National News - Page 158

Biden, GOP Rep. Comer Unite in Tornado-Hit Kentucky Visit

By Maegan Vazquez, On nearly any other day in Washington, Republican Congressman James Comer would likely be calling for oversight investigations into the Biden administration. But on Wednesday, Comer — who represents Kentucky’s 1st District and is the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform — accompanied President Joe Biden throughout his trip to Kentucky to survey damage in the wake of deadly tornadoes. Comer’s congressional district includes Mayfield and Dawson Springs — two towns the President visited where tornadoes had ripped across neighborhoods, destroying homes and businesses. The Republican congressman’s appearance next to a Democratic President marked a rare moment

Black and Missing Foundation Fights Media Coverage Gaps

By Lauren Lee, When the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito blew up social media and flooded TV screens in August, the case put a renewed spotlight on the inequity in coverage of missing people of color. For the last 13 years, sisters-in-law Natalie and Derrica Wilson have made it their mission to step in to help search for missing people of color when the media and law enforcement fall short. ‘Missing white woman syndrome’ When 24-year-old Tamika Huston went missing from Derrica Wilson’s hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, on May 27, 2004, she was shocked at the lack of

Keechant Sewell Named First Female NYPD Commissioner

By Rob Frehse New York City will get its first female police commissioner to lead the nation’s largest police department, after Mayor-elect Eric Adams picked Nassau County Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell. “Keechant Sewell is a proven crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the safety New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve,” Adams said in a statement released to CNN. “Chief Sewell will wake up every day laser-focused on keeping New Yorkers safe and improving our city, and I am thrilled to have her at the helm of the NYPD.” The formal announcement will be made

Atmospheric River Brings Floods, Snow to West Coast

By Judson Jones, As people continue picking up the pieces from this weekend’s deadly tornado outbreak, a new storm system is intensifying. This one is out West. An atmospheric river — a plume of moisture, similar to a river, that streams in off the Pacific Ocean and brings extreme rains — is unleashing flooding rainfall of up to a foot and several feet of snow on the West Coast. The storm began in Washington this weekend, where it created unstable conditions and led to at least one avalanche in the region. Now it’s meandering down the coast, first soaking people in the Bay

One Year of Covid Vaccines: Global Impact by the Numbers

By Faith Karimi and Deidre McPhillips, On December 14, 2020, nurse Sandra Lindsay rolled up her left sleeve at a New York City hospital and became one of the first people in the US to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The vaccine was from Pfizer/BioNTech, and it had been authorized for emergency use only three days earlier by the FDA — the first counterblow against a deadly virus that had crippled the country and shut down much of the world. Authorization for Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson soon followed. A year later, millions of people in the US — and billions around

Shirley Raines Named 2021 CNN Hero for Skid Row Work

By Tricia Escobedo and Allie Torgan, Shirley Raines, who brings beauty and hope to the men and women living on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, is the 2021 CNN Hero of the Year. As she received her award Sunday, Raines thanked her children including her late son, who inspired her work. “This surely hasn’t been easy. I stand before you a very broken woman,” an emotional Raines said. “I am a mother without a son and there are a lot of people in the streets without a mother — and I feel like it’s a fair exchange.” Raines was presented with

Tornado Devastation Hits Kentucky, 88 Lives Lost in Storm

By Kelly McCleary, Holly Yan and Theresa Waldrop, The destruction was instantaneous as many homes and businesses were tossed in the air after a tornado outbreak across eight states — but those who survived, many of whom are left with only the clothes on their backs, now face a daunting path toward recovery. About 75% of one town, Dawson Springs in western Kentucky, was wiped out by the tornado, said Mayor Chris Smiley. About a third of the town’s population of 2,500 lives below the poverty line and many don’t have insurance. Those whose homes are still standing probably won’t

Pfizer’s Paxlovid Cuts COVID Hospitalization Risk by 89%

By Michael Nedelman, Pfizer’s updated results for its experimental treatment for Covid-19 showed it cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within a few days of their first symptoms, the company announced in a news release Tuesday. Pfizer hopes it can eventually offer the pills, under the name Paxlovid, for people to take at home before they get sick enough to go to the hospital. Paxlovid combines a new antiviral drug named nirmatrelvir and an older one called ritonavir. After a month of follow-up, the study found five hospitalizations and no deaths among

Susan Hutson Elected First Black Female Sheriff in Louisiana

By Kay Jones and Alaa Elassar, Voters in New Orleans elected the first female sheriff of Orleans Parish on Saturday, upsetting a four-term incumbent. Susan Hutson defeated Sheriff Marlin Gusman in Saturday’s runoff election. Returns from the Louisiana Secretary of State show Hutson won with 53% of the vote. Gusman had been sheriff since 2004, according to the sheriff’s website. Hutson has also become the first Black woman to be elected sheriff in the state of Louisiana, according to CNN affiliate WGNO. In the initial election, held in November, Gusman had a 13-point lead over Hutson, with 48% compared to her 35%. The race

Atlanta Schools Promote Gun Safety With New APS Resolution

By Jade Gordon and Alta Spells, The Board of Education for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is taking steps to promote gun safety in homes. Less than a week after four students were shot and killed and seven additional people were injured in a high school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, the Atlanta Board of Education voted and passed a resolution to promote safe and responsible storage of firearms. APS will collaborate with non-profits, health agencies and local law enforcement agencies to promote secure gun storage of firearms in homes, which research has shown can reduce the risk of unintentional firearm injuries

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