Tuesday morning news - May 11. 2021

Biden says “enhanced” unemployment isn’t keeping Americans home » President Biden addressed the U.S. economy from the East Room of the White House on Monday. And he pushed back against complaints that enhanced unemployment benefits are giving many people incentive not to work.

BIDEN: Well, we don’t see much evidence of that.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sees it differently, noting that millions are now making as much or more in unemployment than they earned at work. The chamber called on Washington to end the federal boost to unemployment aid.

However, the president said the law is clear.

BIDEN: If you’re receiving unemployment benefits and you’re offered a suitable job, you can’t refuse that job and just keep getting the unemployment benefits.

But Republicans note that they also don’t have to apply for a job.

Throughout most of the country right now, recipients of enhanced aid don’t have to show that they’re looking for employment. States had to drop their job-search requirements from jobless benefits in order to receive certain federal money during the pandemic.

Though some states are now looking to reimpose the job-search rule.

President Biden again said that a disappointing job report on Friday is further evidence that his plan to spend roughly another $4 trillion dollars is necessary to bolster the economy.

Biden administration targets healthcare conscience protections » The Biden administration has announced that it will enforce Obamacare anti-discrimination measures based on people’s preferred genders. That sets up more challenges to the First Amendment conscience rights of some healthcare providers. WORLD’s Sarah Schweinsberg has more.

SARAH SCHWEINSBERG, REPORTER: The Department of Health and Human Services made the announcement on Monday. That means its Office for Civil Rights will investigate complaints of sex discrimination according to so-called gender identity.

And the government could sanction medical providers for failing to observe people’s chosen identities.

Last summer, the Trump administration defined sex as biological sex, but a federal judge blocked the new rules from taking effect. The Biden administration is essentially returning to the policy and practice of former President Barack Obama. The Obama administration denied religious liberty to healthcare providers who resisted providing abortions and gender transition procedures.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg.

Colonial Pipeline hopes to restore service by week’s end » The company that operates the U.S. fuel line crippled by a ransomware attack says it hopes to be up and running by the end of the week.

Homeland Security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall told reporters,

RANDALL: Thus far, Colonial has told us that it has not suffered damage and can be brought back online relatively quickly, but that safety is a priority, given that it has never before taken the entire pipeline down.

Colonial Pipeline delivers nearly half of the fuel consumed on the East Coast.

The FBI says the criminal group that made the ransomware used in the attack is called DarkSide. The group's members are Russian speakers, and the malware it created is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.

But President Biden said Monday,

BIDEN: So far there is no evidence from our intelligence people that Russia is involved, although there is evidence that the actor’s ransomware is in Russia. They have some responsibility to deal with this.

The United States sanctioned the Kremlin last month for a hack of federal government agencies. Intel officials linked that hack to a Russian military intelligence unit and described it as an intelligence-gathering operation.

Fauci, Gottlieb: Time to relax mask guidelines » The president’s chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week that it’s time to relax some indoor mask standards.

He told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos,

FAUCI: Yes, we do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated. As you get more people vaccinated, the number of cases per day will absolutely go down.

His remarks came after former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said it’s time for the CDC to revise its recommendations.

Gottlieb told CBS that between vaccinations and prior infections, the risk is substantially lower.

GOTTLIEB: And so I think we’re at a point in time when we can start lifting these ordinances in a wholesale fashion. And people have to take precautions based on their individual risk. They have to judge their own own individual risk and decide whether or not they’re going to avoid crowds or wear masks based on their circumstances.

Gottlieb said he believes all restrictions on outdoor events should be lifted and in some places, indoor restrictions as well.

The CDC revised its mask guidance last month. It said fully vaccinated people can go without masks outdoors except in large crowds. But it still advises those who are vaccinated to wear masks indoors when around unvaccinated people.

Hamas fires rockets at Jerusalem after clashes at mosque » :Violence has erupted once again in the Middle East. At least least 20 people are reportedly dead after Hamas rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes in response.

It started with weeks of clashes between rock-throwing Palestinians and Israeli police, who responded with non-lethal force like flash grenades.

SOUND: ISRAEL NATS

But on Monday, Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem. Israel hit back with airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the Hamas rocket attacks were an “unacceptable escalation.”

PRICE: While we urge deescalation on all sides, we also recognize Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself—to defend its people and its territory.

Weeks of confrontations have been focused around a disputed hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

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