Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, March 4, 2021:

SENATE SHRINKS STIMMY

Senate Democrats, with President Biden’s blessing, will tweak the income eligibility for stimulus checks in order to ensure they do not lose the support of moderates. What that means: Americans earning $75,000 or couples earning $150,000 will still get the full $1,400-per-person direct cash payment, but it will disappear entirely for people earning $80,000 or couples earning $160,000. Singles making between $80,000 and $100,000 or couples making between $160,000 and $200,000 will be newly excluded from the benefit. The change will result in about 12 million Americans who got the last $600 check not getting the $1,400 check. WASH POST

CAPITOL THREAT

Washington is on high alert today because of a QAnon conspiracy theory that claims this is the day that former president Trump will triumphantly return to office. The Capitol Police said they had intelligence suggesting an unidentified “militia group” would target the building -- which remains behind razor-wire fencing -- on Mar. 4 and are taking the threat “seriously.” The House sent members home a day early in response. Meanwhile, the head of the D.C. National Guard told Congress that he had the authority to deploy troops against protesters last summer but that authority was taken away from him in the days before the Jan. 6 riot. He said that, in his 19-year career, he had never seen that approval process change. NPR

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

The weekly rolling average of daily vaccinations rate has crossed 2 million for the first time, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker. The CDC is expected to release guidelines for people who have been vaccinated any day. President Biden slammed the decisions by the governors of Texas and Mississippi to scrap their mask mandates, calling it “Neanderthal thinking.” Houston is now the first U.S. city to record positive tests for every major new variant of the virus, and Texas is still recording 7,000 new cases a day. CHRON

CUOMO CONTRITE

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo emerged for the first time in public since the allegations of sexual harassment against him to apologize, saying he never meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable and is deeply embarrassed by his actions. He said he would not be resigning from office, despite a small but growing number of fellow Democrats calling on him to step down. TIMES-UNION

MYANMAR 'WAR ZONE'

The security situation in Myanmar is rapidly deteriorating, a month and change after the military deposed the elected government and took power. Protesters are back on the streets of Yangon today in defiance after security forces killed at least 38 people as they tried to violently put down the unrest. The UN Security Council is meeting tomorrow to discuss a coordinated response to the escalating crackdown. AP

ALAMO BANKRUPTCY

Alamo Drafthouse, the hip movie-theater chain that pioneered dine-in service, couldn’t quite make it through the pandemic with virtually all of its locations closed for the better part of a year. The company has filed for Chapter 11 (the restructuring kind of bankruptcy, not the liquidation kind) and will sell itself to a pair of hedge funds. The arrangement will let Alamo continue to operate as it reorganizes. VARIETY

WTF IS AN NFT?

When Kings of Leon drops its new album tomorrow, it will be available in one brand new format: as an NFT, or non-fungible token. NFTs are the latest speculative asset class to take the tech-art-crypto worlds by storm. An NFT is basically any piece of digital information that isn’t interchangeable. They can be gifs, or videos, or music, but the trendy thing right now is to use them as ways to sell and collect art. NFTs work off the Ethereum blockchain, and can be traded like baseball cards or any collectible. But why would you invest in something digital, which by nature can be copied ad infinitum, as opposed to, say, a painting? Good question, here’s a longer explainer: THE VERGE

MEGHAN BULLYING CLAIMS

The British tabloids are running with a story in The Times of London about allegations that Meghan Markle “drove two personal assistants out” of Kensington Palace when she was an official royal, and “undermined the confidence” of a third. Markle’s spokesperson called the story a “calculated smear campaign” timed to coincide with her and Prince Harry’s upcoming Oprah interview. In an extremely rare acknowledgment of unconfirmed press reports, Buckingham Palace said it is “very concerned” about the allegations and will launch an investigation into the bullying claims against the Duchess. HUFFPO

SPOTTED...

...SpaceX’s latest unmanned Starship rocket, exploding on the launchpad after sticking the landing for the first time on a high-altitude flight test. Despite the fiery end, the test was considered a success: WATCH

...Megan Thee Stallion, among the models for Calvin Klein’s new spring collection, in black-and-white shots that harken back to the brand’s iconic 90’s ad campaigns: SLIDESHOW

...an L.A. driver, using an ultra-realistic mannequin in his front seat in order to use the carpool lane. Police fined him $400, but let him keep the dummy: SEE IT

LEFTOVERS: CALLING ALL MOMS

Every year, our friends at Motherly conduct their State of Motherhood survey to better understand what’s on the minds of moms across America. This year’s survey is more important than ever given what families -- and moms, especially -- have been through since the start of the pandemic. So if you’re a mom, do us a favor, will you? Take the 15-minute survey and make your voice heard. You’ll be entered to win a $500 gift card, but more importantly, the survey results will help the world know the true story of motherhood in 2021: TAKE THE SURVEY

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

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