The Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal by Trump ally and conspiracy theorist Lin Wood that had sought to prevent the Senate election runoffs in Georgia from taking place on Jan. 5.

The justices turned down the request in an unsigned order with no noted dissents some two months after the races produced a pair of wins that handed Democrats control of the Senate.

The court’s move came on the same day the justices rejected former President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump vows ‘No more money for RINOS,’ instead encouraging donations to his PAC Federal judge rules ‘QAnon shaman’ too dangerous to be released from jail Pelosi says Capitol riot was one of the most difficult moments of her career MORE’s final pending appeal over the results of the 2020 election, adding to a string of post-election court losses for Trump and his allies, including Wood.

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Wood, an attorney, filed a challenge to the Georgia Senate races in December, arguing that an expanded absentee program the state put in place amid the pandemic violated the U.S. Constitution and Georgia state law.

A federal judge in Georgia dismissed the case, finding Wood lacked standing to sue.

Following the 2020 election, Wood amplified Trump’s false claims that widespread fraud led to President BidenJoe BidenCNN: Bidens’ dogs removed from the White House Federal judge rules ‘QAnon shaman’ too dangerous to be released from jail Pelosi says Capitol riot was one of the most difficult moments of her career MORE‘s victory and later called for the assassination of former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceFederal judge rules ‘QAnon shaman’ too dangerous to be released from jail Supreme Court rejects Trump ally challenge to Georgia Senate runoffs Pence planning first public speech since leaving office MORE.

The CEO of Jeep parent company Stellantis said Wednesday he would be open to dropping the Cherokee name from its line of vehicles following calls to do so late last month from the leader of the Cherokee Nation. 

Carlos Tavares, who serves as the head of the recently formed Stellantis NV out of a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot-maker PSA, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the company has been involved in ongoing discussions with the Native American tribe. 

“We are ready to go to any point, up to the point where we decide with the appropriate people and with no intermediaries,” Tavares said, noting that he has not been personally involved in the dialogue. 

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“At this stage, I don’t know if there is a real problem. But if there is one, well, of course we will solve it,” he added. 

Tavares told the Journal that companies like car manufacturers naming products after Native American tribes were intended to serve as signs of respect. 

“I don’t see anything that would be negative here,” the CEO said. “I think it’s just a matter of expressing our creative passion, our artistic capabilities.” 

The principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin Jr., for the first time last month publicly asked Jeep to change the name of its Cherokee and Grand Cherokee vehicles, telling Car and Driver magazine, “it’s time for both corporations and team sports to retire the use of Native American names, images and mascots from their products, team jerseys and sports in general.” 

In an interview with The New York Times last week, Hoskin said, “The use of Cherokee names and imagery for peddling products doesn’t deepen the country’s understanding of what it means to be Cherokee, and I think it diminishes it somewhat.” 

Stellantis defended the use of the name in a statement to the Times last week, writing, “Our vehicle names have been carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess and pride.” 

“We are, more than ever, committed to a respectful and open dialogue with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.,” the automobile manufacturer added. 

According to company figures obtained by the Journal, the Jeep Cherokee and the Grand Cherokee SUVs account for about 43 percent of Jeep’s sales in its largest market, with a new redesign of the Grand Cherokee scheduled to come out later this year.

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The tech-heavy Nasdaq index jumped up at the opening bell on Tuesday morning, pulling it out of the correction territory it fell into Monday as the market reshuffled.

The index opened up 315 points, or 2.5 percent.

During the pandemic, the Nasdaq often pulled ahead, even on days that other major indexes had middling gains or even negative returns, a sign of the ascendent tech companies more heavily represented in its index.

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Recent hope for a vaccine-fueled recovery has led to the opposite trend, as on Monday when the Dow Jones Industrial Average touched a new high while the Nasdaq sank. The shifts are evidence of a rebalancing in the market. 

Increased bond yields furthered the trend, before reversing on Tuesday.

Other major indexes also were on the rise on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 160 points, or 0.5 percent, and the S&P 500 increased 46 points, or 1.2 percent.

The increases follow a preliminary study suggesting that the Pfizer/Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was able to ward off the Brazilian variant in the laboratory. 

The Brazilian variant of the virus has shown the ability to reinfect people who have already been sick with the coronavirus, making it a potentially worrisome threat to the recovery.

 

Alphabet’s self-driving car unit Waymo is claiming that its artificial intelligence could have avoided or mitigated the majority of a set of fatal accidents.

In a white paper published Monday, the company simulated 72 deadly-crashes that occurred between in 2008 and 2017 in Chandler, Ariz., where Waymo currently operates.

Waymo’s artificial driver was able to avoid or mitigate the crashes excluding cases where the car was hit from behind.

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“We believe we have an opportunity to improve road safety by replacing the human driver with the Waymo Driver,” Trent Victor, the company’s director of safety research, said in a blog post. “This study helps validate that belief.”

Accidents have been a major problem for the development of self-driving vehicles, especially after a Uber test vehicle hit and killed a woman in Arizona in 2018.

There is currently no federal law regulating the new technology, despite bipartisan bills being proposed in both chambers over the last few years.

U.S. climate envoy John KerryJohn KerryOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats reintroduce road map to carbon neutrality by 2050 | Kerry presses oil companies to tackle climate change | Biden delays transfer of sacred lands for copper mine Kerry presses oil companies to tackle climate change Biden, Brazil and the Amazon MORE called on energy producers to ramp up their development of alternative and low-carbon technologies at a virtual conference Tuesday.

“I think that the fossil fuel industry clearly could do a lot more to transition into being a full-fledged energy [industry] that is embracing some of these new technologies,” Kerry said at the CERAWeek energy conference as part of a discussion with former Energy Secretary Ernest MonizErnest Jeffrey MonizOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats reintroduce road map to carbon neutrality by 2050 | Kerry presses oil companies to tackle climate change | Biden delays transfer of sacred lands for copper mine Kerry presses oil companies to tackle climate change Lobbying from the center MORE, according to Reuters.

The annual energy conference, which is typically held in Houston, was held virtually in 2021 after being canceled last year. Attendees included both climate leaders and energy industry figures.

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Kerry, a former secretary of State, also told conference attendees that major upgrades to U.S. energy infrastructure were needed, blaming outdated equipment and systems for the failure of Texas’s self-contained energy grid during a recent cold snap.

“We need to have a smart grid. That will save us huge amount of money, reduce emissions and produce a capacity to have baseload challenges met,” Kerry said, adding that the U.S. is capable of substantially increasing the amount of renewable electricity it deploys.

However, he added, “we are going to have to get rid of some of our chauvinism and our parochial components that resist common sense and the need to move very hastily to get this done.”

Kerry said the U.S. will unveil its new targets for emission cuts on April 22 at a summit of international leaders.

President BidenJoe BidenIntercept bureau chief: minimum wage was not ‘high priority’ for Biden in COVID-19 relief South Carolina Senate adds firing squad as alternative execution method Obama alum Seth Harris to serve as Biden labor adviser: report MORE, who named Kerry as a special climate envoy, has undertaken a series of sweeping climate actions since taking office, including rejoining the Paris climate agreement, halting new leases for oil and gas extraction on federal land and canceling the construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Kerry’s remarks at the CERAWeek conference came the same day The Wall Street Journal reported that the American Petroleum Institute, the nation’s biggest oil lobbying organization, intends to endorse carbon pricing to reduce emissions. Over a decade ago, during the Obama administration, the group was one of the most vocal opponents of proposals to implement a cap-and-trade system for emissions.

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President BidenJoe BidenSenate Democrats negotiating changes to coronavirus bill Rural Americans are the future of the clean energy economy — policymakers must to catch up WHO official says it’s ‘premature’ to think pandemic will be over by end of year MORE’s nominees to lead two financial sector watchdog agencies will lay out their plans for a tougher regulatory regime and stricter oversight during their confirmation hearings Tuesday.

Biden’s picks to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will testify before the Senate Banking Committee and face questions about their plans to reverse years of light-touch regulations during the Trump administration.

The nominations of Gary GenslerGary GenslerOn The Money: Senators push for changes as chamber nears vote on .9T relief bill | Warren offers bill to create wealth tax Financial regulators home in on climate risks On The Money: Democrats scramble to save minimum wage hike | Personal incomes rise, inflation stays low after stimulus burst MORE to chair the SEC and Rohit ChopraRohit ChopraBiden’s Wall Street watchdog picks to offer clues on regulations On The Money: Senators push for changes as chamber nears vote on .9T relief bill | Warren offers bill to create wealth tax On The Money: Democrats scramble to save minimum wage hike | Personal incomes rise, inflation stays low after stimulus burst MORE to direct the CFPB elated a wide range of Democrats united by support for more aggressive supervision of banks, lenders and the investment industry.

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Gensler, a former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Goldman Sachs partner, is perhaps the sole Wall Street veteran who is progressive enough to impress the Democratic Party’s left flank.

“When he was nominated to become the director of the CFTC, there were some detractors on both sides of the aisle, but very broad bipartisan support for his nomination. I would expect to see the same thing again here,” said Kurt Wolfe, a corporate and securities attorney at law firm Troutman Pepper.

Chopra, a Federal Trade Commissioner since 2018, has close ties to Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenOn The Money: Senators push for changes as chamber nears vote on .9T relief bill | Warren offers bill to create wealth tax Sanders vows to force vote on minimum wage Warren’s wealth tax would cost 100 richest Americans billion MORE (D-Mass.), architect of the agency he’s been nominated to lead.

With strong credentials, previous Senate confirmations and bipartisan appeal, the two nominees are expected to face little trouble securing their new gigs. But the extent of the Republican support they get could hinge on polarizing policy disputes that are likely to dominate their early days in office.

“The narrow margins in the Senate and the fact that — so far, at least — the filibuster seems like it’s in place, a lot of the progressive wishlist is going to move to the agencies,” said Jason Rosenstock, a financial services lobbyist and partner at Thorn Run Partners.

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Gensler and Chopra have each spent their careers working toward stronger checks on the financial sector, greater transparency and tougher penalties on misconduct. They each plan to emphasize how crucial those priorities will be after a year volatile year for the financial sector and economy.

Democrats have grown increasingly alarmed over how investment apps such as Robinhood have helped lead a flood of novice investors — many with nowhere to go and stimulus checks to burn — into the stock and options markets, particularly in the wake of the GameStop frenzy. Republicans have bristled at calls to impose limits on amateur investors, calling such rules patronizing.

Gensler, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is set to praise the power of financial innovation but warn about the dangers of insufficient consumer protections.

“We have seen that when the SEC does its job — when there are clear rules of the road and a cop on the beat to enforce them — our economy grows and our nation prospers,” Gensler will say in his opening statement, which was released by the Senate Banking Committee on Monday.

“But when we take our eyes off the ball — when we fail to root out wrongdoing, or to adapt to new technologies, or to really understand novel financial instruments — things can go very wrong. And when that happens, people get hurt.”

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Chopra is also set to emphasize the importance of strong oversight amid the coronavirus downturn, focusing on a potential foreclosure and eviction crisis. More than 11 million households are facing homelessness when coronavirus-related protections begin expiring this month, according to a report released Monday by the CFPB.

“In the last economic crisis a decade ago, we saw how unlawful and avoidable foreclosures proved to be catastrophic in cities, small towns, and rural areas alike, contributing to deeper social divisions and inequities. We once again face an important test to ensure that troubles in the housing market do not sabotage the recovery of our local economies,” Chopra will say in his opening statement.

Democrats and Republicans have largely agreed on steady support for families facing housing insecurity during the pandemic, but Chopra could face heat for his agenda beyond the pandemic response.

At the FTC, Chopra’s fierce criticism of major technology companies such as Facebook and support for far steeper penalties drew backlash from the technology industry. Chopra is expected to carry over that approach to the CFPB, where he served as one of the agency’s first senior officials and its first student loan ombudsman.

Chopra’s supporters and critics see him as the natural heir to the legacy left by Warren and former CFPB Director Richard CordrayRichard Adams CordrayFinancial firms brace for Biden’s consumer agency chief Consumer bureau director resigns after Biden’s inauguration Biden consumer bureau pick could take over agency on Inauguration Day MORE, who were lionized by progressives and reviled by Republicans for their crusading approach to financial sector oversight.

Democrats have been eager to unwind four years of regulatory rollbacks, internal reorganization and looser oversight at the CFPB under Trump appointees, while Republicans and the financial industry are bracing for more combative posture from their agency.

“The Chopra nomination is arguably a little bit more divisive,” Wolfe said, “as is the CFPB.”

“There may be some more tense moments around the questioning of Mr. Chopra.”

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 and remember, always verify your sources. 

Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

Amazon is facing allegations of racial discrimination and sexual harassment detailed in a lawsuit filed by an employee on Monday. A U.K.-based startup launched a service aimed at helping governments and organizations counter online misinformation. Meanwhile, Twitter announced updated plans to target misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, and a national commission came to some concerning conclusions about where the United States stands on artificial intelligence. 

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ALLEGATIONS AGAINST AMAZON: A Black Amazon manager is suing the e-commerce giant over allegations of racial discrimination and sexual harassment at the company’s corporate offices.

A complaint filed by Amazon manager Charlotte Newman on Monday alleges Amazon routinely engages in “de-leveling” Black and Latino employees when they are hired, meaning they are hired at a level below the job they applied for or will be performing. 

Additionally, the complaint alleges Newman faced racial and sexual harassment by coworkers and supevisors.

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“Racial and sexual discrimination exists in Amazon’s corporate corridors, not just its warehouses — it simply takes a different form. Amazon has failed to seriously grapple with these issues among its management,” the complaint states. 

An Amazon spokesperson defended the company’s workplace environment and said the company is investigating the new allegations in the lawsuit. 

“Amazon works hard to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture, and these allegations do not reflect those efforts or our values. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind and thoroughly investigate all claims and take appropriate action. We are currently investigating the new allegations included in this lawsuit,” the spokesperson said in a statement. 

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Read more about the lawsuit here. 

 

 

TWITTER TARGETS COVID-19 VACCINE LIES: Twitter announced Monday that it will begin labeling posts that contain misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

The labels will alert users that health officials consider vaccines for the novel coronavirus to be safe for most people.

They may also contain links to content from trusted sources on vaccines.

Twitter is also implementing a strike system for its broader policy on coronavirus vaccine misinformation, where more than one violation will lead to accounts being locked and five or more will trigger permanent suspensions.

Read more.

   

GAB HACKED: Gab, a fringe social media platform with a high concentration of far-right users, has been hacked, with a large trove of data including passwords and private messages being taken.

The platform’s CEO Andrew Torba acknowledged the hack, which was first reported by Wired on Sunday, in a tweet that also included a transphobic slur. 

According to the hacktivist collective Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) roughly 70 gigabytes of posts, private messages, profiles and plaintext passwords were obtained in the hack.

The group says the data was provided to them by a hacktivist who identifies as “JaXpArO and My Little Anonymous Revival Project.”

Read more.

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NEW MISINFORMATION COUNTER: U.K.-based fact-checking startup Logically launched a new service Monday aimed at helping governments and nongovernmental organizations identify and counter online misinformation using a blend of artificial intelligence and human expertise.  

The Logically Intelligence (LI) platform collects data from tens of thousands of websites and social media platforms then feeds it through an algorithm to identify potentially dangerous content and organize it into narrative groups.

“Over the last few years, the phenomenon of mis- and disinformation has firmly taken root, evolved and proliferated, and is increasingly causing real world harm,” Lyric Jain, founder and CEO of Logically, said. “Our intensive focus on combating these untruths has culminated in the development of Logically Intelligence, based on several years of frontline operations fighting against the most egregious attacks on facts and reality.” 

Read more.

 

TROUBLE IN TECHNOLOGY PARADISE: The federal government is “unprepared” to defend the nation against new threats posed by the increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, according to a report released Monday.

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The report, compiled by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, recommended the U.S. implement a “significant change” to keep up with countries like China and Russia in the field of AI to address national security concerns.

“The United States must act now to field AI systems and invest substantially more resources in AI innovation to protect its security, promote its prosperity, and safeguard the future of democracy,” the commission concluded.

The commission was established as part of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, with the majority of its members appointed by Congress. Commissioners who worked on the report include representatives from Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Oracle, as well as leading individuals in academia.

Read more about the report here.

 

INSTAGRAM LAUNCHES ‘LIVE ROOMS’: Instagram is launching a “Live Rooms” feature that will allow users to livestream with up to three people.

Instagram’s announcement on Monday builds on the platform’s existing feature that allows users to livestream with only one other person at a time. 

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“This update is another step forward in giving creators more ways to reach and interact with their audiences,” Instagram said in the announcement.

Live Rooms will be available soon for users globally, the company said. 

Read more here. 

 

ICYMI: BIDEN BACKS UNION EFFORTS: President BidenJoe BidenSenate Democrats negotiating changes to coronavirus bill Rural Americans are the future of the clean energy economy — policymakers must to catch up WHO official says it’s ‘premature’ to think pandemic will be over by end of year MORE offered his support on Sunday to union organizing efforts as Amazon workers at an Alabama warehouse vote on whether to unionize. 

In a video posted on Twitter, the president told workers “in Alabama and all across America” that are considering joining a union that they face a “vitally important choice.”

He did not mention Amazon directly, but his video statement was released after almost 6,000 warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., started voting earlier this month on the option to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). If approved, the union would become the first at Amazon’s U.S. operations. 

Read more here. 

Lighter click: We’ll get around to it eventually 

An op-ed to chew on: To outpace China on technology, the US needs a ‘full-stack’ strategy

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

T-Mobile Promised Its Megamerger Would Create Jobs. It Laid Off 5,000 Workers Instead (Motherboard / Karl Bode) 

Klobuchar calls on Congress to get serious on tech reform (The Verge / Makena Kelly)

How One State Managed to Actually Write Rules on Facial Recognition (The New York Times / Kashmir Hill)

Progressive organizations are pressing the Biden administration to swiftly rejoin the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, warning that coming back into the pact will be more difficult as time goes on. 

In a letter to the White House on Wednesday, the 32 progressive groups lambasted the Trump administration, which pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in favor of “maximum pressure” strategy that imposed harsh sanctions on Iran. The groups said that approach must be quickly reversed in order to come to a new arrangement with Iran.

“The longer the elements of “maximum pressure” remain in effect, the more it will continue to embolden hardliners and make U.S.-Iran diplomacy more difficult. The recent escalation in military activity between the United States and reported Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq only shows how urgently needed a new course of action is,” they wrote, referencing recent U.S. strikes on an Iranian-backed militia in Syria that had attacked U.S. troops. 

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Biden campaigned on joining the nuclear deal, which was reached with Iran and several European allies. His administration recently said it was open to restarting discussions with European countries and Iran to begin the process of rejoining the agreement, though Iran recently rejected a preliminary offer to revive talks. 

The president has maintained that the U.S. will only return to the table if Iran first brings its nuclear enrichment levels back down to its pre-deal levels. However, the groups said that stance could hinder negotiations.

“We have been heartened by various developments over recent weeks, including the U.S. accepting an invitation from Europe to join talks on the future of the deal, the acknowledgement that Trump’s attempted snapback of UN Security Council Resolutions failed, and the lifting of travel restrictions on key Iranian officials,” they wrote.

“However, we are concerned about the time that is being taken in the lead-up to formal negotiations and by recent statements that could be construed to indicate that Iran must take the first steps to meet its JCPOA obligations before the United States takes its own steps. We support your policy of ‘compliance for compliance,’ but the fact of the matter is that the United States was the first to violate the deal. It is therefore reasonable to expect the United States to at the very least take concurrent steps with Iran to rejoin it.”

Biden is staring down a dwindling timeline to rejoin the deal amid an array of developments in Iran.

Tehran confirmed in January that it intends to enrich its uranium to up to 20 percent at its Fordow facility, a level that’s just a short step away from weapons-grade material. And June elections in Iran are rapidly approaching, possibly limiting politicians’ desire to negotiate out of fear of the appearance they’re kowtowing to America.

The letter from the progressive groups comes amid burgeoning frustration among liberals with Biden’s foreign policy. Democrats on Capitol Hill accused the president of ordering the strikes in Syria last month without proper congressional authorization, and lawmakers are stewing that no sanctions are being placed on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his role in the assassination of Washington Post columnist and Virginia resident Jamal Khashoggi.

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Two House committees chaired by senior Black Congress members held hearings on Friday to discuss the importance of equitable vaccine distribution and the obstacles that local and federal officials have had up to this point.

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee, led by Rep. Eddie Bernice JohnsonEddie Bernice JohnsonHouse panels underscore vaccine obstacles for minority groups House Democrat says the COVID-19 vaccination distribution is ‘not an issue that should be tainted with politics’ The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden seeks vaccine for all by summer; Trump censure? MORE (D-Texas), convened in the morning, while the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus headed by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) met in the afternoon.

Both hearings featured health officials and experts from around the country.

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The hearings come as the Biden administration works to roll out its national strategy to combat the pandemic that has killed nearly half a million people in the U.S.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 57 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far in the U.S., though it has become painfully clear communities of color that have been hardest hit by the pandemic have disproportionately struggled for access to the inoculation.

“Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans have been infected with the coronavirus at higher rates than White Americans. They are nearly four times as likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die from the virus,” Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat, said in his opening remarks.

“Only nine percent of those who have received vaccines are Hispanic, and only six percent are Black, even though these groups together represent nearly a third of the United States’ population,” he added. 

The obstacles facing communities of color and rural communities when it comes to receiving doses of the vaccine are well-known.

Perhaps the hardest of these roadblocks for officials to remove is the lingering widespread vaccine hesitancy found in communities of color, especially Black communities.

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Philip Huang, director of the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, told the House Science Committee that Black Americans’ distrust of the government is “deep-rooted.”

Clyburn attributed the lack of trust to “centuries of discrimination” at the hands of the U.S. government, notably the infamous, decades-long Tuskegee Syphilis Study in the deep South that wasn’t ended until 1972.

Other significant factors that have contributed to communities of color not receiving the vaccines they need are unrelated racial disparities that have existed for years.

For example, multiple officials in the hearings referenced the fact that many states have used online portals for the scheduling of vaccine appointments.

This has been problematic, as internet access rates among Black and Hispanic people, as well as people over the age of 65, are below the national average. It’s led to not only people of color not receiving doses when they’re available, but has also resulted in vaccines being administered to those outside of the hardest hit areas.

“They don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Rep. Maxine WatersMaxine Moore WatersHillicon Valley: Biden cyber rules | Australia’s war with Facebook | UK ruling on Uber House panels underscore vaccine obstacles for minority groups On The Money: House panel spars over GameStop, Robinhood | Manchin meets with advocates for wage | Yellen says go big, GOP says hold off MORE (D-Calif.), a member of the select subcommittee, said regarding senior citizens trying to use the internet to schedule an appointment.

Making scheduling systems that meet more people where they are is one of the easier things that officials can fix, Alison Buttenheim, scientific director for the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, told the House science panel.

Multiple officials on the calls, including Waters, noted how crucial a national campaign aimed at educating and informing people of color about the safety and availability of the vaccine is when it comes to reaching these communities.

Witnesses also called for greater collection of race and ethnicity data when vaccines are being given.

Currently, only 34 states are in the practice of collecting this demographic data, leaving a huge blind spot for officials, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The CDC has recently started reporting race and ethnicity data for vaccine distribution, but only has that data for 55 percent of those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“Policymakers cannot make data driven decisions without good data,” Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, said in her testimony to the subcommittee.

Welcome to Thursday’s Overnight Health Care. D.C.’s dreary weather makes us wish we were in Cancun right now.

Follow us at @NateWeixel, @jessiehellmann and @PeterSullivan4. 

Today in health news, President BidenJoe BidenDeath toll from winter weather rises to at least 40: AP On The Money: House panel spars over GameStop, Robinhood | Manchin meets with advocates for wage | Yellen says go big, GOP says hold off Top political donor sentenced to 12 years in prison for illegal campaign contributions MORE announced billions of dollars in funding for a global vaccine initiative amid concerns that poorer countries are missing out on COVID-19 shots. COVID has led to a drop in life expectancy and meanwhile, the governor of South Carolina signed a bill banning most abortions, which was promptly met with a legal challenge.

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Let’s start with vaccines: 

Biden to commit $4 billion in immediate funding to global vaccine initiative

President Biden will announce Friday that the United States is sending $4 billion to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, to support Covax, the global initiative to develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines to lower income countries. 

The $4 billion amount includes $2 billion in funding that will go out immediately.

Biden will make the announcement during an appearance at a virtual meeting of Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Friday, according to senior administration officials.

In addition to the $2 billion in immediate assistance, Biden will commit to gradually releasing another $2 billion in funding to Gavi as part of an effort by the U.S. to secure more donor commitments to the vaccine program.

The $4 billion in funding for Gavi was previously appropriated by Congress in bipartisan coronavirus relief and government funding legislation passed in December. The goal of Covax is to vaccinate 20 percent of the populations of the world’s lowest-income countries by the end of this year.

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Why it matters for the US: Beyond the obvious benefit of vaccinating people in other countries, worldwide vaccinations also matter for the US in help cut down on transmission of the virus, helping to prevent new variants from forming. The more the virus spreads, the more likely new variants are to form. 

Read more here. 

 

A GOP target: HHS nominee Xavier BecerraXavier BecerraOvernight Health Care: Biden to commit billion in immediate funding to global vaccine initiative Conservative groups seek to bolster opposition to Biden’s HHS pick Overnight Health Care: Biden administration ups vaccine distribution to states | HHS pick to get Senate hearing next week | Average daily new coronavirus cases dip below 90K MORE. New ad campaigns are afoot. 

Conservative groups have launched advertising and grassroots campaigns in a bid to sink the nomination of Xavier Becerra for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), portraying him as too liberal and inexperienced for the job.

Heritage Action for America is backing a $600,000 ad campaign targeting Becerra, while Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion conservative group, is seeking to drum up grassroots support to pressure lawmakers to oppose Becerra’s confirmation.

The two groups are aiming to galvanize Senate Republican opposition to the former California attorney general, which would increase pressure on Democrats from red or purple states. Biden’s Cabinet nominees have thus far been confirmed with bipartisan approval.

Big hearing next week: Becerra is set to appear before the Senate Health Committee next Tuesday.

“Why would we be putting someone in charge of Health and Human Services (HHS) at such a critical time as the pandemic who doesn’t have the health care experience,” said Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action, noting that previous agency leaders who were not doctors still had experience in the health care industry.

Read more here. 

 

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Fauci: Vaccine for coronavirus variant ‘likely will take several months’

Anthony FauciAnthony FauciOvernight Health Care: Biden to commit billion in immediate funding to global vaccine initiative Fauci: Vaccine for COVID-19 variant ‘likely will take several months’ Researchers call for second Pfizer vaccine dose to be delayed MORE, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, on Thursday said that a vaccine for a variant strain of the coronavirus believed to have originated in South Africa will likely take “several months.”

“That likely will take several months,” Fauci said, asked about the timeline for development of the vaccine by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell.

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“We’re already, for example, working with the Moderna company. Pfizer’s doing it on their own, I’m sure. It’s a good company, a big company,” he added. “But what we’re doing is, we’re working with them to get a sample of the vaccine that you can actually have it code for the protein that’s the appropriate protein for the South African isolate.”

But the current vaccines still have some protection, especially against severe disease, the most important thing. “So, although the vaccine might not protect against mild to moderate disease with the South African isolate, when you look at the data, it strongly suggests that it will do quite well against serious disease, namely, keeping people out of the hospital and preventing them from dying,” Fauci said. 

Read more here. 

 

South Carolina governor signs bill banning most abortions

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) on Thursday signed a bill into law that would ban most abortions in the state, the latest state to enact stringent abortion restrictions.

The new law, dubbed the “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act,” prohibits abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected and mandates that doctors conduct an ultrasound before performing an abortion to see if a heartbeat can be detected. The law contains exceptions for a fetus that is conceived by rape or incest, or if the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

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Fetal heartbeats can be detected six to eight weeks into a pregnancy, sometimes before a woman is even aware she is pregnant. 

Already a lawsuit: Democrats and abortion rights advocates have panned the legislation. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Greenville Women’s Clinic already said Thursday they will file a lawsuit to try to block the law from taking effect.

“Abortion is a critical component of comprehensive reproductive health care, and everyone deserves to have access to the health care they need, without politicians controlling when, how, or why,” said Katherine Farris, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

Read more here. 

 

Life expectancy falls one year amid pandemic in biggest drop since WWII

Life expectancy fell by one year in the first six months of 2020, the biggest drop since World War II, as the U.S. dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Thursday.  

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Initial data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that life expectancy fell from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.8 years during the first half of 2020. Men saw a drop of 1.2 years to 75.1 years, while women saw a decrease of 0.9 years to 80.5 years amid the pandemic.

More bad news: Black Americans and Hispanic Americans experienced an even greater drop in life expectancy, as their communities have recorded a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The drop in life expectancy, which measures how long on average a baby born today can expect to live, shows the early impact of the coronavirus crisis in 2020. Last year was already confirmed to be the deadliest year in U.S. history, surpassing 3 million deaths in the country for the first time, according to The New York Times. 

Read more here. 

 

Coming soon from our colleague: “Lucky,” by No. 1 New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan Allen and The Hill’s Amie Parnes, explores Joe Biden’s road to the presidency, including the pandemic lockdown that kept him off the campaign trail. Pre-order here for the March release: prh.com/lucky

What we’re reading

How to sign up for a COVID vaccine in your state (NPR)

Clinical trials are moving out of labs and into people’s homes (The New York Times)

A mass casualty event every day (The Washington Post)  

State by state

Can Red States Resist Expanding Medicaid? (National Review)

‘An Absolute Disaster’: Massachusetts Communities Furious as Baker Cuts Off Vaccine Supply (NBC 10)

D.C. revises rules, will open vaccines to young people with health problems March 1 (Washington Post)

The Hill op-eds

COVID recovery must prioritize the nation’s youth