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News Wrap: Pfizer seeks FDA approval for new COVID vaccine targeting omicron subvariants
Aug 22, 2022
In our news wrap Monday, Pfizer asked the FDA to authorize a new COVID vaccine targeting omicron subvariants, Dr. Anthony Fauci will step down from his post in December, Russia blamed Ukraine for a deadly car bombing near Moscow, Pakistan police filed terrorism charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, flooding hits Texas, and the U.S. and South Korea kicked off military training drills.
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Amna Nawaz:
The move to the next level of pandemic protection is now officially under way. Pfizer asked the FDA today to authorize its latest COVID vaccine, one that also targets the newest Omicron subvariants. Moderna is expected to follow with its own application soon. The FDA has ordered the reformulated vaccines for a fall booster campaign.
And the man who's been the face of the governments pandemic response is retiring. Dr. Anthony Fauci announced today he will step down in December. He's been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But he's also come under political attacks and even faced death threats during the pandemic. Today, Fauci called his role — quote — "the honor of a lifetime."
Russia today, meanwhile, blamed Ukraine's Secret Services for a weekend car bombing that killed TV commentator Darya Dugina outside Moscow. On Sunday, investigators searched the scene where shed been driving a car owned by her father. He's an ultra-nationalist and outspoken supporter of President Putin. Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement.
In Ukraine, new shelling today near a nuclear power plant that's now the object of international concern. Rockets and mortar shells landed a few miles from the Zaporizhzhia plant. Ukraine blamed Russian forces. The U.S. State Department says it warned Moscow last week to halt military operations near the plant.
Police in Pakistan have filed terrorism charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, raising the stakes in a political standoff. The charges came after Khan threatened to sue police officers and a judge at a massive rally in Islamabad on Saturday. Today, hundreds of his supporters blocked any attempt to arrest him at his home in Islamabad.
Later, a judge granted him pre-arrest bail, and Khan gave a defiant speech at a seminar.
Imran Khan, Former Pakistani Prime Minister (through translator):
The most positive thing about all this is that the people of our country have woken up. They have become so aware that I am confident that the genie of awareness, it has come out of the bottle, is not going to go back into the bottle again.
God willing, this is going to carry the country forward toward real freedom.
Amna Nawaz:
Khan was ousted from office earlier this year after months of economic and political turmoil. He has been holding mass rallies in a bid to return to power.
The U.S. and South Korea today kicked off their biggest joint military training drills in years. Tens of thousands of American and South Korean troops are expected to take part. The exercises will continue through September 1. The war games come as North Korea is ramping up its nuclear weapons and missile development.
Today marked the first day back to in person schooling in the Philippines in two years. More than 27 million students have been kept away from class during COVID-19 lockdowns. Today, masked children streamed back into classrooms, lining up for hand sanitizer and vaccinations. Roughly half of the nation's public schools took part. All schools in the Philippines are set to reopen by November 2.
Back in this country, heavy — rather, former President Trump has asked a federal judge to block the FBI from reviewing classified material seized at his Florida home. He called today for a special master to be appointed to oversee the review. He has also asked for more information on the documents that were carted away by agents.
Heavy rain across the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area flooded streets and drowned cars today. At least seven inches had fallen across the area by this morning. Cars, trucks and vans were stranded in flash floods. Police warned people to stay off the roads and emergency crews answered dozens of rescue calls.
In economic news, Ford Motor Company announced it's cutting 3,000 white-collar jobs as part of a transition to electric vehicles. That's about 6 percent of its full-time salaried work force in the U.S. and Canada.
And, on Wall Street, new worries about inflation dampened the mood among investors. Major indexes fell nearly 2 percent or more. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 643 points to close at 33063. The Nasdaq fell 323 points. The S&P 500 gave up 90.
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