AP PHOTO/MARY ALTAFFER
“A large real-world test of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has confirmed that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose.The results come from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel, reports Marilynn Marchione.
They give strong reassurance that the benefits seen in smaller tests persisted when the vaccine was used in a general population. The vaccine was 92% effective at preventing severe disease after two shots and 62% after one. Its estimated effectiveness for preventing death was 72% two to three weeks after the first shot.” Read more at AP
“The Food and Drug Administration released a report about a vaccine that it has not yet approved — from Johnson & Johnson — and the data were extremely positive.
Like the two vaccines that are already being administered in the U.S. — from Moderna and Pfizer — Johnson & Johnson’s eliminated both death and hospitalization in its research trial: About 20,000 people received the vaccine in the trial, and not a single one was hospitalized with Covid-19 symptoms a month later….
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also substantially reduced the number of moderate and asymptomatic Covid cases. It didn’t eliminate them, but the vaccines don’t need to eliminate all Covid cases in order to end the crisis. A sharp reduction — and sharper reduction in severe cases — can eventually turn this terrible coronavirus into yet another manageable virus….
A key advantage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that it requires only one shot, making it easier to administer than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which require two. An F.D.A. committee will meet on Friday, and the agency could approve the vaccine shortly afterward.” Read more at New York Times
“Vaccine Ad Campaign:A new public service ad campaign aims to convince Americans to get vaccinated, telling them ‘It’s Up to You.’ The national campaign by the Ad Council and its partners aims to move people from being hesitant to being confident about the shots. The campaign, funded by $52 million in donations, includes English and Spanish ads for TV, billboards, social media and publications.” Read more at AP
“Federal Relief Package: Republicans rallied solidly against Democrats’ proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. Lawmakers are also awaiting a decision by the Senate’s parliamentarian that could bolster or potentially kill a pivotal provision hiking the federal minimum wage. Democrats plan to push the sweeping package through the House on Friday. They were hoping the Senate would follow quickly enough to have legislation on President Joe Biden’s desk by mid-March. But the big suspense is over whether the nonpartisan parliamentarian will decide if the minimum wage plan can stay in the bill and enjoy its protection against a GOP filibuster, Alan Fram reports.” Read more at AP
“U.S. States Relief: In these economically-ravaged times, U.S. states are not willing to wait for more federal help and have been moving ahead with their own coronavirus relief packages. Maryland and California recently approved help for small businesses, the poor, the jobless and those needing child care. New Mexico and Pennsylvania are funneling grants directly to cash-starved businesses. The spending shows that many states have proved unexpectedly resilient during the pandemic, Brian Witte reports from Annapolis.
And it has provided fuel for critics who say they don’t need another massive infusion of cash from Congress. The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion relief plan would send hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments.” Read more at AP
“BLM Survival Fund: The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is formally expanding a $3 million financial relief fund to help people struggling during the pandemic. It plans to make 3,000 microgrants of $1,000 each to people who it believes need it most. If approved, the money is deposited directly into recipients’ bank accounts or made available on prepaid debit cards, the foundation says — no strings attached. The Survival Fund launches today as the nation awaits Congress to take action on a nearly $2 trillion relief package that includes $1,400 direct stimulus payments to individuals who earn less than $75,000 in annual income. Aaron Morrison reports.” Read more at AP
“Flu Season: February is usually the peak of flu season in the U.S., but not this year. Health officials say flu cases and hospitalizations have been at their lowest levels in decades and credit measures put in place to fend off COVID-19. Some think it's possible that the coronavirus has essentially muscled aside not only the flu, but also other bugs usually seen in the fall and winter, Mike Stobbe reports.” Read more at AP
“Moderna said it would test vaccines modified to protect against a variant first discovered in South Africa.” Read more at New York Times
“A new variant is spreading in New York City, researchers say.” Read more at New York Times
“Ghana and other West African countries will begin vaccinating people as part of Covax, a global vaccine-sharing initiative. But as rich countries buy most of the supply, inequalities remain.” Read more at New York Times
Chief: US Capitol Police were warned of violence before riot
“The acting head of the U.S. Capitol Police has acknowledged that the department had intelligence warning of a ‘significant likelihood for violence’ on Jan. 6 but officers were not prepared for the massive armed insurrection that would follow. Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman is testifying to Congress today, and her statement was provided in advance. Her testimony provides the most detailed account yet of the intelligence and preparations by Capitol Police ahead of the siege. Intelligence collected ahead of the riot prompted the agency to take extraordinary measures, including arming agents assigned to guard congressional leaders with assault-style rifles.” Read more at AP
“The top operations and maintenance official of the United States Capitol told lawmakers on Wednesday that the costs of the Jan. 6 attack will exceed $30 million, as his office works to provide mental health services, increase security and repair historical statues and other art damaged in the riot.
‘The events of Jan. 6 were difficult for the American people, and extremely hard for all of us on campus to witness,’ J. Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, testified as he and other top officials gave their first extensive look at the damage inflicted on the House’s fine art collection and the strain on congressional employees from the assault.
Speaking to the House Appropriations Committee, where lawmakers are considering an emergency bill to cover the costs of the most violent attack on the Capitol in two centuries, Mr. Blanton described how his staff sheltered congressional aides as ‘the crowd began crashing through windows and prying open doors.’
As staff members huddled inside, the inauguration platform they had been diligently assembling was wrecked: sound systems and photo equipment irreparably damaged or stolen, two lanterns designed and built by the eminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century ripped from the ground, and blue paint tracked all over the stone balustrades and into the hallways. Inside, busts of former speakers of the House and a Chippewa statesman, a statue of Thomas Jefferson and paintings of James Madison and John Quincy Adams were coated in fire extinguisher and other chemicals, including yellow dye that could stain.” Read more at New York Times
“Postmaster General Louis DeJoy acknowledged failures in the delivery of holiday mail in an appearance Wednesday on Capitol Hill but blamed the delays on the coronavirus pandemic and what he said were long-festering problems within the U.S. Postal Service.
DeJoy, a longtime Republican donor and ally of former President Donald Trump, stirred outrage shortly after he was named postmaster general in May 2020 by ordering the removal of mail-sorting machines in postal facilities, cutting overtime for mail carriers and making other controversial changes.
While Democrats questioned him at the hearing of the House Oversight Committee, DeJoy remained defiant, telling Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., that he would oversee the Postal Service for ‘a long time. Get used to me.’
Lawmakers have expressed alarm over slow deliveries of prescription medicines and other items for veterans, seniors and other Americans who rely on the mail service as a lifeline.
Tempers flared at the hearing, where DeJoy was asked about the downsizing of some postal operations and other cuts that may affect postal workers' benefits and salaries.
DeJoy also was questioned about the service's operations during the 2020 elections and ongoing deliveries amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Postal Service has struggled with financial problems as shipping rates have declined and the service's obligations to fund health benefits for its retired workers burdened its balance sheets. As a semi-private entity, the service mostly funds itself through shipping fees; it is not taxpayer-funded but remains under the jurisdiction of the federal government.” Read more at USA Today
“The president has tapped Ron Stroman, the U.S. Postal Service’s recently retired deputy postmaster general; Amber McReynolds, the chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute; and Anton Hajjar, the former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union, to fill three of four open board seats, according to three people briefed on the nominations. If they win Senate confirmation, it would be likely to give Democrats control of the panel that oversees the nation’s beleaguered mail agency.” Read more at Washington Post
“Lawyers are slowly making progress in locating and reuniting children and families separated at the southern US border as part of the Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy. A month ago, the parents of 611 children had yet to be located. Now, that number is down to 506. President Biden this month signed an executive order establishing a new task force designed to identify and reunify these separated families. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has lifted an order that temporarily banned certain immigrant visas during the pandemic and will begin admitting some of the hundreds of migrants held in deplorable conditions in tent camps as part of a policy requiring them to stay in Mexico until their US court dates. Both these decisions are reversals of controversial Trump-era policies.” Read more at CNN
“It has been a long-running point of racial friction between members of the Cherokee Nation and thousands of descendants of Black people who had been enslaved by the tribe before the Civil War.
Through a series of legal and political battles, those descendants, known as Freedmen, have been pushing to win equal status as members of the tribe, including the right to run for tribal office and receive full benefits like access to tribal health care and housing. And this week the Oklahoma tribe took another big step to resolve the issue by eliminating from its Constitution language that based citizenship on being descended ‘by blood’ from tribal members listed on a late 19th-century census.
The change effectively codified in the Cherokee Constitution the effects of a 2017 federal court ruling that held that the Cherokee Freedmen should have all the rights of tribal citizens, based on an 1866 treaty that laid out the terms of emancipation. Julie Hubbard, a spokeswoman for the Cherokee Nation, said there had been about 2,900 enrolled Freedmen citizens before the 2017 ruling; another 5,600 have become enrolled citizens since then.
The Cherokee Nation is one of the largest tribes in the country with more than 380,000 enrolled citizens. More than half live within the tribe’s reservation in northeastern Oklahoma.” Read more at New York Times
“The House is set to pass sweeping legislation Thursday prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. The Equality Act would amend existing federal civil rights laws to extend protections for LGBTQ Americans in what Democratic lawmakers and advocates say would make significant progress toward legal protections for all Americans. Nine members of the House openly identify as LGBTQ and two in the Senate, amounting to about 2% of each chamber. A recent Gallup Poll showed a record 5.6% of U.S. adults identified as LGBTQ . The Equality Act, one of President Joe Biden's top legislative priorities, faces an uncertain future in the Senate.” Read more at USA Today
“Los Angeles County deputies saw no evidence that golf star Tiger Woods was impaired by drugs or alcohol after Tuesday’s rollover wreck on a downhill stretch of road known for crashes, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, characterizing the crash as ‘purely an accident.’ The sheriff appeared to rule out any potential criminal charges even as authorities were still investigating the crash, which caused ‘significant’ injuries to Woods' right leg , requiring surgery. Personal injury attorney Justin King said that if investigators prove the road is unsafe, the municipality that controls it could be held liable. Meanwhile, the sheriff said investigators may seek search warrants for a blood sample to definitively rule out drugs and alcohol. Detectives also could apply for search warrants for Woods’ cell phone to see if he was driving distracted, as well as the vehicle’s event data recorder, or ‘black box,’ which would give information about how fast he was going. Injuries have been an unfortunate common occurrence for Woods. But he always made it back to winning on the golf course. Even after four back surgeries, he won the Masters in 2019 for the fifth time, which ranks among the great comebacks in the sport.” Read more at USA Today
“The United States is set to release a declassified intelligence assessment today that is expected to name Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the instigator of the plot to kill and dismember Saudi critic andWashington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
In order to provide a slight cushion to the blow, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said U.S. President Joe Biden will hold his first phone call with Saudi King Salman ‘soon.’ Previous reports had indicated the call would take place yesterday.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“The CIA has set up its first-ever task force to focus on suspected microwave attacks on US intelligence officers in the last few years, CNN has learned. About 40 US government officials across multiple agencies have been victims of debilitating invisible attacks in Russia, Cuba, China and other places around the globe. The mysterious nature of these attacks, thought to be caused by directed microwave radiation, have left victims with traumatic brain injuries and other lasting side effects while providing little in the way of evidence to hold those behind the attacks accountable. This new momentum comes after recently declassified reports that suggest the initial investigation into the attacks may have been mismanaged.” Read more at CNN
Australia passes law to make Google, Facebook pay for news
“Australia's law forcing Google and Facebook to pay for news is ready to be implemented, although the law's architect says it will take time for the digital giants to strike media deals. Parliament passed the final amendments to the News Media Bargaining Code agreed between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. In return for the changes, Facebook agreed to lift a ban on Australians accessing and sharing news.” Read more at AP
“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the United States will vie for a seat at the UN’s human rights body, which would cement a US return to a Geneva-based body that was shunned by the Trump administration.
The top US diplomat said his country will seek a three-year term starting next year at the Human Rights Council, and acknowledged it needs reform, particularly to end its ‘disproportionate’ focus on Israel — the only country whose rights record comes up for scrutiny at every one of its thrice-yearly meetings.
In a video message, Blinken raised concerns about countries including Myanmar, which has faced international criticism over a military coup last month, China over its Xinjiang region, and Russia after the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and demonstrators during protests against President Vladimir Putin’s government.” Read more at Boston Globe
“For decades, the U.S. has enjoyed global military dominance, its reach vast and empire-like . The Department of Defense spends more than $700 billion a year on weaponry and combat preparedness — more than the next 10 countries combined, according to economic think tank the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. In Germany, about 45,000 Americans go to work each day around the Kaiserslautern Military Community, a network of U.S. Army and Air Force bases that accommodates schools, housing complexes, hospitals, community centers, and retail stores. About 60,000 American military and civilian personnel are stationed in Japan; another 30,000 in South Korea. More than 6,000 U.S. military personnel are spread across Africa, according to the Department of Defense. Yet today, amid a sea change in security threats, America's military might overseas may be less relevant than it once was, say some security analysts, defense officials and former and active U.S. military service members.” Read more at USA Today
Trump supporters rally near Mar-a-Lago on Feb. 15. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
“President Trump didn't have to punish his critics in Congress — his allies back in the states instantly and eagerly did the dirty work.
Why it matters: Virtually every Republican who supported impeachment was censured back home, or threatened with a primary challenge.
Today through Sunday, many will make the trek to a sold-out CPAC (‘America Uncanceled’) in Orlando to kiss the ring — and trash the ‘traitors.’
We're quickly seeing that Trump's true power source is in the states, powered by 2020 success.
Republicans picked up 14 House seats, including a dozen they lost two years earlier. They need +6 in 2022.
In 2021, Republicans will have full control of the legislative and executive branches in 24 states. Democrats will have full control of the legislative and executive branch in 15 states.
"Republicans hold total control of redistricting in 18 states, including Florida, North Carolina and Texas, which are growing in population and expected to gain seats after the 2020 census is tabulated," the N.Y. Times reports. ‘Some election experts believe the G.O.P. could retake the House in 2022 based solely on gains from newly drawn districts.’
Democrats targeted nine states to flip control and failed in all.
The bottom line: Look at how the state parties are censuring anti-Trumpers. In the eyes of the base, the party thrived under Trump — and see anti-Trumpers as the reason the GOP didn't do even better.” Read more at Axios
“Bruce Springsteen pleaded guilty to drinking in a federal park but ‘had two other charges of drunken and reckless driving charges dropped because his blood alcohol content was found to be well below the legal limit.’” Read more at NJ.com
“A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) who alleged in December that he sexually harassed her and kissed her without consent released a new account of her accusations on Wednesday.” Read more at Politico / Erin Durkin
“U.S. passports and other federal identification may soon include a third option for gender: X, for transgender and nonbinary people.” Read more at New York Times
“Boeing moved to replace 777 engine covers before the recent failures. The plane maker and the Federal Aviation Administration had been discussing potential fixes for about two years before a pair of recent serious failures, according to an internal FAA document.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Why Neera Tanden struggled for support. The confirmation of President Biden's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget appears to be in peril, after two Senate committees delayed confirmation votes. Washington veterans had known she would be a target because of her history of outspoken criticism, mostly on Twitter, of Senate Republicans and some liberal Democrats.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Lives Lived: Advertising in the 1960s and construction in the 1980s were industries dominated by men. But through persistence and creativity, Judy Wald became a power broker in the former and Lenore Janis attained high posts in the latter. Wald died at 96, and Janis at 86.” Read more at New York Times
“When a Smith College student claimed that a janitor and a police officer had ejected her from a dorm lounge because she was Black, the case received national attention. But an investigation did not support her allegations, and Smith is now dealing with the fallout.” Read more at New York Times
“European Union leaders will log in to another videoconference this afternoon to discuss ramping up vaccine production, how to inoculate the developing world to reduce the risk of mutations, and tracking and treating the new strands of coronavirus that are emerging.
Just as significant as what they’ll talk about, though, is who’s doing the talking. Today’s meeting marks the return of Mario Draghi to the EU leaders’ council, and the presence of the new Italian prime minister will remind the group of the economic and financial challenges they face.
As Alberto Nardelli reports, the former European Central Bank president was at the heart of efforts to resolve the last financial crisis in Europe, and he brings both the credibility and a range of policy options that will be needed to help avert another one.In the past, Draghi preached to leaders of the need to make the euro area fit for purpose, and signs that the bloc is again lagging the U.S. pandemic recovery serve as a reminder the job remains unfinished.
The most critical country to turn around is Italy, so Draghi must begin his work at home.
But as German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to leave office and with French President Emmanuel Macron facing a tough route to re-election next spring, Europe could use some heavyweight backup.” — Ben Sills Read more at Bloomberg
“Extending support | Facebook widened a ban on pages linked to Myanmar’s military and barred advertising from affiliated commercial entities, stepping up its actions in the aftermath of the Feb. 1 coup. Treating the situation as an emergency, Facebook has mobilized Myanmar nationals with native-language skills to help moderate content, put more protections in place for journalists and curbed the reach of military spokespeople and misinformation.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Nile dam dispute. Egypt has given its backing to a Sudanese proposal to bring in the United States, European Union, and United Nations in order to arbitrate a three-way dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Sudan announced the proposal last year after African Union-led talks failed to reach any conclusion. Last Friday, the Biden administration announced it had ‘de-linked’ the suspension of $272 million in U.S. aid to Ethiopia over its filling of the GERD, but implied that the Ethiopian government’s actions in Tigray could mean the aid would still be held up.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Navalny’s status. Amnesty International has stripped Alexei Navalny of its designation as a ‘prisoner of conscience,’ referencing previous anti-immigrant statements made by the Russian opposition figure. ‘Some of these comments, which Navalny has not publicly denounced, reach the threshold of advocacy of hatred, and this is at odds with Amnesty’s definition of a prisoner of conscience,’ Amnesty said in a statement, adding that they would continue to advocate for his release.
Amnesty has walked back its awards before—famously stripping Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of its Ambassador of Conscience award over her failure to speak out on behalf of her country’s Rohingya minority.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“India’s new 110,000-seat cricket stadium, the largest in the world, has been renamed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a shock announcement by President Ramnath Kovind ahead of the first international match to be played there.
The move is even more surprising given that Modi himself inaugurated the stadium just last year as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cricket Stadium, after one of the country’s independence leaders. The opposition Congress Party accused Modi’s Hindu nationalist government of renaming the stadium because Patel famously banned the RSS, a Hindu nationalist organization, after Mahatma Gandhi’s 1948 assassination by a man who had been a member of the group.
Patel is unlikely to be forgotten, however—he was immortalized in 2018 as the world’s tallest statue.” Read more at Foreign Policy