5 things you need to know before March 5th: Coronavirus, Incentive, Immigration, Hong Kong, Ethiopia

The Senate debate over the Covid-19 emergency relief bill, called the US recovery plan, is set to get off to a serious start today after some theatrical events on the Senate floor yesterday. GOP Senator Ron Johnson forced Senate clerks to read aloud the 628-page bill, a pit stop that lasted for hours, and now Republicans will attempt to peel Democratic votes in a process known as “voting- a-rama “. Basically, any amendment to the bill is introduced and discussed for a few minutes, after which members are given 10 minutes to vote. It’s part of the Democrats’ plan to get the bill passed quickly, but Republicans hope to distribute the Dems over parts of the bill along the way. Regardless, the Democrats want to pass it this weekend with their narrow majority in the Senate. Do you want to know what you can gain from the bill? Here is an overview of offers for different situations.

The Biden administration is urging the Supreme Court to dismiss pending “sanctuary cities” cases that restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The filing is yet another attempt to change positions taken by the Trump administration, which has waged a long battle against sanctuary cities. Lower courts were divided over a Trump-era policy that ordered the Justice Department to withhold federal money from jurisdictions over cooperation with immigration enforcement. An appeals court eventually ruled that the government could indeed withhold such funds from seven states, as well as New York City. There are three such cases on the Supreme Court’s list, and the Justice Department says it has come to an agreement with all parties involved.

China’s political elite are gathering for a summit in Beijing this week, and Hong Kong’s future is at stake. Speaking at two meetings of the China People’s Political Consultative Committee and the National People’s Congress, the NPC spokesman said the recent turmoil in Hong Kong “showed that the electoral system needs to be improved” to ensure that “patriots rule.” Proposed changes include the expansion of the Electoral Committee, a Beijing-dominated body that elects the Hong Kong leader. That is likely to weaken the influence of all pro-democracy members and transfer almost all nomination and electoral power to Beijing. The imposition of a national security law and grounds of loyalty for Hong Kong officials have caused major unrest in the self-governing city. Last weekend, 47 pro-democracy activists were charged under that new law.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says war crimes may have been committed in the Tigray region of Ethiopia after details were revealed of a massacre in the city of Dengelat last year. Witnesses told CNN that Eritrean soldiers opened fire at a religious festival, claiming the lives of priests, women, entire families and more than 20 Sunday school children. (Eritrea is a neighbor and an ally of the Ethiopian government.) Amnesty International has also claimed that Eritrean forces killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the city of Axum in November through arbitrary shelling and extrajudicial killings. crime against humanity. The Eritrea government has denied involvement in the atrocities reported by Amnesty International, but has not responded to CNN’s request for comment on the Dengelat massacre. Thousands of civilians are believed to have died since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation against leaders in the Tigray region.

Isn’t it great that the space always has something cool to look at?

Are you in the front row? From. Sit in the front RoadwayIn.

“Slightly slower, just as furious”

They will buy them on their phone, they will buy them at home.

What is something that feels illegal but isn’t?

That’s how much Square, the payments company founded and run by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has agreed to pay to acquire a majority stake in Tidal, the struggling music streaming service owned by Jay-Z.

CEO of YouTube Susan Wojcicki, who says former President Trump’s account will be restored when the threat of violence abates

Let this golden-tongued bird sing to you for the weekend. (Click here to view.)