Jackson survives a final bruising day of questions
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson emerged Wednesday from two grueling days of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee having weathered escalating Republican attacks on her record but leaving Democrats confident that she would become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Questioning of President Joe Biden’s nominee by Republicans grew increasingly hostile as they stepped up their criticism of what they portrayed as a pattern of leniency in her sentencing of child sex abusers and tried to paint her as a liberal on issues of race, gender, guns and abortion rights. The nominee could be approved along party lines as soon as early next month.
Moderna to seek authorization of its coronavirus vaccine
for young children
Moderna said Wednesday that it would seek emergency authorization of its coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 6, after interim results from its clinical trial showed that volunteers in that age group had a similar immune response to young adults when given a dose one-fourth as strong. But the company said the vaccine proved only about 44% effective in preventing symptomatic illness among children 6 months to 2 years old, and 37% effective in children 2 through 5. Whether the FDA, the CDC, and the public will be willing to accept Moderna’s efficacy rate of about 40% on average for children under 6 is unclear.
Man accused in Capitol Riot granted asylum in Belarus
A U.S. citizen wanted by the FBI on charges including assaulting police officers at the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been granted asylum in Belarus, state media for the Eastern European country announced. Evan Neumann, a former California resident whom prosecutors in Washington have accused of more than a dozen crimes, left the U.S. soon after the riot last year. After crossing into Belarus in August, Neumann formally applied for asylum, according to state media. Belarusian authorities confirmed Tuesday that the request had been granted. The FBI said in an email that Neumann, 49, was still wanted.
Ex-prosecutor: Trump ‘guilty of numerous felony violations’
A prosecutor who had been leading a criminal investigation into Donald Trump before quitting last month said in his resignation letter that he believes the former president is “guilty of numerous felony violations” and he disagreed with the Manhattan district attorney’s decision not to seek an indictment. In the letter, published Wednesday by The New York Times, Mark Pomerantz told District Attorney Alvin Bragg there was “evidence sufficient to establish Mr. Trump’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt” of allegations he falsified financial statements to secure loans and burnish his image as a wealthy businessman. Pomerantz and his former co-leader on the Trump probe, Carey Dunne, resigned on Feb. 23 after clashing with Bragg over the future of the case. Both were top deputies tasked with running the investigation on a day-to-day basis.
By wire sources
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