National News - Page 137

Confusion over masks sparks new political showdown

Analysis by Stephen Collinson America’s emerging limbo between a full-blown pandemic and a return to normal is throwing up new public health dilemmas that spark instant political fires — like a fresh round of grandstanding over mask wearing. Top White House adviser Anita Dunn Sunday defended President Joe Biden over his continued use of a mask outdoors — even though the practice appears to conflict with new and relaxed administration guidelines for fully vaccinated citizens. In comments that didn’t necessarily clarify the situation, Dunn told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” that “extra precautions” were being taken for

The US is taking a major step toward resuming normal life

By Travis Caldwell As May arrives, the US is taking a major step toward resuming normal life, with cities, businesses and entertainment venues announcing plans to begin reopening after the deadly winter surge of Covid-19 infections. The travel industry is gearing up for a big summer season. This week, Delta will resume filling the middle seat on flights while Disneyland in California is opening its park gates for the first time in more than a year at around 25% attendance capacity. In sports, the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta United are among the first teams in their respective leagues to return

Full FDA approval of Covid-19 vaccines could help fight vaccine hesitancy, officials say

By Jacqueline Howard As a condition of the emergency use authorizations issued for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, those companies are expected to work toward asking the US Food and Drug Administration for full approval — and some health officials are hoping it will happen soon. These vaccines have been in use since mid-December under emergency use authorizations, known as EUAs. During the pandemic, real-world data have shown the vaccines are effective against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Wednesday he hopes

Majority of Americans say US economic conditions are good for the first time during the pandemic, per CNN Poll

By Matt Egan For the first time during the pandemic, most Americans approve of the economic conditions in the United States, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS that was released Wednesday. With jobless claims sinking and GDP growth expected to accelerate, a majority of Americans — 54% — say economic conditions are either somewhat or very good, the poll found. That marks the first time since the first week of March 2020, just before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, that most Americans in CNN polling said economic conditions were good. The milestone provides

Tulsa Race Massacre 100th anniversary: Meet 10 Tulsans who are helping promote the history

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By Tim Stanley TULSA, Oklahoma (Tulsa World) — The Tulsa World recently talked to 10 Tulsans who, each in their own way, have committed to telling the story of Greenwood and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre while helping raise awareness of its too-long-ignored history. 50 years ago, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was a taboo subject when Tulsan Ed Wheeler set out to write an article ‘to find out what happened.’ He had no idea the threats and resistance he would face just for trying. From O.W. Gurley to its present-day legacy: Greenwood District land ownership has evolved in the

America’s economy is rebounding. But it is still in a deep hole

By Anneken Tappe America is emerging from the worst of the pandemic, and that will mean some eye-popping figures when the government releases economic growth data Thursday. But the big jump — fueled by resurgent consumer spending after a year in lockdown — will still be starting from a deep hole. Economists predict that the US economy grew at an annualized rate of 6.1% in the first three months of the year — faster the than the 4.3% recorded at the end of 2020, but far slower than the enormous 33.4% jump in the second quarter of 2020 when the

More relaxed CDC coronavirus guidelines could come soon, Fauci says

By Christina Maxouris After loosening its Covid-19 prevention guidelines somewhat this week for people who are fully vaccinated, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could soon go even further if new cases continue to decline, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. The seven-day average of new cases has dropped from about 60,000 new infections per day to “around 30 to 40” in the past few days, Fauci, the director of the National Instiitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto Wednesday. “I’ll guarantee you, Jim, that as the level of infection gets down, and we can get it

Some experts say new CDC guidelines are too cautious. Here’s why that matters with vaccine hesitancy

By Christina Maxouris In its gradual return to normal, the US took another step forward this week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance Tuesday on the activities fully vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy without a mask. The agency said fully vaccinated people can unmask at small outdoor gatherings or when dining outside with friends from multiple households — activities the CDC said require unvaccinated people to still wear a mask. But some experts say the new guidance is too cautious and doesn’t offer a strong enough incentive for Americans who still are on the fence about

Are we numb? Handling the collective trauma of police violence, mass shootings and a pandemic

By Matt Villano A reckoning with the deaths resulting from institutionalized racism, a resurgence of almost-daily gun violence and 3.1 million pandemic deaths worldwide, there has been trauma piled upon trauma upon trauma. It turns out these collective traumas are taking a toll on all of us, according to Roxane Cohen Silver, a professor of psychological science, medicine and mental health at the University of California, Irvine. Over the course of her 40-year career, Silver has studied the effects of trauma on individuals and on society as a collective whole. The traumas of the past year — which are ongoing

Former CDC director: We can prevent the next pandemic

By Dr. Tom Frieden As the United States and the world continue to struggle in the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, one truth has emerged — it didn’t have to be nearly this bad. Preparedness can prevent epidemics. Covid started as single and potentially containable outbreak before spreading rapidly across the globe and changing life as we know it. But every year, there are many near misses — outbreaks that are controlled before they become epidemics. Much like the “curious incident” of the dog that didn’t bark in the night in the Sherlock Holmes story “Silver Blaze,” these epidemics

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