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Added on the 28/10/2020 13:58:42 - Copyright : Wochit
An associate of Rudy Giuliani allegedly told a former CIA operative seeking a pardon that it would cost $2 million. According to Business Insider, Giuliani disputes the ex-CIA officer's account, saying he doesn't remember the meeting. The personal lawyer to President Donald Trump also told the New York Times that helping someone obtain a pardon would be a conflict of interest. The Times reported that several people with connections to Trump have accepted large sums of money from people seeking pardons. Trump is facing criticism for using pardons primarily to reward his allies, fellow Republican politicians, and people close to his family.
The U.S. could soon be giving at least a million COVID-19 vaccinations a day. This would be a major shift from the current speed which has been described as a sluggish start. Dr. Anthony Fauci warned of a dangerous next few weeks as the coronavirus surges. The slow pace is frustrating health officials and a desperate public alike, says HuffPost. Only about a third of the first supplies shipped to states have been used as of Tuesday morning. This is just over three weeks into the vaccination campaign.
The Transportation Security Administration screened 1,284,599 people in airports nationwide on Sunday. That is the most since the COVID-19 pandemic's start, says Business Insider. Sunday was also the sixth day in the last 10 that the TSA screened more than 1 million travelers. More than 63,000 Americans died of COVID-19 in December. December 2020 is now the deadliest month of the pandemic. Anthony Fauci said the pandemic will most likely get worse over the next few weeks due to high holiday travel.
President Donald Trump faces a ticking clock with respect to the current proposed COVID-19 relief package. Trump has suggested he may reject the $900 billion package that Congress approved earlier this week unless lawmakers include $2,000 stimulus payments. Business Insider reports Trump could cost jobless workers a week of $300 federal unemployment benefits if he fails to sign the bill by midnight Saturday. Business Insider reports nearly 14 million Americans may lose all their unemployment aid this weekend if the bill doesn't pass. Labor experts say a two-to-three week gap in unemployment benefits is inevitable, as states need to recalibrate their computer systems to send the payments.
On Thursday, Pfizer released a statement to deny claims that it was having issues producing its COVID-19 vaccine. The statement comes after officials in more than a dozen states complained that they were receiving fewer doses than promised. According to Business Insider, Trump officials claimed there were "manufacturing challenges." In its statement, Pfizer said it was "not having any production issues." It revealed it has millions of doses sitting in a warehouse, awaiting government orders on where to ship them to. Two anonymous Trump officials told the Associated Press the doses are in storage on purpose. The doses are being held back to ensure that people who had their first shot can get the second one.
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
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