OnPolitics: Biden’s new COVID vaccine goal
(Photo: The White House)
Happy Tuesday, OnPolitics readers!
Good news on the pandemic front: President Biden announced he is moving up his call for all U.S. adults to become eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine to April 19, two weeks sooner than his initial goal of May 1.
Sad news: Longtime Congressman Alcee Hastings has died. He was 84.
It’s Mabinty, with the day’s top news.
Yes, adults will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. But there’s a caveat
Biden wants to eliminate any confusion for Americans about whether they are eligible to be vaccinated, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “That doesn’t mean they will get it that day,” Psaki said. “It means they can join the line.”
Seventy-five percent of those 65 and older have gotten at least one shot and more than half are fully vaccinated, according to the government.
Psaki said the faster timeline is possible because of the increased vaccine supply and distribution points. During the administration’s weekly call with governors on Tuesday, COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said more than 28 million doses will be distributed across the country this week.
Still, a note of caution: Biden’s announcement comes as the U.S. continues to report a high level of cases, with 452,636 cases reported in the week ending Monday, a 20% increase from two weeks earlier.
It’s getting ugly in Georgia
ICYMI: Major companies headquartered in Georgia are criticizing the state’s controversial new voting law, and now some GOP lawmakers are calling for boycotts of the brands.
Coca-Cola was one of the first Georgia-based companies to publicly condemn Senate Bill 202. Company CEO James Quincy said the law “does not promote principles we have stood for in Georgia around broad access to voting, around voter convenience, about ensuring election integrity,” in an interview with CNBC, according to The Washington Post.
The owners of three Atlanta professional sports teams – the Falcons, the Hawks and the Dream – also released statements critical of the new law, The Post reported. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the law was “built on a lie.” And Major League Baseball reacted last week by moving the All-Star game out of Atlanta.
How did the GOP react? Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell denounced the opposition corporations and sports associations have expressed about Georgia’s voting law, warning that firms should “stay out of politics.”
“I found it completely discouraging to find a bunch of corporate CEOs getting in the middle of politics,” McConnell said during a Monday press conference. The Kentucky Republican’s comments culminate a week of increasing Republican backlash to the mounting criticism, with GOP lawmakers in Georgia and Washington threatening retaliation to businesses who oppose their policy agenda.
OK, anything else going on? You know it:
- From ‘zero tolerance’ to now:How America’s migrant policies have changed in the Trump and Biden years
- Will Biden cancel student loan debt? As college costs spiral, here’s what he’s considering
- Capitol Police Officer William Evans, killed in attack, will lie in honor at US Capitol
- ‘That was their decision:’ White House walks fine line on MLB moving All-Star Game out of Atlanta
- Rep. Matt Gaetz says he is ‘absolutely not resigning’ in op-ed amid reports of sex crime investigation
Happy birthday to Paul Rudd, a man who does not age! — Mabinty
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