Axios

President Biden signed a bill Thursday funding research into neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. 

Why it matters: The Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act ensures $100 million annually in federal funding from 2022-2026 to research cures for and the prevention and treatment of the progressive disease that affects cells in the brain and spinal cord.

NIAID director Anthony Fauci warned Wednesday that large gatherings this holiday season are unsafe even for fully vaccinated people who've had a COVID-19 booster shot, as the Omicron variant surges across the U.S.

What he's saying: "There are many of these parties that have 30, 40, 50 people in which you do not know the vaccination status of individuals," Fauci said at a briefing. "Those are the kind of functions in the context of Omicron that you do not want to go to."

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced Tuesday he's ordered the rollout of a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in response to the threat of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

Why it matters: Israel is believed to be the first country to offer a fourth coronavirus dose to citizens.