Tag Archives: Biden Administration

From the Transportation Department: Under the proposed rule, airlines and travel search websites would have to disclose upfront—the first time an airfare is displayed—any fees charged to sit with your child, for changing or cancelling your flight, and for checked or carry-on baggage. The proposal seeks to provide customers the information they need to choose the best deal. Otherwise, surprise …

Via press release from the US Embassy in Havana: Consistent with our commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection to facilitate safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration, the United States is today announcing an expansion of regular pathways available to Cubans wishing to come to the United States and an increase in personnel at the U.S. Embassy …

The Washington Post reports: Justice Department political appointees cannot participate in campaign-related activities in any capacity, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday, describing the change as necessary “to maintain public trust and ensure that politics — both in fact and appearance — does not compromise or affect the integrity of our work.” The new policy underscores the intense political scrutiny …

Via press release from the FTC: The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against data broker Kochava Inc. for selling geolocation data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices that can be used to trace the movements of individuals to and from sensitive locations. Kochava’s data can reveal people’s visits to reproductive health clinics, places of worship, homeless and domestic …

Axios reports: The Biden administration struck an $11 million deal on Monday to support the packaging of the monkeypox Jynneos vaccine at a domestic facility. The move is another step the administration is taking to bolster the supplies of the vaccine amid limited availability. The Jynneos vaccine is produced by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, which signed a deal earlier …

Axios reports: The Biden administration announced Friday it will nominate an ambassador-at-large for the Arctic, raising the profile of American policymaking for the region. The move comes at a time of increased militarization in the far north, with NATO members squaring off against Russia, and at a time of rapid climate change that is making the Arctic more accessible. In …

Via press release from the FDA: Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule to improve access to hearing aids which may in turn lower costs for millions of Americans. This action establishes a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, enabling consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment to purchase hearing aids directly from stores …

The Associated Press reports: Attorney General Merrick Garland will deliver a statement at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Department of Justice did not specify why Garland was calling the last-minute briefing. It is unknown if he will address the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence. The FBI and DOJ have faced …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration plans to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency as soon as Thursday in an effort to galvanize awareness and unlock additional flexibility and funding to fight the virus’s spread. The declaration would come from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is expected to discuss the plan at an afternoon …

Gothamist reports: Advocates and lawmakers are calling for the Biden administration to remove barriers to access for a promising medication called tecovirimat, or TPOXX, as New York’s monkeypox outbreak worsens. So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved the medication for the treatment of smallpox — though some early studies show TPOXX can help against monkeypox, too. …

The Hill reports: The Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed a new rule on Wednesday that clarifies when airlines owe passengers refunds. The regulation is the department’s latest move to strengthen refund enforcement amid re-surging flight demand that has left the industry scrambling and sent passenger complaints soaring. “When Americans buy an airline ticket, they should get to their destination safely, …

The New York Times reports: The Biden administration now expects to begin a Covid-19 booster campaign with retooled vaccines in September because Pfizer and Moderna have promised that they can deliver doses by then, according to people familiar with the deliberations. With updated formulations apparently close at hand, federal officials have decided against expanding eligibility for second boosters of the …

Politico reports: The Biden administration is expected to declare monkeypox a public health emergency in the coming days, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The declaration, which is made by the Department of Health and Human Services, would follow a similar decision made last weekend by the World Health Organization. By designating the outbreak an emergency, HHS …

Bloomberg News reports: The US economy shrank for a second straight quarter, raising chances of a recession, as decades-high inflation undercut consumer spending and Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes stymied business investment and housing demand. Gross domestic product fell at a 0.9% annualized rate after a 1.6% decline in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department’s preliminary estimate …

“In the U.S. right now, we’re looking at public health emergency as something that HHS might deliver, might invoke but, you know, it really depends on what does that allow us to do. “Right now we have over 2000 cases, but we have ramped up vaccinations, ramped up treatments, ramped up testing, and we’re going to continue to look at …

CNBC reports: Shoppers paid sharply higher prices for a variety of goods in June as inflation kept its hold on a slowing U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad measure of everyday goods and services, soared 9.1% from a year ago, above the 8.8% Dow Jones estimate. That marked another month of …

Politico reports: The State Department is offering up to $10 million to those who provide information on foreign interference in U.S. elections, officials announced on Thursday. The Rewards for Justice program aims to gather information that leads to the identification or location of any foreign person or entity “who knowingly engaged or is engaging in foreign election interference,” department officials …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration will begin sending out tens of thousands of vaccine doses in an effort to control a record U.S. monkeypox outbreak that many experts say is far larger than the official count of 306 cases, officials announced on Tuesday. The vaccination strategy, which officials characterized as part of a broader push for more testing …

Reuters reports: President Joe Biden’s administration indicated it will seek to prevent states from banning a pill used for medication abortion in light of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, signaling a major new legal fight. The administration could argue in court that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, one of …

The Associated Press reports: The Biden administration proposed a dramatic overhaul of campus sexual assault rules on Thursday, acting to expand protections for LGBTQ students, bolster the rights of victims and widen colleges’ responsibilities in addressing sexual misconduct. The proposal, announced on the 50th anniversary of the Title IX women’s rights law, is intended to replace a set of controversial …