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By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News

Good Monday afternoon. Spring Break travel is ramping up — and raising concerns of another Covid surge, two men have been arrested for assaulting an officer who died after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and the Oscar nominations have been announced.

Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown.

Air travel rises to highest levels since pandemic hit

For each of the past four days, more than a million people have traveled through TSA checkpoints at America’s airports, as air travel slowly rebounds after a year of pandemic-related struggles.

The TSA says 1.34 million people were screened on Sunday — surpassing the 1.26 million people that TSA screened on the comparable Sunday a year ago.

Friday saw a new pandemic peak, with nearly 1.36 million people flying. The seven-day average of TSA traffic has hit the highest level since March 2020, when the pandemic’s effects really began to take hold.

Spring Break is likely playing a role in the travel bump, but as crowds pack beaches, bars and clubs, and some states lift mask mandates and other Covid restrictions, health officials fear it could fuel another Covid surge.

“This is all in the context of still 50,000 cases per day,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky noted today, a level that is still high.

“I'm pleading with you for the sake of our nation's health,” Walensky said, adding, “cases climbed last spring, they climbed again in the summer, they will climb now if we stop taking precautions.”

The CDC continues to discourage Americans from traveling.

“Travel increases your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19,” the current guidance states. “Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, even if you are vaccinated.”

Spring breakers flood to reopening states

Biden touts “shots in arms and money in pockets”

President Biden and his team are embarking on what they’re calling the “Help is Here” tour beginning today, to promote the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package Biden signed into law last week.

Biden kicked it off with remarks at the White House this afternoon.

“Over the next 10 days, we will reach two goals. The first is 100 million shots in people’s arms will have been completed within the next 10 days. And 100 million checks in people’s pockets,” Biden said.

“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” he added. “The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do, make a difference in people’s everyday lives.”

On Tuesday, Biden will travel to Pennsylvania’s Delaware County, and on Friday, he will head to Georgia, to talk about the benefits from the package.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff are traveling to Las Vegas today, where they are visiting a vaccination clinic.

First Lady Jill Biden, meanwhile, is spending the day in Burlington, Vermont, where she toured an elementary school and spoke about the rescue plan.

The first $1,400 stimulus checks have already been deposited over the weekend. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, here’s what you can do about it.

Biden assures American Rescue Plan will provide relief 'quickly, equitably and efficiently'

More Covid headlines:

CDC Director Walensky said the agency is “carefully” examining data showing that social distancing could potentially be reduced in schools from six to three feet with other safety measures in place.
Germany is the latest country to halt the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine after reports of possible serious side-effects, including bleeding and blood clots.
Mississippi will open vaccine eligibility to all residents beginning tomorrow, Gov. Tate Reeves announced today.
Los Angeles County allowed some indoor dining, movie theaters, and gyms to reopen today at reduced capacity.
California has opened vaccine eligibility for about 4.4 million more people with disabilities and health conditions that put them at risk of severe coronavirus infection.
A San Antonio man’s restaurant was vandalized with hateful messages after he spoke out against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift all Covid restrictions in the state.
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed a mini-concert at a vaccination site in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, after receiving his second shot.
Duke University has ordered a lockdown for all undergraduates for one week, in an attempt to contain a growing outbreak.
Facebook announced it will launch a tool to help users find vaccination sites, with links to make appointments.

Two arrested for assaulting Capitol Police officer who died after riot

Authorities have arrested two men for assaulting Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died after the pro-Trump Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia are accused of attacking Sicknick with a substance similar to bear spray.

Khater and Tanios were captured on video “working together to assault law enforcement officers with an unknown chemical substance by spraying officers directly in the face and eyes,” according to the Department of Justice.

Both men face several charged, including conspiring to injure officers and assaulting federal officers — but they are not charged in Sicknick’s death.

Two men charged with assault in attacking slain Capitol Police Officer Sicknick

Biden administration deploys FEMA to assist in record surge of migrant children

We’re reporting tonight from the Southern Border, where the Biden administration is sending FEMA to assist with the record influx of unaccompanied migrant children crossing into the U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said over the weekend that FEMA will assist in sheltering and transporting the children, and avoid treating them as detainees of Customs and Border Protection.

Once FEMA gets involved, the children could be placed with a family member or sponsor until their cases are processed, Mayorkas said.

“I have said many times, a Border Patrol facility is no place for a child,” Mayorkas said in a statement.

President Biden has reversed a number of Trump-era immigration policies, a move his administration acknowledged last week could be motivating the surge at the border.

The White House deploys FEMA to border

Historic March blizzard pushes east after blasting Rockies

The late winter storm that dumped record amounts of snow in the Rockies is moving east today, bringing an additional 4 to 8 inches of snow to parts of the Midwest

The blizzard dropped more than 27 inches of snow in Denver, making it the city’s fourth largest snowstorm on record, and the biggest there in 39 years.

Hundreds of flights have been canceled at Denver International Airport, as crews work to clear the snow and de-ice the runways.

In Wyoming, Cheyenne picked up 36 inches of snow, its largest snowstorm on record. Windy Peak saw the most snow from this system, receiving more than 52 inches.

What else we’re watching:

Three people were killed when a car plowed into pedestrians near San Diego City College.
The attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged in the murder of George Floyd, wants Chauvin’s trial delayed, saying that a $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family announced last week makes it impossible for Chauvin to get a fair trial.
The Vatican said today the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions.
Drew Brees is joining the NBC family after announcing his retirement from the NFL.
It was a big night for female performers at the Grammys, with Beyonce, Taylor Swift, H.E.R., and Billie Eilish winning the top four prizes.
The nominations are out for the 93rd Academy Awards, and “Mank” leads the way with 10 nods including Best Picture.

Watch: Grammys highlights in less than 3 minutes

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.

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