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COVID-19: Can You Safely Enjoy The Holidays Amid Surge In Cases Ahead Of Christmas? COVID-19: Can You Safely Enjoy The Holidays Amid Surge In Cases Ahead Of Christmas?
Covid-19: Can You Safely Enjoy The Holidays Amid Surge In Cases Ahead Of Christmas? With many areas in the nation seeing the largest rise in COVID-19 cases since January, coupled with the arrival of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, many Americans are entering the holiday season with uncertainty. Though breakthrough cases are inevitable, health experts agree that if you've been vaccinated and had your booster, whether you're exposed to Delta or Omicron, you should be very well protected against serious disease that could put you in the hospital. “We’ve seen cases of Omicron among those who are both vaccinated and boosted and we believe these cases are milder or asy…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Biden Nominates Caroline Kennedy, Figure Skater Michelle Kwan For Ambassador Posts Biden Nominates Caroline Kennedy, Figure Skater Michelle Kwan For Ambassador Posts
Biden Nominates Caroline Kennedy, Figure Skater Michelle Kwan For Ambassador Posts A pair of prominent public figures have been tabbed for ambassadorships by President Joe Biden. The White House announced that Caroline Kennedy, age 64, the last surviving child of former President John F. Kennedy, has been nominated to serve as an ambassador to Australia after previously filling the same role in Japan for former President Barack Obama. “I am always grateful to the courageous Solomon Islanders and Australian coast watchers who rescued my father during World War 2, and if confirmed, I will work hard to repay this debt," Kennedy said in a statement. "I look forward to collabo…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Head Of President Biden’s Security Detail Leaving To Take Wall Street Job, Report Says Head Of President Biden’s Security Detail Leaving To Take Wall Street Job, Report Says
Head Of President Biden’s Security Detail Leaving To Take Wall Street Job, Report Says The top person tasked with keeping President Joe Biden safe will be leaving his post for a cushy job on Wall Street, according to multiple reports. David Cho, the head of Biden’s security detail, has been hired by an investment firm after being a part of the Secret Service for more than two decades. The news was first reported by Bloomberg, which cited people close to the situation who are familiar with the matter. It is unclear what firm has plucked Cho away from the White House. Cho was the first Korean American to become a special agent-in-charge of the Secret Service’s Presidential Pr…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: US Tightens Travel Testing Requirements, Extends Mask Mandate In New White House Plan COVID-19: US Tightens Travel Testing Requirements, Extends Mask Mandate In New White House Plan
Covid-19: US Tightens Travel Testing Requirements, Extends Mask Mandate In New White House Plan President Joe Biden announced a series of new measures to combat COVID-19 amid the emergence of the Omicron variant. Biden said in an announcement on Thursday, Dec. 2, that early next week the United States will require all inbound international travelers to get a COVID-19 test within one day of departure, regardless of their nationality or vaccination status.  "This tighter testing timeline provides an added degree of public health protection as scientists continue to assess the Omicron variant," the announcement from the White House reads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: First Case Of New Omicron Variant Identified In United States COVID-19: First Case Of New Omicron Variant Identified In United States
Covid-19: First Case Of New Omicron Variant Identified In United States Omicron, the new strain of COVID that has caused worldwide alarm the last week, has been detected in the United States for the first time. Health officials had been bracing for the first such Omicron case for days, and early Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 1, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention confirmed a person in California has been infected with the new strain. The San Francisco Department of Health said the individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Monday, Nov. 22, and tested positive for COVID on Monday, Nov. 29. The individual was fully vaccinated and experi…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
President Joe Biden Writes To Westchester Elementary School Class President Joe Biden Writes To Westchester Elementary School Class
President Joe Biden Writes To Westchester Elementary School Class An elementary school class in Westchester got a special surprise from the White House after reaching out to the new administration earlier this year. In New Rochelle, the fourth-grade students in Pia Persampieri’s bilingual class at the Trinity Elementary School wrote letters to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this year to discuss topics that concerned them. The project was part of an opinion unit in literacy, where students were assigned to write an opinion piece based on their research into hotbed topics such as social media, climate change, and violence in sc…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
COVID-19: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Tests Positive COVID-19: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Tests Positive
Covid-19: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Tests Positive White House press secretary Jen Psaki has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Psaki, a Connecticut native who is fully vaccinated, grew up in Fairfield County, and graduated from Greenwich High School, said on Sunday, Oct. 31 that she made the decision not to travel with President Joe Biden to Europe after one of her family members tested positive for the virus. Psaki (pronounced Saki), said she made the decision on Wednesday, Oct. 27, after members of her household tested positive for COVID-19.  She tested negative for four days, but on Sunday, she revealed she teste…

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by Kathy Reakes
Business
COVID-19: Supply-Chain Issues Causing Shortages Of Items At Supermarkets, Other Retailers COVID-19: Supply-Chain Issues Causing Shortages Of Items At Supermarkets, Other Retailers
Covid-19: Supply-Chain Issues Causing Shortages Of Items At Supermarkets, Other Retailers Supply-chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic are leading to product shortages in stores across the country. According to a report from Bloomberg, the issues have arisen due to factors including rising COVID-19 cases, rising demand for certain products, and labor shortages. The beverage industry has struggled due to a shortage of packaging, including aluminum cans, the news outlet reported. Other products have seen shortages due to rising demand. Lunchables, Kraft Heinz Co.'s packaged snack products, have been in greater demand as children have returned to school. Bloomberg reporte…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: US To Lift Travel Ban For Vaccinated Foreign Nationals COVID-19: US To Lift Travel Ban For Vaccinated Foreign Nationals
Covid-19: US To Lift Travel Ban For Vaccinated Foreign Nationals The United States is planning to open travel for foreign nationals who are vaccinated against COVID-19. The new policy was announced on Monday, Sept. 20 by Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 pandemic response coordinator. Travel ban lifted! Vaccinated, pre-flight tested Europeans will again be able to travel to the US from November, just as vaccinated Americans are today allowed to travel to the EU. https://t.co/XPwtvlMBWw… — Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis 🇪🇺 (@EUAmbUS) September 20, 2021 Unvaccinated American travelers will have stricter testing requirements under the new policy, i…

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by Nicole Valinote
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Risk Of 'Monster' Variant Grows With Number Of Cases 10 Times Too High, Fauci Warns COVID-19: Risk Of 'Monster' Variant Grows With Number Of Cases 10 Times Too High, Fauci Warns
Covid-19: Risk Of 'Monster' Variant Grows With Number Of Cases 10 Times Too High, Fauci Warns The COVID-19 pandemic may not yet have reared its ugliest head as the number of new infections continues to surge across the US, increasing the chances of a new variant forming even more contagious than the Delta strain, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci is cautioning. In a new interview with Axios, Fauci said that the COVID-19 infection rate could be unsustainable and is 10 times where it needs to be in order for the pandemic to end. 
“The endgame is to suppress the virus,” Fauci said. "Right now, we're still in pandemic mode, because we have 160,000 new infections a day. That's no…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: CDC Outlines 'Key Strategies' Schools Should Employ To Keep Kids, Staff Safe COVID-19: CDC Outlines 'Key Strategies' Schools Should Employ To Keep Kids, Staff Safe
Covid-19: CDC Outlines 'Key Strategies' Schools Should Employ To Keep Kids, Staff Safe The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released its COVID-19 safety guidelines for schools as students return to the classroom.  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the most important recommendation from the agency is that everyone eligible for COVID-19 vaccination gets vaccinated before school starts.  Walensky shared the guidelines at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Walensky said universal masking is also important for students, teachers, staff and visitors, regardless of their vaccination status. The CDC also recommended that schoo…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
Lawmakers Back Afghan Refugee Resettlement In New York Lawmakers Back Afghan Refugee Resettlement In New York
Lawmakers Back Afghan Refugee Resettlement In New York With turmoil and unrest unfolding in the Middle East, some lawmakers have come forward to back Afghan refugee resettlement in New York. Soon-to-be New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took to social media this week said that the Empire State would welcome refugees and that it's time to help (Afghans) who find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. Related story - Undocumented Immigrants Flown Into Westchester County Airport On Private Flights, Reports Say “When I served in Congress, I met with many Afghans when I traveled to their country. They were there for us, now it's time for us to …

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by Zak Failla