Kirk questions delay on swine flu vaccine

At a hearing of the Senate homeland security committee, the Massachusetts Democrat noted that there have been about 22 million cases of H1N1 nationwide and 3,900 deaths, including more than 1,500 confirmed cases in the Bay State since April.

Kirk highlighted the need to develop an independent analysis of swine flu vaccine production because manufacturers’ reports of projected availability have fallen so short of the need in Massachusetts and nationwide.

“We had the promise of 3.5 million doses in Massachusetts by this time,’’ said Kirk. “We have about a quarter of what is needed.’’

The larger question facing the administration and health professionals, Kirk said, is what should be done to encourage domestic drug manufacturing. “If four out of five suppliers are offshore . . . or in Canada, it’s no surprise they serve Canadians first,’’ he said.

Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledged the issue. “We have to get domestic, robust, fast drug manufacturing in the United States,’’ she said.

-- STEPHANIE VALLEJO

Focus on jobs long overdue, House Republicans assert

The White House and its Democratic allies in Congress are refocusing on jobs. To which Republicans say: It’s about time.

“I say you gotta be kidding me. They have for months now been about more spending, leaving a wake of deficits in their trail, and now they want to focus on what’s important,’’ Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the number two Republican in the House, said yesterday.

Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Cantor’s Democratic counterpart, said Democrats will try to pass a job creation plan this year that could include money for highway construction and tax credits for small businesses.

Hoyer told reporters yesterday that it would not be as sweeping as the $787 billion economic stimulus enacted in February.

Just before President Obama departed on his Asia trip, he announced a jobs forum to come up with any and all ideas to stem rising unemployment, at 10.2 percent nationally last month. The forum will be Dec. 3, and the White House announced that the following day, Obama will travel to Allentown, Pa., to kick off a months-long, nationwide “Main Street Tour’’ to “take the temperature on what Americans are experiencing during these challenging economic times.’’

-- GLOBE STAFF

Obama’s bow to emperor of Japan sparks criticism

WASHINGTON - Some conservative commentators seized on President Obama’s deep bow to Japan’s Emperor Akihito over the weekend, accusing the commander in chief of groveling before a foreign leader.

So did he?

While it may have been an awkward moment, it wasn’t without precedent - US presidents from both political parties have often been criticized for their attempts at culturally sensitive greetings to high-ranking foreigners.

But Obama’s encounter with Akihito was a stumble because it mixed a bow with a handshake - something not normally done. Critics also accused him of genuflecting to Saudi King Abdullah at an April summit meeting of the leaders of the top 20 rich and developing nations.

Obama’s bow was compared with photos of former Vice President Dick Cheney giving Akihito a straight-backed handshake and General Douglas MacArthur, who oversaw the post-World War II occupation of Japan, standing with his hands on his hips next to Emperor Hirohito.

In a written response, the State Department said yesterday that its protocol office worked closely with the White House to provide Obama with advice. “Protocol, in general, is about respecting the customs and traditions of a host country,’’ the statement said. “The president was simply showing respect.’’

-- ASSOCIATED PRESS

President grants interview with Fox News Channel

NEW YORK - President Obama will give an interview today to Fox News Channel’s Major Garrett, perhaps signaling a thaw in relations between the network and administration.

The White House confirmed yesterday that Garrett will be included among a round of network interviews that the president is giving in Beijing.

Fox and the administration have been in a public fight since then-White House communications director Anita Dunn said the network acted like the research or communications arm of the Republican Party. The president pointedly avoided Fox when he gave a round of interviews to Sunday shows about his health care plan.

-- ASSOCIATED PRESS