Presented by The AIDS Institute Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. Today is Thursday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe! Total U.S. coronavirus deaths each morning this week: Monday, 498,901; Tuesday, 500,310; Wednesday, 502,660; Thursday, 505,890. Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is effective at preventing moderate and severe cases of COVID-19, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday, paving the way for the shot to potentially be approved for emergency use this week and for shots to be administered to Americans next week. According to the FDA’s analysis, the single-dose vaccine is 66 percent effective, well within the agency's standards, and safe to use. The vaccination is also more than 85 percent effective at preventing severe COVID-19 cases and completely prevents hospitalizations and deaths ( The Hill ). Wednesday’s news was a major boost for the U.S.’s efforts to ramp up vaccinations across the country as it will hand it a third shot to use to inoculate Americans against the virus that has ravaged the country over the past year. President Biden Joe Biden Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video MORE ’s COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients Jeff Zients Overnight Health Care: Johnson & Johnson vaccine safe, effective in FDA analysis | 3-4 ...
Kevin garnett
Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence
Senators say they were given little new information during a briefing on Wednesday about security in the Capitol, including no clear indication of when National Guard troops would be sent home or when perimeter fencing would come down. Senators say they raised both issues with Yogananda Pittman, the acting Capitol Police chief, and Jennifer Hemingway, the acting Senate sergeant at arms, during the briefing, which took place on a Zoom call. "What I didn't hear on the call was, obviously everything depends on conditions, but I think there should be sort of a general plan of, 'we think we'll come back to some normal by X day and if circumstances change we'll have to change,' " said Sen. Tim Kaine Timothy (Tim) Michael Kaine Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Democrats in standoff over minimum wage Democrats plan crackdown on rising drug costs MORE (D-Va.). ADVERTISEMENT Asked if there was any timing guidance, Kaine added: "Not that they were saying to us." Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward Cruz Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Shelby endorses Shalanda Young for OMB director should Biden pull Tanden's nomination MORE (R-Texas) added that there was not an indication of when the fencing would come down and "numerous senators expressed concern about that." The call marked the first all-member briefing the Senate has received since the attack on the Capitol, when supporters of former President Trump Donald Trump Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Democratic fury with GOP explodes in House Georgia secretary of state withholds support for 'reactionary' GOP voting bills MORE breached the building in an effort to overturn the results of the November election. National Guard troops have been ...
Giroux, Flyers top Rangers 4-3 despite Kreider hat trick
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for February 24 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Sidelined two weeks because of COVID-19 protocols, Claude Giroux had enough of watching Flyers games on TV. "It's not that fun watching the guys play when you’re at home," he said. Giroux made it fun playing with the Flyers. His 903rd career game tied him with Bill Barber for most in the regular season with Philadelphia. He also had three assists in his return from a coronavirus absence to lead the Flyers over the New York Rangers 4-3 on Wednesday night. "Surprised would be an understatement," coach Alain Vigneault said. "I didn’t really know what to expect, but you could tell early on he had his game tonight." CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Giroux, who played his first game since Feb. 7, led the Flyers with eight shots on goal, 12 total shot attempts, three points and was 8 of 11 on faceoffs. "This was one of his better games all year," Vigneault said. James van Riemsdyk and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored a power-play goal for the Flyers, who are 0-3-2 against Boston and 9-1-1 versus the rest of the East Division. Chris Kreider scored a hat trick for the Rangers on three tap-ins in front. "He’s a huge part of our team He got rewarded tonight," New York center Mika Zibanejad said. "He works obviously incredibly hard and he goes to the net. He does an unbelievable job, probably one of the best guys in the league in front." Giroux, the Flyers' captain, sat out two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus and missed their loss Sunday to Boston at Lake Tahoe. But the 33-year-old played as though he never lost a step during his layoff and helped set up goals for Erik Gustafsson and Gostisbehere in the first period to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead. "I wasn’t thinking too much out there," Giroux said. "Just playing the game ...
Hayes, Funderburk help NC State upend No. 15 Virginia 68-61
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for February 24 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Three consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference road wins against teams in the lower half of the standings looked great, but perhaps not convincing, for North Carolina State. It was at No. 15 Virginia on Wednesday night where they turned some heads. DJ Funderburk scored nine of his 14 points in the second half and the Wolfpack opened a big lead and held off every challenge the Cavaliers had to offer in a 68-61 victory. The road wins — at Boston College, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest — were sandwiched around home losses to Syracuse and Duke, and Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts praised his young team's ability to bounce back from adversity. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "I’ve asked them to grow up a little quicker than they needed to, but we’ve completely bought in," he said. "When you look at it, the ball moves from side to side, everybody’s playing their role, everybody is genuinely happy for one another. "And typically you don’t get that in a team. And I think in order for us to be a really good basketball team, we don’t have that one guy on every night that can score 30 points." Cam Hayes scored 16 points and Shakeel Moore had 12 for N.C. State (11-9, 7-8 ACC), which last won four ACC games in a row on the road in the last two games of 1980-81 season and the first two the following season. Sam Hauser led Virginia with 21 points and Jay Huff had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but the Cavaliers (15-6, 11-4) lost their third straight for the first time since the 2016-17 season. They were outscored 30-16 in the paint, 17-6 off the bench and led for just 48 seconds. The Cavaliers twice closed within five, the second time at 54-49 on Hauser’s third 3-pointer with 3:40 left, but Hayes barely beat the shot clock and banked in a desperation 3-pointer from the ...
