
Biden set to deliver major speech on next phase of pandemic response, sources say
CNN
President Joe Biden is set to deliver a major address on the next phase of his pandemic response Wednesday, two sources familiar with the speech tell CNN.
While officials were still finalizing specifics early this week, the speech will have multiple components related to schools, private companies and requirements for federal employees. It's the most they have done to date, one person said. The crafting of the next steps has been led by Biden's coronavirus team. There are still certain limitations on what the administration can do, and the expectation is still that the federal government cannot order a broad mandate on vaccinations, which officials have said publicly before.
5 things to know for August 1: Extreme weather, Tariffs, Counterterrorism, Drug prices, Air marshals
CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.

The Pentagon has scheduled its first major test of the multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense system for just before the 2028 election, according to two sources familiar with the matter, setting an aggressive deadline for military officials to prove they can turn President Donald Trump’s vision for a space-based shield that can protect the entire US into a reality.

The family of Virginia Giuffre — one of the women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking and who died by suicide earlier this year — said Thursday that she would have wanted documents related to the disgraced financier to be made public, as the Trump administration faces mounting pressure around the case.