National News - Page 93

TSA screens more than 2M passengers for third straight day, despite rise in Covid-19 cases

By Sarah Fortinsky and Amir Vera, Despite a rise in Covid-19 cases and new restrictions emerging across the country, travelers at US airports do not appear to be deterred from following through on their vacation plans. More than 2 million people were screened at US airports December 16, 17 and 18, according to checkpoint data from the Transportation Security Administration. Those numbers are nearly double what they were a year ago but fall short of the pre-pandemic 2019 figures, the data shows. These increased numbers come as cities and even sports leagues struggle to control the surge in Covid cases and hospitalizations. Already this week, major sports

Omicron ‘is going to take over’ this winter, and Fauci says Americans should brace for a ‘tough few weeks to months’

By Dakin Andone and Susannah Cullinane, The United States is likely in for a hard winter as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads rapidly, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, straining a health care system already battered by the Delta variant. “It’s going to take over,” Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said of the Omicron variant on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, urging Americans to get vaccinated and get their booster shots. “And be prudent in everything else you do: When you travel in your indoor settings that are congregated, wear a mask.” “We can’t walk away from that, Jake, we can’t,”

White House scales back holiday parties due to Covid concerns

By Kate Bennett, The White House will dramatically scale back holiday party festivities this year, due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns, opting instead for smaller open house-style events. “In the coming days, we will host a limited number of Holiday Open Houses, inviting guests to see the Christmas decorations in person at the White House,” first lady Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa told CNN. The invitation-only open houses will be timed to 30-minute intervals per guest, with self-guided tours of the holiday decorations, a person familiar with the party protocols told CNN. Guests will also be required to take a Covid-19 test within 48 hours prior

These are some of the Broadway performances canceled over Covid-19

By Laura Ly and Kelly McCleary, Several Broadway shows were forced to cancel performances this week due to positive Covid-19 tests among the cast or crew, a setback for the industry that comes just months after it raised the curtain on an 18-month shutdown due to the pandemic. Since its return, Broadway has required eligible audiences, crews, performers and other staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19. This week, the Broadway League, a trade association for the industry, began enforcing a new vaccination and mask policy for children. The precautions are designed to ensure the show goes on in an industry that is a vital to New

Keechant Sewell seen as ‘absolutely ready’ to succeed as NYPD’s top cop

By Peter Nickeas, When Keechant Sewell became the first Black woman to oversee Nassau County’s detective division 15 months ago, she said she hoped to “inspire service.” Sewell had come a long way. She spent her early years in public housing in Queens and started her law enforcement career on patrol just over the border on Long Island where she became a school resource officer and a police liaison to a shelter for troubled teens. “What I’ve been able to accomplish, I hope it inspires women, young girls, men — anyone who wants to be an officer and be able

Many Black farmers nationwide struggling to keep their farms afloat as they face disparities across the board

By Chandelis Duster and Janie Boschma, Texas cattle rancher Deydra Steans quit her teaching job three years ago to help save her family’s farming operations. She was prepared for the strenuous task of herding animals. Steans, 41, usually begins her day at 7 a.m. with her 68-year-old father, Elvin Steans. The pair talk over breakfast and a cup of coffee and then head out onto their ranch to feed cattle. She often drives the skid steer, a subcompact tractor that is used for a variety of farm tasks such as clearing brush and digging holes, across the 220-acre property. Some

DOJ asks Supreme Court to reinstate federal vaccine mandate for certain health care workers nationwide

By Ariane de Vogue and Tierney Sneed, The Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow a vaccine mandate aimed at certain extra health care workers to go into effect nationwide, marking the first time the justices have been asked to weigh in on a federal mandate the Biden administration put in place in order to get more Americans vaccinated in the midst of a surge of the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants. So far, lower courts have blocked the health care worker mandate from being enforced in about half the country. The vaccine policy in question was rolled out by

Biden awards Medal of Honor to 3 soldiers, including the first African American since the Vietnam War

By Maegan Vazquez, President Joe Biden bestowed the Medal of Honor, the most prestigious decoration in the US military, to three Army soldiers on Thursday afternoon. The medal was awarded posthumously to Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe and Army Sergeant First Class Christopher Celiz, as well as Army Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee. “Each of you know what it is to stare down danger and summon strength in the face of a moment of trial. We’re grateful for all that you three have done,” Biden said during the ceremony in the White House East Room. Cashe, while on fire and exposed to enemy gunfire as

Omicron battle brings delicate questions for a weary nation

By Stephen Collinson, The Omicron winter is coming. The ravenously infectious variant expected to become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the US within weeks threatens to deal another blow to the morale and resolve of a nation already reeling under an assault by its viral Delta cousin. “It’s here now and it’s spreading and it’s going to increase,” President Joe Biden warned Thursday, girding for another battle with a pathogen that is defining his presidency and further clouding Democratic hopes for the 2022 midterm elections. “For the unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated — for themselves, their families

Banksy to sell T-shirts in aid of protesters facing trial over removal of slave trader statue

By Jeevan Ravindran, British graffiti artist Banksy has announced that he will be selling T-shirts to help those charged with pulling down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Anti-racist protesters toppled the statue in the city of Bristol in southwest England on June 7, 2020, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in the US. The protesters tied rope around the bronze statue of Colston and pulled it down from its plinth. They then took it to Bristol Harbour and threw it into the River

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