To view past editions of The Hill s 12:30 Report, click here: http://bit.ly/1M1mIfw
To receive The Hill s 12:30 Report in your inbox, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/1Tt4hqN > A midday take on what s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.
The Hill’s 12:30 Report: J&J A-OK | Tanden in Trouble | DeJoy of Grilling | Granholm nomination hits floor | Dems try to make GOP leadership toxic | The 6 coolest charts you need to see today
The Johnson & Johnson game-changer:
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine is effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, according to data published this morning by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in a breakthrough that we all need right now. The data show the vaccine is 85 percent effective at preventing severe cases, and no one involved in the trial who got the shot was hospitalized.
With Neera Tanden Likely Doomed, Progressives Pin Hopes on Shalanda Young
On 2/24/21 at 10:00 AM EST
The chances of confirmation for Neera Tanden as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are becoming increasingly unlikely, but progressives are already pivoting to back a new potential nominee.
House Democratic leaders are reportedly mounting a campaign to replace Tanden with longtime congressional aide Shalanda Young. Young is currently nominated to be the deputy OMB director, and the left wing of the Democratic Party is hoping the White House will try to elevate her to the lead role.
The Biden administration has made promises to diversify the Cabinet, and the nomination of Tanden meant she would have been the first woman of color to head the agency. However, as a confirmation now seems unlikely given the opposition from Senators Joe Manchin and Susan Collins, Young, a Black woman, could give Biden a second chance to fulfill his commitment with a historic first app
Ann O Leary Defends Neera Tanden Amid Speculation She Could Become New OMB Nominee
On 2/24/21 at 4:42 PM EST
Neera Tanden s chances of a Senate confirmation continue to dwindle, but some Democrats, including one potential replacement for the position, are remaining steadfast in their support for President Joe Biden s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Ann O Leary has been outspoken in backing Tanden, a fellow Hillary Clinton campaign alumna, even though there has been speculation that she could be tapped by the White House as a leading fallback option for OMB director should Tanden fail to garner enough votes.
Garland, at Confirmation Hearing, Vows to Fight Domestic Extremism
President Biden’s nominee for attorney general told the Senate Judiciary Committee that investigating the Capitol riot would be his first priority.
Judge Merrick B. Garland said he would restore independence to the Justice Department if confirmed as attorney general.Credit.Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times
Feb. 22, 2021
WASHINGTON Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Biden’s nominee for attorney general, said on Monday that the threat from domestic extremism was greater today than at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and he pledged that if confirmed he would make the federal investigation into the Capitol riot his first priority.
Health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra told senators Tuesday that confronting the coronavirus pandemic will be his first priority if confirmed, but he also.