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President Biden has announced a major shift in the federal vaccination strategy, focusing on an attainable return to normalcy as the nation’s premier Anti-Vaxx Propaganda Network continues to kick the estimated herd immunity threshold further out of reach.
- Biden set a new target of vaccinating 70 percent of American adults with at least one dose by July 4, and fully vaccinating about 160 million adults by that date. As of Monday, more than 105 million Americans were fully vaccinated and 56 percent of adults had gotten at least one shot. The pace of daily vaccinations has slowed significantly, but Biden professed his faith in the American people to not fuck this up: “Most people will be convinced by the fact that their failure to get the vaccine may cause other people to get sick and maybe die.”
- To make sure shots are widely available, the Biden administration told states on Tuesday that if they don’t order the full allocation of their vaccine supply, those surplus doses will be redistributed to states where they’re in demand. The Biden administration will also shift the vaccination focus from mass sites to local and rural clinics, direct tens of thousands of pharmacies to offer walk-in appointments, and pour more funding into outreach campaigns.
- If the FDA does indeed authorize the use of the Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15 next week, as expected, 20,000 pharmacies across the country will be poised to start jabbing adolescents. The Biden administration will also ship doses directly to pediatricians and family doctors. Thanks to the miracles of science, we have charted a course towards Bar Mitzvah Boy Summer.
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Meanwhile, on the less-vaccinated side of the world, India’s horrifying coronavirus surge shows no signs of abating.
- India has now reported more than 20 million coronavirus cases, the first country to pass that awful milestone since, well, us. That number is almost certainly a dramatic undercount, and it includes 3.5 million people who are actively being treated for infections. As a result of dwindling vaccine supplies, India’s daily vaccination rate has been cut in half.
- On Tuesday, a majority of House Democrats from across the party spectrum sent a letter to Biden urging him to temporarily waive vaccine patents, pitching the move as both a life-saving measure and a way to restore the country’s global image: “Your Administration has an incredible opportunity to reverse the damage done by the Trump Administration to our nation’s global reputation and restore America’s public health leadership on the world stage.”
If all goes according to plan, Americans could have a taste of a post-pandemic future by the Fourth of July. But many developing countries won’t be able to say the same, and it would be both inhumane and recklessly short-sighted to look away. Here’s where you can donate to help the people in India who need it most, if you’re able.
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The premiere episode of America Dissected season three just dropped! In this new season, Dr. Abdul El Sayed sits down with scientists, culture makers, and policy leaders to discuss topics like mental health, climate change and new scientific discoveries. Guests will include Representative Cori Bush, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and many more.
Listen to new episodes of America Dissected every Tuesday—Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts →
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has signaled that he would support an effort to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from GOP House leadership for refusing to toe the party lie. On Tuesday morning, McCarthy told Fox News that she wouldn’t be losing her job over her impeachment vote, just over her public comments noting that the Republicans who keep lying about the election are, uh, lying: “I have heard from members, concerned about her ability to carry out the job as conference chair, to carry out the message.” McCarthy was also caught on a hot mic telling Steve Doocy, “I think she’s got real problems....I’ve had it with her.” Cheney has refused to back down, and hardcore Trump loyalist Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has emerged as the frontrunner to replace her.
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- An overpass carrying a metro train in Mexico City collapsed on Monday night, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens.
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley has dropped his opposition to changes on how the military handles sexual assault, saying he’s open to the idea of removing the chain of command from involvement in investigations.
- There’s no evidence that enhanced unemployment benefits have caused a labor shortage, contrary to employers’ laments that nobody wants their low-paying restaurant jobs anymore. As Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last week, employers don’t seem to be trying very hard: “We don’t see wages moving up yet, and presumably we would see that in a really tight labor market.’
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu missed his deadline to form a new coalition government, which could spell the end of his time in power.
- Derek Chauvin would like a new trial, please.
- Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R), who supported efforts to overturn the election, has taken over as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association.
- Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for just 0.9 percent of elected leaders across all levels of government, even though they’re the fastest-growing demographic group in the country.
- New York City schools will shift to remote learning instead of closing for snow days next year, potentially sparking the largest child unionization effort since Newsies.
- This week in California’s recall election: Caitlyn Jenner, who competed in a women’s golf tournament in 2016, said she opposes trans girls participating in school sports, and GOP candidate John Cox held a press conference with a live bear.
- Our enormous president and first lady visited the fun-sized Carters in their Georgia dollhouse, or there was a strong flash or whatever.
- A Belgian farmer moved the French border to give his tractor more room and if the French try to move it back, they will be hearing from our lawyers.
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Census data suggests that the increasing racial diversity among voters isn’t automatically a huge boost for Democrats, contrary to Tucker Carlson’s feverish white supremacist rants. Nate Cohn points out two trends in the (rushed, imperfect) data the Census Bureau released last week: 1) Hispanic, Asian American, and multiracial voters have become a larger share of the electorate, and 2) population growth has continued to accelerate in the south and west—in red states where Democrats don’t win those voters of color by the overwhelming margins they do in blue states. (See: Texas.) At the same time, Democrats have made significant gains among the white voters that Republicans tend to take for granted. In other words, both parties seem to have been telling themselves an oversimplified story about what America’s changing demographics mean for electoral politics—in the GOP’s case, a story that conveniently fuels nativist talking points.
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A new study found that the psychedelic drug MDMA can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms.
Six incarcerated people have been set free since the Baltimore prosecutor’s office set up a unit to revisit the cases of certain people who had already served at least 25 years in prison.
Los Angeles and San Francisco have become the first major urban centers in California with low enough infection rates to move into the least-restrictive tier for reopening. (Chanting, pounding table) Vacc-ines! Vacc-ines!
King County, WA, could become the first county to ban government use of facial recognition technology.
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