Feb 18 Watch 6:58 South Africa battles to contain a mutant strain of COVID-19 By Chris Ocamringa South Africa is battling to contain a mutant strain of COVID-19 that has now been found in more than 30 other countries, including in the U.S., which has prompted a raft of travel bans on South Africa. But across Africa… Continue watching
Feb 18 U.S. jobless claims jump to 861,000 as layoffs stay high By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid rose last week to 861,000, evidence that layoffs remain painfully high despite a steady drop in the number of confirmed viral infections. Continue reading
Feb 18 COVID-19 has already cut U.S. life expectancy by a year. For Black Americans, it’s worse By Laura Santhanam Communities of color have suffered disproportionately throughout the pandemic, and these latest federal data further illustrate the magnitude of those disparities. Continue reading
Feb 15 Watch 3:21 News Wrap: Average daily COVID-19 infections in the U.S. fall below 100,000 In our news wrap Monday, average daily COVID-19 infections in the U.S. have fallen below 100,000 for the first time since November, fallout is growing in Republican ranks after the acquittal of former President Trump at his impeachment trial, pressure… Continue watching
Feb 14 Watch 3:49 A new sculpture in the ‘heart’ of New York City symbolizes hope, nods to this past year By Ivette Feliciano, Sam Weber In the middle of New York City's Times Square, a new interactive sculpture was unveiled earlier this week as part of an annual Valentine's Day-themed design competition. But this year, in the middle of a pandemic, with so many communal,… Continue watching
Feb 14 Average US virus cases dip below 100K for 1st time in months By Kate Brumback, Sudhin Thanawala, Associated Press Average daily new coronavirus cases in the United States dipped below 100,000 in recent days for the first time in months, but experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the pandemic must remain in place. Continue reading
Feb 13 Watch 6:50 An unexpected pitfall for some cities’ mandatory hazard pay for essential workers By Laura Fong Despite the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, hazards for frontline workers continue. Early in the pandemic, many large companies increased pay for essential workers, but many of those raises have now expired. Seattle and several cities across California have passed mandatory… Continue watching
Feb 13 Draghi takes helm in Italy, focused on pandemic recovery aid By Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press Draghi and his 23 Cabinet ministers took their oaths of office at the Quirinal presidential palace. Italian President Sergio Mattarella had tasked the former European Central Bank president with trying to form a government up to managing the the health,… Continue reading
Feb 12 Watch 2:59 Remembering 5 people who have lost their lives to the coronavirus As the pandemic delivers another week of gut-wrenching loss of lives, we take a moment to share the stories of five remarkable people who have died from COVID-19. Continue watching
Feb 12 Czech Republic in chaos after political infighting amid COVID-19 surge By Karel Janicek, Associated Press The lower house of the Czech Parliament late Thursday refused the minority government's request to extend the state of emergency. Ministers have warned that will further worsen the situation and might cause the struggling health system to collapse. Continue reading