https://mobile.twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1526559400244219905
Join me live as I welcome His Excellency
@KMitsotakis
, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic to the United States Capitol.
nov 12 2020
who stepped down today
Bryan Ware
Valerie Boyd
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/dhs-officials-forced-resign-white-house/index.html
Washington (CNN)Two senior Department of Homeland Security officials have been forced to resign by the White House, according to sources familiar with the resignations.
Among them was a top official in DHS's cyber arm, who resigned amid a national security shakeup by the Trump administration. Bryan Ware served as assistant director for cybersecurity at DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
DHS assistant secretary for international affairs Valerie Boyd also resigned amid pressure from the White House, officials tell CNN.
DHS, CISA and the White House declined to comment on the resignations.
Ware's resignation letter, seen by CNN, is addressed to President Donald Trump and says his resignation is effective Friday. In it, he writes that it has been an honor to serve, highlighting his work on election security and the Covid-19 response.
But his farewell letter to staff indicates that he did not want to step down. He says that he is leaving "with much sadness" and that "it's too soon." He went on to list their accomplishments during his tenure. "We secured election day from foreign interference. Boom!" he wrote of his resignation, which was first reported by CyberScoop.
In a letter to the workforce, CISA Director Christopher Krebs praised Ware's efforts on election security, defense of federal networks and work on defending healthcare systems.
"Bryan approached each new challenge with enthusiasm and a collaborative attitude, helping to drive forward changes necessary to mature CISA as an operational Agency" Krebs wrote.
Matt Hartman Ware's deputy will step into role of acting assistant director, according to Krebs' announcement.
The resignations come in the wake of sweeping changes atop the Defense Department's civilian leadership structure which has seen several of the Pentagon's most senior civilian officials replaced with perceived loyalists to the President. The changes started with Trump firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday and senior Pentagon officials have told CNN they are alarmed and concerned about what might happen next.
Boyd submitted her resignation on Thursday to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, writing that it is "with sadness that I submit my resignation, effective November 13, 2020."
"It has been my belief that people of character should support the institution of the Presidency and work within it to inform and influence policy decisions that reflect well on the people's government. This belief has been tested many times these past few years, and it is my fervent prayer that I made the best possible choices. I wish you and our colleagues across the government the strength to act with honor in the months ahead," she wrote.
Leadership at the department has been unstable throughout Trump's presidency. DHS—the third-largest federal department—has had five secretaries, only two of whom have been confirmed by the Senate: John Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen.
https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-admin-fires-senior-dhs-cyber-unit-official-on-same-day-agency-concludes-no-evidence-of-fraud-in-2020-election
Trump Admin Fires Senior DHS Cyber Official on Same Day Agency Concludes ‘No Evidence’ of Fraud in 2020 Election
By Reed RichardsonNov 12th, 2020, 7:40 pm
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/pfizer-s-covid-19-booster-cleared-for-5-to-11-year-olds/ar-AAXnt3M?ocid
The Wall Street Journal.
Pfizer's Covid-19 Booster Cleared for 5- to 11-Year-Olds
Joseph Walker, Jared S. Hopkins - 50m ago
U.S. health regulators cleared for use a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE for children 5 to 11 years, expanding booster access to about 28 million youngsters.
The decision Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits a third dose of the shot at least five months after the second dose.
It comes weeks after the drugmakers said a third shot safely generated a strong immune response in the children, including significantly increasing antibody levels against the Omicron variant.
“A booster dose can help provide continued protection against Covid-19 in this and older age groups,” said Peter Marks, who heads the FDA’s vaccine division.
Many children now eligible for the shots might not get them, however. Vaccinations among the youths have been relatively low compared with rates in older people. Opinion surveys have found limited support among parents for vaccinating their children, suggesting many of them don’t plan to have their children get a booster.
Under the FDA’s authorization, the booster would be the same 10-microgram dose as the initial two shots the children received. The dosage is one-third the amount that people 12 years old and up receive.
Before the 5- to 11-year-olds can get the boosters, a panel of vaccine experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to meet and vote on whether to endorse the shots.
The meeting of the CDC panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, is scheduled to take place Thursday, and the CDC usually endorses its recommendation soon afterward.
Once the CDC signs off, the additional doses are expected to be available at pediatrician offices, retail pharmacies and other places where children have already been going for shots.
Supplies should be sufficient to meet demand, according to the U.S. government and the drugmakers.
Booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are already authorized for people as young as 12 in the U.S. The FDA recently greenlighted second boosters for people who are 50 years old and up or who have weakened immune systems.
Overall, children are less likely than adults to become infected with Covid-19 or develop severe disease, and many who develop cases experience mild or no symptoms, according to health experts and studies.
The hospitalization rate in children, however, increased during the Omicron wave, especially among those who weren’t vaccinated.
Health authorities have encouraged vaccines and boosters to prevent severe disease and help protect people more vulnerable to serious cases. The boosters restore vaccines’ efficacy, which has been found to wane after several months, according to many studies.
Research has also found that adults need at least three doses to have the same level of protection against the Omicron variant that vaccines had conferred for the earliest version of the virus.
Five- to 11-year-olds have been eligible for the two-dose primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine since October, after researchers found it to be 90.7% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19.