Tag Archives: Biden Administration

The Associated Press reports: Attorney General Merrick Garland will deliver a statement at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Department of Justice did not specify why Garland was calling the last-minute briefing. It is unknown if he will address the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence. The FBI and DOJ have faced …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration plans to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency as soon as Thursday in an effort to galvanize awareness and unlock additional flexibility and funding to fight the virus’s spread. The declaration would come from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is expected to discuss the plan at an afternoon …

Gothamist reports: Advocates and lawmakers are calling for the Biden administration to remove barriers to access for a promising medication called tecovirimat, or TPOXX, as New York’s monkeypox outbreak worsens. So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved the medication for the treatment of smallpox — though some early studies show TPOXX can help against monkeypox, too. …

The Hill reports: The Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed a new rule on Wednesday that clarifies when airlines owe passengers refunds. The regulation is the department’s latest move to strengthen refund enforcement amid re-surging flight demand that has left the industry scrambling and sent passenger complaints soaring. “When Americans buy an airline ticket, they should get to their destination safely, …

The New York Times reports: The Biden administration now expects to begin a Covid-19 booster campaign with retooled vaccines in September because Pfizer and Moderna have promised that they can deliver doses by then, according to people familiar with the deliberations. With updated formulations apparently close at hand, federal officials have decided against expanding eligibility for second boosters of the …

Politico reports: The Biden administration is expected to declare monkeypox a public health emergency in the coming days, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The declaration, which is made by the Department of Health and Human Services, would follow a similar decision made last weekend by the World Health Organization. By designating the outbreak an emergency, HHS …

Bloomberg News reports: The US economy shrank for a second straight quarter, raising chances of a recession, as decades-high inflation undercut consumer spending and Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes stymied business investment and housing demand. Gross domestic product fell at a 0.9% annualized rate after a 1.6% decline in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department’s preliminary estimate …

“In the U.S. right now, we’re looking at public health emergency as something that HHS might deliver, might invoke but, you know, it really depends on what does that allow us to do. “Right now we have over 2000 cases, but we have ramped up vaccinations, ramped up treatments, ramped up testing, and we’re going to continue to look at …

CNBC reports: Shoppers paid sharply higher prices for a variety of goods in June as inflation kept its hold on a slowing U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad measure of everyday goods and services, soared 9.1% from a year ago, above the 8.8% Dow Jones estimate. That marked another month of …

Politico reports: The State Department is offering up to $10 million to those who provide information on foreign interference in U.S. elections, officials announced on Thursday. The Rewards for Justice program aims to gather information that leads to the identification or location of any foreign person or entity “who knowingly engaged or is engaging in foreign election interference,” department officials …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration will begin sending out tens of thousands of vaccine doses in an effort to control a record U.S. monkeypox outbreak that many experts say is far larger than the official count of 306 cases, officials announced on Tuesday. The vaccination strategy, which officials characterized as part of a broader push for more testing …

Reuters reports: President Joe Biden’s administration indicated it will seek to prevent states from banning a pill used for medication abortion in light of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, signaling a major new legal fight. The administration could argue in court that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, one of …

The Associated Press reports: The Biden administration proposed a dramatic overhaul of campus sexual assault rules on Thursday, acting to expand protections for LGBTQ students, bolster the rights of victims and widen colleges’ responsibilities in addressing sexual misconduct. The proposal, announced on the 50th anniversary of the Title IX women’s rights law, is intended to replace a set of controversial …

The Associated Press reports: The day after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with airline leaders to quiz them about widespread flight disruptions, his own flight was canceled and he wound up driving from Washington to New York. “That is happening to a lot of people, and that is exactly why we are paying close attention here to what can be …

The Hill reports: Health officials announced on Friday that the White House has ordered 500,000 more doses of a vaccine believed to be effective against monkeypox. Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced during a press briefing that the U.S. had ordered half a million liquid, frozen doses of …

Reuters reports: The administration of President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a series of restrictions on flights to Cuba imposed by his predecessor, including ending a prohibition on U.S. airline flights to Cuban airports other than Havana. The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) issued the order at the request of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the action was “in …

The Hill reports: Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy called press secretary Jen Psaki’s exit from the White House “the end of an era” on Friday, her last day at the press secretary’s lectern. Doocy credited her for making him a better reporter. “It’s not just me asking questions. She would ask me questions right back. When I would …

Axios reports: Outgoing White House press secretary Jen Psaki teared up during her last briefing on Friday, thanking President Biden for the opportunity to serve in the role. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to get emotional,” she said. She also thanked the reporters in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room room for their “pivotal role.” “At times we …

NBC News reports: The White House announced a series of measures Thursday designed to address a baby formula shortage across the United States, after President Joe Biden met with key retailers and manufacturers. The steps announced by the White House on Thursday include an effort to reduce red tape and to speed formula production, to make it easier to import …

Via press release from the White House: Today, President Biden announced Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to be Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary. Karine will step into the Press Secretary role replacing Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House on May 13. Statement from President Biden: “I am proud to announce that Karine Jean-Pierre …