National News - Page 150

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Tests Positive for COVID-19

By Barbara Starr, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has tested positive for Covid-19 and is exhibiting “mild” symptoms, according to a statement from him released by the Defense Department on Sunday. “I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President. My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week,” Austin said. Austin said he last met with President Joe Biden on December 21 and tested negative that morning. He said he was last in the Pentagon on Thursday. “I met briefly

Bill Proposes National Museum for Asian American History

By Harmeet Kaur, It took decades of advocacy and effort, but a national African American museum now stands on the National Mall. After legislation that passed last year, national museums dedicated to Latinos and women are also in the works. Now, one lawmaker wants Asian Americans to have a museum of their own, too. A bill introduced by Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York would establish a commission to explore the possibility of a museum that would honor the history, culture and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The group would be made up of experts in AAPI history and culture, as

Drivers Trapped for Hours on I-95 After Major Snowstorm

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By Kelly McCleary, Joe Sutton and Jason Hanna, Drivers have been stranded for hours on a major interstate in eastern Virgina — some stuck from Monday into Tuesday morning — after a severe winter storm caused massive backups, sending authorities scrambling to clear a path. In some places in the Fredericksburg area, vehicles still were stranded shortly before sunrise Tuesday partly because of disabled trucks, and some travelers have been stuck since Monday morning, the Virginia Department of Transportation said. The stuck vehicles were on portions of I-95 between exit 104 near Carmel Church and exit 152 at Dumfries Road — a roughly 50-mile

Virginia AG Sues Windsor Police for Racial Discrimination

By Jay Croft, More than a year after two policemen pepper-sprayed a Black and Latino US Army officer, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has sued the town of Windsor, alleging its police department has discriminated against African Americans and violated their civil rights. It is the first case brought under a new law that allows the state’s leading law-enforcement officer “to sue to stop systemic violations of Virginians’ rights,” according to a release from Herring’s office. The suit was spurred by an incident in December 2020, when two Windsor Police Department officers pulled over 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario and repeatedly used pepper spray

Child COVID Hospitalizations Surge Amid Omicron Wave

By Travis Caldwell, With tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans at higher risk for severe disease from Covid-19 infections, doctors and health care facilities nationwide are reporting a rising number of young people hospitalized, some of whom are too young to receive vaccine doses. The nation’s largest pediatric hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, is reporting a more than four-fold increase in child hospitalizations from Covid-19 over the last two weeks, spurred by the spread of the Omicron and Delta variants over the holiday season. “We have staggering numbers here from this Omicron surge already,” Dr. Jim Versalovic, pathologist-in-chief at Texas Children’s, said Monday. “We shattered prior

U.S. COVID Cases Hit Record High as Child Hospitalizations Soar

By Christina Maxouris, A day after reporting its highest average daily Covid-19 case number, the US shattered the record Thursday, with an average of 355,990 infections reported every day in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University. As the latest surge sweeps across the US, pushing cases and hospitalizations to unprecedented levels and altering daily life again, experts warn a turning point could be weeks away. “Given the size of our country — and the diversity of vaccination versus not vaccination — that it likely will be more than a couple of weeks (until Covid-19 cases peak) … probably by the end of January,” Dr. Anthony

Desmond Tutu Honored at State Funeral in Cape Town

By Joshua Berlinger and Tara John, Family, friends and dignitaries gathered for Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s official state funeral on New Year’s Day in Cape Town, capping a week of events honoring a man long considered to be the moral compass of South Africa. Tutu died last Sunday at the age of 90, sparking a global outpouring of tributes to the anti-apartheid hero. He had been in poor health for several years. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivered the main eulogy during the service at St. George’s Cathedral on Saturday, hailed Tutu as “our national conscience.” Tutu’s widow Nomalizo Leah, known as “Mama Leah,”

Omicron Surge Disrupts Schools, Strains U.S. Hospitals

By Derrick Hinds, After a weekend of muted celebrations, Americans face the uncertainty of a new year as the nation battles another coronavirus wave. And concerns are growing about the impact the virus could have over the next several weeks as students return to school. In Atlanta, at least five metro-area school districts will begin with remote learning this week, as students prepare to return from the holiday break amid rising cases in the region. And in Washington, DC, public schools will be closed until Thursday as a winter storm thwarted plans for students and staff to pick up Covid-19 tests

Biden, Harris to Mark Jan 6 Capitol Riot Anniversary

By Paul LeBlanc and Allie Malloy, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the White House said Sunday. Their remarks will come alongside a slate of events prepared by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to commemorate the insurrection, including a moment of silence on the House floor and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol. The White House had said last month that it would mark the anniversary, but did not provide further details. “January 6 was one of the darkest days in

CDC Updates Covid Isolation Rules Amid Omicron Surge

By Holly Yan and Aya Elamroussi, Sweeping new Covid-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines were spurred by scientific research and what Americans would likely tolerate, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. They come as doctors expect the holiday coronavirus surge, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, to get worse following New Year’s Eve. The average number of daily US Covid-19 cases on Tuesday reached 265,427 — a new pandemic high, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In guidance issued this week, the CDC said: • Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19, regardless of vaccination status, can stop isolating after five

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