In Washington: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called for the World Health Assembly (WHA), a decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), to allow Taiwan to participate as an observer in its...more
In Washington: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that gym users should wear masks when exercising, even if they are more than six feet apart, and gyms need to improve ventilation. A new agency report...more
In Washington: On Friday, President Biden signed an executive order expanding the scope of nutrition assistance programs, an effort to address a growing hunger crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and heightening worker...more
In Washington: On Jan. 20, Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States as he and Kamala Harris were sworn into office in front of the Capitol building that only two weeks prior was the scene of the Jan. 6 Capitol...more
In Washington: On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump threatened to turn a month’s worth of negotiations and passage of the COVID-19 and FY2021 omnibus appropriations bills upside down by suggesting that he might veto...more
In Washington: Top Senate Republicans indicated on Thursday that Congress is increasingly likely to need a brief stopgap government funding bill lasting several days to clinch a spending and coronavirus relief deal. Friday...more
In Washington: A bipartisan group of lawmakers is splitting its $908 billion coronavirus relief proposal into two packages. The plan reportedly will include a $160 billion proposal that ties together the two most...more
In Washington: The Senate passed a one-week stopgap bill on Friday, hours ahead of a government shutdown deadline. The bill passed on a voice vote and moved the funding deadline to December 18. The continuing resolution...more
In Washington: The House passed a one-week funding extension (HR 8900) to give lawmakers more time to finalize a fiscal 2021 spending package and coronavirus relief. The vote was 343-67. The measure (HR 8900) now goes to...more
In Washington: POLITICO reporter Burgess Everett tweeted that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says “negotiators should drop both state and local aid and liability shield provisions in order to reach consensus...more
In Tuesday's Report: European Commission proposes far-reaching pharmaceutical strategic plan, Biden names health care nominees, and warnings over Christmas COVID-19 spread....more
In Washington: President-elect Joe Biden picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary. Becerra was a defender of the Affordable Care Act. Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious...more
In Washington: While we have seen some hopeful progress this week on coronavirus relief, some cracks are beginning to show. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the Senate floor Thursday, signaling an...more
In Washington: Two Treasury Department moves in recent days are generating controversy among lawmakers and policymakers: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Thursday that he will not extend the Federal...more
Stimulus, Vaccines, and Corona. OH MY! First, The Stimulus. The status of additional stimulus remains where it has been as we have been tracking it for months, ever since the House passed the HEROES Act: nowhere. While the...more
In Washington: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said on Tuesday that he would quarantine after exposure to COVID-19. Grassley added that he was "feeling well" and asymptomatic but that "it’s important we all follow public health...more
In Washington: On Monday, Moderna announced that its coronavirus is 94.5% effective against COVID-19 in its phase three testing. The results make Moderna the second company to report preliminary data on a successful...more
In Washington: Two public health experts on President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 task force rejected the idea of broad “lockdowns” like those seen in the spring designed to slow skyrocketing case numbers. Celine Gounder told...more
In Washington: On Nov. 7, most major networks and news sources announced that Joe Biden won the presidential election to become the 46th President of the United States. The call came after Biden’s lead if Pennsylvania...more
In Washington: White House communications director Alyssa Farah said Tuesday that the White House still hopes for a coronavirus relief package, probably post-election. Speaking on Fox & Friends, Farah said President Trump...more
In Washington: State public health officials are urging Congress to provide at least $8.4 billion in emergency funding for distributing a coronavirus vaccine, warning that they lack enough money to carry out the immense...more