy in hopes of stemming the ever-growing tide of Central American migrants to the southern border -- stop it at the source.

    The U.S. has sent envoys to Guatemala and Mexico to work with local officials to prevent caravans of immigrants en route to the U.S. before they arrive. The caravans, which are made of mostly of migrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, have been pouring through Mexico seeking asylum since Biden entered office.

    "That's why we are reinforcing our presence" in the southern Chiapas state," one Mexican official said, "to prevent children and adolescents being used as 'passports' to reach the border."

    In February alone, US border agents tallied some 100,000 undocumented migrants reaching the southern border, including some 9,500 unaccompanied minors, a 28% increase from January. The US government is bracing for a 20-year high in arrivals.

    FIND OUT HOW EFFECTIVE THIS NEW STRATEGY COULD BE

  • Face two-faced: Abraham Lincoln had a great comeback to a woman who once called him "two-faced" during his debates with Stephen Douglas: "If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?”

    Politicians could pull off double speak in the days of "Honest Abe," before digital media allowed one's words to heard around the world in real time. But that hasn't stopped them from changing their tune to please the audience at hand, even if it means playing fast and loose with the facts. Now their words are starting to catch up with them.

    After former President Donald Trump called the Jan. 6 Capitol riots "zero threat" and said the insurrectionists were "hugging and kissing" police (not beating them with flag poles and spraying them with toxic chemicals like everyone saw on TV). Former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney suddenly found the spine to call Trump's comments "manifestly false." Even the media is getting called out as Fox News is facing a $1.6 billion lawsuit for airing Trump and his cronies' lies.

    But it isn't just the right adjusting their messaging to the post-Trump era. Dr. Deborah Birx now says hundreds of thousands of COVID deaths could have been prevented if not for Trump's inaction, raising the obvious question of why she didn't speak out at the time.

    It's another reminder that public officials are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts -- especially when they're on video.

    SEE WHO ELSE IS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR PAST LIES

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Cargo hold-up

How many days and tug boats does it take to move a 200,000-ton cargo ship from the Suez Canal? At least six days and 14 tugs -- and counting

Efforts continued into Sunday night to free the MV Ever Green container ship that has been blocking the Suez Canal since Tuesday. Workers had high hopes that the arrival of more tug boats and a higher than average tide might be able to end the six-day saga that has cost billions of dollars.

The MV Ever Given, which is longer than four football fields, has been blocking the waterway in both directions, delaying shipments of a wide variety of goods. Experts estimate that the logjam is costing exporters -- and eventually consumers -- $400 million dollars per hour in delays.

While Egyptian officials hope to have the vessel ungrounded and reopen up the canal to traffic for awaiting cargo ships, a lot of damage has already been done. The impact on international trade could be coming to a grocery store near you in the form of product shortages like toilet paper, coffee and other household items Americans take for granted.

FIND OUT THE SLOW PROGRESS OF CLEARING THE SUEZ CANAL


'I do ... burp!'

The yearlong coronavirus pandemic has created a backlog of weddings that had to be put on hold or held without guests, but three lucky couples are receiving a unique wedding venue from an unlikely source -- beer.

Busch Beer, the lower-end brew from the Anheuser-Busch family, announced it is giving away three all-inclusive weddings this July at one of its company farms in Idaho or South Dakota. The social media announcement was met with enthusiasm from betrothed-on-hold couples.

In addition to a socially distanced venue that can hold up to 100 guests, Busch is throwing in a wedding planner, photographer, makeup artists and flowers. For the reception, there will be a wedding cake, a DJ or band, and food and drinks (non-alcoholic, so you'll have to BYOBusch). There's even $1,500 per couple to use for wedding expenses or a honeymoon.

Interested couples can enter for the chance to win a Busch-league wedding by responding to Busch's social media posts with the hashtag #BuschFarmWedding and telling how Busch brought them together.

CHECK OUT HOW TO SAY 'I DO' TO A BUSCH FARM WEDDING


Spring (out)break

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" returned after more than a month off, and the Not-Ready-For-Primetime Players had plenty of comedic ammo saved up to take some shots COVID rules violators, especially spring breakers.

"SNL" veteran Maya Rudolph carried the cold open as host of a game show called “Snatched! Vaxed! or Waxed!” for spring breakers looking for random hookups despite the danger of contracting the deadly disease.

Rudolph also revived some of her most popular characters, including Vice President Kamala Harris along with her lesser-known husband and stepdaughter. Aidy Bryant’s Ted Cruz and Cecily Strong's Marjorie Taylor Greene characters show up for Seder and things get very interesting.

The long-running comedy show struck a serious tone during "Weekend Update" to address the recent spate of violence against Asian Americans.

CATCH ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LATEST "SNL" EPISODE


Suez serenade

The Suez Canal opened to great fanfare in 1867, including a famous opera piece that has stood the test of time. Name it and the composer 

(Friday's answer: Bethlehem, Pa., the hometown of the famed Easter candy, rings in New Year's by dropping a five-foot, 400-pound Peep.)

SEND YOUR ANSWER HERE TO SHOW OFF YOUR KNOWLEDGE

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