Why the federal mask mandate ruling could be appealed — and what it could mean for future pandemics
CBSN
It is possible that the Biden administration will challenge a federal judge's ruling that put an end to the national mask mandate on planes and public transit on Monday, Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease expert and editor-at-large for Kaiser Health News, told "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday.
Gounder said an appeal may be necessary given that the ruling could complicate how future pandemics are handled.
"The real question here is what does this mean for the CDC's power to reimpose a mask mandate? Say if we have another big surge next fall or winter or say we have another pandemic, so I do think you're likely to see this decision to appeal to preserve those CDC powers for that what-if scenario," said Gounder.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.