Today’s Headlines and Commentary

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will invest billions of dollars to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity to boost coronavirus vaccine manufacturing to increase the global vaccine supply, particularly in developing nations, writes the Washington Post. The White House set a goal of producing at least one billion doses a year and will fund companies that manufacture vaccines using mRNA technology. The announcement is the most recent partnership between the federal government and pharmaceutical companies to bolster vaccine production. The investment aims to address immediate vaccine needs and prepare the United States for future pandemics by ensuring the country will be able to quickly produce vaccines.

The FBI has set up a “threat tag”  to track allegedly menacing statements made against school-board members and teachers after Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the bureau to help local leaders address these disputes, according to the Wall Street Journal. An internal email showed that FBI agents should use the tag “EDUOFFICIALS” to track threats. Republicans have criticized the Justice Department for treating attacks and threats against public school officials as hate crimes or domestic terrorism.

The House will vote Wednesday on a resolution to censure Rep. Paul Gosar and strip him of committee assignments for posting a violent cartoon video last week depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Biden, says the New York Times. Gosar currently serves on the House Resources Committee and the House Oversight Committee. The Arizona Republican has previously associated himself with far-right internet culture and the white nationalist group America First, and he has promulgated conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.  The resolution compares the video to the Capitol riot, stating that “depictions of violence can foment actual violence and jeopardize the safety of elected officials, as witnessed in this chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will hear a consolidated challenge to the Biden administration’s rule that employers with 100 or more employees must require that their workers are vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly testing starting in January, reports NPR. The appeals court was selected in a process resembling a Powerball drawing on Tuesday. The Biden administration has consistently asserted it has the power to issue such a mandate and that the rule would save thousands of lives.

Polish authorities used water cannons and tear gas against migrants trying to cross the country’s border with Belarus and throwing stones at Polish border guards, according to CNN. The violence came as the E.U. agreed to impose new sanctions against Belarus, which it accuses of using the vulnerable refugees and migrants to manufacture a crisis on its borders.

Nvidia’s $40 billion acquisition of chip designer Arm faces a national security review in the U.K., reports CNBC. U.K. Digital and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries ordered a “phase 2” probe into the bid that will scrutinize potential national security risks and antitrust concerns.  Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s executive vice president, said in a statement, “Our analysis shows that the acquisition of Arm by Nvidia could lead to restricted or degraded access to Arm’s IP, with distortive effects in many markets where semiconductors are used.”

A former U.S. Marine serving a nine-year prison term in Russia ended a hunger strike he launched to protest his incarceration and alleged violations of his rights, writes Reuters. Trevor Reed was convicted last year of endangering the lives of two Moscow police officers while drunk.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which David Priess, Shane Harris and Benjamin Wittes talk about the new Chatter podcast.

Matt Perault discussed what U.S. policymakers can learn from China’s experience in the technical areas of tech reform.

Graham Kennis, Laura Bate and Mark Montgomery analyzed how the United States can work with partners and increase the pressure on countries that harbor cyber criminals to solidify recent gains against cybercrime safe havens.

Stewart Baker shared an episode of the Cyberlaw Podcast featuring: Dmitri Alperovitch to talk about a cyber incident reporting mandate; Tatyana Bolton to comment on the Cyber Solarium Commission; and Mark MacCarthy to explicate the EU court ruling that upheld a $2.8 billion award against Google for “self-preferencing” in shopping searches along with a series of shorter updates.

Alperovitch and Ian Ward explained what can be learned from the operations that shut down the REvil hackers.

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