MTP Compressed: Dr. Anthony Fauci joined Meet the Press to discuss the newly-authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine and states easing coronavirus restrictions as cases and deaths trend downward. Plus, exclusive interviews with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about America’s place in the world under new leadership, and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on Biden’s Covid relief package and the fight over the minimum wage.Feb. 28, 2021 Continue To Full Article  Read More

House passes Biden’s new $1.9 trillion coronavirus economic relief bill; NASA’s “Perseverance” team led by women and minority scientists Continue To Full Article  Read More

New York’s new coronavirus-era dance rules aren’t exactly “Footloose” strict, but don’t plan on cutting loose and kicking off the Sunday shoes with just anybodyByThe Associated PressFebruary 27, 2021, 8:25 PM• 2 min readALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s new coronavirus-era dance rules aren’t exactly “Footloose” strict, but don’t plan on cutting loose and kicking off the Sunday shoes with just anybody.The state says that when wedding receptions resume next month, guests will be allowed to hit the dance floor only with members of their immediate party, household or... Read More

The NBA’s G League is investigating after Jeremy Lin, one of the best known Asian American basketball players, said that he had been called “coronavirus” on the court.Lin opened up about the racist act in a social media post Thursday, a few days after doing a candid interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Race In America” to discuss a recent uptick in racially-motivated attacks against Asian Americans nationwide.”Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” Lin wrote on Facebook, without going into... Read More

As the coronavirus pandemic roiled markets during 2020, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway bought back a record amount of company stock. And the buying spree has continued into 2021, according to the conglomerate’s annual letter that was released Saturday morning.During the fourth quarter the company bought back around $9 billion of Berkshire shares, bringing the total 2020 repurchase to a record $24.7 billion.“Berkshire has repurchased more shares since year-end and is likely to further reduce its share count in the future,” his annual letter stated.During the third quarter the conglomerate... Read More

WELLINGTON — New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that the country’s biggest city, Auckland, will go into a seven-day lockdown from early morning on Sunday, after a new local case of the coronavirus of unknown origin emerged.This comes two weeks after Auckland’s nearly 2 million residents were plunged into a snap three-day lockdown when a family were diagnosed with the more transmissible U.K. variant of the coronavirus.Health officials, who could not immediately confirm how the person got infected, said genome sequencing of the new infection was under... Read More

CLOSE Gov. Gavin Newsom expects California to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week. He said the Biden administration plans to send California more than 1.1 million of the single-dose shots in the next three weeks. (Feb. 26) AP DomesticThe U.S. is expected to authorize a third COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Saturday.A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted unanimously Friday to recommend authorizing Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidate for use in adults, paving the way for an expected authorization.President Joe Biden called the... Read More

CLOSE Asian Americans have been victims of increased violence and harassment since the coronavirus pandemic began, but recent attacks have prompted some to “hunker down” again. USA TODAYDENVER — Helen Oh was walking down the sidewalk of the downtown 16th Street pedestrian mall in April when two young men approached from the other direction.The coronavirus pandemic had been spreading in the United States for a month, and Asian American community groups were warning of a disconcerting surge of hateful and racist language directed toward them, tied to the virus’ origins in China. Oh,... Read More

Editors, USA TODAY Published 3:40 a.m. ET Feb. 27, 2021 CLOSEICYMI: House passed Biden’s COVID relief bill. Legislation heads to SenateThe Democratically-controlled House approved President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief package early Saturday, a key step for a measure that would provide millions of Americans $1,400 stimulus payments, ramp up vaccine distribution and extend unemployment aid through the summer. The bill, known as the American Rescue Plan, passed 219-212 — no Republicans voted for it, and two Democrats voted against it. So what’s next? For starters,... Read More

Dramatic rise in attacks on Asian Americans Dramatic rise in attacks on Asian Americans 05:28 Basketball star Jeremy Lin posted on Instagram and Facebook on Friday on the impact that racism and stereotypes have on Asian Americans, writing that he has been called “coronavirus” during games. Hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans have been on the rise in the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Being an Asian American doesn’t mean we don’t experience poverty and racism,” Lin, who is currently playing in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, wrote... Read More