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CDC endorses updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters for this fall
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday signed off on the approval from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers that recommended an updated coronavirus vaccine booster this fall. The CDC recommended boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for those who are 12 years old and older and from Moderna for those who are 18 and older. These […]
Jewish congregations mount legal challenges to state abortion bans
Thousands of years of Jewish scripture make it clear that access to abortion care is a requirement of Jewish law and practice, according to Rabbi Karen Bogard.
Biden to wipe out $10K in student loan debt for many borrowers
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., a Harvard educated former Wall Street banker, called the loan scheme a "grossly unfair taxpayer-subsidized handout to the wealthy."
Federal officials declare a public health emergency for monkeypox
More than 6,600 monkeypox cases have been reported in the United States, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The hardest-hit states are New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Georgia and Texas.
Biden to sign order on out-of-state abortion access
The White House is limited in what it can do, and the burden has fallen on Congress to try to codify Roe v. Wade into law. A bipartisan group of senators this week introduced a bill that would protect access to abortion, but it’s unclear if it can meet the 60-vote threshold needed to advance in the Senate.
Record rent increases, low wages are driving an eviction crisis, U.S. Senate panel told
The chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, said that families are being priced out of buying homes, and rising rents mean that tenants are “just one illness or job loss or car repair away from eviction.”
U.S. House Democrats file brief in college affirmative action case
The Supreme Court originally combined the two cases that challenged affirmative action, but then separated them — likely because the newest justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, said she would recuse herself from the Harvard case because she previously held a six-year term on Harvard’s board of overseers. Legal experts have said the court's decision could reshape the use of affirmative action in higher education.
U.S. House passes ban on assault weapons after spate of gun violence
With the 217-213 vote, the bill will head to the evenly divided Senate, but it’s unlikely to advance there.
Democrats in Congress, including Pa., press Biden to extend pause on student loans
The Federal Reserve estimates that the total U.S. student loan debt is more than $1.75 trillion.
U.S. House panel advances assault weapons ban on party-line vote
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th District, slammed Republicans for refusing to address the fact that there are thousands of victims of mass shootings.
Biden tests positive for COVID, cancels Pa. trip
The Democratic president had been set to visit Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre. Those visits were canceled.
Progressives renew call for U.S. Supreme Court expansion after abortion rights decision
A U.S. House bill would expand the court from nine to 13 seats; Speaker Nancy Pelosi has no plans to bring it to a vote.