National News - Page 145

FDA Authorizes Pfizer Covid Booster for High-Risk Groups

By Maggie Fox, The US Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it would grant emergency use authorization for a booster dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in people 65 and older, people at high risk of severe disease and people whose jobs put them at risk of infection. “After considering the totality of the available scientific evidence and the deliberations of our advisory committee of independent, external experts, the FDA amended the EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for a booster dose in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those

Melvin Van Peebles, Pioneering Filmmaker, Dies at 89

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By Megan Thomas, Melvin Van Peebles, a trailblazing African-American director who helped champion a new wave of modern Black cinema in the 1970s, has died, his son announced Wednesday. He was 89. Van Peebles, father of actor and director Mario Van Peebles, died at his home on Tuesday night, according to a statement shared on social media. “Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free,” Mario Van Peebles said of his father’s work

Experts Warn of Covid-19 Surge Amid Looming Flu Season

By Madeline Holcombe, The US is battling rising death tolls and strained hospital resources under the Covid-19 pandemic, and all that could be made more difficult by the upcoming flu season, health experts said. “We are bracing ourselves for an awfully busy winter ahead,” Associate Dean of Public Health at Brown University Dr. Megan Ranney told CNN Tuesday. The United States is once again at a point where an average of more than 2,000 people are dying of Covid-19 every day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And hospitals are straining to keep up with the number of patients coming in. Staff

Jan. 6 Panel to Issue Subpoenas to Non-Cooperative Parties

By Annie Grayer and Ryan Nobles, The Democratic chairman of the House Select Committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol said Monday that the panel could start issuing subpoenas to companies and individuals who have not cooperated with records requests “within a week.” “We will probably as a committee issue subpoenas either to witnesses or organizations within a week,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. The select committee spent most of August requesting records from a variety of government agencies and social media companies to begin charting its course for piecing together the events leading up to the January 6

AJ Johnson, ‘Friday’ Actor & Comedian, Dies at 55

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By Marianne Garvey, Anthony “AJ” Johnson, an actor and comedian best known for his performance as Ezal in “Friday,” has died, his representative LyNea Bell told CNN Monday. He was 55. “The world of Comedy has truly been shaken, again. Our BH Talent family is heartbroken about the loss of the iconic legend of stage and screen Mr. Anthony “AJ” Johnson,” Bell said in a statement. “He has left with us amazing memories of his laughter, dynamic acting skills, but most of all his enormous personality and heart of gold.” No cause of death has been publicly shared. Beyond his

US Gun Violence in 2021 Hits Highest Levels in Decades

By Holmes Lybrand, So far, 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for gun violence in decades, surpassing even the high levels last year. According to the Gun Violence Archive, from January 1 to September 15, a total of 14,516 people died from gun violence in the US. That’s 1,300 more than during the same period in 2020, a 9% increase. Mass shootings are also on the rise. Through September 15, there have been 498 mass shootings across the US, or an average of about 1.92 per day. That’s 15% higher than last year, when there were a total

Redlining Leaves Atlanta’s Black Communities Hotter, Poorer

By Derek Van Dam and Haley Brink, On a warm September afternoon, Mona Scott sat on the front porch while her home baked like an oven. As she ran a frozen water bottle across her forehead and arms, Scott told CNN her air conditioning broke 10 days earlier and had not yet been fixed. “The windows are painted shut,” Scott said. “We come outside at night to sleep because it’s too hot inside.” Like Scott, residents in the low-income communities across south and southwest Atlanta are struggling to cope with the hottest summer since the Dust Bowl period of the 1930s. “It’s

FDA Panel Backs Pfizer Booster for Seniors, High-Risk Groups

By Maggie Fox and Madeline Holcombe, Advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday voted unanimously to recommend emergency use authorization of Pfizer’s booster shot six months after full vaccination in Americans 65 and older as well as those at high risk of severe Covid-19. That vote came after the group had first voted and rejected a broader application: to approve the third shot in all Americans 16 and older six months after they were fully vaccinated. Dr. Steven Pergam, medical director for infection prevention at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, expressed concern that the recommendation the advisers approved

Atlanta School Faces Allegations of Racial Class Grouping

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, A mother’s claim that her children’s school was assigning Black students to certain classes has shaken up one Atlanta school community with some parents insisting the principal would never group students based on race. It’s also fueled a debate about whether the practice would even be considered legal or productive for the children. Kila Posey filed a civil rights complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights last month. She alleges that during the 2020-2021 school year Mary Lin Elementary School Principal Sharyn Briscoe designated only two second-grade classes for Black students without the consent of

FDA Weighs Covid Booster Shots Amid Ongoing Pandemic Gaps

By Madeline Holcombe, The US Food and Drug Administration is meeting Friday about Covid-19 vaccine boosters, but the long-awaited discussion may not yield an answer as to whether all vaccinated Americans will get a third dose, experts said. “What I think we’re going to hear from the FDA advisory committee is a go-ahead to boost people over the age probably of 60 because that’s where the data is most solid,” CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner said. “The question is what does this mean for people who are younger, and do we need to start boosting them now?” Three reports published Wednesday supporting the argument

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