The House on Tuesday passed legislation that would require the Transportation Security Administration to establish a formal plan to improve airport security screening protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Passed by a 319-105 vote as part of a single vote on multiple noncontroversial measures en bloc, the bill would direct the TSA, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services, to issue a plan within 90 days to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread at passenger screening checkpoints and among agency personnel.

It would include an “identification of best practices” developed by foreign governments, airports and air carriers during the pandemic as well as federal agencies handling security screenings outside of airports.

ADVERTISEMENT

And within a year of the TSA issuing such a plan, the Government Accountability Office would then conduct a review of the efforts to implement it.

“As Americans begin to travel again, we must take steps to guarantee the safety of critical frontline workers and air passengers from the dangers posed by the virus, including the delta variant and other variants that could come our way,” said Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee on border security, facilitation and operations.

More than 8,300 TSA employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 16 who died, according to the agency.

The CDC announced in May that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not have to wear masks in most settings, with airports and public transit being one of the few exceptions.

People are still universally required to wear masks inside airports as well as on airplanes unless they are actively eating or drinking.

ADVERTISEMENT

The TSA also says that it has increased the frequency of disinfecting surfaces in security checkpoint areas, required officers to wear masks and gloves, and opened more checkpoint lanes to reduce the time people spend waiting in line to be screened.

Click Here: parramatta eels jersey

The number of passengers screened in airports has been growing in recent weeks as people have resumed traveling. While nearly half of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated, COVID-19 cases have been growing due to the spread of the delta variant largely among the unvaccinated population.

The House also passed separate legislation on Tuesday that would require the TSA to develop plans to prepare for future communicable disease outbreaks and public health threats to the transportation security system.

The TSA would further be required to conduct a survey of its workforce to gain feedback about the agency’s response to the pandemic, such as the access to protective equipment and outreach conducted during contact tracing after an employee tested positive for the virus.

“Given the importance of the transportation system in the economy and everyday life of this country, it is paramount that the federal government ensure better preparedness and resilience of the system,” said Rep. John KatkoJohn Michael KatkoHouse passes host of bills to strengthen cybersecurity in wake of attacks House passes bill to require TSA plan on improving airport security screenings during pandemic Biden opens new cyber fight with China MORE (N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee.

The Justice Department has moved to withdraw capital punishment requests in seven cases for which the Trump administration previously sought the death penalty under its resumption of federal executions. 

The cases in which death penalty requests were vacated include that of an Orlando, Fla., man charged with kidnapping and fatally shooting his estranged wife, as well as one for a Syracuse, N.Y., man indicted in the armed robbery of a restaurant and the murder of two employees, according to The New York Times. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) under former President TrumpDonald TrumpNew Capitol Police chief to take over Friday Overnight Health Care: Biden officials says no change to masking guidance right now | Missouri Supreme Court rules in favor of Medicaid expansion | Mississippi’s attorney general asks Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade Michael Wolff and the art of monetizing gossip MORE had pushed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty if they won convictions in the seven cases. The agency under Attorney General Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandBiden administration moves to withdraw death penalty requests in seven cases Federal gun trafficking strike forces launched in five cities Garland restricting DOJ contact with White House officials MORE, however, has pulled the requests in recent court filings, the Times noted. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Earlier this month, Garland made the long awaited move of putting back in place a pause on federal executions after the Trump administration had ended a nearly two-decade halt on the practice. 

The move reported Thursday by the Times, which was not widely advertised by the DOJ, goes a step further by removing the death penalty in cases that are still being prosecuted. 

There were 13 federal executions carried out under the Trump administration, with some occurring just days before he left the Oval Office. 

It was not clear if the decision to remove death penalty applications in the seven cases was influenced by the execution moratorium, or if it is part of a broader effort under the Biden administration to move toward officially ending the death penalty federally. 

The DOJ has yet to publicly release any policy changes beyond the moratorium, nor has it provided details on how or when the government may seek the death penalty. 

ADVERTISEMENT

The department said in a statement to the Times that Garland, who has the power to make the final decision on whether to seek the death penalty in federal cases, has not personally authorized an execution in any cases since taking office in March. 

Garland in his statement announcing the moratorium this month said the death penalty tends to have a disproportionate impact on people of color, adding that the DOJ “must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely.” 

The Hill has reached out to the DOJ for additional information. 

Despite the moves by the DOJ and President BidenJoe BidenOvernight Defense: Senate panel adds B to Biden’s defense budget | House passes bill to streamline visa process for Afghans who helped US | Pentagon confirms 7 Colombians arrested in Haiti leader’s killing had US training On The Money: Senate braces for nasty debt ceiling fight | Democrats pushing for changes to bipartisan deal | Housing prices hit new high in June Hillicon Valley: Democrats introduce bill to hold platforms accountable for misinformation during health crises | Website outages hit Olympics, Amazon and major banks MORE’s calls to end capital punishment, opponents of the death penalty expressed frustration last month when the Biden administration requested that the Supreme Court reinstate the death penalty against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. 

Tsarnaev had his death sentence vacated last year after a federal appeals court said the trial court failed to effectively screen jurors for possible bias and that it did not include evidence showing the defendant was influenced by his older brother.

Click Here: Internacional soccer tracksuit

The U.S. military on Tuesday conducted an air strike against an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Somalia, the first such strike in the country since President BidenJoe BidenKentucky lawmaker faces scrutiny for comparing Fauci to Jonestown cult leader Omar leads lawmakers in calling for US envoy to combat Islamophobia Public charter schools group blasts proposed Democratic cut MORE took office, multiple outlets have reported.

The strike on the al-Shabaab militant group, first reported by Agence France-Presse, took place “in the vicinity of Galkayo, Somalia,” about 430 miles northeast of Mogadishu, Pentagon spokeswoman Cindi King said in a statement to the outlet.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) carried out the single air strike in coordination with the Somali government.

ADVERTISEMENT

“A battle-damage assessment is still pending due to the ongoing engagement between al-Shabaab and Somali forces, however, the command’s initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this strike,” King added.

The Somali government also confirmed the strike in a statement, noting that it occurred at 11:05 a.m. local time in the Galmudug State of the country “to protect the brave commandos of the Somali National Army.”

The government did not say who carried out the action.

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.”

The last U.S. air strike in Somalia took place on Jan. 19, one day before President Biden entered the White House.

Following Biden’s inauguration, he initiated a review of the policy on drone strikes and commando raids outside of conventional war zones and imposed temporary limits on such strikes.

The move came after former President Donald TrumpDonald TrumpOn The Money: Schumer pressured from all sides on spending strategy | GOP hammers HUD chief over sluggish rental aid | Democrat proposes taxes on commercial space flights Overnight Health Care: Fauci clashes with Paul – again | New York reaches .1B settlement with opioid distributors | Delta variant accounts for 83 percent of US COVID-19 cases Overnight Defense: Military justice overhaul included in defense bill | Pentagon watchdog to review security of ‘nuclear football’ | Pentagon carries out first air strike in Somalia under Biden MORE had loosened the rules for drone strikes when he was in office.

Click Here: south sydney rabbitohs jersey

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby then told reporters in March that any planned strikes outside Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq had to be submitted to the White House “to ensure that the president has full visibility on proposed significant actions.” 

Haiti’s government has appointed Ariel Henry as the new prime minister after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Reuters reported Tuesday.

In a ceremony in the capital of Port-au-Prince, Henry used his inaugural address to urge unity and stability for his Haitian people. 

Henry, a neurosurgeon, was appointed by Moïse to be the country’s new prime minister just days before his assassination, according to Reuters. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Henry’s appointment comes after the former acting prime minister Claude Joseph stepped down from his position on Monday in agreement to hand over the role to Henry. 

Joseph, who now has returned to his position as foreign minister, received criticism from many who accused him of pursuing a reckless power grab. 

Joseph warned that the country faced a “tough task” ahead of the upcoming elections.

“You’re inheriting an exceptional situation characterized by the absence of a president to serve as your shield, a political crisis unprecedented in the history of the country, galloping insecurity, a morose and precarious economic situation,” Joseph said.

Click Here: cheap newcastle knights jersey

Moïse was killed July 7 by a group of assailants who raided the president’s private residence during the night. Haitian authorities have arrested 20 people in connection with the incident, including two U.S. citizens of Haitian descent.

Moïse’s wife, Martine, who was critically injured from the attack, recently returned to Haiti after spending a week at a Miami-based medical facility, Reuters noted.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that occurred in Iraq on Monday, killing 30 people and wounded 50 others.

The attack happened in an outdoor market of Sadr City, a mostly Shia neighborhood located east of Baghdad, CNN reports. Women and children were among those who were killed and injured.

The market area had been busy with shoppers preparing for the holiday of Eid al-Adha which began on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Without providing evidence, ISIS claimed to be behind the strike, saying it had been carried out by a suicide bomber in an explosive vest. Police, however, have yet to determine what caused the blast, CNN reports.

“We will not be calm unless we uproot the hateful and cowardly terrorism, and it is certain that the will of the Iraqis is beyond their criminality and villainy,” Iraqi President Barham Salih said in a statement.

“Not a day goes by in Iraq without a tragic incident,” Sadr City resident Ali Yassin told CNN. “Why can’t we live like the rest of the countries? Why can’t we enjoy peace like the rest of the world?”

“If I am financially capable, I would leave Iraq along with my family at once,” Yassin added.

“This horrific attack right before Eid Al-Adha is a terrible reminder of the violence Iraqi children continue to face,” UNICEF representative for Iraq Sheema Sen Gupta said in a statement, according to CNN. “On the eve of Eid Al-Adha and as Iraqis mourn this sad moment, UNICEF calls for all actors in Iraq to work together towards a safer Iraq where children do not have to live in fear and where they enjoy their very basic activities and rights.”

Click Here: custom stamp die mould

Google Maps will be expanding its predictions of transit crowd sizes to cover over 10,000 transit systems in 100 countries, the company announced Wednesday.

The feature — which gives estimates of business on subways and buses using user contributions and artificial intelligence — is being expanded to help people make safe decisions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“While people are returning to public transit — with transit directions on Maps increasing 50% compared to last year in the U.S. — safety remains top of mind,” said Eric Tholomé, director of product for Google Maps. 

ADVERTISEMENT

The feature will be available on the latest version of Google amps on both iOS and Android.

Google is piloting a version of the feature in New York and Sydney that shows how crowded transit is to the level of individual subway cars.

More cities will be added to that pilot soon, the company said.

Click Here: AFL Football Guernsey

The CIA has recruited a veteran of the agency’s effort to track down Osama bin Laden to lead the task force examining a number of apparent “Havana syndrome” attacks that have left government personnel with unexplained negative health effects, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The suspected attacks, which first occurred in Havana in 2016, have since surfaced in a number of countries, leaving U.S. diplomats and spies with neurological symptoms ranging from vertigo to insomnia to cognitive difficulties.

Current and former officials told the Journal the unnamed chief of the task force has experience in the agency’s Counterterrorism Center and largely focused on bin Laden and al Qaeda.

ADVERTISEMENT

The CIA did not comment on the task force leadership to The Hill, saying only that CIA Director William BurnsWilliam BurnsCIA picks veteran of bin Laden hunt to head ‘Havana syndrome’ task force: report 30-year CIA veteran to run espionage operations ‘Havana Syndrome’ and other escalations mark a sinister turn in the spy game MORE is “personally engaged with personnel affected by anomalous health incidents and is highly committed to their care and to determining the cause of these incidents.”

The CIA task force, which was formed in December, is evaluating what appear to be an increasing number of attacks, including possible incidents on U.S. soil.

Up to 200 Americans have reported possible “directed energy attack” symptoms, which a government-funded report by the National Academy of Sciences determined were most likely caused by microwave radiation. The bulk of known cases have been State Department or CIA employees.

Officials are investigating potential exposure near the White House, while one of the most recent possible exposures occurred among U.S. officials in Austria. 

Updated: 7:48 p.m.

Click Here: cardiff blues rugby jersey

Pentagon officials would have to recuse themselves from decisions involving their former employers for four years under an amendment approved as part of the annual defense policy bill.

The law right now requires Pentagon officials to recuse themselves from decisions involving former employers for two years.

But Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenPoll: 73 percent of Democratic voters would consider voting for Biden in the 2024 primary Overnight Defense: US launches another airstrike in Somalia | Amendment to expand Pentagon recusal period added to NDAA | No. 2 State Dept. official to lead nuclear talks with Russia Warren-backed amendment to expand Pentagon recusal period added to defense bill MORE (D-Mass.) announced Friday the Senate Armed Services Committee agreed to her amendment to increase the recusal period during its closed-door consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I was glad to see a bipartisan group of my Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues approve my plan to toughen up ethics standards at the Pentagon,” Warren said in a statement. “In the future, when defense officials want to spin through the revolving door between industry and government, they’ll be banned from working on issues pertaining to their former employer, clients, or competitors for four years instead of two.”

The amendment must still survive votes on the Senate floor and negotiations with the House before becoming law.

But it’s inclusion comes after Warren has been pushing Pentagon nominees to go beyond the current legal requirement for recusals.

Under Warren’s questioning at his confirmation hearing, Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: US launches another airstrike in Somalia | Amendment to expand Pentagon recusal period added to NDAA | No. 2 State Dept. official to lead nuclear talks with Russia Warren-backed amendment to expand Pentagon recusal period added to defense bill Pentagon chief to restore advisory panels after purge of Trump loyalists MORE agreed to recuse himself for the entirety of his tenure from decisions involving Raytheon Technologies, where he sat on the board of directors before becoming Pentagon chief.

Warren also recently secured similar commitments from Air Force Secretary nominee Frank Kendall and Heidi Shyu, who was recently confirmed as under secretary of Defense for research and engineering after Warren lifted a hold she placed on Shyu until getting that commitment.

Click Here: Kangaroos Rugby League Jersey

While Warren’s recusal amendment made it into the NDAA, Warren’s office had said before the committee’s markup of the bill that she would push for far broader ethics reforms, such as banning Pentagon officials from working for defense contractors for four years after they leave the department.

On Friday, Warren vowed to continue “fighting until all of the stronger ethics standards in my Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act are made into law.”