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US setting up $1.7B national network to track virus variants
The U.S. is setting up a $1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced Friday.
Alabama lawmakers vote to ban trans girls from female teams
Alabama could soon become the next conservative state to prevent transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
Amid hesitancy, Louisiana gets creative in vaccine outreach
Brass bands playing at a 24-hour drive-thru coronavirus vaccine event. Doses delivered to commercial fishermen minutes from the docks. Pop-up immunization clinics at a Buddhist temple, homeless shelters, truck stops and casinos, with shots available at night or on weekends.
Chauvin skips testifying as trial in Floyd death nears end
Former Officer Derek Chauvin ‘s trial in George Floyd’s death will be in a jury’s hands by early next week, after his brief defense wrapped up with Chauvin passing on a chance to take the stand and tell the public for the first time what he was thinking when he pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck.
US opens more distance in worldwide race against coronavirus
The United States opened more distance between itself and much of the rest of the world Thursday, nearing the 200 millionth vaccine administered in a race to protect the population against COVID-19, even as other countries, rich and poor, struggle with stubbornly high infection rates and deaths.
With layoffs down and spending up, US rebound gains momentum
A much-awaited economic boom coming off the pandemic recession appeared to edge closer to reality Thursday with fresh data showing the pace of layoffs dwindling, consumers spending freely and manufacturing rebounding.
16 states back Alabama’s challenge to Census privacy tool
Sixteen other states are backing Alabama’s challenge to a statistical method the U.S. Census Bureau is using for the first time to protect the privacy of people who participated in the 2020 census, the nation’s once-a-decade head count that determines political power and funding.
Big-business pushback against voting measures gaining momentum
Big business has ratcheted up its objections to proposals that would make it harder to vote, with several hundred companies and executives signing a new statement opposing “any discriminatory legislation.”
Biden faces long odds in push for more state ‘red flag’ laws
President Joe Biden faces an uphill battle as he tries to revive a push for more state laws that would allow authorities to temporarily disarm people who are considered a danger to themselves or others.
Defense expert: Floyd died from heart trouble, not restraint
George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance as a result of his heart disease, a forensic pathologist testified for the defense at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradicting prosecution experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down.
Former Minnesota cop charged in shooting of Black motorist
A white former police officer faced her first court appearance Thursday in the traffic-stop shooting of a Black motorist that has engulfed a small Minneapolis suburb with four straight days of bitter conflict between protesters and police.
More COVID state shutdowns unlikely, despite CDC suggestion
When one of the nation’s top health officials this week suggested states dealing with a spring spike of coronavirus cases should “shut things down,” the remark landed with a thud.
Red states on U.S. electoral map lagging on vaccinations
With coronavirus shots now in the arms of nearly half of American adults, the parts of the U.S. that are excelling and those that are struggling with vaccinations are starting to look like the nation’s political map: deeply divided between red and blue states.
I got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Now what?
I got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Now what? Don’t panic. U.S. health officials on Tuesday recommended pausing vaccinations with J&J’s shot as they
Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff dies in prison at 82
Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of an epic securities swindle that burned thousands of investors, outfoxed regulators and earned him a 150-year prison term, died behind bars early Wednesday.
Biden to address joint session of Congress on April 28
President Joe Biden will address a joint session of Congress for the first time on April 28.
Expert: Ex-cop justified in pinning Floyd to pavement
The defense for a former police officer charged in George Floyd’s death challenged the heart of the case against the officer, calling a use-of-force expert who testified that Derek Chauvin was justified in pinning Floyd and said it might have gone easier if the Black man had been “resting comfortably” on the pavement.
Decision expected on charges for cop who shot Black motorist
Prosecutors expect to decide Wednesday whether to charge the white former police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, sparking nights of protests and raising tensions amid the nearby murder trial of the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd.
Explainer: What’s known about J&J’s vaccine and rare clots
A rare, rogue immune response is the main suspect as authorities investigate highly unusual blood clots following use of two similar COVID-19 vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.
Biden: Pause on J&J shots shows gov’t putting safety first
President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign hit a snag when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots. But the White House portrayed the action as important validation of his measured approach throughout the rollout.
