On Tuesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced they’re seeking authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for the first two doses of a planned three-dose Covid-19 vaccine regimen for children under 5 — the last age bracket remaining witout a Covid-19 vaccine. The agency said that it would convene its independent panel of vaccine experts on Feb. 15 to consider the data. While many welcomed the new development, some pediatricians raised concerns that the companies were moving too quickly. Lauren Gardner reports.
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The hot economy is about to be put on ice
President Joe Biden delivered a massive economic stimulus that sparked historic job growth — but is also a factor in why inflation is the highest it's been since the 80s. Now, he’s counting on the Federal Reserve to come to the rescue as inflation eats up people’s paychecks and feeds anxiety about the future. Victoria Guida reports.
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The Jan. 6 panel is at an inflection point
Investigators for the Jan. 6 select committee have won a string of victories in court, obtaining testimony and records from Trump World. Now, they're preparing for their next battle, making those findings tangible — and understandable — to the public. Kyle Cheney reports.
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The short list to replace Breyer
Last week, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, setting off a flurry of anticipation about who his successor would be and how the confirmation process would play out. Josh Gerstein reports.
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The battle to save Waikiki
Climate change is eroding Hawaii’s most popular attraction. But, even in a deep-blue state, no one can agree on how to save it. Melanie Warner reports.
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Monoclonal antibodies and the midterms
Republicans are accusing the Biden administration of racism — against white people. The FDA recommended that race and ethnicity be considered when deciding who gets the limited supply of monoclonal antibody treatments — including the only antibody treatment to effectively work against the Omicron variant. But, it's now become the latest political talking point for Republicans, looking to energize their base ahead of the midterm elections. Megan Messerly reports.
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Vax wars head to California
For the third time in 10 years, California is in the middle of the national vaccine wars. On Monday, State Sen. Richard Pan unveiled legislation to eliminate the personal belief exemption for the impending Covid-19 vaccine mandate for K-12 students in California. California Playbook co-author Jeremy B. White reports.
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The standoff over Ukraine
Two weeks ago, the first round of diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia took place. Last week, another round of diplomatic talks took place. And now, Russia has mobilized about 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. Alex Ward reports on the U.S.'s strategy to contain Russian aggression and possible outcomes.
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What's next for Dems in Congress
After failures to advance two high profile bills — the Build Back Better spending plan and voting rights — Democrats return to the drawing board. Anthony Adragna reports.
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Breaking up big meat
Four big companies dominate the meat processing market — but the Biden administration has considered breaking them up for a long time. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has been on a multi-state tour talking about new cash programs from the Biden administration and strengthening local meat supply chains — but it could take billions of dollars and years of building up for smaller producers to reach a scale that would threaten the larger companies. Ximena Bustillo reports.
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CovidTests.gov is live — but is it ready?
After more than a month of surging case numbers due to the Omicron variant, the Biden administration is responding with more testing and masking. On Wednesday, it launched covidtests.gov, a website that allows users to request four free at-home covid test and this week also unveiled a plan to distribute hundreds of millions of free N-95 masks through pharmacies and community sites. Adam Cancryn reports.
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Airlines face their next challenge: 5G
5G, more like 5 o-m-g! Amid concerns that AT&T's and Verizon's 5G rollout could cause thousands of flight cancellations and disruptions, the wireless companies agreed to heed the warnings of the aviation industry and scale back their rollout. How'd this get to be such a mess in the first place? Oriana Pawlyk reports.
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Voting rights legislation: deterred or dead?
Last week, voting rights legislation hit a brick wall when Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) announced they would not support changing Senate rules to get around a potential filibuster. Today, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still plans to allow debate on voting rights — despite its almost certain failure. Playbook’s Eugene Daniels looks at what's next for the Biden administration.
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Oregon's black market for cannabis
There’s a saying that Southern Oregon has more trees than people, but recently, the area has been overrun by international cartels and gun-toting outlaw farmers. What’s happening there represents one of the paradoxes of the legalized marijuana movement: states with large legal markets are also dealing with rampant illegal production. Natalie Fertig reports.
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The CDC's messaging problem that won't go away
As we round into the third year of Covid-19 and a surging wave of cases, Democrats and Republicans alike raised sharp questions and complaints on the state of the pandemic response in the most recent oversight hearing in Congress. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.
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What happened in Chicago schools
On Monday night, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Teachers Union reached a deal to bring students back to the classroom after a five-day standoff. But even after coming to an agreement, the relationship between the union and Mayor remains strained. Illinois Playbook author Shia Kapos explains how it unfolded and what this says about the future of schools in the Covid-19 era.
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What happens when your doctor has Covid?
Hospitals and long-term care facilities are so short-staffed, many are relying on new CDC guidance to bring asymptomatic doctors and nurses back to work — even as the U.S. is poised to break a record 142,000 covid-19 hospitalizations. Reporter Rachael Levy on the no-win situation that hospitals now face.
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New year, same problems
The Senate is back in session this week — covid numbers are rising and Joe Manchin has voiced his opposition to President Biden's social spending plan. So where do Senate Democrats go from here? Marianne LeVine on where things stand in Congress right now.
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Can solar power the future of manufacturing?
The best example of the Biden administration's industrial policy goals might be at Hanwha Q Cells, a solar panel factory in Georgia which employs 700 people and manufactures more than 10,000 solar panels a day. Trade reporter Gavin Bade reports with a dispatch from Hanwha.
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The CDC’s rough week
This week, the CDC doubled down on its Dec. 29 guidance that asymptomatic Covid-19 patients can leave isolation after five days without a negative test. Erin Banco reports on the policy and politics behind that decision.
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Schools ride (another) Covid-19 wave
The message from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is that schools should do what they can to remain open for in-person learning. But with Omicron cases surging among students and school staff, plus a possible teacher shortage, how will schools adjust? Juan Perez reports.
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Amazon and Google face off against Congress
The latest product launch from Google and Amazon? Being the underdog against Congress. Emily Birnbaum on the surprising ways Amazon and Google are mobilizing to counter regulatory efforts.
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New Jan. 6 polls show partisan rift
Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. As that date approaches, a slew of new polls out highlight the splintering effect the attack has with voters — and on Donald Trump's influence on the Republican party. David Siders reports.
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Presenting Weedcast: The Mormon playbook for me...
On an episode of Weedcast from June 17, POLITICO's Natalie Fertig breaks down how the Mormon church was able to help get medical marijuana green lit in deeply red Utah.
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Rebroadcast: Lessons from Las Vegas’ reopening
Las Vegas tried to reopen without widespread vaccination, but those plans crashed into reality. Will things be different this time? POLITICO’s Megan Cassella reports.