5 News Stories from March 2021 — A Quick Look

While many of these stories made headlines across America in March, some might have missed updates on these stories.

#1 — New York, NY Senators Move to Limit the Governor’s Powers

A cloud hangs over the Governor’s office as accusers mount. Although many political figures and celebrities have called for Governor Cuomo to resign, he has shown no inclination to do so or even respond to these calls.

However, both houses within the State Legislature voted to remove the restricted powers they allowed him during the pandemic, typically used only by lawmakers in the State Legislature. His only power before the pandemic was to sign laws after the legislature approved them.

The Assembly voted 107 to 43, and the Senate followed suit with a 43 to 20 vote to restrict Governor Cuomo's powers going forward.

YouTube video uploaded by NBC New York says, “Andrew Cuomo Accused of Sexual Harassment by 2nd Aide as Resignation Calls Mount”

#2 — Coronavirus Updates Across the States

On 2 March, Texas Governor Greg Abbott moved to lift the state’s mask mandates and return all businesses to 100%. Although the Texas Governor was loudly criticized by many for the move, Mississippi Governor Reeves announced they would do the same on 3 March.

Many believe this is premature given that less than ten percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine has just started to roll out. In fact, the first J&J vaccine was administered on 3 March.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stated, “I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19.”

Although it appears the vaccines are helping, the new variants are spreading rapidly across the US, and there is no clear evidence the vaccine will work against these. It does appear, though, that the antibodies in current vaccines could.

President Biden signed the $1.9T Stimulus Package into law on 11 March in the Oval Office. The package would pay most Americans a $1,400 stipend for each dependent.

#3 — Asian-Americans Attacked Across the USA

Suddenly, you cannot read a newspaper headline or online news story without seeing a report about an Asian-American being attacked. Why are we reading such things as A Chinese man was stabbed just outside Chinatown in Manhattan?

A Chinese mother looked on in horror as a white male in Queens spat on her daughter. According to police data, incidents of Asian-American hate crimes are up across America, not just in New York, NY.

In San Francisco, an Asian-American woman was attacked but fought back and put the attacker in the hospital. A Go-Fund-Me account was established and raised nearly $1 million for her, which she will donate to a charity to “combat racism against Asians.”

#4 — Controversial Voting Laws Passed

In several states, Republicans at the state level are passing controversial voting laws that will affect the 2022 elections and beyond.

In Georgia, for instance, the state legislature passed a law making it illegal to provide voters waiting to vote water or food, regardless of their political affiliation. They called it “voter intimidation.” Yet, forcing potential voters to stand out in the Georgia sun without water is not?

The Republican Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds, passed a law to limit early voting to 20 days and close the polls one hour earlier. Every Republican present voted for the bill, while all the Democrats voted against it. Perhaps, self-preservation pushed the state GOP and Governor into approving the measure since Iowa saw voters in 2020 at record numbers.

President Biden countered with an executive order (EO), which will greatly increase voter rights. His newest EO will restore voting rights to former felons, increase mail-in eligibility and early voting, and make voting generally easier for all Americans.

#5 — Atlanta Spa Shootings

In Atlanta, GA, on 17 March, a lone male assailant targeted three massage parlors around the city, shot and killed four people while injuring others (mostly Asian-American women). He claims the shootings were not racially motivated but were retribution for his “sexual addiction.”

He claims he had plans to broaden his assault over several states, but luckily, he was apprehended before he could carry out any more attacks. He faces four counts of first-degree murder and aggravated assault, though other charges, such as “hate crimes” could be added.

The state charge of hate crimes could become a reality soon since seven victims out of eight were women, and six were Asians.

Takeaways

Hopefully, attacks on non-white American residents will stop immediately. Regardless of government mandates, if you believe you should wear a mask, you have every right to do so.

However, if you are at risk, you should stay home as much as possible and limit contact with potential carriers because the mask will not protect you from getting the coronavirus; it will only help keep you from spreading it.

References:

The NBCNews.com website, Texas and Mississippi to lift mask mandates and roll back Covid restrictions.

The NewsBreak.com article, How the New $1.9T Stimulus Package Will Affect Maine.

The NYTimes.com article, Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges So Rare?

The desmoinesregister.com article, Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law shortening Iowa's early and Election Day voting

The Gothamist.com article, There Was No Deal: Legislature Set To Rescind Cuomo's Expanded Emergency Powers.

The 11alive.com article, One week since Atlanta spa shootings: What we know.