‘Mercenary’ donor sold access for millions in foreign money

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As an elite political fundraiser, Imaad Zuberi had the ear of top Democrats and Republicans alike — a reach that included private meetings with then-Vice President Joe Biden and VIP access at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

He lived a lavish, jet-setting lifestyle, staying at fine hotels and hosting lawmakers and diplomats at four-star restaurants. Foreign ambassadors turned to Zuberi to get face time in Congress. A CIA officer called him the “best connected person I know,” marveling at the depth of his Rolodex.

He was a charming networker and an inveterate namedropper. His Facebook account was filled with pictures of him next to the powerful and famous: having dinner with Hillary Clinton and Robert De Niro and rubbing shoulders with Trump’s then-chief of staff Reince Priebus outside Mar-A-Lago. Zuberi raised huge amounts for Clinton in the 2016 election before becoming a top donor to the Trump Presidential Inauguration Committee.

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Supreme Court reviews Trump plan to exclude undocumented immigrants in redistricting

 

In what could be one of his most politically significant final acts as president, Donald Trump plans to exclude millions of undocumented immigrants from the official 2020 Census figures used to allocate political power and billions of dollars in federal funds.

But first, the U.S. Supreme Court has to sign off.

The justices on Monday will hear oral arguments over Trump's effort -- already twice rejected by lower federal courts -- that would break from more than a century of precedent in determining apportionment of the 435 congressional districts across all 50 states.

If successful, it would boost the influence of predominantly conservative, Republican states and rural communities while drawing resources away from more liberal, Democratic states and urban areas.

The Constitution requires an "actual enumeration" be performed every 10 years to account for changes in population and that decennial redistricting be based on "the whole number of persons in each state," regardless of citizenship or immigration status.

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Music Video Saturday.

 Music Video Saturday. Anything off of youtube. Please no copyrighted stuff. 

I am going to start off with this. 

Really cool video from the movie and live concert.

Black firefighters in NC allege racism amid larger reckoning

 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- They threw her new cellphone on the roof of the station house and placed nails under the wheels of her pickup truck. As she prepared to answer a call, someone poured tobacco juice in her boots. It was too much for Timika Ingram to bear.

“It caused me pain, sleepless nights, suffering, anxiety,” said Ingram, whose four years as a firefighter in North Carolina amounted to a collection of indignities.

Other Black firefighters who endured similar treatment in the Winston-Salem Fire Department recently brought their complaints before the city. The grievance they filed in October calls for Chief William “Trey” Mayo to be fired for failing to discipline white firefighters who, the group said, have created a hostile work environment through comments in person and on social media.

“It's a festering problem that has become even more disease-ridden and even more detrimental to the life of the individuals who work here because of the current chief,” said 28-year veteran firefighter Thomas Penn, a leader of the group that calls itself Omnibus.

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Woman soccer player will dress, poised to play for Vandy

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Women’s soccer player Sarah Fuller will don a football uniform Saturday for Vanderbilt and is poised to become the first woman to play in a Power 5 game when the Commodores visit Missouri.

“Let’s make history,” senior Sarah Fuller wrote Friday on Twitter with a photo of herself wearing a football jersey with a soccer ball between her feet while holding a football in her hands.

 

No woman has appeared in an Southeastern Conference football game or for any Power 5 gridiron team. Liz Heaston became the first woman to score with two extra points for Willamette in NAIA on Oct. 18, 1997.

 

Katie Hnida was the first woman to score at the Football Bowl Subdivision level with two extra points for New Mexico on Aug. 30, 2003. April Goss was the second with an extra point for Kent State in 2015. Tonya Butler was the first woman to kick a field goal in an NCAA game for Division II West Alabama on Sept. 13, 2003.

A senior from Wylie, Texas, Fuller made three saves last weekend as Vanderbilt upset top-seeded Arkansas 3-1 in women’s soccer to capture the program’s first Southeastern Conference Tournament title since 1994. Fuller played every minute of the tournament and said it’s an honor Vanderbilt called on her to help out.

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Plan released to reduce massive wildfires in US West

 

BOISE, Idaho -- U.S. officials on Friday released an overarching plan for removing or changing vegetation over a huge swath of the U.S. West to stop devastating wildfires on land used for cattle ranching, recreation and habitat for imperiled sage grouse.

The plan released by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management aims to limit wildfires in a 350,000-square-mile area of mainly sagebrush habitat that includes parts of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah.

The plan, which cost about $2 million, originated during the Obama administration as officials sought to avoid listing sage grouse as protected under the Endangered Species Act, which could have severely limited mining, ranching and recreation.

Giant rangeland wildfires in recent decades have destroyed vast areas of sagebrush steppe ecosystems that support some 350 species of wildlife. Experts say the blazes have mainly been driven by cheatgrass, an invasive species that relies on fire to spread to new areas while killing native plants, including sagebrush on which sage grouse depend.

 

 ARTICLE LINK

They're baaack: Trump and allies still refuse election loss

 

WASHINGTON -- Monday seemed like the end of President Donald Trump's relentless challenges to the election, after the federal government acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden was the “apparent winner” and Trump cleared the way for cooperation on a transition of power.

But his baseless claims have a way of coming back. And back. And back.

On Thursday, after a Thanksgiving evening conversation from the White House with troops stationed overseas, Trump abruptly pivoted to angrily alleging — still without any evidence — that “massive fraud” was behind his defeat.

Speaking to news crews gathered to watch the traditional holiday conversation with the military, Trump denounced officials in battleground states he'd lost as “communists” and “enemies of the state.” Trump also announced he'd be traveling to Georgia to meet with what he said would be tens of thousands of supporters on Dec. 5, ahead of two runoffs there that will likely determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate.

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

Happy Thanks giving everyone. 

Employers start sending workers shopping for health coverage

 

Instead of offering one or more options, some companies are turning health insurance shopping over to employees.

A federal rule change last year stoked this new approach. It allows employers to reimburse workers for coverage they bought without paying a tax penalty.

The concept sends employees to individual insurance markets where they can find more choices for coverage. It also protects employers from huge annual cost spikes. But it’s a big change for workers who are used to having their employer give them benefit choices every year.

This new approach — known as an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement or ICHRA — started with coverage plans for this year. More workers will likely see them offered this fall during their company’s annual sign-up window for 2021 coverage.

Benefits experts say the idea is drawing interest from employers, but they expect the option to grow slowly over the next few years.

“We are seeing much more cautious adoption of it," said Alan Silver, senior director of health and benefits for the consulting firm Willis Towers Watson.

ARTICLE LINK 

When schools are open amid COVID pandemic, online learners feel shortchanged

 

It was the second week of the fall semester when Cassandra Wooten realized her teenage daughter was sinking. The high school junior often spent hours a day on her computer for online school, only to tell her mom at day’s end that she wasn’t sure she’d learned anything at all.

Wooten had decided to enroll her daughter in the remote learning plan at Mississippi's DeSoto County School District last summer, when infection rates were surging and hospitals ran out of ICU beds. Wooten was determined to keep her only child safe and felt confident that a computer, quiet space in their home and a good attitude would keep her on track with her peers who were learning in person. 

But as it became apparent that her daughter’s experience would consist largely of watching pre-recorded videos from her teachers and pacing through classwork by herself, Wooten lost her optimism. A strong student before the pandemic, her daughter's grade in Algebra II slipped to a D. Before the first month of classes ended, Wooten hired a tutor to assist her daughter with the class.

“It’s absolutely pointless to have a program called virtual learning, but there is no opportunity for any virtual learning,” said Wooten, who works as an analyst tracking the arrival of medical supplies needed to combat the pandemic. 

ARTICLE LINK

Tesla, Uber part of new zero-emission vehicle coalition

 

Twenty-eight companies from across the energy and transportation sectors, including Tesla, PG&E, and electric truck startup Lordstown Motors, are teaming up to form the Zero Emission Transportation Association, or ZETA -- a coalition that is aiming to have all light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the United States be 100% electric by 2030.

"We had a host of folks in the [electric vehicle] community early on in 2020 that really were interested in having their own voice on federal policy and trying to figure out what was the best possible way to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles," said Joe Britton, the executive director of ZETA. "We started to do outreach to others and then it snowballed really quickly. Folks have been really excited about having a new approach to this and bringing all the institutional knowledge that these companies and advocacy experts and NGOs and others have to accelerate the EV transition."

ARTICLE LINK 

Wisconsin officials: Trump observers obstructing recount

 

MILWAUKEE -- Election officials in Wisconsin’s largest county accused observers for President Donald Trump on Saturday of seeking to obstruct a recount of the presidential results, in some instances by objecting to every ballot tabulators pulled to count.

Trump requested the recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties, both heavily liberal, in hopes of undoing Democrat Joe Biden's victory by about 20,600 votes. With no precedent for a recount reversing such a large margin, Trump's strategy is widely seen as aimed at an eventual court challenge, part of a push in key states to undo his election loss.

A steady stream of Republican complaints in Milwaukee was putting the recount far behind schedule, county clerk George Christenson said. He said many Trump observers were breaking rules by constantly interrupting vote counters with questions and comments.

“That’s unacceptable,” he said. He said some of the Trump observers “clearly don't know what they are doing.”

ARTICLE LINK 

College applicants are down, especially among low-income students, Common App says

 

The number of college applicants is down so far this year, particularly among first-generation and low-income students, according to data from Common App, in what the college application company is calling an "alarming trend."

The organization, whose college admission application is used by over 900 colleges and universities, analyzed application data from its returning members submitted through Nov. 16 -- the early decision and early action deadline for many institutions this year.

The Common App found that when compared to the same period last year, the number of unique applicants decreased 4% this year (659,993 applicants, down from 686,866 in 2019). This decline was greater among first-generation and fee waiver-eligible applicants, which each saw about a 10% decline in applicant volume, it said. It was even greater than the decline for non-first-generation applicants (down nearly 2%) and non-fee waiver applicants (down about 3%).

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Illinois man, 81, uses antique walking stick to beat thieves

 

NILES, Ill. (AP) — An 81-year-old former Marine from suburban Chicago used his grandfather’s antique Irish walking stick to chase off three burglars and deliver one a thump in the head for his trouble.

Dan and Barbara Donovan told the Pioneer Press newspaper group that a man in a reflective vest and mask knocked on their door in Niles on Nov. 4 and said he was a utility worker who needed to check their fuse box due to a recent fire in the area.

Barbara Donovan said while they were in the basement with the man, who was looking at their electric circuit panel, she heard squeaking floorboards upstairs realized something wasn’t right.

ARTICLE LINK 

Statewide audit results reaffirm Biden winner in Georgia

 

The results of Georgia's first-ever risk-limiting audit, which entailed counties recounting by hand every vote cast in the presidential race, reaffirmed that President-elect Joe Biden is the victor in Georgia, according to the secretary of state.

"The audit confirmed the original result of the election, namely that Joe Biden won the Presidential Contest in the state of Georgia," the audit report plainly states.

 

It will be the first time since 1992, when then-candidate Bill Clinton's margin of victory was similarly close, that a Democrat will earn the Peach State's 16 electoral votes. Edison Research, the company ABC News uses to report votes, projected that Biden would win Georgia on Friday.

"The recount process simply reaffirmed what we already knew: Georgia voters selected Joe Biden to be their next president. We are grateful to the election officials, volunteers and workers for working overtime and under unprecedented circumstances to complete this recount, as the utmost form of public service," Jaclyn Rothenberg, the Biden campaign's Georgia communications director, said in a statement.

ARTICLE LINK 

Pfizer, BioNTech to submit emergency authorization request to FDA Friday for COVID-19 vaccine

 

Pfizer and partner BioNTech announced they will submit a request on Friday to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The submission, which is based on a vaccine efficacy rate of 95% demonstrated in the Phase 3 clinical study with no serious safety concerns to date, will potentially enable the use of the drug in high-risk populations in the United States by the middle to end of December, according to a joint press release.

"Our work to deliver a safe and effective vaccine has never been more urgent, as we continue to see an alarming rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 globally," Dr. Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, said in a statement Friday. "Filing in the U.S. represents a critical milestone in our journey to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine to the world and we now have a more complete picture of both the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine, giving us confidence in its potential."

ARTICLE LINK 

CDC recommends that Americans don't travel for Thanksgiving

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending against travel for Thanksgiving. 

During a press briefing Thursday, Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, said the agency is "recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period."

“The tragedy that could happen is that one of your family members is coming to this family gathering and they could end up severely ill, hospitalized or dying. And we don’t want that to happen," he said, as COVID-19 cases tick up across the country. “These times are tough, it’s been a long outbreak, almost 11 months, and we understand people are tired.”

He continued: “We understand that people want to see their family and relatives and do it as they’ve always done it. But this year we’re asking them to limit their travel.”

 

ARTICLE LINK 

Japan records high of daily virus cases, amid worrying spike

 

TOKYO -- Japan reported a record number of daily coronavirus infections Thursday, amid a worrying spike in a country that has been spared the worst of the pandemic and hopes to host the Olympics next year.

Compared to many other countries, Japan has done well combatting the virus, reporting just under 2,000 deaths in a nation of 126 million since the pandemic began. But Tokyo saw a record number of single-day cases twice this week, and the Health Ministry said Thursday that the national number hit a record with 2,179 new cases.

That's the first time Japan has had more than 2,000 daily cases since the pandemic began. The previous high was set Saturday.

Those figures are still quite low compared to many places around the world experiencing dangerous surges, and, while Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged the thorough use of masks Thursday, he did not call for reissuing restrictions on travel or business.

 

ARTICLE LINK 

UK to ban gasoline car sales by 2030 as part of green plan

 

LONDON -- Britain will ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030, a decade earlier than its previous commitment, the prime minister said Tuesday.

Boris Johnson made the pledge as part of plans for a “green industrial revolution” that he claims could create up to 250,000 jobs in energy, transport and technology.

The government said sales of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans will end in 2030, though hybrid vehicles can be sold until 2035.

Automakers have expressed concern about the target, saying the previous goal of 2040 was already ambitious.

The government's green plans also include investments in hydrogen energy and carbon capture technology, and an ambition to generate enough wind energy to power every home in the U.K. by 2030. To the chagrin of some environmentalists, plans also include a new generation of nuclear power plants.

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Pfizer vaccine 95% effective in final analysis, plans to seek emergency authorization 'within days'

 

Pfizer and partner BioNTech announced their coronavirus vaccine is more than 95% effective in the final analysis of its massive Phase 3 trial on Wednesday, and has reached a key safety milestone that will allow the company to apply for Food and Drug Administration authorization “within days.”

If the FDA gives the vaccine the green light, Pfizer will likely make history as the first company with an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. It has plans to start delivering millions of doses of the potentially lifesaving vaccine to the most vulnerable overnight once the government gives a green light, possibly before the end of 2020, the company said.

Just last week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced their vaccine was more than 90% effective, according to a preliminary analysis based on the first 94 patients to develop symptomatic COVID-19 in a trial of more than 43,000 volunteers.

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DHS cybersecurity head Christopher Krebs fired by President Trump after he disputes fraud claims

 

The leader of the top cybersecurity agency inside the Department of Homeland Security, who has repeatedly rebuked claims made by President Donald Trump and his campaign about widespread voter fraud, has now been fired, the president Tuesday announced on Twitter.

Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, had expected to be fired, a source with knowledge of the situation told ABC News last week.

The president criticized a statement given by Krebs' agency saying there was no evidence of fraud during the 2020 election. In announcing Krebs' firing, Trump repeated previously debunked claims of fraud in the election.

"The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud -- including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, 'glitches' in the voting machines which changed votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more," Trump wrote without evidence on Twitter. "Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency."

ARTICLE LINK 

2nd Trump lawyer asks to pull out of case challenging Pennsylvania election

 

A second lawyer who was helping lead President Donald Trump's effort to contest the outcome of the 2020 election has asked to step aside, according to a new federal court filing.

Republican attorney Linda A. Kerns submitted papers with the U.S. District Court Monday saying she had "reached a mutual agreement that Plaintiffs will be best served" if she withdrew.

She was joined in the motion by two other attorneys -- colleagues who only recently signed on to the case with her.

Kerns is a veteran of election law battles in Pennsylvania and has written publicly about her desire to see voter ID laws passed to prevent election fraud.

ARTICLE LINK 

Biden won, but technically the election's not over: What to expect in the next 60 days

 

Although President-elect Joe Biden has won the election and is currently sitting at 290 electoral votes, the election isn't over.

State's have to finish counting votes and certifying the results before their state-chosen deadline. Once states have certified their votes, state electors have to cast their Electoral College votes before sending them to Congress to be counted.  

Despite President Donald Trump having yet to accept the outcome of the election and pursuing legal action, the timeline for state electors to meet and send in their votes will remain the same, as established by the Constitution.

If the several states Trump is contesting results in do conduct a recount, the recount and results have to be certified by the "Safe Harbor" deadline in order to count.

ARTICLE LINK 

Americans across party lines, regions embrace marijuana

 

HELENA, Mont. -- Bill Stocker could be considered the archetype of a conservative voter: He's a retired Marine and former police officer who voted for President Donald Trump. But he's also among the majority of South Dakota voters who broadly legalized marijuana this month.

Stocker, 61, said enforcing marijuana laws gets in the way of pursuing other drug crimes and called warnings about the ills of marijuana “a bunch of baloney" that even people in a Republican stronghold like South Dakota no longer believe.

South Dakota's values of “personal responsibility and freedom” won out, said Stocker, who lives in Sioux Falls.

The 2020 election helped prove how broadly accepted marijuana has become throughout the United States, with measures to legalize recreational pot also breezing to victory in progressive New Jersey, moderate Arizona and conservative Montana. Fifteen states have now broadly legalized it, while 36 states allow medical marijuana.

Voters in Mississippi overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana this month, giving the drug another foothold in the South.

ARTICLE LINK 

Trial in France for extremist foiled by 3 Americans on train

 

PARIS -- An Islamic State operative went on trial Monday in Paris on terror charges for swaggering bare-chested through a train in 2015 with an arsenal of weapons and shooting one passenger. He was brought down by three American vacationers in an electrifying capture that Clint Eastwood turned into a Hollywood thriller.

The scene five years ago on the fast train from Amsterdam to Paris is the focus of the month-long trial of Ayoub El Khazzani, with testimony expected from the two U.S. servicemen and their friend, who have been hailed as heroes.

Their lawyer, Thibault de Montbrial, said at the courthouse Monday that their "very brave intervention" had thwarted a “slaughter.”

“This terror attack could have killed up to 300 people based on the number of ammunition that was found on the terrorist and in his bag,” he said,

ARTICLE LINK 

Moderna announces initial Phase 3 data showing its COVID-19 vaccine is up to 94.5% effective

 

In another promising medical development, the biotechnology company Moderna has announced its COVID-19 vaccine could be up to 94.5% effective.

The news comes a week after Pfizer announced its vaccine could be up to 90% effective based on a similar, early analysis from its Phase 3 trial.

In a release Monday, Moderna said its Phase 3 trial "met statistical criteria with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5%," according to an early analysis of the data that included 95 participants with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

 However, vaccine specialists caution that these numbers are not set in stone -- both estimates could increase or decrease as the respective trials continue, and the vaccines may ultimately prove to work better in some groups than in others.

ARTICLE LINK 

LeVar Burton is 'flattered' fans want him to replace Alex Trebek on 'Jeopardy!'

 

Following the death of Alex Trebek, "Jeopardy!" fans have begun to speculate who might replace the television giant on the long-running game show.

From record-breaking champion Ken Jennings to "Golden Girls" icon Betty White,lots of names have been thrown into the hat.

Some fans felt so passionate about one potential candidate that they began an online petition to get him to the podium. Whether you know him as the longtime host of "Reading Rainbow" or as an actor on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" or "Roots," fans say LeVar Burton and his longtime presence on the big and small screen alike make him perfect for the gig.

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Nobel UN food agency warns 2021 will be worse than 2020

 

UNITED NATIONS -- The head of the World Food Program says the Nobel Peace Prize has given the U.N. agency a spotlight and megaphone to warn world leaders that next year is going to be worse than this year, and without billions of dollars “we are going to have famines of biblical proportions in 2021.”

David Beasley said in an interview with The Associated Press that the Norwegian Nobel Committee was looking at the work the agency does every day in conflicts, disasters and refugee camps, often putting staffers’ lives at risk to feed millions of hungry people -- but also to send “a message to the world that it’s getting worse out there ... (and) that our hardest work is yet to come.”

“It was so timely because we’ve been fighting to get above the choir,” Beasley said of last month's award, pointing to the news being dominated by the U.S. elections and the COVID-19 pandemic, and the difficulty of getting global attention focused on “the travesty that we’re facing around the world.”

“So this was really a gift from above,” Beasley said, recalling the surprise and delight of WFP's 20,000 staffers worldwide, and his own shock at being interrupted during a meeting in Niger in Africa's Sahel region with the news.

ARTICLE LINK 

Hero Takes Off Prosthetic Leg And Saves Man's Life As His Car Sinks Into The Bay

 

On Tuesday afternoon, Anthony Capuano, 29, had just finished a workout in the park when he heard screaming.

A group of roughly 20 bystanders had gathered on the shore, he said, watching a car sinking into the bay.

Capuano, who happens to be a lifeguard and swim coach, didn't hesistate to jump in -- but first he had to take off his prosthetic leg.

Eleven years ago Capuano was struck by a train. First responders saved his life but it cost him his leg.

In the video below, Capuano can be seen swimming furiously through the bay toward the vehicle, while onlookers scream from the shore.

ARTICLE LINK 

Miami Marlins name Kim Ng 1st female general manager in Major League Baseball history

 

The Miami Marlins made a historic change to the lineup in their front office.

Kim Ng was named general manager of the Miami Marlins, the organization announced Friday, becoming the first female and first Asian American general manager in the sport's history.

"I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next General Manager," Ng, a longtime baseball executive who has been senior vice president for baseball operations for the MLB since 2011, said in a statement.

ARTICLE LINK 

'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' cast reunion special gets trailer, premiere date

 

The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" reunion now has a premiere date and a trailer.

Will Smith took to social media on Friday, Nov. 13, to reveal the one-time special will air on HBO Max on Thursday, Nov. 19, and to give fans a look at what to expect from when the cast got together again.

 

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" featured Smith playing a fictionalized version of himself named Will, a teen from West Philadelphia sent to live with his rich Uncle Phil (the late James Avery) and Aunt Viv (first played by Janet Hubert and later by Daphne Maxwell Reid) in their Bel-Air mansion with their butler, Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell), and their three children -- Hilary (Karyn Parsons), Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) and Ashley (Tatyana Ali).

There are many nostalgic moments in the trailer, with the entire cast reminiscing about their time filming the iconic sitcom, which ran for six seasons, airing 148 episodes.

ARTICLE LINK

States ramp up for biggest vaccination effort in US history

 

With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who’s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second one.

The push could begin as early as next month, when federal officials say the first vaccine may be authorized for emergency use and immediately deployed to high-risk groups, such as health care workers.

“The cavalry is coming,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America." He said he hopes shots will be available to all Americans in April, May and June.

Pfizer also boosted hopes this week, saying early data suggests its vaccine is 90% effective. But the good news came in one of the grimmest weeks of the pandemic so far. Deaths, hospitalizations and new infections are surging across the U.S. — and turning up the pressure to get the vaccine effort right.

In Philadelphia, the health department is counting how many health care workers and others would be among the first in line. In Louisiana, officials are planning a remote exercise this week to play out different scenarios exploring how the process might unfold.

ARTICLE LINK 

Nurse charged with murder of 8 babies in UK held in custody

 

LONDON -- A nurse accused of killing eight babies and trying to kill another 10 at a hospital in northwest England was remanded into custody Thursday, a day after she was charged with murder and attempted murder.

Lucy Letby, 30, was remanded in custody after appearing via video link during a brief 10-minute hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court. She sat behind a desk, next to her lawyer, and confirmed her name, date of birth and home address.

No pleas were entered and Letby will appear at Chester Crown Court on Friday.

Letby was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into deaths at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, south of Liverpool. The deaths relate to the period between June 2015 and June 2016.

ARTICLE LINK 

The Trump campaign is reportedly planning a way to bypass the 2020 election results in key swing states

 

• The Trump campaign is weighing a postelection strategy that would bypass the results in key swing states by installing electors who would vote for the president in the Electoral College even if he loses, according to a report by The Atlantic.
• Election experts have said that moves by state legislatures to appoint their own slate of presidential electors after the fact would violate federal law.
• The Trump campaign's plan would focus on swing states with Republican-led legislatures, including Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, The Atlantic reported.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Trump campaign is weighing a postelection strategy that would bypass the results in key swing states by installing electors who would vote for the president in the Electoral College even if he loses, The Atlantic reported.

Using a rationale of baseless claims about widespread voter fraud and other irregularities with mail ballots, President Donald Trump "would ask state legislators to set aside the popular vote and exercise their power to choose a slate of electors directly," The Atlantic's Barton Gellman wrote, adding that "the longer Trump succeeds in keeping the vote count in doubt, the more pressure legislators will feel to act before the safe-harbor deadline expires."

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Got there just in the nick of time': 200 queens were in first 'murder hornet' nest. But there could be more out there

 

A nest of a massive, and potentially deadly, invasive hornet species in Washington state likely isn't the only one in the U.S., a state entomologist said.

A team with the Washington State Department of Agriculture that destroyed the first discovered nest in the U.S. found about 500 hornets at various stages of their life cycles in the nest — including approximately 200 queens.

Some of the queens could have escaped, mated and formed new colonies next year had they not been captured.

"We got there just in the nick of time," said Sven-Erik Spichiger, an entomologist with the state Department of Agriculture.

However, other sightings of hornets around the area indicate that the team's work might not be finished.

"We do believe there are additional nests," he said at a virtual news conference Tuesday.

ARTICLE LINK 

Tens of thousands left the president option blank, though 'undervotes' were down from 2016

 

Betty Robertshaw paused for a few moments in the voting booth, the last four years of Donald Trump’s polarizing presidency and the campaign blitzes from recent months still fresh in her mind.

A registered Independent, the 73-year-old from the suburbs of Philadelphia had voted for candidates on both sides of the ticket, leaning slightly to the right. She quickly went down the list, filling in her favorites for Congress, state and local races. 

Then, Robertshaw left without casting a vote for either of the presidential candidates headlining the ballot. 

She did not support Trump’s policies on social issues and erratic behavior from the White House. But she worried President-elect Joe Biden was too old and she was not a fan of his pick for vice president.

“I just felt that I could not give my vote to either person,” said Robertshaw, who did not vote for president four years ago either. “I just couldn’t do it. I did what I had to do for my conscience.”

ARTICLE LINK