Biden to meet with baby formula makers on easing shortage
By ZEKE MILLER Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to meet with infant formula manufacturers as his administration works to ease nationwide shortages by importing foreign supplies and using the Defense Production Act to speed domestic production. The White House said Biden would host a roundtable Wednesday with leaders of manufacturers ByHeart, Bubs Australia, Reckitt, Perrigo Co. and Gerber. The list is notable for who isn’t on it: Abbott Nutrition, the company whose Michigan plant was shut down in February over safety concerns, sparking the shortage in the United States. Those measures will help but won’t immediately bring an end to formula supply shortages that have left people who depend on formula facing empty shelves or limits on purchases. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on why Abbott was not included from Wednesday’s meeting.
mlive.comSurgeon General Vivek Murthy discusses Omicron variant and how to combat its rapid spread
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy joined "CBS Mornings" to discuss the latest news about the Omicron variant and what to expect from President Biden's address to the nation about COVID-19 on Tuesday. Murthy also addressed whether we could be headed for another lockdown and if it will be safe to travel and gather with family for the holidays.
news.yahoo.com‘Seeing where your hearts are’ gives First Lady Jill Biden hope after visit with Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
PLEASANT, MI - Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe welcomed First Lady Jill Biden to Mt. Biden visited the Ziibiwing Center, located at 6650 E Broadway Road, to hold a discussion with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Chief Tim Davis, educators, community members and local Project AWARE administrators. Related: First Lady Jill Biden visits Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, discusses mental health program“Looking around at all of you and this beautiful family and just seeing your hearts, and seeing where your hearts are, and that’s what gives me hope,” First Lady Jill Biden said. “We’ve been, as a nation, as a country, we’ve been through such terrible times through this pandemic and our country needs healing.”60 First Lady Jill Biden visits Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Mt. Read more on MLive:First Lady Jill Biden to visit Saginaw Chippewa Tribe and DetroitMLive’s Best Local Eats: Try Wonder Burger food truck’s ‘Wonder Fries’Freighter set free after getting stuck in the Saginaw River‘These windows are replaceable, but a life is not’ Saginaw business owner says after drive-by shooting
mlive.comFirst Lady Jill Biden visits Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, discusses mental health program
PLEASANT, MI - First Lady Jill Biden visited the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Mt. The tribe received a $9 million grant through Project AWARE in 2019 and serves Saginaw Chippewa Academy, Mount Pleasant Public Schools and Shepherd Public Schools through its program. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Chief Tim Davis, educators, community members and local Project AWARE administrators joined Biden for the discussion. She said programs like Project AWARE give her hope for the future. Read more:First Lady Jill Biden to visit Saginaw Chippewa Tribe and DetroitCitizens who saved man from house fire honored by Ann Arbor Fire Department23-year-old Kalamazoo man stable after being shot ‘several’ times
mlive.comGottlieb says Biden administration "in a better position" for booster rollout but worries vaccine mandate will harden skeptics
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan the infrastructure is in place to distribute boosters but warns vaccine mandates will harden skeptics
cbsnews.comGottlieb says Biden administration "in a better position" for booster rollout but worries vaccine mandate will harden skeptics
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan the infrastructure is in place to distribute boosters but warns vaccine mandates will harden skeptics
cbsnews.comWhat to Know About Boosters if You Got the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
Americans who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines should get a booster shot eight months after their second vaccine dose, federal health officials said Wednesday. The boosters will be available beginning Sept. 20, if the Food and Drug Administration agrees to the plan. They will go first to health care workers, nursing home residents and older adults, who were the first to receive the initial round of vaccinations after they were authorized in December. But the recommend
news.yahoo.comNewly confirmed surgeon general to focus on COVID, opioids
Surgeon General speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. The Senate has confirmed Murthy as surgeon generral on March 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed a soft-spoken physician as President Joe Biden's surgeon general Tuesday. He told senators during his confirmation hearing that he wants to help individuals and families protect themselves by conveying “clear, science-based guidance” to the general public. Murthy has drawn opposition from gun rights advocates because of his longstanding assessment that mass shootings amount to a public health problem.
Asian Americans seek greater political power after shootings
It's also spurring her and other Asian Americans to push for greater political influence in Washington and other power centers. President Joe Biden and his aides have been repeatedly pressed to include Asian Americans in his Cabinet. “I think symbolism and representation matters, but only up to a point,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. “Those things all contribute to lower rates of political participation among Asian Americans, but people — mistakenly, I think — assume that Asian Americans are somehow less interested in U.S. civic life.”AdThat's evolving. “Asian Americans didn't necessarily grow up with that vocabulary of advocacy and how to fight for ourselves," Meng said.
Biden Cabinet near complete but hundreds of jobs still open
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s Cabinet is nearly complete with the confirmation of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. A panel will also vote on advancing the nomination of Polly Ellen Trottenberg to be deputy secretary of transportation. And even as the Biden administration moves through picking nominees, there's no guarantee they'll all receive a smooth confirmation. And some of the deputies have become political footballs for Republicans looking to score concessions from the Biden administration. Cruz continues to hold up Biden’s nominee for deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, until sanctions are imposed.
Biden Cabinet near complete but hundreds of jobs still open
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s Cabinet is nearly complete with the confirmation of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on Monday. A panel will also vote on advancing the nomination of Polly Ellen Trottenberg to be deputy secretary of Transportation. And even as the Biden administration moves through picking nominees, there's no guarantee they'll all receive a smooth confirmation. And some of the deputies have become political footballs for Republicans looking to score concessions from the Biden administration. Cruz continues to hold up Biden’s nominee for deputy secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, until sanctions are imposed.
Former Michigan Gov. Granholm confirmed as energy secretary
Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich., testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a hearing to examine her nomination to be Secretary of Energy, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. She tweeted her thanks to senators and said, "I’m obsessed with creating good-paying clean energy jobs in all corners of America in service of addressing our climate crisis. AdSen. Joe Manchin, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Granholm has the leadership skills, vision and compassion needed at the Energy Department to “develop innovative solutions for the climate challenge'' while preserving jobs. “We can buy electric car batteries from Asia, or we can make them in America,” Granholm told senators. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate energy committee, said Biden “seems to want to pull the plug on American energy dominance.
Centrist Democrats flex muscles, create headaches for Biden
He can send the White House into a tailspin with a single five-minute interview or three-sentence statement. With a 50-50 split in the Senate leaving little room for error on tough votes, other moderate Democrats like Sens. He received a call from the White House shortly after his complaint to try to smooth things over. AdThe White House shares those political concerns. Their significance to the final vote on the COVID-19 bill means some moderates are already getting extra attention from the White House.
Biden picks 1st transgender person for Senate-confirmed post
In this Jan. 15, 2021 file photo, President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. A transition spokesperson also said Tuesday that Dawn O’Connell will serve as senior counselor for coronavirus response to the health and human services secretary.
EXPLAINER: Are new coronavirus strains cause for concern?
Johnson imposed a new, higher level of coronavirus restrictions to curb sharply spreading infections in the capital and other areas. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)Reports from Britain and South Africa of new coronavirus strains that seem to spread more easily are causing alarm, but virus experts say it’s unclear if that’s the case or whether they pose any concern for vaccines or cause more severe disease. New variants, or strains, of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been seen almost since it was first detected in China nearly a year ago. The one in the U.K. has the two changes and more, including eight to the spike protein, Gupta said. But vaccines may need fine-tuned over time as changes accumulate, and changes should be more closely monitored, he wrote.
Panel: People over 75, essential workers next for vaccines
Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are moved to the loading dock for shipping at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Miss., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. The essential workers include firefighters and police; teachers and school staff; those working in food, agricultural and manufacturing sectors; corrections workers; U.S. At least a dozen states reported they would receive a smaller second shipment of the Pfizer vaccine than they had been told previously. “And unless it’s perfectly right, we will not release vaccine doses for usage,” he said. “That is something that I have been assured of.”Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart.
The Latest: Tenn. governor enacts new virus restrictions
All Australian states have imposed restrictions on travelers from Sydney and parts of New South Wales because the coronavirus risk. The state on Sunday reported 1,536 new COVID-19 cases and 46 more deaths. ___TOPEKA, Kan. — A FedEx executive says a higher-than-normal volume of Christmas-season package deliveries won’t interfere with the company’s effort to ship coronavirus vaccine doses. The first wave of coronavirus infections in New York “came from Europe and we did nothing,” the Democratic governor said. ___WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s surgeon general is defending Trump’s not getting a coronavirus vaccine, saying there are medical reasons for it.
Biden's health team offers glimpse of his COVID-19 strategy
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden's choices for his health care team point to a stronger federal role in the nation’s COVID-19 strategy, restoration of a guiding stress on science and an emphasis on equitable distribution of vaccines and treatments. “We are still going to have a federal, state and local partnership,” commented Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the nonprofit American Public Health Association. “These are not turf-conscious people,” said Drew Altman, CEO of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, a clearinghouse for health care information and analysis. A Secretary Becerra “can't get up every morning and think only COVID,” she said. That challenge faces widespread skepticism among minorities that the health care system has their best interests in mind.
Biden's health team offers glimpse of his COVID-19 strategy
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden's choices for his health care team point to a stronger federal role in the nation’s COVID-19 strategy, restoration of a guiding stress on science and an emphasis on equitable distribution of vaccines and treatments. “We are still going to have a federal, state and local partnership,” commented Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the nonprofit American Public Health Association. “These are not turf-conscious people,” said Drew Altman, CEO of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, a clearinghouse for health care information and analysis. A Secretary Becerra “can't get up every morning and think only COVID,” she said. That challenge faces widespread skepticism among minorities that the health care system has their best interests in mind.
The Latest: Trump questions Pa. speaker on electoral votes
WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):9:15 p.m.President Donald Trump is continuing his futile appeal to battleground state lawmakers to subvert the votes of their constituents. A person briefed on the matter said Trump pressed for the state’s legislature to replace the electors for President-elect Joe Biden with those loyal to Trump. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said Monday the group was specifically asking Biden’s team to elevate the nomination of Vivek Murthy for Surgeon General to a Cabinet-level position. He also tapped former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to serve in that post again. __9 a.m.President-elect Joe Biden is naming some of his most prominent allies to be the co-chairs for his upcoming inauguration.
Biden picks Xavier Becerra to lead HHS, coronavirus response
Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Biden also announced other top members of his health care team, though some posts remain unfilled. But overseeing the coronavirus response will be the most complicated task he has ever contemplated. The core components of HHS are the boots on the ground of the government’s coronavirus response. Early in California’s coronavirus response, Becerra defended broad shutdowns Gov.
Next for Biden: Getting the right health team as virus rages
WASHINGTON – Up soon for President-elect Joe Biden: naming his top health care officials as the coronavirus pandemic rages. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus made a fresh push during a virtual conference call Thursday for Biden to nominate Lujan Grisham as HHS secretary. Biden is expected to announce his choice for HHS secretary next week. In the running for a top health job is former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, co-chair of Biden's coronavirus task force. Alongside his health secretary, Biden is expected to name a top-level White House adviser to coordinate the government’s extensive coronavirus response.
AP Interview: Biden adviser says race central to virus fight
Addressing racial disparities in the U.S. coronavirus crisis cannot be an afterthought, a top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic response said Tuesday. “We cannot get this pandemic under control if we do not address head-on the issues of inequity in our country," she said. The virus in the U.S. has killed more than 268,000 and caused more than 13.5 million confirmed infections. Gathering that information became easier last week when the federal government recognized Biden as the winner of the Nov. 3 election, she said. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.
Biden faces tough choice of whether to back virus lockdowns
WASHINGTON – Joe Biden faces a decision unlike any other incoming president: whether to back a short-term national lockdown to finally arrest a raging pandemic. But the debate has been livelier among members of the coronavirus advisory board Biden announced this week. One member, Dr. Michael Osterholm, suggested a four- to six-week lockdown with financial aid for Americans whose livelihoods would be affected. That's a sign of the tough dynamic Biden will face when he is inaugurated in January. But Biden himself fueled some of the confusion about his stance on lockdowns during the campaign.