Houses passes voting rights bill, Biden criticizes 'Neanderthal thinking' on masks and the pope's risky, landmark Iraq trip

Thursday, March 4, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     The House passed a major bill to expand voting rights late Wednesday, but it may end up another victim of the Senate filibuster.    Here's the latest on that and everything else we're watching this  Thursday morning. House passes sweeping voting rights bill, but it may be doomed in the Senate The House on Wednesday passed a sweeping bill that seeks to change campaign finance, voting and ethics laws.   The bill would impose new requirements weakening restrictive state voter ID laws, create automatic voter registration and expand mail-in voting.    But, the House measure passed mostly along party lines, 220-210, with one Democrat joining all Republican House members in voting against it.   It appears to be all but doomed in the Senate and will likely end up another victim of the filibuster. The bill is unlikely to receive the bipartisan 60-vote threshold necessary to pass legislation in the Senate.    Meantime, the Senate is expected to begin debating the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill as early as Thursday, with a final vote possible by the end of the week.   Biden and Senate Democrats made a concession on the bill Wednesday, agreeing to limit eligibility for the $1,400 relief checks. Thursday's top stories 'The knives come out': Cuomo fights for political survival as pressure mounts By Dareh Gregorian | Read more   The embattled New York governor apologized over sexual harassment claims Wednesday and let rivals calling for his resignation know he's not going anywhere. But Cuomo still has a tough road ahead. "You reap what you sow. This is someone who's governed through fear and bullying — it works until it doesn't," said one political consultant.   House cancels session after FBI, DHS warn extremists discussed plans to 'remove' lawmakers  By Julia Ainsley | Read more The U.S. House abruptly scrapped plans to meet Thursday after the  Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a joint intelligence bulletin warning that some domestic groups have "discussed plans to take control of the U.S. Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about" March 4. 'Pilgrim of peace': Pope Francis heads to Iraq hoping landmark trip can foster friendship By Saphora Smith and Claudio Lavanga | Read more When two frail elderly men meet in Iraq on Saturday, they will carry with them the hope of millions for better relations between Christianity and Islam. The meeting of Pope Francis and Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of millions of Shiite Muslims, is believed to be the first between a pope and an Iraqi grand ayatollah.   OPINION How Hollywood turned an Asian American triumph into an insult By Nancy Wang Yuen  | Read more The Golden Globes and Oscars need to recognize that whatever language Asian Americans choose to speak is American — because we are Americans. 'Neanderthal thinking': Biden criticizes Texas, Mississippi for lifting mask mandates By Lauren Egan | Read more The president warned that now is not the time to ease health guidelines, especially as his administration works to ramp up vaccinations. BETTER Sitting all day can cause 'dead butt syndrome'. These exercises can help By Stephanie Mansour | Read more    With the pandemic leaving many of us spending even more time sitting, it's important to activate your glutes right now. Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here. Also in the news ... Prince Philip, 99, has 'successful' heart procedure, but will remain in hospital In rare move, U.S. issues emergency warning after Microsoft says China hacked its mail server program Watchdog faulted Elaine Chao for misuse of office as transportation secretary, but a criminal investigation was rebuffed House passes police reform act  named for George Floyd that would ban chokeholds SHOPPING  The 7  most affordable treadmills of 2021. One space thing A prototype of SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded minutes after successfully launching and landing vertically, as intended, in a high-altitude experimental test from Boca Chica, Texas.   Watch the video here. Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill Download the NBC News App Follow NBC News Privacy | Unsubscribe | More NBC Newsletters | Contact View in browser