Opponents of capital punishment are expressing frustration with the Biden administration’s request this week that the Supreme Court reinstate the death penalty against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Critics see the Department of Justice (DOJ) move as inconsistent with President BidenJoe BidenJapan to possibly ease COVID-19 restrictions before Olympics 14 Republicans vote against making Juneteenth a federal holiday China supplies millions of vaccine doses to developing nations in Asia MORE’s calls on the campaign trail to eliminate capital punishment.

Outright repeal of the federal death penalty would require legislation, which is unlikely to clear the current Congress given the deep partisan divide. But advocates say Biden could take steps on his own to curtail executions carried out by the federal government and are renewing calls for him to do just that.

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“This move from the DOJ contravenes the president’s vow to work with Congress to abolish the federal death penalty,” said Kristina Roth, a senior advocate in Amnesty International USA’s criminal justice program. “Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in this case, President Biden can, and should, commute all federal death sentences.”

Tsarnaev received the death penalty in 2015, two years after he and his since-deceased older brother used pressure cooker bombs to kill three people and injure 260 in an attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. After a six-week federal trial, Tsarnaev was convicted of 30 charges, including the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

But last year a federal appeals court vacated Tsarnaev’s death sentence. The Boston-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled that the trial court had failed to adequately screen jurors for possible bias, and erred in excluding evidence that Tsarnaev had been influenced by his older brother.

Tsarnaev, 27, will serve out multiple life sentences in federal prison if he is ultimately spared a death sentence.

Former President TrumpDonald TrumpNorth Carolina Senate passes trio of election measures 14 Republicans vote against making Juneteenth a federal holiday Border state governors rebel against Biden’s immigration chaos MORE asked the Supreme Court in October to reverse the appeals court decision and reimpose the death penalty for Tsarnaev, and the justices agreed in March to take up the government’s appeal.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was sharply critical of Trump over his decision to resume federal executions in July 2019 after a 17-year moratorium.

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“Since 1973, over 160 individuals in this country have been sentenced to death and were later exonerated,” Biden tweeted after the Trump administration said it would resume capital punishment. “Because we can’t ensure that we get these cases right every time, we must eliminate the death penalty.”

Under Trump, the U.S. government carried out 13 executions at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., including 10 last year. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, last year marked the first time the federal government conducted more executions than all states combined, though the group noted that some of the disparity was from delayed court proceedings due to the pandemic.

States are free to set their own death penalty policies so long as they comply with the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and other federal limits. To date, 23 states and Washington, D.C., have abolished capital punishment, and governors in three other states have imposed moratoriums, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

The Tsarnaev case was seen as early test of whether the Biden administration would break with Trump and deliver on the president’s stated opposition to the death penalty, a position which made Biden the first U.S. president to publicly oppose the practice.

Death penalty opponents were encouraged when Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandSenate Judiciary Democrats demand DOJ turn over Trump obstruction memo Garland strikes down Trump-era asylum decisions What’s happened to Merrick Garland? MORE, during his confirmation hearings this year for attorney general, expressed misgivings about the death penalty and its disparate impact on people of color.

“I have had a great pause about the death penalty,” Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. “I expect that the president will be giving direction in this area and, if so, I expect it not at all unlikely that we will return to the previous policy.”

But some repeal advocates said that this week’s request to the Supreme Court highlighted the growing disconnect between Biden’s rhetoric and his administration’s actions.

Cassandra Stubbs, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) capital punishment project, expressed frustration that the White House has not imposed a moratorium on capital prosecutions.

“When Merrick Garland was being questioned regarding a moratorium on the death penalty at his confirmation hearing, he forecast guidance from the White House on a moratorium policy regarding death penalty cases,” she said. “Disappointingly, to date there has been no such guidance despite President Biden’s campaign promise to work to end the federal death penalty.”

In the DOJ’s brief to the Supreme Court on Monday, the department made clear that Biden would maintain his predecessor’s support for reinstating capital punishment against Tsarnaev.

“The jury carefully considered each of respondent’s crimes and determined that capital punishment was warranted for the horrors that he personally inflicted — setting down a shrapnel bomb in a crowd and detonating it, killing a child and a promising young student, and consigning several others to a lifetime of unimaginable suffering,” the DOJ’s 48-page brief reads.

“That determination by 12 conscientious jurors deserves respect and reinstatement by this Court,” it adds.

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A spokesman for the White House told The Hill that “the president believes the Department should return to its prior practice, and not carry out executions.” However, the spokesman also added that the DOJ “has independence regarding such decisions.”

The DOJ declined to comment.

The administration’s current posture has left some death penalty opponents feeling disappointed.

“While the decision ultimately is in the hands of the Justice Department, the president’s influence carries a lot of weight in helping the department make the right decision,” said Sakira Cook, senior director of the justice reform program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 

“President Biden can do more to end this cruel, ineffective, and irreversible punishment once and for all,” she said. “The President has the power to effectuate his campaign promises and progressive policy changes in this area through executive action.” 

Some death penalty policy experts said they believe the issue remains a priority of the Biden administration, but one that’s taking a back seat to bigger concerns like the coronavirus pandemic and stewardship of the economic recovery.

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Altering the U.S. approach to the death penalty could also carry political consequences for Biden.

After Trump eroded the traditional firewall between the White House and DOJ, Biden’s administration has sought to restore it, including by giving the DOJ the independence to take legal positions that are unpopular with some Democrats.

It also would be “politically hazardous” for Biden to single out a high-profile defendant like Tsarnaev or Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof to make his stand against the death penalty, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Yet at the same, the United States could demonstrate moral leadership and reaffirm its dedication to human rights by putting Biden’s repudiation of the death penalty into practice, he added.

“President Biden seems very interested in assuring U.S. allies that America is back. … Our European allies universally regard capital punishment as a human rights violation,” Dunham said. “So fulfilling the president’s campaign promise would be a significant step towards assuring U.S. allies around the world that America is in fact back.”

The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments next term in the case, U.S. v. Tsarnaev, No. 20-443.

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Happy Friday 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: The Biden administration is withdrawing “certain forces and capabilities,” mostly air defense systems, from the Middle East, the Pentagon confirmed Friday.

“The secretary of Defense directed the commander of U.S. Central Command to remove from the region this summer certain forces and capabilities, primarily air defense assets,” Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica McNulty said in a statement.

“This decision was made in close coordination with host nations and with a clear eye on preserving our ability to meet our security commitments,” McNulty added. “It’s about maintaining some of our high demand, low density assets so they are ready for future requirements in the event of a contingency.”

What’s coming back from where: The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the withdrawals, said the Pentagon is withdrawing eight Patriot anti-missile batteries from countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and another missile defense system known as THAAD from Saudi Arabia, as well as the hundreds of U.S. troops who operate and support those systems.

Fighter squadrons assigned to the region are also being reduced, according to the Journal.

Some assets will be brought back to the United States for “much needed maintenance and repair,” while others will be redeployed to the other regions, McNulty said.

A shift: The shuffling away from the Middle East comes ahead of the completion later this summer of the global force posture review the Pentagon started at the beginning of the Biden administration as it seeks to reorient the military toward competition with China and Russia.

It also comes as U.S. military fully withdraws from Afghanistan in line with President BidenJoe BidenObama: Ensuring democracy ‘continues to work effectively’ keeps me ‘up at night’ New Jersey landlords prohibited from asking potential tenants about criminal records Overnight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine MORE’s order to be out by September.

Most of the latest reductions are coming from Saudi Arabia, according to the Journal. Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Pentagon pulling ‘certain forces and capabilities,’ including air defenses, from Middle East US officials: Iranian ships changing course away from Venezuela MORE notified Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the changes in a June 2 call, and the military began making the reductions afterward, the report added.

The background: The Trump administration bulked up U.S. military assets in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East amid its so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran, including deploying missile defenses after a 2019 attack on a Saudi oil field blamed on Iranian drones.

The United States also moved Patriot systems into Iraq following the Iranian missile strike on a base housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Read the full story here.

 

DEMS INTRODUCE RESOLUTION APOLOGIZING TO LGBT COMMUNITY FOR DISCRIMINATION

Democratic senators introduced a resolution Friday that would acknowledge and apologize for the mistreatment and discrimination against LGBT individuals in the U.S. military, armed forces and government posts. 

The resolution, led by Sens. Tammy BaldwinTammy Suzanne BaldwinOvernight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Democrats introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for government discrimination Overnight Health Care: Takeaways on the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision | COVID-19 cost 5.5 million years of American life | Biden administration investing billions in antiviral pills for COVID-19 MORE (D-Wis.), who is an openly gay member of the Senate, and Tim KaineTimothy (Tim) Michael KaineOvernight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Democrats introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for government discrimination Democrats scramble to unify before election bill brawl MORE (D-Va.), acknowledges and apologizes “for the mistreatment of and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LBGT) individuals who have served our nation as civil servants or members of the Armed Forces and Foreign Service.” 

A new commitment: The resolution also reestablishes a commitment by the U.S. government to “military service members, veterans, foreign service employees, federal civil service employees, and contractors with equal respect and fairness, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Timing: The lawmakers’ resolution comes in the middle of June, a month set aside to celebrate LGBT pride and activism. 

A history of discrimination: The senators’ resolution notes that dating back to the 1940s, discrimination against the LGBT community was part of military policy.

At the time, the Department of Defense stated that “homosexual personnel, irrespective of sex, should not be permitted to serve in any branch of the Armed Forces in any capacity and prompt separation of known homosexuals from the Armed Forces is mandatory,” according to a statement released by Kaine. 

The resolution also acknowledges the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy enacted in the military under former President Clinton. The policy stated that LGBT service members were prohibited from disclosing their sexual orientation while in the armed forces. 

“…despite ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, LGBT military service members continued to be investigated and discharged solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of those military service members,” the resolution reads. 

Recent examples: Most recently, the Trump administration in 2017 and 2018 effectively banned transgender service members from openly serving in the military. 

A new stance: However, the Biden administration reversed Trump’s policy at the end of March, with the Pentagon unveiling new policies that would allow transgender service members to serve using their gender identity. 

Most recently, the Trump administration in 2017 and 2018 effectively banned transgender service members from openly serving in the military. 

However, the Biden administration reversed Trump’s policy at the end of March, with the Pentagon unveiling new policies that would allow transgender service members to serve using their gender identity. 

 

WHITE HOUSE DENIES FREEZING UKRAINE MILITARY AID PACKAGE

The White House on Friday denied holding back security assistance from Ukraine, hours after a Politico article said that officials had paused a package including lethal assistance worth up to $100 million.

White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiOvernight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Joe Rogan slams CNN’s Stelter: ‘Your show is f—ing terrible’ MORE issued a statement Friday afternoon calling the idea that the White House has held back security assistance to Ukraine “nonsense.”

Psaki cited a $150 million aid package announced by the Defense Department last week and pointed to President Biden’s public support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinOvernight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine It’s well past time for strategic defenses and counterpunches on cybersecurity MORE on Wednesday.

“We have now provided the entire amount appropriated by Congress through the Ukraine security assistance initiative,” Psaki said.

Read more here.

 

ON TAP FOR MONDAY

Defense One will hold its Tech Summit, with Gen. John Murray, commanding general, Army Futures Command; Kerri Dugan, director of the Biological Technologies Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and Kayvon Modjarrad, M.D., director of Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, at 1 p.m. 

 

ICYMI

— The Hill: Gillibrand: Military must make changes beyond sexual assault cases

— The Hill: US-led war games in Africa wrap up after two weeks of exercises

— The Hill: US officials: Iranian ships changing course away from Venezuela

— The Hill: Kim says North Korea needs to be ‘prepared’ for ‘confrontation’ with US

— The Hill: Israeli forces strike Gaza for second time following incendiary balloons

— Military Times: Pentagon’s extremism definition will have to find the line between free speech and unit cohesion

— The Associated Press: Afghan peace envoy fears pullout will embolden Taliban

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A Republican congressman and former Green Beret implored President BidenJoe BidenJapan to possibly ease COVID-19 restrictions before Olympics 14 Republicans vote against making Juneteenth a federal holiday China supplies millions of vaccine doses to developing nations in Asia MORE on Wednesday to immediately order the evacuation of Afghans who helped U.S. troops, saying “blood will be on his hands” if he does not.

“If he doesn’t act, and he doesn’t get these people out, blood will be on his hands and on his administration’s hands,” Rep. Michael WaltzMichael WaltzOvernight Defense: Biden, Putin agree to launch arms control talks at summit | 2002 war authorization repeal will get Senate vote | GOP rep warns Biden ‘blood with be on his hands’ without Afghan interpreter evacuation GOP rep: If Biden doesn’t evacuate Afghan interpreters, ‘blood will be on his hands’ House Republicans introduce resolution to censure the ‘squad’ MORE (R-Fla.) said at a news conference. “The time for talk, the time for debate is over.”

Waltz’s fiery comments up the rhetoric as lawmakers in both parties increasingly pressure the Biden administration to order an evacuation for Afghan interpreters and their families as the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan progresses. On Tuesday, Sen. Angus KingAngus KingOn The Money: Yellen, Powell brush off inflation fears | Fed keeps rates steady, upgrades growth projections GOP rep: If Biden doesn’t evacuate Afghan interpreters, ‘blood will be on his hands’ Bipartisan infrastructure group grows to 20 senators MORE (I-Maine) said the White House should have its “hair on fire” over the issue.

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At the heart of the issue is the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for Afghans who worked for U.S. troops. The program has been plagued with years-long delays and faces a backlog of thousands of applicants.

The Biden administration has said it is accelerating processing the applications, but lawmakers have warned there is not enough time before all U.S. troops withdraw, leaving Afghans who helped the United States at risk of being hunted down and murdered.

Lawmakers and others have been urging the administration to evacuate those at-risk Afghans to Guam or another safe location while they wait for the applications to be processed.

Waltz was speaking at a news conference alongside members of the American Legion and Rep. Jason CrowJason CrowOvernight Defense: Biden, Putin agree to launch arms control talks at summit | 2002 war authorization repeal will get Senate vote | GOP rep warns Biden ‘blood with be on his hands’ without Afghan interpreter evacuation GOP rep: If Biden doesn’t evacuate Afghan interpreters, ‘blood will be on his hands’ Pelosi floats Democrat-led investigation of Jan. 6 as commission alternative MORE (D-Colo.), all amplifying the call for an evacuation.

“I think the most practical thing is to evacuate pending applicants to Guam,” Crow said. “We have a history of doing it. We don’t have to reinvent that wheel.”

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The United States used Guam as a way station in 1975 while it processed Vietnamese refugees it evacuated amid the fall of Saigon.

Crow, a former Army Ranger, previously introduced legislation with Rep. Brad WenstrupBrad Robert WenstrupOvernight Defense: Biden, Putin agree to launch arms control talks at summit | 2002 war authorization repeal will get Senate vote | GOP rep warns Biden ‘blood with be on his hands’ without Afghan interpreter evacuation GOP rep: If Biden doesn’t evacuate Afghan interpreters, ‘blood will be on his hands’ White House pressed on evacuating Afghan allies as time runs out MORE (R-Ohio) that seeks to speed SIV processing by waiving the requirement for applicants to undergo a medical exam while in Afghanistan.

Lawmakers will introduce another package of bills, collectively dubbed the ALLIES Act, on Thursday to add visas to the program and speed up the process, Crow said. Asked for more information on the package, Crow’s office said it “removes some of the burdensome application requirements and increases the visa cap.”

Waltz said he thinks the White House has a “false notion” that there will be more time to process visa applications after U.S. troops leave.

“That’s my fear that there’s belief in the White House that American soldiers can leave, we can shut down airbases and then we can continue to process paperwork,” he said. “I think that’s a death sentence for these poor people.”

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Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman on Friday urged careful coordination between Canada and the U.S. following the announced extension of restrictions on nonessential travel between the two countries for another month. 

“The prime minister and the president agreed in February that we would stay in close consultation on how we address the border,” Hillman said in a sit-down interview with The Hill.

“It doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily do things exactly the same way, we may not. But it does mean that we will try to have clear information for both Canadians and Americans and coordinators moving forward.”

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Hillman’s call for ongoing cooperation came in response to a question about demands from Rep. Elise StefanikElise Marie StefanikWhite House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Canadian ambassador calls for close coordination in handling of US border Five takeaways on the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision MORE (N.Y.), the recently elected chair of the House Republican Conference, that the Biden administration take unilateral steps to ease coronavirus restrictions for nonessential travel.

Stefanik, whose district in upstate New York abuts the Canadian border, said in a Friday statement that extending the border restrictions to July 21 is “absolutely unacceptable to the families, businesses, and communities along the northern border.”

The third-ranking House Republican had earlier sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro MayorkasAlejandro MayorkasCanadian ambassador calls for close coordination in handling of US border Harris signals a potential breakthrough in US-Mexico cooperation DeSantis: Florida officers to respond to ‘border security crisis’ in Texas, Arizona MORE demanding unilateral action on the border crossings. 

“I’ve called on the Biden administration to begin taking unilateral steps toward easing restrictions for families and property owners, and the failure to do so is unacceptable for our northern border communities,” she said in her statement Friday. 

Reps. Brian HigginsBrian HigginsCanadian ambassador calls for close coordination in handling of US border House GOP campaign arm adds to target list Democrats have a growing tax problem with SALT MORE (D-N.Y.) and Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), co-chairs of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group, also criticized the ongoing border restrictions.

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“The lack of transparency surrounding these negotiations is a disservice to our constituents and the millions of residents on both sides of the border waiting to see their loved ones, visit their property, and renew business ties,” they said in a joint statement.

“While the arrival of vaccines in record time has been a modern marvel, the inability of the U.S. and Canadian governments to reach an agreement on alleviating border restrictions or aligning additional essential traveler classes is simply unacceptable,” they added. 

Hillman said she believes that “approaching this in a coordinated manner is better for clarity, for predictability and just for frankly operational management of our border.”

Hillman, who has served at the helm of the Canadian Embassy since August 2019, said that both Canada and the U.S. reserve the right to act in their best interests, but she spoke out against unilateral measures. 

“At a technical level, our people have exchanged information every month. From a policy perspective we’ve stayed in close touch as to whether or not the measures that we put in place are achieving the policy goals that they were meant to,” she said. 

The U.S. and Canada exchange more than $2 billion daily related to goods and services and share incredibly close people-to-people ties. Maintaining trade throughout the pandemic is an essential mission for Canadian and U.S. officials. 

The ambassador added that changes to Canada’s quarantine policy for fully vaccinated travelers are likely to be announced on Monday. Currently land travelers must quarantine for 14 days and air travelers must stay three-days in a hotel plus a two-week quarantine, on top of testing requirements. 

Top priority for Canada is increasing the number of vaccinated individuals for the eventual resumption of nonessential travel, an effort the U.S. has helped bolster by delivering 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March and, on Thursday, providing 1 million Moderna vaccines.  

Hillman called the 1 million doses an “important contribution” that is in the interest of both the U.S. and Canada. 

“I think it’s recognized that it’s good for the United States, and it’s good for Canada,” she said. “It will aid in economic recovery as we are both vaccinated and able to start moving back and forth between our countries.”

Hillman said that Canada is coming out of a “pretty tricky, difficult, third-wave” of the virus. More than 28 million vaccine doses have been administered and cases have continued to drop from a peak in April. The World Health Organization has recorded more than 10,000 cases of COVID-19 in Canada for the week ending June 7. 

Hillman’s remarks are part of a larger interview looking at her first official year of a four-year tenure, which is set to be published on Wednesday.

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Montana is considering several new measures that would ease wolf hunting laws in the state despite an anticipated decline in the animal’s population.

The new rules would extend the hunting season, increase the number of wolves a hunter can kill, allow snaring during trapping season and night hunting on private land, and allow bait for hunting and trapping, The Associated Press reported.

Although the state’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says the wolf population is on the decline from a successful 2020 hunting season, it believes the population can handle a hunting increase.

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A report released this week showed that more than 320 wolves were killed during the 2020 hunting season, according to the AP. 

The population is expected to decrease from about 1,150 to between 900 and 950. 

The new rules say that if more than 450 wolves are killed in a season, the department will reconsider the measures.

The proposed rules will be open for public comment next week. 

Montana Gov. Greg GianforteGregory Richard GianforteWolf hunting rules being eased in Montana despite population decline Montana governor donates first-quarter salary to drug treatment center States push back against federal unemployment policies delaying economic recovery MORE (R) previously received a warning after he trapped and killed a wolf without the proper certification course. 

The Hill has reached out to Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for comment.

A coronavirus vaccine manufactured by German company CureVac was only 47 percent effective in interim results, the company announced Wednesday, a major setback that was due largely to the difficulties posed by new variants.  

The company’s 40,000 person trial was conducted in 10 countries in Latin America and Europe, where “at least” 13 different variants were circulating. The 47 percent efficacy result, while not final, is the lowest reported to date from any COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer.

“While we were hoping for a stronger interim outcome, we recognize that demonstrating high efficacy in this unprecedented broad diversity of variants is challenging,” Franz-Werner Haas, CureVac’s CEO, said in a statement. “In addition, the variant-rich environment underlines the importance of developing next-generation vaccines as new virus variants continue to emerge.”

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The company did not disclose many more details about the study, but said the trial would continue, with final results coming in two to three weeks.

The trial results released Wednesday were based on data from 134 people who became infected with COVID-19. Sequencing of the viruses showed that only one single case was attributable to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. More than half of the cases were caused by “variants of concern.” 

The vaccines currently available in the U.S. were all tested prior to the emergence of new variants of the virus. However, real-world data suggests that even when variants are flourishing, the vaccines remain strongly effective, and prevent severe hospitalization or death.

The company said it submitted data to the European Medicines Agency. The European Union reached an agreement last year to purchase up to 225 million doses of the vaccine, with an option for an additional purchase of 180 million doses.

CureVac is backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which invested $52 million. Its vaccine relies on mRNA technology, similar to what is used in the successful Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. 

However, the CureVac vaccine uses mRNA that is not chemically modified and it is stable at normal refrigerator temperature, eliminating the complicated cold-storage requirements of the other mRNA vaccines and making it easier to ship and store. 

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It’s also cheaper to manufacture, which makes it attractive to low- and middle-income countries that have been struggling to obtain much-needed doses. However, the new results could make it difficult for the company to get approval even in developing countries. 

Researchers in China say they have uncovered a new batch of coronaviruses in bats that resembles the COVID-19 virus that has swept the globe.

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The researchers said they collected samples from small bats that lived in forests in the Yunnan province between May 2019 and November 2020. The samples consisted of urine, feces and mouth swabs.

“In total, we assembled 24 novel coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including four SARS-CoV-2 like coronaviruses,” the researchers wrote in the journal Cell. 

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The researchers said one strain, garnered from the Rhinolophus pusillus bat species, bears a particularly strong resemblance to SARS-CoV-2, though with differences on the spike protein that the viruses use to attach to cells they infect.

“Together with the SARS-CoV-2 related virus collected from Thailand in June 2020, these results clearly demonstrate that viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 continue to circulate in bat populations, and in some regions might occur at a relatively high frequency,” they wrote. 

The study, released Thursday, comes amid heightened attention over the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many researchers suspect the illness originated in a bat, though it is possible it passed through an intermediary animal before infecting humans.

The U.S. has also pressed for an investigation into whether the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China — a claim that has rankled Beijing. 

Observers have noted that even if the virus leaked from a lab, it does not necessarily mean the virus was created in one and could have merely been studied there before a scientist left the facility while being unknowingly infected.

Fifty-two percent of Americans said that they are in favor of blanket student loan forgiveness “for all borrowers,” according to a new Go Banking Rates poll released Thursday.

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Twelve percent of respondents in the poll said they believe student loan forgiveness should be granted for those with low income and high debt, 11 percent said those in public service should be forgiven of their loans and 4 percent saying they support temporary loan forgiveness through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Approximately 20 percent those responding don’t think the federal government should undertake student loan forgiveness.

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Majorities of men and women and most age groups support blanket student loan forgiveness, though the position only has support among 39 percent of those older than 65. Thirty-six percent of older respondents say the government should steer clear of the issue of student loans.

President Biden has said that he will support a move by Congress to cancel up to $10,000 per student loan borrower, though he has so far rejected progressive calls to take more sweeping actions on student debt.

The poll was conducted from April 16 to May 18 with collected responses from 3,633 people. It did not list a margin of error.

Snapchat will be removing the “speed filter” that has been linked to several car crashes, a spokeswoman for the company confirmed to The Hill.

The spokesperson said that “nothing is more important than the safety of our Snapchat community,” adding that it had previously disabled the feature at certain driving speeds.

“Today the sticker is barely used by Snapchatters, and in light of that, we are removing it altogether,” the spokeswoman said.

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News of the filter’s removal was first reported by NPR, which noted that the company began removing the feature this week. However, it may take a couple weeks before it’s unavailable to everyone who uses the app.

The feature was first introduced in 2013, according to the news outlet. But over the years, it has been linked to multiple car crashes that have either been fatal or near-fatal.

Most recently, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last month that Snapchat could be sued over the filter’s role in a 2017 car crash in Wisconsin that killed three people, according to The Washington Post.

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The families of two of the victims — 17-year-old Hunter Morby and 20-year-old Landen Brown — sued in 2019 over the design of the feature.

According to the complaint, one “snap” registered the boys’ speed at 123 miles per hour before their car ran off the road and crashed into a tree and caught on fire. Jason Davis, 17, was also killed as a result.

The car was going 113 miles per hour when it crashed, the suit states.

But that wasn’t the only crash that was reportedly tied to the filter. According to NPR, one crash in 2016 in Georgia left a driver with permanent brain damage, and another crash in Philadelphia the same year led to the deaths of three women.

Snapchat made several changes to the app amid the crashes, eventually setting a limit of 35 miles per hour that posts could be shared for “driving speeds,” the news outlet noted.

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod RosensteinRod RosensteinEx-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report Democrats claim vindication, GOP cries witch hunt as McGahn finally testifies Protect the police or the First Amendment? MORE has said in conversations with associates that he is not be aware of a Trump-era subpoena targeting data for congressional Democrats, CNN reported Saturday.

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Rosenstein has told people in recent days that he was not aware of the subpoena for metadata on House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffEx-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report Nixon’s former White House counsel: Trump DOJ was ‘Nixon on stilts and steroids’ Trump DOJ demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple says MORE (D-Calif.) and Rep. Eric SwalwellEric Michael SwalwellEx-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report DOJ to probe Trump-era subpoenas of lawmaker records The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Facebook – Sights and sounds from Biden’s UK visit MORE (D-Calif.), a source told the outlet.

As CNN points out, a leak investigation relating to the Russia probe would have fallen under Rosenstein, as former Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsEx-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report Nixon’s former White House counsel: Trump DOJ was ‘Nixon on stilts and steroids’ Garland sparks anger with willingness to side with Trump MORE had recused himself from matters relating to Russia.

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Former Attorney General William BarrBill BarrEx-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report Garland sparks anger with willingness to side with Trump Trump DOJ demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple says MORE also said Friday that he does not recall discussing an investigation of lawmakers, CNN reported. Barr took office a year after the subpoena on Apple was issued.

Apple revealed on Friday that it received a subpoena for data issued by a federal grand jury in early 2018, along with a nondisclosure order signed by a federal judge to keep it in place. The nondisclosure order had three subsequent extensions, each lasting a year.

The tech giant said the request provided “no information on the nature of the investigation and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users’ accounts.”

The New York Times first reported on Thursday that the DOJ sought the subpoena for at least a dozen people tied to the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 and 2018.

Since the revelations, Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerIt’s not just Manchin: No electoral mandate stalls Democrats’ leftist agenda DOJ to probe Trump-era subpoenas of lawmaker records Democrats demand Barr, Sessions testify on Apple data subpoenas MORE (N.Y.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick DurbinDick DurbinEx-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report Trump DOJ demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple says Overnight Defense: Pentagon details military construction projects getting .2B restored from wall funds | Biden chooses former commander to lead Navy | Bill seeks to boost visa program for Afghans who helped US MORE (D-Ill.) have called on Sessions and Barr to testify before the panel.

News of the probe came as the DOJ was coming under scrutiny for secretly obtaining data from journalists as part of leak investigations early in the Trump administration and into the Biden administration.

The DOJ’s internal watchdog announced Friday that it would investigate the subpoenas, as well as recently revealed ones against reporters.