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News and updates

News and updates

What We’re Reading this Week (May 26th-29th, 2020)

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Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

COVID19: More states, including Washington, reopen, the CDC issues guidelines for workplaces, and the US death toll exceeds 100,000. Live updates at CNN.

George Floyd: After George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis Police Officer, protests erupted, and the officer, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested for murder. More at Seattle Times.

Mystery Mummies on the Canary Islands: Historians discover more about the Guanches, who lived on the Canary Islands in 100AD. More at BBC.

WHO: On Friday the US announced it will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organization. More at Washington Post.

Hong Kong: This week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared to Congress that Hong Kong should not be considered autonomous from China, in response to a Chinese national security law which would restrict secessionist activities in Hong Kong. This comes as the US makes several policy changes towards China. More at Washington Post.

New York: Governor Cuomo announced that New York City, which was hit hard by the coronavirus, could begin reopening as soon as June 8th. More at New York Times.

Presidential Proclamation on Entry of Certain Chinese Nationals

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Today, President Trump announced the United States will block admission for certain Chinese nationals involved with entities that implement or support China’s Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) strategy. The restriction applies to graduate-level and above students on F or J visas, and the State Department can revoke existing visas.

The full proclamation is available here.

Senate Hearings on Reopening Schools

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The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold two hearings related to school reopening and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first hearing “COVID-19: Going Back to College Safely” is on reopening colleges and universities.

Date: Tuesday, June 4th, 2020

Time: 7am PT/10am ET

Watch live here.

The second hearing “COVID-19: Going Back to School Safely” is on reopening K-12 schools.

Date: Wednesday, June 10th, 2020

Time: 7am PT/10am ET

Watch live here.

 

 

 

Research Community Reiterates Call for At Least $26 Billion for Research

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In an updated letter to Congressional leadership, associations representing a swath of research institutions reiterated their call to invest at least $26 billion in scientific research in future COVID-19 response bills.  Unlike previous communications, this letter calls out specific funding levels for a number of individual agencies, including:

  • $3 billion for NSF
  • $3 billion for DOD
  • $10 billion for NSF
  • $5 billion for DOE
  • $2 billion for NASA

The letter also calls for additional funds for agencies which have research budgets greater than $100 million, including NOAA and the Institute for Education Science.

The letter is available here.

What We’re Reading this Week (May 18th-22nd, 2020)

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Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

COVID-19: The US Department of Health and Human Services invested $1 billion in an Oxford University COVID vaccine, to be mass-produced by AstraZeneca. More states relax restrictions as concerns over PPE and rising death tolls continue. Live updates at CNN.

Pakistan Airliner: A Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed into a residential area in Karachi on Friday killing 97 people. The black box has just been recovered. More at Al Jazeera.

Calls for PM Adviser to Step Down: Many in the UK have called for Dominic Cummings, Senior Adviser to PM Boris Johnson, to resign after he made a 260 mile trip to be with relatives as his wife developed COVID symptoms. More at BBC.

NYSE: The trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange will reopen on Tuesday after an 8 week closure due to COVID. PPE and distancing guidelines will be in place, and only 25% of traders will be on the floor. More at CBS.