Illinois Gets Help From FEMA For COVID Vaccines

The federal agency is giving the state more than $40 million to assist with COVID vaccine distribution.

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  • Biden signs executive order to expand voting rights: ‘If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide’

    ‘Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have it counted’

  • $1,400 checks could start arriving within weeks under latest COVID-19 relief package

    The Internal Revenue Service could begin delivering payments in about two weeks under President Biden's COVID-19 relief package, analysts say.

  • A Michigan state trooper is facing a felony assault charge after unleashing a trained police dog onto an unarmed man for 4 minutes

    Michigan state trooper Parker Surbrook was charged with felonious assault with a dangerous weapon after the incident involving his police dog.

  • Ohio college student dies after alleged hazing incident

    Stone Foltz, 20, a sophomore at Bowling Green State University and a new member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, was allegedly hazed during an initiation event when he was made to drink alcohol.

  • A new lab study shows troubling signs that Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID-19 shots could be far less effective against the variant first found in South Africa

    A mutation called E484K appeared to help the variant, first found in South Africa, to evade antibodies produced by the vaccines, the authors said.

  • A mask-less Trader Joe's customer in Texas had a meltdown after being denied entry - and it reveals how states' new rules endanger workers

    In Texas, frontline workers are forced to impose corporate rules on masks without the support of the state, exposing them to customer backlash.

  • A woman living in Hialeah disappeared. Cops say they found her in her husband’s backyard

    Roberto Colon’s Boynton Beach house was the first place police officers went when investigating the disappearance of Maria Stella Gomez Mullet on Feb. 20. That’s where Gomez’s friends told police she was going when they last heard from her.

  • Girl who sparked online hate campaign ending in French teacher’s beheading 'never attended class’

    A schoolgirl who triggered an online hate campaign that ended in the grisly beheading of a French teacher has admitted to lying and spreading false claims about him, her lawyer said on Monday. The unnamed girl had claimed the teacher, Samuel Paty, who was beheaded by an Islamic extremist in the street in October last year, had asked Muslims to leave the class when he showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a debate on free speech and blasphemy. The cartoons had previously been published in the Charlie Hebdo magazine. The girl's father later filed a legal complaint and posted his allegations online. That prompted a social media hate campaign that ended an 18-year-old Chechen refugee tracking down Mr Paty in the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, northwest of Paris. On Monday, a lawyer for the girl, who had a history of disciplinary problems, confirmed she in fact never attended the class and was away on sick leave at the time. "She lied because she felt trapped in a spiral because her classmates had asked her to be a spokesperson," her lawyer Mbeko Tabula told AFP confirming a report from the Parisien newspaper. She has since been charged with slander, while her father and another man, an Islamist preacher and campaigner, have been charged with "complicity in murder" over the killing. Mr Paty's murderer, who was shot dead by police shortly after the attack was in contact with someone in Syria who is a member of a jihadist group just before the murder, according to Le Parisien. A draft security law under discussion in French parliament plans to punish circulating information online about a state employee, when this could knowingly cause them harm, with prison.

  • Bethenny Frankel apologizes for insulting Meghan Markle after watching her and Prince Harry's tell-all Oprah interview

    The 50-year-old former reality star and entrepreneur previously called Markle a "game show host" and "fairly unknown actress."

  • CNN’s Chris Cuomo called out after saying he’s ‘Black on the inside’

    During the handoff from his show, Cuomo, singing the ‘Good Times’ theme, made the joke causing cringes. The Cuomo brothers are having a bad week. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been besieged by sexual misconduct accusations from at least two former female staffers plus three others, not to mention a persisting inquiry into his handling of moving elderly people between nursing homes and hospitals at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • The ACC basketball postseason awards are out. Here are the winners and All-ACC team

    Duke’s Matthew Hurt makes first team after leading the league in scoring

  • Joe Manchin explains himself after Covid relief saga

    ‘I look for that moderate middle,’ West Virginia Democrat explains

  • New Zealand 'not likely' to become a republic in wake of Harry and Meghan interview, says Jacinda Ardern

    New Zealand's prime minister says the country is “not likely” to become a republic in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan's interview, as Commonwealth countries face calls for the removal of the Queen as Head of State. Jacinda Ardern was asked whether the unflattering picture of the British royal family painted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had given her pause about New Zealand's constitutional ties to Britain. "I've said before that I've not sensed an appetite from New Zealanders for significant change in our constitutional arrangements, and I don't expect that's likely to change quickly," she said. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with The Queen as Sovereign. But discontent is bubbling elsewhere - #AbolishTheMonarchy was trending on Twitter on Monday morning.

  • Anya Taylor-Joy wore a semi-sheer tulle gown with matching gloves at home for the Critics Choice Awards

    Law Roach styled "The Queen's Gambit" star Anya Taylor-Joy for the Critics Choice Awards. She wore a Dior Haute Couture gown for the virtual event.

  • CDC says fully vaccinated people can take fewer precautions

    People who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can take fewer precautions in certain situations, including socializing indoors without masks when in the company of low-risk or other vaccinated individuals, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Monday.Why it matters: Per the report, there's early evidence that suggests vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection and are potentially less likely to transmit the virus to other people. At the time of its publication, the CDC said the guidance would apply to about 10% of Americans.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeWhat they're saying: "If grandparents have been vaccinated, they can visit their daughter and her family, even if they have not been vaccinated ... so long as the daughter and her family are not at risk for severe disease," CDC director Rochelle Walensky said at a press conference on Monday.The state of play: A fully vaccinated person — someone who's been vaccinated two weeks after receiving their last dose — should still take standard precautions like masking and social distancing when in public. Those who are vaccinated are allowed to: Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure to COVID-19, if asymptomatic. Yes, but: The agency is not adjusting guidance on travel, Walensky said, because a majority of Americans remain unvaccinated. Mitigation steps are still in place due to ongoing research in tracking infection and transmission among vaccinated individuals."There is still a small risk that vaccinated people could become infected with milder or asymptomatic disease and potentially even transmit the virus to others who are not vaccinated," the CDC director said.The big picture: "Today's action represents an important first step. It is not our final destination," Walensky cautioned. "As more people get vaccinated, levels of COVID infection decline in communities, and as our understanding of COVID immunity improves, we look forward to updating these recommendations to the public."Read the full guidance. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • Joe Manchin pledges to block Biden's infrastructure bill if Republicans aren't included

    Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), America's ultimate swing voter, told me on "Axios on HBO" that he'll insist Republicans have more of a voice on President Biden's next big package than they did on the COVID stimulus.The big picture: Manchin said he'll push for tax hikes to pay for Biden's upcoming infrastructure and climate proposal, and will use his Energy Committee chairmanship to force the GOP to confront climate reality.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeWhy it matters: My conversation yielded the most extensive preview yet of how Manchin — a Democrat from a Trump state, in a 50-50 Senate, who relishes standing up to a Democratic White House — will use his singular power. Manchin, 73, said Biden expects, and understands, the pushback: "He's the first president we've had to really, really understand the workings of the Senate since LBJ."Manchin said that with just a few concessions, it would have been possible to get some Republicans on the COVID relief package that passed the Senate this weekend on a party-line vote. And he said he'll block Biden's next big package — $2 trillion to $4 trillion for climate and infrastructure — if Republicans aren't included. "I'm not going to do it through reconciliation," which requires only a simple majority, like the COVID stimulus, Manchin said. "I am not going to get on a bill that cuts them out completely before we start trying."Asked if he believes it's possible to get 10 Republicans on the infrastructure package, which could yield the 60 votes needed under normal Senate rules, Manchin said: "I sure do."Manchin said the infrastructure bill can be big — as much as $4 trillion — as long as it's paid for with tax increases. He said he'll start his bargaining by requiring the package be 100% paid for.Manchin said that with all the debt we're piling up, he's worried about "a tremendous deep recession that could lead into a depression if we're not careful. ... We're just setting ourselves up."He talked up an array of tax increases, including raising the corporate tax rate from the current 21% to 25% "at least," and repealing "a lot of" the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy. Manchin, sitting down with HBO in the Energy Committee hearing room where he now holds the gavel, said he'll use his new position "to try and inject some reality" — starting with a hearing "on climate facts."Asked about Republican senators who won't say that humans have affected climate, Manchin said: "Well, I think I think they know it." Manchin warned fellow Democrats about ramming through legislation by simple majority: "I would say this to my friends. You've got power ... Don't abuse it. And that's exactly what you'll be doing if you throw the filibuster out."Watch a clip.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • Oprah confirms neither the Queen or Prince Phillip raised concerns about baby Archie having ‘dark’ skin

    If you’re wondering who voiced concerns to Prince Harry about how dark his child with Meghan Markle might be, this morning Oprah Winfrey confirmed that it definitely was not the Queen or Prince Phillip. Perhaps one of the most explosive revelations to come out of Winfrey’s long-anticipated sit down with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Sunday was that while Markle was pregnant a member of the royal family once voiced concerns to Harry about how dark their unborn baby Archie’s skin might be.

  • Prince Harry, Meghan interview brings bumper U.S. TV audience

    CBS said Sunday's two-hour interview, in which Harry and Meghan accused the royal family of racism and of failing to protect them from negative media coverage, drew the biggest audience for any entertainment special since the Oscars telecast in February 2020, which was watched by 23.6 million viewers. The National Football League's Super Bowl regularly draws an audience of around 100 million and is the highest-rated TV event in the United States. Sunday's interview was the first given by the couple since they stepped back from the British royal family a year ago.

  • Woman Faces Possible Hate Crimes After Using Racial Slurs, Spitting on Asians Mountain View

    The Mountain View Police Department (MVPD) arrested a 39-year-old woman connected to a string of anti-Asian hate crimes last month, where she made racially-charged comments and spat on one of the Asian victims. Karen Inman was arrested around 11 a.m. on March 5 for attempting to steal candy and ice cream from a Smart and Final in East El Camino Real, according to Mountain View Police. Karen Inman held for theft, robbery & hate crimes for telling store workers she didn’t have to pay because they’re Asian, yelling racial epithets at & spitting toward diner of Asian descent & trying to steal candy & ice cream from @smartfinal, per @MountainViewPD pic.twitter.com/2iCgzlKJjg — Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) March 6, 2021 Authorities accuse Inman of trying to steal merchandise from a market in Castro Street on Feb. 13.

  • Republican Sen. Roy Blunt will not seek re-election in 2022

    Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), widely seen as a member of the Republican establishment in Congress, will not run for re-election in 2022, he announced on Twitter Monday.Why it matters: The 71-year-old senator is the No. 4 ranking Republican in the Senate, and the fifth GOP senator to announce he will not run for re-election in 2022 as the party faces questions about its post-Trump future.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe other GOP senators who have announced their retirement are:Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala., which Trump won in 2020 by +25.4%)Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio, Trump +8.1%)Sen. Richard Burr (N.C., Trump +1.3%)Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa., Biden +1.2%)What to watch: Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) are also considering retiring in 2022.Background: Blunt was first elected to the Senate in 2010, after serving in the House for 14 years and as Missouri secretary of state for eight. In addition to being a member of leadership as chair of the Republican Policy Committee, Blunt is the top Republican on the powerful Senate Rules Committee.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free