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Former health officials and other government officials under the Biden administration have argued that developing more mRNA vaccines are crucial due to “potential pandemic flu viruses” that could arise in the near future. However, they refrained from explaining why the vaccines must be mRNA, as opposed to conventional vaccine technologies. “The administration’s actions are gutting our deterrence from biological threats,” said Beth Cameron, a senior adviser to the Brown University Pandemic Center and a former director at the White House National Security Council. “Canceling this investment is a signal that we are changing our posture on pandemic preparedness,” she added,...

MADRID (AP) – Spain has cancelled a deal for anti-tank missile systems that were to be manufactured in Madrid by a subsidiary of an Israeli company, in a bid to move away from Israeli military technology, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The decision will affect the license for 168 SPIKE LR2 anti-tank missile systems with an estimated value of 285 million euros ($325 million). The systems would have been developed in Spain by Pap Tecnos, a Madrid-based subsidiary of Israel´s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, according to local press. “The goal is clear…a total disconnection from Israeli technology,” government spokesperson Pilar...

Migrants waiting in Mexico for an appointment with the Biden administration’s CBP One app broke down in tears after learning their appointments were canceled immediately as President Trump took office on Monday. CBP One went offline at 12 p.m. EST Monday, according to an announcement from Customs and Border Protection. It’s just one small part of Trump’s promises to make sweeping reforms at the southern border beginning the first day of his second term. The app allowed tens of thousands of migrants into the US. Up to 1,450 migrants per day were allowed to schedule immigration appointments and request asylum...

The state Supreme Court Friday sided with Republicans in a lawsuit over the timing of a special election that could determine control of the Minnesota House, canceling the Jan. 28 contest. The decision deepens uncertainty over the Minnesota House because that seat will determine if Republicans keep an edge or if Democrats could pull the chamber into a tie. Now a 67-66 GOP advantage will last longer, perhaps well into February or March. Democrat Curtis Johnson won a Roseville-area seat in November but was disqualified by a judge over residency questions and declined to appeal. With Johnson’s absence, Republicans currently...

It’s lights out for a beloved holiday tradition in Manhattan. Saks Fifth Avenue’s annual holiday light show at its flagship location has been canceled after nearly two decades of yuletide spectacle — apparently because of cost-cutting, The Post has learned. “For many years, the holidays at Saks Fifth Avenue included a light show at our flagship store, and for some time, we have contemplated changing our approach,” a Saks Fifth Avenue rep told The Post on Monday. Now, instead of the glowing spectacular, “in our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, we are celebrating the season...

The Biden administration announced Thursday it is racing to cancel student loans for more than 60,000 public service workers. The move comes just 18 days before the 2024 election and brings the number of public service workers who have now benefitted from such taxpayer-funded largesse to over one million. The gift delivers $4.5 billion in debt relief to teachers, firefighters, and other service workers who have been dutifully meeting loan repayment obligations for over a decade, the Hill reports.

President Joe Biden revealed that his administration will be canceling more than $7 billion in student debt for 160,000 people. The White House issued a statement Wednesday announcing that 160,000 people in the United States would have their student loans canceled, erasing a total of $7.7 billion in student debt for those people. In June 2023, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision to block Biden’s plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt for almost 40 million people.

Nikki Haley’s campaign reportedly canceled an event at the last minute to avoid what her critics describe as embarrassment, as video showed a relatively empty room and a few pro-Haley signs hanging on a wall. “If you look around me, technically this is an event that was supposed to start in the last few minutes, and of course it’s empty,” a reporter on the scene said. “You got empty chairs, stuff packed up in the corner, and signs just hanging on the wall — the only way you’d know that Nikki Haley was supposed to be here,” she said, noting...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is up for re-election in the spring, announced on Monday that he has suspended his country’s 2024 election. Zelnskyy said in a speech to his country’s citizens that due to its ongoing war against Russia, it is “not the right time for elections.” While he had previously not ruled out the possibility of an election in March, The Hill reported, Monday he called for Ukrainian citizens to support him. To wrap up his video address to his country, he said: “And finally, the waves of any politically divisive things must stop. We must realize that...

The Biden administration has canceled an offer to buy 6 million barrels of oil to replenish America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), multiple outlets have reported. Last year, President Biden drew criticism when he sold off 180 million barrels of oil from the SPR, resulting in a near 4-decade reserve low, which he claimed helped to "stabilize crude oil markets and reduce prices at the pump." This July, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a buyback plan to replenish the reserve. One of those acquisition orders, however, has been canceled amid rising oil costs, according to Reuters. The administration previously set...

President Joe Biden’s administration canceled a $200 million grant it previously planned to award to a Chinese Communist Party-linked lithium-ion battery maker after Republican lawmakers criticized the deal. Last year, Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) selected Microvast to receive a $200 million federal grant from a fund created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Those funds were intended to help America become less reliant on China for critical supplies like lithium-ion batteries.

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley canceled the team’s upcoming two-game series with Brigham Young University (BYU) on Friday after Duke University volleyball player Rachel Richardson claimed a BYU fan called her racial slurs during a recent game. South Carolina women’s basketball was scheduled to start its season with a home game against BYU, followed by an away game on BYU’s campus during the 2023-24 season.

TheHill.com STATE WATCH New York cancels history Regents exam following Buffalo shooting BY MONIQUE BEALS - 05/24/22 2:05 PM ET SHARE TWEET ... MORE The New York State Education Department announced on Tuesday that it would cancel a statewide standardized exam on U.S. history and government for high school students following the mass shooting in Buffalo. “Our experts determined that there is content on the new Regents Examination in U.S. History & Government (Framework) that has the potential to compound student trauma caused by the violence in Buffalo, which created an unexpected and unintended context for the planned assessment,” the...

President Joe Biden on Sunday abruptly canceled plans to spend the Presidents Day holiday at home in Delaware amid the mounting crisis over what officials say is a planned Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House had announced shortly after 2:30 p.m. that Biden would leave DC around 5 p.m. to fly to Wilmington, raising the possibility that the commander in chief would update reporters on developments before boarding the Marine One chopper on the White House’s South Lawn.

Passengers aboard a Norwegian cruise ship are stuck at sea this week after the cruise line decided to cancel the cruise mid-voyage due to COVID-19 concerns. Aimee Focaraccio, who boarded a 10-day cruise on the Norwegian Gem from New York, told USA Today that she was notified on Thursday that the cruise would be canceled due to issues related to COVID-19, but was not provided an early return date.

Royal Caribbean International canceled cruises on four of its ships Friday amid a global surge in COVID-19 cases. "In abundance of caution, Royal Caribbean International is pausing operations" for a few ships, the cruise company announced in a statement obtained by The Hill.

Over 100 flights that were scheduled for Christmas Eve have been canceled by United Airlines as the company grapples with the spread of the omicron variant, the airline confirmed on Thursday. A spokesperson for United said that "we’re seeing about 120 cancellations planned for Friday."

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Tuesday canceled White House Christmas parties over Omicron variant coronovirus fears, according to the Daily Mail. While Joe Biden, Vice President Harris, Jill Biden, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will host the Democrat National Committee’s (DNC) holiday party elsewhere in Washington, DC, Tuesday evening, the Bidens have canceled many of the traditional White House Christmas celebrations that afford private citizens a glimpse into the mansion’s Christmas cheer.

The White House on Monday canceled a speech scheduled for President Joe Biden — 15 minutes before it was planned to begin. “The President will no longer deliver remarks following his meeting with CEOs,” the White House informed reporters at 3:28 p.m. The White House said the president would speak about supply chain disruptions on Wednesday as an official told reporters that Biden “wanted to ensure ample time spent with the business leaders who traveled to the White House today.” Biden was expected to speak after meeting with retail and grocery company CEOs to discuss supply disruptions ahead of the...

Hunter Biden checked out of a Manhattan hotel Thursday following a party to celebrate his solo art show — as controversy over the $500,000 price tags on some of his paintings apparently killed a plan to open the exhibit to the public. The first son didn’t comment as he and wife Melissa Cohen — both wearing red outfits — left the Greenwich Hotel with their 1-1/2-year-old son, Beau, shortly before noon. The night before, the novice, self-taught artist joined about 60 guests — including President Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens — at the Georges Berges Gallery in Soho, where Hunter...