Slip into something a little more comfortable
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Ivanka Trump campaigned in Georgia on Monday for Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, but didn't mention her father's claims that election fraud had cost him victory in the state.
City leaders said if they had turned down Asatru Folk Assembly, they would have faced an expensive legal battle.
Texas does not plan on following a federal advisory panel's recommendation that essential workers and people over age 75 should be next in line to receive COVID-19 vaccines after health care workers and long-term care facility residents, the state's health and human services department announced Monday.Instead, people in Texas who are over 65, as well as adults of any age with certain medical conditions considered coronavirus co-morbidities will receive priority. The department's announcement says the decision was reached after a state-level expert panel decided the "most vulnerable populations" should be protected as soon as possible, though it will likely be a few weeks before the state is done with the initial phase of vaccinations.> Texas breaks with CDC ACIP recommendations for next phase of covid19 vaccine prioritization; puts people 65+ and those with medical conditions that put them at high risk next in line after front-line health care workers and residents of long term care facilities pic.twitter.com/o3nDRaQpeZ> > — Meg Tirrell (@megtirrell) December 21, 2020There has been debate about who should receive shots next, with some arguing data clearly identifies age as one of the most significant factors in disease severity. But others believe the federal recommendation is the right call, since essential workers are at greater risk of coming into contact with the virus and don't have the luxury of working from home.More stories from theweek.com Televangelist Pat Robertson says Biden won, won't be president long, urges 'erratic' Trump to retire Are the worst days of the Trump presidency still ahead? Trump is reportedly turning on 'virtually every person around him'
At least 25 Indian farmers have died during protests against controversial legislation, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempted to diffuse growing tensions by making a surprise visit to a Sikh temple in New Delhi on Sunday. Fourteen deaths have been attributed to exposure to the cold, as approximately 500,000 farmers - most of whom are Sikh - continue to sleep in their tractors and blockade roads outside Delhi, despite temperatures dropping to 3°C at night. Ten death occurred in road accidents as farmers travelled to Delhi from the surrounding states of Punjab and Haryana, while an eminent Sikh priest from Haryana shot himself in protest at the new legislation. The farmers say they will continue to occupy the streets, causing ongoing disruption to food supplies in India’s capital, until the proposed farm bills are repealed. On Monday, the protesting farmers are undergoing a day-long hunger strike, while union leaders announced plans to occupy toll booths surrounding Delhi from December 25.
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Sao Paulo state's Butantan Institute, which is organizing the late-stage trials of Sinovac's vaccine CoronaVac in Brazil, said on Monday that any reports on the efficacy of the shot before a Wednesday announcement were "mere speculation." Brazil is the first country to complete late-stage trials of CoronaVac, which is also being tested in Indonesia and Turkey, the Journal reported https://www.wsj.com/articles/sinovacs-covid-19-vaccine-shown-to-be-effective-in-brazil-trials-11608581330?mod=latest_headlines. The results from the Brazil trials put CoronaVac above the 50% threshold that international scientists deem necessary to protect people, the Journal report said.
Deputies were called just before 1 a.m. Sunday to a rural home near the town of Cole Camp, the Benton County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. The child's mother, Mary Mast, 28, and her 2-year-old son also were badly beaten. Deputies on Monday arrested the family's neighbors, Ethan Mast, 35, and Kourtney Aumen, 21.
Former FDA head Dr. Scott Gottlieb believes the new variant of the coronavirus found in the United Kingdom is "already in the U.S." and a travel ban won't do anything to keep it from spreading in the country.The mutation is thought to be up to 70 percent more transmissible, and because of it, more than 40 countries have banned travel to and from the U.K. for at least 48 hours. The former Food and Drug Administration commissioner told CNBC's Shepard Smith on Monday that at this point, he does not believe a travel ban "is going to prevent this mutated strain from coming into the United States. We're going to have an epidemic that continues to build over the course of the next three or four weeks, we'll reach a peak, and then we'll start to see infection rates decline as we see vaccinations get rolled out."So far, there is no sign this is a deadlier strain, and Gottlieb told Smith "the question is, is this virus going to change the surface proteins in a way that can obviate either the vaccines or prior immunity, and there's no indication that it's doing that right now." However, Gottlieb cautioned that "over time, it will evolve in ways where it can probably obviate prior infection or vaccines to some degree, so we'll probably need to adapt our vaccines over time."As the virus continues to make its way around the world, Gottlieb said "we're going to start to see more of these variants, and that's why it's important to get the population vaccinated and snuff out these infections. The more infections you have, the more chances that these variants start to propagate."More stories from theweek.com Televangelist Pat Robertson says Biden won, won't be president long, urges 'erratic' Trump to retire Are the worst days of the Trump presidency still ahead? Trump is reportedly turning on 'virtually every person around him'
Extend the outdoor season and get ready to smell the campfireOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest
The passengers were on a flight bound for Atlanta when they opened the aircraft’s cabin door.
Hundreds of Russian and Rwandan troops have rushed into the Central African Republic (CAR) to stop an alleged coup attempt, according to the government. The troops have already started to fight rebel groups, the government said. On Saturday, CAR’s government accused the forces of former president Francois Bozize of an attempted putsch after three powerful rebel groups merged and started to advance on the capital Bangui. "Russia has sent several hundred soldiers and heavy weapons" in the framework of a bilateral cooperation agreement, a government spokesman said. He added: "The Rwandans have also sent several hundred men who are on the ground and have started fighting.” However, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov denied the claims on Monday. "We are not sending troops,” he said, according to the Interfax news agency. Reportedly, the rebels are being held back from the capital. On Sunday, the United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in CAR, Minusca, said the situation was “under control”. The news comes ahead of a presidential election on 27 December. Mr Bozize was recently barred from standing. Rwanda, which has at least 750 Rwandan soldiers and police officers serving in Minusca, said it had sent in more troops in response to the targeting of its peacekeepers by rebels. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said on Monday that Rwandan troops would not be bound by UN rules of engagement. No precise details were given on how many Rwandan troops arrived on Sunday. Separately, Russia began to expand into CAR in 2017, providing weapons, contractors and mercenaries to prop up the beleaguered government in Bangui. In exchange, Russian companies with links to the Kremlin have been awarded rights to mine and export diamonds from the country. Private security guards employed by Russian companies began to train local forces and protect President Faustin-Archange Touadera. It is thought this arrangement gives Moscow considerable influence over Mr Touadera. Moscow’s dive into CAR, one of the most fractured and war-torn nations on earth, took many observers aback and showed how Russia was trying to gain more influence and prestige in Africa. The move also alarmed France, CAR’s former colonial power, which has dominated the country for decades. Last week it emerged that France and Russia were fighting a disinformation war in CAR through online trolls. Trolls from two separate influence operations, including individuals, said to be linked to the French military, posed as locals using fake accounts. Moscow has not confirmed it has sent troops to battle the rebels but the Kremlin has voiced "serious concern" about events in CAR.
Federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have been discussing with Justice Department officials in Washington whether to make a legal request for Rudy Giuliani's emails, two people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, is President Trump's personal lawyer. Under Justice Department policy, prosecutors must get approval from Washington before asking a judge to sign a search warrant for items that might be protected by attorney-client privilege; NBC News notes that it is not known if the approval was granted.In October 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported that SDNY prosecutors were investigating Giuliani and his business dealings in Ukraine, and as part of the probe, they examined Giuliani's bank records. That same month, two of Giuliani's associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were arrested and charged with campaign finance fraud. Parnas and Fruman both helped Giuliani try to dig up dirt in Ukraine about President-elect Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.The Washington Post reported in February that prosecutors had started talking with witnesses in an attempt to gather more documents for the investigation, and two people familiar with the matter stressed to NBC News that the probe is ongoing, with one saying it is "very active."Giuliani's attorney, Robert Costello, told NBC News he has "no reason to believe there's any truth to the allegations that there is renewed interest in my client." Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Trump has talked with advisers about granting Giuliani a preemptive pardon.More stories from theweek.com Televangelist Pat Robertson says Biden won, won't be president long, urges 'erratic' Trump to retire Are the worst days of the Trump presidency still ahead? Trump is reportedly turning on 'virtually every person around him'
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded an earthquake of magnitude 4.4, its epicenter located beneath Kīlauea Volcano's south flank, at 10:36 p.m. local time, according to the advisory https://on.doi.gov/2LXAPQr. It was the most activity seen at the volcano since 2018, when a string of earthquakes and explosive eruptions at the summit over several months forced evacuations.
South Korea said on Tuesday it had scrambled fighter jets in response to an intrusion into South Korea's air defense identification zone by 19 Russian and Chinese military aircraft.
‘This crisis has made it clearer than ever why paid leave for every worker is so important to families,’ says senator Patty Murray
Nathan Larson, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2018, has called Hitler a 'white supremacist hero' and admitted that he was a pedophile.
China on Tuesday claimed its military had “expelled” a US Navy destroyer after it “trespassed” into Chinese territorial waters close to the Spratly Islands, in a fresh escalation of tensions between Washington and Beijing over the South China Sea. The statement by Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Southern Command, came shortly after the US Navy announced the USS John S McCain had asserted its “navigational rights and freedoms” in the disputed seas near the islands, “consistent with international law.” The incident occurred as Shandong, China’s second aircraft carrier, was reported to be conducting drills in the region after sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Sunday. The Chinese government claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, directly disputing the territorial claims of reefs, islands and waters by its smaller regional neighbours. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have all laid claims to the Spratlys. This year, Beijing has been demonstrating its assertiveness over the energy-rich waters, prompting the US to denounce its “bullying behaviour” there and step up its own freedom of navigation operations.
President-elect Joe Biden is set to nominate Miguel Cardona, Connecticut's commissioner of public schools, as education secretary, The Washington Post reports, adding that the announcement could be made before Christmas on Friday. Cardona was named to his current position just last year, and before that he was assistant superintendent in Meriden, Connecticut, a district with about 9,000 students. He was born in Meriden to Puerto Rican parents, and he became Connecticut's youngest principal when he was only 28.Biden has not made a final offer, the Post reports, citing people close to the president-elect, but he met virtually with Cardona on Monday, alone with future first lady Jill Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Biden has pledged to pick someone with a background in public education to the Education Department, and Cardona is seen as more of a consensus candidate than Biden's other rumored finalist, Howard University's Leslie Fenwick, who is a sharp critic of testing-based accountability and other business-style education policies."Cardona's experience in public education represents a sharp contrast with President Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, who attended private schools and spent much of her energy advocating for alternatives to public education," the Post notes. "And while Cardona has lived in poverty, DeVos is a billionaire who has been wealthy all her life." Cardona butted heads a bit with teachers unions this fall when he pushed to open public schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been endorsed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called him as a "very, very solid" candidate.More stories from theweek.com Televangelist Pat Robertson says Biden won, won't be president long, urges 'erratic' Trump to retire Are the worst days of the Trump presidency still ahead? Trump is reportedly turning on 'virtually every person around him'
Monday's statement marks the first time since 2012 the Navy has announced the presence of a guided-missile submarine in the Persian Gulf.
$600 direct payments could be issued as soon as next week, Treasury Secretary says
