Good morning. It's Monday, March 15, and we're covering a vaccine milestone, the return of March Madness, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

100 Million Shots

The US surpassed 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered over the weekend, a symbolic milestone in the fight to end the pandemic. As of this morning, almost 70 million people have received at least one shot—21% of the population—with more than 37 million people fully vaccinated. The country also set a single-day record Friday with 2.9 million doses administered.

The vast majority of the shots have been two-dose regimens from Pfizer/BioNTech (54 million doses given) and Moderna (52 million doses given). Just over 1 million people have received the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine, which gained authorization Feb. 27. Alaska leads US states with 17% of its population fully vaccinated; last week, the state became the first to open eligibility to all adults. See how your state is doing here.

The US leads the world in total doses administered, while Israel leads in per capita vaccines, having fully inoculated more than 55% of its citizens. The US joined Australia and other allies in committing to provide at least a billion doses across Asia by 2022, a move many believe is meant to counter vaccine diplomacy by Russia and China.

Separately, officials are reviewing data suggesting young students in classrooms can reduce social distancing requirements from 6 to 3 feet. Preliminary studies have shown no substantial increase in viral transmission under the change. The move would potentially expedite school reopenings. 

The US has reported 534,889 total COVID-19 deaths, with a daily average near 1,400 (see data). 

March Madness Returns

After a pandemic-induced hiatus, the NCAA men's basketball tournament returns this week, with the 68-team field announced yesterday. Leading the way is overall top seed Gonzaga (26-0), followed by No. 1 seeds Baylor (22-2), Illinois (23-6), and Michigan (20-4). See a breakdown of all 68 teams here.

An already unusual season will look even more different this postseason as perennial contenders Kentucky (9-16) and Duke (13-11) missed the cut, the first time since 1976 both have missed the tournament. Virginia (18-6), the reigning national champions from 2019-20, earned a No. 4 seed.

Unlike most years, the tournament gets fully underway starting Friday, with the play-in games scheduled for Thursday. Also unlike previous years, the entire tournament will be held in and around Indianapolis, in an attempt to curb potential COVID-19 outbreaks.

Get your printable bracket here, and make sure to catch the announcement of the women's field tonight (7 pm ET, ESPN).

Beyoncé Wins Big

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards were held last night, with superstar R&B artist Beyoncé taking home four awards, including best rap song and best R&B performance. The wins bring the 39-year-old singer's lifetime total to 28 Grammys, making her the most-awarded woman in the award show's history, sitting behind only classical conductor Sir Georg Solti at 31 awards. Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy Carter also got in on the action, becoming the second-youngest winner for her work on the music video "Brown Skin Girl."

Taylor Swift won the night's top prize, grabbing album of the year for "Folklore," which she made entirely during the pandemic. Swift lost each of the other five categories in which she was nominated. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion won best new artist, while 19-year-old Billie Eilish, who swept the awards last year, won record of the year for "Everything I Wanted."

See a full list of winners here, and watch highlights from the night here.

THE RIDGE 8TH ANNIVERSARY

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We haven't looked back from making the switch to Ridge and you won't either. But if you're on the fence, you can enjoy their free shipping and 45-day return policy so you can "test drive" their wallets before committing for good. And to sweeten the deal even further, Ridge is celebrating eight years in business today—take off 15% sitewide with code CELEBRATE.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Drew Brees—New Orleans Saints quarterback, 13-time Pro Bowler, and former Super Bowl MVP—calls it a career after 20 seasons (More) | Boxing legend “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, who was world middleweight champ for seven straight years, dies at 66 (More)

> Power couple Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez deny media reports that they've broken up after two-year engagement (More) | Longtime host Chris Harrison won’t return for upcoming season of “The Bachelorette” after recent defense of racism by contestant (More)

> Nominations announced this morning (8:19 AM ET) for 2021 Academy Awards (More) | "Avatar" passes "Avengers: Endgame" as the biggest worldwide box office draw in history with $2.81B in revenue (More)

Science & Technology

> Judge rules Google must face class-action lawsuit claiming the search giant collected users' data even while browsing in incognito mode (More) | ... and what are cookies, which Google says it is phasing out? (More)

> Analysis finds 2020 was a record year for observations of previously unknown near-Earth asteroids, rising 20% from 2019 to almost 3,000 (More)

> Study finds myelin, which acts as a protective coating around the brain's wiring system, degrades over time; research reveals a potential new primary factor in age-related neurodegenerative diseases (More)

Business & Markets

Brought to you by The Ascent

> US household net worth increases to record $130T in 2020, up 10% over 2019, as stock markets and real estate values flourish (More)

> Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) endorses Amazon employee unionization effort in USA Today op-ed (More)

> CEO of Ant Group resigns; Chinese fintech giant founded by Jack Ma was forced to pull what could have been the largest global initial public offering of all time, after Chinese regulatory crackdown last year (More)

From our partners: Have credit card debt? With this card offering 0% APR for 18 months, now could be a very good time to transfer your balance. Start saving on high interest fees and get more time to pay off your debt today.

Politics & World Affairs

> Minneapolis to pay $27M to the family of George Floyd, who died while being taken into police custody last summer; criminal case against former police officer Derek Chauvin still proceeding, in jury selection (More)

> Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) call on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment; Cuomo says he won't step down (More)

> Winter snowstorm blankets Colorado, Wyoming, with up to 24 inches of snow; blizzard is the fourth largest ever recorded in Denver (More)

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1 MILLION WALLETS SOLD

In partnership with The Ridge Wallet

In their eight years as a company, our friends at The Ridge Wallet have sold over 1 million wallets.

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ETCETERA

Graphing the pandemic.

... and grandparents are hugging their grandchildren again.

The Chicago River runs green ahead of St. Patrick's Day.

From our partners: Drool-worthy flavors keep clean eating fresh, interesting, and fun. Boredom kills any healthy eating plan, which is why Kettle & Fire created 19 distinct bone broth flavors that hit the spot no matter what you're in the mood for. Grab 25% off + FREE shipping with code 1440. #Ad

Netflix is cracking down on shared accounts.

Brooklyn, New York, unveils a Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue.

This snake has been selectively bred to smile at you. 

How to survive the apocalypse in style.

How to play the violin while surfing. 

Clickbait: Deaf and blind dog reunites with grandpawther after a year in quarantine.  

Historybook: Julius Caesar assassinated by Brutus (44 BCE); President Andrew Jackson born (1767); Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg born (1933); Terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand kills 51 (2019).

"My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant to be your own person, be independent."

- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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