HealthYahoo NewsWhy experts like Dr. Fauci think 'there's a really good chance' the worst of the U.S. pandemic is behind us
According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, two-thirds of Americans are either somewhat or very worried about the “newer, potentially more contagious” COVID-19 variants that have triggered huge overseas outbreaks and are now spreading in the United States. To be clear, worrying less about variants doesn't mean abandoning precautions; nothing will suppress cases and shorten the U.S. pandemic like wearing a mask, avoiding indoor gatherings, staying 6 feet apart and getting vaccinated. Asked if the worst of the pandemic was behind the U.S., Fauci told Yahoo News Tuesday that “it might be.”
PoliticsThe WeekDemocrats decry Biden's airstrikes in Syria as unconstitutional. Republicans praise them as 'proportional.'
Democrats are calling the Biden administration's airstrikes in Syria unconstitutional. President Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed militant groups, his first military action since taking office. The strikes were in response to several rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.
U.S.Miami HeraldThey were stopped for speeding in the Keys. Then police smelled something fishy
Two commercial fisherman from the mainland were jailed Thursday after police said they were caught in the Keys with a haul of illegal seafood that started with 100 undersized wrung lobster tails. Their catch also included 17 undersized stone crab claws, four undersized whole lobsters and one undersized mutton snapper, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Osvaldo Hernandez, 65, listed as a seafood business owner in Fort Lauderdale, and Vladimir Medina Martin, 43, of Miami, were each arrested on a felony charge of taking 100 or more undersized lobsters.
U.S.NextSharkMan Fights Back After Robber Targets His Family's Car in Golden Gate Park in SF
A smash and grab robbery in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was caught on cell phone video after the victim prevented the suspect from driving off with his belongings by chasing him on foot. The victim, Jason Andaya, was in Golden Gate Park for 10 minutes with his wife Natalie and son Jasper, 2, when the incident occurred. "I'm just wondering like what's this guy doing on that side of our vehicle… he's got no business there," Andaya told the station.
PoliticsAxiosSchumer privately says he wants to freeze last-minute stimulus changes in order to pass bill
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is privately saying he can pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus package but wants to avoid any last-minute changes jeopardizing its trajectory, three sources familiar with the talks tell Axios. Why it matters: While the president hoped to enlist Republican support for the measure, Schumer has worked to ensure he has a solid 50 votes to muscle it through if necessary. What we're hearing: Schumer met with a group of moderate Democratic senators Thursday morning.
PoliticsAssociated PressBiden marks 50M vaccine doses in first 5 weeks in office
The moment came days after the nation reached the devastating milestone of 500,000 coronavirus deaths and ahead of a meeting with the nation's governors on plans to speed the distribution even further. The more people get vaccinated, the faster we're going to beat this pandemic,” Biden said at the White House ceremony, noting that his administration is on course to exceed his promise to deliver 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office. We're halfway there: 50 million shots in 37 days, Biden said.
PoliticsThe WeekHusband of Hitler-quoting GOP congresswoman parked his militia-stickered truck outside Capitol Jan. 6
Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R), the husband of freshman U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), acknowledged Thursday that his pickup truck was parked in a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, but he said the "Three Percenter" militia sticker on the back window doesn't mean anything. "Army friend gave me decal," Miller told The Daily Beast in an email late Thursday. The Three Percenters, founded in 2008, are a "radical militia group" implicated in leading the Jan. 6 siege along with the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other far-right extremist groups, the FBI said in an affidavit filed in the case against alleged rioter Robert Gieswein.
U.S.NextSharkAsian Man in Critical Condition After Being Stabbed in the Back With a Butcher Knife in NY Chinatown
An Asian man is in critical condition after getting stabbed by a butcher knife in New York's Chinatown on Thursday evening. The 36-year-old local resident was attacked around 6:15 p.m. near the federal courthouse, near the corner of Worth Street and Baxter street next to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, reports PIX11. Call came in at 6:20 for report of a stabbing at Baxter Street and Worth Street.
PoliticsReutersNew York City mayor urges probe of sexual misconduct claims against Governor Cuomo
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday called for an independent investigation into sexual misconduct accusations against Governor Andrew Cuomo made by a former aide to the governor who is now a candidate for Manhattan borough president. Lindsey Boylan, who first made the accusations on Twitter in December, wrote a detailed essay published on the web platform Medium on Wednesday that the governor had made several "inappropriate gestures" towards her while she worked for the state government from 2015 to 2018, ranging from sending her a rose on Valentine's Day to kissing her on the mouth. Cuomo denied the accusations in December and issued another denial on Wednesday.
U.S.The StateTeen in hospital for sledding injury dies after dad died visiting her, Ohio mom says
Katie Dougherty Zuercher has a vision of her husband waiting for their daughter in heaven. “She used to wait on the front porch for him to arrive home from work to greet him with the biggest hug before he could even get in the house,” the Ohio mom said in a Facebook post. Last weekend, Dougherty Zuercher's 14-year-old daughter, Eirelyn, was seriously injured in a sledding accident at a park in Hinckley, Ohio, Cleveland.com reported.
WorldAssociated PressMyanmar police deploy early to crank up pressure on protests
Police in Myanmar on Saturday escalated their crackdown on demonstrators against this month's military takeover, deploying early and in force as protesters sought to assemble in the country's two biggest cities. Myanmar's crisis took a dramatic turn Friday on the international stage when the country's ambassador to the United Nations at a special session of the General Assembly declared his loyalty to the ousted civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi and called on the world to pressure the military to cede power. There were arrests in Yangon and Mandalay, the two biggest cities where demonstrators have been hitting the streets daily to peacefully demand the restoration of the government of Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won a landslide election victory in November.
U.S.Business InsiderFBI pinpoints a single suspect in the death of US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick
Federal investigators have a suspect in the killing of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. The probe was narrowed after video footage showed the suspect attacking officers with bear spray. The assailant has not yet been publicly named by federal investigators.
U.S.TheGrioFlorida mom discovers infant son missing after daycare gives him to stranger
A Florida daycare is under fire after giving a 7-month-old baby away to a stranger. When Trinity McCoggle arrived at the Orient Road Child Development Center on January 25 to pick up her 7-month-old son, Adonis, she was left distraught when told her baby had been accidentally given to someone assumed to be the child's parent, ABC2 News reports. Describing what happened, McCoggle said the daycare worker “went to the back to get him, and when she came back, she said, He's not here.”
WorldThe TelegraphThe Queen: people who refuse vaccine should think of others, rather than themselves
The Queen has said people who refuse the coronavirus vaccine "ought to think about other people rather than themselves". Speaking to the senior responsible officers overseeing the delivery of the vaccine across all four UK nations, she said that her own immunisation, administered at Windsor Castle in January, was “very quick,” adding: “It didn't hurt at all.” The vaccine rollout has been beset by hesitancy, largely among black ethnic minority communities, of whom just 72 per cent are willing to have the jab.
- WorldCBS News Videos
13 years after Madeleine McCann went missing, investigators believe they have a credible suspect
Three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from her bed on vacation in 2007. Now, investigators believe they have a credible suspect who may know what happened to McCann. Peter Van Sant joins "CBS This Morning" with the investigation into this suspect on this week's "48 Hours."
U.S.Architectural DigestMore Inside A New Safari Lodge Treehouse Tucked Away in Botswana’s Okavango Delta
Only reachable by canoe, this Xigera hideaway is centered along lush riverbeds and a rich concentration of wildlife. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsFort Worth Star-Telegram$1,400 stimulus checks set for House vote today. Here’s what to know
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan with $1,400 stimulus checks for most Americans on Friday before sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration. Democrats are hoping to pass the stimulus deal into law before Mar. 14, the day that $300 weekly unemployment benefits approved in December's coronavirus package expire. Around 11.4 million workers could lose their unemployment benefits between Mar. 14 and Apr. 11 unless Congress passes the bill before the mid-March deadline, a study by The Century Foundation found.
PoliticsThe WeekJournalist Tim O'Brien, who's seen Trump's taxes, thinks Trump's accountant will now flip in D.A. inquiry
Bloomberg's Tim O'Brien, one of the few journalists who has seen former President Donald Trump's tax returns, told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday night he will sleep better now that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance finally has eight years of Trump's financial documents, from 2011 to 2019. O'Brien went on to explain why he thinks it's likely Trump's chief accountant, Allen Weisselberg, will flip on Trump. "The thing to really focus in on here is that it's not just the tax records that Cy Vance has now," O'Brien said.
U.S.TODAY9-year-old girl cries to virtual class that she's 'starving,' local food bank steps in
A 9-year-old girl living in the Jersey Shore area broke down in her virtual class and told her class she was “starving,” a local food bank said. Fulfill, a food bank based in New Jersey, told TODAY Food they got a call from the school district social worker who explained the girl had been having trouble concentrating and started to cry “uncontrollably.” "When asked what was wrong, she confessed in front of her entire class that she was starving,” Linda Kellner, the director of external affairs for Fulfill, said.
U.S.Defense NewsAir Force general worried US won’t field sixth-gen fighter in time to beat China
Since September, when the U.S. Air Force disclosed that it had flown a full-scale demonstrator of its future fighter, the defense community has been hungry for more details about the Next Generation Air Dominance program. During the event, none of the 20-something journalists gathered ventured to ask Kelly about the NGAD program. “I for one am confident that the technology and the test points have developed to where NGAD technology will get fielded,” he said.
PoliticsReutersRepublican leaders want a show of unity. Will Trump allow it?
The next few days will give Republicans opportunities to stand together or fight among themselves, first when the House of Representatives votes on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus package on Friday and again when Donald Trump retakes the global spotlight in a speech to the party's most conservative members. The Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives - Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy - have focused on rallying their caucuses against Democratic President Joe Biden's massive bill and away from internal hostilities over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and former President Trump's impeachment.
U.S.Miami HeraldThis United flight from Florida was just about to take off. Then came the pepper spray
A United Airlines flight out of Southwest Florida International Airport ran into some trouble Monday afternoon, but it had nothing to do with mechanical issues or lack of face masks. A passenger on the plane from Fort Myers to Newark International accidentally discharged a can of pepper spray from his keychain shortly before takeoff, Fox 4 Now first reported. A spokesperson for United Airlines said in a statement that the flight returned to the gate to let off anyone in distress.
WorldAssociated PressBrazil death toll tops 250,000, virus still running rampant
Brazil's COVID-19 death toll, which surpassed 250,000 on Thursday, is the world's second-highest for the same reason its second wave has yet to fade: Prevention was never made a priority, experts say. Since the pandemic's start, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro scoffed at the “little flu” and lambasted local leaders for imposing restrictions on activity; he said the economy must keep humming along to prevent worse hardship.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
NY prosecutors have Trump tax returns
Eighteen months after a subpoena was issued for Donald Trump's tax returns - the Manhattan District Attorney has them in hand. A spokesman for the office on Thursday confirmed that District Attorney Cyrus Vance has other financial records, too, as part of a criminal probe into the former president and his family-run Trump Organization. The prosecutor's office obtained the stacks of records - including eight years of tax returns - on Monday, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump's latest attempt to keep his longtime accounting firm from turning them over.
PoliticsReutersBiden USTR nominee Tai vows to end trade 'race to the bottom,' counter China
Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden's top trade nominee, backed tariffs as a "legitimate tool" to counter China's state-driven economic model and vowed to hold Beijing to its prior commitments, while promising a sweeping new approach to U.S. trade. At her Senate confirmation hearing to become U.S. Trade Representative, Tai also called for a revamp of global trade rules to eliminate what she called "gray areas" exploited by China and end a "race to the bottom" that she said had hurt workers and the environment.
“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”