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FTC chair Khan expecting 'very active year ahead'

Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan has a busy year ahead of her.

With the panel’s newly restored Democratic majority, the agency tasked with enforcing antitrust laws and protecting consumers is poised to tackle a diverse set of issues across the economy.

“As a general matter, we have a very active year ahead that’s planned,” Khan, who was picked by President Biden to lead the agency early in his term, told The Hill in an interview Wednesday.

“There are a whole set of major policy initiatives that we have underway that we’re expecting will come to fruition over this next year.”

Khan, 33, will be able to pursue those goals without necessarily having to win over Republicans on the panel, following the much-delayed confirmation of Alvaro Bedoya to the commission.

Bedoya’s expertise — he was the director of Georgetown University’s Center on Privacy and Technology — will likely likely prove pivotal in pursuing one of Khan’s focuses, digital privacy.

“During the pandemic reliance on these technologies really dramatically increased and Americans are now often dependent on these key digital tools and services to navigate their day to day lives,” Khan told The Hill. 

Not only is the agency “very actively” enforcing existing laws governing data collection, Khan explained, but is also considering using its rule-making authority to further regulate some commercial surveillance practices.

The FTC recently issued a joint statement to the industry clarifying how the educational technology that has proliferated in America’s schools during the pandemic interacts with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which sets rules on what information about children can be collected.

The statement warns that conditioning children’s participation in school work on them handing over data could violate COPPA.

“​​Children should not be required to sign up for surveillance in order to sign up to do their schoolwork,” Khan said Wednesday.

The FTC has also been active in the healthcare space.

The agency earlier this week voted to launch an inquiry into the impact of pharmacy benefit managers, the third party groups that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of health insurers, on prescription costs and access. An effort earlier in Khan’s term to launch a similar probe was denied on a split 2-2 vote.

The FTC last week sued to block hospital mergers in New Jersey and Utah, building on successful efforts by the agency to stop similar deals from being completed.

“There’s been empirical research showing how hospital consolidation in particular can really, really harm Americans through higher prices but also through reduced access,” Khan said.

The agency also launched a probe into the recent baby formula shortage to find out how market consolidation could have contributed to the problem and potential future shortages across the economy.

A main area of focus for Khan, both in her academic career before coming to the FTC and as chair, is competition.

The agency has initiated a joint review of merger guidelines with the Justice Department’s antitrust division and has been holding forums with market participants across the country as part of that process.

Khan’s FTC continues to work on enforcing existing competition rules, especially during a surge of merger filings.

“We’re really focusing our enforcement of resources on dominant actors,” she explained. “We want to make sure we’re focusing on them to make sure we’re really going at some of these root causes, rather than addressing kind of ‘fly by night’ actors.”

The agency is in the midst of an antitrust case against Facebook and is reportedly probing the market power of Amazon as well. 

While tackling all of those priorities, Khan has faced questions about internal affairs at the agency.

A recent internal survey, highlighted in a public letter by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), found decreasing morale among staff.

Khan has already taken some steps to address that internal displeasure, reportedly lifting a ban on public appearances by FTC employees, and told The Hill she and her team are engaged with staff to address other concerns.

“We take those results incredibly seriously and want to make sure that we’re getting the type of feedback that we can use to make sure that FTC staff who are enormously hardworking and enormously passionate about delivering for Americans are able to do their work productively,” she said.

Source: TEST FEED1

White House unveils plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 and under

Ten million pediatric COVID-19 vaccine doses will be available for states, Tribes and other jurisdictions to pre-order in anticipation of vaccinations for kids ages 5 and younger beginning before the end of the month, the White House announced Thursday.

Administration officials outlining the plan said vaccines will be distributed across thousands of different sites, but they will put a focus on frontline providers like pediatricians and primary care doctors, as that is where they expect many families will want to go. 

Officials said they estimate that 85 percent of children under the age of 5 live within five miles of a potential vaccination site. 

“We know that there are many parents who’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to vaccinate their youngest kids and we share their eagerness,” a senior administration official said. “Everyday, all day right now we are focusing on getting ready to have this as accessible as possible to as many families as possible.”

Jurisdictions were able to pre-order five million doses combined of Pfizer and Moderna’s shots beginning last Friday, and another five million were made available on Wednesday, officials said during a briefing with reporters.  The doses cannot ship until the Food and Drug Administration gives its authorization. 

To date, jurisdictions have ordered just 58 percent of the available Pfizer doses and 34 percent of the available Moderna doses. But officials stressed it was still early in the ordering process, and it followed a similar pattern to what they saw with vaccines for adults and adolescents.

“Our experience is that the longer the ordering stays open, the more likely the states come forward. So some of this is a matter of letting them know the ordering is available and that they can begin that process,” a senior administration official said. “We’re not too worried or focused on that and we’ll continue to do these outreaches.” 

Aside from pediatricians’ offices, specially-packaged vaccines will be made available at community health centers, rural health clinics, children’s hospitals, public health clinics, local pharmacies and other community-based organizations. Officials said they will also undertake a campaign to educate parents more fully about the vaccines.

One of the most important lessons officials said they learned from the earlier vaccination campaigns is the need for trusted messengers to overcome vaccine hesitancy. While some parents are eager to get their kids vaccinated as soon as possible, vaccination rates have lagged for older children, indicating rates may lag for young children as well. 

Only about 30 percent of children 5 to 11 have been vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are going to meet people where they are and answer their questions. And so what we are trying to do is, we’re trying to ensure that those people in communities including pediatricians, have the information that they need to answer parents questions,” a senior administration official said.

Children under 5 are the only age group that still has no vaccine available. 

An FDA advisory committee is scheduled to meet on June 14 and 15 to consider the applications from Pfizer and Moderna, and a CDC panel will meet Friday and Saturday, June 17 and June 18. 

Vaccines would start getting administered once CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signs off. Officials said they anticipate vaccines will start to be delivered to sites over that weekend, but because June 20 is a federal holiday, vaccinations won’t begin in earnest until June 21.

Source: TEST FEED1

72 percent of Americans more likely to vote after recent mass shooting: NPR poll

A large majority of Americans say they are more likely to vote in upcoming elections after multiple recent mass shootings across the U.S., according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

The poll found 72 percent of Americans said they are more likely to vote after mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas have reignited the debate over gun control.

The poll showed 59 percent of voters in favor of more gun restrictions with only 35 percent saying gun rights should take precedence, the widest gap in favor of gun control in the Marist poll in a decade. 

There was broadest support for mental health investment in response to the gun violence, with 86 percent in support and only 5 percent against. There was also 82 percent support for stricter background checks on firearms sales.

However, proposals backed by many Democrats to ban assault-style rifles didn’t fare as well, with 56 percent supported banning assault-style weapons such as AR-15s and 36 percent against it.

Since the mass shootings, Republicans have pushed for more security at schools and possibly arming teachers. 

Allowing teachers to have guns in schools was found unpopular in the poll, with 51 percent against it and only 38 percent in support. 

A group of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are aiming to agree on bipartisan legislation to curb gun violence, with parameters for such a bill becoming solidified this week.

In the House, a gun bill was passed on Wednesday, dubbed the Protecting Our Kids Act, that has multiple gun control measures, including raising the age to buy a semi-automatic weapon. But it is not expected to overcome GOP opposition in the Senate.

The poll was conducted from May 31 to June 6 among 1,063 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden says 'everything gets sensationalized' by media, with 'notable exceptions'

President Biden on Thursday said many journalists are focused on getting “clicks” on news stories and that “everything gets sensationalized by the media,” while discussing how his administration has struggled to communicate its policy achievements.

During an interview on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night, the 79-year-old president said the “press has changed” over the years.

“Look how the press has changed,” Biden told Kimmel on his late-night show. “With notable exceptions, even the really good reporters, they have to get a number of clicks on nightly news. So instead of asking a question, anyway, it’s just everything gets sensationalized.”

The Biden administration has struggled with a series of cascading issues in recent months, from high inflation to deadly mass shootings to the Supreme Court possibly overturning abortion rights.

Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated by what they say is a flat-footed White House in the face of an unrelenting news cycle.

Biden on Thursday argued his administration has made major strides in areas such as reducing healthcare insurance costs, cutting carbon emissions and improving access to education. But the president added his administration has had difficulty communicating those achievements.

“There’s a lot of major things we’ve done,” Biden said. “What we haven’t done, is we haven’t been able to communicate it.”

The president’s Thursday sit-down with Kimmel is his first late-night show of his presidency. He was a frequent late-night guest as a senator and candidate, but his only other late-night appearance as president was a virtual appearance in December on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden predicts 'mini revolution' in November if SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade

President Biden on Thursday predicted a “mini revolution” in November’s mid-term elections if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 precedent Roe v. Wade, which enshrined abortion access as a constitutional right.

During an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that aired Thursday night, Biden said overturning the court precedent would be “ridiculous” and motivate turnout in November’s elections.

“I don’t think the country will stand for it,” Biden said. “If in fact the decision comes down the way it does, and these states impose the limitations they’re talking about, it’s going to cause a mini revolution and they’re going to vote these folks out of office.”

Politico leaked a draft opinion in April showing the court’s conservative majority is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade, igniting fears across the nation that the right to abortion will soon be eliminated in many GOP-led states.

Almost half of all 50 states are poised to ban or restrict abortion access in some way if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Democrats tried and failed to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law this spring after facing roadblocks in the evenly divided Senate.

On Thursday, Biden said he was looking at executive orders that he may pass if the precedent is overturned, but did not expand on what those would be.

The president also pushed for voters to turn out during the midterms so Congress could codify abortion rights into law.

“You gotta vote to let people know exactly what the devil you think,” Biden told Kimmel.

Source: TEST FEED1

Here are the House Republicans who broke with the party on guns

A handful of House Republicans bucked their party to vote for gun legislation on Wednesday, supporting measures that were introduced after the mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y. and Uvalde, Texas last month.

The marquee piece of legislation that cleared the chamber was the Protecting Our Kids Act, a package of bills that seek to tighten gun restrictions. Among the provisions are raising the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21 and banning civilians from using high-capacity magazines.

The legislation is doomed in the Senate because of widespread GOP opposition. The package passed the House in a largely party-line vote of 223-204. One Republican did not vote.

Five Republicans broke from the party in supporting the measure: Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.) and Fred Upton (Mich.).

Kinzinger, Gonzalez, Jacobs and Upton are all not seeking reelection this year. Jacobs bowed out of seeking another term last week after he came under fire within the party for expressing support for an assault weapons ban.

The lawmakers voted for the package despite party leadership advocating against the legislation. Minority Whip Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) office sent a memo to House GOP offices on Tuesday encouraging members of the conference to vote “no” on the sweeping measure.

“In the wake of the senseless, malevolent shootings seen in recent months, the Majority has thrown together this reactionary package comprised of legislation that egregiously violates law-abiding citizens’ 2nd Amendment rights and hinders Americans’ ability to defend and protect themselves and their families,” the memo read.

In addition to voting on the entire package, the House also held votes on each individual provision. The full package, however, is the only piece of legislation that will be sent to the Senate for consideration.

Last week, Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the House would vote on each provision “to place Republicans on record on each of these issues relating to gun safety.”

Six of the seven provisions passed in largely party-line votes, with only a handful of Republicans joining Democrats. The last provision, however, had widespread bipartisan support. It orders the attorney general to submit a report to congressional committees detailing individuals who could not purchase a firearm because they failed a background check.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, recommended that members vote against the first six provisions, but signaled support for the final one.

Kinzinger, Fitzpatrick and Jacobs supported all six provisions that Jordan recommended the conference oppose. A number of other Republicans joined the trio in voting for some of the individual measures.

The provision that would impose a ban on bump stocks for civilians received the most GOP support among the measures that Jordan recommended voting against.

The initiative passed in a 233-194 vote, with 13 Republicans bucking the party: Reps. Mike Turner (Ohio), John Katko (N.Y.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Maria Salazar (Fla.), David Valadao (Calif.), Ken Calvert (Calif.) David Joyce (Ohio), Kinzinger, Upton and Jacobs.

The provision that calls for raising the minimum age for purchasing a firearm from 18 to 21 cleared the House in a 228-199 vote. Ten Republicans supported that effort: Turner, Katko, Upton, Gonzalez, Fitzpatrick, Kinzinger, Jacobs, Malliotakis, Smith and Salazar.

The list of GOP defectors was similar for the measure to mandate that untraceable firearms and guns without serial numbers, also referred to as ghost guns, undergo background checks and receive serial numbers.

The House passed the provision in a 226-194 vote, with eight “yes” votes: Fitzpatrick, Kinzinger, Jacobs, Katko, Malliotakis, Upton, Gonzalez and Smith.

On a provision creating new federal crime offenses for gun trafficking and straw purchases of firearms, which is when people who are not able to clear background checks purchase firearms through a proxy, 7 Republicans bucked the party to support the measure in a 226-197 vote.

Fitzpatrick, Kinzinger, Malliotakis, Gonzalez, Jacobs, Salazar and Katko all voted “yes.”

Four Republicans voted for the provision that calls for prohibiting civilian use of ammunition magazines that have more than 15 rounds: Kinzinger, Jacobs, Upton and Fitzpatrick. The measure passed in a 220-207 vote.

The provision that received the least GOP support seeks to bolster safe storage of guns in homes where minors may have access to the firearms. Kinzinger, Fitzpatrick and Jacobs were the only GOP defectors. The effort, however, ultimately cleared the House in a 220-205 vote.

Source: TEST FEED1

Raffensperger may testify in Jan. 6 public hearings: reports

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) is reportedly in talks to testify in public hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack that are set to begin on Thursday.

The news was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which cited one person saying he would testify, and later confirmed by Politico, which cited multiple people saying he was in talks to testify.

The testimony would come in the next couple of weeks. Raffensperger won his primary for reelection last month despite opposition from former President Trump, who unsuccessfully lobbied the secretary of state to overturn the Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.

“I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state,” Trump said in a phone call with Raffensperger in 2020. The former president still refuses to admit he lost the state. 

Raffensperger previously said he felt the phone call from the former president was a “threat.”

“Others obviously thought so, too, because some of Trump’s more radical followers have responded as if it was their duty to carry out this threat,” Raffensperger said. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the Jan. 6 committee, said he could not comment on speculation about Raffensperger testifying but said the secretary of state “is an important part of this story.”

“I’ll just say the whole country was riveted by the attempt to get Raffensperger to commit election fraud and his courageous defiance of that plan,” Raskin said. “So I don’t know whether he’ll be part of our hearings in person, but he is certainly an important part of this story.”

Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) centered his primary challenge against Raffensperger on the challenges to the 2020 election in Georgia, backing Trump’s claims of fraud. 

The Journal-Constitution reported that former Atlanta-based U.S. Attorney Byung “BJay” Pak is also discussing testifying in front of the House committee.

The Jan. 6 panel will be hosting its first prime-time hearing on Thursday. Members have said new evidence about the riot and attempts to overthrow the election will be revealed. 

Raskin said on Monday that the committee has found evidence on Trump that supports “a lot more than incitement.”

The Hill has reached out to the committee and Raffensperger’s office for comment. 

Mychael Schnell contributed to this report

Source: TEST FEED1

Wicker demands details of Nassar abuse probe after gymnasts sue FBI

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday demanding details on why the Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to prosecute FBI special agents involved in the Larry Nassar investigation and how many victims could have been protected if the agency acted sooner.

Wicker’s letter was released the same day that Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and dozens of other gymnasts abused by Nassar filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor.

Wicker told Garland that the department’s decision to not bring charges against the FBI agents was “egregious,” adding that the DOJ should explain its reasoning on the matter. 

“This decision is egregious and severely calls into question the Department’s judgment. I am particularly concerned this lack of accountability will further erode confidence in law enforcement among victims of sexual abuse, making it less likely abuse will be reported in the future,” Wicker wrote in his letter. 

The department announced last month that criminal charges would not be brought against two former FBI agents accused of mishandling the sexual abuse case involving the former USA Gymnastics doctor.

Wicker also requested that the DOJ send a briefing to the Senate Commerce Committee, of which Wicker is the ranking member, confirming its decisions not to bring charges in the case along with new information from its review of the case.

Wicker asked the department to share the exact number of victims of Nassar in the FBI’s initial investigation of the case and answer how the bureau’s investigation “would not have eliminated, or at least decreased the statistics.” 

“Nassar was eventually convicted for his crimes in spite of the FBI’s failures,” Wicker wrote. “Yet the system that allowed him to perpetuate his abuses remains largely unchanged, and the Special Agents who lied to cover up their inactions have not received any judicial scrutiny.” 

A total of 90 women joined the lawsuit filed Wednesday against the FBI.

“It is time for the FBI to be held accountable,” said Maggie Nichols, a national champion gymnast at Oklahoma from 2017 to 2019.

Under federal law, a government agency has six months to respond to the tort claims filed Wednesday. Lawsuits could follow, depending on the FBI’s response.

The DOJ has until June 22 to respond to all of Wicker’s questions on the matter.

Source: TEST FEED1

Oz wins Pa. Senate primary ahead of showdown with Fetterman

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary on Wednesday, narrowly defeating former hedge fund CEO David McCormick after a dayslong statewide recount buffeted by litigation that reached the nation’s highest court.

The recount determined that Oz had eked out victory over McCormick by 951 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast in the May 17 primary election. It came several days after McCormick conceded the race, acknowledging that he was not getting the boost he needed to close the gap.

In November’s general election, Oz will face Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is off the campaign trail while he recovers from a stroke and a serious heart condition. The race could help determine control of the closely divided Senate, and Democrats view it as perhaps their best opportunity to pick up a seat in the race to replace retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

“With the statewide recount officially concluded, it’s time to focus on how high the stakes are in November,” Oz said in a statement.

The national parties and Fetterman have begun testing general election campaign strategies and airing TV ads in Pennsylvania, a presidential battleground state still roiled by Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Trump endorsed Oz about five weeks before the primary, saying his decision was “all about winning elections.” The former president also had a long personal history with Oz, who is best known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show.”

Trump said his wife, Melania, was a big fan of the show. Still, Oz barely won despite Trump’s boost. In the closing days of the campaign, Trump held a rally for Oz and viciously attacked Oz’s closest rivals, including McCormick and conservative activist Kathy Barnette, who finished third.

Oz, who has dual citizenship in Turkey, would be the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected. He has remained relatively quiet and off the campaign trail during the recount.

Fetterman, meanwhile, is recovering from a stroke he suffered just days before his own primary, which he easily won. He said last week that he “almost died” from the stroke, acknowledging that he had ignored warning signs for years and a doctor’s advice to take blood thinners.

His cardiologist also disclosed that Fetterman is being treated for a heart condition that can be fatal. He has remained out of public view and has given no date to return to campaigning.

While Fetterman convalesces, his campaign has launched two TV ads in which Fetterman casts himself as a regular guy who will “take on Washington” — perhaps a nod to political headwinds for President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats as Americans report being skeptical about the economic outlook and Biden’s record.

In one ad, Fetterman rails against outsourced jobs, closed factories, rising costs and low wages, saying “those decisions were made for us by people that don’t know us.”

National Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to tie Fetterman to his party’s most liberal members and to the Biden administration. In a statement Wednesday evening, Oz said Pennsylvanians “want someone who will stand up to the liberal Biden-Fetterman agenda leading to higher gas prices, record inflation, and unprecedented levels of violent crime.”

Source: TEST FEED1