Biden meets with GOP senators on COVID-19 relief
Hours after Republican senators met with the president on Monday to discuss his proposed $1.9T coronavirus relief plan, Democrats signaled they have the votes to move on without bipartisan support.
Hours after Republican senators met with the president on Monday to discuss his proposed $1.9T coronavirus relief plan, Democrats signaled they have the votes to move on without bipartisan support.
The Office of Director of National Intelligence on Friday released its highly anticipated report on the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi Friday, making public the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Saudi Arabia's crown prince approved an operation to capture or kill him. The brutal killing has roiled the United States' longstanding ties with Saudi Arabia, and President Joe Biden has vowed to recalibrate the relationship after his predecessor Donald Trump shielded the kingdom from U.S. pressure.
The life of a premature, 1-pound baby born during a catastrophic winter storm in Texas was saved thanks to the ingenuity of a team of doctors and nurses, including some who packed a truck with neo-natal intensive care unit equipment and drove through snow to help. The baby, a girl named Zaylynn, was born at 24 weeks on Feb. 17, just as snow and ice dumped on central Texas, causing power outages and making roads impassable. A baby born at 24 weeks has only a 50% to 60% chance of survival in the best of times, according to Dr. Curtis Copeland, a family medicine physician at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls, Texas, the hospital where Zaylynn was born.
A 23-year-old has been charged with second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime after allegedly stabbing a 36-year-old Asian man in the back in New York City's Chinatown, police sources said. Salman Muflihi, of Brooklyn, allegedly pulled an 8-inch knife on the victim at about 6:20 p.m. Thursday, according to police sources. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, sources said.
As rich countries race to inoculate their populations against COVID-19, poorer nations have fallen behind in the biggest vaccination campaign in history. "It has also highlighted the vital importance of global solidarity that is epitomized by COVAX."
"The Bachelor" contestant Rachael Kirkconnell shared a video on Thursday in which she addressed the controversy around her past social media activity. In a video posted to Instagram, Kirkconnell discussed the reactions she's received from fans and viewers of the show after issuing her first apology two weeks ago for how "offensive and racist" her past actions were.
Chloe x Halle premiered the music video for their single "Ungodly Hour" this week. "When you decide you like yourself / When you decide you need someone / When you don't have to think about it / Love me at the ungodly hour," the duo sings on the chorus. "Ungodly Hour" was taken from their 2020 album of the same title.
Kelly Clarkson is keeping herself busy amid her divorce -- so busy, in fact, that's she's had the time to write 60 songs. The 38-year-old original "American Idol" winner opened up to "Entertainment Tonight" about using music as an outlet after splitting from Brandon Blackstock, with whom she shares two children -- daughter River Rose, 6, and son Remington Alexander, 4 -- last June.
Delayed shipments due to last week's massive winter storm has left New York City with an "extra" vaccine supply, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, prompting the city that never sleeps to add some overnight appointments. De Blasio said the city is adding overnight shifts at three mass vaccination sites: Brooklyn Army Terminal, Bathgate in the Bronx and Citi Field in Queens.
The Federal Communications Commission greenlit a program to provide low-income households monthly $50 subsidies for broadband internet in a move to help bridge the digital divide nearly a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced many schools, businesses and more to go virtual. The FCC unanimously voted on Thursday to establish the $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, that aims to provide qualifying households with discounts on their internet bills. It will also provide some households an opportunity to receive a computer or tablet at a discount.
Zendaya made it known during a recent interview with Vanity Fair that she didn't appreciate how a certain question was worded, offering a correction before sharing her answer. "There's this little spark they have, or this little special thing that they have that just you feel safe and happy around them," Zendaya added, admitting she was having a hard time explaining exactly what she meant. The publication also tried to gain a little insight into her love live, asking "what or who" was the "greatest love" of her life, to which Zendaya replied: "My work, my job."
Prince Harry showed his funny and lighthearted side in a new interview with "Late Late Show" host James Corden, while also opening up about serious topics, like his decision with Duchess Meghan to step back from their royal duties and leave the U.K. "I was like, 'This is toxic,' so I did what any husband and any father would do, which is like, I need to get my family out of here." Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their decision to step back from their royal duties last January.
An active weather pattern with several storm systems is moving through the country, from West to East, with heavy snow, damaging winds, severe thunderstorms and flooding rain. Already overnight severe thunderstorms brought huge hail from Texas to Arkansas. On Friday morning strong thunderstorms will continue to move from Texas to Alabama, threatening to bring with them damaging winds and large hail.
When Kerri Hurley's husband, James, a 50-year-old Boston police officer and father of their two children, was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth with COVID-19 last month, his fever spiked. Finally she got a call from Dr. Ben Moor, an anesthesiologist at the hospital who told her he was going to visit James. Later Moor called her with an update: James' levels had stabilized.
New York was the early epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., with hundreds of deaths a day during the spring peak. It still has the second highest death toll for a state in the country, at more than 47,000 and the second highest per capita death toll. By August, New York State turned things around and saw seven-day averages drop to as low as 600 new cases a day and seven deaths a day and hospitalizations at around 425 by the summer, according to health data.
President Joe Biden will travel to Houston Friday to survey damage from the winter storm last week that left millions in Texas without power, and in need of drinking water. The trip to Texas marks the first time Biden will travel to address a crisis beyond the COVID-19 pandemic that has consumed his young presidency. Biden will travel with first lady Jill Biden to the Lone Star State Friday morning and will spend the day with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.
It's been months since former President Donald Trump hyped unproven treatments such as hydroxychloroquine, and social media companies have since taken steps to curb the spread of medical misinformation, but doctors say some people are still trying unproven, dangerous methods. "Poison centers are still responding to events related to COVID-19," said Julie Weber, president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers and director of the Missouri Poison Center.
One Texas city had a different experience from much of the state last week, with very few power outages during the extreme winter storm. Officials from El Paso, Texas, said they learned their lesson after a similar storm almost exactly 10 years ago that knocked out power and water in the city. Jorge Rodriguez, El Paso assistant fire chief and director of emergency management, said the 2011 storm was a local trauma that showed utility companies and residents that they needed to be better prepared.
Pfizer and Moderna are in the midst of testing their vaccines in children and teen ages 12 to 15 and 12 to 17, respectively, and both companies expect to have data by June. Next, the companies will start testing their vaccines in progressively younger ages groups. Experts say it's crucial to test vaccines in children through carefully designed studies.
Pre-pandemic, no televised awards show was more wicked fun than the Golden Globes, which invited nominees from film and television to sit together at convivial tables where alcohol famously loosened tongues and made for fizzy acceptance speeches. Look no further than Olivia Colman who did a real loop-de-loop last year. My fantasy of comedy actor contenders Bill Murray and Sacha Baron Cohen doing shots and trading quips will not be a reality -- at least not this year.
As we close out Black History Month, it's paramount to highlight and celebrate significant contributions made by African Americans across all categories. One area that hasn't always been illuminated in textbooks is the number of revolutionary beauty inventions, innovations and businesses from people of color. Personal care, grooming and beauty are big business markets and statistics continue to show how willing consumers of color are to buy products that fit their specific needs.