Biden says pause on J&J shots shows government is putting safety 1st

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign hit a snag Tuesday when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots. But the White House portrayed the action as an important validation of his measured approach throughout the rollout.

Biden declared that even with a temporary loss of J&J ‘s one-shot vaccine, there is a huge supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, enough that “is basically 100% unquestionable, for every single solitary American.”

This could result in a potential blow to public confidence in vaccines as many Americans are hesitant to get the shots that public health experts say are necessary for the nation to emerge from the pandemic. President Biden disagrees.

The pause actually should have the opposite effect, boosting confidence that the government is putting safety first, Biden and top health officials said at a White House briefing. The advisory by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — citing a need to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots — was “testimony to how seriously we take safety,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

In the opening months of his presidency, Biden has put top priority on a robust response to the virus that has killed 563,000 Americans, with a vaccine campaign in which nearly 40% of adults have received at least one shot.

His actions have received generally strong reviews, and hesitancy toward taking the vaccine has gradually declined as inoculations have increased. With three vaccines in use in the U.S. and plenty of supply in the pipeline, Biden actually has received some criticism for not sharing more vaccines with other nations. The president said Tuesday’s action proved the wisdom of his approach.

“My message to the American people on the vaccine is, I told you all,” Biden told reporters after the announcement, adding that he “made sure we have 600 million doses” just from Pfizer and Moderna in the pipeline.

The Johnson & Johnson pause, which regulators say they hope to resolve within days, comes on the heels of production issues at the Baltimore plant that produces the J&J vaccine.

The White House, which got only about 12 hours’ notice that some sort of announcement was coming and did not have any advance warning about the substance of the FDA and CDC’s action, moved swiftly to minimize concerns about its impact. Aides recognized that they had to portray the decision as ensuring the “gold standard” of safety, to avoid feeding into vaccine hesitancy.

“I think it’s a very strong argument for safety actually,” Fauci said.

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients added that the pause by the agencies “should reassure the American public that they will be very diligent and conservative about how they approach the vaccines.”

They argued the pause proved the prudence of Biden’s cautious approach to promises around vaccine supply and delivery, as well as his administration’s reluctance to make commitments to share excess vaccine with the world because of concerns about potential setbacks such as this.

“They’re clearly trying to reassure people there will be supply, and it will be safe,” said former White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri. “You don’t want this to have happened, but in terms of what are your tools when it does, they used their best ones — the president, the most senior person who has credibility and the top experts — to do it.”

Due to supply issues, the J&J shot reflects just a small share of doses being administered, though it had been one of the most promising vaccines given its ease of administration and distribution. Zients said the U.S. still expects to take delivery of enough doses of the other two approved vaccines for every adult American to get their shots by the end of May. Moderna and Pfizer this week are delivering 28 million doses to the federal government — enough to exceed even the current 3 million shot-per-day pace.

Zients acknowledged that some states may have been caught off guard by Tuesday’s announcement but said that reflected the speed with which officials moved to address the safety concerns. He added it was proof of Biden’s commitment to “follow the science” in responding to the pandemic.

“We want the science agencies to lead with science,” Zients said, saying no one at the White House was involved in the decision to call for the pause. “There’s no reason for us to be involved in any of the scientific decisions, we bring nothing to the table.”

The agencies said Tuesday they were investigating unusual clots that occurred in six women, of the more than 6.8 million adults who’ve received the shot. One of the patients died and another remains hospitalized in serious condition.

Officials said the delay had as much to do with educating physicians about the unique way the clots have to be treated as their desire to study the exceedingly rare side effect. The usual treatment, with the blood thinner heparin, could lead to dangerous patient outcomes, they said.

Fauci, speaking at the White House, advised those who had recently gotten J&J shots not to “get an anxiety reaction, because remember it’s less than one in a million.” He added, “However, having said that, pay attention” to potential symptoms of the clot including severe headaches, abdominal or leg pain, and shortness of breath.

Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, an infectious disease physician at the John Cochran VA Medical Center and St. Louis Board of Health, said the J&J pause might affect overall vaccine confidence but the transparency was critical to boosting confidence in minority communities that have some of the lowest uptake of the shots.

“Today was such a sign of strength and of leadership and of improved direction toward rebuilding trust in these communities,” she said of the Biden administration’s forthrightness about the issue. “They came to us as soon as this information became available knowing what was at stake.”

“They’re trusting the American public, and this gives these communities a reason to trust them,” she said.

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Minnesota police arrest more than 60 for rioting, other offenses

Minnesota police made more than 60 arrests for rioting and other offenses during protests for Daunte Wright on Tuesday night in Brooklyn Center, Minn. 

Officers made "many arrests for riot and other criminal behaviors," Minnesota State Patrol Colonel Matt Langer said in a news conference early Wednesday morning. "The behaviors that we continue to see are unacceptable and we are not going to tolerate them ...It is not acceptable and it will not be tolerated if you choose to do criminal activity and destroy property and throw objects and make it unsafe for people to come and exercise their First Amendment rights." 

Langer said he didn't have the exact numbers of how many had been arrested. 

Some of the rioters had thrown projectiles, including bricks and bottles, at officers, Booker Hodges, an assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department for Public Safety, said. 

Fox News reporter Mike Tobin said the makeup of protesters changed vastly on Tuesday night - and some identified as Antifa. 

"On Sunday night it was all about the locals that were here and they were genuine and they were angry. As it goes on, you get more people coming in from out of town," he told Laura Ingraham. "I had a lot of people - several people I spoke with tonight – who identified themselves as Antifa and angrily so."

Police used flash-bang grenades and riot gas as some protesters shook the fence that was erected around the police station and at least one neighbor who lived in a nearby apartment complained the riot gas was seeping into her home, according to the Star Tribune. 

"Unfortunately again, some citizens decided to come out and throw these bricks and these other items at law enforcement and this type of behavior is not acceptable and we're just, quite frankly, not going to tolerate it," Hodges said. 

The protesters, who took to the streets for the third straight night Tuesday, were calling for an independent investigation in Wright's shooting. 

Wright was allegedly shot and killed by a 26-year police veteran during a traffic stop Sunday. 

Police in Brooklyn Center declared an unlawful assembly Tuesday as the curfew went into effect, telling protesters they would be arrested if they remained. 

No looting or burglaries related to the protests were reported Tuesday, according to Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Amelia Huffman, the Tribune reported. 

Langer said there were many peaceful protests during the day but once night fell the situation "devolved." 

"As the evening unfolded, the event devolved and became more contentious, tension rose and once again we saw groups choose to actively begin trying to compromise the fence that is securing the police department, began throwing objects…started with the fireworks, started with lasers being pointed and started with activities that lead toward a riot."

The protest follows the resignation of Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tom Gannon and Kim Potter, the officer who police said fired the shot that killed Wright, Mayor Mike Elliott announced Tuesday.  

"We want an independent body to investigate police killings and not the [Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension]," attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong said, according to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

She said she has spoken to  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz about proposing several bills aimed at police accountably: "Ending qualified immunity is an example … to stop killing people on the taxpayer's dollars," she said.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified Potter late Monday as the officer seen in released body-camera footage firing a single round at Wright. Gannon said he made the call to release the footage and said he believed the female officer intended to reach for her Taser, but instead grabbed her handgun, categorizing the incident as an "accidental discharge."

Potter reportedly left her home Tuesday after her address was allegedly leaked on social media, The Independent reported. 

Metal fencing was erected in front of the house and police have been posted there, according to the Wall Street Journal. Neighbors told the Journal they're on edge. 

"We’re stressed, we’re nervous. I’ve been told some of the neighbors have left," the neighbor, who said she doesn't know Potter, told the newspaper. "It was a horrible situation. We also feel bad for Mr. Wright’s family."

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of an FBI building in Brooklyn Center, Minn, according to images posted online. Some stood atop the FBI sign holding a banner that read: "Justice for Daunte Wright."

Tuesday's gathering marks the third consecutive night protesters have taken to the streets following the police-involved death of Wright.

It comes after Minnesota authorities arrested about 40 people after rioters and police clashed for a second night in Brooklyn Center, authorities said in a news conference early Tuesday.

Hundreds gathered outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department Monday and defied curfew. They demanded justice for Wright. 

Authorities fired tear gas, and flash-bang grenades into the crowd after warning them that they were in violation of curfew. Some rioters retaliated by throwing smoke canisters back toward law enforcement, while others launched fireworks at the police lines, according to reports.

Police shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday. The bodycam footage showed three police officers gathered near a stopped car that was pulled over an expired registration. Police attempted to arrest Wright for an outstanding warrant, leading to a struggle, followed by the fatal shooting.

Protests have sometimes turned destructive and violent with tensions already high amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former officer accused in the alleged murder of George Floyd.

"Because you all showed up, Kim Potter doesn't have a job anymore," activist Toussaint Morrison said, according to the newspaper. "Kim Potter was a police officer longer than Daunte was alive. … You can't tell me that was an accident."

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