News Roundup: Fourth Dose of Covid Vaccine ‘Necessary,’ Pfizer CEO Says

BY JACK CROWE

March 14, 2022

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

Fourth Dose of Covid Vaccine 'Necessary,' Pfizer CEO Says

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said a fourth dose of the Covid vaccine will be needed because of waning protection after a third dose, in comments on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.

Host Margaret Brennan asked if Americans should expect to get a Covid shot every fall similar to a flu shot.

"I think so," Bourla replied. "Variants are coming and Omicron was the first one that was able to evade in a skillful way the immune protection that we were given."

Bourla said his company is attempting to develop a vaccine that will protect against all potential variants of Covid, and whose protection will last "at least a year." A fourth Covid shot will be "necessary," Bourla said.

"The protection that we are getting from the third [dose], it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths, it's not that good against infections, but doesn't last very long," Bourla said. "We are just submitting those data to the FDA and then we will see what the experts also will say, outside of Pfizer."

Clarence Thomas Decries Cancel Culture, Proposals to Pack the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday said he is worried that any potential expansion of the Supreme Court could compromise its integrity.

"You can cavalierly talk about packing or stacking the court. You can cavalierly talk about doing this or doing that. At some point the institution is going to be compromised," Thomas said in remarks at a Utah event hosted by former Republican Senator Orrin Hatch's foundation, according to the Associated Press.

Thomas, who is the most senior justice on the court, also expressed concern about the long-term consequences of cancel culture.

"I'm afraid, particularly in this world of cancel culture attack, I don't know where you're going to learn to engage as we did when I grew up," he said. "If you don't learn at that level in high school, in grammar school, in your neighborhood, or in civic organizations, then how do you have it when you're making decisions in government, in the legislature, or in the courts?"

Kinzinger Says His 'Biggest Regret' Is Voting Against Trump's First Impeachment

Representative Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) on Friday said his "biggest regret" as a congressman was voting against the first impeachment of Donald Trump over the former president's dealings with Ukraine.

Trump was impeached in December of 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over a phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in which he suggested that Zelensky should investigate the Biden family. Those who moved to impeach Trump accused him of withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure Zelensky into compliance.

"I want to be honest, in Congress I have only a few votes that in [hindsight], I regret. My biggest regret was voting against the first impeachment of Donald Trump," Kinzinger wrote in a series of tweets on Friday.

"It's important for political leaders to be transparent and admit regret when needed," he added. "The bottom line, Donald Trump withheld lethal aid to Ukraine so he could use it as leverage for his campaign."

Disney CEO Suspends Florida Political Donations over LGBT Ed Bill

Disney will not make political donations in the state of Florida pending a review, and will oppose legislation modeled after the state's Parental Rights in Education bill in other states, CEO Bob Chapek said in a letter to employees on Friday.

"Thank you to all who have reached out to me sharing your pain, frustration and sadness over the company's response to the Florida 'Don't Say Gay' bill," Chapek wrote in the letter, which was posted on Disney's website. "You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry."

The bill in question bars classroom discussion "on sexual orientation or gender identity" that is conducted "in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate," from kindergarten through 3rd grade.

"Starting immediately, we are increasing our support for advocacy groups to combat similar legislation in other states," Chapek wrote on Friday. "And today, we are pausing all political donations in the state of Florida pending this review."

Texas Judge Blocks Investigations of Parents of Transgender Children

A Texas judge on Friday blocked the state's Department of Family and Protective Services from conducting investigations of parents of transgender children for potential child abuse.

District judge Amy Clark Meachum wrote in her ruling that a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal against the DFPS holds a "substantial likelihood" of success.

The DFPS investigations "violate separation of powers by impermissibly encroaching into the legislative domain," Meachum said on Friday, according to the New York Times.

Meachum's injunction blocks all such investigations until the conclusion of a trial in the suit, which was scheduled for July.

How Life in Kyiv Changed in an Instant: 'I Feel Like I Am in a Dream'

Kyiv, Ukraine — At the Brodsky Choral Synagogue in the heart of Kyiv, men cheerfully belt out Hebrew songs in the cold, cheered on by a small crowd.

In the midst of a war-torn landscape, this is a rare moment of light. Houses of worship are almost all shuttered for ordinary services; instead they've been transformed into evacuation meeting points and shelters for the displaced and desperate.

"I never thought this could happen here," says Moshe Azman, chief rabbi of Ukraine. "I feel like I am in a dream."

'Shocked' by Russian Invasion, RT Writer Quits in Protest

Although he believed at the time that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was highly unlikely, Jonny Tickle warned his bosses in late February that if it were to occur, he would leave his position as a writer with the Russian state-run media outlet RT.

On February 24, after the Russian airstrikes commenced and Russian tanks began rolling across the Ukrainian border, that's exactly what Tickle did.

"I was as shocked as anybody," Tickle told National Review about the Russian attack. "The newsroom was shocked. Everyone was upset about it. Nobody wanted it to happen."