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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Federal prosecutors say they have enough evidence to bring charges of sedition against some of the rioters who invaded the Capitol Building on January 6.

Meanwhile, The U.S. government missed a major chance to make coronavirus vaccines more accessible for all

And lastly, Biden’s Defense Secretary makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan, while the administration weighs how to continue or end our country’s destructive foreign policy there.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Federal prosecutors say they have enough evidence to bring charges of sedition against some of the rioters who invaded the Capitol Building on January 6.

Michael R. Sherwin, a federal prosecutor who had been leading the Justice Department’s inquiry into the riots, said on 60 minutes on Sunday that he thinks he has the goods to actually bring that charge, which is exclusively used for the crime of attempting to overthrow the government. That’s not particularly common, just so we’re on the same page. Sherwin said, “I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements. I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that.”

I know that’s a lot of legalese, but if you consider how ambiguous federal prosecutors usually are about a lot of this stuff, it’s pretty telling that Sherwin is even humoring that idea.

Sherwin also said he was actually at the riots, observing them in civilian clothing as they unfolded on January 6. He stepped down from leading the investigation in early March, turning things over to a different prosecutor.

The New York Times points out that the last time the Justice Department actually charged someone with Sedition was in 2010, when they accused members of a militia in Michigan of plotting to fight the government. So far, the government has charged over 400 rioters in connection to the January 6 storming, but Sherwin said only about 10 percent of those are more

serious cases involving the militia guys, which is probably where we can expect sedition charges to land again. Funny how it’s always the militia guys these days!

Government Won't Pressure Drug Companies

The New York Times has an interesting and tragic story about the rollout of vaccines worldwide.

The specific patent that allows for the production of most of the coronavirus vaccines is going to be issued in a few days. It pertains to molecular engineering that was actually developed years ago, and will actually be issued to the U.S. government.

The government, in turn, has let major drug companies use this technology freely, as well as showering them with money. But the Times points out that the one thing it did not do was ensure that the drug companies would share their recipes for vaccines built on the back of this patent and force them to sign production contracts that ensured that poorer countries got doses too.

In other words, because the U.S. controls the patent that makes vaccines possible, it could use that leverage to make sure that the drug companies spread the wealth around to poorer countries. But so far it hasn’t.

Instead, what has happened is very clear. The world swarmed over every available dose, and the richest countries came out on top, because they could pay the drug companies more. Here’s how Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist described it;

“It was like a run on toilet paper. Everybody was like, ‘Get out of my way. I’m gonna get that last package of Charmin. We just ran for the doses.”

That’s a pretty fitting analogy. But instead of having some uncomfortable bathroom experiences, the drawbacks on a global scale are the fact that millions of people in less fortunate countries will have to wait months if not years for the vaccine, as they continue to die because once again, Western greed has won.

Defense Sec Drops Into Afghanistan

Freshly minted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, arriving in the country just weeks before the Biden administration faces one of its biggest foreign policy tests.

Austin landed in Kabul and then immediately choppered off to meetings with Afghan President Ashraf [AHSH-RAF] Ghani, U.S. diplomat Ross Wilson and Army Gen. Austin Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, according to the Washington Post.

Austin’s presence there is a pretty clear sign that the U.S. is desperately trying to find the most acceptable end-point to the no-win situation in Afghanistan. Military leaders have been cautioning that if the U.S. removes its last troops much of the country will fall once again to the Taliban, but leaving them there means prolonging the nearly two decades of war that we started.

Turkey announced that it would hold a peace summit between Afghan government and Taliban leaders in April, which was requested by U.S. officials.

The Trump administration negotiated the original deal to withdraw troops, but did not include a provision that said the Afghan government and Taliban needed to have a peace deal before U.S. troops left.

The last troops are supposed to be out by May 1. The Biden administration has not definitively said one way or another what they’re going to do about that deadline.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

Miami Beach was forced to extend its city-wide state of emergency until April 11 as police cleared streets packed with spring break revellers, disregarding any coronavirus protocols. City officials have instituted a curfew as well to deal with the overwhelming influx of spring breakers.

Friday quietly marked the 18th anniversary of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, one of the most globally destructive acts in modern history. The U.S. still has at least 2,500 troops stationed in the country.

Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railroads announced a plan on Sunday to combine, in a $29 billion deal that would create the first super-railroad between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The New York Times reports that the companies are hoping to capitalize on a boom in trade once the pandemic ends.

Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas [MAY-YORK-AS] went on a media onslaught on Sunday, appearing on most of the major networks and vociferously defending the administration’s border policies, which are crumbling under the strain of another spring influx of refugees and migrants. Keep an eye on this one this week.

MAR 22, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn