Politico's Pulse Check

After more than a month of surging case numbers due to the Omicron variant, the Biden administration is responding with more testing and masking. On Wednesday, it launched covidtests.gov, a website that allows users to request four free at-home covid test and this week also unveiled a plan to distribute hundreds of millions of free N-95 masks through pharmacies and community sites. In a Wednesday press conference, Biden alluded to the late start, saying, "Should we have done more testing earlier? Yes. But we're doing more now." Adam Cancryn on where the administration is at, one year in.

As we round into the third year of the pandemic and a surging wave of cases due to the Omicron variant, Democrats and Republicans alike raised sharp questions and complaints in the most recent Senate HELP Committee oversight hearing. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

After days of criticism over new isolation and quarantine guidelines, the CDC doubled down Tuesday on its policy. Erin Banco reports on that decision, the current omicron surge and why booster programs may limit global vaccine supply.

Robert Califf sailed through his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, despite some opposition from Democrats ranging from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin related to failures by the FDA (including under Califf) to reign in the opioid epidemic and industry ties. A confirmation vote in January would give the agency a permanent political leader for the first time during the Biden presidency. Adam Cancryn reports.

President Biden on Monday nudged members of his party in Congress push through his signature Build Back Better plan, which includes provisions that would give Medicare the power to bargain on the price of a handful of the most expensive drugs; penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation for people; and cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month. Democrats’ ability to meaningfully impact drug prices, however, depends heavily on Congress passing the party’s $1.7 trillion social spending bill in the coming weeks. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

POLITICO's Erin Banco breaks down how production problems at Novavax left the world waiting for a vaccine.

The FDA is poised to expand access to boosters across the nation. POLITICO's Adam Cancryn reports.Adam Cancryn is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.

Biden called for widespread mandates. His VA is navigating its own minefields. POLITICO's Natasha Korecki reports.Natasha Korecki is a White House Correspondent for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.

Hundreds of thousands of California students face an imminent choice: Get vaccinated for Covid-19 or stay home. POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays breaks down how some schools districts in the Golden State are putting mandates to the test.Mackenzie Mays is an education reporter for POLITICO California.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more: California schools: Get Covid shots or go back to distance learningSign up for the POLITICO Pulse newsletter.

Imagine a world in which middle schoolers fact check presidential debates and public officials publish transcripts of every conversation they have. That’s the world that Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s digital minister, has helped create, thereby fortifying Taiwan’s democracy even as it faces increasing threats from China. In this special presentation of POLITICO's Global Insider, Tang tells host Ryan Heath what it’s like to govern and live in the shadow of China.Subscribe to Global Insider.

It's a big week for vaccine news. POLITICO's Lauren Gardner breaks it all down with Dispatch's Jeremy Siegel.Lauren Gardner is an FDA reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Sign up for the POLITICO Pulse newsletter.

Labor reporter Rebecca Rainey breaks down what we know about the Biden administration's vaccine mandate — and who it'll hit and miss when it takes effect.Rebecca Rainey is a labor reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more: Where Biden’s vaccine mandate will hit and miss

The Biden administration is making a new investment in at-home Covid testing. POLITICO's David Lim talks with Dispatch's Jeremy Siegel about what that means for the fight against the pandemic.David Lim is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Sign up for the Prescription Pulse and POLITICO Pulse newsletters.

Last year, some states saw their worst surges in October and December. A lot has changed since then, including the widespread availability of vaccines, but POLITICO's Erin Banco is still considered about what could happen this holiday season.Erin Banco is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Take part in our 2021 podcast survey.

He's the nation's top health official. But he's rarely the one giving orders. POLITICO's Adam Cancryn reports.Adam Cancryn is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more: Becerra takes a back seat while others steer Covid responseTake part in our 2021 podcast survey.Sign up for the POLITICO Pulse newsletter.

Earlier this summer, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was a vocal proponent of vaccinations. Now, he's fighting mandates and edging closer to anti-vaxxers. POLITICO's Gary Fineout tells Dispatch's Jeremy Siegel what's behind the shift.Gary Fineout is a reporter for POLITICO  Florida.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more: DeSantis flirts with the anti-vaccine crowdSubscribe to the Florida Playbook newsletter.

Covid wrecked the economy and sent unemployment skyrocketing. But poverty went down, and the percentage of households facing food insecurity remained stagnant. POLITICO's Helena Bottemiller Evich explains how ambitious spending plans gave some Americans a lifeline.Helena Bottemiller Evich is a senior food and agriculture reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more from POLITICO's Recovery Lab series.

The limited data we have shows that immunity among vaccinated people is waning. But how much and when is another story. POLITICO's Sarah Owermohle reports.Sarah Owermohle is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Subscribe to the POLITICO Pulse newsletter.

Hospitals are once again experiencing a dangerous shortage of medical workers as Delta cases surge across the country, POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.Alice Miranda Ollstein is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more: Health worker crunch pressures state battling Delta variant

POLITICO's Erin Banco breaks down a six-month investigation into America's failure to identify Covid hotspots quickly enough to prevent outbreaks.Erin Banco is a health reporter for POLITICO.Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.Read more: Inside America’s Covid-reporting breakdown