Biden calls on Congress to extend eviction ban – National & International News – THU 29Jul2021

Biden asks Congress to extend eviction ban. Governments, firms issue wave of vaccine mandates. Scientists hope to make deadly mosquitos ‘self-destruct’.

NATIONAL NEWS

Biden calls on Congress to extend eviction ban

The Biden administration says it must allow the current moratorium on evictions to expire on July 31. The White House says that it has no choice after the Supreme Court ruled that the ban could not be extended for a fourth time without legislative action. In light of the nationwide spikes in COVID cases, Biden has called on Congress to act urgently to extend the moratorium again beyond Saturday.

Additionally, Biden has asked the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs to extend their own eviction bans through the end of September.

Currently, more than 11 million renters across the US are still behind on payments, and about 6.5 million of those face eviction on July 31. Despite Congress granting nearly $47 billion for rental assistance starting in December, states had only distributed about $3 billion total in rent relief by the end of June. Half of that money was given out in June, more than the previous 5 months combined.

This is because most states did not have a comprehensive system in place to vet applicants and get money to the people who need it. The system has worked better in some places than in others, but most states are still struggling to get their act together.

Thousands of Mississippi renters still waiting

The quasi-governmental Mississippi Home Corporation, which administers the Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program (RAMP), is no exception. As of June 28, RAMP had committed just $3 million (or 1.7%) of its $186 million allotment. Mississippi Home Corporation Director Scott Spivey says things have improved somewhat in recent weeks, with the agency now approving about 100 applications a day. But that is slow drip compared to the ocean of 17,000 applications they have received.

Nevertheless, if you are behind on your rent and have not yet applied for relief, go to ms-ramp.com. Landlords may also apply on behalf of tenants. Presumably, the sooner you apply, the sooner you’ll see relief.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

Federal government, states, private firms issue vaccine mandates

This week’s announcement of vaccine mandates by New York City and the State of California have apparently opened the floodgates. Hours after those announcements, the Veterans Affairs administration called for all healthcare personnel that have close contact with patients to get their vaccine, or mask-up and submit to weekly testing. 

Private companies including Alphabet (owners of Google) and Facebook soon followed suit, asking all employees who work in their offices to get vaccines. Colleges and universities will also require students and staff to be vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall, or and take weekly COVID tests. Over 50 major private healthcare groups have also called on employers in their systems to implement vaccine requirements for employees.

Today, President Biden is likely to issue a similar order for all 2 million civilian federal employees. 

The drop in vaccination rates and the resulting spike in COVID cases have created new urgency. With schools due to reopen soon and winter soon to follow, government and private entities are eager to avoid the damaging shutdowns we experienced last year. Since the “ask nicely” approach is not still reaching millions of Americans, the new requirements seek to make it less convenient for those still refusing to get the jab.

Click to hear the NPR story (4-minute listen) (opens in new tab).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Scientists hope to make malaria-carrying mosquitos ‘self-destruct’

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria. Scientists in the UK hope that a new breakthrough in genetic research may make that a thing of the past. In tests, researchers have been able to eliminate a population of malaria-carrying mosquitos by rendering the females infertile. Within 10 years, they may be ready to conduct a wider field test.

The study makes use of gene-drive technology by introducing genetically-engineered mosquitos into the wild. Theoretically, the modified mosquitos will eventually cause dangerous mosquito colonies to “self-destruct”. 

Dr. Thomas Price, of the University of Liverpool, who did not take part in the research, calls this “a very exciting development”. While Price acknowledges that the research raises, “ethical and regulatory questions that need answering”, he considers this a “major step” forward in the fight against one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).