National News - Page 169

CDC Expands Covid Booster Shots, Eyes Kids’ Vaccine Rollout

By Madeline Holcombe, People looking to boost their Covid-19 vaccinations have surpassed the number of people looking to begin them and the additional doses may soon be made available to a greater proportion of the US. According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 1.3 times as many boosters administered each day than first shots. And the number could grow, as the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee prepares to meet Thursday to discuss mixing and matching boosters as well as booster doses for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Up until this week, only the Pfizer

Report: Black Americans Imprisoned at 5× White Rate

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By Christina Carrega Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly five times the rate of White Americans, according to a new report by The Sentencing Project. The report found that one in 81 Black adults per 100,000 people in the United States is serving time in a state prison, using data and projections from recent years from the US Census, the US Bureau of Justice Statistics and information provided directly from some states. “Truly meaningful reforms to the criminal justice system cannot be accomplished without acknowledgement of its racist underpinnings,” Ashley Nellis, a senior research analyst for The Sentencing

ACLU Sues Oklahoma Over Ban on Race, Gender Education

By Madeline Holcombe, A group of students and educators has filed a complaint challenging an Oklahoma law that restricts teaching about race and gender, in what the American Civil Liberties Union calls the first federal lawsuit to challenge such a statewide ban. The suit — backed by the ACLU, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Oklahoma state conference of the NAACP and the American Indian Movement (AIM) Indian Territory — seeks to block enforcement of the law it says inhibits free speech and education of complete history through the framework of critical race theory. The concept has ignited controversy in recent months, and

US May Expand COVID Booster Shots to Adults 40 and Over

By Madeline Holcombe, Booster protection in the US could soon expand to a much broader population, as a source says the US government likely will soon recommend them to people as young as 40 who received either Moderna or Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. “I believe it will happen,” the source familiar with the plan told CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen, adding that there is “growing concern within the FDA” that US data is beginning to show more hospitalizations among people under age 65 who have been fully vaccinated. Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized booster shots for people age 65 and older

Colin Powell’s Legacy: End of an Era for Black Republicanism

By Peniel E. Joseph Gen. Colin Powell’s death from complications of Covid-19 represents more than the loss of a great American; it also marks the passing from the public arena of a model of Black Republican politics that the United States may never see again. For much of the past three decades, Powell served as perhaps the most well-known Black Republican in the nation, a four-star general who served as Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser, George H.W. Bush’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and George W. Bush’s secretary of state. In each post, Powell made history by breaking racial barriers.

WHO Honors Henrietta Lacks for Lasting Impact on Medical Science

By Rob Frehse, The World Health Organization on Wednesday honored the late Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have been used for innovative scientific research for decades, with an award in recognition of her contributions to the advancement of medical science. Lacks, a Black woman, was suffering from cervical cancer when she was being treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. A surgeon removed cells from her cervix without her consent during a procedure and that sample enabled a doctor at the hospital to create the first human cell line to reproduce outside the body. The cell line, now known as HeLa

State Dept Watchdog Launches Reviews of Afghanistan Exit

By Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood, The State Department’s watchdog has opened a number of reviews related to the US exit from Afghanistan, according to a letter from the acting inspector general obtained by CNN. In the letter dated Monday, Diana Shaw told top lawmakers on a number of congressional committees that the Office of Inspector General had notified the State Department last Friday that it was initiating the “oversight projects related to the suspension of operations at U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan.” Politico was first to report on the new reviews. “Specifically, OIG’s work will include reviews of: (1) the Afghanistan

Elijah McClain’s Family Reaches Settlement with Aurora City

By Leslie Perrot and Amir Vera, The family of Elijah McClain has reached a settlement agreement with the city of Aurora, Colorado, the city and attorneys representing his family confirmed Monday. The amount of the settlement will be undisclosed until the city signs the agreement and McClain’s family decides on an allocation process for McClain’s mother, Sheneen McClain, and his father, LaWayne Mosley. “Nothing will bring back his son Elijah, who he loved dearly, but he is hopeful that this settlement with Aurora, and the criminal charges against the officers and medics who killed Elijah, will allow his family and the community

Harris Faces Shifting Migration Crisis Beyond Central America

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By Priscilla Alvarez, When President Joe Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to address the reasons people migrate to the US southern border, her focus was on addressing problems in Central America. But seven months later, it’s migrants arriving from even farther away in South America who are overwhelming the administration, leaving the White House with a larger problem that officials are still looking for ways to solve. The recent surge of Haitians into Del Rio, Texas, underscored the immense challenge of tackling migratory flows that are constantly changing. As efforts were launched in the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to set

US Pushes Covid-19 Boosters as Mandates Expand Nationwide

By Madeline Holcombe, As the US tries to bring Covid-19 under control before a potential winter spike, health experts are encouraging vulnerable people to get a booster vaccine dose. So far, about 15% of seniors have done so. Overall, about 10.7 million people have received a booster shot — and more than half were people over 65, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The US Food and Drug Administration has recommended booster doses for people who are most vulnerable, including those 65 and older, those at high risk of severe disease and those who live or work in high-risk

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