Three Quick Things:

🗄️ Cabinet Confirmations

• Judge Merrick Garland was confirmed by the Senate as President Biden’s attorney general in a 70-30 vote. Garland was former President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court in 2016, which was blocked by the GOP-led Senate. (Left of Center | Right of Center).
• Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) was confirmed by the Senate as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in a 66-34 vote. (Left of Center | Right of Center) 
• Michael Regan was confirmed by the Senate as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in a 66-34 vote, becoming the first Black man to lead the agency. (Left of Center | Right of Center)

📝 House Approves COVID Relief

The House approved the $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill yesterday by a near party-line vote of 220-211. (One D joined all present R in voting against.)

• Among other things, the legislation includes a one-time payment of $1,400 to most American adults, an extension of $300 weekly emergency unemployment benefits into early September, and extra funding for schools, vaccination efforts, specific industries, and state and local governments. (Full breakdown)

The bill now heads to the White House, where President Biden said he will sign it into law on Friday.

☀️ The Sunshine Protection Act

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill yesterday to establish permanent Daylight Savings Time in the U.S.

• The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 would make it so that come November, Americans don’t have to “fall back” and adjust their clocks – or do so ever again in the future after the U.S. “springs forward” on March 14 (this Sunday).

More: 16 states have already passed legislation to keep Daylight Savings Time year-round, but a federal statute is required for states to enact the change.

Even More: Proponents say the bill would reduce risks for cardiac issues, stroke, and seasonal depression, and reduce the number of robberies in the U.S. by 27% according to a factsheet from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the bill’s main sponsor.

⏰ Catch Up Quick:

⚖️ Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri was found not guilty by a jury of two misdemeanor charges she incurred while covering a BLM protest last May, in a potentially landmark decision for journalists. (Left of Center | Right of Center)

🙏 A Malaysian court ruled that non-Muslim publications can use the word “Allah” to refer to God, overturning a 35-year ban unique to Malaysia. (Left of Center | Right of Center)

☝️ 1 Last Thing... 

🚨One year ago today, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic.

🐦 No More Russian Around

Russia’s government began slowing the speed of Twitter on all cellphones and half of stationary devices (I.e., desktop computers) yesterday after the country’s communications watchdog said the company failed to remove illegal content.

• In a statement, the agency claimed it had identified nearly 3,200 unlawful posts that have not been taken down, citing calls to commit suicide by minors, child pornography, and information on drug use.

More: Russian officials reportedly said the move would affect photo and video content but not text posts, and could eventually be applied to other online services, including Facebook.

📁 Facebook’s Anti-Antitrust Brief

Facebook filed a brief with a federal judge yesterday seeking to dismiss antitrust lawsuits brought last December by the FTC and attorneys general of 46 states, marking the company’s first legal action to address their claims.

• The antitrust suit claims Facebook has unlawfully preserved monopoly status by freezing out or buying up potential competitors.
• Facebook argued that enforcers failed to show it has a monopoly, and waited too long to challenge its acquisitions of Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014).

📈 New Kid on the Blox

Shares of Roblox rose more than 54% yesterday as the company made its public debut on the NYSE via direct listing.

• The company set a reference point of $45 per share on Tuesday, which rose to $69.50 per share by the end of trading yesterday (valuing the company at just over $45B).

More: How independent game developers built a $30B+ platform.

⏰ Catch Up Quick:

🛬 GE announced plans to wind down GE Capital, its financial services division, after officially agreeing to combine its jet-leasing unit - GE Capital Aviation Services - with Dublin-based rival AeroCap in a deal worth more than $30B.

💰 Goldman Sachs announced a $10B commitment to “Black Womenomics” over the next ten years. The company says the project will disburse equity or grants to initiatives that will impact one million Black women.

☝️ 1 Last Thing…

Image: Vertical Aerospace

Rolls-Royce technology will be used to power the all-electric VA-X4 aircraft from UK-based company Vertical Aerospace. It's Rolls Royce's “first commercial deal” in the urban mobility sector.

• The VA-X4 vehicle will be able to transport four passengers - and a pilot - over a distance of 120 miles with cruise speeds of more than 200 MPH.

☕️❤️Coffee With A Purpose

About 77,000 people a year experience homelessness in Chicago, often without coats or supplies to make it through the frigid winters.

• Thanks to local coffee shop owner Peter Thomas, many will be staying a little warmer this year.

Images: Instagram

Peter started Coffee with a Purpose seven years ago, establishing a mission to “give back and revive people’s faith in humanity.”

• Every other week, Peter and his team of volunteers make a trip to homeless communities around Chicago to open up their “shop” of winter goods.
• The team provides over 5,000 coats a year along with hats, blankets, gloves, and personal hygiene kits – all free of charge.
• Peter always supplies freshly brewed coffee, often sharing a cup and conversation with the people he meets.

“I like using coffee as a tool of motivation to fuel and ignite people to soar beyond their expectations and just soar beyond society’s expectations. Coffee with a Purpose is my way to get people to do that for the good… to do something better for themselves.”