Violence Against Women Act, AstraZeneca vaccine, wintry weather: 5 things to know Tuesday

Democrats want to renew expired Violence Against Women Act, again

The Democratic-led House hopes to revive a Clinton-era law to strengthen domestic violence and sexual violence protections for women. The Violence Against Women Act has been in a legislative limbo since it expired in 2018 over disputes from some Republican lawmakers. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., one of the only Republicans publicly supporting the legislation thus far, introduced the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 at the beginning of March, which is Women’s History Month.  It will be considered in committee on Tuesday morning. The act has been updated and reauthorized three times — in 2000, 2005 and 2013. Updates over the years have had bipartisan backing and included new programs to protect elderly women and women with disabilities; mandatory funding for rape prevention and education; and new protections for victims of trafficking. 

• 26 years in, the Violence Against Women Act hangs in limbo — while COVID-19 fuels domestic violence surge

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WHO discusses AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The World Health Organization scheduled a meeting with safety experts on Tuesday to address AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after Germany, France, Spain and Italy suspended its use. Sweden on Tuesday also suspended use of the , citing a link to blood clots the company and other experts say likely are unrelated to the vaccine. The WHO is urging countries to continue using the vaccine, saying there’s no evidence of a connection to blood clots. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, told Reuters that data on the vaccine was being reviewed by independent U.S. monitors to determine whether the shot is safe and effective. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could complete its reviews and issue an emergency use authorization next month if all goes well, he said. AstraZeneca has said there is no cause for concern and that there were fewer reported cases of clotting in those who received the shot than in the general population. 

In more vaccine news: Mississippi on Tuesday will join Alaska in allowing all adults to get vaccinated. Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted: “Get your shot friends — and let’s get back to normal!” 

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Thunderstorms forecast in the South, wintry weather in the West

Thunderstorms are expected to stall over the South on Tuesday, “leading to rounds of downpours from Louisiana to the Carolinas throughout the day,” according to AccuWeather. At the same time, a snowstorm is pressing east in California and the Pacific Northwest. That system will bring more mountain snow and rain, and by Wednesday morning, “intensify over the southern Plains,” the weather service warned. It said that could mean more thunderstorms, tornadoes and “torrential downpours” by midweek in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. The weather follows a winter storm in the Rocky Mountains, which closed roads, canceled flights and prompted avalanche warnings over the weekend. 

• ‘Historic and crippling’ winter storm dumps over 25 inches of snow in Cheyenne, Wyoming

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