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Published by Reuters By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Poorer nations last month rejected more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme COVAX, mainly because of a rapidly approaching expiry date, a UNICEF official said on Thursday. The big figure shows the difficulties of vaccinating the world’s population, despite growing supplies of shots, with COVAX getting closer to delivering 1 billion doses to nearly 150 countries. “More than a 100 million have been rejected just in December alone,” Etleva Kadilli, director of the supply division at the U.N. agency, told lawmakers at the European Parliament, adding that the main reason for rejection was their short shelf life. Later in the day a spokesperson for the U.N. children’s agency said that of the 100 million doses rejected, 15.5 million were deemed to have been destroyed. Some doses were rejected by multiple countries. UNICEF did not reply to a query on the total of rejected doses so far, in addition to those rejected in December. Wealthy countries donating vaccines with a relatively short shelf life has been a “major problem” for COVAX, a senior official of the World Health Organization said last month. Poorer nations have also been forced to delay supplies because they have insufficient storage facilities, Kadilli said, including a lack of fridges for vaccines – for which COVAX investments have been delayed for months. Many countries also face high levels of vaccine hesitancy and have overburdened healthcare systems. By the end of 2021 the EU had made available to poorer nations 380 million doses, of which only 255 million have been delivered, the European Commission has said. Many other doses are stored for use in poorer nations. UNICEF data shows 681 million shipped doses are now stored in about 90 poorer nations, says CARE, a charity, which extracted the figures from a public database. More than 30 poorer nations, including big states such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, have used fewer than half of the doses they received, CARE said. A spokesperson for Gavi, a vaccine alliance which co-manages COVAX, said the high storage level was because of a surge in deliveries in the last quarter, especially in December. Gavi added that most vaccines recently shipped by COVAX had a long shelf life, and so were unlikely to be wasted. MORE SHIPMENTS COVAX, which is co-led by the WHO, has delivered 987 million COVID-19 vaccines to 144 countries, Gavi data shows. COVAX is the main supplier to dozens of poorer nations, but not the only one, as some countries buy doses on their own or use other regional programmes. Supplies to poorer nations have long been very limited because of lack of vaccines, as wealthier countries secured most of the doses initially available from December 2020. But shipments have increased exponentially in the last quarter, thanks to donations from rich countries that have vaccinated the majority of their populations. In January, 67% of the population in richer nations had been fully vaccinated, whereas only 8% in poorer nations have received their first dose, WHO figures show. Increased supply caught many recipients unprepared. “We have countries that are pushing doses that are currently available towards quarter two of 2022,” Kadilli said. Of the 15 million doses from the EU that have been refused, three-quarters were AstraZeneca shots with a shelf life of less than 10 weeks upon arrival, according to a UNICEF slide. “You want to have adequate time to move vaccines from depots,” said Kenya’s health ministry spokesperson Mburugu Gikunda said, adding that doses near expiry would go to waste if accepted. Reuters reported in December that up to one million vaccines were estimated to have expired in Nigeria the previous month without being used. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; additional reporting by Maggie Fick in Nairobi; Editing by Alex Richardson and Clarence Fernandez) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA This June, Queen Elizabeth IIis set to mark 70 years on the throne — a feat unmatched by any royal in history. But a dark cloud has been hanging above the celebration as her disgraced son Prince Andrewcontinues to make headlines over his entanglements with deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In September, Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey’s most prominent accusers, sued the 61-year-old, claiming he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. (Andrew’s lawyers requested to have the lawsuit thrown out at a January 4 hearing.) But even as damning evidence piles up, a source says Her Majesty, 95, is still defending him behind palace walls: “No matter the outcome, she will not desert him.” MEGA Under immense scrutiny, Andrew is getting by with support from his family — even if Prince Charles, 73, hasn’t been as forgiving. (“He finds the whole ordeal disgusting,” says the source.) Still, The Firm can agree that helping the queen navigate this difficult time is of the utmost importance. “The stress has been tremendous,” adds the source. “But she will persevere, as she’s always done.” ATTORNEY CLAIMS GHISLAINE MAXWELL VERDICT ‘BRINGS US ONE STEP CLOSER’ TO ACCUSED ROYAL PRINCE ANDREW Since Andrew stepped back from royal duties in November 2019, his future remained uncertain up until a few days ago, there had been much speculation surrounding whether the queen would strip him of his title, with the source noting: “He’s already lost his reputation.” Despite not deserting her son behind closed doors, OK! reported on Thursday, January 13, that Her Majesty stripped her son of his military titles and royal patronages after more than 150 veterans signed an open letter this week calling for the embattled royal family member to be dishonorably discharged. MEGA Andrew’s team previously tried getting the case dismissed on the grounds that Virginia’s $500,000 settlement with Jeffrey protected their client, given that the recently undisclosed documents mention “other potential defendants.” Despite their efforts, Judge Lewis Kaplan insisted the deal bars “any other person” from using it in another case and denied Andrew’s request for dismissal. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe, Sarah N. Lynch, Elizabeth Culliford and Paresh Dave WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol on Thursday subpoenaed Facebook parent Meta, Google parent Alphabet, Twitter and Reddit, seeking information about how their platforms were used to help spread misinformation and violent extremism in the failed bid to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “We cannot allow our important work to be delayed any further,” the House Select Committee’s chairman, Bennie Thompson, said in a statement. The subpoenas are the latest development in the panel’s investigation into the causes of the attack on the Capitol by then-President Donald Trump’s supporters, and the role played by Trump, who has pushed false claims that he lost a rigged election to Joe Biden. “Two key questions for the Select Committee are how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the violent attack on our democracy, and what steps – if any -social media companies took to prevent their platforms from being breeding grounds for radicalizing people to violence,” Representative Thompson said. “It’s disappointing that after months of engagement, we still do not have the documents and information necessary to answer those basic questions.” The companies have until Jan. 27 to comply. Meta said it has turned over documents on “a schedule committee staff requested – and we will continue to do so.” Google said it has been cooperating with the committee by “responding substantively to their requests for documents” and will continue to do so. “We have strict policies prohibiting content that incites violence or undermines trust in elections across YouTube and Google’s products, and we enforced these policies in the run-up to January 6 and continue to do so today,” Google said. Reddit said it would continue to work with the committee on their requests. Twitter declined to comment. The committee has issued more than 50 subpoenas and heard from more than 300 witnesses. It is expected to release an interim report in the summer and a final report in the fall. Social media platforms were widely blamed for amplifying calls to violence and spreading misinformation that contributed to the Jan. 6 attempt to violently overturn the election results. In August, the panel asked 15 tech companies, including the ones subpoenaed on Thursday as well as TikTok, Snapchat, Parler, 4chan and others, for records related to the riot. In a letter sent this week to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Thompson said that “despite repeated and specific requests for documents” related to Facebook’s practices on election misinformation and violent content, the committee had still not received these materials. Letters to the other three CEOs contained similar criticisms. Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Zuckerberg were also grilled by lawmakers last March in a hearing on misinformation about the role of their platforms in the Capitol riot. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Jan Wolfe and Elizabeth Culliford; Additional reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Alistair Bell and Sandra Maler) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses – a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of many Americans – while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities. Biden voiced disappointment with the conservative-majority court’s decision to halt his administration’s rule requiring vaccines or weekly COVID-19 tests for employees at businesses with at least 100 employees. Biden said it now is up to states and employers to decide whether to require workers “to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated.” The court was divided in both cases, centering on pandemic-related federal regulations at a time of escalating coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant in a nation that leads the world with more than 845,000 COVID-19 deaths. It ruled 6-3, with the six conservative justices in the majority and three liberal justices dissenting, in blocking the rule involving large businesses – a policy that applied to more than 80 million employees. The court’s majority downplayed the risk COVID-19 specifically poses in the workplace, comparing it instead to “day-to-day” crime and pollution hazards that individuals face everywhere. The vote was 5-4 to allow the healthcare worker rule, which requires vaccination for about 10.3 million workers at 76,000 healthcare facilities including hospitals and nursing homes that accept money from the Medicare and Medicaid government health insurance programs for elderly, disabled and low-income Americans. Two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined the liberals in the majority in that case. In a statement, Biden said the court’s decision allowing the healthcare worker mandate “will save lives” and his administration will enforce it. Workers must be vaccinated by the end of February. The court heard arguments last Friday in the legal fight over temporary mandates issued in November by two federal agencies aimed at increasing U.S. vaccination rates and making workplaces and healthcare settings safer. The cases tested presidential powers to address a swelling public health crisis. In an unsigned ruling, the court said the rule affecting large businesses, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), was not an ordinary use of federal power. “It is instead a significant encroachment on the lives – and health – of a vast number of employees,” the court said. “Permitting OSHA to regulate the hazards of daily life -simply because most Americans have jobs and face those same risks while on the clock – would significantly expand OSHA’s regulatory authority without clear congressional authorization,” the court added. Challengers led by the state of Ohio and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which represents employers, asked the justices to block OSHA’s rule after a lower court lifted an injunction against it. Companies were supposed to start showing they were in compliance starting this past Monday. In dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote on behalf of the liberal justices that the decision “stymies the federal government’s ability to counter the unparalleled threat that COVID-19 poses to our nation’s workers.” ‘WELCOME RELIEF’ “Today’s decision is welcome relief for America’s small businesses, who are still trying to get their business back on track since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Karen Harned, executive director of the NFIB’s legal arm. The high court blocked a Dec. 17 decision by the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that had allowed the mandate to go into effect. In the healthcare facilities case, the court’s differently comprised majority concluded that the regulation “fits neatly” within the power Congress conferred on the government to impose conditions on Medicaid and Medicare funds, which includes policies that protect health and safety. “After all, ensuring that providers take steps to avoid transmitting a dangerous virus to their patients is consistent with the fundamental principle of the medical profession: first, do no harm,” the court said. Four conservative justices dissented from the healthcare facility decision, concluding that Congress had not given the federal agency the authority to require vaccinations for millions of healthcare workers. In one dissent, Justice Samuel Alito doubted that the agency can “put more than 10 million healthcare workers to the choice of their jobs or an irreversible medical treatment.” The justices lifted orders by federal judges in Missouri and Louisiana blocking the policy in 24 states, allowing the administration to enforce it nearly nationwide. Enforcement was blocked in Texas by a lower court in separate litigation not at issue before the Supreme Court. Gerald Harmon, president of the American Medical Association physicians group, said that although he is pleased the court allowed the healthcare worker mandate, the broader workplace rule is also needed. “Workplace transmission has been a major factor in the spread of COVID-19,” Harmon added. “Now more than ever, workers in all settings across the country need commonsense, evidence-based protections against COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death.” (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung; Additional reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Late billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reportedly brought 8 women with him to visit then-President Bill Clinton in the White House during his administration nearly 30 years ago. According to White House visitor logs recently obtained by Daily Mail, Epstein reportedly visit Clinton in the Oval Office at least 17 times during the former president’s first term. But while Epstein visited the White House numerous times, the recently revealed logs show that he was not always alone, and even brought multiple different women along with him on numerous occasions between 1993 and 1995. Mega The women Epstein would bring along during his visits to the White House were reportedly all women he was having romantic relationships with at the time, including Celina Midelfart, who was then only 21, Eva Andersson-Dubin, then 33, Francis Jardine, who was only in her 20’s, and his one-time girlfriend, confidant, and now recently convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, who was 32 at the time. The other women who also appeared in the White House visitor logs include Jennifer Garrison, Shelley Gafni, Jennifer Driver, and Lyoubov Orlova. The bombshell revelation that Epstein and Maxwell visited Bill Clinton at the White House with 7 other women – most of who were in their early-to-mid 20’s at the time – comes only a couple weeks after Maxwell was convicted for five out of six counts of sexually grooming and trafficking underage girls for her “partner-in-crime” Jeffrey Epstein. As Radar previously reported, the five counts the 60-year-old former British socialite was found guilty of include conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, and the sex trafficking of minors. Mega Although none of the women listed in the newly released White House visitor logs were any of the victims from Maxwell’s federal trial, it raises questions regarding exactly what Maxwell’s role was during those White House visits and what her and Epstein’s agenda was at the time of visiting former-President Bill Clinton. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Here are excerpts of communications that Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, had with his allies in the run-up to and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to prosecutors, who on Thursday charged him and 10 alleged members of the group with seditious conspiracy. NOVEMBER 2020 The indictment says Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, started disseminating messages on encrypted applications to his followers in November 2020, encouraging them to “oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power.” On Nov. 5, two days after the election, he sent a message on the Signal message service that read: “We aren’t getting through this without a civil war. Too late for that. Prepare your mind body, spirit.” DECEMBER 2020 On Dec. 11, Rhodes sent a message to an invitation-only group chat on Signal, telling them that if Democrat Joe Biden took over the presidency “it will be a bloody and desperate fight. We are going to have a fight. That can’t be avoided.’ On Christmas Day, Rhodes wrote that Congress would likely “screw” then-President Donald Trump over and the only chance he has is if “we scare the shit out of them and convince them it will be torches and pitchforks…” JAN. 6, 2021 Just before 1:30 p.m. on the day of the attack Rhodes told people in the Signal chat: Vice President Mike “Pence is doing nothing. As I predicted.” He added: “All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. They’ve had enough.” Rhodes told people that those who gathered at the Capitol were not members of antifa, the loosely organized anti-fascism movement. Asked by an associate who was in the mobs storming the Capitol, Rhodes replied: “Actual Patriots. Pissed off patriots. Like the Sons of Liberty were pissed off patriots.” (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, compiled by Costas Pitas; Editing by Scott Malone) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday he has denied parole to Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian refugee serving a life sentence for assassinating U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Newsom outlined his decision in an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Tim Ahmann) View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Prince Andrew has been spotted for the first time following a judge’s ruling yesterday that he must either settle or face his sexual assault accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre in court. According to pictures obtained by Radar, the 61-year-old prince was not looking happy this morning as he sat in the back seat of his nearly $110,000 Range Rover while being driven away from his Windsor Great Park home. MEGA As Radar previously reported, a New York judge ruled yesterday that the embattled prince must face his accuser in a United States court. The trial, which is scheduled to kick off in September, is a major cause for concern for Prince Andrew and the rest of the royal family – not only because of the money such litigation would cost but also because of the potentially damning and reputation-destroying revelations that could potentially be shared during both Giuffre’s and Andrew’s testimonies. Because of the potential dangers that may come if the duke lets the case go to trial, many experts are speculating that the prince will settle with Giuffre. “Judge Lewis Kaplan has thrown a reasoned judicial decision like a bomb into the middle and the heart of the royal family and threatens to provoke constitutional crisis as a consequence,” Mark Stephens, an expert in constitutional law, recently said before adding that he thinks Andrew will offer Giuffre anywhere from $7 million to nearly $14 million to settle and avoid a trial. “Essentially, I think he’s either going to have to engage in the trial process or he’s going to have to settle and that may well be his least worst option,” Stephens added. “There is a need to limit the damage. Andrew, I suspect will be stripped of his royal titles. A settlement of five or ten million [pounds] is a good bet but Ms. Giuffre may want her day in court.” MEGA While some believe Giuffre may reject any settlement offer because she believes she deserves her day in court against the duke, her lawyer recently spoke out and said that may actually not be the case. “I think Virginia is determined to go to trial, but settlement is always a possibility,” David Boies, Giuffre’s lawyer, recently hinted. “There has been no suggestion of settlement discussions at this point. Prior to the time that we brought the case we reached out to Prince Andrew and to Prince Andrew’s lawyers and suggested mediation as a possible way of avoiding litigation,” Boies added. “There was no interest in that at that time whether that has changed or not, I think, we’ll have to wait and see. A purely financial settlement is not anything that I think that she is interested in.” MEGA View the full article

Michael Henry’s First of 2022, [This post contains video, click to play] Amy Schumer & Shirley Maclaine Join the Cast of 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 2!There are some new additions to Only Murders In The Building! The hit Hulu series, which is currently in production for […]Swinging Richards, Atlanta's Gay Strip Club, Announces ClosingSwinging Richards, the world famous gay strip club in Atlanta, Georgia, has announced the sad news it will be closing its […]Cody Simpson Goes Shirtless as He Leaves the Pool After TrainingCody Simpson is spending his morning in the pool! The 25-year-old Australian singer and swimmer chatted with a friend as he […]Thursday Ad Watch I'll give you one guess if this is the one television commercial I don't fast-forward through. Watch BELOW.If anyone knows anything […]Colton Underwood Goes For Walk Around New Neighborhood After Buying House with Boyfriend Jordan C. BrownColton Underwood is checking out his new neighborhood! The 29-year-old reality TV star went for an afternoon walk around the block […]Are We Having Fun Yet? If this "Party Down" revival can pull off getting Constance (Jane Lynch) and Lydia (Megan Mulally) to work together, 2022 might […]Jamie Lynn Spears on Britney: ‘I’ve only ever tried to be helpful’Jamie Lynn Spears’s memoir comes out next Tuesday. It’s called Things I Should Have Said. According to Jamie Lynn’s promo tour, […]OMG, RIP: Ronette’s ‘bad girl’ singer, the legendary Ronnie Spector has passed at 78Ronnie Spector, whose “hard-edged yet tremulous voice” soared on the Ronettes’ girl-group hits of the early ‘60s, died on Wednesday of […]Hunky newsman Gio Benitez celebrates nine years at ABC News with cute throwback clipView this post on Instagram A post shared by Gio Benitez (@giobenitez)Do Your Favorite Queens Have Influence?Long before RuPaul’s Drag Race and social media, drag queens have been giving people across the world the chance to express […]RIP David Stuart Chemsex and LGBTQ Sexual Health Expert Has Died DAVID STUART, CHEMSEX AND LGBTQ SEXUAL HEALTH EXPERT, HAS DIED “His work with our patients has undoubtedly saved many lives and his loss immeasurable.” 2022-01-12 15 Minute Doc Takes You The Prom They Never Got to Have [This post contains video, click to play] Luca director says they "talked about" making the beloved Pixar film queerLuca director says they "talked about" making the beloved Pixar film queergaytimes.co.ukThe Matrix's Queer Subtext Is Plain Text in ResurrectionsThe Matrix's Queer Subtext Is Plain Text in Resurrectionsgizmodo.comPope praises dissident nun for years of LGBT activism – LifeSitePope praises dissident nun for years of LGBT activism – LifeSitelifesitenews.comOp-Ed: My first gay role modelOp-Ed: My first gay role modellatimes.com10 hilarious things the Fab 5 from 'Queer Eye' says about Texas10 hilarious things the Fab 5 from 'Queer Eye' says about Texasmysanantonio.comQueer Eye Cast Fights for the Right to Say ‘Butt’ on TVQueer Eye Cast Fights for the Right to Say ‘Butt’ on TVgossipbucket.comEuropean court rules in favor of Christian bakery that refused to make cake supporting gay marriageEuropean court rules in favor of Christian bakery that refused to make cake supporting gay marriageendtime.com7 queer TV series to stream in 2022 (that aren’t Drag Race)7 queer TV series to stream in 2022 (that aren’t Drag Race)vice.comOn MSNBC, Media Matters' Angelo Carusone details Fox's "stunning level of deception" revealed in January 6 textsCitation From the January 9, 2022, edition of MSNBC's Ayman AYMAN MOHYELDIN (HOST): [Sean] Hannity's lawyer Jay Sekulow said that testifying would raise serious constitutional issues concerning freedom of the press. Funny enough, back in 2016, Hannity declared on […]It takes a village, people: preserving San Francisco's gay disco historyIt takes a village, people: preserving San Francisco's gay disco historydjmag.comColton Underwood and Partner buy $3.2 million Home in Los Angeles ICYMI [This post contains video, click to play] Hot Links View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Shirley MacLaine and Amy Schumer have joined the cast of ‘Only Murders in the Building’. The hit Hulu series’s second season will see the addition of the 87-year-old Hollywood legend and the 40-year-old ‘Trainwreck’ star. They join an already stellar cast of Selena Gomez (Mabel), Martin Short (Oliver) and Steve Martin (Charles). Martin, 71, who is also an executive producer on the comedy, told Deadline: “Before Christmas, [I shot scenes with] Shirley MacLaine and Amy Schumer. “The quality of actor that this show is attracting makes it endlessly fun to go to work.” Martin also confirmed Tina Fey, 51, will also be back as Cinda Canning. The latest casting news comes after Cara Delevingne was cast as Alice, “a sophisticated art world insider who becomes enmeshed in the mystery.” The 29-year-old actress-and-model hit it off so well with Selena that the pair got matching tattoos. The ‘991’ hitmaker and the ‘Carnival Row’ star recently showed off identical pink rose inkings and the 29-year-old singer-and-actress has told how the design references one of her pal’s nicknames for her. She said: “It means a couple of different things. Me and Cara , one of my best friends that I’ve known for — I was maybe 16 when I met her — she calls me ‘Rosebud.’ So, it’s a nickname and I’ve always wanted a rose. Now, I got one and I love it.” Asked if she had other friendship tattoos, the It Ain’t Me’ singer said: “Yeah, I do! I have, actually, multiple tattoos with people who have honestly left a significant mark on my life. I have one with Julia Micheals, my mom and my best friends.” The ‘Lose You to Love Me’ hitmaker has roughly 16 tattoos, including tributes to momentous occasions in her life, such as her kidney transplant. Selena recently admitted she had “so much fun” working with Cara. She said: “We just did our first day together yesterday … It’s so fun. We were just dying and laughing most of the time because we just know each other so well.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kevin Hart and Meek Mill have teamed up with Michael Rubin to donate $15 million to schools in need of financial aid in Philadelphia. The generous gift – the biggest bequeathed by any of the trio – will go towards assisting low-income students at private or religious schools in 110 areas in the Pennsylvanian city. According to Philly Voice, the money will not benefit state-funded education. They each have a connection to the city – rapper Meek, 34, and actor Kevin, 42, were raised in North Philadelphia, while Fanatics CEO Michael, 49, is the co-owner of the local NBA team, the 76ers – and have donated to education institutions previously and set out their mission. In 2019, Michael said: “We care about education. I don’t know if you guys saw, Meek and I have been talking a lot about education. We’re actually gonna commit, between Meek and I in Pennsylvania, millions of dollars to Pennsylvania schools this year.” Kevin previously donated $250,000 for better technology at the schools and $600,000 in college scholarship funds. And in 2020, Meek and Michael footed $2 million for scholarship funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. William Hite, the superintendent of the district – an area with 65 per cent of students labelled as “economically disadvantaged” – warned on Tuesday (11.01.22) that they were incredibly short of funding, roughly $5,583 per student. William – who is leaving the role in the summer – said: “Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the country. We have larger numbers of young people who don’t have access to early childhood services and who aren’t on grade level, those experiencing trauma, homelessness, are new to the country, have special needs, and those who need additional resources.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Queen Elizabeth has reportedly stripped her son, Prince Andrew, of all his military titles and royal patronages amid his sexual assault lawsuit by accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. According to Daily Mail, the Queen made the decision to strip the 61-year-old Duke of York of all royal and military titles and honors following a judge’s ruling on Wednesday that Andrew will have to face the sexual assault allegations against him in a U.S. court. The trial is scheduled to begin in September. Mega By stripping the prince of his titles and patronage, the Queen is forcibly making Andrew face the lawsuit against him as a “private citizen” with no help or aid from the royal family. Mega View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) – A fast-spreading Omicron variant that causes milder illness compared with previous versions of the coronavirus has fueled the view that COVID-19 poses less of a risk than in the past. In which case, some ask, why go to great lengths to prevent getting infected now, since everybody will be exposed to the virus sooner or later? Here is why experts say it is not time to be complacent about Omicron: YOU COULD STILL BECOME VERY ILL Research has indicated that Omicron may be more likely to lead to an asymptomatic case of COVID-19 than prior variants. For those who do have symptoms, a higher proportion experience very mild illness, such as sore throat or runny nose, without the breathing difficulties typical of earlier infections. But the extraordinary spread of Omicron in many countries means that in absolute numbers, more people will experience severe disease. In particular, recent data from Italy and Germany show that people who are not vaccinated are far more vulnerable when it comes to hospitalization, intensive care and death. “I agree that sooner or later everyone will be exposed, but later is better,” said virus expert Michel Nussenzweig of Rockefeller University. “Why? Because later we will have better and more available medicines and better vaccines.” YOU COULD INFECT OTHERS You might become only mildly ill, but you could pass the virus to someone else at risk for critical illness, even if you have antibodies from a prior infection or from vaccination, said Akiko Iwasaki, who studies viral immunology at Yale University. OMICRON’S LONG-TERM EFFECTS ARE UNKNOWN Infections with earlier variants of the coronavirus, including mild infections and “breakthrough” cases after vaccination, sometimes caused the lingering, debilitating long-haul COVID syndrome. “We have no data yet on what proportion of infections with Omicron… end up with Long COVID,” Iwasaki said. “People who underestimate Omicron as ‘mild’ are putting themselves at risk of debilitating disease that can linger for months or years.” Also unclear is whether Omicron will have any of the “silent” effects seen with earlier variants, such as self-attacking antibodies, sperm impairments and changes in insulin-producing cells. MEDICATIONS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY Omicron treatments are so limited that doctors must ration them. Two of the three antibody drugs used during past COVID-19 waves are ineffective against this variant. The third, sotrovimab, from GlaxoSmithKline, is in short supply, as is a new oral antiviral treatment called Paxlovid, from Pfizer Inc, that appears effective against Omicron. If you get sick, you might not have access to treatments. HOSPITALS ARE FILLING UP In fully vaccinated and boosted individuals without underlying medical conditions, Omicron “will not do too much damage,” said David Ho, professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University. Still, the fewer infections, the better, especially now, “when the hospitals are already overwhelmed, and the peak of Omicron wave is yet to come” for most of the United States, Ho said. Due to record numbers of infected patients, hospitals have had to postpone elective surgeries and cancer treatments. And during past surges, overwhelmed hospitals have been unable to properly treat other emergencies, such as heart attacks. MORE INFECTIONS MEAN MORE NEW VARIANTS Omicron is the fifth highly significant variant of the original SARS-COV-2, and it remains to be seen if the ability of the virus to mutate further will slow down. High infection rates also give the virus more opportunities to mutate, and there’s no guarantee that a new version of coronavirus would be more benign than its predecessors. “SARS-CoV-2 has surprised us in many different ways over the past two years, and we have no way of predicting the evolutionary trajectory of this virus,” Ho said. INFECTION NOW MIGHT NOT PREVENT REINFECTION LATER Variants evolve to evade people’s immunity to earlier variants. How well Omicron antibodies will protect against future variants is unclear. Early COVID-19 survivors had antibodies that could neutralize the original virus but were less effective against variants, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, and people who were only mildly ill were less likely to be able to neutralize future variants compared to survivors of severe disease. Like the common-cold coronaviruses that cause milder upper respiratory infections, Omicron “will not induce lasting immunity,” Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine, predicted in a tweet on Thursday. (Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Additional reporting by Emilio Parodi in Milan and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Susan Heavey and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Thursday said he will deploy more military health workers to six U.S. states beginning next week, and give Americans free masks and more free tests to tackle the fast-spreading Omicron variant around the country. The dispatch of 1,000 military health personnel is “part of a major deployment of our nation’s armed forces to help hospitals across the country manage this surge of the Omicron virus,” Biden said. “I know we’re all frustrated as we enter this new year,” Biden said, while reiterating his message that COVID-19 continues to be a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a record high this week after steadily increasing since late December, according to a Reuters tally, while Omicron overtook Delta as the dominant variant of the coronavirus. The U.S. will send the health workers, in teams of seven to 25 military doctors, nurses and other personnel, to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island to support at-capacity emergency rooms and free up overwhelmed hospital staff for non-COVID cases, the White House said earlier on Thursday. The White House’s more aggressive stance comes after months of criticism from health experts that the administration was relying too heavily on vaccines alone to stop the spread of the coronavirus, especially given a politically motivated anti-vaccine movement pushed by some Republican officials. About 62% of Americans are considered fully vaccinated, according to U.S. data. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell, who joined Biden during his speech, told CNN earlier “the number one request continues to be staffing,” referring to states asking for federal aid. Other states are likely to need reinforcements of military and other federal doctors and nurses as well, she said. MORE TESTS AND MASKS Biden also announced that he will direct the U.S. government to procure an additional 500 million COVID-19 tests to help meet surging demand across the country. The order comes on top of another 500 million tests that the White House pledged would be available to Americans in January. The president also said the administration next week will announce it will make high quality masks available for free. He noted about a third of Americans report they do not wear a mask. Biden’s administration has deployed federal surge teams since July to battle COVID-19. In December, Biden directed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to ready another 1,000 medical forces and sent more than 100 federal medical personnel to Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wisconsin. Some states’ hospitals are at or near capacity. New Jersey, for example, had 6,089 COVID patients in hospital on Wednesday. That compares with a state record of 8,270 on April 15, 2020. About 73% of the hospital beds in the state are filled and 53% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds are occupied. In Rhode Island, 86% of all hospital beds are filled and 90% of ICU beds. There were 133,871 people hospitalized with COVID in the United States on average over the past week, the tally showed. The increase has strained health systems and forced several states to postpone elective surgeries. Omicron not only drives up case loads but also has sidelined staff hit by their own COVID infections or exposures to the virus. Several states have already declared emergencies to loosen regulations and free up funding to cope with the surge. To date, 847,664 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States among 63,268,225 reported total cases as the outbreak enters its third year. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Additional reporting and writing by Nandita Bose and Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Heather Timmons, Howard Goller and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega CNN’s ratings are tanking after finding the network found itself entangled in scandal both on and off the screen. According to The New York Post, the liberal channel’s ratings have taken a 90% nosedive during the first week of 2022. The left-winged news program only brought in 548,000 viewers for the January 3rd week compared to the whopping 2.7 million viewers for the same week one year before. Of course, the January 6, 2021 capitol riots brought in eyeballs — giving CNN its most-watched day since launching in 1980. But on the one-year anniversary of the attack, audience members tuned into CNN’s rival network Fox. The Rupert Murdoch-run station collected the most watched ratings for the historic anniversary date. Mega CNN has found itself in hot water, not only because of two of its anchors’ questionable behavior and a few sex scandals but also because of the network’s boss. Jeff Zucker‘s personal life made headlines after Radar exposed his alleged affair with the cable giant’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Allison Gollust. Their romance even got tangled up in Chris Cuomo‘s coverup mess. But CNN’s head honcho’s relationship wasn’t the only bombshell that exploded on the network. Zucker was forced to fire Cuomo after discovering he helped cover his brother Andrew Cuomo‘s tracks amid the ex-New York Governor’s sexual harassment scandal. The 51-year-old journalist was axed as the primetime anchor in December. Mega Attorney General Letitia James‘ office released a number of text messages that reportedly showed Cuomo helping Andrew strategize his response to the scandal. The CNN host was also accused of using his contacts and position at the network to bury his brother’s mess. Following Cuomo’s firing, he was hit with his own sexual misconduct scandal. Cuomo wasn’t the only on-camera talent whose actions came into question. Don Lemoncollected major backlash when former Empire star Jussie Smollett took the stand in his hate crime hoax trial, claiming the CNN host tipped him off that cops didn’t believe his story. Don Lemon Attacks Jussie Smollett On-Air, Calls Actor A ‘Liar’ After Being Dragged Into Criminal Case Radar According to Smollett, Lemon had been told by a law enforcement source that Chicago Police Detectives were doubtful about Jussie’s attack on the night of January 29, 2019. The host allegedly sent the text before Jussie was arrested on February 21. Lemon later came out swinging, denying Smollett’s claims and branding the actor a “liar.” Don is also facing his own lawsuit after a man claimed the anchor sexually assaulted him at a bar. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch and Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. prosecutors on Thursday charged Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, and 10 other people with seditious conspiracy for their role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. It marked the first time prosecutors brought that charge against defendants in the attack. The crime is defined as attempting “to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States.” Supporters of former President Donald Trump that day stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying his election loss to President Joe Biden. The attack occurred shortly after Trump in a speech repeated his false claims that his loss was the result of widespread voting fraud and urged his supporters to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell” to stop the election from being stolen. The Oath Keepers are a loosely organized group of activists who believe that the federal government is encroaching on their rights, and focus on recruiting current and former police, emergency services and military members. Prosecutors said that beginning in late December 2020, Rhodes used private encrypted communications to plan to travel to Washington on Jan. 6. He and others planned to bring weapons to the area to help support the operation, they said. While some of the Oath Keeper members rushed inside the building wearing tactical gear, others remained stationed outside in what they deemed “quick-response force” teams, which were prepared to rapidly transport arms into the city, prosecutor said. The indictment alleges that Thomas Caldwell, a previous defendant in the case, and Edward Vallejo of Arizona, a new defendant in the case, were in charge of coordinating these quick-response force teams. Seditious conspiracy is a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Nine of the 11 defendants were already facing other charges. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, on the day before the anniversary of the attack last week, vowed to hold accountable anyone involved in the riot. The department has charged more than 725 people with crimes arising from the attack. Of those people, about 165 have pleaded guilty and at least 70 have been sentenced. Garland said the Justice Department would “follow the facts wherever they lead.” Over the years, the Justice Department obtained seditious conspiracy convictions against Puerto Rican nationalists and alleged Islamist militants including Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the radical Islamic clergyman known as the “Blind Sheikh.” Seditious conspiracy charges featured prominently in a case federal authorities brought in 1987 against leaders and members of a neo-Nazi group known as The Order. Fourteen alleged members or supporters were indicted, with 10 facing seditious conspiracy counts. After a two-month trial, a jury acquitted all defendants. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Scott Malone, Doina Chiacu and Cynthia Osterman) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema rejected President Joe Biden’s plea to jettison the Senate’s filibuster https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-senate-democrats-mull-ending-filibuster-pass-voting-rights-reform-2022-01-11 rule to allow Democrats to pass a voting-rights bill, calling the measure a critical tool to tamp down the nation’s deepening political divisions. Sinema took to the Senate floor to reiterate her opposition shortly before Biden was to meet with fellow Democrats in the Senate to urge them to unite around the idea and pass a law he said was critical to offsetting a wave of new restrictions on ballot access passed in Republican-led states. She blasted the wave of new laws restricting ballot access in Republican-led states as undemocratic, but said she would not agree to change the Senate’s rules to pass a federal law countering them. “I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division in our country,” Sinema said. “Some have given up on the goal of easing our divisions and uniting Americans. I have not.” The chamber’s 50 Republicans are united in opposition to the voting-rights reform bill, which they dismiss as a partisan power grab. Democrats need all 50 of their votes in the upper chamber to agree to change the filibuster, but both Sinema and fellow centrist Democratic Senator Joe Manchin oppose the move. Sinema said that previous changes to the filibuster proved to be mistakes. “These shortsighted actions by both parties have led to our current American judiciary and Supreme Court, which as I stand here today is considering questions regarding fundamental rights Americans have enjoyed for decades,” Sinema said. Democrats in 2013 eliminated the 60-vote threshold for most administration nominees, and Republicans followed up in 2017 and did the same thing for Supreme Court nominees. That cleared the way for Republican President Donald Trump to name three conservatives to the court in his four years in office, establishing a 6-3 majority. Sinema’s speech was attended by more Republican senators than those of her own party. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was present on the floor for her speech, told reporters afterwards that it was “extraordinarily important” and said that Sinema’s “act of political courage” had “saved the Senate as an institution.” (Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jason Lange and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Republican Party on Thursday said its future presidential candidates might not participate in debates run by the Commission on Presidential Debates due to concerns about fairness, upending decades of tradition. In a letter https://bit.ly/3I0DPmB to the non-profit commission known as the CPD, which has run presidential debates since 1988, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the party was considering amending its rules to ensure its candidates do not attend the debates because of concerns about “whether the CPD credibly can provide a fair and impartial forum for presidential debates.” She said the party would try to help future Republican presidential nominees participate in debates that are organized more fairly. It is unclear what format those debates would take or whether they would take place as often as in recent decades. Prior to the debate commission’s founding in 1987, political parties or campaigns negotiated directly on the terms of debates. The looming schism comes as U.S. political divisions have grown deeper and the possibility of fewer debates could leave Americans with less access to unfiltered information about their aspiring leaders. At the same time, Republicans have long accused the debate commission, which was founded to codify the debates as a permanent part of presidential elections, of being biased in favor of Democratic candidates. Republicans are also concerned that the commission could hold its first debate for the 2024 presidential contest after the start of early voting, as it did in 2020, McDaniel said. Last year, McDaniel and other party officials asked the commission to agree to changes in how it conducts its business and how the debates were held. The RNC rule change could be made official at a party meeting in Salt Lake City in February, McDaniel said. (Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Aurora Ellis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Drew Barrymore turned to the ‘Queer Eye’ team to re-enter the dating world. The 46-year-old actress – who has been single since splitting from ex-husband Will Kopelman in 2016 – had a Zoom date with ‘Top Chef’ star Sam Talbot as they were both “unable to fly”, she got tips from the cast of the reality show. Speaking about the date – which will air on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ this week – she told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “It was so fun. I had Jonathan [Van Ness] holding up, like, silly questions and naughty signs making me giggle. “I had Tan [France] saying, ‘Hey, I notice something over there,’ like, ask him about that. “I had Antoni [Porowski] tell me, ‘You are doing a good job and I had Bobby going, ‘Hey, I see plants and dogs, see how he is a caretaker,’ it was, like, every person. I do feel like I was on their show.” And it seems the boys did their job, as she and Sam have kept in touch and are already talking about the possibility of meeting in real life. She added: “We have been texting. So, I mean, this just happened. We were bold enough to say, ‘Should we meet in another forum?’ “And so, we’re keeping communication alive, which is really exciting and that is perfectly enough for the moment, and I think we will figure out what our next step is.” Although Drew – who has daughters Olive and Frankie with ex Will – has felt “apprehensive” about online dating, she has started to accept the need to “figure out [her] side of the street”, and accept that there’s nothing “wrong” with her for not dating for so long. She explained: “A lot of us out there who stay single for a really long time can start to get an inner dialogue of, ‘Maybe there is something wrong with me,’ rather than realizing it can be an empowered choice. “And in my case, I really wanted to honor raising two daughters, and their dad is now happily remarried. “It has been six years, I have a great sense of peace of what is happening on that side of the street.” View the full article

Published by Reuters UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticised U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders for a weak defense of democracy and for failing to meet challenges from the climate crisis and COVID-19 pandemic to poverty, inequality and racial injustice. In contrast to what Human Rights Executive Director Kenneth Roth described as former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “embrace of friendly autocrats”, Biden took office in January 2021 with a pledge to put human rights at the center of his foreign policy. “But he continued to sell arms to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel despite their persistent repression,” Roth wrote in Human Rights Watch’s annual World Report, released on Thursday. “Other Western leaders displayed similar weakness in their defense of democracy,” Roth wrote, naming French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Roth also said that during key summits Biden “seemed to lose his voice when it came to public denunciation of serious human rights violations.” “The U.S. State Department has issued occasional protests about repression in certain countries, and in extreme cases the Biden administration introduced targeted sanctions on some officials responsible, but the influential voice of the president was often missing,” he wrote. U.S. officials have defended the Biden administration’s record, saying diplomats have frequently raised human rights concerns with foreign leaders, including in difficult talks with adversaries including China and Russia. “If democracies are to prevail in the global contest with autocracy, their leaders must do more than spotlight the autocrats’ inevitable shortcomings. They need to make a stronger, positive case for democratic rule,” Roth said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Mary Milliken and Karishma Singh) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will seek to rally Senate Democrats in a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday to unite and alter the chamber’s rules to pass voting-rights legislation. Biden and most fellow Democrats have ratcheted up their campaign to pass voting-rights legislation after spending much of his first year in office debating spending bills focused on COVID-19 relief, infrastructure and social safety net programs. Democrats see the voting rights bills as a last chance to counter new voting restrictions in Republican-controlled states ahead of the Nov. 8 congressional elections, when they run the risk of losing their narrow majorities in at least one chamber. Former Democratic President Barack Obama wrote in a USA Today op-ed on Thursday that the Senate’s “filibuster” rule, which requires 60 of the 100 senators to agree on most legislation, has become a common tool for the chamber’s minority to block important progress on issues supported by the majority of voters. “We can’t allow it to be used to block efforts to protect our democracy. That’s why I fully support President Joe Biden’s call to modify Senate rules as necessary to make sure pending voting rights legislation gets called for a vote,” Obama wrote. Democrats, who hold just 50 seats, remain divided on how to get around the rule that has hampered them. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-meet-with-senate-democrats-voting-rights-thursday-aide-2022-01-12 outlined a strategy to ensure a Senate floor debate on voting rights, after three separate attempts last year were stymied by Republicans. Under the plan, the House of Representatives will soon repackage two elections-related bills into one and pass it. It would then go to the Senate under a special procedure preventing Republicans from blocking debate. If Republicans remain opposed, that bill would not pass the Senate unless all Democrats agree to change the filibuster, he said. At least two Democrats are opposed to a rule change. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday reiterated that Republicans oppose voting-rights legislation and changes to the filibuster. McConnell also criticized Biden for a speech in Atlanta on Tuesday pushing for an overhaul of the filibuster to pass voting rights bills, calling it “incoherent, incorrect and beneath his office.” Republican lawmakers in 19 states have passed dozens of laws making it harder to vote. The Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act together would make Election Day a holiday, expand access to mail-in voting and strengthen U.S. Justice Department oversight of local election jurisdictions with a history of discrimination. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Mary Milliken and Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Bill Gates says “social media got behind” with dealing with misinformation after he was caught up in a COVID-19 conspiracy theory. The Microsoft founder was falsely accused of wanting to plant microchips in people’s arms via coronavirus vaccinations amid the global pandemic, and the billionaire has insisted apps like Twitter and Facebook need to do more to ensure only factual information is shared online. Gates was asked on Twitter by Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at Edinburgh University Medical School and director of the Global Health Governance Programme, “One major problem has been online misinformation on Facebook & other platforms around vaccines, masks and other interventions — how do we deal with this challenge?” To which, he replied: “Trusted authorities like @WHO and @CDCgov need more resources to see the pandemic early (surveillance) and to communicate better. Social media got behind on trying to get factual information out – there will be a lot of debate about how to do better on that… People like you and I and Tony Fauci have been subject to a lot of misinformation. I didn’t expect that. Some of it like me putting chips in arms doesn’t make sense to me – why would I want to do that?” Gates and his ex-wife Melinda’s Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – which has worked to help stop the spread of malaria, HIV and tuberculosis – continues to provide support throughout the pandemic. Gates previously said: “We’ve taken an organisation that was focused on HIV and malaria and polio eradication, and almost entirely shifted it to work on this. “This has the foundation’s total attention. Even our non-health related work, like higher education and K-12 [schools], is completely switched around to look at how you facilitate online learning.” As well as providing funding to help fight the disease, they have been focusing on eliminating extreme poverty. A statement read: “While we’ve announced more than $250 million in funding to date and a commitment to leverage our Strategic Investment Fund toward the pandemic, we are increasingly focusing the expertise of our staff and leveraging our partnerships toward the urgent efforts needed to end this pandemic. “These are unprecedented times, but our belief that all lives have equal value and our commitment to addressing inequities across all of our work remains more critical than ever.” View the full article