thedenverpost--2020-12-19--Hacked U.S. government networks will need to be burned “down to the ground”

It ’ s going to take months to kick elite hackers widely believed to be Russian out of the U.S. government networks they have been quietly rifling through since as far back as March in Washington ’ s worst cyberespionage failure on record .
Experts say there simply are not enough skilled threat-hunting teams to identify all the government and private-sector systems that may have been hacked .
FireEye , the cybersecurity company that discovered the worst-ever intrusion into U.S. agencies and was among the victims , has already tallied dozens of casualties .
It ’ s racing to identify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem .
We don ’ t know what networks they are in , how deep they are , what access they have , what tools they left , ” said Bruce Schneier , a prominent security expert and Harvard fellow .
It ’ s not known exactly what the hackers were seeking , but experts say it could include nuclear secrets , blueprints for advanced weaponry and information for dossiers on key government and industry leaders .
That means many federal workers — and others in the private sector — will have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spies .
Agencies will often have to conduct sensitive government business on Signal , WhatsApp and other encrypted smartphone apps .
“ We should buckle up .
This will be a long ride , ” said Dmitri Alperovitch , co-founder and former chief technical officer of the leading cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike .
“ Cleanup is just phase one.
” The only way to be sure a network is clean is “ to burn it down to the ground and rebuild it , ” Schneier said .
It ’ s the only way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Imagine a computer network as a mansion you inhabit , and you are certain a serial killer as been there .
“ You don ’ t know if he ’ s gone .
How do you get work done ?
You kind of just hope for the best , ” he said .
Deputy White House press secretary Brian Morgenstern told reporters Friday that national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien has sometimes been leading multiple daily meetings with the FBI , the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community , looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He would not provide details , “ but rest assured we have the best and brightest working hard on it each and every single day.
” President Donald Trump , who has downplayed the Russian cyberthreat after refusing to accept that a Kremlin hack-and-leak operation favored him in the 2016 election , has said nothing publicly about the SolarWinds attack .
But Morgenstern said he has been briefed .
There is little incentive for the White House to disclose which agencies were hacked .
That only helps U.S. adversaries , national security experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so extraordinary is its scale — 18,000 organizations were infected from March to June by malicious code that piggybacked on popular network-management software from an Austin , Texas , company called SolarWinds .
Only a sliver of those infections were activated .
FireEye says it has identified dozens , all “ high-value targets.
” Microsoft , which has helped respond , says it has identified more than 40 government agencies , think tanks , government contractors , non-governmental organizations and technology companies infiltrated by the hackers , 80 % of them in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most prominent Fortune 500 companies , and it ’ s U.S. government clients are rich with generals and spymasters .
Extracting the suspected Russian hackers ’ tool kits from victims is exacerbated by the complexity of SolarWinds ’ platform with its dozen different components .
“ This is like doing heart surgery , to pull this out of a lot of environments , ” said Edward Amoroso , CEO of TAG Cyber .
Security teams then have to assume that the patient is still sick with undetected so-called “ secondary infections ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitoring to make sure the intruders are not still around , sneaking out internal emails and other sensitive data .
That effort will take months , Alperovitch said .
If the hackers are indeed from Russia ’ s SVR foreign intelligence agency , as experts believe , their resistance may be tenacious .
When they hacked the White House , the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department in 2014 and 2015 “ it was a nightmare to get them out , ” Alperovitch said .
“ It was the virtual equivalent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep their footholds , “ to stay buried deep inside ” and move to other parts of the network where “ they thought that they could remain for longer periods of time.
” “ We ’ re likely going to face the same in this situation as well , ” he added .
FireEye executive Charles Carmakal said the intruders are especially skilled at camouflaging their movements .
Their software effectively does what a military spy often does in wartime — hide among the local population , then sneak out at night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really hard to catch some of these , ” he said .
Rob Knake , the White House cybersecurity director from 2011 to 2015 , said the harm to the most critical agencies in the U.S. government — defense and intelligence , chiefly — from the SolarWinds hacking campaign is going to be limited “ as long as there is no evidence that the Russians breached classified networks.
” During the 2014-15 hack , “ we lost access to unclassified networks but were able to move all operations to classified networks with minimal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Pentagon has said it has so far not detected any intrusions from the SolarWinds campaign in any of its networks — classified or unclassified .
The White House has been largely silent .
Given the fierce tenor of cyberespionage — the U.S. , Russia and China all have formidable offensive hacking teams and have been penetrating each others ’ government networks for years — many American officials are wary of putting anything sensitive on government networks .
Fiona Hill , the top Russia expert at the National Security Council during much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always presumed no government system was secure .
She “ tried from the beginning not to put anything down ” in writing that was sensitive .
“ But that makes it more difficult to do business.
” Amoroso , of TAG Cyber , recalled the famous pre-election dispute in 2016 over classified emails sent over a private server set up by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state .
Clinton was investigated by the FBI in the matter , but no charges were brought .
“ I used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russians didn ’ t have Hillary Clinton ’ s email is because she took it off the official State Department network , ” Amoroso said .

It’s going to take months to kick elite hackers widely believed to be Russian out of the U.S. government networks they have been quietly rifling through since as far back as March in Washington’s worst cyberespionage failure on record.
Experts say there simply are not enough skilled threat-hunting teams to identify all the government and private-sector systems that may have been hacked. FireEye, the cybersecurity company that discovered the worst-ever intrusion into U.S. agencies and was among the victims, has already tallied dozens of casualties. It’s racing to identify more.
“We have a serious problem. We don’t know what networks they are in, how deep they are, what access they have, what tools they left,” said Bruce Schneier, a prominent security expert and Harvard fellow.
It’s not known exactly what the hackers were seeking, but experts say it could include nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry and information for dossiers on key government and industry leaders.
That means many federal workers — and others in the private sector — will have to presume that unclassified networks are teeming with spies. Agencies will often have to conduct sensitive government business on Signal, WhatsApp and other encrypted smartphone apps.
“We should buckle up. This will be a long ride,” said Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and former chief technical officer of the leading cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. “Cleanup is just phase one.”
The only way to be sure a network is clean is “to burn it down to the ground and rebuild it,” Schneier said. It’s the only way to be sure an intruder is out.
Imagine a computer network as a mansion you inhabit, and you are certain a serial killer as been there. “You don’t know if he’s gone. How do you get work done? You kind of just hope for the best,” he said.
Deputy White House press secretary Brian Morgenstern told reporters Friday that national security adviser Robert O’Brien has sometimes been leading multiple daily meetings with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community, looking for ways to mitigate the hack.
He would not provide details, “but rest assured we have the best and brightest working hard on it each and every single day.”
President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the Russian cyberthreat after refusing to accept that a Kremlin hack-and-leak operation favored him in the 2016 election, has said nothing publicly about the SolarWinds attack. But Morgenstern said he has been briefed.
There is little incentive for the White House to disclose which agencies were hacked. That only helps U.S. adversaries, national security experts said.
What makes this hacking campaign so extraordinary is its scale — 18,000 organizations were infected from March to June by malicious code that piggybacked on popular network-management software from an Austin, Texas, company called SolarWinds.
Only a sliver of those infections were activated. FireEye says it has identified dozens, all “high-value targets.” Microsoft, which has helped respond, says it has identified more than 40 government agencies, think tanks, government contractors, non-governmental organizations and technology companies infiltrated by the hackers, 80% of them in the United States.
SolarWinds’ customers include most prominent Fortune 500 companies, and it’s U.S. government clients are rich with generals and spymasters.
Extracting the suspected Russian hackers’ tool kits from victims is exacerbated by the complexity of SolarWinds’ platform with its dozen different components.
“This is like doing heart surgery, to pull this out of a lot of environments,” said Edward Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber.
Security teams then have to assume that the patient is still sick with undetected so-called “secondary infections” and set up the cyber equivalent of closed-circuit monitoring to make sure the intruders are not still around, sneaking out internal emails and other sensitive data.
That effort will take months, Alperovitch said.
If the hackers are indeed from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency, as experts believe, their resistance may be tenacious. When they hacked the White House, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department in 2014 and 2015 “it was a nightmare to get them out,” Alperovitch said.
“It was the virtual equivalent of hand-to-hand combat” as defenders sought to keep their footholds, “to stay buried deep inside” and move to other parts of the network where “they thought that they could remain for longer periods of time.”
“We’re likely going to face the same in this situation as well,” he added.
FireEye executive Charles Carmakal said the intruders are especially skilled at camouflaging their movements. Their software effectively does what a military spy often does in wartime — hide among the local population, then sneak out at night and strike.
“It’s really hard to catch some of these,” he said.
Rob Knake, the White House cybersecurity director from 2011 to 2015, said the harm to the most critical agencies in the U.S. government — defense and intelligence, chiefly — from the SolarWinds hacking campaign is going to be limited “as long as there is no evidence that the Russians breached classified networks.”
During the 2014-15 hack, “we lost access to unclassified networks but were able to move all operations to classified networks with minimal disruptions,” he said via email.
The Pentagon has said it has so far not detected any intrusions from the SolarWinds campaign in any of its networks — classified or unclassified.
The White House has been largely silent.
Given the fierce tenor of cyberespionage — the U.S., Russia and China all have formidable offensive hacking teams and have been penetrating each others’ government networks for years — many American officials are wary of putting anything sensitive on government networks.
Fiona Hill, the top Russia expert at the National Security Council during much of the Trump administration, said she always presumed no government system was secure. She “tried from the beginning not to put anything down” in writing that was sensitive.
“But that makes it more difficult to do business.”
Amoroso, of TAG Cyber, recalled the famous pre-election dispute in 2016 over classified emails sent over a private server set up by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state. Clinton was investigated by the FBI in the matter, but no charges were brought.
“I used to make the joke that the reason the Russians didn’t have Hillary Clinton’s email is because she took it off the official State Department network,” Amoroso said.


thedenverpost--2020-12-18--Here are 5 debunked COVID-19 myths that just won’t die

CHICAGO — From speculation that the coronavirus was created in a lab to hoax cures , an overwhelming amount of false information clung to COVID-19 as it circled the globe in 2020 .
Public health officials , fact checkers and doctors tried to quash hundreds of rumors in myriad ways .
But misinformation around the pandemic has endured as vexingly as the virus itself .
And with the U.S. , U.K. and Canada rolling out vaccinations this month , many falsehoods are seeing a resurgence online .
A look at five stubborn myths around COVID-19 that were shared this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they do .
However , mixed messaging early on caused some confusion .
U.S. officials initially told Americans they did not need to wear or buy masks , at a time when there was a shortage of N95 masks for health workers .
They later reversed course , urging the public to wear cloth masks and face coverings outside .
The early messaging gave people “ a little more room to take up these narratives ” against wearing masks , explained Stephanie Edgerly , a communications professor at Northwestern University .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still circulating a video from March of Dr. Anthony Fauci , the U.S. government ’ s top infectious disease expert , saying people “ should not be walking around with masks , ” although he has since urged people to cover their faces in public .
Versions of that clip have been watched millions of times on Facebook , YouTube and Twitter .
Online claims that masks are not an effective form of protection spiked again in October after U.S. President Donald Trump and two U.S. senators contracted COVID-19 during a Rose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm Zignal Labs .
Social media users claimed that the coverings must not be effective because the senators wore masks at some points during the event .
But masks do prevent virus particles from spreading .
Last month , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , which continues to advise Americans to wear masks , cited research that suggested masks can protect the wearer as well as other people .
It was not .
Social media users and fringe websites weaved together a conspiracy theory that the virus was leaked — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lab in Wuhan , China , before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March .
The falsehood was espoused by elected officials , including Trump .
The origins of the virus are far less scandalous : It likely originated in nature .
Bats are thought to be the original or intermediary hosts for several viruses that have triggered recent epidemics , including COVID-19 .
U.S. intelligence agencies also concluded the virus is not man-made .
Yet the conspiracy theory continues to travel online , and made a resurgence in September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Fox News .
MYTH : COVID-19 IS SIMILAR TO THE FLU In fact , COVID-19 has proved to be far deadlier .
Early similarities between the symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza led many to speculate that there was not much difference between the two illnesses .
Social media posts and videos viewed thousands of times online also claim that COVID-19 is no deadlier than the flu .
Trump tweeted a faulty comparison between the flu and COVID-19 in March and October , as states implemented stay-at-home orders .
COVID-19 has been blamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , and has killed roughly 1.5 million worldwide .
By comparison , the CDC estimates there are 12,000 to 61,000 flu-related deaths annually .
COVID-19 symptoms can be far more serious and persist for months .
Health experts have also uncovered a range of bizarre coronavirus symptoms , from brain fog to swollen toes .
They are not .
Social media users began photographing empty hospital waiting rooms earlier this year , claiming few people were sick with COVID-19 .
The photos and videos gained traction with the # FilmYourHospital hashtag , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health officials and politicians were exaggerating COVID-19 ’ s deadly toll .
But fewer people are in waiting areas because hospitals started taking appointments virtually , canceling elective procedures and prohibiting visitors during the pandemic .
This month , a Nevada doctor ’ s selfie at an empty makeshift care site set up to handle additional coronavirus patients was shared online as evidence that hospitals are not full .
However , the photo was taken on Nov. 12 , before the site opened .
It has since served at least 200 patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PLOY TO FORCE GLOBAL VACCINATIONS Anti-vaccine supporters have been pushing this conspiracy theory since January , when some falsely claimed online that the virus had been patented by pharmaceutical companies as a scheme to cash in on the illness .
Some targeted billionaire and vaccine advocate Bill Gates , claiming he was part of a global plan around COVID-19 to microchip billions of people through mass vaccinations .
Gates has not threatened to microchip anyone .
Instead , he suggested creating a database of people who have been inoculated against the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of vaccine development .
A video viewed nearly 100,000 times on social media , for example , falsely claimed pharmaceutical companies skipped animal trials for the vaccines .
In fact , the vaccines were tested on mice and macaques .
The U.K. , Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have authorized Pfizer ’ s coronavirus vaccine .
The FDA will review Moderna ’ s shot Thursday .
Still , only about half of Americans say they are willing to get the vaccine , according to a survey this month by The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ongoing misinformation around the vaccine might drive some of that hesitancy .
“ I don ’ t think it was one myth that caused the problem , ” said Nancy Kass , deputy director for public health at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics .
“ It ’ s the fact that there were many , many , many myths .
”

CHICAGO — From speculation that the coronavirus was created in a lab to hoax cures, an overwhelming amount of false information clung to COVID-19 as it circled the globe in 2020.
Public health officials, fact checkers and doctors tried to quash hundreds of rumors in myriad ways. But misinformation around the pandemic has endured as vexingly as the virus itself. And with the U.S., U.K. and Canada rolling out vaccinations this month, many falsehoods are seeing a resurgence online.
A look at five stubborn myths around COVID-19 that were shared this year and continue to travel:
MYTH: MASKS DON’T OFFER PROTECTION FROM THE VIRUS
In fact, they do.
However, mixed messaging early on caused some confusion. U.S. officials initially told Americans they did not need to wear or buy masks, at a time when there was a shortage of N95 masks for health workers. They later reversed course, urging the public to wear cloth masks and face coverings outside.
The early messaging gave people “a little more room to take up these narratives” against wearing masks, explained Stephanie Edgerly, a communications professor at Northwestern University.
Some social media users, for example, are still circulating a video from March of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, saying people “should not be walking around with masks,” although he has since urged people to cover their faces in public. Versions of that clip have been watched millions of times on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Online claims that masks are not an effective form of protection spiked again in October after U.S. President Donald Trump and two U.S. senators contracted COVID-19 during a Rose Garden ceremony, according to media intelligence firm Zignal Labs. Social media users claimed that the coverings must not be effective because the senators wore masks at some points during the event.
But masks do prevent virus particles from spreading. Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which continues to advise Americans to wear masks, cited research that suggested masks can protect the wearer as well as other people.
MYTH: THE VIRUS WAS MAN-MADE
It was not.
Social media users and fringe websites weaved together a conspiracy theory that the virus was leaked — either accidentally or intentionally — from a lab in Wuhan, China, before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March. The falsehood was espoused by elected officials, including Trump.
The origins of the virus are far less scandalous: It likely originated in nature. Bats are thought to be the original or intermediary hosts for several viruses that have triggered recent epidemics, including COVID-19. U.S. intelligence agencies also concluded the virus is not man-made.
Yet the conspiracy theory continues to travel online, and made a resurgence in September when a Chinese virologist repeated the claim on Fox News.
MYTH: COVID-19 IS SIMILAR TO THE FLU
In fact, COVID-19 has proved to be far deadlier.
Early similarities between the symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza led many to speculate that there was not much difference between the two illnesses. Social media posts and videos viewed thousands of times online also claim that COVID-19 is no deadlier than the flu. Trump tweeted a faulty comparison between the flu and COVID-19 in March and October, as states implemented stay-at-home orders.
COVID-19 has been blamed for more than 300,000 American deaths this year, and has killed roughly 1.5 million worldwide. By comparison, the CDC estimates there are 12,000 to 61,000 flu-related deaths annually.
COVID-19 symptoms can be far more serious and persist for months. Health experts have also uncovered a range of bizarre coronavirus symptoms, from brain fog to swollen toes.
MYTH: OFFICIALS ARE EXAGGERATING COVID-19’S TOLL
They are not.
Social media users began photographing empty hospital waiting rooms earlier this year, claiming few people were sick with COVID-19. The photos and videos gained traction with the #FilmYourHospital hashtag, part of a right-wing conspiracy theory that public health officials and politicians were exaggerating COVID-19’s deadly toll. But fewer people are in waiting areas because hospitals started taking appointments virtually, canceling elective procedures and prohibiting visitors during the pandemic.
This month, a Nevada doctor’s selfie at an empty makeshift care site set up to handle additional coronavirus patients was shared online as evidence that hospitals are not full. However, the photo was taken on Nov. 12, before the site opened. It has since served at least 200 patients.
MYTH: THE VIRUS IS A PLOY TO FORCE GLOBAL VACCINATIONS
That’s not true.
Anti-vaccine supporters have been pushing this conspiracy theory since January, when some falsely claimed online that the virus had been patented by pharmaceutical companies as a scheme to cash in on the illness. Some targeted billionaire and vaccine advocate Bill Gates, claiming he was part of a global plan around COVID-19 to microchip billions of people through mass vaccinations. Gates has not threatened to microchip anyone. Instead, he suggested creating a database of people who have been inoculated against the virus.
Skepticism also has grown around the speed of vaccine development. A video viewed nearly 100,000 times on social media, for example, falsely claimed pharmaceutical companies skipped animal trials for the vaccines. In fact, the vaccines were tested on mice and macaques.
The U.K., Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. The FDA will review Moderna’s shot Thursday.
Still, only about half of Americans say they are willing to get the vaccine, according to a survey this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Ongoing misinformation around the vaccine might drive some of that hesitancy.
“I don’t think it was one myth that caused the problem,” said Nancy Kass, deputy director for public health at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. “It’s the fact that there were many, many, many myths.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-18--As leaders urge Americans to get vaccinated, Colorado’s Ken Buck says he won’t

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said Friday that he will not be taking a COVID-19 vaccine .
“ It is my choice , ” the Windsor Republican told Fox Business Channel .
“ I have the freedom to decide if I ’ m going to take a vaccine or not and in this case I am not going to take the vaccine.
” Government officials in Colorado and elsewhere have urged Americans to take the coronavirus vaccine , which the Trump administration ’ s Operation Warp Speed began distributing this week .
On Friday , Vice President Mike Pence , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on television to raise awareness and confidence in the injection , which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration following clinical trials .
Buck praised the vaccine on social media and in remarks to The Denver Post on Friday , calling it “ great ” and “ an absolute miracle ” that will save lives .
But on Fox Business , he voiced concerns about possible adverse side effects from it .
“ I am more concerned about the safety of the vaccine than I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the congressman said , referring to COVID-19 .
“ I ’ m a healthy person and I think most Americans are healthy , ” Buck added .
“ I think what we should do is we should focus on the at-risk populations in America , make sure those are the people who get this vaccine first , make sure the health care workers that want the vaccine get the vaccine as soon as possible .
But I am not going to take a vaccine.
” In a phone interview after the television @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he spoke to medical professionals before making his decision .
The congressman is a cancer survivor and will turn 62 years old in February .
He added that he wasn ’ t trying to suggest the vaccine is unsafe .
“ What I was trying to say is that every individual should be allowed to weigh various factors.
” State Rep. Kyle Mullica , a Thornton Democrat and emergency room nurse who was vaccinated earlier this week , said Buck ’ s rhetoric harms the efforts of health care workers who are trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It boggles the mind that at a time when elected officials like Ken Buck should be part of the solution in encouraging people to get vaccinated when they are able to , Buck is instead choosing to indulge the anti-science and anti-vaxxer wing of the GOP and spread unfounded fears about the vaccine , ” he said in a statement .
Buck is not the first prominent Colorado Republican to say or suggest he will not receive a COVID-19 vaccine .
Congresswoman-elect Lauren Boebert , a Rifle Republican , told Colorado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was undecided .
“ At this time , I don ’ t see that we are in a class of people that need the vaccination , ” the 34-year-old said of herself and her husband .
“ We are healthy .
We ’ re young .
I am against any sort of government-mandated vaccination .
That ’ s not the proper role of government to force injections of any kind in anyone.
” Buck also opposes government mandates regarding the COVID-19 vaccine , he told The Post on Friday .
He also takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of whom are young and physically fit , receiving a vaccine sooner than constituents .

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said Friday that he will not be taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
“It is my choice,” the Windsor Republican told Fox Business Channel. “I have the freedom to decide if I’m going to take a vaccine or not and in this case I am not going to take the vaccine.”
Government officials in Colorado and elsewhere have urged Americans to take the coronavirus vaccine, which the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed began distributing this week.
On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence, his wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on television to raise awareness and confidence in the injection, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration following clinical trials.
Buck praised the vaccine on social media and in remarks to The Denver Post on Friday, calling it “great” and “an absolute miracle” that will save lives. But on Fox Business, he voiced concerns about possible adverse side effects from it.
“I am more concerned about the safety of the vaccine than I am the side effects of the disease,” the congressman said, referring to COVID-19.
“I’m a healthy person and I think most Americans are healthy,” Buck added. “I think what we should do is we should focus on the at-risk populations in America, make sure those are the people who get this vaccine first, make sure the health care workers that want the vaccine get the vaccine as soon as possible. But I am not going to take a vaccine.”
In a phone interview after the television appearance, Buck told The Post that he spoke to medical professionals before making his decision. The congressman is a cancer survivor and will turn 62 years old in February.
He added that he wasn’t trying to suggest the vaccine is unsafe. “What I was trying to say is that every individual should be allowed to weigh various factors.”
State Rep. Kyle Mullica, a Thornton Democrat and emergency room nurse who was vaccinated earlier this week, said Buck’s rhetoric harms the efforts of health care workers who are trying to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.
“It boggles the mind that at a time when elected officials like Ken Buck should be part of the solution in encouraging people to get vaccinated when they are able to, Buck is instead choosing to indulge the anti-science and anti-vaxxer wing of the GOP and spread unfounded fears about the vaccine,” he said in a statement.
Buck is not the first prominent Colorado Republican to say or suggest he will not receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Congresswoman-elect Lauren Boebert, a Rifle Republican, told Colorado Public Radio on Dec. 9 that she was undecided.
“At this time, I don’t see that we are in a class of people that need the vaccination,” the 34-year-old said of herself and her husband. “We are healthy. We’re young. I am against any sort of government-mandated vaccination. That’s not the proper role of government to force injections of any kind in anyone.”
Buck also opposes government mandates regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, he told The Post on Friday. He also takes issue with members of Congress, some of whom are young and physically fit, receiving a vaccine sooner than constituents.


thedenverpost--2020-12-18--Weak winter tourism hiring snaps a six-month streak of job gains in Colorado

A six-month streak of job gains in Colorado ended last month and more losses are expected as tighter restrictions to combat a rising wave of COVID-19 infections start to weigh more heavily on the economy .
“ The economy stalled abruptly .
It is like running a marathon and hitting the wall at mile 21 , ” said Broomfield economist Gary Horvath .
He predicts more job declines will come in December and into the first quarter , adding “ there are problems with our economy that can not be fixed overnight.
” Nonfarm jobs in the state declined by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seasonally-adjusted basis , marking the first time employment fell since April , when 325,800 jobs were lost , according to a monthly update from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment .
Private-sector employment decreased by 5,900 , while government employment fell by 1,000 jobs .
Employers were surveyed on the week that includes Nov. 12 , ahead of the stricter Level Red restrictions that came down in Denver and 14 other counties on Nov. 20 , said Ryan Gedney , a senior economist at CDLE .
Most of the weakness in hiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Front Range , with hiring for the winter tourism season much less robust than in past years .
“ If you look at the metro areas , it seems positive .
It is the balance of the state that shouldered those job losses , ” he said .
Foreshadowing even bigger losses down the road , requests to receive unemployment benefits have surged since the middle of November as restaurants lost indoor dining and hotels saw bookings reverse course .
The state unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4 % , the third month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 11.2 % ) , Pitkin ( 10.2 % ) , Huerfano ( 8.7 % ) , Pueblo ( 8.3 % ) , and Eagle ( 7.8 % ) counties had the highest unemployment rates in the state last month .
The biggest monthly job losses on a seasonally-adjusted basis in November came in leisure and hospitality , down by 6,400 jobs ; education and health services , down by 3,800 ; and financial activities , down by 2,000 .
The sectors with continued momentum were professional and business services , up 3,300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ utilities or TTU , up by 1,100 .
Retailers ramped up hiring for the holiday season and distribution facilities hired more staff to help with the crush of online orders , boosting the counts in trade and transportation .
Colorado gained jobs in January , suffered unprecedented losses from February to April , and then was gaining them back until November .
Of the 342,300 nonfarm jobs lost during the first wave of the pandemic , the state has managed to recover 209,600 , which represents a recovery rate of 61.2 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of 55.6 % .

A six-month streak of job gains in Colorado ended last month and more losses are expected as tighter restrictions to combat a rising wave of COVID-19 infections start to weigh more heavily on the economy.
“The economy stalled abruptly. It is like running a marathon and hitting the wall at mile 21,” said Broomfield economist Gary Horvath. He predicts more job declines will come in December and into the first quarter, adding “there are problems with our economy that cannot be fixed overnight.”
Nonfarm jobs in the state declined by 6,900 between October and November on a seasonally-adjusted basis, marking the first time employment fell since April, when 325,800 jobs were lost, according to a monthly update from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Private-sector employment decreased by 5,900, while government employment fell by 1,000 jobs.
Employers were surveyed on the week that includes Nov. 12, ahead of the stricter Level Red restrictions that came down in Denver and 14 other counties on Nov. 20, said Ryan Gedney, a senior economist at CDLE. Most of the weakness in hiring in November came from outside the northern Front Range, with hiring for the winter tourism season much less robust than in past years.
“If you look at the metro areas, it seems positive. It is the balance of the state that shouldered those job losses,” he said.
Foreshadowing even bigger losses down the road, requests to receive unemployment benefits have surged since the middle of November as restaurants lost indoor dining and hotels saw bookings reverse course.
The state unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4%, the third month it has stayed there. San Miguel (11.2%), Pitkin (10.2%), Huerfano (8.7%), Pueblo (8.3%), and Eagle (7.8%) counties had the highest unemployment rates in the state last month.
The biggest monthly job losses on a seasonally-adjusted basis in November came in leisure and hospitality, down by 6,400 jobs; education and health services, down by 3,800; and financial activities, down by 2,000. The sectors with continued momentum were professional and business services, up 3,300 jobs, and trade, transportation and utilities or TTU, up by 1,100.
Retailers ramped up hiring for the holiday season and distribution facilities hired more staff to help with the crush of online orders, boosting the counts in trade and transportation.
Colorado gained jobs in January, suffered unprecedented losses from February to April, and then was gaining them back until November. Of the 342,300 nonfarm jobs lost during the first wave of the pandemic, the state has managed to recover 209,600, which represents a recovery rate of 61.2%. Gedney said that exceeds the U.S. recovery rate of 55.6%.


thedenverpost--2020-12-18--Congress averts shutdown; fight continues over pandemic aid

WASHINGTON — Congress passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night , averting a partial government shutdown and buying yet more time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $ 1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package .
The virus aid talks remained on track , both sides said , but closing out final disagreements was proving difficult .
Weekend sessions were on tap , and House leaders hoped for a vote on Sunday on the massive package , which wraps much of Capitol Hill ’ s unfinished 2020 business into a take-it-or-leave-it behemoth that promises to be a foot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed the temporary funding bill by a 320-60 vote .
The Senate approved it by voice vote almost immediately afterward , sending it to President Donald Trump .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , said both sides remain intent on closing the deal , even as Democrats launched a concerted campaign to block an effort by Republicans to rein in emergency Federal Reserve lending powers .
The Democrats said the GOP proposal would deprive President-elect Joe Biden of crucial tools to manage the economy .
Negotiations continued into Friday night but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday , lawmakers and aides said .
House lawmakers were told they wouldn ’ t have to report to work on Saturday but that a Sunday session was likely .
The Senate will be voting on nominations .
The $ 900 billion package comes as the pandemic is delivering its most fearsome surge yet , killing more than 3,000 victims per day and straining the nation ’ s health care system .
While vaccines are on the way , most people won ’ t get them for months .
Jobless claims are on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver more than $ 300 billion in aid to businesses and provide the jobless a $ 300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit and renewal of state benefits that would otherwise expire right after Christmas .
It also includes $ 600 direct payments to individuals ; vaccine distribution funds and money for renters , schools , the Postal Service and people needing food aid .
Democrats on Friday came out swinging at a key obstacle : a provision by conservative Sen. Pat Toomey , R-Pa. , that would close down more than $ 400 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under a relief bill in March .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is shutting down the programs at the end of December , but Toomey ’ s language goes further , by barring the Fed from restarting the lending next year , and Democrats say the provision would tie Biden ’ s hands and put the economy at risk .
“ As we navigate through an unprecedented economic crisis , it is in the interests of the American people to maintain the Fed ’ s ability to respond quickly and forcefully , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Undermining that authority could mean less lending to Main Street businesses , higher unemployment and greater economic pain across the nation.
” The Fed programs at issue provided loans to small and mid-sized businesses and bought state and local government bonds , making it easier for those governments to borrow , at a time when their finances are under pressure from the pandemic .
The Fed would need the support of the Treasury Department to restart the programs , which Biden ’ s Treasury secretary nominee , Janet Yellen , a former Fed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could also provide funds to backstop those programs without congressional approval and could ease the lending requirements .
That could encourage more lending under the programs , which have seen only limited use so far .
Friday opened on an optimistic note after the talks appeared stalled for much of Thursday .
The pending bill is the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act passed virtually unanimously in March , delivering $ 1.8 trillion in aid , more generous $ 600 per week bonus jobless benefits and $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 package would be added to a $ 1.4 trillion governmentwide appropriations bill that would fund federal agencies through next September .
That measure is likely to provide a last $ 1.4 billion installment for Trump ’ s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature .
For Republicans , the most important COVID-19 aid provision was a long-sought second round of “ paycheck protection ” payments to especially hard-hit businesses and renewal of soon-to-expire state jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed .
Democrats have been denied fiscal relief for states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they won a supplemental COVID-19 unemployment benefit that was only half the size of what the CARES Act delivered .
Democrats also won $ 25 billion to help struggling renters with their payments and $ 45 billion for airlines and transit systems , but some critics on the left said Democratic negotiators were getting outmaneuvered .
Indeed , McConnell has been in the catbird ’ s seat since Senate Republicans outperformed expectations in November while House Democrats barely held their majority .
Preelection Democratic demands for a bill exceeding $ 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half .
Still , Biden is pressing for an agreement , fearing a weakening economy will await him on Inauguration Day .
Biden is promising another bill next year , but if Democrats lose Georgia Senate runoff elections next month and fail to win the Senate majority , they may have little leverage .
Most economists , including Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell , strongly support additional economic stimulus as necessary to keep businesses and households afloat through what is widely anticipated to be a tough winter .
Many forecast the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2021 without more help .
Standard & Poor ’ s said in a report Tuesday that the economy would be 1.5 percentage points smaller in 2021 without more aid .

WASHINGTON — Congress passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night, averting a partial government shutdown and buying yet more time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package.
The virus aid talks remained on track, both sides said, but closing out final disagreements was proving difficult. Weekend sessions were on tap, and House leaders hoped for a vote on Sunday on the massive package, which wraps much of Capitol Hill’s unfinished 2020 business into a take-it-or-leave-it behemoth that promises to be a foot thick — or more.
The House passed the temporary funding bill by a 320-60 vote. The Senate approved it by voice vote almost immediately afterward, and President Donald Trump signed it late Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said both sides remain intent on closing the deal, even as Democrats launched a concerted campaign to block an effort by Republicans to rein in emergency Federal Reserve lending powers. The Democrats said the GOP proposal would deprive President-elect Joe Biden of crucial tools to manage the economy.
Negotiations continued into Friday night but an agreement wasn’t likely before Saturday, lawmakers and aides said. House lawmakers were told they wouldn’t have to report to work on Saturday but that a Sunday session was likely. The Senate will be voting on nominations.
The $900 billion package comes as the pandemic is delivering its most fearsome surge yet, killing more than 3,000 victims per day and straining the nation’s health care system. While vaccines are on the way, most people won’t get them for months. Jobless claims are on the rise.
The emerging agreement would deliver more than $300 billion in aid to businesses and provide the jobless a $300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit and renewal of state benefits that would otherwise expire right after Christmas. It also includes $600 direct payments to individuals; vaccine distribution funds and money for renters, schools, the Postal Service and people needing food aid.
Democrats on Friday came out swinging at a key obstacle: a provision by conservative Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., that would close down more than $400 billion in potential Federal Reserve lending powers established under a relief bill in March. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is shutting down the programs at the end of December, but Toomey’s language goes further, by barring the Fed from restarting the lending next year, and Democrats say the provision would tie Biden’s hands and put the economy at risk.
“As we navigate through an unprecedented economic crisis, it is in the interests of the American people to maintain the Fed’s ability to respond quickly and forcefully,” said Biden economic adviser Brian Deese. “Undermining that authority could mean less lending to Main Street businesses, higher unemployment and greater economic pain across the nation.”
The Fed programs at issue provided loans to small and mid-sized businesses and bought state and local government bonds, making it easier for those governments to borrow, at a time when their finances are under pressure from the pandemic.
The Fed would need the support of the Treasury Department to restart the programs, which Biden’s Treasury secretary nominee, Janet Yellen, a former Fed chair, would likely provide. Treasury could also provide funds to backstop those programs without congressional approval and could ease the lending requirements. That could encourage more lending under the programs, which have seen only limited use so far.
Friday opened on an optimistic note after the talks appeared stalled for much of Thursday.
The pending bill is the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act passed virtually unanimously in March, delivering $1.8 trillion in aid, more generous $600 per week bonus jobless benefits and $1,200 direct payments to individuals.
The COVID-19 package would be added to a $1.4 trillion governmentwide appropriations bill that would fund federal agencies through next September. That measure is likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.
For Republicans, the most important COVID-19 aid provision was a long-sought second round of “paycheck protection” payments to especially hard-hit businesses and renewal of soon-to-expire state jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.
Democrats have been denied fiscal relief for states and local governments, a top priority, and they won a supplemental COVID-19 unemployment benefit that was only half the size of what the CARES Act delivered. Democrats also won $25 billion to help struggling renters with their payments and $45 billion for airlines and transit systems, but some critics on the left said Democratic negotiators were getting outmaneuvered.
Indeed, McConnell has been in the catbird’s seat since Senate Republicans outperformed expectations in November while House Democrats barely held their majority. Preelection Democratic demands for a bill exceeding $2 trillion were quickly cut by more than half. Still, Biden is pressing for an agreement, fearing a weakening economy will await him on Inauguration Day.
Biden is promising another bill next year, but if Democrats lose Georgia Senate runoff elections next month and fail to win the Senate majority, they may have little leverage.
Most economists, including Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell, strongly support additional economic stimulus as necessary to keep businesses and households afloat through what is widely anticipated to be a tough winter. Many forecast the economy could shrink in the first three months of 2021 without more help. Standard & Poor’s said in a report Tuesday that the economy would be 1.5 percentage points smaller in 2021 without more aid.


thedenverpost--2020-12-18--Biden may time confirmation votes to protect House majority

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden ’ s decision to tap several House Democrats for administrative positions is putting Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a politically tough spot , having chiseled away at the party ’ s already slimming majority and leaving her potentially without enough votes to pass his legislative agenda .
Democrats already were heading into the new Congress with a razor-thin margin over Republicans .
But Biden ’ s overture to a third lawmaker , Rep. Deb Haaland , D-N.M. , as the history-making first Native American interior secretary , set off a fresh round of pained conversations on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Biden era with a narrow majority , 222-211 , with a few races still undecided .
“ We need to manage something like this , ” Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina , the Democratic whip and a top Biden ally , said in an interview with The Associated Press this week .
According to Clyburn , an emerging strategy is to stagger the confirmations : Biden would hold off on formally submitting the nominations all at once so the House numbers don ’ t immediately drop .
Under the plan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months of the new Congress , ample time for the House to pass the 100-days agenda , a typically important but symbolic , legislative sprint that takes on new importance aligned with Biden ’ s presidency .
Biden ’ s first pick from the House , Rep. Cedric Richmond , D-La.
, would join the administration quickly once the president-elect is inaugurated Jan. 20 , Clyburn said .
Richmond is poised to become a senior adviser , a position that doesn ’ t require confirmation by the Senate .
Biden would then wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Haaland and Rep. Marcia Fudge , D-Ohio , who was tapped as housing secretary , until after the March special election in Louisiana to fill Richmond ’ s seat .
The lawmakers can remain in the House , voting as members , until they are Senate confirmed .
Their nominations could be sent one after the other , in the months that follow .
The three House seats are in Democratic strongholds and expected to be off-limits to Republicans .
But special elections can throw curveballs , and the staggered timing would also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shore up the candidates and races .
Democrats are already deep into political soul-searching after a dismal November outcome for House Democrats .
Biden ’ s victory had short coattails as they lost seats and saw their majority shrink .
Moderate lawmakers and strategists blamed progressives for pushing the party ’ s message too far leftward ; progressives complained it was centrists who ran timid campaigns without a bold message to attract voters .
Pelosi is a master vote counter on the House floor , but even her skills will be tested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own election for another term as speaker .
If even a few Democratic lawmakers object or peel off , passing bills in the new Congress could be difficult .
In an extreme scenario , Republicans could even try to wrest control of the gavel and the majority .
If the numbers dipped so low — with illnesses or other absences , which are likely during the COVID-19 crisis — Republicans could try to force a floor vote on the issue .
Rep. Tom Cole , R-Okla. , said Friday that the departures of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divisions among Democrats to make governing “ very hard ” for Pelosi .
“ On any given vote when your margin is as narrow as this , a few people can be mad about something totally unrelated to the vote and just take it out on you , ” Cole said .
The danger zone was close enough that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer warned Biden last month off taking any more Democrats from his ranks .
“ I thought it would be difficult if , in fact , members of the Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week .
“ The margin was very close.
” A similar scenario has played out in the Senate , where Biden has refrained from naming senators to administrative positions because of the narrow GOP hold .
The Senate breakdown will be 50-48 when the new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3 , with the majority not yet decided until two Jan. 5 run-off elections in Georgia .
In some ways , the closely split House could provide an opportunity for Biden to reach across the aisle and try to cut bipartisan deals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some Republicans .
But so far , House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has signaled movement in the opposite direction .
He wants to use floor procedures as political weaponry to gum up the bills with Republican priorities and force vulnerable Democrats into tough votes .
Republicans used the strategy with some success in the current session of Congress , producing campaign ads against Democrats seeking reelection .
McCarthy , his own shot at seizing the majority for Republicans in 2022 now within reached , warned shortly after the November election there would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said while Republicans won ’ t have the majority in the new year , they will “ run the floor.
” To block those efforts , Democrats are considering rules changes proposed by Rep. Stephanie Murphy , D-Fla. , that would raise the threshold on those votes to a two-thirds majority to make it more difficult for Republicans to change the bills .
Yet the first legislation of the new Congress may not be too difficult for Pelosi to pass , even with a slimmer majority .
The agenda is likely to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – the first nine bills of the last Congress — popular Democratic measures on voting rights , lowering prescription drug prices , raising the minimum wage and requiring background checks for gun purchases that most Democrats have already voted for .
Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to tap several House Democrats for administrative positions is putting Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a politically tough spot, having chiseled away at the party’s already slimming majority and leaving her potentially without enough votes to pass his legislative agenda.
Democrats already were heading into the new Congress with a razor-thin margin over Republicans. But Biden’s overture to a third lawmaker, Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., as the history-making first Native American interior secretary, set off a fresh round of pained conversations on what to do. Pelosi will start the Biden era with a narrow majority, 222-211, with a few races still undecided.
But Pelosi’s leadership team has a plan.
“We need to manage something like this,” Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the Democratic whip and a top Biden ally, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week.
According to Clyburn, an emerging strategy is to stagger the confirmations: Biden would hold off on formally submitting the nominations all at once so the House numbers don’t immediately drop.
Under the plan, timing would unfold over the first several months of the new Congress, ample time for the House to pass the 100-days agenda, a typically important but symbolic, legislative sprint that takes on new importance aligned with Biden’s presidency.
Biden’s first pick from the House, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., would join the administration quickly once the president-elect is inaugurated Jan. 20, Clyburn said. Richmond is poised to become a senior adviser, a position that doesn’t require confirmation by the Senate.
Biden would then wait to submit the other two nominees, Haaland and Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who was tapped as housing secretary, until after the March special election in Louisiana to fill Richmond’s seat.
The lawmakers can remain in the House, voting as members, until they are Senate confirmed. Their nominations could be sent one after the other, in the months that follow.
“Just manage it,” Clyburn said.
The three House seats are in Democratic strongholds and expected to be off-limits to Republicans. But special elections can throw curveballs, and the staggered timing would also give the campaigns ample running room to shore up the candidates and races.
Democrats are already deep into political soul-searching after a dismal November outcome for House Democrats. Biden’s victory had short coattails as they lost seats and saw their majority shrink.
Moderate lawmakers and strategists blamed progressives for pushing the party’s message too far leftward; progressives complained it was centrists who ran timid campaigns without a bold message to attract voters.
Pelosi is a master vote counter on the House floor, but even her skills will be tested in the new Congress, starting with her own election for another term as speaker. If even a few Democratic lawmakers object or peel off, passing bills in the new Congress could be difficult.
In an extreme scenario, Republicans could even try to wrest control of the gavel and the majority. If the numbers dipped so low — with illnesses or other absences, which are likely during the COVID-19 crisis — Republicans could try to force a floor vote on the issue.
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Friday that the departures of the three lawmakers would combine with existing divisions among Democrats to make governing “very hard” for Pelosi.
“On any given vote when your margin is as narrow as this, a few people can be mad about something totally unrelated to the vote and just take it out on you,” Cole said.
The danger zone was close enough that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer warned Biden last month off taking any more Democrats from his ranks.
“I thought it would be difficult if, in fact, members of the Congress were selected,” Hoyer told reporters this week. “The margin was very close.”
A similar scenario has played out in the Senate, where Biden has refrained from naming senators to administrative positions because of the narrow GOP hold.
The Senate breakdown will be 50-48 when the new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3, with the majority not yet decided until two Jan. 5 run-off elections in Georgia.
In some ways, the closely split House could provide an opportunity for Biden to reach across the aisle and try to cut bipartisan deals with a centrist agenda that could attract some Republicans.
But so far, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has signaled movement in the opposite direction. He wants to use floor procedures as political weaponry to gum up the bills with Republican priorities and force vulnerable Democrats into tough votes.
Republicans used the strategy with some success in the current session of Congress, producing campaign ads against Democrats seeking reelection. McCarthy, his own shot at seizing the majority for Republicans in 2022 now within reached, warned shortly after the November election there would be more floor battles to come.
McCarthy said while Republicans won’t have the majority in the new year, they will “run the floor.”
To block those efforts, Democrats are considering rules changes proposed by Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., that would raise the threshold on those votes to a two-thirds majority to make it more difficult for Republicans to change the bills.
Yet the first legislation of the new Congress may not be too difficult for Pelosi to pass, even with a slimmer majority.
The agenda is likely to be rooted in H.R. 1 through H.R.9 – the first nine bills of the last Congress — popular Democratic measures on voting rights, lowering prescription drug prices, raising the minimum wage and requiring background checks for gun purchases that most Democrats have already voted for.
Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-12-18--U.S. clears Moderna vaccine for COVID-19, 2nd shot in arsenal

WASHINGTON — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday , boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day .
Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health .
The move marks the world ’ s first authorization for Moderna ’ s shots .
The vaccine is very similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany ’ s BioNTech that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care workers and nursing home residents as the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history starts to ramp up .
The two work “ better than we almost dared to hope , ” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press .
“ Science is working here , science has done something amazing.
” Early results of large , still unfinished studies show both vaccines appear safe and strongly protective although Moderna ’ s is easier to handle since it doesn ’ t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures .
A second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despair as the virus continues to spread unabated even before holiday gatherings that are certain to further fuel the outbreak .
The scourge has claimed more than 312,000 U.S. lives and killed 1.7 million people worldwide .
New cases in the U.S. are running at over 216,000 per day on average .
Deaths per day have hit all-time highs , eclipsing 3,600 on Wednesday .
California has emerged as one of the most lethal hot spots , with hospitals running out of intensive care beds and ambulances lining up outside emergency rooms in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City last spring .
California on Friday reported over 41,000 new cases and 300 more deaths .
When New York ’ s hospitals were in crisis , health care workers from across the country came to help out .
This time , “ there ’ s no cavalry coming ” because so many hospitals are swamped , said Dr. Marc Futernick , an emergency room physician in Los Angeles .
The nation is scrambling to expand vaccinations as rapidly as Moderna and Pfizer can churn out doses .
Moderna ’ s is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s starts at age 16 .
It ’ s just the beginning of “ what we hope will be a big push to get this terrible virus behind us , although it will take many more months to get to all Americans , ” Collins said .
Even with additional candidates in the pipeline , there won ’ t be enough for the general population until spring , and shots will be rationed in the meantime .
And while health workers are enthusiastically embracing vaccination , authorities worry the public may need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in line when it ’ s their turn .
“ Frankly if we don ’ t succeed in getting 80 % or so of Americans immunized against COVID-19 by the middle of this 2021 year , we have the risk that this epidemic could go on and on and on , ” Collins said .
He is especially concerned that accurate information about the shots ’ value reaches communities of color , which have been hard-hit by COVID-19 yet also are wary after years of health care disparities and research abuses .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Mike Pence received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on live TV Friday , along with Surgeon General Jerome Adams .
FDA ’ s decision could help pave the way for other countries that are considering the Moderna vaccine , the first-ever regulatory clearance for the small Cambridge , Massachusetts , company .
European regulators could authorize its use as soon as Jan. 6 .
Britain , Canada and a few other countries already have cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech shot , with a European Union decision due Monday .
“ What we want to always remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We want to have options , ” said Dr. Paul Duprex of the University of Pittsburgh .
Moderna has about 5.9 million doses ready for shipment set to begin over the weekend , according to Operation Warp Speed , the government ’ s vaccine development program .
Injections of health workers and nursing home residents continue next week , before other essential workers and vulnerable groups are allowed to get in line .
Both Moderna ’ s and Pfizer-BioNTech ’ s shots are so-called mRNA vaccines , made with a groundbreaking new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any coronavirus – meaning they can not cause infection .
Instead , they use a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus , ready to attack if the real thing comes along .
Their development less than a year after the coronavirus first emerged set a speed record , but Collins stressed that shouldn ’ t worry people .
The speed was due to billions in company and government investments paired with years of earlier scientific research , not any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the analysis of these vaccines is unprecedented , ” Collins said .
“ We ’ re not done with this but hope is on the way , and the hope comes from this scientific brain trust that has pulled out all the stops.
” Experts are hoping the two vaccines together will “ break the back of the pandemic ” when combined with masks and other precautions , said Dr. Arnold Monto of the University of Michigan , who chaired an advisory committee that publicly debated the shots ’ evidence ahead of FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart .
The second dose must be from the same company as the first .
–In a study of 30,000 volunteers , the Moderna vaccine was more than 94 % effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in people 18 and older .
It also strongly protected older adults , who are most vulnerable .
–The inoculated can ’ t throw away their masks as it ’ s not yet clear either vaccine prevents silent , symptomless virus spread .
But there was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide some protection against asymptomatic infection .
–The Moderna study uncovered no major safety problems .
Like with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot , expect sore arms , fever , fatigue and muscle aches , which are signs the immune system is revving up .
–Moderna ’ s study turned up no severe allergic reactions , like the handful reported with the Pfizer-BioNTech shots in Britain and Alaska .
The vaccines ’ ingredients aren ’ t identical .
Still , after any COVID-19 vaccination , people should stick around for 15 minutes – or 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe allergies – so if they do have a reaction , it can be treated immediately .
–Both vaccines remain experimental , and the government is closely monitoring safety in case rare problems crop up .
–Additional studies are needed to tell if the vaccine should be used by children and pregnant women .
Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin contributed to this report from Orange County , California .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on coronavirus in Colorado .

WASHINGTON — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day.
Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.
The move marks the world’s first authorization for Moderna’s shots. The vaccine is very similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that’s now being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents as the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history starts to ramp up.
The two work “better than we almost dared to hope,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press. “Science is working here, science has done something amazing.”
Early results of large, still unfinished studies show both vaccines appear safe and strongly protective although Moderna’s is easier to handle since it doesn’t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures.
A second vaccine represents a ray of hope amid despair as the virus continues to spread unabated even before holiday gatherings that are certain to further fuel the outbreak.
The scourge has claimed more than 312,000 U.S. lives and killed 1.7 million people worldwide. New cases in the U.S. are running at over 216,000 per day on average. Deaths per day have hit all-time highs, eclipsing 3,600 on Wednesday.
California has emerged as one of the most lethal hot spots, with hospitals running out of intensive care beds and ambulances lining up outside emergency rooms in scenes reminiscent of the calamity around New York City last spring. California on Friday reported over 41,000 new cases and 300 more deaths.
When New York’s hospitals were in crisis, health care workers from across the country came to help out. This time, “there’s no cavalry coming” because so many hospitals are swamped, said Dr. Marc Futernick, an emergency room physician in Los Angeles.
The nation is scrambling to expand vaccinations as rapidly as Moderna and Pfizer can churn out doses. Moderna’s is for people 18 and older, Pfizer’s starts at age 16.
It’s just the beginning of “what we hope will be a big push to get this terrible virus behind us, although it will take many more months to get to all Americans,” Collins said.
Even with additional candidates in the pipeline, there won’t be enough for the general population until spring, and shots will be rationed in the meantime. And while health workers are enthusiastically embracing vaccination, authorities worry the public may need more reassurance to ensure more people get in line when it’s their turn.
“Frankly if we don’t succeed in getting 80% or so of Americans immunized against COVID-19 by the middle of this 2021 year, we have the risk that this epidemic could go on and on and on,” Collins said.
He is especially concerned that accurate information about the shots’ value reaches communities of color, which have been hard-hit by COVID-19 yet also are wary after years of health care disparities and research abuses.
To try to help instill confidence, Vice President Mike Pence received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on live TV Friday, along with Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
FDA’s decision could help pave the way for other countries that are considering the Moderna vaccine, the first-ever regulatory clearance for the small Cambridge, Massachusetts, company. European regulators could authorize its use as soon as Jan. 6. Britain, Canada and a few other countries already have cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, with a European Union decision due Monday.
“What we want to always remember is one size does not fit all. We want to have options,” said Dr. Paul Duprex of the University of Pittsburgh.
Moderna has about 5.9 million doses ready for shipment set to begin over the weekend, according to Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccine development program. Injections of health workers and nursing home residents continue next week, before other essential workers and vulnerable groups are allowed to get in line.
Both Moderna’s and Pfizer-BioNTech’s shots are so-called mRNA vaccines, made with a groundbreaking new technology. They don’t contain any coronavirus – meaning they cannot cause infection. Instead, they use a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus, ready to attack if the real thing comes along.
Their development less than a year after the coronavirus first emerged set a speed record, but Collins stressed that shouldn’t worry people. The speed was due to billions in company and government investments paired with years of earlier scientific research, not any cut corners.
“The rigor of the analysis of these vaccines is unprecedented,” Collins said. “We’re not done with this but hope is on the way, and the hope comes from this scientific brain trust that has pulled out all the stops.”
Experts are hoping the two vaccines together will “break the back of the pandemic” when combined with masks and other precautions, said Dr. Arnold Monto of the University of Michigan, who chaired an advisory committee that publicly debated the shots’ evidence ahead of FDA’s decisions.
The FDA’s main messages:
–Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first.
–In a study of 30,000 volunteers, the Moderna vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in people 18 and older. It also strongly protected older adults, who are most vulnerable.
–The inoculated can’t throw away their masks as it’s not yet clear either vaccine prevents silent, symptomless virus spread. But there was a hint that Moderna’s shot might provide some protection against asymptomatic infection.
–The Moderna study uncovered no major safety problems. Like with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, expect sore arms, fever, fatigue and muscle aches, which are signs the immune system is revving up.
–Moderna’s study turned up no severe allergic reactions, like the handful reported with the Pfizer-BioNTech shots in Britain and Alaska. The vaccines’ ingredients aren’t identical. Still, after any COVID-19 vaccination, people should stick around for 15 minutes – or 30 minutes if they have a history of severe allergies – so if they do have a reaction, it can be treated immediately.
–Both vaccines remain experimental, and the government is closely monitoring safety in case rare problems crop up.
–Additional studies are needed to tell if the vaccine should be used by children and pregnant women.
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Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin contributed to this report from Orange County, California.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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thedenverpost--2020-12-18--Lawyers: Second U.S. inmate scheduled to be executed has COVID-19

CHICAGO — A second federal inmate scheduled to be put to death next month in a series of executions by the Trump administration has tested positive for COVID-19 , his lawyers said Friday .
The diagnosis of Corey Johnson , who was convicted of killing seven people related to his drug trafficking in Virginia , comes a day after attorneys for Dustin John Higgs confirmed he tested positive at a U.S. prison in Terre Haute , Indiana , where both men are on death row .
Johnson , Higgs and a a third inmate , Lisa Montgomery , are scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injection at a death chamber at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office .
Johnson ’ s lawyers , Donald Salzman and Ronald Tabak , called on federal authorities to strike their client ’ s current execution date of Jan. 14 .
Higgs is scheduled to die a day later .
Montgomery ’ s execution date is Jan. 12 , but because she is the only woman on federal death row she is currently held at a separate prison for female inmates in Texas but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be executed .
Johnson ’ s attorneys said his infection would make it difficult to interact with him in the critical days leading up to his scheduled execution , adding that “ the widespread outbreak on the federal death row only confirms the reckless disregard for the lives and safety of staff , prisoners , and attorneys alike.
” “ If the government will not withdraw the execution date , we will ask the courts to intervene , ” they said .
The Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons did not immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged that Johnson was one of three crack cocaine dealers who carried out a string of murders and that he killed seven people in 1992 in an attempt to expand the territory of a Richmond , Virginia , gang and silence informants .
His legal team has argued that he is intellectually disabled , with a far-below average IQ , and therefore ineligible for the death penalty .
Higgs was convicted of ordering the 1996 murders of three women in Maryland .
Montgomery was convicted of using a rope to strangle a pregnant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from the womb , authorities said .
She would be the first woman executed federally in more than half a century .
The Trump administration resumed federal executions after a 17-year pause in July , carrying out 10 death sentences since then , including two last week .
It has executed more people in a single year than any other administration in more than 130 years .
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that inmates held on federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Confinement Unit — have tested positive for COVID-19 .
As of Thursday , there were more than 300 inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 at FCC Terre Haute .
The Bureau of Prisons said “ many of these inmates are asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms.
” Nationwide , one in every five state and federal prisoners has tested positive for the coronavirus , a rate more than four times as high as the general population , according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project .

CHICAGO — A second federal inmate scheduled to be put to death next month in a series of executions by the Trump administration has tested positive for COVID-19, his lawyers said Friday.
The diagnosis of Corey Johnson, who was convicted of killing seven people related to his drug trafficking in Virginia, comes a day after attorneys for Dustin John Higgs confirmed he tested positive at a U.S. prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where both men are on death row.
Johnson, Higgs and a a third inmate, Lisa Montgomery, are scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at a death chamber at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Johnson’s lawyers, Donald Salzman and Ronald Tabak, called on federal authorities to strike their client’s current execution date of Jan. 14. Higgs is scheduled to die a day later. Montgomery’s execution date is Jan. 12, but because she is the only woman on federal death row she is currently held at a separate prison for female inmates in Texas but would need to be brought to Indiana to be executed.
Johnson’s attorneys said his infection would make it difficult to interact with him in the critical days leading up to his scheduled execution, adding that “the widespread outbreak on the federal death row only confirms the reckless disregard for the lives and safety of staff, prisoners, and attorneys alike.”
“If the government will not withdraw the execution date, we will ask the courts to intervene,” they said.
The Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors alleged that Johnson was one of three crack cocaine dealers who carried out a string of murders and that he killed seven people in 1992 in an attempt to expand the territory of a Richmond, Virginia, gang and silence informants. His legal team has argued that he is intellectually disabled, with a far-below average IQ, and therefore ineligible for the death penalty.
Higgs was convicted of ordering the 1996 murders of three women in Maryland. Montgomery was convicted of using a rope to strangle a pregnant woman in 2004 and then using a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from the womb, authorities said. She would be the first woman executed federally in more than half a century.
The Trump administration resumed federal executions after a 17-year pause in July, carrying out 10 death sentences since then, including two last week. It has executed more people in a single year than any other administration in more than 130 years.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that inmates held on federal death row — known as the Special Confinement Unit — have tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Thursday, there were more than 300 inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 at FCC Terre Haute. The Bureau of Prisons said “many of these inmates are asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms.”
Nationwide, one in every five state and federal prisoners has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population, according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project.
Balsamo reported from Washington.


thedenverpost--2020-12-19--With decision looming, Colorado presses outgoing commander in chief to keep Space Command in state

A decision is expected in January on the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command , and Gov .
Jared Polis along with more than 600 of the state ’ s political , business , civic and military leaders are making another pitch to the outgoing commander in chief to choose Colorado .
A letter sent Friday to President Donald Trump said Colorado is “ the epicenter of national security space and the only permanent home for U.S. Space Command.
” Earlier this year , Peterson Air Force base in Colorado Springs was named the Space Command ’ s provisional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November was named one of six finalists to be the permanent site .
It has been home to the Air Force Space Command since 1982 .
“ Colorado provides the existing command structure , base infrastructure , and communications platforms necessary to successfully host additional national security initiatives and ensure coordination of efforts without committing restrictive additional funds , ” said the letter , signed by elected officials , business people and military officials across the state .
Colorado ’ s aerospace economy is second only to California .
A 2019 report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said 57,830 private and military workers in Colorado support an additional 140,390 workers in all industries , bringing direct and indirect jobs supported by the aerospace sector to 198,220 .
More than 60,000 military members and their families live in the state , the letter said .
The other finalists for the command ’ s permanent headquarters are : Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque , N.M. ; Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County , Fla. ; Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue , Neb ; Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville , Ala. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Antonio , Texas .

A decision is expected in January on the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command, and Gov. Jared Polis along with more than 600 of the state’s political, business, civic and military leaders are making another pitch to the outgoing commander in chief to choose Colorado.
A letter sent Friday to President Donald Trump said Colorado is “the epicenter of national security space and the only permanent home for U.S. Space Command.”
Earlier this year, Peterson Air Force base in Colorado Springs was named the Space Command’s provisional headquarters for at least six years and in November was named one of six finalists to be the permanent site. It has been home to the Air Force Space Command since 1982.
“Colorado provides the existing command structure, base infrastructure, and communications platforms necessary to successfully host additional national security initiatives and ensure coordination of efforts without committing restrictive additional funds,” said the letter, signed by elected officials, business people and military officials across the state.
Colorado’s aerospace economy is second only to California. A 2019 report by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. said 57,830 private and military workers in Colorado support an additional 140,390 workers in all industries, bringing direct and indirect jobs supported by the aerospace sector to 198,220.
More than 60,000 military members and their families live in the state, the letter said.
The other finalists for the command’s permanent headquarters are: Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.; Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, Fla.; Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Neb; Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.; and Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.