U.S. airport passenger numbers dip to lowest level since July 4

A person walks at Reagan National Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Arlington
A person walks at Reagan National Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Arlington
By David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski

By David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) -The number of passengers screened at U.S. airports dipped to 501,513 on Tuesday, the lowest number since July 4 as COVID-19 cases spike, and Delta Air Lines' chief executive warned that the outlook remained bleak in the months ahead.

Speaking on CNBC, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said travel during the upcoming holiday season will be similar to numbers in recent weeks, when traffic has hovered around one third of normal levels.

"I don't see that changing for the next couple of months," he said.

However, he said there is "enormous pent-up demand" for spring travel, when there is a possibility that tens of millions of Americans will have been vaccinated and "ready to get on with their lives."

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which releases daily passenger screenings at U.S. airports, said traffic on Tuesday was down about 74% over the same weekday last year when it screened 1.9 million people.

Several airlines in recent days have reported a softening in passenger demand as U.S. health officials advise against holiday travel. On Monday, TSA screened 703,546 people.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Kirsten Donovan)

Latest Stories

  • Biden is reportedly considering nominating Pete Buttigieg, his former presidential opponent, to be ambassador to China

    Axios reported that President-elect Joe Biden is considering former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg to be his China ambassador.

  • Rudy Giuliani, hospitalized with the coronavirus, says he has 'exactly the same view' on COVID-19

    Speaking from his hospital room, Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday he hasn't changed his mind regarding the coronavirus or mask use, despite his recent COVID-19 diagnosis.Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer and a former mayor of New York City, was admitted to a Washington, D.C., hospital on Sunday, after traveling across the country in his futile attempt to overturn the election results. Giuliani did not wear a mask during meetings last week in Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia, exposing lawmakers and others to the virus.During an interview with New York radio station 77 WABC, the hosts asked Giuliani if his views on the virus have changed, now that he is sick and in the hospital. They mentioned former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who contracted the virus after attending a super-spreader event at the White House; Christie later said it was "wrong" to be there without a mask."No," Giuliani responded. "I have exactly the same view. You know, I've also been through cancer, a couple of other things — very serious, very serious, emergency knee operation. Things happen in life, and you have to go with them. You can't overreact to them. Otherwise, you let the fear of illness drive your entire life." Regarding face coverings, which provide protection to the wearer and those around them, Giuliani said he thinks "you can overdo the masks."Giuliani revealed that he has received two of the same medications Trump took during his hospitalization for COVID-19: remdesivir and dexamethasone. One of the radio hosts told Giuliani the drugs are "not something that the normal American is going to be able to get, because it's quite expensive." Giuliani deflected, saying he "didn't know that. I mean, they give it to us here at the hospital."Giuliani did admit that his high profile is why he's receiving treatment that the average American can't get, saying: "I think if it wasn't me, I wouldn't have been put in the hospital. Sometimes, when you're — you know, when you're a celebrity — they're worried if something happens to you, they're going to examine it more carefully, and they do everything right." He said his advice to people is "get early treatment," falsely claiming that "the earlier you get treated for this, No. 1, you totally eliminate the chance of dying."More stories from theweek.com Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says he won't be part of Biden administration Trump's jaw-dropping vaccine screwup U.K. advises people with 'significant history' of allergic reactions to skip Pfizer vaccine for now

  • Some of those involved in killing of Iranian nuclear scientist arrested, official says

    DUBAI (Reuters) -Some of those involved in the assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist last month have been arrested, an adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker said on Tuesday, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA. Iran has blamed Israel for the Nov. 27 killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was seen by Western intelligence services as the mastermind of a covert Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

  • 14 Fort Hood soldiers fired, suspended over violence at base

    The Army on Tuesday said it has fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic failures of leadership that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence, including murder, sexual assault and harassment. In a sweeping condemnation of Fort Hood's command hierarchy, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy fired three top commanders and suspended two others pending a further investigation.

  • Police Reports Detail Warnock’s Obstruction in 2002 Child-Abuse Probe That Led to His Arrest

    Reverend Raphael Warnock, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia, repeatedly obstructed a 2002 police investigation into child abuse at a church-affiliated summer camp, according to a new report.Maryland State Police reports obtained by the Washington Free Beacon detailed Warnock’s attempts to interfere with interviews and to discourage counselors from speaking with police during an investigation of physical abuse at Camp Farthest Out. At the time, Warnock served as senior pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church, which ran the summer camp.Warnock, who now faces a tight runoff race against Republican Kelly Loeffler on January 5, interrupted police interviews of counselors on July 31, 2002, according to the report."This investigator informed [camp administrators] that if the counselors requested that an attorney be present that was their right, however, no one else could [invoke] their rights to an attorney on their behalf," the report reads.The Free Beacon reports that the names in the documents are redacted, but match closely with newspaper articles about the incident, which ultimately led to Warnock’s arrest. The state attorney later dropped the charges.At the time The Baltimore Sun reported that Warnock and a colleague were "accused in court documents of trying to prevent a state trooper of interviewing counselors at Camp Farthest Out" and that the ministers "interrupted a police interview of a counselor." Warnock said then that he was "only asserting that lawyers should be present when the camp counselors were interviewed."During a debate on Sunday, Warnock said that law enforcement officers “actually later thanked me for my cooperation and for helping them," and the deputy state attorney told the Baltimore Sun the same in November 2002.Police reports filed by state troopers after Warnock and Reverend Mark Andre Wainwright were arrested for “hindering and obstructing” police show that investigators warned Warnock a number of times to stop disrupting the investigation ahead of his arrest.Tfc. Danielle Barry, an investigator with the Maryland State Police’s child abuse division, wrote in her report that the pair "interfered with a criminal investigation by interrupting interviews and directing people not to talk to investigators."Though Warnock and camp administrators agreed to cooperate when investigators arrived to conduct interviews with counselors, they later voiced concerns about "legal ramifications from the alleged abuse case" and insisted that the camp’s attorney be present for any interviews with counselors or campers.Warnock and Wainright entered the room where investigators were conducting their first interview of the day with a 17-year-old counselor in a private camp office and “demanded that [they] be present for the interview,” according to the report.Barry told them they were "not permitted to join the interview and warned that they were "hindering and obstructing the investigation."Warnock then announced he would no longer allow investigators to use the camp office for interviews, and he and Wainright told Barry that they "did not like how things were progressing and therefore ‘they’ would not be cooperating in the case further." "This investigator explained to the reverends that what they were doing was committing a crime for which they could be arrested," the report says.After investigators relocated to an outside picnic area to continue their interviews, the reverends once again demanded to sit in on an interview being conducted, forcing Barry to cut her interview short.A camper later tried to give investigators the location of another potential subject to interview when one of the reverends "grabbed the camper by the arm and directed him away from these investigators" and "told the camper that he was not to talk to these people," according to the report.Barry then reached out to the deputy state attorney about the interference, she wrote, and a decision was made to arrest Warnock and Wainwright.

  • Defeated, lying, narcissist ex-President Trump will make a perfect ‘Florida man’ | Opinion

    Step aside Congressman Matt Gaetz, Florida man personified, you’ve got real competition now.

  • Arizona Republican leaders are now openly sniping at each other

    "The Arizona Republican Party has asked its followers if they are willing to die for the cause of overturning the presidential election results, eliciting alarm and criticism from within and outside the GOP," The Arizona Republic reports. The negative responses from Arizona Republicans to Tuesday's tweet from the state GOP was just the latest open squabbling in the party as it grapples with President Trump's loss, his losing legal battle to overturn that defeat, the better-than-expected election results for state Republicans, and the challenges that are emerging as Arizona slides from GOP control to swing state."There's been a civil war boiling in the Republican Party for a couple of years," Marcus Dell'Artino, a Republican strategist in Phoenix, tells The New York Times. "Now we're seeing the public part of it."A sizable chunk of the Arizona Republican Party is siding with Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani as they try to retroactively win an election Trump lost to President-elect Joe Biden. But Gov. Doug Ducey (R), a Trump supporter, is not among them. After he signed the certification of Biden's victory — while ignoring a call from Trump on camera — Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward told him to "STHU," or shut the hell up. He responded, "I think what I would say is the feeling's mutual to her, and practice what you preach."Ward also called Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R) "cowardly" for shutting down the House for a week following Giuliani's close visit with a dozen GOP lawmakers just days before testing positive for COVID-19. And when Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a Trump loyalist, suggested Ducey would "coerce vaccinations" for COVID-19, Ducey's chief of staff, Daniel Scarpinato called Biggs "nuts" and suggested he "enjoy your time as a permanent resident of Crazytown."It isn't clear if Ward, a divisive figure representing the party's far-right faction, will seek another term when the Arizona GOP picks its next chair in January.More stories from theweek.com Rudy Giuliani, hospitalized with the coronavirus, says he has 'exactly the same view' on COVID-19 Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says he won't be part of Biden administration Trump's jaw-dropping vaccine screwup

  • Sturgeon's husband 'contradicts wife and changes his own story' during evidence on Salmond scandal

    Nicola Sturgeon’s husband dealt a "fatal blow" to her account of her handling of the Alex Salmond scandal, it was claimed on Tuesday, after he directly contradicted her evidence to a Holyrood inquiry. Peter Murrell, also the SNP chief executive, was also accused of putting forward a series of "wholly implausible" claims, after he said his wife had not warned him in advance of "bombshell" sexual harassment claims against the most important figure in their party's history becoming public. Despite Mr Salmond meeting Ms Sturgeon in the couple's home to tell her about a Scottish Government investigation, Mr Murrell claimed he "didn't probe" what went on at the summit and said the political power-couple instead preferred to talk about books, what meals he would cook her, and cleaning. The party boss, who appeared on his 57th birthday, was repeatedly pressed over his claim that he was not made aware by Ms Sturgeon of the allegations facing Mr Salmond, despite his role as the SNP's top official.

  • Despite Biden pledge, coronavirus bill in Congress now may be all Americans get: analysts

    President-elect Joe Biden has called the $908 billion coronavirus aid bill taking shape in Congress a "downpayment" toward a bigger stimulus next year, but if it passes, that is all U.S. businesses and workers should count on, economists and political analysts say. There is likely to be little appetite among Republicans for supporting a second round of $1 trillion-plus spending after Biden takes office on Jan. 20 - a task that would be made more difficult if Republicans retain control of the Senate in Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia - said John Lieber, managing director of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy. "If they do the full bipartisan $900 billion, then I think it's a big ask to do anything new after Biden takes office," said Lieber, a former adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

  • DNA identifies Missouri toddler found in Mississippi in 1982

    Investigators say DNA testing has identified a Missouri toddler whose body was found on a riverbank in Mississippi in 1982. The child long known only as “Baby Jane” or “Delta Dawn” has been identified as 18-month-old Alisha Ann Heinrich. The sheriff of Jackson County, Mississippi, announced the child’s identity at a news conference Friday.

  • Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Very Own MAGA Superspreader?

    On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republican leaders turned the backyard of the governor’s mansion into a GOP gloatfest with a pandemic twist.Some of the top players in the party that has overseen coronavirus chaos in the Sunshine State tweeted photos and a video of DeSantis addressing a crowd of roughly 50 GOP grassroots organizers. Almost no one appeared to be wearing masks—including DeSantis, who had appeared with a mask at Donald Trump’s strange vaccine summit in D.C. on Tuesday.One of the images, tweeted by Florida Republican Party Vice-Chairman Christian Ziegler, shows a maskless DeSantis from behind, facing his guests, a majority of whom were elderly—a population at especially high risk of death by way of COVID-19. Ziegler boasted: “Florida is in great hands and everyone in this photo is going to work like hell to crush whomever runs against him in order to keep it going.”The GOP official retweeted the same photo the following day. This time, he identified another reliable target of Republicans and DeSantis: “It’s gonna be fun working for him and crushing the Socialists in Florida.”The Florida GOP chairman, state Sen. Joe Gruters, tweeted a photo of the crowd from a different angle that showed him flanking the governor. Gruters wrote: “Thank you Governor @GovRonDeSantis for loving freedom and liberty and for all of your help in delivering record success this cycle here in Florida.”Gruters also tweeted a two-minute clip of DeSantis, who slyly suggested he still backed the current commander-in-chief’s false narrative that Joe Biden only won the presidency because of massive election fraud.“In Florida, people can have the confidence that this [election] was done above board and done right,” DeSantis crowed. “We don't wait three weeks to then change the winner with vote dumps and all this other stuff that you are seeing go around.”Gruters, Ziegler and the GOP footsoldiers lapped it up, cheering their governor. But MAGA conspiracies aside, the scene was an emphatic prelude to the trouble a new Biden administration faces in coronavirus-skeptical states like Florida, where DeSantis has tripled down on a strategy that scoffs at mask mandates and non-essential business shutdowns and allows large gatherings of people.Photos Show Why Miami Public Schools Could Be the Next Ron DeSantis Coronavirus DebacleIn the meantime, experts said, he could have put his own diehards at risk.“Unfortunately this event contradicts the advice of public health experts in a large number of ways,” infectious disease expert and University of South Florida professor Dr. Jill Roberts told The Daily Beast. “This event may have needlessly exposed people to coronavirus.”> .@GovRonDeSantis addressing his @FloridaGOP Grassroots County Generals from the steps of the Governor’s Mansion. > > Florida is in great hands and everyone in this photo is going to work like hell to crush whomever runs against him in order to keep it going.MAGA FlaPol pic.twitter.com/zmE89IVcle> > — Christian Ziegler 🇺🇸 (@ChrisMZiegler) December 5, 2020Roberts added that while no cases have been linked to the affair as of yet, it was “entirely possible” DeSantis had hosted a so-called superspreader event given the close proximity of the attendees who were not wearing masks.Gruters, Ziegler, and a spokesperson for DeSantis did not respond to requests for comment for this story.In the months leading up to the election and in its immediate aftermath, DeSantis has stood out for his cowboy approach to the pandemic. One of the last governors to lock his state down, he was especially aggressive in opening it back up again, and has refused to issue a mask mandate. More recently, a Sun-Sentinel investigation found that the governor and his administration ordered Department of Health officials at the county level not to discuss COVID-19 with the public during the run-up to the election.The governor's office disputed the paper's characterizations, insisting DeSantis has been consistent in promoting COVID-19 precautions. But from reopening bars arbitrarily to pressuring schools to hold classes in-person, the governor has been slammed by virtually every pressure group imaginable for pandemic recklessness.At the same time, DeSantis has enabled COVID-19 deniers by hiring an Uber-driving conspiracy theorist as a data analyst and allowing his staff to share death records with a conservative blogger who has written columns downplaying the severity of the pandemic.During a Nov. 30 press conference, DeSantis reiterated his false claims that mask mandates and lockdowns are ineffective in fighting the spread. Regarding masks, DeSantis said, “I don’t think you have to (be) strung up by a bayonet to do it. Fining people is totally overboard.”His position is in direct conflict with Biden’s plan to ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration and mandating mask-wearing for interstate travel on planes, trains, and buses. DeSantis is also handicapping efforts by the new mayor of Miami-Dade, the county with the largest number of coronavirus cases in the state and that is experiencing a third surge, from reinstating fines for not wearing masks. County Mayor Daniella Levina Cava, who revealed last week she had contracted COVID-19 herself, said during a Dec. 4 Zoom call that she has been unable to speak with DeSantis since the election, according to the Miami Herald.The images of the GOP event at the governor’s mansion didn’t generate headlines, but have been retweeted several hundred times, including by some of DeSantis’ harshest critics. Among them: Orlando state Rep. Anna Eskamani and Rebekah Jones, Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard architect and former Health Department data scientist who alleges she was fired because she refused to manipulate data about Florida’s coronavirus numbers.On Monday, after state police raided her home with guns drawn to seize her computer and cellphone, Jones accused the DeSantis administration of targeting her by initiating a criminal investigation. According to a search warrant, however, someone using Jones’ IP address illegally accessed the state’s emergency alert email system to send an unauthorized mass email, an allegation she disputes.“DeSantis has been trying—and failing—to shut me down and silence me since May,” Jones told The Daily Beast. “It didn't work then, and it won't work now.”‘Pointed a Gun in My Face’: Florida Police Raid Home of Fired COVID-19 Dashboard ArchitectEskamani, the state legislator, said the photos depicted a wanton disregard for COVID-19 guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), such as encouraging people to wear masks when they are in close contact with one another even when outdoors. In September, DeSantis eliminated most of the state’s measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including an executive order that limited social and recreational gatherings to no more than 10 people.“The photos demonstrated how reckless our governor is acting in enabling the spread of COVID-19,” Eskamani told The Daily Beast. “He is not modeling good behavior and is taking his role for granted. It’s completely discouraging.”Ignoring the increases in cases, hospitalizations, and data continuously demonstrating that social distancing works—not to mention the incredible stress faced by health-care workers at the moment—is “rather tone-deaf,” Roberts added. On Dec. 5, the day of the event, the Florida health department reported more 10,000 cases for the third consecutive day. Since then, the state added roughly another 23,000 new cases, bringing Florida’s cumulative total to 1,073,770 cases since the pandemic began.As for the GOP gathering, the precedent set by what appears to have been a superspreader event at the White House Rose Garden party touting the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett loomed. Dr. Marissa Levine, another University of South Florida infectious disease professor, said even outdoor, well-ventilated events can be considered high-risk when there is a large turnout, no face coverings, and prolonged contact time.But with cases setting new records nationwide, DeSantis seemed determined to set a new bar for pandemic absurdity.“It certainly does not send the right message with respect to our efforts needed to control the pandemic at this time,” Levine said.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Trump says it's 'terrific' so many Americans have caught the coronavirus because it 'is a very powerful vaccine in itself'

    President Trump said it was 'terrific' that so many Americans had caught coronavirus because infection was 'a very powerful vaccine in itself.'

  • The Taliban are megarich – here's where they get the money they use to wage war in Afghanistan

    The Taliban militants of Afghanistan have grown richer and more powerful since their fundamentalist Islamic regime was toppled by U.S. forces in 2001. In the fiscal year that ended in March 2020, the Taliban reportedly brought in US$1.6 billion, according to Mullah Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban spiritual leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, who revealed the Taliban’s income sources in a confidential report commissioned by NATO and later obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.In comparison, the Afghan government brought in $5.55 billion during the same period. The government is now in peace talks with the Taliban, seeking to end their 19-year insurgency.I study the Taliban’s finances as an economic policy analyst at the Center for Afghanistan Studies. Here’s where their money comes from. 1\. Drugs – $416 millionAfghanistan accounted for approximately 84% of global opium production over the past five years, according to the United Nation’s World Drug Report 2020. Much of those illicit drug profits go to the Taliban, which manage opium in areas under their control. The group imposes a 10% tax on every link in the drug production chain, according to a 2008 report from the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, an independent research organization in Kabul. That includes the Afghan farmers who cultivate poppy, the main ingredient in opium, the labs that convert it into a drug and the traders who move the final product out of country. 2\. Mining – $400 million to $464 millionMining iron ore, marble, copper, gold, zinc and other metals and rare-earth minerals in mountainous Afghanistan is an increasingly lucrative business for the Taliban. Both small-scale mineral-extraction operations and big Afghan mining companies pay Taliban militants to allow them to keep their businesses running. Those who don’t pay have faced death threats.According to the Taliban’s Stones and Mines Commission, or Da Dabaro Comisyoon, the group earns $400 million a year from mining. NATO estimates that figure higher, at $464 million – up from just $35 million in 2016. 3\. Extortion and taxes – $160 millionLike a government, the Taliban tax people and industries in the growing swath of Afghanistan under their control. They even issue official receipts of tax payment.“Taxed” industries include mining operations, media, telecommunications and development projects funded by international aid. Drivers are also charged for using highways in Taliban-controlled regions, and shopkeepers pay the Taliban for the right to do business. The group also imposes a traditional Islamic form of taxation called “ushr” – which is a 10% tax on a farmer’s harvest – and “zakat,” a 2.5% wealth tax. According to Mullah Yaqoob, tax revenues – which may also be considered extortion – bring in around $160 million annually. Since some of those taxed are poppy growers, there could be some financial overlap between tax revenue and drug revenue. 4\. Charitable donations – $240 millionThe Taliban receive covert financial contributions from private donors and international institutions across the globe. Many Taliban donations are from charities and private trusts located in Persian Gulf countries, a region historically sympathetic to the group’s religious insurgency. Those donations add up to about $150 million to $200 million each year, according to the Afghanistan Center for Research and Policy Studies. These charities are on the U.S. Treasurey Department’s list of groups that finance terrorism. Private citizens from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and some Persian Gulf nations also help finance the Taliban, contributing another $60 million annually to the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, according to American counterterrorism agencies. 5\. Exports – $240 millionIn part to launder illicit money, the Taliban import and export various everyday consumer goods, according to the United Nations Security Council. Known business affiliates include the multinational Noorzai Brothers Limited, which imports auto parts and sells reassembled vehicles and spare automobile parts.The Taliban’s net income from exports is thought to be around $240 million a year. This figure includes the export of poppy and looted minerals, so there may be financial overlap with drug revenue and mining revenue. 6\. Real estate – $80 millionThe Taliban own real estate in Afghanistan, Pakistan and potentially other countries, according to Mullah Yaqoob and the Pakistani TV Channel SAMAA. Yaqoob told NATO annual real estate revenue is around $80 million. 7\. Specific countriesAccording to BBC reporting, a classified CIA report estimated in 2008 that the Taliban had received $106 million from foreign sources, in particular from the Gulf states.Today, the governments of Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are all believed to bankroll the Taliban, according to numerous U.S. and international sources. Experts say these funds could amount to as much as $500 million a year, but it is difficult to put an exact figure on this income stream. Building a peacetime budgetFor nearly 20 years, the Taliban’s great wealth has financed mayhem, destruction and death in Afghanistan. To battle its insurgency, the Afghan government also spends heavily on war, often at the expense of basic public services and economic development.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]A peace agreement in Afghanistan would allow the government to redirect its scarce resources. The government might also see substantial new revenue flow in from legal sectors now dominated by the Taliban, such as mining. Stability is additionally expected to attract foreign investment in the country, helping the government end its dependence on donors like the United States and the European Union.There are many reasons to root for peace in war-scarred Afghanistan. Its financial health is one of them.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Hanif Sufizada, University of Nebraska Omaha.Read more: * How a troop drawdown in Afghanistan signals American weakness and could send Afghan allies into the Taliban’s arms * After US and Taliban sign accord, Afghanistan must prepare for peaceHanif Sufizada does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

  • Grandma gets first Pfizer vaccine shot outside of trial as Britain begins vaccinations

    Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Northern Ireland, became the first person in the world on Tuesday to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot outside of a trial as Britain began vaccinating its population.

  • Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says he won't be part of Biden administration

    Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told Reuters on Tuesday that he will not join the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.Johnson was in the running for several Cabinet positions, including secretary of defense and attorney general, people close to the Biden transition team said. While he hasn't announced his pick yet for attorney general, Biden has tapped retired Gen. Lloyd Austin for the top role at the Pentagon.In an email to Reuters, Johnson confirmed that he will "not be in the Biden administration," and referred to the "news over the last 24 hours," likely referring to Austin's selection. Prior to running the Department of Homeland Security from late 2013 to early 2017, Johnson was general counsel of the Air Force and later the Department of Defense.More stories from theweek.com Rudy Giuliani, hospitalized with the coronavirus, says he has 'exactly the same view' on COVID-19 Trump's jaw-dropping vaccine screwup U.K. advises people with 'significant history' of allergic reactions to skip Pfizer vaccine for now

  • The 7 Best Airbnbs in New Orleans

    Explore the most unique properties the Big Easy has to offerOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • German prosecutors 'have evidence' suspect killed Madeleine McCann

    There is compelling evidence the German prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann killed her but it cannot be shared with the public, German prosecutors said on Tuesday. “If you knew the evidence we had you would come to the same conclusion as I do,” Hans Christian Wolters, the prosecutor in charge of the case told the BBC. “But I can't give you details because we don't want the accused to know what we have on him — these are tactical considerations.” Christian Brückner, a 43-year-old convicted paedophile and rapist, was named as a suspect in the toddler’s disappearance in June, but is yet to be charged in connection with the case. German prosecutors say that while they have evidence against him it is not yet enough to secure a conviction. “I can't promise, I can't guarantee that we have enough to bring a charge but I'm very confident because what we have so far doesn't allow any other conclusion at all,” Mr Wolters told the BBC. The claim comes days after Scotland Yard said it had yet to see any evidence that Madeleine was dead or had been murdered, and that it was still treating her case as a missing persons inquiry. “I would not expect necessarily, every single piece of material to be shared with us. I'm sure they're sharing the relevant things at the relevant times with us. We are working really, really closely with them,” Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner said. Last month, an internal Portuguese police memo was leaked to the press which described its officers as “shocked” after a briefing from German prosecutors on their evidence against Brückner. Portuguese police left the meeting convinced the Germans have “no evidence, just speculation” and were determined to “keep Brückner in prison at all costs”, according to the memo.

  • Ethiopia volatile with fighting, ethnic profiling of Tigrayans - U.N. rights boss

    The situation in Ethiopia is "worrying and volatile" as fighting in the Tigray region continues amid reports of ethnic profiling of Tigrayans including in Addis Ababa, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday. "We have reports that particularly areas surrounding towns like Mekelle, Sherero, Axum, Abiy Addi, and the borders between the Amhara and Tigray regions, fighting continues between federal forces and the TPLF (Tigray People's Liberation Front), and affiliated militias on both sides," Bachelet told a news conference in Geneva.

  • Rudy Giuliani says 'you can overdo the mask' while in hospital for COVID-19 after ignoring mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines

    Giuliani told a radio channel that the coronavirus is "curable," and added, "When you're a celebrity, they're worried if something happens to you."

  • Schumer: Biden ‘Considering’ Forgiving $50,000 in Student Loan Debt via Executive Action

    President-elect Joe Biden is “considering” forgiving $50,000 in federal student loan debt for low-income and middle class students, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Monday.Schumer held a press conference alongside Democratic Congressmen-elect Ritchie Torres, Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman of New York, during which the group announced they have “come to the conclusion” that Biden can “forgive $50,000 of debt the first day he becomes president.”“You don’t need Congress, all you need is the flick of a pen and President-elect Biden — then President Biden — can make this happen,” Schumer said.> JUST IN: Sen. Chuck Schumer: President-elect Joe Biden is "considering" forgiving $50,000 in federal student loan debt for all borrowers. pic.twitter.com/KS4WNgAb79> > -- The Hill (@thehill) December 7, 2020He added that the group is urging Biden to choose a secretary of education who will support student loan forgiveness because “it’s up to the secretary of education officially, but if President Biden wants it, I’m sure it will happen.”“This debt is a huge burden on the backs of our students standing in the way of them and their economy and it stays with them for a very long time,” he said.He said they are calling on Biden to take executive action to administratively cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for federal student loan borrowers with an income below $125,000, and to do so in a way that the borrowers would have no tax liability when they receive the forgiveness.Schumer said he has spoken to Biden about "how important" the loan forgiveness is and that he is "considering" it.Asked if Biden will have the executive authority to forgive the debt, the New York Senator said the president-elect is researching that and "I believe when he does his research, he will find that he does."When asked what the forgiveness would mean for families who have “made sacrifices to pay off student loans” Schumer said it would be “good for everybody.”“Lots of students paid off student loans but it’s such a burden it’s good for everybody to make sure that this debt is vanquished,” he said. “It’s never been this high.”He added that when he finished college it cost $1,700 but “people can’t afford it now.”