National News - Page 161

New Covid Variant B.1.1.529 Sparks Global Travel Bans

By David McKenzie, Ghazi Balkiz and Ivana Kottasová, The discovery of a new and potentially more transmissible coronavirus variant by South African health authorities has sparked a forceful reaction across the world with a number of countries banning travelers from several southern African countries. The newly identified variant, currently known as B.1.1.529, appears to be spreading rapidly in parts of South Africa and scientists are concerned that its unusually high number of mutations could make it more transmissible and result in immune evasion. It has so far been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong and Belgium. “Initially it looked like some cluster outbreaks,

Thanksgiving Air Travel Hits Record Since Pandemic Began

By Pete Muntean and Gregory Wallace, Thanksgiving travelers have set a new pandemic-era air travel record in the United States. The Transportation Security Administration says it screened 2.3 million people (2,311,978) at airports across the country on Wednesday, making it the busiest day at security checkpoints since March 2020. The number is 88% of the traffic (2,624,250) on the equivalent Wednesday in 2019, before the pandemic. And it is more than twice the number of people (1,070,967) TSA screened on this day last year. Wednesday is the seventh consecutive day the TSA screened more than 2 million passengers.   Goal:

Prosecutors Reflect on Ahmaud Arbery Verdict and Trial

By Amir Vera and Chris Boyette, Prosecutors in the trial of three White men convicted in Ahmaud Arbery’s killing were not concerned about the racial makeup of the jury, attorneys told CNN Wednesday. Linda Dunikoski, Cobb County senior assistant district attorney, told CNN’s Jim Acosta that after jurors were selected, her team “realized that we had very, very smart, very intelligent, honest jurors who were going to do their job which is to seek the truth.” “We felt that putting up our case, it doesn’t matter whether they were Black or White, that putting up our case that this jury would hear the

Biden Nominates Shalanda Young, Nani Coloretti to OMB

By Kate Sullivan, President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his nomination of Shalanda Young to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget and Nani Coloretti to serve as deputy director, putting two women of color at the helm of a critical agency in his administration. If confirmed by the Senate, Young would be the first Black woman to hold the top post. Coloretti would be one of the highest-ranking Asian American women in the administration. “Today, it’s my honor to nominate two extraordinary history-making women to lead the Office of Management and Budget,” Biden said in a video. OMB

Biden Visits Troops, Shares Thanks on Thanksgiving in Nantucket

By Betsy Klein, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden stopped by the US Coast Guard Station Brant Point Thursday, meeting with US troops stationed there as well as troops around the world virtually as they expressed their gratitude on the Thanksgiving holiday. After about an hour inside the Coast Guard station, the Bidens walked outside to greet about 20 servicemembers in uniform, the President wishing them a happy Thanksgiving, handing out challenge coins, and posing for a group photo. “I’m not joking when I say I’m thankful for these guys, thankful to them, and I mean that from the bottom of

Food Banks Face Rising Costs, Supply Chain Woes Post-COVID

By Lauren Lee, For nearly two years, economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic put increased demand on food banks across the US. As the need declines, they face new problems. “Rising cost of food and ongoing challenges with the supply chain is making it more expensive for food banks to purchase food and even move donated food across this country,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Feeding America, a network of over 200 food banks across the country. Low inventory, supply chain disruption, and labor shortages have created the bottleneck that contributed to increased costs for charities. “We are continuing

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade 2021: Balloons, Stars & More

By Chloe Melas, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition returns to the streets of New York City this year. The event will feature celebrity performances as well as some new balloons. Unlike last year, which was for a TV-only crowd and the route was shortened to the area around the Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square due to the pandemic, Thursday’s parade will return to its previous route with guests invited to view along the way. Whether you’re in person or on your couch, you can expect to see 15 massive balloons, 28 floats, plenty of singing and dancing, plus Santa Claus.

Biden to Nominate Shalanda Young as Budget Office Director

By Jeff Zeleny, President Joe Biden will nominate Shalanda Young to lead the Office of Management and Budget, two officials said, elevating her to join the Cabinet after serving as deputy budget director during the first year of the administration. The White House is set to make the announcement in a statement as soon as Wednesday, the officials said, formalizing the role for Young, who is on parental leave after having a baby on Halloween. The White House declined to comment on Tuesday. The Washington Post first reported on the expected nomination. The OMB director position has been vacant all year, after Neera

Groveland Four Officially Exonerated After 72 Years

By Sara Weisfeldt, The families of the “Groveland Four” got some closure Monday after Florida officially cleared four young Black men wrongly accused of raping a 17-year-old White girl in 1949. Circuit Court Judge Heidi Davis in Lake County, Florida, granted the State’s motion to posthumously dismiss the indictments of Ernest Thomas and Samuel Shepherd and vacated the convictions of Charles Greenlee and Walter Irvin, in the case known as the “Groveland Four.” “I would not hate, but I will love and embrace all of those who did not know at the time that my father was a caring and

Students Defend Books Amid Ban Push in Kansas City Schools

By Jackson Kurtz Students in the North Kansas City school district are fighting back against a parent group that wants the district to ban certain books. The parents say the books are inappropriate. Over a dozen students were at the district’s school board meeting, many passionately describing why it’s important to keep books on the shelves. The school district says it pulled two books from its high school’s libraries after complaints from the Northland Parent Association, who felt the books were inappropriate for students. The first book in question was “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which is a series of personal

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