FDA vaccine advisers recommend authorization of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine
“Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted Friday to recommend the agency grant emergency use authorization to Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine.
If the FDA acts on the recommendation -- and it's expected to do so quickly -- the vaccine will become the third authorized for use in the United States. It will be the first one-shot vaccine, and one that can be stored in regular refrigerators, making it easier to distribute than the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which are more delicate and require two doses.” Read more at CNN
“The House approved President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan early Saturday and sent it to the Senate, as Democrats defied united GOP opposition to advance the massive relief package aimed at stabilizing the economy and boosting coronavirus vaccinations and testing.
The legislation, Biden’s first major agenda item, passed 219-212. Republicans unanimously opposed the bill, a strikingly partisan outcome just a month after the new president was inaugurated with calls for bipartisanship and unity. All but two Democrats voted in favor.
The vote closed shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday after a long day of debate, with Republicans repeatedly decrying the legislation as a partisan boondoggle and Democrats defending it as much-needed relief. Even bigger fights await in the Senate, where Democratic unity will face greater tests.” Read more at Washington Post
“Investigators have uncovered video appearing to show someone spraying a chemical irritant at Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick and other law enforcement personnel fending off rioters in last month’s attack, though they have yet to identify the person or tie the activity directly to Sicknick’s death, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sicknick’s death has vexed investigators exploring the Jan. 6 riot, as they have struggled to figure out how precisely he died and whether someone could be held criminally accountable in connection with the death.
Investigators determined Sicknick did not die of blunt force trauma, people familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. U.S. Capitol Police in a statement Jan. 8 said that Sicknick died ‘due to injuries sustained while on duty.’ No autopsy or toxicology report has been made public, unusual seven weeks after a death.” Read more at Washington Post
“Republicans have continued to embrace the myth of a stolen election the annual rightwing conclave of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), underscoring how the party continues to sustain the baseless idea months after Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 race and the deadly assault on the Capitol.
This year’s gathering of some of the party’s most fervent supporters has a staggering seven sessions focused on voter fraud and election-related issues. Several have inflammatory titles. ‘Other culprits, why judges and media refuse to look at the evidence,’ was the name of one panel discussion on Friday. ‘The left pulled the strings, covered it up, and even admits it,’ was another. ‘Failed states (GA, PA, NV, oh my!)’ is the title of another scheduled for this weekend.
‘The base is solidly behind him’: Trumpism expected to thrive at CPAC
Several speakers on Friday repeated debunked falsehoods about the election. Deroy Murdock, a Fox News contributor, repeated the lie that there were ‘mysterious late-night ballot dumps’ that swung the election for Joe Biden and that there were vehicles with out-of-state license plates unloading ballots in the early hours of the election. Both of those claims have been debunked.
Stoking fears about fraud and advocating for stricter voting rules has become commonplace among Republicans in recent years, but in the wake of Trump’s presidency – and his loss to Biden – it has become a common rallying cry in the party. Even so, some observers said the focus on fanning the flames of the conspiracy theory at CPAC was still alarming.” Read more at The Guardian
“The number of unaccompanied immigrant children arrested for crossing the U.S. southern border illegally is on pace to rise more than 50% in February compared with the previous month, people familiar with the matter said, raising the prospect of a humanitarian crisis there.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have tapped a private database containing hundreds of millions of phone, water, electricity and other utility records while pursuing immigration violations, according to public documents uncovered by Georgetown Law researchers and shared with The Washington Post.
ICE’s use of the private database is another example of how government agencies have exploited commercial sources to access information they are not authorized to compile on their own. It also highlights how real-world surveillance efforts are being fueled by information people may never have expected would land in the hands of law enforcement.
The database, CLEAR, includes more than 400 million names, addresses and service records from more than 80 utility companies covering all the staples of modern life, including water, gas and electricity, and phone, Internet and cable TV.” Read more at Washington Post
“Tensions with Saudi Arabia rose after the White House released parts of a classified report that concluded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed off on the 2018 murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Elsewhere, European Union leaders inched toward establishing bloc-wide vaccine certificates to enable countries to reopen to travel as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that unless they hurry, Apple and Google will step into the vacuum.” Read more at Bloomberg
“India Wields Colonial-Era Sedition Law to Detain Farm Protesters
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration struggles to contain protracted protests by farmers, it is turning to a sedition law that can lock up dissidents without bail while they await trial — sometimes for years. Archana Chaudhary, Bibhudatta Pradhan and Sudhi Ranjan Sen explain the broad police powers that are a colonial legacy.” Read more at Bloomberg“Two French bulldogs belonging to Lady Gaga that were stolen at gunpoint earlier this week have been recovered unharmed, police in Los Angeles have said.
A woman brought the dogs to the LAPD’s Olympic community police station on Friday evening, said Jonathan Tippett, commanding officer of the robbery-homicide division.
Detectives and representatives of Lady Gaga, who is currently filming a movie in Rome, had been to the station and confirmed they were the singer’s dogs, he said.
The woman who dropped off the animals appeared to be ‘uninvolved and unassociated’ with Wednesday night’s attack, Tippett said. It was not immediately clear how she had obtained the dogs.
The dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot once as he walked three of the singer’s dogs in Hollywood. Video showed a white sedan pulling up and two men jumping out. They struggled with the dog walker before one pulled a gun and fired a single shot before fleeing with two of the dogs.
The dog walker can be heard on the video saying he had been shot in the chest. Fischer was expected to survive his injuries.
Lady Gaga had on Friday repeated her offer of a US$500,000 reward for the return of her dogs, named Koji and Gustav, with no questions asked.
‘I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero,’ she said in an Instagram post. Read more at The Guardian
“The WNBA and the NBA’s board of governors unanimously approved the sale of the Atlanta Dream on Friday, ending defeated Republican senator Kelly Loeffler’s tumultuous stint as a WNBA owner.
How the WNBA helped the Democrats take control of the US Senate
Larry Gottesdiener, chairman of the Massachusetts-based real estate private equity firm Northland Investment Corporation, will head a three-member investment group comprised of himself, Northland president and chief operating officer Suzanne Abair and former Dream star Renee Montgomery, who will become the first former player to become both an owner and executive of a WNBA team.” Read more at The Guardian
“Netflix achieved roughly gender parity among lead characters in both film and TV in 2018 and 2019, AP reports.
In Netflix films and series, 31.9% of leads were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
Netflix films were more likely to have women directing, writing or producing than the top-grossing movies of 2018 and 2019.
Between the lines: Not all of the findings were positive.
About 64% of speaking characters in Netflix movies were male.
Only 16.9% of film directors were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.
Among series creators, only 12.2% were from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.” [Axios]
“A new Superman film from DC Films will be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.” [Vox][Variety / Angelique Jackson]
“A Variety investigation into director and writer Joss Whedon after several Buffy the Vampire Slayer actresses accused him of harassing and abusive behavior on set uncovered ‘a pattern of inappropriate, imperious and disparaging behavior toward those who worked for him.’” [Vox] [Variety / Adam B. Vary and Elizabeth Wagmeister]
“Calvin Tyler, who may have one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. Almost 40 years ago, Tyler had to drop out of Morgan State College in Maryland because he couldn't afford it. Now, he and his wife Tina just committed $20 million to the school for need-based scholarships. You see, after Tyler dropped out, he took a job as a UPS driver in Baltimore, and over the years, worked his way up to senior vice president of operations. He retired in 1998 and joined UPS's board of directors. The Tylers already have a scholarship fund in their name at the school, and their donations over the years have helped more than 200 deserving students get an education at Morgan State.”
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