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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

An international dispute highlights how little wealthy countries are contributing to the vaccination effort outside their borders. Poor nations could be waiting years to catch up.

Meanwhile, the feds are honing in on members of two extremist groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, as they prosecute the Capitol insurrectionists. Newly revealed messages show the groups’ plans for violence were both detailed and ambitious.

And lastly, a journalist in Iowa was acquited yesterday after being arrested and charged for doing her job covering a protest last summer. Press freedom groups are hailing the verdict.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Are rich countries hoarding vaccines? The Washington Post reports that the European Union is defending itself against accusations of vaccine nationalism, highlighting its role in producing coronavirus vaccines for export and calling out the United States and Britain for not similarly sharing with the world. The EU came under heavy criticism after member Italy blocked the export of two hundred and fifty thousand AstraZeneca doses to Australia last week, citing vaccine shortages and delayed supplies. But now the EU is emphasizing that just one shipment was held back, while two hundred and fifty seven others have gone out. European Council President Charles Michel contrasted the European approach with that in the United States and Britain, which he singled out for having QUOTE imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines ENDQUOTE.

The EU, the United States and Britain have all invested heavily in coronavirus vaccine research and development, according to the Post. They are also key backers of Covax, a program co-led by the World Health Organization that primarily aims to secure equitable access to vaccines for poorer nations. President Joe Biden last month pledged $4 billion to the program over the next years – more than any other nation has vowed to donate. Still, high-income countries have so far bought up the majority of available vaccine doses, purchasing fifty five percent of coronavirus vaccine supplies worldwide, even though they

represent only sixteen percent of the global population, according to data collected by Duke University. Some poorer nations may still have to wait years for sufficient supplies.

Separately, the Post reports, President Biden announced yesterday that his administration will secure an additional one hundred million doses of the single-shot vaccine developed by Johnson and Johnson. Hopefully as production increases the poor aren’t left unvaccinated and vulnerable, not to mention contagious.

Prosecutors Expose Insurrectionist Plots

This Associated Press story brings us new details on the Capitol insurrection. Members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by Donald Trump on January 6th, officials say. They’d been laying attack plans. And their internal communications show how authorities are trying to build a case that small cells hidden within the masses mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy.

The Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers make up a fraction of the more than three hundred Trump supporters charged so far in the siege, the AP reports. But several of their leaders, members and associates have become the central targets of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation. It could mean more serious criminal charges for some rioters. The Oath Keepers began readying for violence as early as last November, authorities say. Communications show the group discussing logistics, weapons and training, including two days of wargames. Hours after the siege, Oath Keepers associate Thomas Caldwell was already talking about another attack. Caldwell said in a message to a friend QUOTE If we’d had guns I guarantee we would have killed one hundred politicians. They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were ENDQUOTE.

Nine people linked to the Oath Keepers have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the siege, according to the AP. At least eleven leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys charged in the riots are accused by the Justice Department of participating in a coordinated attack. Several from both groups remain in federal custody while awaiting trial. Trump may have escaped accountability, but his loyal minions may not be so lucky.

Reporter Beats Police Rap

Andrea Sahouri, the Iowa journalist who was arrested as she reported on racial justice protests last summer, was found not guilty in a case that drew widespread condemnation from free press organizations, USA Today reports. Sahouri, a Des Moines Register reporter, was acquitted yesterday of both misdemeanor charges against her, failure to disperse and interference with official acts. Both carried up to thirty days in jail. Sahouri, who covers public safety, was on assignment May 31 at a protest. Sahouri was with her then- boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, who was there for her safety. Robnett was also acquitted of both charges. Sahouri said QUOTE I’m thankful to the jury for doing the right thing. Their decision upholds freedom of the press and justice in our democracy ENDQUOTE.

Sahouri testified Tuesday that she was a journalist on assignment determined to cover the historic protests unfolding in Des Moines, USA Today reports. She said she immediately identified herself as a reporter when first approached by the officer who arrested her. But she was pepper sprayed and handcuffed after the officer told her, QUOTE That's not what I asked ENDQUOTE.

Prosecutors with the Polk County Attorney's Office tried to cast the case narrowly, according to USA Today. They said Sahouri's status as a journalist reporting on the scene was not relevant to whether she committed the acts. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, Sahouri was one of just over a dozen reporters still facing charges for their arrests during the summer protests. More than one hundred and twenty reporters were arrested or detained in 2020, but in most cases, prosecutors dropped the charges. Let this verdict be a lesson to them that the free press is no pushover.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

The Senate voted to confirm Merrick Garland yesterday to serve as attorney general. Garland was confirmed seventy to thirty by senators. He is expected to be sworn in at the Justice Department today. Separately, the Senate voted sixty six to thirty four to confirm Ohio Representative Marcia Fudge as secretary of housing and urban development. She is the first black woman to lead the agency in more than forty years.

House Democrats have approved a bill that would provide protections for workers trying to organize, NPR reports. Union leaders say the PRO Act would begin to level a playing field that is unfairly tilted toward big business. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called on the Senate to pass the bill, saying QUOTE It was the trade union movement that built the middle class, and it will be the trade union movement that will rebuild the middle class once again ENDQUOTE.

A former employee of a Panda Express in Santa Clarita, California alleges she was required to strip down to her underwear and hug a partially clad co-worker during a cult-like ritual at a training seminar, the Orange County Register reports. Oscar Ramirez, the woman’s attorney, said she is suing to send a message that Panda Express must stop requiring its employees to undergo horrific psychological abuse and harassment to be promoted. Sounds bad, even by the standards of corporate America.

China and Russia have agreed to jointly build a research station on the moon, the Washington Post reports. The lunar base will be open to all interested international partners, according to a statement from the China National Space Administration. The announcement did not give a target date for when the station will be complete. If I were betting, I’d say before Elon Musk gets to Mars.

MAR 11, 2021 - AM QUCKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn