1 North Korea Fires More Rockets
North Korea fired off multiple short-range missiles last weekend...after denouncing the U.S. for going through with joint military exercises in South Korea. President Biden’s response? “It’s business as usual.” North Korea is now upping the ante – flexing its muscles for the second time in a week by firing two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. It’s the first such provocation in a year. While Biden hasn’t offered comment on this latest action, military officials say they’re keeping a keen eye on the Hermit Kingdom. "We will continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, the spokesman for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, says in a statement. “This activity highlights the threat that North Korea's illicit weapons program poses to its neighbors and the international community.”
2 Biden Taps Harris To Head Efforts To Curb Border Surge
Sure, she may have laughed about heading to the border a few days ago, but President Biden is asking Vice President Harris to lead efforts to curb the surge of illegal immigrants to the U.S. He made the announcement at the start of a high-level White House meeting on the border surge. And of that surge – which is the largest in 20 years – Biden puts the blame on President Trump. No matter who ‘started it,’ V-P Harris’ to-do list includes talks with Mexico and the so-called ‘Northern Triangle’ countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Harris called the border surge a challenging and complex problem and added "root causes" must be addressed. Something else that’s been addressed to a degree? After months of not allowing the media into the overcrowded facilities. Well, sort of. As ABC News reports, the Biden administration has allowed only one camera and under strict conditions set by the feds, which include not being inside the overcrowded facilities.
3 AstraZeneca Releases New COVID Vaccine Trial Results
AstraZeneca says its coronavirus vaccine IS highly effective after all. In updated results from its Phase three trial – which came after the company was publicly flogged for posted outdated information – the company says the vaccine is 76-percent effective in protecting against symptomatic cases of the virus. It was also 100-percent effective at preventing severe cases of COVID-19. Earlier this week, the company faced accusations it cherry-picked data when releasing preliminary results. AstraZeneca's rollout in Europe has been bumpy because of reports of clotting issues. Meanwhile, a group of 12 states is calling on Facebook and Twitter to stop the spread of coronavirus vaccine misinformation and ban accounts promoting anti-vaccine ideas. The coalition of attorneys general say misinformation has increased vaccine hesitancy. They argue this will in turn slow economic recovery and ultimately cause more "unnecessary deaths."