GOP declares Jan. 6 attack ‘legitimate political discourse’
The Republican Party on Friday declared the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and events that led to it “legitimate political discourse” and voted to rebuke Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for condemning the riot and the role of Donald Trump in spreading the election lies that fueled it. The censure, the most forceful effort by the Republican Party to minimize what happened, came days after Trump suggested that, if reelected in 2024, he would consider pardons for those convicted in the Jan. 6 attack. The day’s events served to highlight Republicans’ persistent division over Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Younger Americans benefited less from booster shots than older people
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday night published new data on the risks of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 among people who are unvaccinated and vaccinated, with or without booster doses. The figures confirm that booster doses are most beneficial to older adults, as the CDC has previously reported. But the new numbers for younger Americans were less compelling. In those age groups, vaccination itself decreased the risk of hospitalization and death so sharply that a booster shot did not seem to add much benefit. The data runs only through the end of December, when the omicron surge had just begun.
North Carolina court says GOP political maps are unconstitutional
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday upended Republican efforts to lock in political dominance in the state, saying that congressional and state legislative maps were partisan gerrymanders that violated the state constitution. The ruling requires the Republican-dominated Legislature not only to submit new maps to the court but to offer a range of statistical analyses to show “a significant likelihood that the districting plan will give the voters of all political parties substantially equal opportunity to translate votes into seats” in elections. The Republican-drawn maps had effectively allotted the party control of at least 10 of the 14 House seats the state will have in the next Congress.
Hate crimes trial to proceed after Arbery killers withdraw guilty pleas
Travis and Gregory McMichael, convicted in state court of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, have withdrawn guilty pleas in their federal hate crimes case, clearing the way for a trial that will revisit the afternoon when they chased Arbery, a Black man, through their neighborhood, a chase that ended with three shotgun blasts and Arbery dead on the pavement. The McMichaels had previously agreed to plead guilty to hate crime charges in exchange for 30-year sentences in federal prison. But this week, Judge Lisa Godbey Wood rejected the deal the government had reached with Travis McMichael, 36, essentially nullifying an identical deal reached with his father, Gregory McMichael, 66.
House passes bill adding billions to research to compete with China
The House on Friday passed legislation that would pour nearly $300 billion into scientific research and development and shore up domestic manufacturing, setting up a dispute with the Senate over how best to invest in scientific innovation to strengthen American competitiveness and counter China. The 222-210 vote on the 2,900-page legislation was part of a renewed push by the Biden administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill to tackle persistent supply-chain woes and inflation, which have been fueled by semiconductor shortages. Among other things, it would provide $52 billion in grants and subsidies for semiconductor makers and $45 billion in grants and loans to support supply chain resilience and American manufacturing.
Russian troops in final stages of readiness for military action in Ukraine
While the Russian military is not yet capable of mounting a total invasion of Ukraine, portions of its army have reached full combat strength and appear to be in the final stages of readiness for military action should the Kremlin order it, according to an assessment by the Ukrainian military’s high command. The Kremlin’s ultimate intention remained unclear, a senior Ukrainian military official said, echoing the determination of U.S. officials who say that President Vladimir Putin of Russia has yet to decide whether to attack. Russia has roughly 130,000 troops massed near Ukraine’s border, U.S. and Ukrainian officials say.
Rescuers in Morocco race to save 5-year-old stuck in well
Rescuers raced against the clock Friday to try to save a 5-year-old boy after he was trapped in a 100-foot-deep well in Morocco for three days. The boy, Rayan, has been stuck in the well near his home in the village of Ighrane since Tuesday. Rescuers brought in bulldozers to dig a parallel shaft from which they could tunnel through to reach the child, but they feared that part of the well or the parallel shaft would collapse before they could get there. A helicopter was on the scene to transport Rayan to a hospital as soon as he emerges.
By wire sources
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