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
Dec 19 1 in 5 prisoners in the U.S. has had COVID-19, 1,700 have died By Beth Schwartzapfel, Katie Park, The Marshall Project, Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population. Now the rollout of vaccines poses difficult decisions for politicians… Continue reading
Dec 19 Watch 9:55 A second COVID-19 vaccine is on its way. What's next? By PBS NewsHour The U.S. has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine, made by Moderna, to begin rollout on Sunday. With America regularly recording more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths per day, the much-needed additional doses will provide a boost to efforts to vaccinate healthcare… Continue watching
Dec 18 U.S. clears Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 By Lauran Neergaard, Matthew Perrone, Associated Press The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. Continue reading
Dec 18 House passes two-day stopgap spending bill to avert government shutdown By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press The hoped-for agreement would provide more than $300 billion in aid to businesses, a $300-per-week bonus federal jobless benefit, and $600 direct payments to individuals. Continue reading