Evening Briefing: Congress clears sweeping aid bill

March 10, 2021

Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

By Remy Tumin and Marcus Payadue

Good evening. Here's the latest.

Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times

1. A $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill is heading to President Biden's desk.

Congress gave final approval to the sweeping stimulus package that includes a vast expansion of the country's social safety net. Opposition by Republicans, who have argued the bill was bloated and unaffordable, was unanimous. Above, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol after the bill's passage.

The passage of the American Rescue Plan, which Mr. Biden is expected to sign on Friday, will result in one of the largest injections of federal aid since the Great Depression. It includes $1,400 direct payments to many Americans, extends federal jobless benefits and provides billions of dollars to distribute vaccines, among other initiatives. The legislation also contains a substantial, though temporary, expansion of health care subsidies.

The plan has been billed as the country's most ambitious antipoverty initiative in a generation. It will bring a big economic lift to middle-income families, too.

Our personal money team answered all your questions.

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Pool photo by Drew Angerer

2. Merrick Garland was confirmed as attorney general with strong bipartisan backing.

The federal judge and former prosecutor will take over a Justice Department that was battered during the Trump administration and is now confronting the heightened threat of domestic terrorism. Mr. Garland was confirmed by a 70-to-30 vote in the Senate, with 20 Republicans in support.

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In other Biden administration news, the U.S. will restart a program to allow children in Central America to apply for protection remotely. The move is an effort to deter migration north as President Biden faces increasing pressure over his treatment of young immigrants along the border with Mexico.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

3. President Biden said he planned to secure an additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year.

The goal would be to have enough single-shot vaccines on hand to vaccinate children and, if necessary, administer booster doses or reformulate the vaccine to combat emerging variants of the virus.

A closer look at the country's recent vaccine buildup shows that both the Biden and the Trump administrations deserve credit, although neither wants to grant much to the other.

Vaccine disinformation remains a threat. Black and Hispanic communities, who are already facing hurdles to getting vaccinated, are now confronting vaccine conspiracy theories online. Some activists are going door to door to offer up the facts.

Matthew Busch for The New York Times

4. Texas is open for business.

Orders requiring masks and limiting occupancy in restaurants and other businesses were lifted across the state on Wednesday, a move that federal health officials and medical experts said was premature for a state that is still in the throes of the pandemic.

Reactions were mixed. City officials in Austin said they planned to defy Gov. Greg Abbot's new orders and continue to impose a citywide mask mandate. But in San Antonio, patrons at one bar, above, removed the plexiglass dividers separating themselves from the bartenders just as the clock struck midnight Wednesday.

The Texas Rangers said they would allow full capacity for fans on opening day, April 5, the first M.L.B. team to do so.

Emily McFarlan Miller/Religion News Service

5. One of the most prominent Southern Baptists in the country — and among the most popular evangelists in the world — is leaving the denomination.

Beth Moore, an author and speaker who teaches on biblical topics to arena-size crowds, cited the "staggering" disorientation of seeing denominational leaders support Donald Trump, among other issues. In an interview with Religion News Service, Ms. Moore said that "there comes a time when you have to say, this is not who I am."

Mr. Trump, angry at his critics in the Republican Party and seeking to keep his options for raising money open, is trying to take charge of the online fund-raising juggernaut he helped create.

Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

6. China is planning for a world without American technology.

Leaders are freeing up tens of billions of dollars in loans for the country's tech industry, and they plan to increase spending on research and development by 7 percent annually. By comparison, the budget for China's military is slated to grow by 6.8 percent next year. One sector China hopes to tackle is microchips, above.

The moves come after the Trump administration angered the Communist Party leadership by restricting access to American technology for corporate giants like Huawei. Beijing anticipates that under President Biden, the U.S. will continue to challenge China's technological rise.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet next week with China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, for the Biden administration's first in-person diplomatic encounter with its chief foreign rival.

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Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times

7. One year ago this month, the city famous for never sleeping began to shut down. Retailers closed their doors. Wealthy residents fled to second homes. Late-night subway service was eliminated.

We spent months documenting a changing New York City as its economy frayed and split during the pandemic. These pictures tell a story of a city ruptured — and of resilience.

In the present day, the shuttering of Jing Fong, a cavernous red-and-gold dim sum banquet hall in the heart of Chinatown, is the latest blow to one of New York's most famous immigrant neighborhoods. "It's one of those places you always thought was going to be around," one former patron said.

David Lee/Netflix, via Associated Press

8. This year's Oscar nominations, out Monday, should be the most diverse lineup in ages.

While the best picture list remains a little wobbly, "Nomadland" director Chloé Zhao is likely to be the first woman of color nominated for best director. Chadwick Boseman, above center in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," may earn two posthumous nominations, and more broadly, people of color could claim nearly half of this year's acting nominations.

Here are our columnist's predictions.

While the U.S. film industry slowly chugs along, Hollywood has temporarily relocated to Australia. Dozens of international film productions have been lured to the country, where cases of the coronavirus are few. In turn, actors have found something resembling paradise.

The British Library

9. Is a document long dismissed as a forgery actually the oldest known biblical manuscript?

In 1883, 15 manuscript fragments found near the Dead Sea, pictured in a drawing above, caused an international sensation. Written in ancient Hebrew script, they were said to be an alternate version of the Book of Deuteronomy. But they were quickly denounced as fakes, and the fragments subsequently vanished.

Now, a young scholar is arguing that the manuscript was not only authentic but predated Deuteronomy, back to the period of the First Temple. That would make it one of the most consequential Bible-related discoveries ever.

In more modern artifacts, a collector is parting with three treasures of his stamp collection, including the world's most valuable single stamp. The collection, to be auctioned by Sotheby's, could sell for as much as $37 million.

John Edmonds for The New York Times

10. And finally, music to see us through it all.

From virtual concerts to the nightly clanging of pots and pans, music has helped create a sense of community in the pandemic. For its annual music issue, The Times Magazine delved into 19 artists and songs that matter right now. Go through the list to discover some new music, and revisit a few hits. And don't forget to turn your sound on.

The tunes include the joyful, maximalist pop of Sophie, who died in January; the melodrama of a Drake track; the melancholy of a Phoebe Bridgers song; Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's gleeful ode to sexual liberation; and music from La Doña, a would-be pop star whose E.P. dropped just as the world was shutting down.

Hope you find something to sway to tonight.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

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