Aug 13 Florida school mask ban faces legal challenge By Associated Press Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask requirements in schools faces a challenge in a Tallahassee courtroom. Continue reading
Aug 13 Extra COVID vaccine authorized for those with weak immune systems By Lauran Neergaard, Matthew Perrone, Associated Press The decision does not apply to otherwise healthy individuals. Health authorities are closely monitoring if and when the general population will need a booster shot but say for now, the vaccines continue to be highly effective in most healthy people. Continue reading
Aug 13 Census data sets up redistricting fight over growing suburbs By David A. Lieb, Associated Press, Acacia Coronado, Associated Press/Report for America The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs, as new census data showed rapid growth around some of the nation's largest cities and shrinking population in many rural counties. Continue reading
Aug 13 Northwest heat wave spurs help for vulnerable residents By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Oregon volunteers are scrambling to hand out water to homeless people in Portland's isolated encampments as the Pacific Northwest sweats through a heat wave that is gripping the normally temperate region. Continue reading
Aug 12 Watch 5:08 News Wrap: Record heat drives wildfires across Italy In our news wrap: Regions in Italy saw temperatures soar to 120 this week, fueling destructive wildfires across the south. Meanwhile in the US, nearly 175 million Americans are under severe heat advisories. A new analysis of the sweltering June… Continue watching
Aug 12 Watch 7:41 Dr. Fauci explains booster shots and the delta variant’s threat to children People who are immunocompromised didn’t gain enough immunity from their first COVID-19 vaccine shots and need a booster for full protection, explains Dr. Fauci. Fauci spoke with William Brangham about breakthrough infections, the delta variant’s threat to children and how… Continue watching
Aug 12 Watch 6:55 Employee vaccine mandate is ‘about saving lives,’ United Airlines CEO Kirby says Vaccines are a ‘silver bullet,’ and only relying on employee COVID-19 testing would compromise safety says United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. That’s why the airline is the first major carrier to mandate vaccines among their employees, he says. Kirby spoke… Continue watching
Aug 12 Watch 7:57 America is becoming more urban, more diverse and less white, 2020 Census reveals Despite a “hot mess” of a rollout and months of delays, new 2020 Census data reveals how America is changing. More respondents reported multiracial identities and for the first time on record, the white population declined. Lisa Desjardins explored the… Continue watching
Aug 12 WATCH: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas holds briefing at U.S.-Mexico border By Sonia Pérez D., Associated Press While some migrants are flown directly to their Central American nations, the U.S. government has started flying some to southern Mexico, where where Mexican authorities carry them the rest of the way to Guatemala's border, even if they're not Guatemalan. Continue reading
Aug 12 States that had a grip on COVID now seeing cases surge By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Sara Cline, Associated Press The COVID-19 surge that is sending hospitalizations to all-time highs in parts of the South is also clobbering states that were once seen as pandemic success stories. Continue reading