Politico reports “21 former House Democrats who lost their seats in 2010 amid GOP attacks over their support for the Affordable Care Act are asking President Joe Biden to use reconciliation to shore up the legislation that ended their careers.”

“The letter comes as the White House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are working feverishly through the weekend to iron out disagreements over the reconciliation package. As we reported a few days ago, chief among those disagreements is a big decision on health care: whether to make the ACA’s enhanced subsidies permanent (which is what Pelosi wants), or to instead put that limited pot of cash into a Medicare expansion (which is what Biden, Schumer and Bernie Sanders want).”

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) expressed frustration with his state’s vaccination rate, warning constituents that people are either going to get inoculated against COVID-19, or “we’re going to keep lining the body bags,” The Hill reports.

Said Justice: “And they’ll keep dying. That’s all there is to it.”

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s nephew celebrated his bar mitzvah last weekend and many attendees caught Covid-19, forcing a New Jersey middle school to shut down and return to virtual classes, the New York Post reports.

Sarah Palin told Fox News that she’s not received the Covid-19 vaccine because she believes “in the science.”

Said Palin: “I am one of those white, common sense conservatives. I believe in science and I have not taken the shot.”

She added that she has natural immunity from contracting the disease earlier this year.

After rejecting widespread Covid-19 booster shots, an FDA advisory panel endorsed booster shots only for Americans 65 and over or at high risk for severe disease, the Associated Press reports.

“A scientific advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration on Friday overwhelmingly recommended against approving a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and older,” the New York Times reports.

“The committee voted 16 to 3 after holding an intense daylong public discussion on whether booster shots are necessary and if so, for whom. The Biden administration has been hoping the F.D.A. would approve a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine in time to begin rolling out boosters for Pfizer recipients next week.”

A new Economist/YouGov poll finds that 52% of American adults approve of vaccine mandates announced by President Biden on September 9th, whereas 40% disapprove.

“Idaho hospitals are so overwhelmed with the surge in coronavirus cases that doctors and nurses have to contact dozens of regional hospitals across the West in hopes of finding places to transfer individual critical patients,” NBC News reports.

“The situation has grown so bad that the Idaho Department of Health and Wellness announced Thursday that the entire state is in a hospital resource crisis, permitting medical facilities to ration health care and triage patients.”

“Ron DeSantis isn’t anti-vaccine. But he has started standing shoulder-to-shoulder those who are,” Politico reports.

“The Florida governor’s clear and unadulterated public messaging about the need for vaccines has become more diluted in recent months, culminating with a press conference he held this week to bash President Joe Biden’s new vaccine mandate plan — and threaten to fine cities and counties that impose their own mandates.”

“Almost a month ago, President Biden announced that coronavirus booster shots would be made available to most adults in the United States this month. But a week before that plan is to begin, its details remain up in the air, with dissenting opinions coming from inside and outside the government,” the New York Times reports.

“A series of conflicting reviews this week illustrates the fierce argument among scientists about whether booster shots are needed, and if so, for whom.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told CBS News that his party needs to “lean in” on COVID-19 prevention, despite hardline opposition.

Said Newsom: “So, what I’m saying here is, be affirmative. Don’t be timid. Lean in. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about formal authority of setting the tone and tenor on masks — on vaccines and masks. But it’s the moral authority that we have: that we’re on the right side of history and we’re doing the right thing to save people’s lives.”

“Even in the College of Cardinals, there are some anti-vaxers and one of them, poor man, is in hospital with the virus. But life is ironic.”

— Pope Francis, quoted by the New York Times.

“Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers that state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases,” the AP reports.

“While some governors vetoed bills that passed, at least 26 states pushed through laws that permanently weaken government authority to protect public health.”

A new Quinnipiac poll finds an overwhelmingly majority of Americans say by 68% to 24% that the recent rise in Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. was preventable.

However, a slight majority of Americans — 51% to 48% — disapprove of President Biden’s plan to mandate vaccines for millions of Americans in the public and private sectors.

The U.S. death toll from Covid-19 has now exceeded 663,000, which means the coronavirus has led to the deaths of roughly 1 in every 500 Americans, the Washington Post reports.

A new Monnouth poll finds support for instituting, or reinstituting, state-based face mask and social distancing guidelines has increased in the past few months.

Currently, 63% support these measures in their state, which is up from 52% in July.

The poll also finds that 66% of Americans support requiring that face masks be worn by students, teachers, and staff in schools.

Israel Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said that “the current wave of coronavirus infections is surpassing anything seen in previous outbreaks and that he is disappointed that a recent downward trend appeared to be reversing,” the Times of Israel reports.