Author

Laura Olson

Laura Olson

Laura covers the nation's capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Louisiana Illuminator. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections, and campaign finance.

White House touts clean energy, transit, rail projects in sprawling infrastructure bill

By: and - November 10, 2021

WASHINGTON—Federal officials on Tuesday offered details about how money from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill would be spent, emphasizing the pending law’s potential to add clean energy capacity. Department of Transportation officials highlighted the $1.2 trillion bill’s record funding for public transit like buses and subways, as well as for Amtrak. They framed the […]

COVID-19 vaccine being administered

Federal vaccine rule for private businesses to kick in on Jan. 4

By: - November 4, 2021

WASHINGTON — Many private employers beginning in January will have to ensure their workers either are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they will undergo weekly testing and wear a face covering, under a new federal rule announced Thursday by the White House. The policy from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is set to […]

A teacher walks among students in a classroom at Medora Elementary School on March 17, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky

COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 to 11 get final endorsement by CDC

By: - November 3, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off on giving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to all kids ages 5 to 11, a final decision that means those children can begin receiving shots as soon as Wednesday. Vials of the pediatric version of the vaccine have already been shipped to states, so they are […]

If CDC signs off, COVID-19 shots for kids to begin later this week

By: - November 2, 2021

WASHINGTON — Within minutes of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s announcement Friday giving the green light to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11, a massive logistics operation launched to prepare for the final regulatory step. Some 15 million doses of the vaccine began to move from Pfizer’s freezers to distribution centers, […]

empty desks in an early elementary classroom

Shipments of COVID-19 shots for kids 5-11 on the way to states after FDA gives green light

By: - November 1, 2021

WASHINGTON — Vials of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine will soon be headed to pediatricians’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and other providers, after regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency authorization to the pharmaceutical company’s COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. But first, the vaccine needs the approval of the Centers for Disease […]

Children play with building blocks with an accompanying adult

What’s in—and out—of Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill

By: and - October 29, 2021

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s sprawling social spending and climate package has been slimmed down into a still-massive $1.75 trillion plan that he and top congressional Democrats are attempting to wrestle through after months of negotiations. Snipped from that proposal are a number of key priorities for Democrats, including an attempt to create the first […]

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

FDA panel recommends OK for Pfizer’s vaccine for kids 5 to 11

By: - October 27, 2021

WASHINGTON — A federal vaccine advisory panel on Tuesday recommended authorizing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, a decision that means as soon as next week everyone in the U.S. over age 5 is expected to be eligible for a shot. The vote by the Food & Drug Administration panel, with 17 […]

A teacher walks among students in a classroom at Medora Elementary School on March 17, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky

COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 could be ready as soon as next week

By: - October 26, 2021

WASHINGTON — The next wave of the massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign could begin as soon as next week, after federal regulators decide if elementary school students across the U.S. should begin rolling up their tiny sleeves. That multistep approval process kicks off Tuesday, when the Food & Drug Administration’s panel of vaccine experts will vote on […]

A vial of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 boosters from Moderna, J&J OK’d along with ‘mix and match’ shots

By: and - October 22, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Moderna booster shot for the COVID-19 vaccine is now available to adults in Louisiana, the Louisiana Health Department announced Friday, after federal health officials gave the green light Thursday follow-up doses of the shots made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.  Anyone who received the one-shot J&J vaccine is now eligible for a […]

COVID-19 vaccine being administered

Feds OK ‘mix-and-match’ approach for COVID-19 booster shots

By: - October 21, 2021

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given a green light to Americans who want to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by a different company than the one that produced the initial shot they received. The announcement Wednesday on allowing “mix-and-match” shots from different manufacturers will give more flexibility to […]

Young girls wearing protective masks running on sidewalk

Kids age 5 to 11 next in line for COVID-19 vaccines as White House rolls out plans

By: - October 20, 2021

WASHINGTON — Smaller needles. Redesigned shipments to ease the storage needs in pediatricians’ offices. And enough vials of the COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate the 28 million U.S. children between ages 5 and 11. Those are among the plans announced by the White House on Wednesday as federal and state officials prepare for a regulatory decision […]

Booster shot of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recommended by FDA pane

By: - October 15, 2021

WASHINGTON — A federal vaccine advisory panel on Friday endorsed a second dose of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, meaning millions more Americans are expected to soon join the line for booster shots. Anyone who received a J&J shot at least two months ago will be eligible for an additional dose, under the committee’s […]