IN CONGRESS Let's *save* that bill for another *time*: 
© Giphy The House is considering whether to take up the Senate’s bill to make daylight saving time permanent. The bill already has bipartisan support in the House. https://bit.ly/3ifi5bX
^ But it is certainly not a priority — what we know about timing: “[I]t’s unclear when – or if – the lower chamber will take up the legislation as leaders punt the effort to the back burner in favor of other pressing matters, including responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
I think most Americans would agree with this sentiment: House members appear to be caught off-guard with the Senate’s unanimous consent to pass the bill on Tuesday.
How this debate could play out: https://bit.ly/3ifi5bX
Where does Biden stand on the issue?: “ ‘I was trying to think of a joke. I couldn’t think of one,’ [White House press secretary Jen Psaki] says, when asked if the administration has a position on eliminating Daylight Saving Time. She does note that President Biden is more of an evening person.” (Via The Washington Post’s Matt Viser) https://bit.ly/3CR4Is7
A helpful visual of with and without daylight saving time: Vox tweeted a visual from blogger and cartographer Andy Woodruff: https://bit.ly/3u8dUUX
Here’s another perspective — sleep experts prefer standard time over daylight saving time: The Washington Post’s Allyson Chiu writes, “Sleep experts say Senate has it wrong: Standard time, not daylight saving, should be permanent.” https://wapo.st/36nXRtS
^ Part of the reasoning, via Johns Hopkins University’s David Neubauer: “With daylight saving time, we are perpetually out of synchronization with our internal clocks and we often achieve less nighttime sleep … The later dawn during daylight saving time deprives our biological clocks of the critical light signal.” https://wapo.st/36nXRtS Happy St. Patrick’s Day and the tipoff to March Madness! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.
You might notice today's issue looks a bit different! Thanks for being a loyal reader. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive 12:30 Report in your inbox daily. THE LATEST IN UKRAINE: Getting traction — this is difficult to read:
The Associated Press’s Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka and Lori Hinnant describe the situation in Mariupol, Ukraine: https://bit.ly/3wepdgV
“The bodies of the children all lie here, dumped into this narrow trench hastily dug into the frozen earth of Mariupol to the constant drumbeat of shelling.”
“There’s 18-month-old Kirill, whose shrapnel wound to the head proved too much for his little toddler’s body. There’s 16-year-old Iliya, whose legs were blown up in an explosion during a soccer game at a school field. There’s the girl no older than 6 who wore the pajamas with cartoon unicorns, among the first of Mariupol’s children to die from a Russian shell.”
The full story: https://bit.ly/3wepdgV 'HERE'S EVERYTHING THE US IS SENDING TO URKAINE'S MILITARY': Yesterday, President Biden announced $800 million in new aid for Ukraine. Via The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell, here’s a list of specifically what is being sent: https://bit.ly/3IkoBZm IN THE WHITE HOUSE The Irish prime minister is in DC for St. Patrick’s Day — and tested positive for COVID-19 last night: 
© Brian Lawless/PA via AP Via Politico’s Myah Ward, “Irish Prime Minister [Micheál] Martin tested positive for Covid on Wednesday night and had to leave the Ireland Funds Gala event, where he was photographed sitting maskless beside Speaker Nancy Pelosi [(D-Calif.)].” https://politi.co/35Z9Azq
Keep in mind — Biden spoke at that event: The Washington Post’s John Hudson reports: “I’m told that President Biden interacted with the Taoiseach (who has tested positive for COVID) just before the dinner started at the National Building Museum tonight. A White House official says he was not a close contact. That’s defined as being in vicinity for 15 minutes +.” https://bit.ly/37IgXM9
This complicates today’s schedule: Martin had a day of events planned with President Biden. Their meeting will now be virtual.
By the way: Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Vice President Harris has tested negative so far. https://bit.ly/3KUYB90
Happening tomorrow — let’s chat about the Russian elephant in the room:
Via The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant, President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak tomorrow to discuss the situation in Ukraine. https://bit.ly/3tiZcex
Keep in mind: Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart in Rome last week amid reports of Russia asking China for assistance. LATEST WITH COVID-19 I swear the virus watched us take off our masks and said, ‘challenge accepted’: Via CBS News, “Just as Americans start taking off their masks, the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is quickly spreading across the United States, making up nearly a quarter of new COVID-19 infections, health officials estimate.”
Keep in mind: “BA.2 is about 30% more transmissible than Omicron, but it does not appear to be more severe. And despite the spread of the new sub-variant, U.S. daily cases and hospitalizations continue to drop while deaths plateau.” https://cbsn.ws/3wjKVjA
Helpful read — ‘This key indicator may determine how bad a BA.2 wave could be in the US’: Via CNN’s Brenda Goodman and Deidre McPhillips: https://cnn.it/3JmH4Wy
CASE NUMBERS:
Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 79,632,049
VACCINATION NUMBERS:
Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 557 million shots have been given.
Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 95,454 doses
For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million.
Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH NOTABLE TWEETS That ‘Star Trek’ character looks a lot like Stacey Abrams!: 
© AP/Butch Dill The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein tweeted, “Yes, that was Stacey Abrams with a cameo on Star Trek Discovery as president of United Earth. A proud Star Trek nerd, Abrams has appeared as a guest on fan shows and has talked extensively about how the show shaped her perspective.” Photos of Abrams in Star Trek: Discovery: https://bit.ly/37Fj0Av
It is the wild, wild west in the UK Parliament:
@PeteKennedy tweeted: “Hilarious moment in the House of Lords just now. A Lord was banned from speaking because he had been asleep through most of the debate. Never seen anything like it!” Watch: https://bit.ly/3wkPaM1 ⏱ ON TAP: The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.
9:30 a.m. EDT: President Biden received the President’s Daily Brief.
11:35 a.m. EDT: Vice President Harris ceremonially swore in Shalanda Young as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
1 p.m. EDT: The Hill is hosting a virtual event, “The Future of Education.” Featured speakers: Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) and Govs. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Chris Sununu (R-N.H.). Details and how to RSVP: https://bit.ly/3i4uCia 📺 WHAT TO WATCH: 11 a.m. EDT: President Biden held a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. Keep in mind, this meeting is now virtual after Martin tested positive for COVID-19. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3KOlTgw
12:10 p.m. EDT: President Biden delivers remarks at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon hosted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Livestream: https://bit.ly/3wfAYDG
2 p.m. EDT: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3KQPmX9
5 p.m. EDT: President Biden and first lady Jill Biden host a St. Patrick’s Day event. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3MYR1Mo IN LIGHTER NEWS: 
© Giphy Today is National Irish Food Day. That’s great because all I want today is corned beef, cabbage, soda bread and a Guinness!
And because you read this far, here’s a panda who doesn’t have … the best … coordination: https://bit.ly/3u3w5Lm
|
