WASHINGTON (AP) – The latest news on President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package (always local):
8:15 pm
President Joe Biden condemns the violence Asian Americans have endured since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “It’s wrong, it’s un-American, and it must stop.”
Biden deplores an increase in reports of “brutal” attacks and harassment against Asian Americans that have been reported since the start of the pandemic a year ago.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly used xenophobic terms to refer to the virus that originated in China’s Wuhan province. Some critics say the former president’s language fueled violence against Asian Americans.
Biden addresses the nation on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic.
8:05 PM
President Joe Biden is delivering a bleak but optimistic message about the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking from a lectern in a flag-draped backdrop in the East Room of the White House, Biden reflects on the worst public health crisis in more than a century. It has killed nearly 530,000 Americans, sickened millions more, and devastated the global economy.
Biden says, “We’ve all lost something, a collective suffering, a collective sacrifice.”
6:40 PM
President Joe Biden plans to announce during his prime-time speech Thursday evening that he will deploy 4,000 additional US troops to support coronavirus vaccination efforts. He is also vastly expanding the pool of people who are eligible to serve as vaccinators.
That’s according to a senior official who informed reporters of Biden’s speech to the country. The official says the president will also announce plans to double the number of pharmacies participating in the vaccination program, expand mobile operations to vaccinate people in communities badly affected by the virus, and double the number of federally run mass vaccination centers. .
There are currently 2,000 active duty troops supporting vaccination efforts across the country.
The official says the White House plans to work out plans on Friday to expand who can administer shots. Dentists, paramedics, doctor’s assistants, veterinarians and medical students are eligible to administer vaccinations under the new supervision.
6.30 pm
President Joe Biden will use his first prime-time address Thursday evening to announce that he is ordering states to make all American adults eligible for a coronavirus vaccine by May 1.
That’s according to two senior government officials who notified reporters ahead of Biden’s evening speech on the pandemic’s one-year anniversary. The officials say the president will also say there is a good chance Americans will be able to gather safely in small groups on July 4.
Biden is also expected to stress that “the fight is far from over.” But he will say the nation will be in a “much better place” by Independence Day if Americans wear masks, follow public health guidelines, and get vaccinated when it comes their turn. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to keep attention on the president’s address.