8/06/2021

Mask | Aug. 6, 2021

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​3 charts show how far Covid delta variant has spread around the world

Aug. 6 - More than one year into the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is grappling with a highly transmissible delta variant that has caused a renewed surge in infections in countries from the U.K. and the U.S., to those in Africa and Asia.

The delta variant, which was first detected in India last October, has been found in more than 130 countries globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Delta is the most transmissible variant of the coronavirus that first emerged in China in late 2019, said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and technical lead for Covid-19 at the WHO...     more


WATCH: White House COVID Response Team holds news briefing

Aug. 6 - President Joe Biden’s administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all international visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated for the coronavirus.


That’s according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the policy under development.

The requirement would come as part of the administration’s phased approach to easing restrictions for foreign travelers to the country. No timeline has yet been determined.

Foreign nationals traveling to the United States “may need to have some type of a vaccine requirement,” Jeff Zients, White House Coronavirus coordinator said during a COVID briefing Thursday.

Interagency working groups are studying how and when to safely move toward resuming normal travel.
Eventually all international citizens entering the country, with some limited exceptions, are expected to need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the U.S.

In addition, the White House reports there is a significant rise of “new cases” of coronavirus driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant compared to the modest increase in the rate of vaccinations.

“Driven by the more transmissible Delta variant cases are continuing to rise. These cases are concentrated in communities with low vaccination rates,” Zients said.


Adding, “states with some of the lowest vaccination rates account for about half of new cases and hospitalizations in the past week, despite making up less than a quarter of the US population.”

The administration also is encouraged that 
more companies, universities, and institutions are pushing vaccination requirements.

Zients said: “
We support these vaccination requirements to protect workers, communities and the country.     source from


AUGUST 5, 2021
White House COVID-19 Response Team Briefing
The White House COVID-19 Response Team gave an update on the latest Delta variant numbers and vaccination efforts. Topics included booster shots for immunocompromised individuals, the vaccine trials and emergency use authorization process, and private sector vaccine requirements. 

Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials

AUGUST 05, 2021PRESS BRIEFINGS

Via Teleconference

MR. ZIENTS:  Good morning.  And thanks for joining us.  Dr. Walensky, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Murthy, and I will keep our comments brief this morning, so we can get to your questions.
I’ll start with an update on the progress we’re making in our fight against the pandemic.  Driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, cases are continuing to rise.  These cases are concentrated in communities with low vaccination rates. 

In fact, over the past seven days, Florida and Texas have accounted for about one third of new cases and more than one third of new hospitalizations nationwide.

In seven states alone — Florida, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi — states with some of the lowest vaccination rates account for about half of new cases and hospitalizations in the past week, despite making up less than a quarter of the U.S. population.

Vaccinations are the very best line of defense against COVID and the Delta variant, and we’re doing everything we can to keep getting shots in arms.  And we are seeing results...     more
Biden's once-warm relationship with Cuomo grows chilly

The relationship between the president and the New York governor had run deep, reflecting a bond both personal and political.


Aug. 6 - ...White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the president had not spoken to the governor beyond publicly calling on him to resign a day before, after a scathing report from the state attorney general accused him of sexually harassing 11 women and violating state and federal laws.

“The president believes Governor Cuomo should do the right thing, resign and leave space for future leadership in New York,” she said.

What no White House official will address is whether Cuomo has attempted to reach the president or other senior members of his team. A spokesperson for Cuomo did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Within the West Wing, no formal edict has been issued about contacts with Cuomo, who has faced mounting bipartisan calls to step down, or his staff. One White House official said it would be unnecessary to remind anyone of potential fallout should even back-channel communication efforts be underway among the Biden and Cuomo camps.

​In one case, a Biden official simply ignored multiple phone calls from a Cuomo ally Tuesday...     quoted from
AUGUST 5, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
​Education Secretary Miguel Cardona joined White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to discuss COVID-19 and the upcoming school year. Following Secretary Cardona’s remarks, Ms. Psaki spoke about the president’s agenda and other news of the day. Topics included COVID-19 booster shots, the legality of the new eviction moratorium, the debt ceiling and infrastructure. 

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, August 5, 2021

AUGUST 05, 2021PRESS BRIEFINGS
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
 
MS. PSAKI:  Hello.  Okay.  Today we have another great guest joining us in the briefing room, Secretary Cardona.  As a mother of two little children myself, including one going to elementary school, I know you all have lots of questions about schools and school reopening and COVID.  So he is here to provide an update, take a few questions.  And it’s great to be here with you.
 
SECRETARY CARDONA:  Thank you.
 

MS. PSAKI:  Fellow Nutmeggers.
 
SECRETARY CARDONA:  Yes.  Yes.
 
MS. PSAKI:  Do a little Connecticut plug.  Okay.
 
SECRETARY CARDONA:  Thank you very much.  Good afternoon, everyone.  And thank you, Jen, for that.
 
I’m — you know, across the country there’s an excitement for the first day of school.  And those of you that have children, you know what I’m talking about.  There’s a vibe about going back to school.  And this year, there’s no exception. 
 
We’re committed to doing everything we can to ensure we get kids back into the classroom safely.  We know students are provided the best opportunity to learn and thrive when they’re learning in person, in their classroom, with their peers, with their teacher. 
 
We made significant progress last spring, bringing the students back in person.  About 90 percent of the educators across the country are vaccinated.  A hundred eighty million Americans have been vaccinated, including millions of students.  We provided $130 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to support safe school reopening.  It’s being used now to provide summer learning opportunities for students and help them — and help our buildings be prepared for the return of students in the fall...     more



NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - August 4th, 2021
Aug 5, 2021
Moderna says booster shot likely needed before winter, Dixie Fire ravages California town, and chaos after Spirit Airlines cancels hundreds of additional flights.
0:00 Intro
02:03 Moderna Urges Booster Shots
05:41 Masks In Schools Battle
07:55 Wildfire Destroys California Town
09:30 Travel Nightmare
11:13 Cuomo Under Pressure
13:22 Race To Vaccinate The World

8/05/2021

Andrew Cuomo | Aug. 5, 2021

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Biden picks Brzezinski as ambassador to Poland - White House

​Brzezinski, who speaks Polish, served as former President Barack Obama's ambassador to Sweden, when Biden was vice president.

Aug. 5 - President Joe Biden picked Mark Brzezinski, a Democratic-aligned foreign policy official with ties to Poland, as his ambassador to the European country regarded as a key Western bulwark against Russia.

Biden has been eager to strengthen partnerships in Europe to counter both Russia's and China's assertive posture, given cool relations between Washington and those countries. Poland and the United States are both members of the NATO military alliance.

The White House announced the pick on Wednesday...      more
Biden nominates Mark Brzezinski as US ambassador to Poland

Aug. 5 - President Joe Biden has nominated Mark Brzezinski, an Obama-era diplomat with deep ties to Poland, to serve as his ambassador to Warsaw.

I​f confirmed, Brzezinski would be dispatched to Poland at a moment when Central and Eastern European allies of the United States are closely watching the Biden administration’s approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Biden administration announced last month that it had reached a deal with Germany that will allow the completion of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions. That project allows Moscow to bypass Ukraine, Poland and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe that collect transit fees on the energy...     more
Biden-Merkel Pact: Ukraine becomes hostage to US geopolitics

The United States and Germany have released a "Joint Statement in Support of Ukraine, European Energy Security, and Climate Goals" on the completion of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline


Jul 26 - The United States will not disrupt the launch of the gas pipeline, and Germany will not allow Russia to use it as an energy lever of pressure on Ukraine and other European countries. The agreements between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Nord Stream 2 are reminiscent of the Budapest Memorandum, with the difference that this time instead of nuclear weapons, we are losing a source of income in the form of transit of natural gas from Russia to Europe...     more

Related Articles:
Ukraine initiates consultations with EU, Germany on Nord Stream 2, - MFA
Lithuanian Foreign Minister offers Russia conditions for Nord Stream 2 launch
European Commission receives Ukrainian note on Nord Stream 2 consultations

Ukraine knew details of Nord Stream 2 agreement in advance, - U.S. State Department
US-Germany Nord Stream Two agreement—a victory for Russia


President Biden Announces 11 Key Nominations

AUGUST 04, 2021STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following 11 individuals to serve in key roles:
  • Biniam Gebre, Nominee for Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget
  • Andrew Fois, Nominee for Chair of the Administrative Conference of the United States
  • Susan Tsui Grundmann, Nominee for Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Kurt Rumsfeld, Nominee for General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Javier Saade, Nominee for Chair of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
  • Dana Bilyeu, Nominee for Member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
  • Leona Bridges, Nominee for Member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
  • Stacey Olivares, Nominee for Member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
  • Kathy Im, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Tom Rothman, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Elizabeth Sembler, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Biniam Gebre, Nominee for Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget
Biniam Gebre is a Senior Managing Director at Accenture and Head of Management Consulting for Accenture Federal Services. He has spent the past two decades helping dozens of organizations within both the public sector and private sector address management, operational, and technology issues ranging from agriculture to banking to artificial intelligence. He served in the Obama-Biden administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he focused on access to credit for low-income families, FHA’s financial health, and revitalizing public housing properties...     more
AUGUST 4, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
​White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki discussed the president’s agenda and other news of the day with reporters. Topics included Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) sexual harassment scandal, the legality of the new eviction moratorium, infrastructure and COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, August 4, 2021

AUGUST 04, 2021PRESS BRIEFINGS 

​MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  Okay.  Happy Wednesday.  I have a couple of notes for you at the top.
 
Today, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge released a statement committing to do everything in HUD’s power to stop evictions for families with HUD assistance or families who rent in housing that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration.  This is part of delivering on what the President announced — or we announced in our statement just a couple of days ago.  
 
And while the Emergency Rental Assistance funds are in the hands of state and local governments, one of the critical roles that the administration can continue to play is to act as a leading hub to convene states and cities and to share best practices, as we have done at two major eviction prevention summits.
 
So, this morning, Treasury published examples of simplified forms that are being used effectively by Emergency Rental Assistance programs around the country.  I think Ebony may have asked a version of this yesterday — a question about this.  But Treasury has repeatedly discouraged undue documentation burdens that limit access for eligible families and is sharing these example forms to make it easier for state and local governments to put that into practice...     more 
The state attorney general’s office found that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, some of them current and former staff members.
Facing Loss of Supporters, Cuomo Gains Attention From Prosecutors


District attorneys in Manhattan, Nassau, Oswego and Westchester Counties separately announced that they were investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s actions.

Aug. 5 - A day after the release of a devastating report concluding that he had sexually harassed 11 women, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo found himself increasingly isolated on Wednesday, with his most loyal supporters abandoning him and four prosecutors saying they would investigate his behavior.

​Several unions that had long been aligned with Mr. Cuomo withdrew their support on Wednesday. Two past members of his administration — including a former legal adviser who had been consulted in the governor’s strategic meetings on how to fight the accusations — asked him to resign.

By late afternoon, Mr. Cuomo had lost the backing of perhaps his closest political ally, Jay Jacobs, the head of the state’s Democratic Party, who has been the governor’s staunchest defender in recent months. In a statement, Mr. Jacobs said that the governor’s removal from office was “inevitable,” and that Mr. Cuomo’s refusal to step down ran counter to Mr. Jacobs’s advice.

“The governor has lost his ability to govern, both practically and morally,” said Mr. Jacobs, who was handpicked by Mr. Cuomo for the job in 2019.

The defection of Mr. Jacobs emphasized Mr. Cuomo’s political exile as he faces the biggest challenge of his career: survival in the face of growing public opposition to his continued leadership.


Mr. Cuomo was in Albany on Wednesday, remaining out of public view. He gave no response to the disclosure that prosecutors in Manhattan and Albany had already opened criminal investigations, and prosecutors in Westchester and Nassau Counties asked the attorney general’s office for investigative materials, or to the news that one of his accusers intended to file a lawsuit against him. (On Wednesday evening, Syracuse.com reported that the Oswego County prosecutor, Greg Oakes, would request materials related to one of the accusations made in the report.)

A lawyer for the governor on Tuesday called the report “unfair,” “inaccurate” and “utterly biased.” Asked on Wednesday about the criminal investigations and the defection of some allies, a spokesman for the governor referred back to Mr. Cuomo’s videotaped address from Tuesday, in which he denied any wrongdoing...     more



NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - August 4th, 2021
Aug 5, 2021
Pfizer vaccine could get final FDA approval by September, growing calls for Gov. Cuomo to resign or be impeached, and surviving trees from Hiroshima garden remain powerful symbol after atomic blasts.
00:00 Intro 01:48 FDA Fast Tracks Vaccine Approval 05:53 Cuomo Facing Impeachment? 08:05 Airline Chaos 08:56 Record Border Surge 11:25 New Eviction Moratorium 13:16 Violent Clashes In Beirut 14:44 Hiroshima Anniversary

8/04/2021

Delta variant | Aug. 4, 2021

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Delta Variant is Different - It's the NEW COVID
Aug 2, 2021
Vaccinated people who get infected with Delta variant almost as contagious as unvaccinated

​A leaked document from the US health protection agency deals a blow to hopes that jabbed people rarely pass on the virus

Aug. 4 - ...“I think people need to understand that we’re not crying wolf here. This is serious. It’s one of the most transmissible viruses we know about. Measles, chickenpox, this – they’re all up there,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky told CNN News.

Dr Walensky emphasised that students, staff and visitors in schools should wear masks at all times.

“The measures we need to get this under control – they’re extreme. The measures you need are extreme,” she said.

The new findings CDC is using suggest fully vaccinated people who become infected with the Delta variant can carry substantial quantities of Covid-19 in the nose and throat. It is not known who conducted the research...     quoted from


AUGUST 3, 2021
President Biden Remarks on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
President Biden delivered remarks from the White House to provide an update on the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The president urged the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, saying that those who have yet to be vaccinated are at a greater risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death. In response to a question, the President said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign, after the state attorney general released her report outlining sexual harassment allegations against the governor. 

Remarks by President Biden on Fighting the COVID-⁠19 Pandemic

AUGUST 03, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKS

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Last week, I laid out what we need to do to beat the COVID-19 vi- — pandemic and the challenges posed by the Delta variant.

This is a very different variant than what we’ve dealt with previously.  It’s highly transmissible, and it’s causing a new wave of cases.  It accounts for over 80 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the United States today.  Experts tell us that we’re going to see these cases rise in the weeks ahead — a largely preventable tragedy that will get worse before it gets better.

What’s different about this surge from previous ones is we have the tools to prevent this rise in cases from shutting down
our businesses, our schools, our society, as we saw what happened last year.

And while cases are on the rise, it’s important to note we’ve not seen a comparable rise in hospitalizations or deaths in most areas of the country.

That’s because 165 million Americans are fully vaccinated, including 80 percent of the most vulnerable Americans — our seniors...     more

AUGUST 3, 2021
NY Governor Cuomo Statement on Sexual Harassment Investigation Findings
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) responded to a newly released report outlining sexual harassment allegations against him. Governor Cuomo said, 'I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances." In taped response the governor responded to several specific claims of harassment and explained what his office is doing broadly to address sexual assault and harassment. 

Tahe Cuomo brothers: Report places a new spotlight on a unique relationship

​Aug. 4 - ...Governor Andrew Cuomo's alleged sexual harassment and abuse of power -- documented in excruciating detail by NY AG Letitia James' report -- is leading him down an impeachment track. Chris Cuomo's role as a member of his brother's inner circle, a role that raises serious questions about journalistic responsibilities and ethics, is also detailed in the report. Chris surely has a lot to say about his brother. But for the time being he is staying silent: He did not mention the scandal on "Cuomo Prime Time" Tuesday night...      quoted from


Related Articles:

Key findings of the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment report -- and what's next
Chris Cuomo Completely Ignores Brother’s Scandal on First Show After Report Drops



Dr. Anthony Fauci has admitted that COVID-19 vaccines don't work against the Delta variant.

Aug. 4 - 
A clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci – White House chief medical advisor and expert on infectious diseases – has been doing the rounds on Facebook. The clip is taken from an interview with an MSNBC news anchor. In the interview, Fauci talks about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on mask-wearing in the U.S.

​"We have a Delta variant that has changed the entire landscape," Fauci says, adding: "When you look at the level of virus in the nasal pharynx of a vaccinated person who gets a breakthrough infection with Delta, it is exactly the same as the level of virus in an unvaccinated person who's infected." Fauci then says that this is what triggered the change in the CDC's guidelines on masks.

​Social media users are alleging that this clip proves that Dr. Fauci has admitted that COVID-19 vaccines don't work against the Delta variant. This is not so. Dr. Fauci has consistently advocated for COVID-19 vaccines. As Bloomberg has reported, Fauci has said that the likelihood of getting a severe outcome of the infection is very low when a person is fully inoculated.


During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci has been the target of many false and misleading claims. In this instance, Fauci's comment has been taken out of context. In the five-minute-long interview, Fauci explains that the Delta variant is more transmissible and is now the most dominant variant in the U.S.

A week before the guidance update, CNBC reported that 99.5 percent of COVID deaths were among unvaccinated people. As of July 27, 2021, the CDC now states: "To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission." This guidance also applies to people who have been fully vaccinated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.     source from

AUGUST 3, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki spoke about the president’s agenda with reporters. Topics discussed included infrastructure, eviction moratorium, COVID-19 restrictions in other states and cities, and the new report on sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D)

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, August 3, 2021

AUGUST 03, 2021PRESS BRIEFINGS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
 
MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  I have a couple of items for all of you at the top.  I wanted to take a moment to recognize the passing of Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida and Officer Kyle DeFreytag — two officers who bravely defended the Capitol, both during and after the insurrection on January 6th.  Their deaths are a sad reminder of that shameful day in our country’s history and of the physical and mental scars left the officers who risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our democracy. 
 
We heard firsthand, last week, from tho- — from some of those who served on that day, and their testimony reaffirmed the incredible bravery they showed in the worst possible circumstances.  Their passing also reminds us of the remarkable courage of the men and women in law enforcement who serve with honor and leave home each day not knowing what risk they may face but are determined to protect their communities.  We’re indebted to their services, and our thoughts go out to the friends, family, and loved ones of the two officers.
 
And we want to remind those who are struggling that help is available 24/7.  Please reach out to the Suicide Prevention line — Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255...     more