The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is (almost) back in the game, but health officials are expected to recommend a permanent ban on any use of Ron Johnson: A mixed day for the Johnson community, all told.
 

• A CDC vaccine advisory committee has recommended that the U.S. resume use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with an added warning label, after reviewing data that found 15 confirmed cases of the rare, severe blood clots that prompted the pause. All of the cases were in women between the ages of 18 and 48. It’s up to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to make the final call, but shots could restart as soon as this weekend.
   
• The next hurdle: The U.S. appears to be nearing the Vaccination Tipping Point, where Malcolm Gladwell writes a ubiquitous book about it the supply of doses outstrips demand. Even after all Americans over age 16 became eligible this week, a number of states have begun turning down doses or asking for smaller shipments as appointments go unclaimed, and some counties have started closing mass vaccination sites altogether.
   
• As the Biden administration prepares to roll out a “ground game” campaign to combat vaccine hesitancy, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-FACEBOOK COMMENTS) helpfully said on Thursday that he’s “getting highly suspicious” of the “big push to make sure everybody gets the vaccine,” then doubled down in a statement, carefully praising Operation Warp Speed for churning out these questionable vaccines so quickly. As luck would have it, Johnson’s anti-vaxxer stance puts him momentarily at odds with...Donald Trump. Anyway, it’s another great day to help Wisconsin Democrats end his career.

When you do get vaccinated by the shadowy cabal with nefarious motives, maybe don’t book an international flight just yet.
 

• The State Department added more than 115 countries and territories to its Do Not Travel list this week, including Canada, Mexico, India, and virtually all of Europe That’s up from just 33 countries on the most serious warning list as of last week, as coronavirus variants (and shaky leadership) fuel alarming spikes around the world.
   
• India alone reported more than 330,000 new cases in 24 hours, breaking the global record for daily infections for the second day in a row. Hospitals and families are on social media pleading for oxygen, medicines, and available beds. On Thursday, India’s Supreme Court gave the government a week to come up with a national plan for oxygen distribution.
   

With half of American adults having received at least one vaccine dose, the U.S. has gained some level of protection against that kind of devastating surge. But getting the next half vaccinated will be critically important and much more challenging, so here on the anniversary of Bleach Day, it’s time for political leaders to either amplify health experts or shut the fuck up.

On an all-new ALL CAPS NBA: A strange catfish story involving the Los Angeles Lakers, a South African Sports Illustrated model, questionable podcasting tactics, absolutely horrible photoshops and a someone named Vivian... or Vivien. Cheyenne Roundtree of The Daily Beast joins the show to break it all down. Watch & subscribe → youtube.com/takelineshow

Some amazing vaccine news that’s gotten lost in the shuffle of all the amazing vaccine news: A new malaria vaccine looks like a breakthrough. The vaccine, developed by Oxford University's Jenner Institute (of AstraZeneca vaccine fame), showed up to 77 percent efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso over 12 months. It’s the first shot to reach the WHO’s goal of a malaria vaccine with at least 75 percent efficacy. If it’s proven to be safe and effective in a Phase III trial, it could save a whole lot of lives: Malaria sickens around 230 million people a year and kills around 400,000, the majority of whom are children under age five.

• A sheriff’s deputy fatally shot Andrew Brown Jr., a 42-year-old Black man, in North Carolina on Wednesday. The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office has provided precious little information about what happened, sparking protests and demands to release the body-cam footage.
   
• Caitlyn Jenner announced that she will run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) in a recall election, criticizing Newsom’s handling of the pandemic in a state that currently has the lowest coronavirus case rate in the Lower 48.
   
• Democratic lawmakers have asked Justice Amy Coney Barrett to recuse herself from a case brought by a right-wing nonprofit whose sister group spent at least $1 million to help her get confirmed. When a potential conflict of interest is that obvious, federal law requires Barrett to either recuse herself or explain why she’s not doing so.
   
• Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny announced he will end his three-week hunger strike, following his examinations by civilian doctors this week.
   
• The CDC has reassigned Nancy Messonnier from the coronavirus vaccine task force. Messonnier is the respiratory-disease chief who pissed off the Trump administration by issuing an early warning that coronavirus was a big deal; it’s not yet clear whether the Biden administration is also sidelining her, or why.
   
• A Judge Advocate General Corps officer has sued his superiors in the Colorado National Guard for sanctioning his off-duty participation in Black Lives Matter protests.
   
• Former assistants to producer Scott Rudin have collectively painted a nightmare portrait of his abusive behavior. Rudin “stepped back” from his Broadway and film projects after abuse allegations came out earlier this month, but most of the entertainment industry has refused to cut ties with him.
   
• A Bumble user turned a Capitol rioter in to the Justice Department, instantly and exponentially raising the ceiling of Satisfying Experiences To Be Had On A Dating App.
   
• A gender reveal party blew up New Hampshire. Sorry, out of the loop here, which gender does “brown tap water” indicate?

Election law expert Richard Hasen has published an op-ed highlighting the growing GOP threat of election subversion, which has been largely eclipsed by the (also very important) fight over voter-suppression measures. Republican efforts to fuck with the vote count range from removing or censuring election officials who refused to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 results, to laws that give GOP-controlled state legislatures power to take over county election boards, or would let “poll watchers” interfere with election integrity procedures. To combat those efforts, Hasen writes, we need a few things: Voting systems that produce paper ballots for recounts in every jurisdiction, more people speaking out against election subversion, and a national effort to support officials who will count votes fairly. Congress can also make it harder for clowns like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley to object to the Electoral College vote count based on nothing, and add a measure requiring states to have basic safeguards in vote counting to H.R.1.

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Two-thirds of older Americans are now fully vaccinated, and coronavirus hospitalizations among Americans over 65 have dropped by 70 percent. 

The American Rescue Plan has brought down food insecurity significantly.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has withdrawn a Trump-era rule that gave federally-funded homeless shelters the option to discriminate against trans people.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has ordered a ban on new fracking permits starting in 2024.