Helmut Marko dismissed as “complete nonsense” Toto Wolff’s claim that Red Bull could pass on Honda’s power unit intellectual property to the Volkswagen group and partner with the latter in the future.

Red Bull Powertrains will take over from next season Honda’s F1 engine program which will be housed within a dedicated unit that is in the process of being built at the energy drink company’s Milton Keynes campus.

Red Bull will rely on Honda’s original hardware until the end of the current engine regulation cycle in F1 which is expected to conclude at the end of 2024, after which Red Bull is expected to use its own all-new power unit developed in-house to the specifications of the sport’s next generation of engine rules.

But at Portimão earlier this month, Wolff suggested that Red Bull Powertrains could partner from 2025 with the Volkswagen group which recently stated that F1’s future engine rules could be “of great interest”.

“On one side, they are keen on doing their own power unit, but it’s no secret that the Volkswagen Group with their two brands [Porsche an Audi] is looking at Formula 1, and has been part of the discussions,” Wolff said.

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“So [Red Bull] can at any moment decide if they want to stick to their own power unit, or go with a top German manufacturer.

“On the other side, the arrangement they have on the IP side with Honda really makes sense. They are taking over the IP from Honda and obviously developing the new power unit into 2025.

“It could stay within Red Bull power units, or it could go to Porsche/Audi. So overall, I think it makes sense what they do.”

Read also: Wolff reveals Red Bull approached 100 Mercedes staff

Marko has since taken exception to Wolff’s last statement, insisting that while Red Bull would be open to partnering with a manufacturer, perhaps for naming rights, the idea of transferring Honda’s IP to the Volkswagen group is “complete nonsense”.

“He made a very unsubtle statement that we would get the patent rights from Honda and pass them on to VW,” the Red Bull motorsport boss told F1-Insider.

“That’s complete nonsense, that would be unfair and it’s not planned. As long as the current regulations apply, we are solely responsible for this engine.

“But the fact we are open to partnerships in the future, be it for naming the engine or more, that is all possible and also desired so that our costs are kept within limits.

“But whether that could be the manufacturer I mentioned, or another, is completely open at this point.”

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday announced that it had ordered a U.S. Virgin Islands oil refinery to close for at least 60 days due to concerns that its operations were posing an “imminent risk to public health.” 

EPA Administrator Michael ReganMichael ReganOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Gas shortages likely to linger for days | Biden administration issues second shipping waiver amid fuel shortages | EPA orders St. Croix refinery to shut down for 60 days due to ‘imminent threat’ to islanders’ health EPA orders St. Croix refinery to shut down for 60 days due to ‘imminent threat’ to islanders’ health EPA rescinds Trump rule expected to make air pollution regulation harder MORE in a press release unveiling the move said operations at Limetree Bay’s St. Croix refinery will be paused “until we can be assured that this facility can operate in accordance with laws that protect public health.” 

The refinery has been the subject of controversy in recent months after the Trump administration in December approved the plant’s reopening following a series of spills and accidents that resulted in $5 million in EPA fines and the plant’s closure in 2012. 

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Since the refinery began operating again in February, it has showered oil on residents of the largely low-income community surrounding the refinery, as well as released sulfuric gases and hydrocarbons into the air, according to the EPA. 

The agency said that the air pollutants and oil releases have “sickened” many members of the St. Croix community. 

“These repeated incidents at the refinery have been and remain totally unacceptable,” Regan said Friday. 

“This already overburdened community has suffered through at least four recent incidents that have occurred at the facility, and each had an immediate and significant health impact on people and their property,” he added. “EPA will not hesitate to use its authority to enforce the law and protect people from dangerous pollution where they work, live, and play.”

The EPA said that Limetree Bay on Wednesday temporarily suspended operations after “a serious incident that led to exceedance of the emission limit for sulfur dioxide (SO2), a potent toxic gas, endangering the health of nearby communities.” 

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Under the temporary closure order, Limetree must pause all refining operations, organize an independent audit of the facility and submit to the EPA for approval a plan to address areas for improvement at the refinery. 

The order can be extended past the initial 60 days through a civil action court filing by the U.S. government, the EPA said Friday. 

In March, the EPA revoked an expansion permit that had been granted to the Limetree Bay refinery in 2020 until the agency reviewed “what measures are required at the Limetree facility to safeguard the health of local communities in the Virgin Islands.” 

Four environmental organizations had asked the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to review the Limetree Bay expansion permit, arguing that the Trump administration failed to address “the disproportionate burden that an environmental justice community will bear and it failed to provide multi-lingual access to information.” 

The Hill has reached out to Limetree Bay for comment on Friday’s order.

A group of Senate Democrats are urging Attorney General Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Biden officials testify that white supremacists are greatest domestic security threat Watch live: Garland testifies before Senate panel on domestic extremism MORE not to fight a court order demanding the release of a 2019 Justice Department (DOJ) memo that essentially cleared former President TrumpDonald TrumpVirginia GOP gubernatorial nominee acknowledges Biden was ‘legitimately’ elected Biden meets with DACA recipients on immigration reform Overnight Health Care: States begin lifting mask mandates after new CDC guidance | Walmart, Trader Joe’s will no longer require customers to wear masks | CDC finds Pfizer, Moderna vaccines 94 percent effective in health workers MORE of criminal wrongdoing following the special counsel’s investigation. 

Nine Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Garland on Friday, asking the DOJ not to appeal the order from earlier this month, in which District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered the department to release the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memo and accused former Attorney General William BarrBill BarrSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Lawyer for former officer charged in George Floyd death alleges witness coercion CNN legal analyst joins DOJ’s national security division MORE and DOJ lawyers of deception. 

“To be clear, these misrepresentations preceded your confirmation as Attorney General, but the Department you now lead bears responsibility for redressing them,” the Democrats wrote in their letter to Garland.

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“In that light, and in order to help rebuild the nation’s trust in DOJ’s independence after four years of turmoil, we urge DOJ not to appeal D.C. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s May 3 decision to order the release of this OLC memo,” they wrote. 

The group of Democrats was led by Sen. Dick DurbinDick DurbinSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Sweeping election reform bill faces Senate buzz saw Police reform talks hit familiar stumbling block MORE (D-Ill.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Jackson’s decision came in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in 2019 by the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which sought internal DOJ documents that Barr cited to determine that Trump’s conduct during his early days as president did not amount to obstruction of justice.

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The DOJ argued against the documents’ release, saying that they fell under FOIA exceptions for privileged information related to attorney-client communication and government deliberative decision making.

DOJ policy dating back to the Nixon era holds that under the Constitution, presidents cannot be criminally indicted while in office. But the 2019 legal memo was purportedly prepared to assess whether the evidence collected by former special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Why a special counsel is guaranteed if Biden chooses Yates, Cuomo or Jones as AG Barr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel MORE would merit obstruction of justice charges, regardless of whether prosecutors had the legal authority to bring such a case against a sitting president.

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Jackson, who had been provided with a copy of the memo to review, rejected the government’s arguments against disclosure, saying the document was not a typical product of an attorney providing legal advice to a client. She added that it indicated that charges against Trump had never even been considered in the first place among DOJ officials.

Jackson also criticized Barr for his public statements about the process and the Mueller report in the weeks leading up to the release of the special counsel’s investigation, writing, “not only was the Attorney General being disingenuous then, but DOJ has been disingenuous to this Court with respect to the existence of a decision-making process that should be shielded by the deliberative process privilege.”

It’s still unclear how the Biden administration’s Justice Department will proceed with the case. Jackson on Friday granted the DOJ’s request to extend its deadline for deciding whether to appeal the case from May 17 to May 24.

A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Hill when asked for comment. 

Gas shortages in the Southeast are likely to linger for several days as a result of panic buying sparked by the recent outage of the Colonial Pipeline. 

Analysts who spoke to The Hill said shortages could last for a few days or as long as two weeks in the hardest-hit parts of the country.

Severe shortages have been seen in states like North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, while 90 percent of stations in Washington, D.C., were also out of fuel for part of Friday, according to GasBuddy, a website that tracks gas prices using crowdsourced data.

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As of Friday afternoon, 65 percent of stations in North Carolina, 48 percent of stations in South Carolina, 47 percent of stations in Georgia and 45 percent of stations in Virginia were dry, according to GasBuddy. 

Analysts said that the shortages were largely because of panic buying and hoarding that followed the shutdown, as panicked drivers purchased gas fearing a shortage. Some argued that it may take time for people to stop doing this, even though the pipeline has restarted. 

“The news has to percolate a bit that the pipeline’s back online before people can become more rational,” said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis. 

Experts and organizations had somewhat varying estimates on how long this will take, but they all agreed it would be at least a few days. 

“We’re expecting [a return to normalcy] to take several days, at least through the weekend and the early part of next week,” Devin Gladden, a spokesperson for the American Automotive Association, told The Hill. “It’s still going to take a bit more time for things to get back to normal.”

Republicans have seized on the news of shortages to criticize the Biden administration, while the White House has taken pains all week to show it is on top of the situation.

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President BidenJoe BidenVirginia GOP gubernatorial nominee acknowledges Biden was ‘legitimately’ elected BuzzFeed News finds Biden’s private Venmo account Kid reporter who interviewed Obama dies at 23 MORE delivered remarks Thursday urging people not to panic or hoard gasoline. The Department of Homeland Security also issued two waivers of a law that requires shipping between U.S. ports to be carried out by American ships, an attempt to alleviate the fuel supply issue. The Environmental Protection Agency has temporarily lifted an environmental requirement on what type of gasoline can be sold in some states. 

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that its action was part of a “whole-of-government response.”

Mukesh Sahdev, senior vice president and head of downstream at research company Rystad Energy said that over the next few days, it’s important for the government to provide people with communication and clarity. 

“The communication side is very important because sometimes it’s not a big issue per se, it is the reaction to the issue and the panic buying … which causes probably a domino effect,” he said, clarifying in a follow-up email that he does believe the shutdown was also a big issue. 

With the news of the pipeline’s renewal, Sahdev predicted that “in the next week, things should be back pretty much to normal.”

“With the news that has been there, I think the hoarding probably has stopped already,” he said. “What this also means is that what people would have bought in the next 2, 3 days time, they already bought now.” 

De Haan estimated that in some of the hardest-hit areas like the Carolinas and Virginia, it could be between seven and 14 days until “gasoline is no longer a purchase that you have to think about.”

“The system’s overwhelmed, there’s multiple chokepoints,” he said, citing things like having a finite number of lanes where supply trucks can stock up. 

He said Friday that recovery may not be strong until Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, adding that those are days when gasoline demand is generally lower. 

“Don’t expect it to get really good in terms of recovery until probably Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, those are days where I would expect those percentages to improve overnight by at least a couple percentage points,” De Haan said. 

Colonial also warned retail customers not to expect an immediate return to normal on the retail end even as it announced full restoration of service Wednesday evening.

“Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during this start-up period,” Colonial spokesperson Eric Abercrombie said in a statement. “Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.”

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Others in the industry similarly emphasized that it may not immediately return to normal. 

Susan Grissom, an analyst for the American Fuel and Petroleum Manufacturers, similarly emphasized in a blog post that the return to normalcy would not be immediate.

“When segments of the pipeline have been sitting idle for days, you don’t want to immediately flip the switch and have product move through at regular speeds,” she wrote Thursday. 

“A slower pace and incremental checks of the physical pipeline network are all involved in a safe restart. And, of course, that means time,” Grissom added. 

 

 

Happy Tuesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOPLINE: Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller will defend his decision-making ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in congressional testimony Wednesday, arguing he was trying to avoid fears of a military coup or a repeat of the 1970 Kent State shootings, according to a copy of the testimony obtained by The Hill.

Miller’s appearance Wednesday before the House Oversight and Reform Committee will mark the highest-ranking testimony from someone who served in the Pentagon when supporters of then-President TrumpDonald TrumpKinzinger, Gaetz get in back-and-forth on Twitter over Cheney vote READ: Liz Cheney’s speech on the House floor Cheney in defiant floor speech: Trump on ‘crusade to undermine our democracy’ MORE attacked the Capitol in hopes of overturning President BidenJoe BidenKinzinger, Gaetz get in back-and-forth on Twitter over Cheney vote Cheney in defiant floor speech: Trump on ‘crusade to undermine our democracy’ US officials testify on domestic terrorism in wake of Capitol attack MORE’s victory in the November election.

Who else will be there: Testifying alongside Miller on Wednesday will be former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee.

In his testimony, Rosen will similarly defend preparations ahead of the attack, according to a copy of remarks obtained by The Hill.

Rosen’s defense: “I believe that DOJ [Department of Justice] reasonably prepared for contingencies ahead of January 6, understanding that there was considerable uncertainty as to how many people would arrive, who those people would be, and precisely what purposes they would pursue. Unlike the police, DOJ had no frontline role with respect to crowd control,” Rosen wrote. “But DOJ took appropriate precautions to have tactical support available if contingencies led to them being called upon.” 

The controversy: The Pentagon has come under scrutiny for an hours-long delay in deploying the National Guard as the rioters overwhelmed law enforcement officers and breached the Capitol as well as what the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard has described as “unusual” constraints placed on him prior to Jan. 6 that hampered his ability to respond immediately that day.

As he decided what approvals to grant the National Guard leading up to lawmakers’ Electoral College certification, Miller plans to testify, he was cognizant of both the backlash following the use of the National Guard to respond to racial justice protests in June and fears of Trump using the military to overturn the election results.

Miller’s reasoning: “My concerns regarding the appropriate and limited use of the military in domestic matters were heightened by commentary in the media about the possibility of a military coup or that advisors to the President were advocating the declaration of martial law,” Miller wrote in his testimony. 

“No such thing was going to occur on my watch but these concerns, and hysteria about them, nonetheless factored into my decisions regarding the appropriate and limited use of our Armed Forces to support civilian law enforcement during the Electoral College certification,” he wrote. “My obligation to the Nation was to prevent a constitutional crisis.”

He will also cite what he described as the military’s “extremely poor record in supporting domestic law enforcement.”

Read more of the story here.

 

SENATE INTELLIGENCE HEAD WANTS BIDEN TO REVIEW SPACE COMMAND MOVE

The head of the Senate’s Intelligence Committee has joined a group of lawmakers calling on the Biden administration to review a Trump-era decision that moves U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama.

In a letter released Tuesday, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark WarnerMark Robert WarnerOvernight Defense: Former Pentagon chief to testify about Capitol riot Wednesday | Senate Intelligence chairman wants Biden to review US Space Command move Wyden: Funding infrastructure with gas tax hike a ‘big mistake’ Senate Intelligence chairman wants Biden to review US Space Command move MORE (D-Va.) and committee member Michael BennetMichael Farrand BennetOvernight Defense: Former Pentagon chief to testify about Capitol riot Wednesday | Senate Intelligence chairman wants Biden to review US Space Command move Senate Intelligence chairman wants Biden to review US Space Command move Manchin on collision course with Warren, Sanders MORE (D-Colo.) pressed President Biden to review the move over concerns of negative impacts to the intelligence community.

The two say they’re worried that the Trump administration “did not take into account how such a move may affect Intelligence Community dependencies and missions,” which work in tandem with Pentagon efforts to protect U.S. satellites and other interests from threats. 

About the move: The Air Force decided in mid-January to move the permanent headquarters of Space Command from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. 

The move came as a shock as Colorado Springs was seen as the front-runner to host the new headquarters given Space Command’s predecessor, Air Force Space Command, was headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base.

A concentrated effort: Colorado lawmakers have since banded together to reverse the impending shift, arguing that the change was last minute, influenced by politics and simply didn’t make sense due to Colorado’s already established space installations.

The state’s entire congressional delegation sent letters to Biden as well as Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: Former Pentagon chief to testify about Capitol riot Wednesday | Senate Intelligence chairman wants Biden to review US Space Command move Senate Intelligence chairman wants Biden to review US Space Command move The best defense? An alternative to all-out war or nothing MORE, urging them to review the decision before moving forward.

New pressure: Warner and Bennet further claim that U.S. intelligence agencies, which were not considered in the basing decision, will also be affected by the move.

They note that “important investments have been made in recent years” to enhance collaboration and work between the military and intelligence agencies, including at the National Space Defense Center (NSDC) at Schriever Air Force Base, which helps the Defense Department defend U.S. satellites.

They also argue that spending valuable time and money on a move could be detrimental for the command “in the face of an evolving threat landscape.”

Read the rest here.

 

LOCKHEED PULLS F-16 MAINTENANCE TEAMS FROM IRAQI BASE

Lockheed Martin is pulling its maintenance crews for Iraq’s F-16 fighter jets after recent militia rocket attacks raised security concerns.

The New York Times first reported Monday that the U.S. defense contractor said it is withdrawing the F-16 teams from Balad air base, located 40 miles north of Baghdad.

Of the 70 employees at the base, 50 were expected to return to the United States and 20 were slated for reassignment in Erbil to the north, according to the Times.

The Pentagon’s response: Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Tuesday declined to answer questions on the level of coordination between the Pentagon and Lockheed ahead of the decision to transfer the workers.

Speaking broadly, Kirby said the U.S. military is “committed to continuing to help Iraqi security forces as they defend their citizens and their country.”

“Our mission there… is about countering ISIS and helping them prosecute operations against ISIS. We do that in many different ways and obviously we’re in close touch with our Iraqi partners about their needs and the capabilities that they require to continue to prosecute that conflict. I don’t have any other detail today,” Kirby said. 

The threats: Iraq has struggled to contain threats from Iranian-backed militias, with at least 10 rockets hitting the air base at Al Asad on March 3, five rockets falling within the Balad installation on March 15 and two rockets landing outside Balad in early April. 

No U.S. service members were killed in the attacks, but a U.S. contractor at Al Asad suffered a heart attack and later died.

Some federal contractors have left the region in the past several months, according to a Defense Department Inspector General report published last week. 

Read the rest here.

 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Afghanistan, with David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs; and Brig. Gen. Matthew Trollinger, deputy director for politico-military affairs, Joint Staff, J-5, at 11 a.m. in Rayburn House Office Building, room 2118. 

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The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will hold a virtual Space Power Forum with Lt. Gen. J.T. Thompson, commander of the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center, at 11 a.m. 

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a conversation on “The Future of National Security and Technology,” at 1 p.m. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear from defense officials on “Military and civilian personnel programs in the Department of Defense in review on the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2022 and the Future Years Defense Program,” at 2:30 p.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 106. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold another hearing on “Department of Defense budget posture for nuclear forces in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2022 and the Future Years Defense Program,” at 4:30 p.m. in Russell Senate Office Building, room 232A. 

Former Defense Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart will speak on issues related to diversity and inclusion in both the military services and the intelligence community at the Intelligence National Security Alliance virtual “Wednesday Wisdom” discussion at 4:30 p.m.  

 

ICYMI

— The Hill: Iran dismisses US claim of harassment in Strait of Hormuz

— The Hill: Capitol Police watchdog calls for boosting countersurveillance

— The Hill: White House condemns rocket attacks against Israel

— The Hill: Biden sent letter to Palestinian president over ‘current situations’

— The Hill: 5 takeaways from attack on Colonial Pipeline

— Military Times: Military parents would get 12 weeks of leave to care for new children under congressional proposal

— The Associated Press: Decision on Minuteman to shape US nuclear policy for decades

— Defense One: Army Leaders Have Agreed to Cap Troop Size, Top General Says 

Instagram users will now be able to list their preferred pronouns on their profiles, with the image-sharing app allowing for up to four pronouns to be displayed, it announced this week.

Users can change pronouns at any time and can also set it up so only followers can see theirs. If a user is under 18 years old, then pronouns will be hidden from non-followers as a default.

“We are giving people more tools to express themselves on Instagram,” a spokesperson for Facebook, which owns Instagram, told Mashable. “Sharing pronouns has been widely adopted by our community, and with this feature we hope to normalize the adoption further.”

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Users can add pronouns by clicking “Edit Profile;” Under the space where their name is entered, there is now one for pronouns to be added. By clicking on the space, users can pick from a wide variety of pronouns including he, she, they, ze and xe.

“The new field is available in a few countries, with plans for more,” Instagram said.

The pronouns that can be chosen are limited to a set list. Mashable reported finding 41 options.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) was one of the groups that Instagram consulted with when creating this feature, Mashable reports.

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A Facebook content moderator called on Irish lawmakers to regulate the social media giant’s approach to policing its platform during a hearing Wednesday.

Isabella Plunkett testified that during her job reviewing content for Facebook she has been exposed to child abuse and graphic material that caused her mental health struggles.

The “wellness coaches” offered to her by Facebook and the moderation outsourcing firm Covalen have been insufficient, she said.

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“These people mean well but they’re not doctors,” Plunkett testified. “They suggest karaoke or painting – but you don’t always feel like singing, frankly, after you’ve seen someone battered to bits.” 

Plunkett testified alongside representatives from the progressive tech organization Foxglove and Ireland’s Communications Workers Union in the first hearing of its kind focused on the concerns of content moderators.

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“Today was a critical first step in Ireland towards regulating social media’s factory floor,” Cori Crider, who testified on behalf of Foxglove, said in a statement. “Social media would fall apart without moderators – so it’s high time we valued the work, brought it in house and made it safe.”

A spokesperson for Facebook declined to comment on the allegations in Plunkett’s testimony.

Facebook currently outsources the majority of content moderation to firms like Covalen both in Ireland and the U.S., where some moderators have criticized their working conditions as terrible.

Groups like Foxglove have been pushing for Facebook to end its contracts and bring in moderators as direct employees.

“We’re tired of the second class citizenship,” Plunkett told reporters after the hearing. “Content moderation is Facebook’s core business, it needs to be valued like this and not treated as a disposable job.”

Irish Facebook content moderators are set to meet with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, the government’s second in command, for the second time next week in hopes of pushing for some regulations.

A U.K. study published Wednesday reported that side effects to the coronavirus vaccine were seen more often when mixing ones from different makers.

The study, published by The Lancet, had participants take the two vaccine doses needed to become fully vaccinated using two different vaccines — one from Pfizer and BioNTech, and one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University — instead of two doses of the same vaccine, as is typical.

The findings showed that increased side effects, including pain, fatigue and chills, consistently went up each time the vaccines were mixed. 

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It is a “really intriguing finding, and not something necessarily we were expecting to see such a consistency on,” said Matthew Snape, lead investigator for the trial, Politico reported.

The side effects, despite being reported more often and in greater severity, still did not last long, and reportedly no one had to be hospitalized due to them. 

The initial trial is expanding to included Moderna and Novavax vaccines, along with testing at 12-week intervals instead of four-week ones.

Mixing of the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines has been approved in the U.S., but only under “exceptional situations.” 

The Novavax and AstraZeneca vaccines are not approved for use in the U.S.

Snape said there has been international interest in these findings, and he has shared the data with groups across the world. 

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Retails sales in April remained virtually unchanged from March, according to census data released Friday, a significant drop off following the major 10.7 percent surge the previous month.

The figures fell short of the 1 percent rise economists had expected.

Retail sales came in at $619.9 billion, just $0.1 billion higher than March, equivalent to 0 percent.

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The March growth in retail sales was fueled by $1,400 stimulus checks, though additional payments have continued to trickle out in April and May.

Despite the unexpected stall in growth, the overall figures remained positive, according to Matthew Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation.

“Year-over-year growth of 28.8 percent demonstrates that household finances remain strong, and the economic recovery will likely continue to gain steam as we head into the summer months,” he said.

“Consumers are demonstrating that when they feel safe, they are both willing and able to spend and are driving the economy forward.”

The latest figures are significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, which reached $525.8 billion in February of last year, before the pandemic shuttered the economy.

Stock markets opened higher Friday despite the flat figures, rebounding from a sharp drop earlier in the week.

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People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely resume life without any restrictions, according to long-awaited federal guidance released Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says if you are fully vaccinated — two weeks past the last required COVID-19 vaccine dose — you don’t need to wear masks indoors or outside, and you don’t need to maintain physical distance.

The change is a monumental shift in how the agency has communicated about the risks of the coronavirus and the benefits of vaccines, and is a major step towards reopening America in time for the July 4th holiday.

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Essentially, for vaccinated people, life can begin to return to normal.

“Anyone who is fully vaccinated, can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyOvernight Health Care: CDC approves Pfizer vaccine for adolescents aged 12-15 | House moderates signal concerns with Pelosi drug pricing bill | Panel blasts COVID-19 response CDC recommends Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Cheney poised to be ousted; Biden to host big meeting MORE said during a White House briefing. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.”

The new guidelines do not apply to health care settings, correctional facilities or homeless shelters, the agency said. People will also need to follow local business and workplace guidances, so masks are likely to continue to be required in private businesses.

In addition, CDC emphasized fully vaccinated people should still wear well-fitted masks where required by laws, rules and regulations, including on airplanes, trains and public transportation.

It also urged those who are immune-compromised to speak with their doctors before giving up their masks.

The update comes as the agency has been criticized for being too slow to react to changing science, overly cautious and even contradictory in its recommendations to the public.

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More than 117 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, which is about 35 percent of the population. New cases are down by a third over the last two weeks, and daily deaths have dropped to the lowest point since April 2020.

But the announcement puts even more pressure on businesses and local governments. There is no way to know who is vaccinated and who is not, and the idea of some kind of “vaccine passport” or digital identifier has become a partisan flashpoint vehemently opposed by Republicans.

States across the country have been easing restrictions and reopening businesses as local vaccination rates increase, despite the CDC and federal health officials who continued to urge caution. 

Health experts said they feared the agency’s overly conservative approach could result in fewer people getting shots, if they failed to show the benefits of being vaccinated. 

The agency relaxed some of its rules for fully vaccinated people last month, but still advised wearing masks indoors in most public settings, and in many outdoor places.

That guidance included an elaborate color-coded chart for various activities that was widely mocked for being confusing and contradictory.

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The agency’s recent guidance on summer camps was also panned as being overly restrictive. 

The CDC had said masks should be worn at all times, even outdoors, by everyone, including vaccinated adults and children as young as 2 years old.

Walensky denied that the changes were being made because of the criticism, or as an incentive to get more people vaccinated. 

“We follow the science here,” Walensky said. “While this may serve as an incentive for some people to get vaccinated, that is not the purpose.”

She said additional data in the past few weeks has shown the effectiveness of the vaccines in the real world, the vaccines work against variants, and vaccinated people are unlikely to transmit the virus.

But as recently as Wednesday evening, the message hadn’t changed.

During an interview with CNBC’s Shepard Smith, Walensky said that masks were still advised for people indoors, even if they were fully vaccinated, because the science wasn’t clear if the vaccine worked against COVID-19 variants or whether vaccinated people could be asymptomatic carriers.

—Updated at 3:15 p.m.