Is COVID-19 here to stay for the foreseeable future?

University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Paul Duprex weighs in on how long we’ll have to live with COVID-19

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  • Biden news: White House defends ‘Neanderthal’ slur of GOP states, as Trump shifts blame for Senate loss

    Live updates from the White House

  • Cuomo apologizes, won't resign after misconduct allegations

    "I am not going to resign…”New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said he would not resign in the wake of a series of sexual misconduct accusations leveled against him by young women but offered a fresh apology and vowed to "fully cooperate" with a review by the state's attorney general.“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and frankly I am embarrassed by it.” Cuomo maintained that he never touched anyone inappropriately but acknowledged that it is "custom" for him to kiss and hug people in greeting."I understand that sensitivities have changed and behavior has changed and I get it, and I'm going to learn from it."Three women, including two former aides, have come forward recently to say that Cuomo had sexually harassed them or made inappropriate remarks. Lindsey Boylan, who first came forward in December, said the unwanted advances included an unsolicited kiss on the lips in Cuomo's New York City office, which Cuomo denied.This scandal is actually the second one Cuomo’s contended with in recent weeks. The governor is also facing accusations of downplaying the true number of elderly nursing home residents killed by COVID-19, a claim which is now the subject of a federal investigation.

  • Tatum scores 27, Celtics outlast depleted Raptors 132-125

    Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 12 rebounds and the Boston Celtics won their fourth straight game, outlasting the short-handed Toronto Raptors 132-125 on Thursday night. Jaylen Brown added 21 points and seven rebounds, and Kemba Walker finished with 15 points. Coach Brad Stevens recently challenged his players to finish the final four games before the All-Star break strong after a stretch in which the Celtics lost nine of 14.

  • Netanyahu says SNL joke about Israel vaccine discrimination is ‘so outrageous’

    Israel lead the world in vaccinations per capita, but isn’t vaccinating Palestinians

  • Trump state department staffer arrested on Capitol riot charges

    FBI claim defendant was employed by State Department and possessed Top Secret security clearance

  • Biden secretly limits drone strikes, amid congressional scrutiny over war powers

    Obama administration greatly expanded the use of drone strikes before later imposing checks

  • Myanmar crackdown on protests, widely filmed, sparks outrage

    Footage of a brutal crackdown on protests against a coup in Myanmar unleashed outrage and calls for a stronger international response Thursday, a day after 38 people were killed. Videos showed security forces shooting a person at point-blank range and chasing down and savagely beating demonstrators. Despite the shocking violence the day before, protesters returned to the streets Thursday to denounce the military's Feb. 1 takeover — and were met again with tear gas.

  • Trump’s Muslim Ban Left Thousands in Limbo—Biden Must Decide Their Fates

    c/o ACLUThe Biden administration this week will determine the fate of people who were impacted by the Muslim ban, which ultimately targeted a large number of African countries. Rescinding the ban was a critical step toward restarting our immigration system and providing equitable access to Black and brown immigrants. But what about the people who would have received visas during the past four years—some of whom spent their life savings on the process but were nevertheless denied simply because of a discriminatory ban? Trump created this catastrophe, but it’s now Biden’s responsibility to remedy it.In President Biden’s proclamation rescinding the ban, he directed the State Department to send him a report in 45 days. That deadline is Saturday. This report will advise on many things, including how to address Trump’s rampant denials of immigrant visas—that is, visas intended for people to come to the United States, become permanent residents, set down roots, and eventually become citizens.The Biden administration must do everything possible to undo the Trump administration’s harms, including reopening previously denied cases to fairly reassess their claims, waiving fees (especially for those who would have to pay a second time), expediting their cases, and ensuring people are not penalized for the previous administration’s visa denials. There are glimmers of this hope in Biden’s order, as these issues are explicitly outlined for consideration.Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Destroying These Americans’ Lives, Two Years OnThe critically unknown question is how the Biden administration will help people and their families who were denied opportunities through our diversity visa program. This program was codified in the Immigration Act of 1990 in an effort to ensure that people with fewer opportunities to come to the United States through other parts of our immigration system—like family relationships or employment—would have a chance to “win” the lottery, affording them a shot to become American. It helps to ensure that the U.S. continues to reflect the diversity of our world, and winning the “lottery” to become eligible often represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.In recent years, the program has predominantly benefited people from Africa and Asia due to the dearth of other immigration opportunities for people in those regions. That’s why, following Trump’s slander of people from African countries in reference to our immigration system, members of Congress and other leaders have prioritized this program in proposed immigration reforms, and Biden’s immigration bill would in fact raise the number of available diversity visas. These proposals, in part, acknowledge the racism in our systems, and the need to ensure opportunities for Africans, Muslims, African Muslims, and others who lack opportunities through our immigration system.From beginning to end, the countries listed under the Muslim ban completely overlapped with countries eligible for America’s diversity visa program. As a result, people who spent their life savings traveling with their partners and children—often through war zones—to embassies for interviews and processing found themselves ultimately denied because of Trump’s ban. Yemenis have been particularly impacted by Trump’s ban. Yemen is in the midst of war, which makes the physical process to get one’s visa approved arduous. It also makes leaving the country even more critical when such an opportunity is received.For example, Anwar “won” the diversity visa lottery. He then traveled through militant-controlled regions and checkpoints to get the documentation he needed. He had to travel to Djibouti with his family because there is no embassy in Yemen, borrow money from family and friends, and wait an extended period of time there, only to be informed that his visa was denied because of the Muslim ban. Anwar, his wife, and two children had an opportunity to come to the United States, leave the dangers of Yemen, and build a future as a family—until Trump ripped it away. Their fate hangs in the balance, along with many others in Yemen, other countries in the region, and African countries as well.It is now Biden’s decision as to whether Anwar, his family, and others like them will get back the opportunity they lost, this once-in-a lifetime chance that was destroyed by a president intent on discriminating against Black and brown immigrants. Biden must honor the invitation people were given by permitting them to come to the United States now. And that is just the start. People also deserve the opportunity and citizenship that the diversity visa would have given them.Biden made the end of the Muslim ban a Day One priority. Now, he must ensure that people like Anwar and his family get the golden tickets they were promised.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • All 18 'American Idol' winners, ranked from least to most successful

    With the 19th season of "American Idol" under way, it's time for a look back on previous winners - and see how many actually became American idols.

  • Woman Has a Meltdown After Argument Over Boxes With Korean Man in Brooklyn

    A woman was caught on film shouting insults at an Asian American man due to an argument over carton boxes at a grocery parking lot in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Asked why she was being racist at the man, she just taunted him to “call the cops.”

  • Adopted woman in NC learns biological dad is ‘Family Annihilator’ wanted by FBI

    William Bradford Bishop Jr. is wanted for the brutal murders of his family in Maryland. He hasn’t been seen since allegedly burying their bodies in North Carolina in 1976.

  • Adopted woman in NC learns biological dad is ‘Family Annihilator’ wanted by FBI

    William Bradford Bishop Jr. is wanted for the brutal murders of his family in Maryland. He hasn’t been seen since allegedly burying their bodies in North Carolina in 1976.

  • The US military is still working on how to keep the president's new helicopter from burning the White House lawn

    A test aircraft left scorch marks on the White House lawn a few years ago, and the military is still trying to figure out how to fix that.

  • TikTokers are pouring baking soda and vinegar down their drains to unclog them, and the hack has a professional cleaner's seal of approval

    A TikTok user shared a video that showed her pouring baking soda and vinegar down the sink drain to unclog it, and others are sharing the hack, too.

  • Adopted woman in NC learns biological dad is ‘Family Annihilator’ wanted by FBI

    William Bradford Bishop Jr. is wanted for the brutal murders of his family in Maryland. He hasn’t been seen since allegedly burying their bodies in North Carolina in 1976.

  • Ex-chief: Dallas cop kept on job to not tip him off to probe

    The Dallas Police Department allowed an officer to continue patrolling for more than a year while investigating whether he ordered two people to be killed because it didn't want to tip him off, the city's former police chief said. U. Renee Hall, who left the department at the end of 2020, said in a statement posted on Twitter late Thursday that police investigators, in collaboration with the FBI, recommended not placing Officer Bryan Riser on administrative leave after he was identified as a person of interest in 2019. Hall's explanation came hours after Riser, 36, was arrested on two counts of capital murder.

  • Texas regulators will not correct $16 billion in electricity ‘overcharges.’ Why?

    Texas regulators say they will not lower skyrocketing prices from the winter storm: “It’s nearly impossible to unscramble this sort of egg.”

  • Detroit's mayor rejected a shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Experts say that's nuts.

    Experts feared the Johnson & Johnson vaccine's slightly lower efficacy rate would lead to an impression of a two-tiered system. That has been exactly the case in Detroit, where the mayor just rejected a shipment of the company's vaccine. CNN reports that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) declined an allocation of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this week, saying the other available vaccines are better. "Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are the best," he said. "And I am going to do everything I can to make sure the residents of the City of Detroit get the best." Stat News' Matthew Herper called this a "bad plan." It's true that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trials showed a 72 percent efficacy rate, while Moderna and Pfizer, the two other approved coronavirus vaccines, have a rate of about 95 percent. But health experts say it's still an excellent option, and has other perks like only requiring a single shot and frequently leading to fewer side effects, reports The New York Times. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said people shouldn't overthink which one to get, and explained the vaccines can't really be compared head-to-head because of different trial circumstances. Besides, experts note, the raw numbers don't show the full picture. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine prevented all hospitalizations and deaths in its large clinical trial, meaning the slightly lower efficacy rate really only points to mild to moderate disease. Detroit's mayor, however, said the city has been able to meet demand with just its supply of Pfizer and Moderna doses, but CNN notes Duggan's administration only expanded vaccine eligibility to residents ages 50 and older with chronic medical conditions on Thursday. Duggan said he would accept Johnson & Johnson doses later on if all other doses are distributed and there are remaining residents who want a vaccine. More stories from theweek.comWhy the Dr. Seuss 'cancellation' is chillingWhat Republicans talk about when they talk about the 'working class'7 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's CPAC appearance

  • Biden's relief bill isn't getting bipartisan support like previous stimulus bills. What do Republicans dislike so much?

    All Senate Republicans voted against even starting debate on the $1.9 trillion measure on Thursday.

  • House impeachment manager sues Trump, allies over riot

    Rep. Eric Swalwell, who served as a House manager in Donald Trump’s last impeachment trial, filed a lawsuit Friday against the former president, his son, lawyer and a Republican congressman whose actions he charges led to January’s insurrection. The California Democrat’s suit, filed in federal court in Washington, alleges a conspiracy to violate civil rights, along with negligence, inciting a riot and inflicting emotional distress. It follows a similar suit filed by Rep. Bennie Thompson last month in an attempt to hold the former president accountable in some way for his actions Jan. 6, following his Senate acquittal.