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COVID-19: DOJ Decision Not To Investigate NY Nursing Home Deaths Draws Criticism From GOP COVID-19: DOJ Decision Not To Investigate NY Nursing Home Deaths Draws Criticism From GOP
Covid-19: DOJ Decision Not To Investigate NY Nursing Home Deaths Draws Criticism From GOP Republican representatives are criticizing the Justice Department’s decision not to open a civil rights investigation into New York's COVID-19 response in its state-run nursing homes. The department sent a letter to GOP Rep. Steve Scalise and other Republicans, saying it would not open the investigation. The department also declined to investigate allegations in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Requests for data from the nursing homes had previously been made due to questions about whether New York and other states worsened the COVID-19 death toll by requiring the facilities to accept residents …

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by Nicole Valinote
Lifestyle
Mega Millions Mania Jackpot Reaches $515 Million Mega Millions Mania Jackpot Reaches $515 Million
Mega Millions Mania Jackpot Reaches $515 Million Pull out those dollar bills and plop them down for a Mega Million ticket as the jackpot reaches a magical half-billion mark for this week's drawing. After no one won the jackpot during the Tuesday, May 18 game, the jackpot shot up to the $515 million mark for the Friday, May 21 game, Mega Millions officials said. That equals $346.3 million in cash if a winner takes the cash payout option. The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won in New York on Tuesday, February 16, and in the game's 19-year history there have only been eight jackpots higher than Friday’s estimated bonanza.  …

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by Kathy Reakes
Business
COVID-19: Pfizer Nearing Release Of Vaccine For New Age Group Of Children, FDA Says COVID-19: Pfizer Nearing Release Of Vaccine For New Age Group Of Children, FDA Says
Covid-19: Pfizer Nearing Release Of Vaccine For New Age Group Of Children, FDA Says The US Food and Drug Administration could authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 as early as next week, The New York Times reported on Monday, May 3, citing federal officials.  The timing could not be better for school districts that are resuming in-person instruction and hoping for a full return to normalcy next fall.  Vaccinating children is also a crucial element in achieving herd immunity and decreasing numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, The Times says.  While NJ, NY and CT positive rates have been dropping, other states including Pennsylvani…

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by Jon Craig
Politics
COVID-19: Nation's Least Vaccinated Counties Share Common Bond, Report Says COVID-19: Nation's Least Vaccinated Counties Share Common Bond, Report Says
Covid-19: Nation's Least Vaccinated Counties Share Common Bond, Report Says The COVID-19 vaccine has become the latest thing to become split along “red” and “blue” party lines, according to a newly released study. A new report released in The New York Times, which examined survey and vaccine administration data for nearly every US county, found that those willing to receive a vaccination and actual vaccination rates to date were lower in regions that voters sought to re-elect former President Donald Trump. According to the report, some largely Democratic cities find themselves unable to meet the demand required for the number of vaccines required, while other more …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Rise In US Cases Clustered In These Five States COVID-19: Rise In US Cases Clustered In These Five States
Covid-19: Rise In US Cases Clustered In These Five States Nearly half of the nation’s new COVID-19 cases are concentrated in just five states - including several on the East Coast - according to new data from John Hopkins University. The report found that New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida accounted for 44 percent of the total new COVID-19 infections confirmed between Monday, March 29, and Sunday, April 4, with most linked to the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom. In total, those five states, represent approximately 197,500 of the 452,000 reported across the country, however, the five a…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
AGs From 12 States Request Social Media Companies Block Anti-Vaxxers AGs From 12 States Request Social Media Companies Block Anti-Vaxxers
AGs From 12 States Request Social Media Companies Block Anti-Vaxxers Attorneys general from a dozen states are calling for social media companies to block anti-vaxxers.   The coalition of 12 attorneys general are calling on Facebook and Twitter to "take stronger measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 vaccine disinformation being spread by "anti-vaxxers" on their social media platforms" as stated in a public letter to the CEOs. The letter cites a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate1, stating that “anti-vaxxer” accounts on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter reach more than 59 million followers. The letter specifically asks the CE…

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by Jillian Pikora
Politics
COVID-19: Cuomo Admits Lack Of Transparency On Reporting Nursing Home Data Amid Backlash COVID-19: Cuomo Admits Lack Of Transparency On Reporting Nursing Home Data Amid Backlash
Covid-19: Cuomo Admits Lack Of Transparency On Reporting Nursing Home Data Amid Backlash In his first public comments on a top aide's admission that his administration "froze" when asked by both federal and state officials to release data on COVID-19 nursing home fatalities, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the lack of transparency was a mistake. Cuomo said “there was a delay,” in reporting the data, and that void led to “skepticism, cynicism and conspiracy theories which furthered confusion" in a news briefing held in Albany on Monday, Feb. 15. "We should have provided more information faster," Cuomo said. "We were too focused on doing the job and addressing the crisis of the …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Bigger, Not Better: See Where NY Ranks For US Obesity Rate Bigger, Not Better: See Where NY Ranks For US Obesity Rate
Bigger, Not Better: See Where NY Ranks For US Obesity Rate America is not winning the fight against obesity, according to a new study. Currently, about 42 percent of Americans are obese - meaning they carry around about 50 pounds more than a person of medium average weight. Another 35 percent of Americans are overweight. The situation is expected to get worse by 2025 when half of all Americans are expected to be obese, according to a study by the American Obesity Association, formerly the Massachusetts Science Center. The percentage of obese Americans is expected to hit 60 percent by 2030, said the Woburn-based American Obesity Association. The …

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by Kristin Palpini
News
$1M Mega Millions Ticket Sold In NY As Jackpot Hits $850M $1M Mega Millions Ticket Sold In NY As Jackpot Hits $850M
$1M Mega Millions Ticket Sold In NY As Jackpot Hits $850M The jackpot for next week's Mega Millions drawing has climbed to $850 million after there were no grand prize winners in the drawing held Friday night, Jan. 15. Eight $1 million second prizes were sold -- including one in New York, on Long Island, at Hick's Piccolo Gourmet Deli on Levittown Parkway in Hicksville. The other second-prize winners were in New Jersey (in Wallington and Sparta), as well as California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin Friday night's winning numbers were 3-11-12-38-43, with 15 as the Mega Ball.

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Joe Biden Elected Next President: Pennsylvania Puts Former VP Over Top In Electoral Vote Joe Biden Elected Next President: Pennsylvania Puts Former VP Over Top In Electoral Vote
Joe Biden Elected Next President: Pennsylvania Puts Former VP Over Top In Electoral Vote In what is widely viewed as one of the most consequential elections in American history, Joe Biden has now been projected as the president-elect of the United States of America. The projections were made late Saturday, Nov. 7 by the Associated Press and other news organizations after Biden was projected to win the state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed to take the presidency. Biden currently also holds narrow leads over incumbent President Donald Trump in key swing states, including Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia. Biden, who …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Ford Recalls 375,200 Explorers Due To Crash Risk Ford Recalls 375,200 Explorers Due To Crash Risk
Ford Recalls 375,200 Explorers Due To Crash Risk Ford is recalling more than 375,000 vehicles that pose a safety risk for drivers due to a suspension part that can break and cause crashes. This week, the Michigan-based auto dealer announced that 375,200 Ford Explorers produced between 2013 and 2017 are being recalled that were sold in North America due to crash concerns. According to the company, the affected vehicles have commonly seen corrosion, which caused a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link. Officials said that a fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk…

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by Zak Failla
News
Biden Overtakes Trump In Pennsylvania Biden Overtakes Trump In Pennsylvania
Biden Overtakes Trump In Pennsylvania Joe Biden cruised ahead of President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania Friday morning, a state crucial in determining the outcome of the 2020 Election -- days after polls closed. While the count is ongoing, an additional 5,500 votes put the former vice president on track to win his native state, where he had been trailing Trump by nearly 18,000 votes just before 9 a.m. The Keystone state's 20 electoral votes would put Biden well past the 270 needed to win, despite votes still being counted in Nevada, Arizona and Georgia (where Biden was inching ahead of the Trump Friday morning). President Trum…

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by Cecilia Levine