J&J vaccine review, Andrew Brown Jr. shooting, climate summit: 5 things to know Friday

Editors
·5 min read

Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause could be lifted

The halt on using the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be lifted by this Friday, although some restrictions may be required, Dr. Anthony Fauci said last weekend. States stopped using the company's vaccine last week after federal health officials recommended a pause "out of an abundance of caution" because of rare but dangerous blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it will review any additional evidence about the vaccine in a meeting Friday. Earlier this week, the European Medicines Agency – the European Union's drug regulator – ruled that a warning about unusual blood clots associated with low levels of blood platelets should be added to the product information, but concluded that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risk.

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Family, citizens demand footage of Andrew Brown Jr. shooting

Officials Thursday faced growing pressure to release details about the death of Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man who was fatally shot by law enforcement on Wednesday in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, about 170 miles northeast of Raleigh. A judge generally has to approve release of police video in North Carolina. Harry Daniels, the Brown family's attorney, told USA TODAY via email that a motion will be filed Friday for that footage to be released. Witness accounts paint a picture of an "unlawful, unjustified killing" in which multiple officers shot as Brown fled the scene in a vehicle, Daniels said at a press conference Thursday. Daniels also said Brown was unarmed at the time. The sense of relief brought by the guilty verdict against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin Tuesday in the murder of George Floyd was short-lived for some, as crowds gathered in Elizabeth City for the second consecutive night Thursday to demand more information.

Day 2 of major virtual climate summit comes after Biden's big pledge

President Joe Biden kicked off the White House's two-day virtual climate summit Thursday with a pledge to cut U.S greenhouse gas pollution in half by 2030, outlining an aggressive target that would require sweeping changes to America's energy and transportation sectors. "These steps will set America on a path of a net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050," Biden said. The virtual summit, attended by 40 leaders from around the world, is aimed at renewing America's leadership on climate change – and rallying other world leaders to set their own ambitious targets – after four years in which the Donald Trump administration worked to unravel U.S. environmental commitments. Friday's proceedings are expected to feature billionaires Bill Gates and Mike Bloomberg and steelworker and electrical union leaders who favor solar and other renewable energy sources. Biden hopes these people will help sell a climate-friendly transformation of the U.S. economy.

Canada begins ban of flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days

India reported a global one-day record of more than 314,000 new infections Thursday as a coronavirus surge in the world’s second-most populous country overwhelms a fragile health care system. The country's total of 15.9 million cases since the pandemic began is second to the U.S. According to Canada's health minister, half the people arriving in the country by plane who test positive for the coronavirus came from India. As a result, it's banning all flights from India and neighboring Pakistan for 30 days. Friday is the first full day the ban takes effect.

'Plus-up' stimulus payments arrive as tax refund delays mount

A pushed-to-the-limit Internal Revenue Service and perplexing tax rules are leaving millions of taxpayers waiting and wondering just when they'll get their hands on much-needed tax refund cash. For some early filers, the wait for a tax refund has been six weeks to eight weeks already — far longer than a typical wait of 21 days or less — after filing their 2020 income tax returns in February or March. Meanwhile, some people who already received the third stimulus payment were shocked to receive extra money in recent days. Nearly 700,000 "plus-up" payments this week went to people who earlier this year received a stimulus payment based on their 2019 tax returns. The IRS said it will continue to make Economic Impact Payments on a weekly basis.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Andrew Brown Jr.: 5 things to know Friday

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