US Domestic News Roundup: Rapid COVID-19 tests increasingly scarce, pricey as demand from employers jumps; Treasury's Yellen: 'Up to the president' to decide on Fed chief appointment and more

Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have twice in recent weeks blocked action to raise the debt ceiling, saying they do want action but will not help by voting for the move.


Reuters | Updated: 05-10-2021 18:51 IST | Created: 05-10-2021 18:33 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: Rapid COVID-19 tests increasingly scarce, pricey as demand from employers jumps; Treasury's Yellen: 'Up to the president' to decide on Fed chief appointment and more
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Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Rapid COVID-19 tests increasingly scarce, pricey as demand from employers jumps

Surging demand for COVID-19 tests from U.S. employers has exacerbated a nationwide shortage of rapid tests in recent weeks and is driving up costs for state and local testing programs, according to industry executives and state officials.

Tastemakers including Abbott Laboratories, Quidel Corp and LumiraDX Ltd are scaling up production to meet rising demand. But significantly boosting test output will take weeks to months, half a dozen industry executives told Reuters, making the tests harder to procure in the near term.

Treasury's Yellen: 'Up to the president' to decide on Fed chief appointment

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday declined to say whether she would support a reappointment of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for a second term, saying it's up to President Joe Biden to decide. In an interview with CNBC, Yellen also said she trusts the U.S. central bank to make the right decisions in guiding the economy's recovery from the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden says Republican stonewalling on debt ceiling risks U.S. default

President Joe Biden said on Monday the federal government could breach its $28.4 trillion debt limit in a historic default unless Republicans join Democrats in voting to raise it in the two next weeks. Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have twice in recent weeks blocked action to raise the debt ceiling, saying they do want action but will not help by voting for the move. Republicans say Democrats can use a parliamentary maneuver known as budget reconciliation to act alone. Top Democrats have rejected that approach.

AstraZeneca seeks U.S. authorization of drug to prevent COVID-19

AstraZeneca has requested emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators for its new treatment to prevent COVID-19 for people who respond poorly to vaccines because of a weakened immune system. In a statement on Tuesday, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said it included data in its filing with the Food and Drug Administration from a late-stage trial that showed the drug reduced the risk of people developing any COVID-19 symptoms by 77%.

Judge says Trump can be deposed in former 'Apprentice' contestant's lawsuit

A New York state judge on Monday gave former U.S. President Donald Trump a Dec. 23 deadline to undergo questioning in a defamation lawsuit filed by a former contestant on "The Apprentice" after he denied her sexual assault accusations. Justice Jennifer Schecter of the New York state court in Manhattan said Trump must submit to a deposition, after his lawyer said Trump planned to countersue his accuser, Summer Zervos, under a state law designed to encourage free speech.

Biden to shift focus from D.C. gridlock to swing-state benefits

President Joe Biden will hit the road on Tuesday to try to shift the spotlight from the wrangling within his Democratic Party over his huge social spending package to its potential benefits for a wide swath of Americans. Squabbling Democratic moderates and progressives dealt Biden a major setback last week when they failed to move ahead with his proposed $1 trillion infrastructure bill or the planned $3.5 trillion social spending bill, which could now face cuts.

George Floyd recommended for posthumous pardon on drug conviction

The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted on Monday to recommend George Floyd get a full posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction, the Harris County District Attorney said. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died in handcuffs with a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes during a 2020 arrest, became the face of a movement challenging police brutality and bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.

A month after Ida's landfall, Louisianians decry 'Third World' conditions

Bruce Westley stood outside his wrecked mobile home, pointing to a small lime green tent, two patio chairs and a 30-quart aluminum pot atop a single propane burner. "For more than a month, that's been our bedroom, our living room and our kitchen," said the 65-year-old disabled Navy veteran. He and his wife Christina are among thousands of southeast Louisianians struggling more than a month after Hurricane Ida swept through the heart of Cajun country.

New U.S. legislation seeks to expand protections for election workers

A U.S. senator introduced legislation on Monday to broaden protections for election workers, their family members and physical polling locations in response to a Reuters investigation into threats against election administrators. The Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act aims to make the workers who help administer America’s elections safer -- from officials to volunteers and the contractors who set up and maintain voting equipment. The protections would extend to family members of election officials and prohibit threats of damage to polling places, tabulation centers or other election infrastructure.

U.S. NIH director Francis Collins to step down by year-end

Francis Collins, the director of U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), said on Tuesday he would step down from his role by the end of the year, after leading the agency for 12 years. Collins, a genetics pioneer, was appointed as the head of NIH in 2009 by the then-President Barack Obama, and the 71-year-old went on to serve the agency under three presidents.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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