New COVID-19 variants raise limited worries of new spikes
About one out of three COVID-19 cases in the United States now stem from the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron strain, which are on their way to becoming the most dominant coronavirus strains in the country. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 11.4 and 23.5 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases are caused by the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Early data also suggests these subvariants escape immunity more efficiently than previous lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “The BA.4 and the BA.5 subvariants are about three t
Read MoreUvalde, Buffalo underscore issue of gun violence against people of color
After mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y. and Uvalde, Texas, left more than 30 people dead in two weeks, witnesses testified before Congress about how their lives were irrevocably changed. But a pattern quickly emerged — almost all the witnesses were people of color. These tragic events have reignited calls within communities of color for lawmakers to take action and curb gun violence, much of which disproportionately affects people of color. The NAACP reported that 50 percent of all gun-related homicide victims are Black, and gun viol
Read MoreRon Johnson embroiled in controversy over staff handing Pence fake electors list
Conservative Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who faces a tough re-election race this year, finds himself embroiled in new controversy after the House Jan. 6 Select Committee revealed Tuesday that his staff attempted to hand a list of fake electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence. Johnson is facing tough questions about how much he knew of his staff’s effort to get Pence to recognize an alternate set of electors for Michigan and Wisconsin, two critical states that helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election. Johnson on Wednesday declined to say whether he authorized
Read MoreJan. 6 panel to hear from DOJ officials who battled Trump's 'misuse' of agency
Justice Department officials' unwavering resistance to then-President Trump’s attempts to use their agency to legitimize his bid to remain in office will be the focus of Thursday’s hearing from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. “In the remaining weeks of the transition, President Trump tried to pressure the Department of Justice and help him overturn the 2020 election,” a select committee aide told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll look specifically at how the president was trying to misuse the department to advance his own agenda to sta
Read MoreUS gas pipeline leaks occur every 40 hours: report
U.S. natural gas pipelines are experiencing the equivalent of one leak every 40 hours, a new report has found. From 2010 to 2021, almost 2,600 such leaks occurred that were serious enough to require federal reporting — with 850 resulting from fires and 328 from explosions, according to the study, released by U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (U.S. PIRG) Educational Fund. These incidents killed 122 people and injured 603, with total costs in property damage, e
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