Russian vaccine disinformation

Biden orders a review of Betsy DeVos's campus sexual assault policies; Russia tries to undermine Western vaccine confidence.   Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS Biden will create a Gender Policy Council Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images On International Women's Day, President Joe Biden signed two gender-focused executive orders: one to review Title IX guidelines governing campus sexual assault investigations and one to create a Gender Policy Council in the Executive Office of the President. [HuffPost / Alanna Vagianos] The Gender Policy Council is intended to collaborate with existing councils on ensuring gender equity is prioritized in domestic and foreign policy and attempt to address issues women face in the workplace. It will also serve as a hub for transgender rights advocacy. [USA Today / Courtney Subramanian] The chairs of the council will submit a whole-of-government strategy to Biden in order to integrate a gender perspective into policy, budget, and program discussions. [CNN / Jason Hoffman, Paul LeBlanc, and Kate Sullivan] Biden also ordered a review of Trump-era Title IX policy instituted by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Under her stewardship, the Department of Education raised the standard necessary to prove a sexual assault occurred. [AP / Collin Binkley and Aamer Madhani] DeVos's changes also provided greater rights to students accused of sexual assault, including the opportunity to cross-examine their accusers, and reduced liability for colleges and universities in campus assault cases. [AP] Now Biden is directing the department to review these policies after pledging to dismantle them. He was a key architect of the Obama-era rules that President Trump rescinded. [NYT / Katie Rogers] Biden is expected to propose his own Title IX rule, creating a fresh policy. Rescinding the Trump interpretation will likely necessitate a new rulemaking process. [Washington Post / Laura Meckler] Russia wages a disinformation campaign against Western vaccines Russian intelligence agencies have been promoting doubt against vaccines produced in the West, including the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots, through online outlets, according to US officials. [WSJ / Michael R. Gordon and Dustin Volz] Using four publications that are fronts for Russian disinformation, the Russian agencies are intentionally attempting to promote false narratives about the vaccines in the US. [Business Insider / Yelena Dzhanova] Experts believe Russia is doing this in order to promote its own vaccine, Sputnik V. [The Hill / Joseph Choi] Russia is denying the allegations, though the country has a history, including notably in the 2016 election, of deploying disinformation to affect American politics. Because the websites are foreign-owned, there is little the US can do to shut them down. [Yahoo News / Jon Fingas] In particular, the Russian sites promoted stories implying a connection between receiving the Pfizer vaccine and death. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is aware of the reports and is working to combat the disinformation. [USA Today / Deirdre Shesgreen] MISCELLANEOUS In a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said that, when Meghan was pregnant with their son Archie, members of the royal family expressed concerns about how dark the baby's skin would be. [Vox / Constance Grady] The trial over the police killing of George Floyd has been delayed by a request to add a third-degree murder charge for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. [Washington Post / Holly Bailey and Jared Goyette] The CDC's new guidance says vaccinated people can see each other indoors without masks or social distancing. [Politico / Erin Banco, Adam Cancryn, and Sarah Owermohle] Team LeBron beat Team Durant in the All-Star Game, making LeBron James a perfect 4-0 when selecting and captaining All-Star teams. [Sam Quinn / CBS Sports] Support our journalism Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. Contribute VERBATIM "We expect a large number of Americans to receive relief by the end of the month." [White House press secretary Jen Psaki, on when people will get the $1,400 stimulus checks] LISTEN TO THIS Darryl Richardson, a worker at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, explains why he helped initiate a unionization effort that now has President Biden's support. Recode's Jason Del Rey explains how the Bessemer vote could be a game changer for American labor. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Read more from Vox   How Joe Manchin can make the filibuster "more painful" for the GOP without eliminating it   WandaVision was great. But its finale left me cold.   How do you solve a problematic movie?   Georgia Republicans look to roll back no-excuse absentee voting after Trump's loss   Facebook Twitter YouTube This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. 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