Midday Roundup: CDC confirms this year's flu shot failed

Minimal protection. This year’s flu shot is only 23 percent effective at preventing the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu is one of the shiftiest human viruses, and this year it mutated after experts developed the formula for the vaccine against it. Making the flu shot is always a bit of a year-by-year guessing game, and usually it’s no more than 60 percent effective. But the CDC still recommends getting vaccinated, since influenza A isn’t the only flu strain out there this year and the vaccine protects against those other varieties.

Stepping down. After surviving the disastrous roll-out of Obamacare in 2013, Marilyn Tavenner, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), announced her resignation today. Tavenner is a former intensive care nurse and hospital executive. She signed off on the opening of HealthCare.gov and infamously testified to Congress that many more people signed up for health coverage under the president’s signature health law than actually had. Now with HealthCare.gov up and running, she’s stepping down. Andy Slavitt, a former technology executive who played a leading role in the rescue operation to get HealthCare.gov working, will take over as acting Medicare administrator.

Open for business. The White House on Thursday announced new rules that undo much of the decades-old trade embargo against Cuba. The rules allow U.S. companies to engage in increased banking and telecommunications activities within the country. They also open up travel to Cuba for authorized purposes, such as family visits, business, government, and journalism, but not tourism. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Dan Coats, R-Ind., oppose the plan. They’ve sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew demanding to know how the president’s plan conforms to current law. The president needs congressional approval to completely normalize trade with Cuba. That will be difficult to get since there is bipartisan opposition to the president’s plan.

The people’s lawn. Commissioners in Franklin County, Ind., have passed an ordinance to avoid future disputes over publicly displayed nativity scenes at Christmastime. Just before Christmas 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom from Religion Foundation sued the county over a privately funded and maintained manger display that residents had set up outside the county courthouse for the past 50 years. The ordinance allows equal access for county citizens to put up displays on the courthouse grounds without regard to the viewpoint of the displays. “The courthouse lawn has historically been the ‘people’s lawn,’ used by the public with permission of the county for everything from festivals to family picnics, displays to demonstrations,” the ordinance states. The Thomas More Society helped the county craft the ordinance and respond to the legal complaints against the nativity scene.

Civics test. Arizona has enacted a law requiring high school students to pass the civics test given to citizenship applicants before they can receive a diploma. The test includes questions about U.S. government and history. Students will have to correctly answer 60 of 100 questions to pass. An Arizona nonprofit organization lobbied heavily for the law and is pushing for all 50 states to pass similar measures. The Joe Foss Institute says 18 other states are considering legislation on the matter this year.

The Associated Press and WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.