National News - Page 104

Hotly contested elections shake up local school boards

By Katie Lobosco, After a year of contentious debates over mask mandates, social distancing rules and curriculums regarding race, new candidates challenged incumbent school board members Tuesday in elections across the country. Usually elected and unpaid, members of school boards found themselves on the front line of Covid politics and culture wars. Protests have erupted, shining a national spotlight on local boards that in the past dealt with less controversial decisions about district budgets and staffing. After months of contentious interactions, the National School Boards Association in October asked the federal government to help look into threats against school board members and educators — a

Some companies and states are fighting Biden’s employer vaccine mandate. But local efforts show mandates can work

By Travis Caldwell, With the Biden administration’s new timeline for mandating vaccinations or weekly testing for those working at private businesses with 100 or more employees, critics in the public and private sectors are quickly positioning themselves against the measure. The rules, long-anticipated in an effort to get further ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic that has now killed more than 750,000 Americans since early 2020, will take effect January 4. Multiple states have declared they will take the issue to court. And while some local mandates have shown success in getting unvaccinated Americans onboard with inoculations, a handful of companies and organizations expressed doubts

With a jury now in place, the murder trial in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery begins today

By Christina Maxouris, The trial for the three White men charged in the killing of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery is set to begin Friday morning, again drawing the nation’s attention to the small-town Georgia case in which race has continued to be a central factor. Jurors — 11 White and one Black — selected in a long and grueling process will decide whether Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., are guilty of malice and felony murder in connection with Arbery’s shooting. They also face charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. All have pleaded not

Pfizer says its experimental pill reduces risk of hospitalization, death from Covid-19

By Maggie Fox, and Amanda Sealy,  Drugmaker Pfizer said Friday its experimental pill designed to fight coronavirus reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk patients taking part in a trial of the drug. The company hopes it can eventually offer the pill, given in combination with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir, to people to take at home before they get sick enough to go to the hospital. A so-called interim analysis — done before the trial was scheduled to end — showed an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 if patients got

Mayor signs legislation making Philadelphia the first major US city to ban police from stopping drivers for low-level traffic violations

By Evan Simko-Bednarski, Maya Brown and Emma Tucker, A Philadelphia law banning traffic stops for minor violations is set to go into effect early next year after the city’s mayor gave final approval Wednesday. The law, which passed Philadelphia’s city council last month by a 14-2 vote and has the support of the city’s police department, designates seven low-level violations for which traffic stops are prohibited, including bumper issues, minor obstructions, broken lights and a license plate that is not visible or clearly displayed. “This legislation establishes Philadelphia as the 1st large U.S. city to ban minor traffic stops with the goal

Judge finds ‘intentional discrimination’ in Arbery jury selection but allows trial to move forward with 1 Black member

By Devon M. Sayers, Alta Spells and Christina Maxouris, After a long and contentious jury selection process in a coastal Georgia county in preparation for the trial for Ahmaud Arbery’s killing, a panel of 12 people was chosen Wednesday — consisting of one Black member and 11 White members. The jury was selected after a two-and-a-half-week selection process that ended with prosecutors for the state accusing defense attorneys of disproportionately striking qualified Black jurors and basing some of their strikes on race. Judge Timothy Walmsley said the defense appeared to be discriminatory in selecting the jury but that the case could go forward. “This court has

Voters, activists and embattled local officials road-test Georgia’s election restrictions in Tuesday’s elections

By Fredreka Schouten, When Patricia Dossie left her senior housing apartment west of downtown Atlanta to vote on Tuesday, she was certain of her destination: a recreation center about 6 miles away. “I’ve been voting there for years,” the 73-year-old said. But she and two of her neighbors found they were no longer on the voting list at that precinct. And because Georgia’s new election law bars most voters from casting ballots outside their home polling places, the elderly trio made yet another trek — this time, to the right polling place, at a small neighborhood library, to vote in

Supreme Court seems poised to expand Second Amendment rights and strike down NY handgun law

By Ariane de Vogue, The Supreme Court seemed ready to expand Second Amendment rights after hearing arguments for over two hours and expressing skepticism about a New York law that restricts individuals from carrying concealed handguns outside the home for self-defense. Chief Justice John Roberts at one point pressed New York’s solicitor general about the breadth of the law that requires an individual to show “proper cause” before obtaining such a license in locations typically open to the general public, even in rural areas. “How many muggings take place in a forest?” Roberts asked. And President Donald Trump’s three appointees, Justice Neil

Minneapolis rejects policing overhaul

By Gregory Krieg, Omar Jimenez and Peter Nickeas, Voters in the city rejected a ballot measure to overhaul policing drafted amid the national fury over George Floyd’s murder by a police officer but that went to voters as rising concerns about gun violence drained energy from the protest movement that had launched it. CNN on Tuesday projected that Minneapolis Question 2 had failed, effectively ending a push to give the city council oversight of a new Department of Public Safety and done away with a requirement to employ a minimum number of police officers tied to the city’s population. The status quo-affirming

Rev. Jesse Jackson hospitalized after fall at Howard University

By Christina Carrega, Joe Sutton and Susannah Cullinane, Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized after falling and hitting his head while attending a meeting at Howard University in Washington, DC, Monday, according to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson was on campus for a meeting with Howard University Pres. Wayne A.I. Frederick and students to address the students’ concerns about living conditions in their residential halls when he was injured, a statement from the coalition said. “When Rev. Jackson entered a building on campus, he fell and hit his head. His staff took him to the Howard University Hospital

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