Overnight Health Care — Presented by Gilead Sciences — US to ban most travel from India | 100 million Americans now fully vaccinated | Schumer backs Sanders on health care moves

View in Browser   Presented by Gilead Sciences   Welcome to Friday’s Overnight Health Care. Major Biden can't catch a break. He's been sent away for "private training," and now his parents are getting a cat. Apparently, this was not the president's idea.  If you have any tips, email us at nweixel@thehill.com psullivan@thehill.com jcoleman@thehill.com Follow us on Twitter at @NateWeixel, @PeterSullivan4, and @JustineColeman8. Today: The U.S. is banning most travel from India amid a coronavirus surge there, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer backs some big health care changes and 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated.  Let’s start with India:  US to ban most travel from India amid COVID-19 spike The Biden administration will ban most travel from India starting Tuesday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. "The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.  The move comes on top of international travel restrictions already in place requiring people to have a negative test result before coming to the United States. The move is not expected to apply to U.S. citizens. The coronavirus outbreak in India has worsened considerably over the past weeks. New cases in the country have spiked to more than 380,000 in a single day, according to figures from Our World in Data. Other debates on the global response: The White House has also been deliberating over a proposal backed by India to waive COVID-19 vaccine patents at the World Trade Organization, which supporters argue would give greater access to vaccines to lower-income countries. Psaki said earlier this week the administration had not made a decision on whether to support the waiver, and was weighing how best to help provide vaccines to the rest of the world. Read more here.     A MESSAGE FROM GILEAD SCIENCES From HIV to viral hepatitis to today’s battle with COVID-19, Gilead scientists have been pushing boundaries for over 30 years. So that we can bring tomorrow’s life-changing therapies forward today. Learn more     Big news for progressives: Schumer backs Sanders push on drug prices, lowering Medicare age Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview published Friday that he supports measures to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, as well as lowering the Medicare eligibility age and creating a public health insurance option.  Schumer specifically pointed to conversations he has had with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).  “Bernie Sanders and I agree on this,” Schumer told The.Ink. “I believe we should be negotiating — we just talked about this at some length; he and I must talk almost every single day — Medicare negotiating with the drug companies and using that money to expand Medicare.” Asked about reducing the Medicare eligibility age or a public option to compete alongside private health insurers for people of all ages, Schumer replied, “Yeah, I'd be for either of those, both of those.” Details on the legislative pathway not fully clear, though: He left some wiggle room, however, on how exactly the measures would move through Congress or whether they would receive a vote in the Senate.  “Well, we're going to push it,” he said. “It's too early. I want to pass the biggest, boldest bill that, of course, we can pass. And we’ve got to figure all that out. We're going to try to fight hard to try to get these in the bill.” Read more here. White House: 100 million Americans now fully vaccinated  The White House announced Friday that 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, hailing it as a major achievement in the ongoing vaccination campaign. "Today we reached a major milestone in the number of Americans who are fully vaccinated," White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said at a briefing. "Today, 100 million Americans are fully vaccinated, nearly double the 55 million who were fully vaccinated at the end of March." He said over 300 million doses have been shipped, and 220 million shots are in arms. "This represents significant progress and cause for hope," he said. It could get harder, though: The next phase of the vaccination campaign will be challenging, as it moves toward trying to reach people who are less eager for the vaccine. Zients emphasized that officials will be working to make it even easier to get a shot, and building confidence in the vaccine. For example, officials in many places are allowing people to get a shot without an appointment as supply increases. Read more here.  CDC: Dozens of adverse reactions caused by anxiety, not Johnson & Johnson vaccine The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that dozens of Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients experienced adverse physical reactions because of anxiety and not the vaccine itself, according to a report published Friday.  The agency investigated clusters of anxiety-related events, with a total 64 incidents out of 8,624 doses administered, reported to the CDC by five mass vaccination sites across five different states.  Researchers said that these anxiety-related cases “can occur after any vaccination” if a person has a physical reaction within 15 minutes of inoculation due to their worries about getting the shot.  The incidents were reported between April 7 and 9, about five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its emergency authorization approval for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  These anxiety-related reactions are not related to the rare cases of blood clots that led the CDC and FDA to recommend pausing administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine across the country. The anxiety-related cases occurred before the pause, which ended last week.  Read more here.     A MESSAGE FROM GILEAD SCIENCES From HIV to viral hepatitis to today’s battle with COVID-19, Gilead scientists have been pushing boundaries for over 30 years. So that we can bring tomorrow’s life-changing therapies forward today. Learn more     Biden: Schools should 'probably all be open' in the fall President Biden in an interview that aired Friday said that schools should all be open for five days a week in-person learning in the fall despite the fact that children likely will not be vaccinated by then. “Based on the science and the CDC, they should probably all be open,” Biden said in an interview that aired on NBC's “Today.” “There’s not overwhelming evidence there’s much of a transmission among these people, young people," Biden added. And on masks: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week that fully vaccinated people don't need to wear masks outdoors in small groups. NBC's Craig Melvin asked Biden if he will no longer wear a mask outdoors. “Sure, sure. But what I’m going to do though, because the likelihood of my being able to be outside and people not come up to me is not very high,” Biden responded. “So, it's like, look you and I took our masks off when I came in because look at the distance we are. But if we were in fact sitting there talking to one another close, I’d have my mask on and I’d want you to have a mask on even though we’ve both been vaccinated." Read more here.   VIRTUAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT--THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE: BOLD BETS IN HEALTH--WEDNESDAY, MAY 5; 12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM PT  The last year in healthcare has been one of unprecedented challenges and innovation leaps. While gaps in our healthcare system were laid bare, researchers and pharmaceutical manufacturers achieved what seemed impossible: multiple vaccine candidates in record time. What's next? On Wednesday, May 5, The Hill hosts healthcare trailblazers to explore how we can push the frontiers of science and lean forward on innovation, all while keeping rising costs in check. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and more. RSVP for event reminders.  What we’re reading White House is split over how to vaccinate the world (Washington Post) Faith, freedom, fear: rural America’s Covid vaccine skeptics (New York Times) Manufacturers change shipment sizes as coronavirus vaccine demand falls (CNN)  State by state Arizona doctors' offices will be able to directly order COVID-19 vaccine, state says (Arizona Republic)  Addiction treatment providers in Pa. face little state scrutiny despite harm to clients (Spotlight PA)  Texans remain concerned about pandemic, but they’re returning to normal, UT/TT Poll finds (Texas Tribune)          Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters     Forward Healthcare Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

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Hillicon Valley: DOJ to review cyber challenges | Gaetz, House Republicans want to end funding for postal service surveillance | TikTok gets new CEO

View in Browser     Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill's newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don't already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking HERE.  Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.  Social media giant TikTok gained a new CEO on Friday with ties to parent company ByteDance. Meanwhile, a top Justice Department official said the agency would soon undertake a cybersecurity review to improve its response to cyber threats, and the European Commission clapped back at Apple for allegedly abusing its dominant position on its App Store for music streaming apps.    DOJ STEPS UP TO THE CYBER PLATE: The Justice Department will soon begin a 120 day review of cybersecurity challenges in the midst of escalating cyber threats.  Newly confirmed Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the review during virtual remarks at the Munich Cyber Security Conference, stressing that the U.S. was at a "pivot point" around how it approaches cybersecurity concerns.  "We are launching this week, under my direction, a review of how the department is looking at exactly this set of challenges," Monaco said. "We want to bring forth actionable recommendations in a 120 day time frame ... on what can we be doing better, working with our partners across borders, to address these threats." Read more about the review here.    POSTAL SURVEILLANCE: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and a group of other House Republicans on Friday introduced legislation to end funding for an arm of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that carries out online surveillance.  The legislation was rolled out in response to a March bulletin, reported by Yahoo! News earlier this month, distributed by the USPS's Inspection Service's Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP). The bulletin cited iCOP concerns about potential "significant" protests planned for March 20 based on "online inflammatory material" and posts on social media platforms Parler and Telegram. "iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests, and will disseminate intelligence updates if needed," the agency wrote in the bulletin. The new bill backed by almost a dozen House Republicans would prohibit federal funds from being used for iCOP. The legislation's text accuses the organization of being "politically motivated in its target," and the USPS of "operating a clandestine domestic surveillance program of Americans' social media activity." Read more about the bill here.    TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK: TikTok announced Friday that Shou Zi Chew, parent company ByteDance's chief financial officer, will be the short-form video app's new CEO. Chew, who joined ByteDance last month, will stay on in his role at the Chinese company. TikTok also announced that Vanessa Pappas will be the new chief operating officer after having served as the interim head since Kevin Mayer departed last year. "The leadership team of Shou and Vanessa sets the stage for sustained growth," ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said in a statement. Read more.   APPLE'S EU TROUBLES: The European Commission said Friday that Apple has abused its dominant position for music streaming apps through its App Store.  The commission's statement cites app developers' mandatory use of Apple's in-app purchase system that charges developers up to 30 percent commission fees on all subscriptions bought through the app, as well as Apple's "anti-steering provisions" which limit app developers from informing users of alternative purchasing possibilities outside of apps.  "We can now do our shopping, access news, music or movies via apps instead of visiting websites. Our preliminary finding is that Apple is a gatekeeper to users of iPhones and iPads via the App Store," Margrethe Vestager, the commission's executive vice president in charge of antitrust enforcement, said in a statement.  Apple said the commission's "argument on Spotify's behalf is the opposite of fair competition." Read more here.    PRIVACY BILL BACK: Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) reintroduced legislation Friday aimed at protecting personal data of Americans entering the United States on cargo vessels. Currently, when cargo ships enter U.S. ports they are required to provide Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with manifests that can include personally identifiable information like Social Security numbers and passport information. The Moving Americans Privacy Protection Act would direct CBP to remove that kind of sensitive information before making the manifests open to the public. The lawmakers are concerned that releasing the information of individuals relocating back to the U.S. could open them up to identity theft, fraud or unwanted solicitations. "Unfortunately, families and people, including servicemembers, moving from abroad to the United States face an increased risk of identity theft and the government needs to take more steps to protect them from fraud," Peters said in a statement. Read more.   STANDARDS-SETTING BILL: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Friday introduced a bill to improve U.S. competitiveness against China and other nations by strengthening the nation's ability to set standards around emerging technologies.  The new legislation would create a task force led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a long-term plan to assess standards around emerging technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence.  The task force would include representatives from multiple U.S. federal agencies, who would engage with both academia and the private sector. The ultimate goal would be to create a strategy to engage with international organizations on standards-setting and prevent China from dominating the standards-setting space around emerging technologies.  The new bill was rolled out as both Congress and the Biden administration have increasingly zeroed in on competition with China and threats posed by the nation to the United States.  Read more about the legislation here.     TENNESSEE BROADBAND: Tennessee is moving forward with a plan to map out areas of the state with low access to broadband internet. The decision comes after an advisory panel said earlier this year that Tennessee should not wait for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to rewrite federal maps based on data from broadband suppliers, according to The Associated Press. Crystal Ivey, broadband director for the state's Department of Economic and Community Development, said the plan involves collecting and validating data from providers in the state for one year. The plan is expected to be completed in 2022, and the initial map is expected to cost $450,000. The move comes as Tennessee prepares to invest in broadband infrastructure.   Read more here.      Lighter click: :) An op-ed to chew on: Massive school data breach shows we need better privacy policies   VIRTUAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT--THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY Wednesday, May 12 at 12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM PT The Hill hosts federal and state policymakers, technological innovators, and local transportation leaders to examine the future of mobility and the emerging technologies that will transform our communities in the near future. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Sam Graves, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mayor Vi Lyles, United CEO Scott Kirby, Zoox CEO Aicha Evans, ITS America's Shailen Bhatt and more. RSVP for event reminders.    NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:  COVID-19 Is Devastating India. Its Government Is Trying To Censor Social Media. (BuzzFeed News / Pranav Dixit) Google's plan for the future of work: privacy robots and balloon walls (The New York Times / Cayce Clifford)  Video is so 2020. Now Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are going all in on audio (The Washington Post / Rachel Lerman)         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Technology Newsletters     Forward Technology Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

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Lolita & Blake Bailey; What’s Next for Minneapolis; Dining Out in L.A.

11 Mother's Day Floral Arrangements Just for Mom View in your browser | Update your preferences     A daily digest of things to discuss over drinks April 30, 2021     What's Next for Minneapolis After the Derek Chauvin Verdict Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins sees the future of policing in better mental health services and community control. And she sees a future for the city's George Floyd Square. R E A D  M O R E »     What Did We Learn From All These Pandemic Weddings? With postvaccination wedding season around the corner, writer and The Wedding Coach host Jamie Lee wonders if there are some things about pandemic weddings we'll keep—just maybe not the lace KN95s. R E A D  M O R E »     The Particular Bravery of Elliot Page's Oprah Interview For a lot of us trans people, early transition is so awkward that it can feel like a time to hide. Page spoke up at one of the hardest moments in his life because he knows how much is at stake. R E A D  M O R E »     Lolita, Blake Bailey, and Me For the author of the memoir Being Lolita, some details from the sexual abuse allegations against the Philip Roth biographer are all too familiar. R E A D  M O R E »     On the Familiar-but-New Feeling of Dining Out (And Dressing for It) in L.A. As vaccination efforts ramp up and states ease restrictions on restaurants, one author has found a newly opened sweet spot in Los Angeles. R E A D  M O R E »     From the Archive: The Gripes of Roth For an acclaimed actress, falling in love with novelist Philip Roth was first a joy and then a torment; after she made the bitter choice between him and her daughter, she writes, he disintegrated psychologically, making her the target of a vicious, irrational rage. R E A D  M O R E » Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. Sign Up Now     This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.