Jay Bhattacharya to Continue Leading CDC as White House Searches for Permanent Director 
CPAC 2026: Republicans Back Trump's Iran Strikes Amid Growing Public Skepticism 
Russia-Iran Military Alliance Deepens With Drone Shipments Amid Middle East Tensions 
WTO Reform Talks Begin in Cameroon Amid Global Trade Tensions 
Trump Seeks Quick End to U.S.-Iran Conflict Amid Ongoing Middle East Tensions 
Russia Strikes Kharkiv and Izmail as Cross-Border Drone War Escalates 
Trump to Visit China in May for High-Stakes Xi Summit Amid Iran War 
Taiwan Arms Deal on Track Despite U.S.-China Summit Uncertainty 
California Renames Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day Following Sexual Abuse Allegations 
Kristi Noem Ends Western Hemisphere Tour in Diminished Role After DHS Firing 
SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn 
Iran Allows Oil Tankers Through Strait of Hormuz Amid U.S. Negotiations 
Israeli Airstrike Targets Building in Beirut's Southern Suburbs Amid Ongoing Hezbollah Conflict 
Maduro Faces Rare Narcoterrorism Charges in U.S. Court 
Trump's Signature to Appear on U.S. Currency Starting Summer 2025 
Trump's Overhaul of American History: Museums, Monuments, and Cultural Institutions 
Iran Demands Lebanon Be Part of Any Ceasefire Deal With Israel and the U.S. 
As the US still struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its Delta variant, US President Joe Biden and his administration are looking to further boost vaccinations. This week, Biden met with business leaders to discuss vaccine mandates.
Biden hosted a group of business leaders at the White House this week to talk about vaccine mandates, according to Deadline. Even though there were no representatives from Fox present, Biden commended the company for implementing its own vaccination guidelines, including disclosing vaccination status or be subject to weekly testing.
“The vaccine requirements work, and more companies are instituting them,” said Biden during the meeting. “Even Fox News is requiring it. I am not being facetious when I say that, but it’s interesting that they’ve stepped forward and done that as well.”
The US leader said that it may take some time for the Labor Department through its Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to implement regulations that would mandate businesses with 100 or more employees to make sure that their workplace is vaccinated or go through regular testing for COVID.
The CEOs present were Bob Chapek of Walt Disney, Kaiser Permanente CEO Greg Adams, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CEO Madeline Bell, Business Roundtable CEO Josh Bolten, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Roz Brewer, Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, Molly’s Moon Homemade Ice Cream CEO Molly Moon Neitzel, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Louisiana State University president William Tate IV.
Disney has previously announced a vaccine requirement in July for salaried and non-union US employees. They have later reached an agreement with union employees.
Meanwhile, Biden has predictably drawn the ire of several Republican state governors who have banned mask and vaccination mandates in their states. Biden stood his ground Thursday, defending the mandates while delivering another rebuke to the GOP governors, saying that they are putting lives at risk by undermining the protocols.
“We’re facing a lot of pushback, especially from some of the Republican governors. The governors of Florida and Texas are doing everything they can to undermine the life-saving requirements that I’ve proposed,” said Biden, who called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Both states have high infection rates.
