US vaccine expert says he was forced out of position for resisting hydroxychloroquine hype

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Federal researcher and vaccine development expert Rick Bright says he was removed from his position in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after objecting to the agency’s efforts to push the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.

“I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit,” he said in a statement to The New York Times.

Bright directed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at HHS, which focuses on developing drugs for emergency situations like...

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source https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/22/21231746/federal-vaccine-expert-ousted-hhs-nih-hydroxychloroquine-trump

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Joe Biden looks to shore up climate credentials for Earth Day

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Joe Biden won key environmental endorsements this week as the 50th anniversary of Earth Day focuses attention on climate change. Longtime proponents of climate action Al Gore and Jay Inslee announced today that Biden has their endorsement. The League of Conservation Voters endorsed Biden on April 20th, potentially unlocking tens of millions of dollars in funding if the group continues the big spending it’s put into previous elections. And more than 80 prominent scientists penned an open letter giving Biden their backing ahead of Earth Day. It’s a major show of institutional support for Biden, but it remains to be seen whether these endorsements will help Biden win over voters concerned about climate change, who have emerged as a key...

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source https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/22/21231757/biden-climate-change-environmental-endorsements-earthday-gore-inslee

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Viral texts about coronavirus lockdown were amplified by Chinese operatives, US officials say

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Chinese operatives helped amplify a viral text message that falsely claimed President Trump was going to instate a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, reports The New York Times. US officials said the operatives were engaging in disinformation tactics similar to the ones Russia used in 2016.

The rumor, which gained traction around mid-March, claimed to be coming from someone close to the White House. It said Trump was doing to lock down the country to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Please be advised,” one version of the text message began. “Within 48 to 72 hours the President will evoke what is called the Stafford Act. Stock up on whatever you guys need to make sure you have a two week supply of everything. Please forward to your...

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source https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/22/21231497/coronavirus-lockdown-viral-text-messages-chinese-operatives-disinformation

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Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland is working on a new Star Wars show for Disney Plus

Photo by Ethan Miller/FilmMagic

Russian Doll co-creator and showrunner Leslye Headland is reportedly working on a new Star Wars TV series for Disney Plus, according to a new report from Variety. The series is said to be a “female-centric” show set in a different part of the timeline than other current Star Wars projects, although there aren’t too many details on what the premise of the show will actually be.

Headland is best known for her work as the co-creator, showrunner, and co-writer for the popular Netflix series Russian Doll. According to Variety, Headland will serve in a similar showrunner / writer role for the new Star Wars show, too.

The fifth ‘Star Wars’ show to debut on Disney Plus

The show would be the fifth confirmed Star Wars show in development for...

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source https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/22/21231732/russian-doll-leslye-headland-star-wars-tv-show-disney-plus-report

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Netflix promises subscribers it won’t run out of new content while people are stuck at home

Image: Netflix

The most pressing issue entertainment companies around the world are facing is what the rest of their year looks like. Production on sets around the world has completely stopped, movies are being delayed on a weekly basis as theaters remain closed and shelter-in-place orders from government bodies remain. Some analysts and industry insiders have already called 2020 a total write-off for nearly every company, except one — Netflix.

While Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, Universal, Paramount, and others continue futzing around with their schedules to try to salvage part of the year — even moving certain titles from theatrical releases to digital exclusives — Netflix is carrying on as usual. The company is confident it has enough content to last...

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source https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/22/21231023/netflix-tv-shows-movies-new-2020-pandemic-production-disney-universal-warner-bros-sony

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