Biden suggests support for filibuster change to legalize abortion:
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee event at the National Education Association headquarters in Washington, U.S., September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
On Friday, President Joe Biden told Democratic voters that electing at least two more senators in November elections would open the possibility of Democrats restoring federally protected abortions. This would be done by removing the filibuster, a roadblock which increases the necessary votes to 60 for issues. By removing it, they can decrease the vote count to 50 and push a vote through with a bare majority. Democrats currently hold the necessary majority in the Senate, but Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema oppose ending the filibuster.
Biden administration launches environmental justice office:
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announces a new federal office of environmental justice at a ceremony in Warrenton, N.C., Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
On Saturday, President Joe Biden’s top environment official unveiled a national office that will distribute $3 billion in block grants to underserved communities burdened by pollution. The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is merging three existing programs to oversee a portion of Democrats’ $60 billion investment in environmental justice initiatives created by the Inflation Reduction Act. The president will nominate an assistant administrator to lead the new office, pending Senate confirmation. Biden has championed environmental justice as a centerpiece of his climate agenda since taking office, when he signed an executive order pledging 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities overwhelmed by pollution. Now,Michael Regan, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said this new office will push pursuing environmental justice to become central to the EPA, equating it to other top offices like air and water, and cementing its principles so they will outlive the administration.
'Out of Control' STD Situation Prompts Call for Changes:
This 1966 microscope photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a tissue sample with the presence of numerous, corkscrew-shaped, darkly-stained, Treponema pallidum spirochetes, the bacterium responsible for causing syphilis. (Skip Van Orden/CDC via AP)
US officials are calling for new prevention and treatment efforts for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This comes as infection rates for some STDs, including gonorrhea and syphilis have been rising for years. This is in part due to testing and prevention efforts being hobbled by inadequate funding and delayed diagnosis and treatment of the diseases. The arrival of monkeypox has made the situation even worse. The CDC recently sent a letter to state and local health departments saying that their HIV and STD resources could be used to fight the monkeypox outbreak, but some experts say the government needs to provide more funding for STD work, rather than diverting it. Dr. Leandro Mena, who last year became director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, has called for reducing stigma, broadening screening and treatment services, and supporting the development and accessibility of at-home testing.
Sources:
Biden suggests support for filibuster change to legalize abortion | Reuters
Biden administration launches environmental justice office | WTHR