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Former Vice President Pence will get pacemaker implanted, expects full restoration

Former Vice President Pence gets pacemaker implanted, expects full recovery

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announces the Trump administration’s plan to create the U.S. Space Force by 2020 during a speech at the Pentagon on August 9, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Former Vice President Mike Pence had surgery to have a pacemaker implanted after “symptoms related to a slow heart rate,” his office said Thursday, NBC News reported.

The “routine operation” was successfully carried out on Wednesday, according to Pence’s office, according to which the 61-year-old former vice president is “expected to recover fully and return to normal activity in the coming days.”

The statement stated that Pence’s medical history included a diagnosis of asymptomatic left bundle branch block. He’s had symptoms for the past two weeks and consulted his doctors before undergoing the procedure at the Inova Fairfax Medical campus in Falls Church, Virginia.

“I am grateful for the prompt professionalism and care of the excellent doctors, nurses and staff at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, including Dr. Brett Atwater and Dr. Behnam Tehrani,” said Pence in the statement.

“I also appreciate the advice of my longtime Indiana doctors, Dr. Michael Busk and Dr. Charles Taliercio of Ascension St. Vincent. My family has been truly blessed by the work of these dedicated health professionals,” said Pence.

Kevin McCarthy, minority chairman of the House of Representatives, R-Calif., Tweeted a message of support to Pence later Thursday.

Pence is widely rumored to be laying the groundwork for a possible 2024 presidential election. However, a candidate’s health and medical history can often have a significant impact on a political campaign.

For example, former President Donald Trump’s state of health underwent an in-depth review in the final months of his re-election bid when he was hospitalized with the coronavirus. Critics had already accused Trump, who is overweight and known to have poor diet, of having misled his medical records.

Campaigns themselves can also be physically and mentally demanding. In 2016, for example, the impotent episode of then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton dominated the headlines at an anniversary ceremony on September 11th.

Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Had a heart attack while running for president in October 2019. He returned to campaigning later that month.

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CBS Information President Prepares Exit as Broadcast Information Is in Flux

CBS News President Prepares Exit as Broadcast News Is in Flux

The first woman to run CBS News, Susan Zirinsky, is expected to announce that she may be stepping down from the presidency of the network’s news division earlier this week, a person aware of the plan said Tuesday.

Ms. Zirinsky, 69, was appointed in January 2019 to repair a battered ship. At the time, CBS faced several key executive departures and unsavory revelations about its news department as broader accounting for workplace misconduct disrupted the media industry.

CBS declined to comment. Ms. Zirinsky is expected to sign a production contract with the network’s parent company, ViacomCBS, to work on broadcast, cable and streaming programs, according to the person who knows the details of her departure.

ABC News will also take on a new leader. Its former president, James Goldston, announced his departure in January. ABC and its parent company Disney are in advanced talks with Kimberly Godwin, a CBS News executive, about taking over the news division, two people with knowledge of the matter said. ABC declined to comment.

Several news organizations have seen leadership changes as business leaders face a drastically different news environment following the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Jeff Zucker announced in February that he would step down as president of CNN by the end of the year. Rashida Jones recently replaced Phil Griffin as head of MSNBC.

Ms. Zirinsky will remain President of CBS News until her successor begins. The Wall Street Journal previously reported on her role change. NBC previously covered Ms. Godwin’s conversations with ABC.

Ms. Zirinsky was a CBS veteran for more than four decades, taking over the news department when she was ravaged by the layoffs of CEO Leslie Moonves and 60 Minutes’ top producer Jeff Fager. She described her mission as “bringing this organization together both functionally and spiritually”.

Although she has long viewed herself as a news producer rather than a talented executive, Ms. Zirinsky told the New York Times two years ago, “I felt at this moment in my life and career that this was the time to take a step make up. “

In her two years on the job, she redesigned “CBS This Morning” by signing a new contract with star anchor Gayle King, bringing them together with co-anchors Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil. Ms. Zirinsky also moved the “CBS Evening News” to Washington and announced Norah O’Donnell as anchor.

Despite the moves, CBS got stuck in third place on the morning news and at 6:30 p.m. In the past few months, the two CBS shows have come closer to competition, and Ms. O’Donnell landed President Biden’s first post-inaugural interview with a broadcast news division. News broadcasts have lost viewers since the end of the Trump presidency.

While Ms. Zirinsky was busy making changes (she also named new top producers on “60 Minutes” and “CBS This Morning”), she wasn’t shy about expressing frustrations with the job. She has often told confidants that she wanted to return to the part of broadcast journalism that was her first love: producing.

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Out of Trump’s Shadow, World Financial institution President Embraces Local weather Combat

Out of Trump’s Shadow, World Bank President Embraces Climate Fight

Mr. Malpass ingratiated himself with the employees of the World Bank with his steady, reserved approach and his personable manner. He has also benefited from low expectations. But some development experts still want to see more of his tenure with three more years.

Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, a think tank in Washington, said it was unfortunate that the World Bank seemed to leave the door open to funding fossil fuel projects. He suggested that Mr. Malpass did not have to come up with a clear strategic vision for the bank just yet, but attributed acceptance of climate change to him.

“It is remarkable to compare his statements today with his positions as a tax officer in the Trump administration two years ago, when the official position was to remove the word ‘climate’ from documents of a multilateral institution,” said Morris. “According to this standard, he has made a remarkable development into a climate leader.”

He added, “But it’s a question versus what, and is he up to the job of running this critical body on climate finance?”

The bank will accelerate its efforts in the coming months. Mr Malpass, in a speech last month about building a green, resilient and inclusive recovery. said His team integrated climate into all of the bank’s country strategies and would produce climate and development reports for 25 countries this year.

Mr. Malpass has recently worked to gain favor with the Biden administration. He speaks regularly to Ms. Yellen and personally invited her to take part in last week’s climate discussion.

When asked what the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration had meant for the bank, Mr. Malpass responded carefully. He noted that under Mr. Trump, the United States had approved a capital increase for the bank. He said the new White House team is deeply committed to the bank’s goals of reducing poverty, making food accessible and preparing countries for a changing climate.

“The guidelines of the Biden administration were very supportive of this mission,” said Malpass.

Lisa Friedman contributed to the coverage.

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Politics

President Biden Unveils Plan to Increase Company Taxes

President Biden Unveils Plan to Raise Corporate Taxes

The Biden government on Wednesday announced its plan to revise its corporate income tax and made a series of proposals that would require large corporations to pay higher taxes to fund the White House’s economic agenda.

If the plan went into effect, it would generate revenues of $ 2.5 trillion over 15 years. This would lead American companies, who have long had quirks in the tax laws that allowed them to lower or eliminate their tax bill, to make big changes, often by shifting profits overseas. The plan also includes efforts to combat climate change and proposes replacing fossil fuel subsidies with tax incentives that encourage clean energy production.

Some companies have expressed a willingness to pay more taxes, but the overall scope of the proposal is likely to have an impact on the business community, which has benefited from loopholes in tax law and a loose approach to enforcement for years.

Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said during a briefing with reporters Wednesday that the plan would end a global “race to the bottom” of corporate taxation.

“Our tax revenues are at their lowest level in generations,” said Ms. Yellen. “If they keep falling, we will have less money to invest in roads, bridges, broadband, and research and development.”

The plan announced by the finance department would raise the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent. The government said the increase would align the US corporate tax rate more closely with other advanced economies and reduce inequality. It would also stay lower than it was before Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, when the tax rate was 35 percent.

The White House also proposed major changes to several international tax rules, contained in the Trump tax cuts, which the Biden administration described in the report as guidelines that make “America last” by benefiting foreigners. One of the biggest changes is doubling the de facto global minimum tax to 21 percent and tightening it to force companies to pay the tax on a wider income range between countries.

This has created concern, especially in the business world. Joshua Bolten, executive director of the Business Roundtable, said in a statement earlier this week that “the US is facing a major competitive disadvantage”.

However, on Wednesday some companies expressed their openness to the new proposals.

Lyft president and co-founder John Zimmer told CNN that he supported Mr Biden’s proposed corporate tax rate of 28 percent.

“I think it is important to invest in the country and the economy again,” said Zimmer.

The Biden administration also made it clear that the proposal was something of an opening offer and that there will be room for negotiation.

Trade Minister Gina Raimondo on Wednesday urged lawmakers not to simply reject the plan and invited them to a “discussion” – even if she suggested that the basic parameters of the proposal remain in place.

“We want to compromise,” she said during a briefing at the White House. “What we can’t do, and what I beg the business community not to do, is to say, ‘We don’t like 28. We go away. We don’t argue. ‘ This is unacceptable. “

The plan would also repeal provisions enacted during the Trump administration that the Biden administration said failed to curb profit shifting and business reversals where an American company merged with a foreign company and became its subsidiary, effectively making its headquarters for tax purposes was relocated abroad purposes. It would replace them with stricter anti-inversion rules and stricter penalties for so-called profit stripping.

The plan does not focus solely on the international side of corporate tax legislation. Attempts are made to take action against large, profitable companies that pay little or no income tax and still signal large profits with their “book value”. To reduce this inequality, companies would have to pay a minimum 15 percent tax on book revenues that companies report to investors, which is often used to assess shareholder and executive payouts.

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Biden Might Be the Most Professional-Labor President Ever; That Might Not Save Unions

Biden May Be the Most Pro-Labor President Ever; That May Not Save Unions

Two months into the new administration, union leaders are proclaiming Joseph R. Biden Jr. the most union-friendly president of their lives – and “maybe ever,” as Steve Rosenthal, former AFL-CIO political director, said in an interview.

Mr Biden has moved quickly to oust government officials who the unions viewed as anti-labor and to reverse the Trump-era rules that undermined worker protection. He has enforced laws that send hundreds of billions of dollars to cities and states, aid that public sector unions consider essential, and tens of billions to prop up unions’ pension plans.

Perhaps most notably, the president appeared on a video hinting at a union vote in an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, warning that “there should be no intimidation, coercion, threats, anti-union propaganda” – an unusually outspoken one Step from a president in a standard union election.

Still, Mr Rosenthal and other supporters of the work admit a nagging concern: Despite Mr Biden’s remarkable support for their movement, unions may not be much better off leaving his post than entering it.

This is because labor law gives employers considerable powers to defend themselves against trade union organizations. This is one reason union membership has plummeted to record lows in recent decades. And Senate Republicans will seek to thwart any legislative attempts – like the PRO bill the House passed this month – to reverse that trend.

“The PRO law is vital,” said Rosenthal. “But what is happening now regarding Republicans in Congress, the Senate filibuster, is everyone’s guess.”

Until recently, it was far from clear that Mr Biden would govern in such a union-friendly manner. Although he has long advocated the union’s advantage and has maintained close relationships with union leaders, the president also has ties to big names like Steve Ricchetti, an adviser to the president who was a lobbyist for companies like AT&T and Eli Lilly. Mr Biden voted for a free trade agreement over the years, which the unions voted against.

Add to this the fact that he served as a vice president in a government that sometimes angered the unions when President Barack Obama stepped in on behalf of a Rhode Island school district that fired faculty from an underperforming school. Mr Biden was also the captain of an Obama administration team that negotiated with Republicans to reduce the deficit.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Mr Biden’s allies and advisers argued that he had merely acted as the loyal deputy of his boss and that as president he would prove more in tune with work.

But for many workers who had doubts, Mr. Biden exceeded expectations. Shortly after he was sworn in as President, the White House called for the resignation of the National Labor Relations Board’s General Counsel, Peter B. Robb, whose office enforces the labor rights of private sector workers.

Mr Robb was deeply unpopular about organized work, which he viewed as overly management-friendly. His term was due to expire in November, and the Presidents of both parties have allowed the Advocates General to extend their term.

However, since no letter of resignation was received from Mr. Robb on the day of his inauguration, the White House fired him.

“What was really promising and exciting for those of us who took care of it was the dismissal of Peter Robb and the dramatic way it came about,” said Lisa Canada, the political and legislative director of the state joiners’ union in Michigan.

However, it is the Alabama video that most clearly highlights the differences between Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama when it comes to work. When state officials flocked to Madison, Wisconsin, in 2011 to protest Governor Scott Walker’s plan to withdraw their bargaining rights, union leaders asked the White House to send a senior government official out of solidarity. The White House refused, despite Mr Obama saying the plan was like an “attack on the unions”.

“We have made every effort to get someone there,” said Larry Cohen, who was then president of Communications Workers of America and is now chairman of the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. “You wouldn’t allow anyone to leave.”

In contrast, Mr Biden appeared anxious to make his statement on the Amazon elections that a number of union leaders had asked him to make.

“We haven’t seen so much support for the organization since Franklin Roosevelt,” said Cohen, who expected Amazon’s statement to discourage anti-union behavior by employers.

Still, Mr Cohen and other labor officials said that without a change in labor law, union membership would likely take a path under Mr Biden that was similar to Mr Obama when the proportion of workers in unions fell about 1.5 percentage points. Overall, union membership has fallen from around a third of workers in the 1950s to just over a tenth today, and in the private sector to just 6 percent.

“Because of growing inequality, our economy is on a path of implosion,” said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, in an interview. The PRO Act “will raise wages and slow down this path,” he added.

Under current law, employers can inundate workers with anti-union messages – through mandatory meetings, emails and signs in the workplace – while unions often have difficulty gaining access to workers. And while it is technically illegal to threaten or fire workers who take part in an organizing campaign, employers receive minimal penalties for doing so.

Cases from employment offices can drag on for years, after which an employer often only has to publish a notice in which he promises to comply with labor law in the future, said Wilma B. Liebman, a former CEO. There are no fines for such violations, although workers can be paid in full through rebate.

The PRO Act would prohibit mandatory anti-union meetings, impose fines for threatening or dismissing workers, and help unjustly dismissed workers get quick reinstatement. This would also give unions leverage by allowing them to participate in secondary boycotts – for example, asking customers to boycott restaurants that buy food from a bakery they want to unionise.

Glenn Spencer, senior vice president at the US Chamber of Commerce, criticized the bill as “radically recasting labor law” and said the provision on secondary boycotts could be extremely disruptive to its goals.

“These companies have nothing to do with the nature of the labor dispute, but they suddenly got caught up in it,” said Spencer.

However, despite the legal protection provided in the PRO Act, it will be difficult for unions to improve coverage on a large scale, say many experts. Labor law often effectively requires workers to win union elections one job at a time, which at Amazon alone can mean hundreds of separate elections.

The system is “optimized to build weak labor movements,” said David Rolf, former vice president of the Service Employees International Union, who favors industry-wide unions and negotiations.

And the PRO Act’s chances of going into effect are slim as long as opponents fall back on the Senate filibuster, which effectively needs 60 votes to pass laws.

Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, appeared before the AFL-CIO’s Executive Board this month to advocate exempting certain types of laws from filibusters. In a post-meeting statement, councilors called for “quick and necessary changes” to Senate rules to remove the filibuster as an obstacle to progressive legislation.

Mr Biden has since indicated that he is ready to weaken the filibuster, although it is not clear whether the PRO Act would benefit from it.

Mr Trumka said he was confident that Mr Biden would seize the opportunity that Mr Obama missed when the Democrats had a large Senate majority but still did not change labor law. “This president understands the power to resolve inequalities through collective bargaining,” said Trumka.

Others, however, are skeptical that despite all of his openness, Mr Biden will be able to deliver on behalf of the unions.

“The proof is in the pudding,” said Ruth Milkman, a sociologist at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. “We know where his heart is. That doesn’t mean anything will change. “

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President Biden Takes 1st Tentative Steps to Deal with International Covid-19 Vaccine Scarcity

Biden Takes First Tentative Steps to Address Global Vaccine Shortage

WASHINGTON – President Biden was under heavy pressure on Friday to donate excess coronavirus vaccines to nations in need to otherwise address global shortages and partnered with Japan, India and Australia to increase global manufacturing capabilities Expand vaccines.

In an agreement announced at the so-called Quad Summit, a virtual meeting of the heads of state and government of the four countries, the Biden government pledged to provide financial support to enable Biological E, a large vaccine manufacturer in India, to manufacture at least 1 Billion doses of coronavirus to help vaccines by the end of 2022.

This would fix acute vaccine shortages in Southeast Asia and beyond without risking the domestic setback of exporting cans in the coming months as Americans demand their shots.

The United States has fallen far behind China, India and Russia in the race to adopt coronavirus vaccines as an instrument of diplomacy. At the same time, Mr Biden is accused of hoarding vaccines from global health lawyers who want his government to route supplies to nations in need desperately seeking access.

The president insisted that Americans come first and has so far refused to make any specific commitments to free US-made vaccines, despite tens of millions of doses of the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca’s vaccine idling in American manufacturing facilities .

“If we have a surplus, we will share it with the rest of the world,” Biden said this week, adding, “We will first make sure that the Americans are taken care of first, but then we will try the rest of the world to help. “

In fact, the president still has a lot of work to do domestically to keep the promises made in the past few days: All states must question all adults for vaccinations by May 1st so that enough vaccine doses are available by the end of May to vaccinate every American adult, and that by July 4th, if Americans continue to follow public health guidelines, life should return to a semblance of normalcy.

Vaccine supplies seem on track to meet these goals, but the president still needs to put in place the infrastructure to manage the doses and overcome reluctance in large parts of the population to take them.

Still, Mr Biden has also made restoring US leadership a core part of his foreign policy agenda after his predecessor’s alliances frayed and relations with allies and global partners strained. His Foreign Secretary, Antony J. Blinken, said in a recent BBC interview that a global vaccination campaign would be part of this effort. Washington is “determined” to be an “international leader” in vaccinations.

Foreign policy experts and global health activists see clear diplomatic, public and humanitarian reasons for this.

“It’s time for US leaders to ask themselves: When this pandemic is over, do we want the world to remember America’s leadership in helping distribute life-saving vaccines, or will we leave that to others?” said Tom Hart, the North American executive director of One Campaign, a nonprofit founded by U2 singer Bono and dedicated to eradicating global poverty.

The federal government has bought 453 million surplus doses of vaccine, the group says. She has asked the Biden administration to share 5 percent of their doses overseas when 20 percent of Americans have been vaccinated, and gradually increase the percentage of divided doses as more Americans receive their vaccines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13.5 percent of people in the United States who are 18 years of age or older were fully vaccinated as of Friday.

The authoritarian governments of China and Russia, less affected by national public opinion, are already using vaccines to expand their sphere of influence. As the Biden government plans its strategy to counter China’s growing global clout, Beijing is polishing its image by shipping vaccines to dozens of countries on multiple continents, including Africa, Latin America, and the Southeast Asian backyard in particular.

Russia has been providing vaccines to Eastern European countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia at a time when Biden officials want to unify the European Union against Russian influence on the continent.

“We may be outdone by others who are more willing to share, even if they do so for cynical reasons,” said Ivo H. Daalder, former NATO ambassador and president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “I think countries will remember who was there for us when we needed them.”

Updated

March 13, 2021, 3:49 p.m. ET

In the face of worrying and highly contagious new varieties in the US and around the world, public health experts say vaccinating people overseas is necessary to protect Americans too.

“It has to be sold to Americans to keep Americans safe over the long term, and it has to be sold to a highly divided, toxic America,” said J. Stephen Morrison, a global health expert with Centers for Strategic and International Studies. “I don’t think that’s impossible. I think Americans are beginning to understand that in a world of variation, anything that happens outside of our borders increases the urgency to act really quickly. “

Mr Blinken also said this to the BBC: “Until everyone in the world is vaccinated, nobody is really completely safe.”

The quad vaccine partnership announced at the summit on Friday includes different commitments from each of the nations, according to the White House.

In addition to supporting the Indian vaccine maker, the US has pledged at least $ 100 million to bolster vaccination capacity overseas and support public health efforts. Japan is “in discussion” to provide loans to the Indian government to expand the production of vaccines for export and will support vaccination programs for developing countries. Australia will allocate $ 77 million for vaccine provision and delivery assistance with a focus on Southeast Asia.

The four countries will also form one  Quad Vaccine Experts Group by  Top scientists and government officials who will work to overcome production hurdles and funding plans.

Mr Morrison said the government deserves “some credit” for the effort, adding, “It shows diplomatic ingenuity and speed.” However, a spokesman for One Campaign, which focuses on extreme poverty, said his group would still see a plan for the United States’ vaccine supply, noting that Africa had given far fewer doses per capita than Asia.

Mr Biden’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production helped the United States produce up to a billion doses by the end of the year – far more than needed to vaccinate the roughly 260 million adults in the United States.

What you need to know about the vaccine rollout

A government-brokered deal to see drug company Merck manufacture Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, which the president celebrated in the White House on Wednesday, will help achieve that goal. Also on Wednesday, Mr Biden directed federal health officials to source an additional 100 million doses of the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

The government has stated that these efforts are aimed at having enough vaccines for children, booster doses, to face new varieties and unforeseen events. Jeffrey D. Zients, Mr Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, told reporters Friday that the Johnson & Johnson-Merck deal would also “expand capacity and ultimately benefit the world”.

Not only did Mr Biden resist the urge to dump excess doses, but he also criticized the Liberal Democrats for blocking a motion by India and South Africa for a temporary waiver of an international intellectual property agreement that would make it easier for poorer countries to access generic versions of Coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

“I understand why we should prioritize our supply to Americans – it was paid for by American taxpayers, President Biden is President of America,” said Representative Ro Khanna, a Liberal Democrat from California. “But there is no reason to prioritize the profits of pharmaceutical companies over the dignity of other countries.”

Mr Biden recently announced a $ 4 billion donation to Covax, the international vaccine initiative supported by the World Health Organization. David Bryden, director of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, a nonprofit that supports health workers in low- and middle-income countries, said money was also urgently needed to train and pay these workers to administer vaccines overseas.

However, that donation and the Quad’s announcement of financial support for vaccine production on Friday fell short of the urgent demands of public health advocates for the United States to provide ready-to-use doses that can be quickly injected.

However, the quad’s focus on Southeast Asia most likely reflects an awareness of China’s gratitude in the region for Beijing’s focus in its vaccine distribution efforts.

If Mr Biden is widely viewed as helping the world recover from the coronavirus pandemic, that could become part of his legacy when President George W. Bush made a huge investment in public health funding in the 2000s the AIDS crisis in Africa responded. More than a decade later, Bush and the United States continue to be revered across much of the continent for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), which the government said has spent $ 85 billion and saved 20 million lives.

Michael Gerson, a former Bush White House speechwriter and policy advisor who helped shape the Pepfar program, said its impact has been both moral and strategic and that the program has been “an enormous amount of money to the United States.” goodwill “in Africa.

“I think the principle here should be that the people who need it most should get it, no matter where they live,” he said. “There is little moral sense in giving the vaccine to a healthy American 24-year-old in front of a front-line worker in Liberia.”

But he added, “It’s very difficult for an American politician to explain.”

Ana Swanson contributed to the coverage

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President Joe Biden urges states to vaccinate lecturers, faculty workers this month

President Joe Biden urges states to vaccinate teachers, school staff this month

Letetsia A. Fox, Chapter President Los Angeles 500 of the California School Employees Association, receives her first COVID-19 Moderna shot from Nurse Sosse Bedrossian, Director of Nursing at LAUSD.

Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on states to prioritize vaccinating teachers and school staff against Covid-19 with a goal of giving at least one shot to every educator and staff member across the country by the end of March.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously urged states to give priority to teacher vaccination. However, some public health professionals criticized that vaccination was not a requirement for K-12 schools to reopen.

“Let me be clear, we can reopen schools if the right steps are taken before staff are vaccinated,” Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. “But time and again we have heard from educators and parents who are concerned about it.”

To expedite the safe reopening of schools, Biden said, “Let’s treat personal learning as the essential service it is, and that means vaccinating key workers who provide that service, educators, school staff and child carers.” . ”

“My challenge for all states, territories and the District of Columbia is this: We want every educator, school worker and childcare worker to receive at least one shot by the end of March,” he added.

Biden said he will use the federal pharmacy partnership established with retail pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens to expand access to Covid-19 vaccines and make the shots available to teachers and school staff before K-12. This would enable these workers to obtain the vaccine in states where they do not meet local approval requirements.

His statement is the strongest appeal yet and the most ambitious timeline the federal government has tabled for states to give priority to educators and school staff, although that is not the mandate for it. Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, welcomed the president’s remarks as a concrete step in reopening schools for personal learning.

“What an enormous relief to have a president who can cope with this moment of crisis,” Weingarten said in a statement. “Vaccinations are an essential ingredient in safely reopening schools. This is the administration taking steps to expedite vaccination for educators. This is great news for anyone looking to study in school.”

With the doses of the Covid-19 vaccines still scarce, states are handing them out to prioritized groups, mostly key frontline workers, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. While the CDC makes recommendations as to which groups should receive the vaccine first, states ultimately make their own decisions.

The CDC has recommended that teachers be vaccinated in the Phase 1b group, which includes everyone over the age of 75, as well as “key people on the front lines”. However, some states have excluded teachers and school staff from their definition of the main frontline workforce.

Although the country’s top health authority recommends states give priority to vaccination teachers, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky explains that unvaccinated teachers shouldn’t be an obstacle to schools reopening. She said if schools follow public health precautions set by the CDC, teachers and staff can safely return to face-to-face learning.

However, based on the parameters set by the CDC, about 90% of schools in the country are in significant counties where the CDC says it is not safe for schools to fully reopen to face-to-face learning.

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Coping methods may also help folks hitting the ‘pandemic wall,’ ex-AMA president says

Coping techniques can help people hitting the 'pandemic wall,' ex-AMA president says

Coping techniques can help people struggling with the psychological effects of the Covid crisis, said psychiatrist Dr. Patrice Harris told CNBC.

“I want everyone first of all to give each other grace and space to feel how they feel. Know that we are not helpless,” Harris said on CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith on Wednesday.

A recent report found that nearly half of US workers surveyed have had mental health problems since the coronavirus pandemic began.

“We’re all hitting this wall, but it’s time to build on our reserves,” said Harris, past president of the American Medical Association.

Harris said, exercising, getting enough food and sleep, and establishing new routines can all help keep people off the “pandemic wall”.

Harris stressed the need to lower personal expectations in the face of the pandemic.

“We should put less pressure on ourselves,” said Harris. “Know that we can’t do everything.”

Maintaining connections with friends and loved ones is vital even in times of social distancing, she said. For those suffering from “zoom fatigue,” Harris suggested phone calls.

When coping mechanisms aren’t enough, Harris stressed the importance of asking for help.

“We have to make sure we get professional help,” said Harris. “And there’s no shame in it.”

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President Joe Biden targets 1.5 million Covid vaccinations a day, up from 1 million

President Joe Biden targets 1.5 million Covid vaccinations a day, up from 1 million

President Joe Biden makes remarks before signing a “Made in America” ​​executive order on January 25, 2021 in the Auditorium of the South Court at the White House in Washington, DC.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

President Joe Biden said Monday the United States could hit 1.5 million Covid-19 vaccinations per day, surpassing its previously targeted pace of 1 million per day, which the Trump administration has already neared.

Biden has pledged to give 100 million shots of coronavirus vaccine in his first 100 days in office, which equates to a rate of 1 million shots a day.

“That is my promise that we will get 100 million vaccinations,” he said on Monday. “I think if the grace of God and the goodwill of the neighbor and the fools don’t rise as the old saying goes, we can maybe bring that to 1.5 million a day instead of 1 million a day, but we have to target that of a million a day. “

Some public health professionals criticized Biden’s promise to give 100 million vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office as being too modest. By the time Biden took over the presidency last week, the US was well on its way to the necessary pace of 1 million shots a day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US exceeded an average of 1.1 million vaccinations per day for seven days on Sunday.

And with the expected launch of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine next month, the Biden administration is now saying the pace of 1 million shots a day is more of a floor than a target. The two currently approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna require two doses to achieve maximum protection against the virus. The potential approval of JNJ’s one-time vaccine could significantly accelerate the mass effort.

But just last week, Biden rejected the idea that the goal of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days might be too low a threshold, claiming he was told before he took office that the target might be too high.

“I find it fascinating that yesterday the press asked, ‘Is 100 million enough?’ The week before they said, “Biden, are you crazy? You can’t make 100 million in 100 days, “said the President on Friday.” God willing, we will not just do 100 million, we will do more than that. “

Biden said Monday that the administration is working to increase the number of people who administer the shots, increase production of the cans, and create more facilities where people can schedule appointments and get their vaccinations.

“Time is of the essence,” he said. “We are trying to get at least 100 million vaccinations in 100 days and move in the next 100 days where we are way beyond that to get to the point where we can get herd immunity in a country.” of over 300 million people. “

His change of tune reflects comments made by White House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served in the Trump administration, handed in this weekend. Fauci said Sunday that Biden’s goal of 100 million doses in 100 days was not a final number.

“It’s really a floor, not a ceiling,” Fauci told CBS’s Face The Nation program. “It’s going to be a challenge. I think it was a sensible goal that was set. We always want to do better than the goal you set.”

With a limited dose offer, states are still rationing life-saving recordings and setting a wide variety of approval parameters. The Trump administration, and now the White House in Biden, have encouraged both states to quickly move through the eligibility stages in an attempt to expand the population able to receive the vaccines.

Biden said Monday from a reporter when the US will get to the point where anyone who wants to get the vaccines will be able to, Biden said this spring. But he added it would be “a logistical challenge that surpasses anything we’ve ever tried in this country.”

“I am confident that by the summer we will be well on the way to achieving herd immunity,” he said.

But even when Biden voiced a more aggressive target for the vaccination campaign, he added Monday that the US “will see between 600,000 and 660,000 deaths before we start turning the corner in the right direction”.

And the president painted an even gloomier picture last week, saying, “There is nothing we can do to change the course of the pandemic over the next few months.”

– CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.

Categories
Business

President Biden’s Tech To-Do Checklist

President Biden’s Tech To-Do List

This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it on weekdays.

President Biden inherits tricky technical questions, including how to curb powerful digital superstars, what to do with Chinese technology, and how to get more Americans online.

Here is an insight into the opportunities and challenges of technology policy for the new Biden administration:

Restrict technical forces: There have been investigations, lawsuits and loud arguments under the Trump administration over the power of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and other technology companies. Tech giants can expect more of this under Mr. Biden and a Congress tightly controlled by Democrats.

Government lawsuits accusing Google and Facebook of breaking the law in order to succeed or stay that way are being passed on to the new administration, which is expected to continue. There could also be more lawsuits that may make it difficult for Big Tech to continue as it is.

On Tuesday, a top Justice Department attorney appointed by former President Donald Trump approved many Congressional rules that the four largest tech superpowers in America are harmful monopolies. The speech indicated that hatred of big tech is one of the few areas of bipartisan settlement.

Mr Biden appears to agree with the Trump administration’s concerns about China’s ambitions in technology and other areas, but he has said little more than to seek more consistent and coherent policies. Mr. Biden has also expressed support for more government investment in key US technology to counter China’s technical ambitions.

The Biden Administration

Updated

Jan. 20, 2021, 11:34 p.m. ET

Digital divide: The pandemic has exposed a persistent gap between Americans who can and can afford access to internet services and millions who cannot, especially in low-income or rural households.

“Universal broadband” is mentioned in Mr Biden’s priorities, but he has not indicated how to get there. The Washington Post reported that Mr. Biden’s advisors are looking to improve E-Rate, a program designed to help schools and libraries provide Internet access.

What else? Mr Biden’s economic recovery plan contains proposals to “make the most ambitious effort ever” to modernize US cyber defense. Maybe this is the year for a federal data protection act? And there are cracks among Democrats regarding the special employment treatment of “gig” workers.

The top priorities for the new administration are ending the pandemic and helping Americans restore the damage. But how the US government deals with these complex technical issues will also have a major impact on Americans and others around the world.

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  • The constant striving to limit the disadvantages of the internet: Discord, the chat app popular with video gamers, has made a number of changes to monitor the website for predators, bullying, and other risks. The Wall Street Journal reviewed Discord’s efforts and spoke to people who also want parental controls for the app.

  • China’s Most Prominent Tech Manager Appears Again: Jack Ma, who is behind two of China’s largest tech companies, has reappeared publicly at an educational event, reported my colleague Tiffany May. Ma had not been seen since late last year when authorities cracked down on his business empire after he passed the regulation criticized the government.

  • No peloton allowed in the situation room: Mr. Biden loves his Peloton exercise bike, but it probably needs some modification – leave the camera and microphone behind! – to prevent hackers from possibly snooping on national secrets.

Please enjoy two Scottish Shetland ponies in hand knitted sweaters.

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