National News - Page 104

Half of the US is partially vaccinated, but experts say more work is needed to make the next holiday gathering safer

By Madeline Holcombe As the US celebrated Memorial Day, health experts celebrated that more than half of the population was at least partially vaccinated — but reminded the public there is work to still be done to keep the next holiday safe from Covid-19 as well. “It’s great news that people can see their friends, they feel comfortable to travel because they’re vaccinated,” William Haseltine, former Harvard Medical School professor told CNN. “The bad news is if you are not vaccinated, you are still at risk, and your risk is about as high as it was before.” Crowds flocked to

Get it straight: The difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day

By Lisa Respers France We are here to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself. Inevitably, someone says something demonstrating confusion over the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Allow us to explain it to you. Memorial Day: Celebrated the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is the holiday set aside to pay tribute to those who died serving in the military. The website for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs recounts the start of Memorial Day this way: “Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans —

Black classical artists are turning the pain of the Tulsa Race Massacre into music

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By AJ Willingham It’s hard to see art in the smoldering aftermath of the Tulsa Race Massacre, when White Americans destroyed a wealthy Black community in 1921, killing dozens and leaving entire city blocks in ashes. It’s hard to see triumph in the innumerable chapters of racism, bondage and hatred that have darkened our American story for hundreds of years. But composer Adolphus Hailstork doesn’t want us to look away. He doesn’t want us to cover our ears, no matter how piercing the truth may be. There is art in this pain. And, if you listen, there is triumph, too.

Memorial Day weekend is first maskless holiday in over a year for many Americans as mandates lift

By Aya Elamroussi and Jason Hanna Travel is up, Covid-19 cases are down, and vaccines have been put in many arms. The coronavirus pandemic isn’t over, but Memorial Day weekend is set to look more like it did before the virus upended life more than a year ago. Americans Saturday were experiencing their first holiday weekend since the CDC changed its masking guidance on May 13 — that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks indoors, and they don’t have to keep their distance from others. Mask mandates melted away. As of Friday, California, Hawaii, New Mexico were the

Black Lives Matter co-founder stepping down from organization

By Stella Chan Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors has announced that she’s transitioning out of her role as executive director. On Thursday, she said on her YouTube channel, “… I feel excited for me, and my next journey.” Cullors revealed that at the end of 2019 she had stepped back from the organization, but people within BLM asked her to come back during last summer’s uprising. “I didn’t make a public announcement. I really wanted to see the next generation of leadership lead,” she said. “I really had to think about it, like, it’s a lot of work, it’s

An anonymous donor is paying the college tuition of Black athletes who get straight As at a Georgia high school

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By Alaa Elassar Black athletes at a high school in Georgia received the gift of a lifetime when an anonymous donor offered to pay their college tuition if they made straight As. The donor, a community member who didn’t want his identity revealed, was inspired to make change after realizing the lack of diversity in Centennial High School’s athlete scholarship. He reached out to the school’s athletic department with a concern about their program, which required student athletes to have a cumulative grade point average above 90. “When we tweeted out a photo of these scholar athletes after one of

Police accountability provisions hold up reform while activists grow frustrated

By Nicquel Terry Ellis President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress are facing increasing pressure this week from Black civil rights leaders who say federal lawmakers have made little progress with police reform one year after George Floyd’s death. Activists say they are demanding that the Senate pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which remains stalled amid Republican opposition, though bipartisan negotiators are optimistic about their recent progress. The bill — which includes provisions to set up a national registry of police misconduct, a ban on racial and religious profiling by law enforcement and an overhaul of so-called

States have been offering big prizes for those who are vaccinated. Companies are now doing the same

By Mallika Kallingal What do lotteries, fishing licenses and college scholarships have in common? They’re all part of dozens of innovative freebies being given away for people to get a Covid-19 vaccine, as some states have recently offered big prizesfor people to get vaccinated. Now, companies are joining the same effort. Kroger and CVS Health will begin their get-a-vaccine, win-a-prize campaigns next week. Kroger Health’s giveaway will include five $1 million payouts and 50 chances to win free groceries for a year, according to a statement from the company. “The faster we reach community immunity, the sooner we can all

It’s Memorial Day Weekend. What’s safe to do?

By Katia Hetter As the United States marks Memorial Day Weekend and the start of summer, so many people are planning to travel to places they haven’t been in a year, see friends again, and go to baseball games, concerts and more. With coronavirus infections dropping around the country and more than 50% of adults fully vaccinated, are most activities now safe to do? Can we get together with our extended family and friends? What if we’re vaccinated but some of our loved ones are not—and does it matter if they are adults or children? Are there situations in which

New DHS directive will require critical pipelines to comply with federal cybersecurity measures

By Geneva Sands The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday will mandate that critical pipeline operators comply with several cybersecurity measures, including reporting cybersecurity incidents to the department within 12 hours, according to DHS officials. In the wake of the debilitating ransomware attack earlier this month on Colonial Pipeline, which operates a major fuel pipeline, department officials rushed to enact measures that they believe will better secure the industry as a whole and help identify and prevent cyberattacks. Under a forthcoming Transportation Security Administration security directive, these pipeline companies will be required to report both confirmed and potential incidents to

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