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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning health providers that there is an “urgent need” to increase vaccinations against influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In an alert published Thursday, the agency cautioned that low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in national respiratory disease activity, could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain in the coming weeks. Providers should administer influenza, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations now to patients, if recommended, CDC said. The agency estimates about 42 percent of children have gotten a flu shot, while national coverage for adults is...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $1 billion more for Ukraine while in Kyiv on Wednesday, saying the United States is “determined to continue to walk side-by-side” with the country in its ongoing war with Russia. “We are determined in the United States to continue to walk side-by-side with you,” Blinken told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting on Monday. He added:

US consumer spending rose more than anticipated in July, according to government data released Tuesday, showing resilience even as the economy cools on the back of a boost from online spending. Retail sales in the world’s biggest economy advanced 0.7 percent to $696.4 billion last month, up from a revised 0.3 percent rise in June, said the Commerce Department. Consumption has proven more robust than expected in the United States as households dip into savings accumulated during the pandemic, supporting growth while business activity slowed in recent months.

A stronger-than-expected jobs report has put the wind at President Biden’s back ahead of his State of the Union address next week, and it could provide additional momentum as he prepares a reelection announcement in the coming weeks. Biden on Friday hailed new data from the Labor Department that showed the economy added 517,000 jobs in January, far exceeding economists’ expectations. The president wasted little time connecting the positive development with next Tuesday’s address to the nation. “Next week, I’ll be reporting on the state of the union. But today, I’m happy to report that the state of the union...

The post-recession jobs boom continued in April with another strong employment report. We’ll also look at President Biden’s call to the GOP to help fight inflation and the cryptocurrency sanctions crackdown. But first … they’re on opposite sides of the aisle, but these two senators once bonded over a NSFW song.

San Jose is now the largest city in the state to require its employees and visitors of events at city-owned venues to show proof of a COVID-19 booster shot.The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to impose a new mandate requiring city workers and visitors of city-owned facilities, such as the SAP Center and San Jose McEnery Convention Center, to get boosted or show proof of a negative test before entry. The new law goes into effect immediately, but facilities have until Feb. 4 to implement the rule.Thanks, Council colleagues for approving my proposal to require boosters for City workers+the public...

Dr. Anthony Fauci warned during a press briefing on Thursday that a booster shot will be required for everyone "sooner or later" to ensure that the durability of protection from COVID-19 vaccines continues.

A powerful General Assembly committee voted Friday to revise Gov. Larry Hogan’s more than $46 billion budget proposal to provide millions more in funding for Maryland’s public schools, while cutting some of the Republican governor’s prized initiatives. Led by Baltimore Democrat Maggie McIntosh, the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending plan that provides about $320 million more for operating Maryland’s public schools. That would be the first step toward implementing recommendations from the so-called Kirwan Commission, which has proposed ambitious new programs to boost student performance. The committee’s spending plan also includes $500 million for public school construction and $46...

‘Believing you’re a winner’ gives men a testosterone boost and promiscuous dispositionNew findings suggest that the male body tries to “optimise” self-perceived improvements in social status through hormonal shifts that promote “short-term mating”. A new study shows that men only have to believe they’ve bested another man in competition to get raised testosterone levels and an inflated sense of their own value as a sexual prospect. Scientists found that this hormonal and psychological shift made men more inclined to approach new potential partners. The research team measured hormone levels, as well as self-perceived attractiveness and confidence in approaching women, in...

“The Batteriser has boost circuitry that will boost the voltage from 0.6 volts to 1.5 volts and will maintain voltage at 1.5—which is a brand new battery,” Roohparvar says. “There’s actually no IP [intellectual property] in the boost circuitry. Our technology is really a miniaturization technique that allows us to build the sleeve. We have some IP in some of the IC circuits that are in there, but the key is we’ve been able to miniaturize the boost circuit to a point that no one else has been able to achieve. “ To prove that he’s not peddling snake oil,...

(CNSNews.com) - Asked Thursday if the Affordable Care Act will help "undocumented individuals," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said no -- and that's why immigration reform is so important: "Well, the (Obamacare) bill is crafted in such a way that those who are undocumented will not have access to the tax credits or shopping in the (health insurance) marketplace. That has been limited, which is, frankly, why -- another very keen reason why we need comprehensive immigration reform," Sebelius told a gathering of Latinos in Philadelphia.

No question about it: Mitt Romney struck gold with his commanding performance in Wednesday’s first presidential debate. The Rasmussen polling firm reported Friday the results of new polls in the crucial swing states of Florida and Virginia, and in each of them Romney got a boost. Romney now leads by 49 percent to 47 percent in Florida, while in the previous Florida poll, taken slightly more than three weeks earlier, it was Obama who led by 2 percentage points. In Virginia, Romney leads by one point, 49 to 48, while in the previous poll, also taken a bit more than...

Tweet from The Colbert Report: Nation! First Lady @MichelleObama will appear on The Colbert Report on Wednesday, April 11. Tune in at 11:30pm / 10:30c. Quite the media blitz the First Lady and the President have been on lately. You would think that if the First Lady wanted to reach a sizable audience, though, she would do a guest spot on a program that gets more viewers like "Pawn Stars" or a cartoon rerun on Nickelodeon or something on cable access. Well, Colbert is a true-blue friend to the Barack Obama re-election campaign and a fellow crusader in the left's...

As states such as Alabama and Georgia make waves with a hard-line approach to illegal immigration, California took a leap in the other direction this weekend when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a host of bills that make the nation's biggest state one of the most accepting of immigrants living here illegally. Some saw the flurry of new laws, especially the California Dream Act, as a rejection of the political fervor against illegal immigration in other parts of the country. "Wherever California goes, so does the nation. It may put a halt to some of this," said Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, facing waning confidence among Americans in his economic stewardship, will lay out a plan on Thursday that will have a "quick and positive impact" on job creation, the White House said. Confidence in Obama's management of the economy has been hit by months of bad economic news and several polls on Tuesday showed fresh declines in his job approval ratings. Obama, a Democrat, hopes to start reversing this trend in an address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday, in which he will try to convince voters that he has a better economic...

President Obama took his jobs pitch to Pittsburgh Friday, announcing a manufacturing partnership aimed at reviving a key sector of the American economy. The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership is designed to team government, industry and higher education together to fund new technologies. Obama's plan calls for an initial $500 million down payment toward that effort. Speaking at Carnegie Mellon University, Obama said the Steel City is a living example of how manufacturing helped build the middle class in America, and said the country must continue investing in new technologies to sustain it. "Here and across America's industrial heartland, millions clocked in...

COMMENTARY | President Barack Obama, while still a candidate, promised he would bankrupt the coal industry. According to the Chicago Tribune, it looks like this will be a rare promise that Obama will actually keep. Unfortunately, it will mean sky-rocketing electricity prices for Americans, as much as 60 percent more by AdChoices 2014. The Obama administration intends to slap environmental regulations on coal fired plants that will make many of them impossible to operate. Even those coal plants that will continue to function will only do so at the expense of billions of dollars of upgrades, which of course will...

As the high cost of gasoline takes a toll on politics and pocket books, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he is calling on major oil producers such as Saudi Arabia to increase their oil supplies to help stabilize prices, warning starkly that lack of relief would harm the global economy. "We are in a lot of conversations with the major oil producers like Saudi Arabia to let them know that it's not going to be good for them if our economy is hobbled because of high oil prices," Obama told a Detroit TV station. His remarks signaled a broad new...

Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Tuesday a mandate that 33% of electricity in California must come from renewable sources by 2020. Executives at solar, wind and other clean energy companies said the new regulations could help California reclaim its green leadership position after losing ground to states such as Texas and Iowa. "This is tremendous," said Mike Hall, chief executive of Borrego Solar. "A legislative solution provides a lot more clarity and firepower for regulators and proponents." Brown, along with U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, signed the bill while helping dedicate a new solar panel manufacturing plant in...

The operators of businesses visited by the first family last weekend are unsure if their visit will have a direct impact on their establishments, but they and local officials are hopeful it will boost visitor traffic and the economy in Panama City Beach. “Having the first family visit Panama City Beach is international news,” said Dan Rowe, executive director of the Bay County Tourist Development Council. There are no hard numbers available about direct economic impacts, Rowe said, but articles printed around the world about the visit will increase the area’s profile as a tourist destination, and he expects far-reaching...