Government

Changing America reports: The U.S. could change the definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated in the future with the increasing availability of COVID-19 boosters, officials said Friday. “We have not yet changed the definition of ‘fully vaccinated.’ We will continue to look at this. We may need to update our definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ in the future,” …

NBC News reports: New documents detail more than a dozen conflicts of interest Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faced because of his and his family’s investments in a number of companies closely tied to the U.S. Postal Service. Amid ethical concerns and criticism, DeJoy initially recused himself from decision-making related to those companies, fully divesting himself of them under public pressure …

Politico reports: Facebook outspent nearly the entire D.C. influence industry on lobbying during the quarter ending Sept. 30, putting in its second most lavish three months ever, according to new filings from the social network embroiled in damaging revelations from whistleblower Frances Haugen. The $5.1 million spree outpaces the company’s big tech peers Google, Amazon and Microsoft. In fact, the …

New York City’s NBC News affiliate reports: New York City’s response plans for a chemical or biological attack will be put to the test starting Monday as part of a federal preparedness study. The MTA says the Department of Homeland Security working alongside a team of researchers and city agencies will deploy a non-toxic gas on five separate days between …

The Washington Post reports: The Food and Drug Administration authorized a set of e-cigarette products for sale in the United States for the first time on Tuesday after it concluded that the benefit to adult cigarette smokers outweighed the risk posed to young people. The authorization of an e-cigarette device and two accompanying nicotine cartridge products, which are sold under …

The New York Daily News reports: The controversial plan to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport has been paused indefinitely, Port Authority officials announced Tuesday. Gov. Hochul last week requested the Port Authority seek “alternatives” to the project. The AirTrain — boosted for years by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — aimed to build a new automated rail link to the …

The Kansas City Star reports: After four months of delays, Wichita City Council passed a nondiscrimination ordinance Tuesday aimed at banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. The council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, with Jeff Blubaugh voting against. The council also rejected a carve out that would have allowed religious groups to fire or refuse to hire …

NPR reports: The Senate has passed a bill to increase the federal debt ceiling, after weeks of tense cross-aisle negotiations regarding the looming threat of the country defaulting on its debt. The legislation was approved Thursday night along party lines, with a simple majority. An earlier procedural vote required Republicans to get to 60 votes. It got 61. House approval …

ABC News reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blinked after a three-month stalemate with Democrats. Democrats appear to have taken a deal that many in the caucus acknowledge is little more than kicking the can down the road. But as aides and members have made clear to over the course of the last 15 hours, what other choice was there? …

Roll Call reports: The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to decriminalize and deschedule marijuana, finishing a two-day markup in which the panel also approved a series of bipartisan measures designed to lower drug prices. Republicans Matt Gaetz of Florida and Tom McClintock of California joined Democrats to advance the marijuana bill by a vote of 26-15. The measure, sponsored …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Democrats and Republicans on Thursday approved a measure to fund the government into early December, putting lawmakers one step close toward staving off a shutdown that is set to occur after midnight. The morning vote followed weeks of hand wringing between the two parties, after Democrats initially sought to move the measure along with another …

The Associated Press reports: A Georgia city did not violate the constitutional rights of a Sons of Confederate Veterans group when it banned the Confederate battle flag from its annual parade honoring veterans of American wars, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Richard Leake and Michael Dean sued Alpharetta, an Atlanta suburb, in August 2019 after city officials said the …

The Hill reports: Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a key moderate Democrat, said on Sunday that he can’t support President Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending plan. “We don’t have the need to rush into this and get it done within one week because there’s some deadline we’re meeting or someone’s going to fall through the cracks,” Manchin said on NBC’s “Meet the …

The Associated Press reports: The FBI late Saturday released a newly declassified document related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The document details contacts the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the U.S. but does not provide proof that senior Saudi government officials were complicit in …

NBC News reports: The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that Virgin Galactic cannot launch anyone into space again until an investigation is complete into a mishap that occurred during July’s flight with founder Richard Branson. The ban came as Virgin Galactic announced plans to launch three Italian researchers to the edge of space in a few weeks. The FAA said …

Gothamist reports: The Department of Justice will close an infamous federal jail in Lower Manhattan, at least temporarily, in an effort to address brutal and decrepit conditions that have long plagued the facility. Human rights experts, public defenders, and judges have long criticized the MCC for exposing defendants to harrowing conditions, including filth, vermin, a lack of medical care, and …

The New York Daily News reports: Outgoing Gov. Cuomo is on the move. A U-Haul truck was spotted Friday morning outside of the Executive Mansion in Albany, where Cuomo has remained holed up during his final days in office. The governor has made no public appearances since announcing last week he will resign in the wake of a blistering report …

Politico reports: The Federal Trade Commission has filed a new antitrust complaint against Facebook, rebooting a high-stakes case to break up the social media giant after a federal judge tossed the agency’s original complaint in June. Progressive FTC Chair Lina Khan joined with her two Democratic colleagues in a 3-2 party-line vote Wednesday to file the new complaint. The agency’s …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The first detailed results of the 2020 census show that the total white population shrank for the first time in the nation’s history as the U.S. diversified and continued to grow more rapidly in the South and Southwest. The nation’s population grew just 7.4% during the decade, the second slowest on record for a decennial …

The Hill reports: Federal employees who lie on a form attesting to their coronavirus vaccination status could be fined, removed from their position or even prosecuted, according to a copy of the form published Friday. President Biden announced last week that his administration would require federal employees and onsite contractors to attest that they are vaccinated or, if they are …