White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday that the U.S. is countering Russian and Chinese efforts to tamper with the country’s election infrastructure. 

O’Brien told CBS “Face The Nation” that Russia and China are “absolutely” interfering with U.S. election infrastructure ahead of November. 

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He told CBS’s Margaret Brennan that both countries have tried “to access secretary of state websites” and “collect data on Americans” and “engage in influence operations whether it’s on TikTok or Twitter or other spaces.” 

“It’s a real concern,” he said. “But it’s not just Russia, Margaret, it’s the Chinese don’t want the president reelected.”

“China, like Russia and Iran, have engaged in cyber attacks and fishing and that sort of thing with respect to our election infrastructure and with respect to websites,” he said.

William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, on Friday announced China, Russia and Iran are seeking to “sway voters’ preferences and perspectives,” sow discord and “undermine the American people’s confidence in our democratic process.”

He said China doesn’t want Trump to win reelection because it views him as “unpredictable,” while Russia is working to hurt presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden says Trump executive order is ‘a reckless war on Social Security’ Trump got into testy exchange with top GOP donor Adelson: report Blumenthal calls for declassification of materials detailing Russian threat to US elections MORE.

O’Brien said Sunday that U.S. officials are “aware of” the attacks and are “taking steps to counter it.”

“Whether it’s China, Russia or Iran, we’re not gonna put up with it,” he said. “And there will be severe consequences for any country that attempts to interfere with our free and fair elections.”

Lawmaker concerns are mounting over the 2020 election as it approaches, after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had interfered with the 2016 election. Russian 2016 efforts included hacks that targeted infrastructure in all 50 states and the Democratic National Committee.

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpLincoln Project ad dubs Jared Kushner the ‘Secretary of Failure’ Pence: Chief Justice Roberts ‘has been a disappointment to conservatives’ Twitter bans Trump campaign until it deletes tweet with COVID-19 misinformation MORE’s reelection campaign accused Facebook of displaying “flagrant bias” against the president after the social media platform removed a post from his official page on Wednesday. 

The post that was removed included a video of Trump’s interview on “Fox & Friends” from earlier in the day in which he said young people are “almost immune” to the coronavirus. Facebook said the video was removed because it included “false claims.”

The Trump campaign pushed back on Facebook’s assessment, denying that what the president said was factually wrong. 

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“The President was stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus,” Trump campaign deputy national press secretary Courtney Parella said in a statement. “Another day, another display of Silicon Valley’s flagrant bias against this President, where the rules are only enforced in one direction. Social media companies are not the arbiters of truth.”

Facebook has previously removed Trump campaign advertisements, but Wednesday is the first time the company has removed a post from the president’s page concerning COVID-19. 

The White House deferred comments about Facebook’s actions to the Trump campaign. 

In a statement, first reported by NBC News, a spokesperson for the social media platform said the video was removed because it “includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation.”

Trump made the comment during the interview as he continued to push for schools to open this fall despite the coronavirus pandemic, including rising cases across much of the U.S. 

Trump has made similar comments in recent days when urging schools to open.

“I do say again, young people are almost immune to this disease. The younger the better,” Trump said last week during a White House briefing with reporters. “They’re stronger, they have a stronger immune system.”

Children can contract COVID-19, but evidence so far suggests they are less likely to experience severe illness or death than adults.

A coronavirus vaccine will be available to poorer countries for less than $3 a dose under a new partnership between the Gates Foundation and the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker.

The collaboration is meant to ensure up to 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will be available for distribution quickly to low- and middle-income countries. The arrangement also provides an option to secure additional doses if needed.

The move comes as other governments around the world, especially in the U.S., are moving to quickly secure vaccine production and distribution rights with pharmaceutical companies.

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The Gates Foundation partnership, which also includes Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — an organization that helps negotiate and finance vaccines for poor countries — will provide upfront capital to the Serum Institute to help them increase manufacturing capacity now.

The goal is that, once a vaccine, or vaccines, gains regulatory approval, doses can be produced at scale for distribution for low-income countries as early as the first half of 2021. They will be priced at no more than $3 a dose.

SII is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world by volume. It already has contracts with vaccine candidates developed by Novavax and Oxford University, in partnership with AstraZeneca. 

The groups said the collaboration is meant to ensure that developing countries have access to a coronavirus vaccine and aren’t left behind.

“Researchers are making good progress on developing safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19,” Bill Gates said in a statement. “But making sure everyone has access to them, as soon as possible, will require tremendous manufacturing capacity and a global distribution network. This collaboration gives the world some of both: the power of India’s manufacturing sector and Gavi’s supply chain.”

Both products from Novavax and Oxford-AstraZeneca have shown promise in initial trials. Novavax is set to begin phase 3 testing in the fall, while the late stage Oxford trial has already begun.

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Both companies have received more than $1 billion each from the Trump administration as part of its effort to secure a vaccine for the U.S. 

Drugmakers have already begun signaling how much they will charge for a potential vaccine, and the prices vary considerably. 

Oxford has pledged its vaccine will be available globally “at cost” for about $3 a dose, while Johnson & Johnson predicted its vaccine will cost about $10 a dose for 100 million doses. Moderna this week said it will price a two-dose regimen at as much as $74 for small-batch customers. 

Last month, the U.S. agreed to pay Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech $1.95 billion for 100 million doses, which is about $19.50 a dose, and $39 for a two-dose regimen.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving ahead with the second phase of returning employees to the office, prompting concerns from employees as the agency’s internal dashboard shows an uptick in cases.

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The new guidelines don’t force employees back to the office, but they kick off new restrictions on telework.

“Telework is at the option of the employee but you should notify your supervisor if you choose to telework. Facilities are open and employees have the option to return to the workplace,” EPA Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump order aims to curb US agencies’ use of foreign workers after TVA outrage | EPA transition back to the office alarms employees | Hundreds of green groups oppose BLM nominee EPA transition back to the office alarms employees OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Latest Trump proposal on endangered species could limit future habitat, critics say | House-passed spending bill would block Pebble Mine construction | Interior sends 100K pages of documents to House MORE wrote to employees in an email obtained by The Hill.

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Employees are also expected to return to normal work schedules unless they have “dependent care issues.”

Unions representing EPA employees expressed alarm to the sudden change in status.

“What the email failed to mention is that this week’s update to the Facility Status Dashboard indicates that HQ does not meet all the criteria set forth in the guidelines,” the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents some EPA employees, said in a release.

The changes are in effect for EPA employees in the Washington, D.C., area as well as Boston and other locations.

But internal EPA data for D.C. shows the 14-day trend of new cases is up, and the 14-day incidence rate of new cases is 141.6 per 100,000 people, not under 10 per 100,000 as the agency set forth in its initial guidelines.

“The dashboard is the not the sole driver in reopening decisions but rather helps form decisions,” EPA spokesman James Hewitt said by email. 

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“Moving into Phase 2 doesn’t put any staff at additional risk as it gives employees the option to telework. The Phase 2 reopening for the Capital Region is also determined by guidance from local and state officials,” he added.

Nate James, who represents EPA employees in D.C. with the American Federation of Government Employees Council, equated the return to the workplace as a game of Russian roulette. 

“Sadly, it appears that our senior leadership is … more concerned with maintaining appearances than employing safeguards that protect employee lives,” he said in a release.

– It’s interesting to note that WWE Music executive producer Jim Johnston – not regular CFO$ – has released Jinder Mahal’s entrance theme, currently available for purchase via iTunes at this link:

– It looks as though R-Truth and Stephanie McMahon are working on a rap for Connor’s Cure and Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month:

Me and the boss lady @StephMcMahon are working on something!! Supporting #ConnorsCure! Now That’s What’s Up! pic.twitter.com/30wp9V4Tig
— WWE R-Truth (@RonKillings) September 6, 2016

– The “Best of 7” between Cesaro and Sheamus is currently at 3-0 with Sheamus just one victory away from a clean sweep. The fourth, and potentially final match, will be held this Wednesday night at the WWE live event in London at the O2 Arena.

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