ANTI HUMAN RIGHTS

White House criticizes Florida plan to expand 'don't say gay' measure to high schools


Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., said Florida could expand its so-called ‘don’t say gay’ law to the high school level. Florida's Parental Rights in Education law currently prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or identity through Grade 3. 

Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

March 22 (UPI) -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., said the state could expand its so-called 'don't say gay' law to the high school level.

The amendment to the Parental Rights in Education bill is awaiting DeSantis' signature.

Florida's Department of Education said this week the law banning the teaching of sexual orientation through Grade 3 could eventually expand to include high school, a move the White House criticized Wednesday.

"For Grades 4 through 12, instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited unless such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards ... or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student's parent has the option to have his or her student not attend," reads the proposed rule.

The law prohibiting classroom discussion about sexual orientation or identity in primary grade levels took effect in July.

At the time, DeSantis said the law is "putting students first and protecting parents' rights."

The proposed change would extend that through Grade 12.

It also forbids educators from discussing the topics "in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."

The White House responded to the news Wednesday afternoon.

"It's wrong. It's completely, utterly wrong," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing with reporters.

RELATED Florida bills target gender-affirming healthcare, university diversity courses

"Make no mistake, this is part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we're seeing across the country of legislation that are anti-LGBTQI+, anti-trans in a way we have not seen in some time. We're talking about students, we're talking about educators, we're talking about just individuals."

Arts sector contributed over $1T to U.S. economy in 2021


A 2022 sculpture titled 'Broken Violin' by Adam Schrader is pictured at Brooklyn College in New York City. The arts and culture sectors contributed more than $1 trillion to the United States' gross domestic product in 2021, as the arts grew quicker than the wider economy, officials said in a new report. Photo by Adam Schrader


March 19 (UPI) -- The arts and culture sectors contributed more than $1 trillion to the United States' gross domestic product in 2021, as the arts grew quicker than the wider economy, officials said in a new report.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts released a report Wednesday which found that arts industries made up 4.4% of the GDP and that the overall economic value of the arts grew by 13.7%. The wider economy grew by just 5.9% from 2020 to 2021.

"This annual report from the NEA and BEA underscores that arts and culture are an essential part of the American economy. It is similarly apparent, however, that the sector still faces tremendous hardships due to COVID-19," Maria Rosario Jackson, the chair of the NEA, said in a statement.

"Because the data reflect the economic activity of nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike, it's important to recognize the distinctive contributions both make in ensuring a vibrant and expansive arts and cultural sector."

The report found that 22 of the 35 industries in the arts sector had returned to or performed better than pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021.

Those industries included web publishing and streaming services, which climbed 27.3% from 2020 to 2021 for an economic contribution of more than $171 billion, largely due to being composed largely of for-profit companies, unlike other arts industries which are made up largely of nonprofits.

Other arts industries that saw growth beyond 2019 levels before the pandemic included creative advertising, art retail, performing arts presenters and museums that are not government-run.

The industry of independent artists, writers and performers grew in 2021 from their 2020 levels but have not yet returned to pre-pandemic numbers.

The value of independent artists to the economy was $41 billion before the pandemic, adjusted for inflation, but just $29 billion in 2020. That figure rose to $33.5 billion in 2021.

Performing arts organizations similarly dropped during the pandemic, contributing just $9.5 billion to the economy in 2020 but growing to $11 million in 2021.

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Similarly, fine arts schools and musical instrument manufacturing dropped off during the pandemic and partly bounced back.

Of the dozens of industries in the arts sector, only two saw "persistent declines" from 2019 to 2021 including arts-related construction, such as the building of new museums, and philanthropic giving.

The report, which also tracks employment at the state level, found that 49 states saw increases in arts and culture employment from 2020 to 2021 though none have reached pre-pandemic levels.

The Art Newspaper noted that the report's focus on jobs only accounts for employees on payroll and may not have included data from arts establishments that relied on self-employed contractors.

VA lowers home loan interest rates for Native American veterans


The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it has lowered the interest rate, from 6% to 2.5%, for VA Native American Direct Loans to make housing more affordable for Native American veterans. Photo courtesy of Department of Veterans Affairs

March 22 (UPI) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Wednesday it has lowered the interest rate for VA Native American Direct Loans to make housing more affordable for Native American veterans.

The VA, which provides direct loans to Native American veterans, dropped its interest rate from 6% to 2.5%, effective March 13. The new rate will be available for the next two years.

"Native American veterans are now able to more affordably buy, build and improve homes on trust land," said executive director of VA Loan Guaranty Service John Bell III.

The lower interest loans do not require down payments, have limited closing costs and no monthly mortgage insurance costs.

Mortgage rates have steadily climbed over the past few months as the Federal Reserve continues to raise the federal funds rate in an effort to curb decades-high inflation. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced the latest quarter percentage point hike Wednesday, bumping the rate from 4.75% to 5%.

While the VA provides VA-backed loans to help all eligible veterans obtain housing, the department is required by law to provide direct loans to Native American veterans or to veterans who marry Native American non-veterans.

Veterans who currently have an NADL loan with an interest rate of 3.5% or higher will be allowed to refinance at the lower rate.

"We at VA are laser-focused on serving Native American veterans as well as they've served our country, and that's what this decreased interest rate is all about," Bell said.

Cyberterrorism, China top list of international concerns for Americans, Gallup says

THE RULING IDEAS ARE THE IDEAS OF THE RULING CLASS

Most Americans deem cyberterrorism as the most critical threat to the United States, a new poll from Gallup says.

March 22 (UPI) -- Most Americans view cyberterrorism as the most critical threat to the United States, a new poll from Gallup says.

Gallup's poll on world affairs measured how important respondents perceive 11 potential threats to the country. Cyberterrorism overwhelmingly outpaced the other topics, with 85% of respondents calling it a "critical threat."

Responses to cyberterrorism were consistent across political party lines, with 86% of both Democrats and Republicans calling it a critical threat. About 79% of Independents answered this way.

"Americans continue to cite cyberterrorism as the leading critical threat to U.S. vital security interests, as they have since 2021," Mohamad Younis of Gallup wrote. "Before that, international terrorism and the development of nuclear weapons by Iran and North Korea ranked highest. But concern about each of these has ebbed over the past decade."

RELATED Gallup: LGBT identification steady at 7.2% in 2022 after doubling from a decade ago

The Department of Defense shares in the concerns about cyberterrorism. In a 2022 report, the department said that while state actors like China and Russia are commonly considered the most likely adversaries in cyber warfare, independent criminal organizations also pose a significant threat.

"I think we've seen over time with the development of the non-state actor -- the criminal cyber market -- is that capabilities that were once reserved for state actors are available on the dark web for purchase," Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, told DOD News.

Respondents almost evenly reported that North Korea and Iran developing nuclear weapons was the second most critical threat, followed by international terrorism. Iran ranked higher by a percentage point at 74%. The nuclear capabilities of North Korea and Iran have remained high on the list of threats, though Gallup notes that this year's marks fall nearly 10% short of their record-high responses in past years.

RELATEDRecord number of Americans dissatisfied with gun laws, according to Gallup poll

The topics that saw the most dramatic changes in this year's survey were the military power of China, immigration and climate change. Political biases showed in how people responded to these topics, with Republicans more likely to see China and immigration as a critical threat and Democrats perceiving climate change as a greater threat.

Immigration and climate change had the deepest disparity between political parties. Eighty-four percent of Republican respondents said immigration was a critical threat compared to 20% of Democrats. Conversely, 85% of Democrats said the same about climate change compared to 21% of Republicans.

More than 40 percent of Americans support banning TikTok: poll 

BY JULIA MUELLER - 03/22/23 

(AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

Forty-one percent of Americans in a new poll say they support the federal government banning the video-sharing app TikTok as the platform comes under congressional scrutiny over user safety and data security concerns.

A new Washington Post poll found just 25 percent of Americans say they oppose a potential TikTok ban, while 34 percent say they’re unsure.

People who have used TikTok in the last month and daily TikTok users were less likely to support a ban, at 21 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents (71 percent) said they’re concerned that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based in China, a fact that’s spurred U.S. lawmakers to scrutinize the popular app over concerns that the government in Beijing could gain access to American user data.

That group includes 36 percent who said they’re “very” concerned and 35 percent who said they’re “somewhat” concerned. Nine percent report being “not at all” concerned, and 20 percent say they’re “not too” concerned, according to the poll.

The poll also found 65 percent of Americans think it’s likely TikTok is “collecting personal data on Americans for the Chinese government.” Fifty-six percent think it’s likely the app is “letting the Chinese government control content U.S. users see on TikTok.”

The app has been banned from government phones due to the security concerns, and Congress has been talking about a potential federal ban.

Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not taking action on the perceived threats. Last week, the Biden administration said it would ban TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance does not sell its stake to an American company.
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Nearly three-quarters of Americans surveyed think it’s likely TikTok is allowing the spread of false information (73 percent) and causing harm to teens’ mental health (72 percent).

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is set to appear before Congress on Thursday amid the intensifying scrutiny.

Taken March 17-18, the Washington Post poll surveyed 1,027 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The clock is ticking on TikTok

BY TARA D. SONENSHINE, 

OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

THE HILL

 - 03/22/23 


 TikTok logo is seen on a cell phone on Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. The Kentucky Senate passed a measure Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, to ban TikTok from state government-issued devices, reflecting bipartisan concerns about the Chinese-owned social media app. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

In the preface to “Life After the TikTok Ban,” author Donovan Clifton opens by writing, “TikTok is here to stay for most of us here in the United States.” I beg to differ.

The book was written in 2021, which in the world of social media technologies is a lifetime ago. Consider what has happened to this Chinese-made social media platform in just the last few days. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the surveillance of American citizens by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.

Reportedly, the investigation centers on whether this Chinese company has been spying on several journalists who cover the technology sector, and an admission by ByteDance that its employees had inappropriately obtained the data of TikTok users.

Congress is preparing to hear from the chief executive officer (CEO) of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, this week.

And already the CEO has made a video appeal to TikTok’s 150 million American users and offered up new content guidelines to prevent “deep-fakes,” election interference and security risks, promising to allay concerns about its AI-powered technology.

In just three years, TikTok surpassed its American rivals, garnering 1 billion users. What began as just a lip-synching platform called Musical.ly grew into a multi-billion-dollar empire.

As Chris Stokel-Walker writes in “TikTok Boom,” “TikTok has mutated into something of a proxy war over the future of this technology we rely on in our everyday lives.”

For proponents of global engagement and cultural diplomacy, as I am, TikTok is an ideal way to share and learn about how others sing, dance and express themselves and their cultures. And competition for Silicon Valley from China is not necessarily a bad thing.

But – and this is a big “but” – there has been little real transparency about the algorithms used for TikTok, and how data is being collected, stored, scraped, used and disseminated. Investigative reporters and authors have tried, unsuccessfully over the years, to answer the question: Does TikTok, a private Chinese company owned by ByteDance, share data with the Chinese government and, if so, to what end?

President Biden, who met with TikTok executives during his presidential campaign, pushed a plan to require TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest from the app. Simply banning TikTok may sound easy, but it hasn’t driven the company out of business despite repeated attempts.

First came the assault on TikTok by former President Trump, who in 2020 went to war against the social media app, in part because of national security concerns about China getting hold of TikTok user data and using it against the United States.

The Senate banned the use of TikTok by federal employees on government devices. Individual U.S. states, many of them led by Republican governors, began to take matters into their own hands.

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) enacted a ban on TikTok across state government-issued devices, blaming China for “manipulating the American people.” Other states started instituting or considering bans based on data security. Indiana is suing the platform for pushing inappropriate content onto children. And some public colleges are banning the app.

In the summer of 2020, TikTok was banned in India, along with 50 other apps. Despite its massive popularity with over 200 million users, the Indian government declared it essentially illegal. (Interestingly, it was just at a time when India and China were squabbling over border issues.)

Afghanistan, under the Taliban, has also banned TikTok, citing its violation of its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Neighboring Pakistan has had an on-again, off-again, relationship with the social media app with bans imposed and then lifted. Bangladesh banned it. Indonesia banned it and then lifted the bans in another back-and-forth approach.

And then there’s China, where TikTok is not allowed at home but its owners are free to distribute its content abroad, if content managers stay within certain unwritten guidelines such as avoiding a focus on controversial topics like Taiwan or Tibet.

For TikTok to survive, it will have to demonstrate a willingness to do more than just issue vague statements and gloss over details about its data collection. It will have to distance itself from the very country that birthed it and risk alienating the Chinese Communist Party, which views control over the internet as critical to its own security. That is asking a lot.

The rise of China and Chinese tech is now challenging Silicon Valley at a time of rising geopolitical tensions over Taiwan, Chinese balloons flying over America and ongoing tensions over Ukraine and China’s relationship with Russia, not to mention arguments over the origins of COVID-19 and the degree to which China shared information in those early pandemic days.Venezuela’s oil, power and purgesArizona death penalty case will determine whether a private citizen can compel an execution

For Americans, TikTok reaches a major share of young people who could be turned off by politics if the social media app is banned.

In the end, the answer for America might lie in a broad new look at comprehensive legislation to ensure data security and privacy, like what the Europeans have done. Picking off TikTok is a short-term solution, but there will always be another social media clock ticking.

Tara D. Sonenshine is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida pledges support to Poland in trip to Warsaw


Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) shake hands during a joint press conference after their meeting in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, in Warsaw, on Wednesday. 

Photo by Radek Pietruszka/EPA-EFE

March 22 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday that Japan will give developmental assistance to his country to help it cope with the large influx of Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's invasion.

Kishida, who slipped into Kyiv through Poland earlier to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, made the announcement of financial aid after a meeting with Morawiecki in Warsaw.

"Due to the prolonged [Russian] aggression against Ukraine, [Kishida] stated that the government of Japan decided to provide ODA directly to Poland with a view of reducing its burden as well as effectively providing humanitarian, rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine," a statement from Kishida's office said.

Kishida said he also welcomed more bilateral relations with Poland in "various fields."

Morawiecki said on social media he was pleased with the meeting with both countries continuing their support for Ukraine.

"A great talk with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his first visit to Poland," he said on Twitter. "We discussed economic cooperation, the building of modern transport & digital infrastructure, as well as security and stopping Russia's aggression towards Ukraine."

Kishida's trip to Ukraine through Poland marked the first time since World War II that a Japanese leader had visited another country that was under war. The trip to see Zelensky was unannounced in advance as Kishida flew into Poland and then took a train into Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, during a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday. 

Photo via Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI | License Photo

Japan's Kishida makes surprise visit to Ukraine, meets with President Zelensky


The meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Chinese President Xi Xinping in Russia. 

Photo via Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI | License Photo

March 21 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Kyiv to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday to talk about the reconstruction of the war-torn country as Russia continues its invasion.

The Japanese foreign ministry said Kishida, who is set to host the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May, would look to convey that Japan and other G7 nations maintain their "solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine" while also "firmly rejecting Russia's aggression and unilateral attempts to change of the status quo by force" on the surprise visit.

Kishida was the lone G7 leader who had yet to visit Ukraine. It also marked the first time since World War II that a Japanese prime minister had visited a country where fighting was taking place.

"The situation in Ukraine and support for the country will be a major theme at the G7 Hiroshima summit," ruling Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi said. "It is of great significance that Prime Minister Kishida will visit Kyiv and hold talks with President Zelensky to directly confirm the situation on the ground."

Kishida traveled to Ukraine on the heels of a visit to India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kishida flew into Poland from India using a chartered plane instead of the standard Japanese government aircraft before he was seen boarding a train to cross the border into Ukraine.

Japan has become more military-focused under Kishida since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In January, he announced the government would seek to raise funds to double defense spending to $328.8 billion, or 2% of GDP, over the next five years, in line with NATO member countries.

In recent months, Japan has signed agreements for disaster response and military drills with the Philippines, Britain and Australia.

Kishida's trip also comes while China's President Xi Jinping is visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where the two are holding a second day of talks on Tuesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) lays flowers at a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine on March 21, 2022. Kishida is on a one-day visit to Ukraine. 

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/EPA-EFE

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was the last G7 member to visit Ukraine, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Tuesday. 

Photo via Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI |

THEY HAVE ALL THE MONEY
Defense Department lays out biomanufacturing strategy

FOR BIOWARFARE


The Department of Defense on Wednesday released its biomanufacturing strategy, saying the issue carries "significant implications" for national security and U.S. economic competitiveness in the future. Biomanufacturing (pictured) is a process of using living systems to create materials and chemicals, and the Department of Defense says it could have a host of military applications one day. 

Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Army

March 22 (UPI) -- The Department of Defense on Wednesday released its biomanufacturing strategy, saying the issue carries "significant implications for national security and economic competitiveness."

Though the process of using living systems to create materials at large scale might seem tangential to U.S. military missions, Defense officials said the concept carries real-world implications and opportunities for America's military.

"Biomanufacturing is the use of biological mechanisms in the manufacturing process. Work is rapidly advancing that would introduce biomanufacturing processes for production of fuels, chemicals and even construction materials," the Department of Defense said in a news release Wednesday.

"The field also has the potential to enable creation of biologically based environmental sensors, wearable technology and materials with wholly novel properties."

The three principles laid out in the biomanufacturing strategy are to "establish transition partners for early stage innovations," to "develop biomanufacturing at home and with allies," and "mapping out the biomanufacturing ecosystem and tracking metrics that support future DoD biomanufacturing efforts."

"The strategy's principles will define the path we must take to not just delay advanced technologies, but turn them into advanced capabilities that meet national security needs," said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of Defense for science and engineering.

In September, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation, which emphasized that the administration's policy is "to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security."

The United States has been increasingly concerned about advancements in the field of biomanufacturing from competitors such as China.

"We must safeguard the United States bioeconomy, as foreign adversaries and strategic competitors alike use legal and illegal means to acquire United States technologies and data, including biological data, and proprietary or precompetitive information, which threatens United States economic competitiveness and national security," Biden said in his executive order.

In September, the Department of Defense announced $1.2 billion in funds for biomanufacturing.

Shortages of key drugs are rising, US Senate report says

A new Senate report found that key drugs such as antibiotics and cancer drugs are in short supply.

Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

March 22 (UPI) -- Critical drugs, including antibiotics, cancer drugs and children's medication, have been in short supply for months, a new Senate report released on Wednesday said.

Between 2021 and 2022 drug shortages increased by nearly 30%, Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said in the report. Those shortages have created challenges for patients and healthcare providers.

"These shortages, which reached a peak of 295 individual drugs in shortage at the end of 2022, have left healthcare professionals grappling with limited resources to treat patients in need," committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., said during a hearing on the issue Wednesday. "Taken together, these underlying causes not only present serious concerns about providing adequate care to patients, they also represent serious national security risks."

Nearly one-third of the drugs in short supply are antibiotics. The report specifically highlighted Propofol, which anesthesiologists give to patients before surgery. The drug has been in and out of shortages for the past 15 years, and the problem has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report also said that 90% to 95% of generic sterile injectable drugs rely on starting material from China and India.

"The federal government's inability to comprehensively assess U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain vulnerabilities and address known causes of shortages for critical drugs continues to frustrate efforts to predict drug shortages and effectively mitigate their impact on patient care," the report said.

The report recommended more federal investment in domestic manufacturing of drugs that are in short supply. It also said that Congress should require the Defense, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services departments to conduct supply chain risk assessments for drug shortages and identify potential national security concerns.

Senate panel digs into future of COVID vaccine pricing

Lawmakers grilled Moderna’s CEO over the company’s plans to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, after the U.S. helped support the vaccine’s development.

© AP

During a hearing held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lambasted the $130 price tag Moderna is planning to tack onto its updated bivalent booster shot, which currently goes for $26.   Taking into account the billions in federal funding that Moderna received to accelerate the development and testing of its vaccine, committee members interrogated Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel on what was going into the cost, how this would impact consumers and how continued affordable access to the medicine would be ensured.   “We are talking about a vaccine that taxpayers invested $12 billion in—a vaccine that was once $15—and you’re now planning to price at $130 despite the fact that it just costs about $3 to make,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said during the hearing, referring to the current cost of Moderna’s original COVID-19 vaccine.   Far from being a Democratic-led gripe with the company, GOP Sens. Roger Marshall (Kans.) and Mike Braun (Ind.) also used words like “outrageous” and “preposterous” to describe the price hike plans.   Throughout the hearing, Bancel seemed to stake a claim over the vaccine as something his company created with a modest contribution from the federal government.   The question over who deserves credit for the vaccine has long been going. Moderna recently relented on a patent dispute with the National Institutes of Health, agreeing to pay the federal agency royalties on its vaccine sales.   Multiple senators on Wednesday characterized the shot as a taxpayer-funded product, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanding to know if Bancel could commit to the U.S. paying less than other countries for the shot, considering the government’s role in its development.   Bancel said he could not say that the U.S. would pay less than other countries. Moderna CEO on defensive with price of COVID-19 vaccine set to quadruple In February, Moderna announced it would continue to offer its COVID-19 vaccines for free, even after the U.S. government officially ends its public health emergency in May.  Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo March 22 (UPI) -- Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel defended the pharmaceutical giant Wednesday afternoon, after being grilled by a Senate panel over the drugmaker's plan to quadruple the cost of its COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna confirmed plans to increase the price of its mRNA vaccine to around $130 come the fall, which would equate to a 400% increase. The company said it expects demand for the shots to drop by as much as 90%. "To protect people, we need to make more than we think is going to be needed. We are going to have to pay for it," Bancel told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Wednesday. "Quadrupling the price is huge," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who chairs the committee told Bancel. RELATED Moderna promises free COVID-19 vaccines after U.S. public health emergency ends "I would hope very much you would reconsider that decision. It's going to cost taxpayers of this country billions of dollars. Is that something you can do?" In January, Sanders sent a letter to Bancel urging him to call off the price hike, saying "the purpose of the recent taxpayer investment in Moderna was to protect the health and lives of the American people, not to turn a handful of corporate executives and investors into multi-billionaires." In February, Sanders' committee released a scathing report on the lucrative compensation packages that have been paid to pharmaceutical executives throughout the pandemic. RELATED Moderna: Updated COVID-19 booster effective against Omicron subvariants Also last month, Moderna announced a new patient assistance program to provide free vaccines to all Americans, even after the U.S. government officially ends its public health emergency in May. "As the public health emergency ends, the United States government will no longer be providing vaccines at no cost. Moderna remains committed to ensuring that people in the United States will have access to our COVID-19 vaccines regardless of ability to pay," the drug company said in a statement. Before Bancel's appearance, Sanders' office issued a statement claiming the executive "became a billionaire during the pandemic after U.S. taxpayers gave his company billions of dollars to research, develop, and distribute its COVID-19 vaccine." The federal government purchased millions of vaccine doses from Moderna, which have been provided to the public for free to curtail the spread of the virus, with Moderna sharing in $102 billion in total revenue from the purchases in 2021 -- 137% above the previous year. "I don't know how much money is the right amount of money," Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said while addressing his fellow committee members. "But the idea that somehow corporate greed has just been invented in America is absurd. It's been there since the beginning of free enterprise - individuals investing, hoping that if it succeeds they'll do very well financially." In recent interviews, Moderna president Stephen Hoge has brushed off criticism about the imminent price hike, noting that moving a government-funded product into the commercial market was a risky and unprecedented business proposition for the company. "This has literally never happened before. And so what we are trying to do, as one of the many manufacturers in the space, is to pick a price we think reflects the value of the vaccine ... but also reflects the complexity of moving from this pandemic market to a commercial market," Hoge told Yahoo News. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has also indicated a plan to sell its vaccine for as much as $130 per dose on the open market. Previously, Sanders called on Moderna not to raise the price of the vaccine -- which he said costs the corporate giant $2.85 to make, but would be unaffordable to everyday consumers at the $130 cost.

Massive explosion, fire at Texas chemical plant injures one person


A massive explosion is captured Wednesday on a Houston TranStar camera at the INEOS chemical plant in Pasadena, Texas, where one person was injured. 

Photo courtesy of Houston TranStar

March 22 (UPI) -- A massive explosion and fire at a Texas chemical plant Wednesday injured one person as liquid petroleum gas was being transferred between tankers.

The fire has been extinguished, according to local officials who said they continue to monitor the air around the plant.

The explosion and fire at the INEOS chemical site in the Pasadena area was first reported at 12:11 p.m. as two explosions but was actually one BLEVE, or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, according to Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia.

The explosion, which was captured on Houston TranStar cameras, occurred when an over-the-road tanker truck transported liquid petroleum gas from one tanker to another, Garcia said. One person was injured in the explosion and is in stable condition. Everyone at the plant has been accounted for, officials said

"As a result of that process, we do not know exactly what did not happen right, but as we know an explosion occurred -- a BLEVE occurred -- and numerous 911 calls came into the Harris County Sheriff's Office," Garcia told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

Garcia said numerous roads, including SH-225 near the East Beltway, were shut down as a precaution, but have since reopened.

INEOS produces products relating to oil and gas, chemicals and polymers, according to the company's website.

"At this point, there are no known impacts to the community at large," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters during an afternoon briefing, as HazMat crews continued to monitor the air in the area.

"We did do monitoring in the area north of the fire," said Dr. Latrice Babin, executive director of Harris County Pollution Control Services. "As of this time, there are not any detections and we are not expecting there to be any. Fortunately, we have good wind blowing that's dispersing whatever was up high and aloof in the flame."

While the explosion occurred during the transfer of liquid petroleum gas between two tankers, fire officials said there will be an investigation as to what happened.

"We are going to be conducting an investigation into this incident. We have not been able to make it inside the plant as of yet. It is still an active scene," Deputy Chief Chad Shaw, of the Harris County Fire Marshal Office, told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

"Anytime you have a transfer of a chemical like that, if there's any kind of vapor, it can find an ignition source anywhere. So that's going to be part of our investigation," he said.

CELEBRITY CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
SEC files charges against Tron founder Justin Sun


The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Tron founder Justin Sun for allegedly promoting unregistered crypto assets via celebrities like Jake Paul and Lindsay Lohan (shown). 

 Photo by Sven Hoogerhuis/UPI | License Photo

March 22 (UPI) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Grenadian diplomat and Tron founder Justin Sun for allegedly promoting and manipulating unregistered crypto asset securities.

The SEC complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Sun manipulated trading to give false legitimacy to his unregistered cryptocurrencies.

Sun accomplished this by "orchestrating a promotional campaign in which he and his celebrity promoters hid the fact hat the celebrities paid for their tweet," according to SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

The complaint also accuses Sun of engaging in so-called "wash trades."

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"From at least April 2018 through February 2019, Sun allegedly directed his employees to engage in more than 600,000 wash trades of TRX between two crypto asset trading platform accounts he controlled, with between 4.5 million and 7.4 million TRX wash trades daily," the complaint reads.

"This scheme required a significant supply of TRX, which Sun allegedly provided. Sun also allegedly sold TRX into the secondary market, generating proceeds of $31 million from illegal, unregistered offers and sales of the token," the complaint says.

The SEC also sued Sun's BitTorrent Foundation and Tron Foundation, as well as Rainberry Inc.

Sun became famous for enlisting celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Jake Paul to promote his Tronix and BitTorrent tokens on their social media profiles.

Eight celebrities who agreed to promote Sun's crypto products have been charged by the SEC for failing to disclose the fact that they were paid to do so.

The celebrities charged separately are Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Austin Mahone, Michele Mason, a.k.a Kendra Lust, DeAndre Cortez Way. a.k.a. Soulja Boy, Miles Parks McCollum, Shaffer Smith, a.k.a. Ne-Yo, and Aliaune Thiam, a.k.a., Akon.