Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said on Sunday that lab leaks “happen all the time” while discussing the theory that COVID-19 may have emerged from a Chinese lab in the city of Wuhan.

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“These kinds of lab leaks happen all the time, actually. Even here in the United States, we’ve had mishaps. And in China, the last six known outbreaks of SARS-1 have been out of labs, including the last known outbreak, which was a pretty extensive outbreak that China initially wouldn’t disclose that it came out of lab,” Gottlieb told host John Dickerson on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Top U.S. public health officials and experts are increasingly lending credibility to the need for an investigation to probe the origins of COVID-19, especially the possibility that it originated in a lab in Wuhan, after that theory was initially dismissed.

While scientists have not uncovered decisive evidence that the virus leaked from a lab, they also have not discovered definitive proof that the virus originated in animals before jumping to humans, which has prompted some officials to call for a deeper investigation.

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that a number of researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick with flu-like symptoms and required hospitalization in November 2019, a month before the Chinese government said it discovered Wuhan’s first case of COVID-19.

President BidenJoe BidenTexas Democrats stage walkout to block passage of sweeping election overhaul package DOJ adds four defendants to Oath Keepers conspiracy case Biden remembers late son Beau in Memorial Day remarks MORE on Wednesday asked the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble” its efforts to determine a definitive conclusion regarding the disease’s origins in the next 90 days.

Biden vowed to publicly release the findings of the intelligence community’s review.

Gottlieb, who served as FDA commissioner under former President TrumpDonald TrumpBarbra Streisand: Republicans ‘want an authoritarian state’ DOJ adds four defendants to Oath Keepers conspiracy case J.D. Vance emerges as wild card in Ohio GOP Senate primary MORE, added that while the theory that COVID-19 originated from an animal “really hasn’t budged,” the argument that the disease could have emerged from a lab “has continued to expand.”

Gottlieb made similar comments in an interview last week, adding that he does not think there will be a definitive answer to how COVID-19 originated. He said if the virus did originate in a lab, the truth will not emerge without a whistleblower.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to get to the bottom of this,” Gottlieb said. “Because unless we have a whistleblower — assuming it did come out of a lab, and I’m not saying it did, but assuming it did — unless we have a whistleblower or a regime change in China, you’re not going to truly find out.”

New Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she would push initiatives meant to better “character and culture” in the force, according to her first message to the service.

“Our people are the priority effort and I intend to champion a full range of initiatives to better the force. Character and culture matter,” Wormuth said in the statement to the force released Wednesday.

Confirmed last week as the first woman for the role, Wormuth added that she will work to “eliminate harmful behaviors that undermine readiness,” stressing, “There is no place in our Army for sexual harassment and assault, domestic violence, extremism or racism.”

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The Army’s new top civilian comes into the service as the Pentagon is grappling with a range of personnel issues, most notably how to attract and retain talent with new, more inclusive policies, root out extremism and overhaul how it handles sexual assault and harassment. 

But conservative lawmakers in recent weeks have knocked Army recruiting ad campaigns, claiming they portray the military as “too soft.”

An ad campaign titled “The Calling,” was launched earlier this month and features animated portrayals of the stories of five U.S. soldiers in an effort to appeal to Gen Z Americans and improve diversity and inclusion efforts among the military’s ranks.

Wormuth said she will continue that open mindset and “making sure the Army can recruit, develop, train and retain the diverse talent it needs to remain the world’s premiere land force.”

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She also promised to push modernization efforts so the Army may “adapt and stay ahead of the capabilities of our adversaries.”

“The Army must be manned, trained, equipped, and modernized to be ready to fight today, but also to meet the demands of an uncertain and unpredictable future,” she wrote. “Seeing our modernization programs through successfully will remain a top priority so that the Army is ready to meet future challenges.”

New York’s subway system was targeted by hackers with links to the Chinese government in April, according to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) document reported on by The New York Times.

Officials with the MTA said that on April 20, the FBI, Cybersecurity Infrastructure Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency issued a joint alert that there was a zero-day vulnerability — meaning a vulnerability no one was aware of and for which there were no patches.

CISA issued recommendations for fixes and patches, which the MTA implemented by the morning of April 21. The MTA further said it engaged with IBM and Mandiant to perform a forensic audit.

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Only three of the MTA’s 18 systems were impacted. No employee information was breached, and there is no impact to customers or contractors.

Rafail Portnoy, the MTA’s chief technology officer, said in a statement to The Hill that the agency “quickly and aggressively responded to this attack bringing on Mandiant, a leading cyber security firm, whose forensic audit found no evidence operational systems were impacted, no employee or customer information breached, no data loss and no changes to our vital systems.” 

“Importantly, the MTA’s existing multi-layered security systems worked as designed, preventing spread of the attack and we continue to strengthen these comprehensive systems and remain vigilant as cyber-attacks are a growing global threat,” Portnoy continued.

MTA officials told The Hill that the hack was part of a larger breach on multiple organizations and federal agencies that CISA first reported on April 20.

Hackers breached multiple agencies by exploiting vulnerabilities in products from IT company Invanti’s Pulse Connect Secure.

CISA said at the time that it had been assisting compromised organizations since March 31. The hack itself was believed to have begun in June 2020 or earlier.

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But The New York Times first reported on Wednesday that the MTA was affected by the breach, marking the third time the MTA had been breached.

According to the newspaper, the campaign involved two groups of hackers believed to be linked to China, one of which was likely operating on behalf of the Chinese government.

News of the breach comes amid several high-profile cyberattacks on federal agencies and private businesses.

Meat producing group JBS USA was forced to shut down operations after being targeted. The FBI has identified Russian-linked groups REvil and Sodinokibi as behind that hack.

Colonial Pipeline was forced to halt 5,500 miles of pipeline last month after being targeted by criminal ransomware gang DarkSide.

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Drivers are gradually returning to the Uber ride-hailing platform after the company struggled to meet demand this year as more Americans got vaccinated and started traveling again.

The company said the week of May 17 marked a new record for drivers returning to the platform since the start of the year, with 33,000 drivers joining the platform, Reuters reported Tuesday.

The platform reportedly said its active driver hours for the week increased 4.4 percent from the previous week, but declined to say how that number compared to pre-pandemic times.

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“With the economy bouncing back, drivers are returning to Uber in force to take advantage of higher earnings opportunities from our driver stimulus while they are still available,” Carrol Chang, Uber’s head of U.S. and Canada driver operations, said in a statement to Reuters. 

An Uber spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

Uber has acknowledged the struggle to meet the rising demand for rides, announcing a $250 million investment to bring back former drivers and recruit new ones. 

The platform has also kept its mask requirement in place for drivers and riders regardless of vaccination status.

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The Justice Department announced this week that it will begin elevating ransomware investigations to a similar level of priority as terrorist attacks.

John Carlin, the acting deputy attorney general at the Justice Department, told Reuters on Thursday that the federal government will prioritize ransomware cases through a new process.

“It’s a specialized process to ensure we track all ransomware cases regardless of where it may be referred in this country, so you can make the connections between actors and work your way up to disrupt the whole chain,” he said.

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According to Reuters, guidance to U.S. attorney’s offices nationwide on Thursday advised that all information regarding any ransomware cases be sent to a recently formed task force based in Washington, D.C.

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

The move follows a ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline and other entities in the U.S. in recent weeks.

Colonial Pipeline, which provides roughly 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, faced a cyberattack last month that left many states in the southeast with gasoline shortages. 

A cyber criminal group that federal authorities traced to Russia was able to infiltrate Colonial Pipeline’s systems and demand a ransom. The company paid the hackers $4.4 million in order to have control of the systems returned to them.

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“To ensure we can make necessary connections across national and global cases and investigations, and to allow us to develop a comprehensive picture of the national and economic security threats we face, we must enhance and centralize our internal tracking,” read the federal guidance obtained by Reuters.

Carlin told the news outlet that officials have “used this model around terrorism before but never with ransomware,” saying it reflected how the federal government is further prioritizing such attacks.

U.S. attorney’s offices operating under the new guidance will be required to share updated ransomware attack case details as well as active technical information with the Justice Department.

Welcome to Thursday’s Overnight Health Care. As graduation season continues for the class of 2021, check out this video of a man taking his celebration for a graduate to a whole new level. 

If you have any tips, email us at nweixel@thehill.com, psullivan@thehill.com and jcoleman@thehill.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @NateWeixel, @PeterSullivan4, and @JustineColeman8. 

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Today: The Biden administration outlined its initial plan for donating 25 million coronavirus vaccine doses overseas. In the U.S., new infections and cases have fallen to the lowest levels in over a year. And a new poll shows the public, even Republicans, support Medicare negotiating drug prices.

We’ll start with overseas donations: 

White House unveils plan to donate 25 million vaccine doses abroad

The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will donate 25 million coronavirus doses abroad, with about three quarters of them allocated to the World Health Organization’s COVAX initiative, and the rest donated directly to handpicked countries.

The White House said it will donate about 19 million doses to COVAX, which purchases and distributes vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. 

About 6 million doses will go to Latin America and the Caribbean, 7 million doses will go to Asia, and 5 million will go to Africa.

Additionally, about 6 million doses will go directly to countries in need, including India, Iraq, the West Bank, Gaza, Canada and South Korea, and to United Nations front-line workers.  

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More to come: White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff ZientsJeff ZientsOvernight Health Care: White House unveils plan to donate 25M vaccine doses abroad | US COVID-19 cases, deaths fall to lowest levels since March 2020 | Poll: Majority support Medicare negotiations for drug prices White House unveils plan to donate 25 million vaccine doses abroad CDC back under scrutiny after new mask guidance MORE told reporters Thursday this was just the first wave, and more donations will be announced when supplies become available. “Expect a regular cadence of shipments around the world, across the next several weeks,” Zients said. 

Biden has also pledged to donate 60 million extra doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine— but those doses have been undergoing a safety review from the Food and Drug Administration and it’s not clear when, or if, that review might conclude. Advocacy groups broadly felt the announcement was insufficient given the global need, but was at least a step in the right direction.

Not diplomacy: The White House took pains to distinguish between its donations and the “vaccine diplomacy” that China and Russia are engaging in. 

“We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values,” President BidenJoe BidenWHO warns of continent-wide third wave of coronavirus infections in Africa 30 House Democrats urge Biden to do more for global vaccine distribution Manchin isn’t ready to support Democrats passing infrastructure on their own MORE said in a statement.

Read more here.

Milestone: US recorded COVID-19 cases, deaths fall to lowest levels since March 2020

COVID-19 cases in the United States have fallen to around 15,000 per day, part of a sharp decline in new infections as more of the population gets vaccinated, CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyOvernight Health Care: White House unveils plan to donate 25M vaccine doses abroad | US COVID-19 cases, deaths fall to lowest levels since March 2020 | Poll: Majority support Medicare negotiations for drug prices US recorded COVID-19 cases, deaths fall to lowest levels since March 2020 Watch live: White House coronavirus response team holds briefing MORE said Thursday. 

The seven-day average of about 15,600 cases per day is the lowest level of new recorded cases in the U.S. since March 2020.

“Our seven-day average is about 15,600 cases per day,” Walensky said during a White House press briefing. “This represents a decrease of more than 30 percent from our prior seven-day average and more importantly it is a 94 percent decrease from the peak of COVID-19 cases we reported in January of this year.” 

“This is the type of news I like to deliver, and certainly these data are encouraging and uplifting as we battle this pandemic,” she added. 

Important note: Comparisons to the first month of the pandemic can be tricky given that testing still lagged at that time.

Vaccines credited: The rapidly improving situation comes as more and more people get vaccinated. Almost 63 percent of U.S. adults now have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Still, the daily vaccination rate has been falling significantly, and the White House is pushing to boost the numbers to meet a goal of 70 percent of eligible residents having gotten at least one shot by July 4th.  

Read more here.

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US tells Americans in Afghanistan to get out due to COVID-19 surge 

The U.S. called on Americans to evacuate Afghanistan “as soon as possible” as the country faces a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths. 

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a health alert Thursday to U.S. citizens in Afghanistan, warning of the COVID-19 surge and overwhelmed hospitals. 

In its statement, the embassy said hospitals in the country are experiencing shortages of supplies, oxygen and beds for all patients. U.S. citizens seeking hospital care have reportedly been denied admittance. 

The alert encourages Americans to make plans to leave without U.S. government assistance.

“Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited,” the alert reads. 

By the numbers: Afghanistan is enduring a rapid uptick in COVID-19 cases and deaths since mid-May, reaching a pandemic-high for the seven-day average of 897 cases on Wednesday, according to Our World in Data.  

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The country has documented a seven-day average of almost 22 fatalities a day, approaching the record 25 deaths seven-day average in July 2020. 

At the same time, about 1.24 percent of people in Afghanistan have received at least one dose, and 0.37 percent are fully vaccinated. 

Read more here.

Poll: Majority of Republicans support Medicare negotiations for prescription drug prices

A majority of polled Republicans backed giving Medicare the authority to negotiate lower prescription drug prices in a survey released Thursday.

A West Health/Gallup poll showed widespread support for giving the federal government “a major role” in negotiating drug prices, with 61 percent of Republicans and 97 percent of Democrats saying they backed such an initiative. 

Overall, 81 percent of respondents said they supported Medicare negotiations to regulate drug costs. 

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The survey comes as some congressional Republicans have come out against the move, joining the pharmaceutical companies, saying the reduced prices will damage competition and discourage innovation of new products. 

Only 19 percent of Americans said they think Medicare negotiation would damage innovation or market competition, including 39 percent of Republicans.

Respondents vastly agreed that drug pricing requires major reform, with 90 percent concurring that improvements are needed instead of keeping with the status quo, including 96 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of Republicans. 

Read more here. 

And another poll finds the public wants drug pricing action 

A new poll from the progressive groups Data for Progress and Social Security Works finds that a majority of likely voters want Congress to move “urgently” on Medicare drug price negotiation, even if it is backed by only one party.

The view “Congress should move urgently to lower the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, even if this law is passed with the votes from just one party” got 59 percent support. That is compared to 32 percent who said “It is important that Congress finds a bipartisan solution to the cost of prescription drugs, even if reaching a bipartisan deal means it will take longer to reach an agreement and the cost savings might not be as large.”

The results come as progressives push for drug pricing legislation to be included in a coming infrastructure package. 

Biden health official ‘taking a look’ at Trump drug pricing proposal

A key Biden administration health official said Thursday that she is “taking a look” at one of former President TrumpDonald TrumpFacebook to end policy shielding politicians from content moderation rules: reports US government found no evidence that Navy UFO sightings were alien spacecraft: report More than a dozen police officers still on medical leave from Jan. 6 injuries MORE‘s proposals to lower drug prices but did not commit to pursuing the plan.

“I think we’re, you know, taking a look at those concepts,” Liz Fowler, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, said when asked about Trump’s “most favored nation” proposal to lower drug prices.

“I think you can expect that we’ll continue looking at this issue,” she added. “I don’t think we’re going to let our foot off the gas, but I don’t know that it’ll take that form. We can’t because it’s in court.”

Background: Trump had touted that initiative as a way to lower the prices Medicare paid for certain drugs to be in line with the prices paid in other wealthy countries. 

But the proposal, which Trump put forward at the end of his term, never went into effect after it was blocked by the courts for failing to follow proper procedural steps in its implementation.

Tempered praise: The issue is unusual in that it marks an area where Trump put forward a proposal that is closer to the Democratic position than the usual Republican position.

Fowler even offered some tempered praise for the Trump administration’s approach on drug pricing.

“I thought that the previous administration was very creative in a lot of the ideas and areas that they were looking at tackling,” she said.

Read more here. 

What we’re reading

Expanding insurance coverage is top priority for new Medicare-Medicaid chief (Kaiser Health News) 

Democrats strain to unify on proposal to reduce drug prices (The Wall Street Journal)

See which states are falling behind Biden’s vaccination goal (The New York Times)

State by state

Controversial Indiana needle exchange program that quelled massive HIV outbreak voted down (Louisville Courier Journal)

Without enough child care, workers can’t get back to work (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Texas lawmakers responded to the pandemic by limiting what the government can do in response to a pandemic (The Texas Tribune)

Op-eds in The Hill

Biden says he wants to out-compete China — so why attack US medical innovation?

Pandemic proves importance of pharmaceutical innovation

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Revenir pour mieux partir : très présent dans l’espace public ces derniers mois, alors qu’il se faisait globalement discret depuis son abdication en juin 2014, le roi Juan Carlos Ier d’Espagne a communiqué le 27 mai 2019 sa décision de se retirer de la vie officielle à compter du 2 juin.

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Âgé de 81 ans et toujours en délicatesse dans ses déplacements, qu’il fait à l’aide d’une canne, malgré de multiples opérations (hanches, genoux…), l’ancien souverain, qui régna de 1975 à 2014, a fait part de sa “retraite” à son fils le roi Felipe VI dans une lettre rendue publique par la Maison Royale.

“Votre Majesté, mon cher Felipe, y lit-on,

Au cours de ces dernières années, depuis mon abdication de la Couronne d’Espagne le 2 juin 2014, j’ai mené à bien des activités institutionnelles avec le même engagement envers l’Espagne et la Couronne que celui dont j’ai fait preuve durant mon règne.

À présent, alors que près de cinq années se sont écoulées depuis cette date, je pense qu’il est temps pour moi de tourner une autre page de ma vie et de me retirer définitivement de la vie publique.

C’est l’an dernier, lorsque j’ai célébré mon 80e anniversaire, que j’ai commencé à mûrir cette idée, laquelle s’est à nouveau imposée à moi lors de l’inoubliable commémoration du 40e anniversaire de notre Constitution au Parlement [le 31 octobre 2018, jour où la princesse Leonor des Asturies a prononcé son premier discours, NDLR]. Un acte solennel, chargé d’émotion pour moi, qui m’a permis d’évoquer, avec fierté et admiration, le souvenir de tant de personnes qui ont contribué à rendre possible la Transition politique et à réaffirmer mon sentiment de gratitude permanente envers le peuple espagnol, véritable architecte et principal protagoniste de cette étape cruciale de notre histoire récente.

Sûr de ma conviction, ferme et réfléchie, je te fais part, ce jour, de ma volonté et de mon désir de franchir ce cap et de cesser d’effectuer des activités institutionnelles à partir du 2 juin prochain.

Je prends cette décision avec toute l’affection et toute la fierté que je te porte en tant que père, avec toute ma loyauté, pour toujours.

Ton père, qui t’embrasse fort.“

La dernière apparition publique du roi Juan Carlos Ier a eu lieu le 24 mai aux arènes de Las Ventas à Madrid dans le cadre de la Feria San Isidro. Depuis son abdication, sa passion pour la tauromachie a indéniablement été la principale motivation de ses sorties, parfois avec sa petite-fille Victoria Federica, fille de l’infante Elena. Il avait fait l’une de ses rares apparitions au côté de son fils Felipe VI en janvier dernier à l’occasion de la cérémonie des Prix nationaux du sport espagnol, au palais du Pardo.

Le règne de Juan Carlos, qui a mené l’Espagne vers la démocratie au sortir de la dictature franquiste, s’était achevé en 2014 dans un climat délétère. Entre autres affaires, l’instruction du procès Noos dans lequel son gendre Iñaki Urdangarin, fils de Cristina d’Espagne, a été condamné à près de six ans de prison ferme pour détournement de fonds et le scandale de sa partie de chasse au Botswana, où il s’était blessé, avait écorné l’image de patriarche populaire qu’il s’était forgée au fil des ans. Il jouit toutefois encore d’un capital sympathie élevé.

L’acteur Carmine Caridi est décédé mardi 28 mai 2019. Il avait 85 ans et a rendu son dernier soupir au sein du Cedars-Sinai Medical Center de Los Angeles. Depuis quelques jours, il était plongé dans le coma après une chute qui l’avait blessée au dos, comme le révèle le toujours bien informé TMZ.com. Carmine Caridi est principalement connu pour son rôle dans Le Parrain : Partie II et Le Parrain : Partie III.

Au cours de sa longue carrière, Carmine Caridi s’est illustré dans de nombreuses séries télévisées, à l’image de l’inoubliable Starsky et Hutch, Taxi, Simon & Simon, Fame ou encore NYPD Blue. Au total, il a eu plus de 100 rôles au cours de sa vie. Son parcours en tant qu’acteur a cependant été marqué par un scandale. Il avait connu des ennuis avec la justice en copiant des films sur cassettes pour les revendre, faisant des copies illégales de longs métrages confidentiels. Il a ainsi été le premier homme de cinéma à être exclu de l’Académie des Arts animés et des Sciences.

“De Broadway à la télévision, Carmine a passé six décennies à amuser le public et rien au monde ne le rendait plus heureux. On se rappellera de lui pour son talent, sa chaleur et son charme. Carmine est décédé en paix, entouré de ses amis et de sa famille. Peut-être que son plus grand regret est d’avoir été exclu de l’Académie“, a indiqué son manager à TMZ.com.

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