Gov is a battlefield … and stepping into the Wray

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Carrie Dann and Melissa Holzberg FIRST READ: Andrew Cuomo's situation is getting less and less tenable for Democrats One allegation of sexual harassment is a big problem for a politician.   A second allegation turns into a full-blown crisis.   And a third – in less than a week – becomes unsustainable for the politician and his political party, because no one knows when a fourth or fifth allegation might surface. Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP This is the untenable political situation for Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who saw a third woman accuse him of harassment as New York's attorney general has begun proceeding with an investigation of the governor.   And it's not too dissimilar from the circumstance that Al Franken faced when he ultimately resigned his Senate seat.   Now there are some key differences between the Franken and Cuomo situations.   For one thing, there hasn't been a cascade of calls for Cuomo to resign; so far, just one New York congresswoman, Kathleen Rice, has called for Cuomo's resignation. (Notably, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, N.Y., wants the matter investigated first.)   In addition, unlike with Franken in 2017, Democrats are under less pressure to claim the political high ground and make an obvious contrast against a current congressional candidate (Roy Moore in Alabama) or a current president (Donald Trump).   And Cuomo has never been someone willing to walk away, even when facing a crisis that's become impossible to control.   But Democrats need to be asked this question after the latest allegation against Cuomo: How could you call for – or accept – Al Franken's resignation, but not do the same for Cuomo?   Especially when you don't know when the next allegation is going to surface?   And especially when the governor is already facing a separate damaging crisis (over the counting of nursing-home deaths in his state)? Where's the GOP policy?  Yesterday, we wrote that Donald Trump – as well as the other Republican speakers – barely commented on Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package at CPAC over the weekend.   The New York Times' Jonathan Martin takes it one step further: There was almost no discussion of POLICY at CPAC.   "There was vanishingly little discussion of why Republicans lost the presidency, the House and the Senate over the last four years, nor much debate about what agenda they should pursue to rebuild the party," Martin writes. Data Download: The numbers you need to know today 53 percent: Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis's approval rating in Florida, up eight points since July, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll.   Over half: The share of people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot who are not connected to specific extremist groups or to one another, per a new study by George Washington University's Program on Extremism.   64-33: The vote on Biden's newly-confirmed Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona   4 million: The number of Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots being shipped out this week   28,763,455: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (That's 57,286 more than yesterday morning.)   516,978: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far, per the most recent data from NBC News. (That's 1,434 more than yesterday morning.)   46,738: The number of people currently hospitalized with coronavirus in the United States.   355.7 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.   76,899,987: Number of vaccine doses administered in the U.S.   25,466,405: People fully vaccinated in the U.S.    58: The number of days left for Biden to reach his 100-day vaccination goal. TWEET OF THE DAY: Stepping into the Wray Senate set to take up Covid relief bill After a day of voting in the Senate that concluded with President Biden's Education Secretary nominee, Miguel Cardona, being confirmed by a 64-33 margin, the Senate will now turn to Covid-19 relief.   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed on Monday that the Senate will begin work on the House's version of the American Rescue Plan. While the plan will likely be stripped of the minimum wage amendment – which the Senate parliamentarian ruled could not passed through budget reconciliation – other parts of the bill will be kept intact like pensions and COBRA assistance.   "This week, the Senate will take up the measure. Let me say that again – the Senate will take up the American rescue plan this week. I expect a hardy debate and some late nights, but the American people sent us here with a job to do, to help the country through this moment of extraordinary challenge, to end through action the greatest health crisis our country has faced in a century," Schumer said.   Democrats are hoping to pass the legislation and have it signed into law before March 14, when unemployment insurance is set to expire.   And the Number of the Week is ... 84  The latest pod over at The Chuck Toddcast will introduce you to one of the most interesting characters in the history of American political scandals, who died earlier this month.   ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world? Now we find out: Former president Donald Trump and the then-first lady received their vaccines without fanfare back in January.   Latino groups are unhappy with the CEO of Goya Foods, who continues to claim that Trump is the "actual president."   Don't sleep on the story in Bessemer, Alabama, where Amazon workers are weighing whether to unionize.   And don't miss what's going on with voting rights restrictions in the Georgia state legislature.   Infrastructure spending may have bipartisan support in theory, but the details are a lot trickier.   Sen. Mitt Romney took a tumble over the weekend, leaving him with stitches and a black eye.   Thanks for reading. If you're a fan, please forward this to a friend. They can sign up here.   We love hearing from our readers, so shoot us a line here with your comments and suggestions.   Thanks,  Chuck, Mark, Carrie and Melissa  Follow Meet The Press Download the NBC News Mobile App Privacy Contact Unsubscribe