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Russian President Vladimir  Putin . (Photo by ALEXEI DRUZHININ/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images) The Biden administration said it’s expelling a number of Russian  diplomats  and imposing sanctions on several companies in response to actions it says the Kremlin made against the U.S. According to  reports , the sanctions were meant as punitive action against Moscow after Russia allegedly interfered in the 2020 presidential  election . It also came in response to the massive SolarWinds hack blamed on Russian  intelligence agencies . “Today, I have approved several steps, including expulsion of several Russian officials as a consequence of their actions,” Joe Biden said. “I’ve also signed an  executive order  authorizing new measures, including sanctions, to address specific harmful actions that Russia has  taken  against U.S. interests.” According to Joe Biden, the U.S. is not looking to escalate tensions with Russia, however, if Russia seeks to “violate the U.S., it will respond.” “The Unite

(Getty) Facebook's quasi-independent Oversight Board said Friday it will take longer than expected to decide on whether or not the suspension of former president Donald Trump should be upheld, because it needs more time to go through the deluge of public comments. The social media giant had asked the board to make a final ruling on whether it was justified in indefinitely suspending Trump from its platforms after he was accused by critics of inciting the U.S. Capitol in January. The panel's initial 90-day deadline to come up with a decision was days away. However, “we extended the public comments deadline for this case, receiving 9,000+ responses," it said in a Twitter post. “The Board’s commitment to carefully reviewing all comments has extended the case timeline, in line with the Board’s bylaws. We will share more information soon.” The board said its decision would be announced “in the coming weeks," without being more specific. Facebook set up the oversight panel

After blowback from allies, White House says President Biden will move to lift Trump-era refugee caps next month. Earlier on Friday, Biden signed an emergency determination that officials said would speed refugee admissions to the U.S., but he did not immediately lift his predecessor's historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year. Biden, instead, indicated he was adjusting the allocation limits set by former President Donald Trump, which officials said have been the driving factor in limiting refugee admissions. The new allocations provide more slots for refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Central America, and lift Trump's restrictions on resettlements from Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, just over 2,000 refugees have been resettled in the U.S. A senior administration official said Biden's new allocations could result in speedier admissions of already screened and vetted refugees in a manner of days. More than two months ago,

(Dreamstime) The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine and 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House official said on Thursday. While the duration of immunity after vaccination is being studied, booster vaccines could be needed, David Kessler, chief science officer for President Joe Biden's COVID-19 response task force told a congressional committee meeting. "The current thinking is those who are more vulnerable will have to go first," he said. Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla said people will 'likely' need a third booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines within 12 months and could need annual shots, CNBC reported based on his comments from April 1, which were made public on Thursday. (https://cnb.cx/2Q4MXS1) Initial data has shown that vaccines from Moderna Inc and partners Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE retain most of their effectiveness for at least six months

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the  board of trustees  of the Russian Geographical Society via a video conference call in Moscow, Russia April 14, 2021. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would decide what counter sanctions to impose on Washington, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden hit Moscow with an  array  of punitive measures, but gave no indication of timing. The U.S. government on Thursday blacklisted Russian companies, expelled Russian diplomats and barred U.S.  banks from buying sovereign bonds from Russia’s  central bank ,  national  wealth fund and  Finance Ministry . Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was mulling its response. “The principle of reciprocity for such matters has not been  cancelled , but everything will depend on the decisions made by the (Russian) head of state.” Peskov did not say when Putin would decide on counter sanct

In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, photo, police  form  a line to try and  prevent  violent rioters from storming the  Capitol , in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton has called for “cultural changes” to be made amid new reports detailing the short-comings of the agency on January 6. While testifying before the House Administration Committee Thursday, Bolton said the Capitol Police needs to improve its intelligence gathering, training and  operational  planning. He added, conflicting information and a  lack  of training resulted in Capitol Police being unprepared for protesters. U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton testifies January 6th U.S. Capitol Attack before  @HouseAdm_Dems @houseadmngop  –  LIVE online here:  https://t.co/INeDsSuaIS pic.twitter.com/DQlvVuFCD7 — CSPAN (@cspan)  April 15, 2021 Bolton highlighted the reports while listing flaws within the top ranks and said the agency needs a complete  overhaul  o