Unfortunately, real life never turns out to be as interesting as it appears on TV. Digging through Hillary Clinton's emails, for example, The New York Times turned up that she's — pretty normal? Boring, even? Only two dozen correspondences were flagged as confidential, with the rest of this month's batch relating mostly to logistics, scheduling, and calendar rearrangements. Who'd have thought that behind the scenes was so dull?
The emails did reveal, though, that Paul Begala — a CNN political commentator and former advisor to Bill Clinton — needed a couple talking points about Hillary before he went on air to rate her:
Mr. Begala [asked] for talking points before he went on CNN to rate Mrs. Clinton's early performance. Ms. Marshall referred him to several State Department aides. After his appearance, Mr. Begala emailed back: "I gave Sec. Clinton an A+ in our dopey CNN report card last night." Ms. Mills forwarded that to Mrs. Clinton with an "FYI." [The New York Times]
An A+! You go, Hill. Jeva Lange
The Air Force has launched an extensive security review and investigation after a man got inside Joint Base Andrews and into an aircraft at the facility.
Security forces at the base outside of Washington, D.C., detained a man Thursday after he allegedly got into a C-40 airplane. The plane was part of the 89th Airlift Wing, which encompasses most of the aircraft the president uses as Air Force One, as well as other aircraft that transports the vice president and Cabinet officials. The unnamed man was hit with a federal charge for trespassing and turned over to local law enforcement for two outstanding warrants, a statement from the base said.
Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby addressed the incident in a Friday press conference, saying the Air Force will "launch a comprehensive review of installation security and trends" across the force. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is now heading an investigation into the incident. The investigation's results will be shared publicly once it's complete, Kirby said.
The incident happened just a day before Biden was set to board Air Force One for the first time as president, embarking Friday to return home to Wilmington, Delaware for the weekend. Kathryn Krawczyk
When Louisiana first started doling out COVID-19 vaccines, they were limited to people age 70 and up. But next door in Mississippi, they've been available for anyone 65 and up, and for younger people with chronic health conditions.
So Chanel Maronge, a 37-year-old Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident with hypertension, got in her car and drove an hour and a half across the state line to get her shot. She's among 5,300 out-of-staters who've been vaccinated in Mississippi so far, and one of thousands more people across the country who've traveled to other states with looser rules to get vaccinated, The New York Times reports.
Most states, including Mississippi, require people to either live or work in the state to be vaccinated there. But as a Mississippi health department spokesperson told the Times, health care workers won't ask for proof of residency before giving out a shot. The same is true in Georgia, which is giving out shots to anyone 65 and older, while neighboring states reserve them for older patients. Complications have also come up in New England, where age limits and rules on which professions count as essential vary between the small, easily traversable states, the Boston Globe reports. Rhode Island, for example, still hasn't expanded eligibility beyond health care and essential workers, leading some people to travel to Massachusetts for vaccines.
The confusion all stems from how the federal government set up COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the first place. With states told to make their own eligibility rules, there's no consistency between neighbors. And while states are increasingly creating rules to give their vaccine stock only to state residents and workers, most states say no one will be turned away even if they produce an out-of-state ID or no identification at all. Read more at The New York Times. Kathryn Krawczyk
Christopher Plummer, the award-winning actor known for his performance in The Sound of Music, has died at 91.
Plummer died at his home in Connecticut with his wife by his side, his family confirmed to Deadline on Friday.
In addition to playing Georg von Trapp in the classic 1965 musical The Sound of Music, Plummer starred in over 100 films throughout his decades-long career. When he won an Academy Award in 2012 for his performance in Beginners, he became the oldest actor to win a competitive Oscar, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Plummer also won two Tony Awards and two Emmys.
More recently, Plummer earned another Academy Award nomination for his performance in Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World, in which he replaced disgraced star Kevin Spacey in reshoots, and he also played the patriarch of the Thrombey family in the murder mystery Knives Out.
"Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humor and the music of words," Plummer's friend and manager told Deadline. "He was a national treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us." Brendan Morrow