Two Israeli doctors infected with Omicron, hospital says

The new coronavirus variant, Omicron, has been detected in two Israeli doctors, one of whom had returned from a conference in London in the past week, a spokesperson for Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv confirmed on Tuesday. Two more people have been identified in Israel as carrying the new variant, health officials have confirmed, one of them a tourist from Malawi who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Israel shut its borders to foreigners from all countries for 14 days on Saturday to try to contain the spread of Omicron and has reintroduced counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology to trace contacts of a handful of people who have likely been infected.

I'm a Virus Expert and Here's a Sure Sign You've Had COVID

If you had COVID, but didn't experience symptoms, you're not alone. Dr. Suman Radhakrishna MD FACP, Director of Infectious Diseases at Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center says, "1/3 of patients do not experience any symptoms of COVID 3/4 of asymptomatic individuals who receive a positive PCR test remain asymptomatic. This is more common in healthy individuals."

Government announces surprising hike in Medicare Part B premiums

As I was extolling the virtues of Social Security's 5.9% COLA, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they were increasing the premium for Medicare Part B by 14.5%. As a reminder, Medicare is composed of two programs. Part A, Hospital Insurance (HI), which covers inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and hospice care.

Jones wants Sandy Hook 'hoax' case jury to hear his defenses

Infowars host Alex Jones' lawyers are trying to get his free speech defense and other claims before a jury to argue that he is not liable for damages for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax years ago. The effort comes despite a Connecticut judge ruling this month that Jones was liable by default in a defamation lawsuit brought by relatives of some of the victims, saying he repeatedly failed to turn over some documents, including financial records. Defendants who are found liable by default in lawsuits are not allowed to present their arguments against liability at hearings on damages unless they filed a “notice of defense,” which Jones and his lawyers did last Wednesday.

Toddler, who went missing after father's pick up truck wound up in a river, found dead

The toddler, Emma Sweet, was found by the Bartholomew County Water Rescue and Recovery Team, 3 miles downstream from where her father, Jeremy Sweet, had been found alive by duck hunters on Friday. The Bartholomew County Sheriff Office said the pair were last seen on Wednesday at noon and reported missing a day later. The Bartholomew County coroner's office is working to identify a cause of the toddler's death and the sheriff's office said it is investigating how she ended up there.

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  What we know about 2-year-old Emma Sweet's death in Indiana river in Bartholomew County

  IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star
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  Dad held after missing two year old found dead in river three miles from submerged car

  The Independent

Disturbing theory behind 'rare' polar bear video

Polish scientists said the bear was observed using “much the same method” to kill reindeer twice, leading them to hypothesize it could be becoming “specialized” at hunting the species. With reindeer outpacing polar bears on land, forcing the reindeer into water could be giving giving the predator an advantage. Climate crisis forcing polar bears to adapt their diet As sea ice melting worsens across the Arctic due to global heating, researchers have observed polar bears are spending more time on land around Svalbard.

If You Dream About This, Call Your Doctor Immediately

Though many people with obstructive sleep apnea are unaware of their symptoms, experts say your dreams may tip you off to the problem. According to the SCC, if you have sleep apnea, you're more likely to have "vivid nightmares" that symbolize your distressed breathing—your brain's way of alerting you to the threat. "Common types of nightmares for those with apnea include dreams about strangulation and choking, dreams about trying to breathe while underwater or in space, and dreams about clogged pipes and being stuck in an elevator," explain their experts.

Trump reportedly personally urged allies to stop Biden's certification hours before Jan. 6 riot

Former President Donald Trump made several calls from the White House to allies gathered at the Willard Hotel in Washington late Jan. 5 or early Jan. 6, pressing them for ideas on how to stop Congress from certifying President Biden's victory on Jan. 6, The Guardian reported early Tuesday, citing multiple sources. Trump told his lieutenants — Steve Bannon and lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Boris Epshteyn — first that then–Vice President Mike Pence had just declined to participate in Eastman's plan to derail Biden's certification, then "on at least one of those calls, Trump also sought from the lawyers at the Willard ways to stop the joint session to ensure Biden would not be certified as president," The Guardian reports.

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  Trump worked the phones with top allies in the early hours of January 6 to try to stop Biden from taking office, report says

  Business Insider
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  Trump spoke to Bannon and other allies before Capitol riot about delaying Biden certification, report says

  The Independent

Catholic nuns lift veil on abuse in convents

When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was probably their fault for "provoking him". When African nuns in Minnesota asked why it was always they who had to shovel snow they were told it was because they were young and strong, even though white sisters of the same age lived there too. As the Roman Catholic Church pays more attention to the closed world of convents, where women spend much of their time in prayer and household work, more episodes of psychological, emotional and physical abuse are coming to light.

Scientists say xenobots, world's first living robots, can reproduce

Scientists who created xenobots, the world's first living robots, say the life forms are "the first-ever, self-replicating living robots." The tiny organisms were originally unveiled in 2020. The robots were assembled from heart and skin stem cells belonging to the African clawed frog.

‘This is not going to be good’: Moderna CEO on what scientists are telling him about the omicron coronavirus variant

I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to .

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  COVID: Breaking down early data on Omicron variant

  Yahoo Finance Video
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  Scientists race to study omicron variant

  Associated Press Videos

Philippine leader Duterte's preferred successor quits presidential race

MANILA (Reuters) -Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte's preferred successor, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, announced on Tuesday he was dropping out of the presidential race, leaving the administration without a candidate in next year's polls. Go, Duterte's long-time aide, had recently hinted he may pull out of the presidential contest and said the president respected his decision. "I and President Duterte are ready to support whoever will truly serve and can continue and protect Duterte's legacy towards a more comfortable and safe and prosperous life for our children," Go said in a speech streamed on Facebook.

A DEA Raid Meant to Clean Up a New Mexico Town. Instead, It Made Everything Worse

The day the war on drugs came to Chimayó. Francesquita, eight years old at the time, had slept overnight at her grandparents' house, where her father was living. She was getting ready for school that morning when she came across him, looking worried.

Omicron variant may cause mild symptoms, but experts say there’s still reason to be concerned

Amid the global concern over a new coronavirus strain has been one piece of hopeful news: Those infected with the omicron variant appear to have “very mild” symptoms, according to the South African doctor who first spotted the variant. Dr. Angelique Coetzee told the BBC that neither she nor her colleagues had admitted anyone who had the strain to the hospital so far. Her patients had experienced extreme fatigue but no loss of taste or smell, which are often telltale symptoms of Covid-19, she said.

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  Doctor explains Omicron and the possibility of more COVID-19 variants

  Yahoo Finance Video
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  People with the Omicron variant have 'extremely mild' symptoms and haven't had to be hospitalized yet, says the South African doctor who first reported it

  Business Insider

Alabama inmate who survived execution attempt dies of cancer

An Alabama inmate whose lethal injection was halted because medical staff couldn't find a suitable vein for the execution has died of natural causes almost four years later, his lawyer said Monday. Doyle Lee Hamm, who was convicted in the slaying of a motel clerk in 1987, died of natural causes on death row, said his longtime attorney, Bernard Harcourt. Alabama officials postponed Hamm's execution in February 2018 because workers couldn't find a suitable vein to connect the intravenous line used to send lethal chemicals into his body.

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  Inmate who survived execution attempt dies of lymphatic cancer

  Yahoo News Video
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  Inmate who survived attempted execution dies of cancer

  The Hill

Boise State Professor: Keep Women Out of Medicine, Engineering, and Law

A political-science professor at one of Idaho's top universities has sparked outrage after openly calling for women to be kept out of engineering, medical school, and law so that they can instead focus on “feminine goals” such as “homemaking and having children. Boise State University Scott Yenor, who previously served on far-right Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin's task force investigating right-wing claims of “indoctrination” in schools, made the bizarre declaration during the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando in October, the Idaho Statesman reports.

‘Congratulations, We Own Reebok’: Shaq and ABG’s Jamie Salter on the Deal That Landed Them FN’s Company of the Year Award

From snapping up Reebok to starting the IPO process, Authentic Brands Group generated nonstop buzz in 2021. The retail powerhouse, led by CEO Jamie Salter and president and CMO Nick Woodhouse, recently secured a pair of major new investors thanks to its talent in reviving struggling yet iconic brands like Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Forever 21, JCPenney, and Barneys New York. FN visited the company's New York headquarters to talk with Salter about the deal, where he was joined by former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.

Costly Airbus paint flaw goes wider than the Gulf

DUBAI (Reuters) - A dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways over paint and surface flaws on A350 jets stretches beyond the Gulf, with at least five other airlines raising concerns since the high-tech model entered service, according to documents seen by Reuters and several people with direct knowledge of the matter. Qatar's national carrier has grounded 20 of its 53 A350s, saying it is acting on orders from its local regulator, until reasons for what witnesses describe as the blistered and pock-marked appearance of some of its A350s can be confirmed. Airbus says there is no risk to the A350's safety - a point echoed by the other airlines, which have not grounded any jets and describe the issue as "cosmetic."

A video appears to show the British F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean during take-off mishap

A new video reportedly shows the moment a F-35 British fighter jet crashed into the sea. The pilot activates his parachute, and according to the UK Ministry of Defence, was rescued afterwards. A new video posted to Twitter purports to show the F-35 British fighter jet crashing into the water during takeoff as its pilot ejects, according to the BBC.

Cereal Killers: How 80-Hour Weeks and a Caste System Pushed Kellogg’s Workers to Strike

The shelves at the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union Local 50 are lined with boxes of Kellogg's products that the union members and their mothers, brothers, and grandfathers have packed over the past century. No one knows when exactly the box is from — probably the early 20th century — but it conjures a homier time for the company.

Feds: Man laundered money through Hard Rock Casino; funded wife's 'shopping spree'

Ismail Shalash, 36, a dual citizen of Jordan and Palestine, allegedly sold luxury vehicles online to car dealership owners in several states and failed to deliver those vehicles as promised after he received payment. Authorities reviewed his bank account and found "that almost immediately after receiving funds from victims, Shalash would make withdrawals of large sums for the purposes of transferring those funds into the casino," an FBI affidavit reads. Shalash attempted to defraud eight victims in five states out of a total of $3.48 million and successfully defrauding five victims in four states out of a total of $1.77 million, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.

The Border Patrol Agent Who Threw Away His Badge

SCHIVONE: In your book, you describe Brendan Lenihan as an "open-hearted Border Patrol agent" who told you “one of the most powerful stories of empathy I've ever heard”—referring to an incident Lenihan had while on patrol in Southern Arizona. Guide readers through what happened. MILLER: So, Brendan Lenihan was patrolling around the town of Arivaca and he got a call from dispatch that somebody or something had tripped a motion sensor.