1 White House: Vax Requirement Will Be Aggressively Defended In Court
A White House spokeswoman says the Justice Department will aggressively defend President Biden's vaccine requirement for big companies – those with 100 employees or more. A federal court has put the new federal rule on hold for the moment as a number of states say they’ll fight it – and 11 filed suit to stop it last Friday. At a briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the Biden administration “clearly has the authority” to take steps to protect workers and save lives. She also said businesses with 100 or more employees shouldn’t wait for court challenges to play out before implementing the plan. Not so says Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. He and 10 other states have gone to court to say vaccine mandates are unconstitutional and federal regulators have no authority to require the shots. The Republican said once power like this is given to governments, there's no turning back.
2 Travis Scott Refunds Tickets To "Astroworld" Attendees, Pays Funerals And More
As promised, Travis Scott is stepping up to help the families of those who lost their lives at his ill-fated Astroworld Festival. He’s offered to cover any and all funeral costs for the eight victims out of his own pocket. He’s also giving full refunds to ALL show attendees. And that’s not all. Scott is also partnering with BetterHelp, a network of mental health professionals, to offer free services to anyone who was there and needs to talk through their trauma. In addition to virtual services, they’ve also teamed up with the National Alliance of Mental Illness to get more help if necessary. Meanwhile, the number of lawsuits from the tragedy has been climbing steadily. At least 14 had been filed as of yesterday morning.
3 Biden Administration Studying Shutting Down Canada-Michigan Oil Pipeline
The Biden administration is studying the potential impact of shutting down a pipeline that brings crude oil from Canada to Michigan. That came up during a White House press briefing yesterday when a Fox News reporter asked why the administration was considering shutting down the pipeline. After some back and forth – White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre first denied it was happening – she then admitted the Army Corps of Engineers is preparing an environmental impact report on the potential impact of the pipeline. The questions came after Politico reported the administration is weighing the potential market consequences of shutting it down a day earlier. While the move would please environmentalists, there are concerns about how it would affect fuel and heating prices.