Month: November 2020

The Department of Homeland Security’s cyber chief, Chris Krebs, was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Trump announced the dismissal in a tweet Tuesday night.

The dismissal of Krebs, director DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, follows the agency’s declaration that the general election was the most secure in U.S. history. The statement served as a rebuke to the president who continues to make unsubstantiated allegations of voting fraud while Trump’s legal team pursues multiple legal challenges in battleground states.

Krebs had been an outspoken defender of the nation’s election security apparatus in the months leading up to Election Day Krebs joined DHS in March 2017, first serving as a senior adviser on cybersecurity and infrastructure protection. He was tasked with safeguarding national cyber networks along in the face of increasing attempts by foreign adversaries to disrupt the government, which was made clear in 2016 when Russia sought to undermine the general election.

Trump fires head of U.S. election cybersecurity for debunking conspiracy theories

Via www.nbcnews.com

CISA Director Chris Krebs had recently butted heads with the White House over his agency’s Rumor…

11/17/2020 7:28 PM

 

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President-elect Joe Biden along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris spoke on Monday, saying they were eager to work on getting the economy back on track and tackle the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Biden also said his team was moving forward with naming cabinet members and pulling together plans for the economy and the pandemic, despite the fact that President Donald Trump has refused to concede.  Biden noted, “It would make it a lot easier if the president would cooperate. I’m hopeful that the president will be mildly more enlightened before we get to Jan. 20.” 

Biden laid out some of his vision for an economic recovery including raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour; restoring corporate taxes on the largest corporations and making sure that the federal government buys U.S. products.

Biden also spoke about Thanksgiving and Christmas, noting that health experts advised not meeting with more than five other people indoors for holiday gatherings, and asking Americans to wear masks and practice social distancing. “I want us to be together next Thanksgiving and next Christmas. We’re at war with the virus, it is a war for real.”

Biden warns “more people may die” without virus coordination

Via www.cbsnews.com

President-elect Joe Biden said Monday that President Trump’s stonewalling is putting…

11/16/2020 6:50 PM

 

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Moderna said preliminary phase three trial data shows its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective in preventing Covid-19. The analysis evaluated 95 confirmed Covid-19 infections among the trial’s 30,000 participants. Moderna, which developed its vaccine in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said 90 cases of Covid-19 were observed in the placebo group versus five cases observed in the group that received its two-dose vaccine. That resulted in an estimated vaccine efficacy of 94.5%, it said.

The announcement comes on the heels of similar news last week from Pfizer’s late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trial as pharmaceutical companies race to find ways to prevent the virus, which has spread to more than 54.4 million people Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that U.S. Food and Drug Administration will move “as quickly as possible” to clear Pfizer and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines for emergency use.

Moderna said it plans to apply for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in “the coming weeks.” The trial will continue to accrue additional data relevant to safety and efficacy even after an application is submitted, the company said. By the end of the year, Moderna expects to have approximately 20 million doses of the vaccine ready to ship in the U.S

Moderna early data shows coronavirus vaccine is nearly 95% effective

Via www.cbsnews.com

Moderna says it has developed a coronavirus vaccine that’s nearly 95% effective, and with…

11/16/2020 6:51 PM

 

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SpaceX and NASA made history on Sunday when four astronauts launched successfully to the International Space Station from Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule Resilience lifted off at 7:27 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center. The launch began a 27½-hour journey through space to the orbiting platform, which passed over the launch site just before liftoff. The astronauts planned to sleep aboard the spacecraft, and did not plan to perform any navigation of the self-guided capsule unless necessary, according to NASA.

The flight marks the first SpaceX crewed mission considered to be operational after NASA certified the rocket and capsule for regular missions last week.  Astronaut Mike Hopkins, 51, is flying with pilot Victor Glover, 44, and mission specialists Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi of Japan, both 55. Glover is on his first trip into space; the other three astronauts have already been to space.

Sunday’s launch is only the second crewed liftoff from U.S. soil since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. 

LIVE: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft launch: ABC News Live

Via abcnews.go.com

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

11/15/2020 6:54 PM

 

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On Sunday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced extensive new restrictions on gatherings and businesses to combat a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.

The restrictions, most of which will take effect Monday at 11:59 p.m. and last for one month, include a ban on indoor service at restaurants and bars. It comes as the average daily tally for cases has doubled in the past two weeks. Inslee said at a news conference: “The spike in cases means, unfortunately, the time has come to reinstate restrictions on activities statewide to preserve the public’s well-being and to save lives.”

Inslee said indoor gatherings will be prohibited outside one’s household and outdoor gatherings will be limited to five people. Religious services and in-store retail will be limited to 25% occupancy, while fitness gyms must halt indoor services, and youth and adult sports will be restricted to activities outdoors.

New restrictions announced in Washington state amid ‘third wave’ of COVID-19

Via abcnews.go.com

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has announced new restrictions as record-breaking infection rates…

11/15/2020 4:35 PM

 

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