Gwen’s picks for Friday, October 1 include: President Biden meets with Democrats as they work to rescue the $3.5 trillion spending bill. Negotiations continue on Capitol Hill as that bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, two key parts of Biden’s domestic agenda, hang in the balance. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh tests positive for COVID-19…

WASHINGTON (AP) — On Friday, drug maker Merck said its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use. If cleared, the drug would be the first pill shown…

Gwen’s picks for Tuesday, September 28 include: Pfizer announces they’ve submitted research data to the FDA, as the company works to get its COVID vaccine approved for kids aged five to 11. Pentagon officials testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Under Taliban rule, women are no…

President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) both received Pfizer’s booster shot Monday, just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended booster shots for certain groups of people. Those groups of people include seniors, long term care facility residents, adults with underlying medical conditions, and adults “who are in…

9/24/21 Update: Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky adjusted the recommendations a CDC advisory committee made Thursday regarding Pfizer boosters. The panel voted against saying people aged 18-64 can get a booster if they have a job that puts them at increased risk of being exposed to the virus. Walensky disagreed and put…

The Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots for seniors, younger adults with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high risk for COVID-19 Wednesday night. Those jobs include health care workers, teachers, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters and prisons. Under FDA authorization, those individuals would be eligible for…

A panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is meeting Wednesday to debate whether a booster shot program is necessary in the United States. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting is scheduled to go until Thursday. The Biden administration is hoping to roll out a booster shot program to the general…

Johnson & Johnson released new data Tuesday that shows a booster shot of the company’s vaccine “further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly.” According to the data, a booster shot taken 56 days after getting the first one was 94 percent effective against the virus in the United…

Pfizer announced Monday its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for kids as young as five years old. The video above shows Pfizer Senior Vice President Dr. Bill Gruber discussing the announcement. In a news release, Pfizer said it tested a much lower dose of its vaccine on kids in the 5-11 age group than…

Gwen’s picks for Friday include: Pentagon calls Kabul drone strike a ‘tragic mistake’ after killing civilians. FDA panels votes down recommendations for widespread COVID vaccine boosters. A new study find Moderna’s vaccine the most effective in preventing COVID-related hospitalizations.