Spiegel Stuff: The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Johns Hopkins University - Today marks the anniversary of the COVID lockdowns | Biden gives primetime address | Third-degree murder charge reinstated for Derek Chauvin in George Floyd case | How the pandemic turbocharged inequality | Prince William’s first public appearance since Oprah interview | Says royals ‘not a racist family’

Presented by Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs

A YEAR AGO TODAY

On March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown began and the world as we knew it changed.

What happened on March 11 last year: Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and warned of the coronavirus.

And within hours: “The NBA suspended its season after a player who had mocked the virus tested positive. The NCAA said its annual basketball tournament would take place without fans. The Dow Jones Industrial Average entered bear territory for the first time in more than a decade.” https://bit.ly/3lepGs4

This is a good point: The Hill’s Reid Wilson pointed out, “If, in the decades ahead, society decides to set aside a day to remember the year that followed, March 11 will be as appropriate a date as any. It will be a day of mourning for the 2.6 million who have already died around the globe, a fifth of whom died in the United States.”

Read Wilson’s full bird’s eye view of the past year — it's worth your time: https://bit.ly/3lepGs4

It's weird talking about the start of the pandemic in the past because it all feels SO recent. Does anyone else feel that way?

My takeaway here: stay in bed in mid-March and hide under the covers:

HAPPENING AT 8 P.M. EST — HEARING FROM THE HEAD HONCHO:

President Biden is giving his first primetime address of his presidency, marking the anniversary of the coronavirus lockdowns. What to expect: https://bit.ly/30MfNIN

It’s Thursday. 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.

Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Elevate Your Role in the Public or Private Sector

Discover how high you can rise in administration, politics, global security, and beyond with Johns Hopkins University's government studies graduate programs. Study online or in Washington, D.C.

NEWS THIS MORNING

All but one living former president — let’s play, ‘guess who?!’:

Former Presidents Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama are appearing in ads encouraging Americans to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. https://bit.ly/3laTDsP

You guessed it: Former President Trump and former first lady Melania Trump did not appear in the ad.

Watch the first, 61-second ad — also featuring former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama: https://bit.ly/3laTDsP

Watch the second, 30-second ad: https://bit.ly/3bCBbGA

Another charge for Derek Chauvin:

Via The Hill’s Marty Johnson, “A third-degree murder charge has been reinstated in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is charged with killing George Floyd last May.” https://bit.ly/3ckRrLj

What other charges is Chauvin facing: Charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter

Earlier this week: “The question of whether the charge should be reinstated initially delayed the start of jury selection in the high-profile case from Monday to Tuesday.”

Passed this morning:

Via The Hill’s Juliegrace Brufke, “The House on Thursday approved legislation aimed at strengthening background checks on firearm sales and transfers, a leading priority for Democratic lawmakers.” https://bit.ly/3bzYAsa

The vote: “The bill passed by a 237-203 vote with eight Republicans backing the measure and one Democrat voting against.”

The chances of becoming law: “Both bills are backed by the Biden administration, but the legislation faces an uphill battle in the upper chamber, where it’s unlikely to garner enough GOP support to meet the 60-vote threshold for it to be signed into law.”

MEANWHILE IN THE SENATE:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) cements himself as the key vote in the 50-50 Senate. The full story: https://bit.ly/3l7Ge51

LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

I could cry reading this — ‘America's nightmarish year is finally ending’:

Via Axios’s Sam Baker, “One year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the end of that pandemic is within reach.” https://bit.ly/3tavjdv

Putting the projections into context: “Last March, even the sunniest optimists didn’t expect the U.S. to have a vaccine by now … They certainly didn’t anticipate that over 300 million shots would already be in arms worldwide, and they didn't think the eventual vaccines, whenever they arrived, would be anywhere near as effective as these shots turned out to be.”

Axios’s conclusion: “The virus hasn’t been defeated, and may never fully go away. Getting back to ‘normal’ will be a moving target. Nothing’s over yet. But the end of the worst of it — the long, brutal nightmare of death and suffering — is getting close.”

The full story — and the list of stats is worth checking out: https://bit.ly/3tavjdv

WHERE WE STAND AFTER A YEAR — CASE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases around the globe: 118,176,526

Global death toll: 2,622,469

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 29,156,467

U.S. death toll: 529,302

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

VACCINATION NUMBERS — THE BEST NEWS TO READ:

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 95.7 million shots have been given.

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 2.17 million doses

For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million.

Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH

‘How the pandemic turbocharged inequality’:

Via The Hill’s Niv Elis, “The income gap is widening at a frantic pace one year into the pandemic, raising tough questions for policymakers as the recovery starts to take hold.” https://bit.ly/3qzR0BX

For comparison: In 2019: “The bottom 50 percent of U.S. households in 2019 accounted for just 1 percent of the country’s total wealth, while the top 10 percent owned 76 percent of assets.” In the past year: “The country’s 664 billionaires saw their wealth increase 44 percent, or $1.3 trillion, according to an analysis by Americans for Tax Fairness, a left-leaning advocacy group.”

Meanwhile with the jobless rate: “Weekly jobless claims have exceeded their pre-pandemic record every single week since last spring. More than 18 million Americans are claiming unemployment benefits of some kind or another.”

Breakdown by category: https://bit.ly/3qzR0BX

EXPERTS WARN OF LONELINESS EPIDEMIC WORSENING ALONGSIDE COVID-19:

Via The Hill’s Alicia Cohn: https://bit.ly/30zXMNC

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Elevate Your Role in the Public or Private Sector

Discover how high you can rise in administration, politics, global security, and beyond with Johns Hopkins University's government studies graduate programs. Study online or in Washington, D.C.

IN THE UK

Prince William commented on the Oprah interview:

Here is video of Prince William’s response: https://bit.ly/38vybJW

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Tidbit — time for a photo opp!:

Getting traction — I’ve seen this inspirational message make the rounds:

ON TAP:

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.

9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST: First and last votes in the House. The House’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/30A2uuM

11:30 a.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris received the President’s Daily Brief.

Noon: A roll call vote in the Senate.

1:30 p.m. EST: Another roll call vote in the Senate. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/38uoT0V

3:15 p.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris receive a weekly economic briefing.

5:15 p.m. EST: Vice President Harris ceremonially swears in Merrick Garland as attorney general.

WHAT TO WATCH:

This morning: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) held a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/30wgtln

12:30 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3qCdvGC

1:45 p.m. EST: Vice President Harris participates in a virtual meeting with Americans she met with during her first 50 days in office to discuss the COVID-19 relief package. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3licuCB

8:02 p.m. EST: President Biden addresses the nation on the anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown. Livestream: https://bit.ly/2Ne64ru

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...:

Today is National Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day. That’s oddly specific ...

Well played:

"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" edited Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to a sit-down with President Biden’s dogs, Major and Champ. It’s pretty funny — watch: https://on.today.com/38vaQIr

And because you read this far, here’s a cat figuring out what a candle is: https://bit.ly/2NetRaM