The FDA's independent advisory committee has voted in favor of full approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults at high risk for severe disease. The drug, a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, has been available under emergency use authorization since December 2021 and has been used by over 8 million people in the US. The FDA is expected to make a decision on full approval of the drug in the coming weeks.
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Mike Pence defended a joke he made about Pete Buttigieg at the Gridiron Dinner, claiming that Buttigieg "can't take a joke". The White House had called the joke "homophobic", but Pence shrugged off the criticism, noting that the dinner is a roast. His remarks have been met with mixed reactions, with some applauding his sense of humor and others criticizing him.
The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Maria del Carmen Lopez, a 63-year-old US and Mexican citizen who was kidnapped from her home in Mexico on February 9. The Colima Attorney General's office is working with the FBI on the investigation, and the public is being asked to be aware of any suspicious activity that may be related to the case. The kidnapping is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving Americans in Mexico, prompting the US State Department to issue a travel advisory warning US citizens to exercise increased caution when traveling to Mexico.
Protests have erupted in France in response to the government's decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote. Opposition parties are now calling for a no-confidence vote on the government, while labor unions have argued that the move will hurt workers and retirees. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reported that 310 people were detained across the country in response to the protests.
Key takeaways: Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Russia to show support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid rising tensions between East and West. US…
Key takeaways: Xcel Energy is currently cleaning up a 400,000 gallon radioactive water leak from its Monticello nuclear power plant. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency…
This week, a U.S. surveillance drone was forced to be ditched into the Black Sea by a Russian pilot, raising questions about the security of the region and the safety of future drone flights. The incident has put a deal to let critical supplies of grain exit Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea in jeopardy, and has drawn attention to the body of water that has been at the heart of the war in Ukraine. The U.S. must now consider how to respond to this incident and how to protect the Black Sea from further aggression.
Poland has announced that it will be sending four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, making it the first NATO member to fulfill Kyiv's requests for warplanes to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Slovakia has also said it would send its own disused MiGs, and it is hoped that other NATO members will follow Poland's example. President Andrzej Duda said the planes, which were inherited from the former German Democratic Republic, are in the last years of their functioning but are still in good working condition.