Dec 20 Congress seals agreement on COVID relief, government funding By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them. Continue reading
Dec 20 People over 75, essential workers next in line for vaccine By John Hanna, Mike Stobbe, Associated Press The developments occurred as the nation seeks to ramp up a vaccination program that only began in the last week and so far has given initial shots to about 556,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading
Dec 20 Watch 4:57 ER doctor shares her vaccination experience By Karla Murthy, Mori Rothman As vaccines rollout throughout the country, frontline healthcare workers are the first to receive the COVID-19 protection. Dr. Alexis Langsfeld, a New York physician, spoke with NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Karla Murthy about the vaccination and the surge in cases… Continue watching
Dec 20 Concern among Muslims over halal status of COVID-19 vaccine By Victoria Milko, Associated Press In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stepped off a plane in China. While the diplomats were there to finalize deals to ensure millions of doses reached Indonesian citizens, the clerics had a much different concern: Whether the COVID-19 vaccine… Continue reading
Dec 20 2nd COVID-19 vaccine authorized in US is shipped out By Associated Press The trucks left the Memphis-area factory with the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday, just three days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout. Continue reading
Dec 20 Several EU nations halt UK flights, fearing virus variant By Kirsten Grieshaber, Sylvia Hui, Associated Press Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy all announced restrictions on U.K. travel, hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England must be canceled because of rapidly spreading infections blamed on the… Continue reading
Dec 20 Racism targets Asian food, business during COVID-19 pandemic By Christine Fernando, Cheyanne Mumphrey, Associated Press As the coronavirus spread throughout the U.S., bigotry toward Asian Americans was not far behind, fueled by the news that COVID-19 first appeared in China. Continue reading
Dec 20 Deal on Fed removes obstacle to agreement on virus aid bill By Andrew Taylor, Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Top congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package costing nearly $1 trillion, clearing the way for votes as early as Sunday. Continue reading
Dec 19 Tight supplies for virus gear cost U.S. states billions By David Lieb, Camille Fasset, Associated Press The AP tallied more than $7 billion in purchases by states this spring for personal protective equipment, or PPE, and high-demand medical devices such as ventilators and infrared thermometers. Much of the buying happened outside normal competitive bidding procedures, and… Continue reading
Dec 19 Watch 9:21 A major battle is brewing over abortion rights in Poland By Malcolm Brabant, Ivette Feliciano A major battle is underway over abortion rights in Poland. The country’s constitutional court, whose legitimacy has been questioned by some, has made it even harder for Polish women to get abortions. The move has been condemned by the European… Continue watching