Twenty years ago, on September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by terrorists. Thousands of people lost their lives. It was a sad day for the country and for the families and friends of the people who died. There were many heroes on that day and in the weeks, months and years that followed.

There were thousands of first responders (more on that below) who rushed to the scene to help. Volunteers raised money and donated goods to those affected. In one town, in Newfoundland, Canada, people opened their homes and helped almost 7,000 people who were stranded when the American air space was closed after the attacks. The story of their generosity is told in a musical called "Come From Away," which is being performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial tonight, to commemorate the event.

September 11 is an emotional day for many of us. Though many of our readers were not yet born when it happened, we hope you will take a moment to reflect, to learn, to honor those who we lost as well as those who were “the helpers.”

With love,
The POLITI-Kids Team
Aloise Phelps & Alexa Velickovich

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced plans to require staff vaccinations at all health facilities that receive federal funding, as part of a sweeping new plan to rein in the coronavirus.

The move represents a dramatic expansion of the administration’s bid to boost vaccination rates among frontline health care workers, and comes as the administration readies a redoubling of efforts to rein in the virus.

The requirement is part of a broader six-part blueprint for combating the pandemic that Biden unveiled. Dubbed “Path out of the Pandemic,” it outlines new initiatives aimed at boosting vaccinations and access to testing, insulating the economy, keeping schools open, expanding mask requirements and improving care for Covid-19 patients.
...
Biden last month said he would impose staff vaccination requirements on all federally funded nursing homes, a directive expected to cover roughly 15,000 facilities employing 1.3 million people. Now, he is extending the order to a far wider group of providers, including major hospitals across the nation that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.

Officials anticipate the broader mandate will affect more than 50,000 health facilities and 17 million workers.

Another centerpiece of Biden's plan is an executive order requiring that all federal workers get vaccinated against Covid-19, with no option for being regularly tested as an alternative. That’s an escalation from his earlier encouragement that the federal workforce seek vaccination or be subject to a range of restrictions.
...
The administration is also developing regulations that will require employers with more than 100 workers to institute requirements that employees get vaccinated or submit to regular testing. Those employers will also be required to give workers paid time off to get vaccinated.

"In total, the new vaccination requirements in the president's plan cover about 100 million workers, that's two-thirds of all workers in the United States," a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.

The Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are expected to issue a rule "in the coming weeks" that will lay out the exact timeframe for the new requirements. Those who do not comply with the OSHA standard could face fines up to $14,000 per violation, the senior official added.
...
The new plan comes just two months after Biden held a July Fourth celebration at the White House, where he declared that the nation was close to vanquishing the pandemic.

Since then, cases fueled by the more contagious Delta variant have skyrocketed, and the administration has struggled to chart a clear course through the crisis. The CDC in particular has come under fire over its muddled messaging, including abruptly advising people to once again wear masks indoors and releasing an array of confusing data on the implications of so-called breakthrough Covid-19 cases.
...
The federal vaccination requirement will apply to all executive branch workers and contractors, bringing the rest of the government in line with the tougher requirements adopted earlier by the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and parts of the health department.

Until Thursday, the rest of the federal workforce had the option to submit to regular testing, mask-wearing and restrictions on travel rather than get vaccinated. That clause will now be eliminated, bringing the entire government in line with the approach that Biden has pushed private-sector companies to adopt.