Seat pulled out from under Cheney
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Kids as young as 12 can get a COVID-19 vaccine. Liz Cheney was stripped of her leadership post by House Republicans. And if you thought the price of gas seemed high – if you can find it – you'd be right.
👋 It's Laura. It's Wednesday. Do you know where your 12- to 15-year-olds are? Round ’em up, because it's vaccine time!
But first, I'm fairly sure this thing fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down before washing up on this beach in California. It's a Pacific Football Fish. It lives in the deepest depths of the ocean. And some of them glow in the dark! It sure is ugly, though.
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Liz Cheney ousted as GOP conference chair
The vote was cast by secret ballot, behind closed doors. When it was over, Rep. Liz Cheney was stripped of her leadership post by House Republicans who said her public sparring with former President Donald Trump became a distraction to the party hoping to regain the House in 2022. As chair of the House Republican Conference, the three-term Wyoming congresswoman had been the third-most-powerful Republican member of the chamber. Cheney is a staunch conservative from a red state and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, but her willingness to push back against what she called Trump's "Big Lie" about voter fraud in the 2020 election led to a break with other Republicans. Her ouster leaves a vacancy GOP officials expect to fill in the coming weeks.
What is the House Republican Conference chair? Here's what the chair does.
Cheney's speech Tuesday night: 'I know the topic is cancel culture.' What Cheney said in her House floor speech about Trump.
US dispatches envoy to the Middle East
Amid warnings of "full-scale war," the Biden administration dispatched a top State Department diplomat to the Middle East "immediately" to try to de-escalate the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas. President Joe Biden faces pressure to help stem the violence and international alarm over the death toll. The United Nations' special coordinator for the Middle East warned on Wednesday that the situation "is escalating toward full-scale war." The fighting has killed at least 53 Palestinians and seven Israelis, and Hamas and Israel continued their lethal exchange of rocket fire and airstrikes Wednesday. Fourteen Palestinian children and one Israeli child were among the dead. It's the most severe outbreak of violence since 2014.
White House says its focus is on 'de-escalation' between Israel, Palestine.
What everyone's talking about
Pandemic puppies turn into pound puppies. Shelters see dogs returned months after they were adopted.
Carole Baskin is not having it. 'Tiger King' star calls out Texas senators over tiger running loose in Houston.
No sauce!? No kidding. Chick-fil-A to limit sauce per customer because of industrywide shortage.
This kid is amazing: A 10-year-old boy who lived in a homeless shelter achieves a remarkable title: chess master.
🎶 Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine for teens
Please sing the headline above to the tune of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, thank you. So anyway, a CDC advisory committee approved Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents ages 12-15 and suggested teens get their other routine vaccinations along with it. The panel met Wednesday to discuss the safety, immune response and effectiveness of the vaccine in this age group after the FDA signed off Monday on the shots. So many children have fallen behind on their vaccinations during the pandemic that allowing them to get all the shots they need at once will be helpful, said L.J. Tan, chief strategy officer with the Immunization Action Coalition.
Younger teens could soon get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Your questions answered.
Under a whale, at the Indy 500 or while shopping for veggies: Cool places to get your COVID-19 shot.
Colonial Pipeline cranking back up
It'll take a few days, but the fuel situation on the East Coast should be getting back to normal soon. Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday "it initiated the restart" of operations after having to shut off a crucial regional pipeline after a cyberattack last week. In the midst of the shutdown, gas prices jumped just above $3 a gallon and many gas stations in the Southeast were out of fuel as panicking motorists rushed to fill up. The pipeline was set to resume operations around 5 p.m. ET, but the company said "it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal." Colonial Pipeline Co. shut off the conduit Saturday following a ransomware attack.
'Do not fill plastic bags with gasoline': US Consumer Product Safety Commission weighs in on gas shortage in Southeast.
Short List reader Patrick Hubbard wrote to us from Lynchburg, Virginia, to tell us about people lining up at the pump – and gas stations were running out. “I ended up getting gas at a grocery store and the pump had a sign that said regular only,” he said.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, Catherine Freund sent us a text to let us know she saw long lines at the gas pumps at Costco on Tuesday, when waits lasted “about 10 to 15 minutes versus the usual five minutes or so.”
Real quick
Derek Chauvin may face a longer sentence after a judge rules on aggravating factors in George Floyd's death.
'Black fungus' appears more frequently among COVID-19 patients in India. What to know about the deadly infection.
Anti-Olympics protester crashes International Olympic Committee news conference.
Former chiefs of Pentagon, Justice Department defend response to Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Ellen announces end of talk show
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" will soon no longer dance across TV screens. Ellen DeGeneres said Wednesday she plans to end her long-running talk show after 19 seasons next May. The move doesn't come as a huge surprise, considering the age and cost of the series. DeGeneres' contract expires next May, and she has spoken publicly about ending the show. The ratings for the show tumbled 43% this season, averaging 1.4 million viewers, from 2.5 million at this point last season.
Ellen DeGeneres: The talk show host and comedian's career in photos.
A break from the news
🙇 What is languishing? Burnout? Emotional exhaustion? A mental health glossary to explain what you're feeling.
🍗 As barbecue booms, a new generation of Black Southern pitmasters claim their rightful place.
👔 Father's Day is just around the corner. Here are 20 personalized gifts we think he'll love.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liz Cheney, the Middle East, COVID-19 vaccines, Ellen Degeneres: It's Wednesday's news
