1 It’s D Day For The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
A CDC advisory group is expected to decide today whether to lift a weeklong pause on the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. As we told you before, the agency and the FDA recommended a pause in J&J vaccinations after six American women developed extremely rare blood clots. Of those cases, one woman died. Since then, another case has arisen, but officials aren’t sure how connected to the vax it is. With more than seven-million doses in arms, the logic of the extended pause has not only caused frustration for many who are willing to assume the risk, but also raised questions about the move considering the rising level of vaccine hesitancy. The EU has decided to proceed with the product, but noting the warning. On a related note, mask guidelines are also going to be re-examined today - specifically, the question of wearing masks outdoors. “We know that the virus largely spreads indoors and there's very little transmission outdoors,” says Dr. Ashish Jha. “At this point in the pandemic, with more than half of Americans vaccinated, it's pretty reasonable to start thinking about peeling back outdoor mask mandates.”
2 White House Promotes Big Climate Change Summit
The White House is promoting the two-day climate change summit that's being hosted by President Biden. Dozens of other world leaders are also taking part in the virtual summit. Opening the summit, Biden pledged to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030. Meanwhile, White House Climate Envoy John Kerry has commended the President for ordering an "all-of-government-approach" to curbing climate change. White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters at a briefing that transitioning to a green economy will reduce emissions while creating good new jobs. Kerry noted improvements in many countries, but called the fight against climate change an ongoing challenge and a "heavy lift." Kerry also slammed former President Trump for pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate change accord. Trump said it would cost U.S. industries too much money. Biden rejoined the international agreement after he was inaugurated. And about Biden’s pledge? There’s plenty of pushback – and the White House is defending his plan. Press Secretary Jen Psaki says green industries are the wave of the future and argued the U.S. must get aboard. She also said a greener economy will create good new jobs. Psaki was pressed about paying for the transition and she said there are many paths to get to a 50-percent reduction of emissions. According to recent studies, America's emissions are the lowest in thirty years.
3 House Approves Bill Granting Statehood To Washington, DC
The prospect of Washington DC becoming the 51st state is moving forward. The House passed a measure to grant DC statehood. The vote was 216-208. The measure faces a tough climb in the tightly-divided Senate, which has a 60-vote threshold for the passage of bills. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it long overdue and noted that the roughly 700-thousand residents of Washington, DC have no voting representation in Congress. Republicans are fiercely opposed to DC statehood because it would likely add more Democrats to Congress. Others point out that it’s simply unconstitutional.