The AP Interview: CDC chief says omicron mostly mild so far

ATLANTA (AP) - More than 40 people in the U.S.
have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. But she said nearly all of them were only mildly ill.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the U.S.

"What we generally know is the more mutations a variant has, the higher level you need your immunity to be. ... We want to make sure we bolster everybody´s immunity. And that´s really what motivated the decision to expand our guidance," Walensky said, referencing the recent approval of boosters for all adults.

She said "the disease is mild" in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue.

One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.

Some cases can become increasingly severe as days and weeks pass, and Walensky noted that the data is a very early, first glimpse of U.S. omicron infections. The earliest onset of symptoms of any of the first 40 or so cases was Nov.

15, 카지노사이트쿠폰 according to the CDC.

___

COVID cases spike even as US hits 200M vaccine milestone

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reached 200 million Wednesday amid a dispiriting holiday-season spike in cases and hospitalizations that has hit even New England, one of the most highly inoculated corners of the country.

New cases in the U

/>climbed from an average of nearly 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day this week, and hospitalizations are up 25% from a month ago. The increases are due almost entirely to the delta variant, though the omicron mutation has been detected in about 20 states and is sure to spread even more.

Deaths are running close to 1,600 a day on average, back up to where they were in Octob

/>And the overall U.S. death toll less than two years into the crisis could hit another heartbreaking milestone, 800,000, in a matter of days.

The situation is not as dire as last year´s holiday-season surge, before the public had access to COVID-19 vaccines, but the 60% of the U
/>population that is fully vaccinated has not been enough to prevent hot spots.

The cold weather, Thanksgiving gatherings and a big rebound in holiday travel are all believed to be playing a role, along with public weariness with pandemic restrictions.

___

Meadows sues as Jan. 6 panel proceeds with contempt case

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday sued the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection as the chairman of the panel pledged to move forward with contempt charges against him for defying a subpoena.

The dueling actions laid bare simmering tensions between the committee and Meadows, seen by lawmakers on the panel as a pivotal player in their investigation, and reflected a remarkable turnabout from last week, when Meadows' lawyer had declared his intention of cooperating with the committee on certain areas of their inquiry.

Meadows' lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, asks a judge to invalidate two subpoenas that he says are "overly broad and unduly burdensome." It accuses the committee of overreaching by issuing a subpoena to Verizon for his cell phone records.

"Allowing an entirely partisan select committee of Congress to subpoena the personal cell phone data of executive officials would work a massive chilling of current and future Executive Branch officials´ associational and free speech rights," the lawsuit states.

The complaint was filed hours after Democratic R

/>Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, declared he had "no choice" but to proceed with contempt charges against Meadows, who was subpoenaed more than two months ago and did not show up Wednesday for a scheduled deposition. Meadows' lawyer, George Terwilliger, told the committee on Tuesday that his client was ending his cooperation.

___

California plans to be abortion sanctuary if Roe overturned

SACRAMENTO, Cal

/>(AP) - With more than two dozen states poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court gives them the OK next year, California clinics and their allies in the state Legislature on Wednesday revealed a plan to make the state a "sanctuary" for those seeking reproductive care, including possibly paying for travel, lodging and procedures for people from other states.

The California Future of Abortion Council, made up of more than 40 abortion providers and advocacy groups, released a list of 45 recommendations for the state to consider if the high court overturns Roe

/>Wade - the 48-year-old decision that forbids states from outlawing abortion.

The recommendations are not just a liberal fantasy. Some of the state's most important policymakers helped write them, including Toni Atkins, the San Diego Democrat who leads the state Senate and attended multiple meetings.

Democratic G

/>Gavin Newsom started the group himself and in an interview last week with The Associated Press said some of the report's details will be included in his budget proposal in January.

"We'll be a sanctuary," Newsom said, adding he's aware patients will likely travel to California from other states to seek abortio

/>"We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections."

___

Senate rejects Biden's vaccine mandate for businesses

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration's requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing.

The vote was 52-

/>The Democratic-led House is unlikely to take the measure up, which means the mandate would stand, though courts have put it on hold for now. Still, the vote gave senators a chance to voice opposition to a policy that they say has sparked fears back home from businesses and from unvaccinated constituents who worry about losing their jobs should the rule go into effect.

"Every so often Washington D.C. does something that lights up the phone lines. This is one of these moments," said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mo

/>At home, he said, "this issue is what I hear about. This issue is a top-of-mind issue."

Lawmakers can invalidate certain federal agency regulations if a joint resolution is approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the president, or if Congress overrides a presidential ve
/>That's unlikely to happen in this case.

Under the rule, private-sector companies with 100 or more workers must require their employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested for the virus weekly and wear masks on the job. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it would work with companies on compliance but would fine them up to more than $13,000 for each violation, though implementation and enforcement is suspended as the litigation unfolds.

___

Body-cam video dominates as trial starts in Wright killing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Prosecutors building their case against a suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed Black motorist Daunte Wright repeatedly played body-camera video of the fatal shooting, with the officer heard shouting "Taser!" and then collapsing in wails of "Oh my God!" after she had instead fired her handgun.

They used their opening statement Wednesday to portray Kim Potter as a veteran cop who had been repeatedly trained in Taser use, including warnings on avoiding such deadly mix-ups.

Potter's attorney countered that she made an error, saying, "Police officers are human beings." And he cast blame on Wright, saying all the 20-year-old had to do that day was surrender.

Potter, 49, killed Wright, who wasn't armed, during a traffic stop on April 11 in Brooklyn Cent

/>The white officer resigned two days later. She's charged with manslaughter.

Jurors saw video from officers' body cameras and the police car dashboard that showed Potter threatening to shoot Wright with a Taser as another officer tried to pull him out of his c
/>After she shot him with her gun, Potter can be heard saying, "I just shot him. ... I grabbed the wrong (expletive) gun!"

___

Alleged massacre in Myanmar village highlights bitter fight

BANGKOK (AP) - Outrage spread on social media in Myanmar on Wednesday over images and accounts of the alleged killing and burning of 11 villagers captured by government troops in the country's northwest.

Photos and a video of charred corpses in Done Taw village in Sagaing region circulated widely Tuesd

/>They were said to be have been taken shortly after the men were killed and their bodies set on fire.

The material could not be independently verified. An account given to The Associated Press by a person who said he went to the scene generally matchedscriptiptions of the incident carried by independent Myanmar media.

The government has not commented on the allegatio

/>If confirmed, they would be the latest atrocity in an increasingly bitter struggle following the military's seizure of power in February and ouster of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The takeover was initially met with nonviolent street protests, but after police and soldiers used lethal force against demonstrators, violence escalated as opponents of military rule took up arms in self defense.

___

Jussie Smollett case in jurors' hands at Chicago trial

CHICAGO (AP) - A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday there is "overwhelming evidence" that Jussie Smollett lied to Chicago police about being the victim of an anti-gay, racist hate crime, while a defense attorney called the case a "house of cards" built on testimony from two liars.

The lawyers' closing arguments capped just over one week of testimony in the case against the former "Empire" act

/>The jury deliberated for about two hours Wednesday but broke for the day without reaching a verdict. They are expected to resume deliberations Thursday.

In his closing, special prosecutor Dan Webb said Smollett caused Chicago police to spend enormous resources investigating an alleged crime that they now believe is fa

/>Smollett, who is Black and gay, told police someone put a noose around his neck and yelled racist and homophobic slurs during the January 2019 attack near his downtown Chicago home.

"Besides being against the law, it is just plain wrong to outright denigrate something as serious as a real hate crime and then make sure it involved words and symbols that have such historical significance in our country," Webb said.

He also accused Smollett of lying to jurors, saying surveillance video from before the alleged attack and that night contradicts key moments of Smollett´s testimony.

___

EXPLAINER: What does an Olympic diplomatic boycott achieve?

GENEVA (AP) - Diplomatic boycotts of the Olympics aim to snub host nations while keeping athletes free to compete.

A small cascade of government boycotts hit China on Wednesday, less than two months before the Beijing Olympics open.

The impact of these political weapons on athletes at the games should be close to zero, and viewers should see no difference in their broadcast content.

Their aim is calculated to hurt the pride of host nations such as China, which often have both sports and politics mixed into their motives for staging events as big as an Olympics or soccer´s World Cup.

In Australia, then the United Kingdom and Canada, governments announced their refusal to send officials to the Winter Games being held F

/>4-20. The move against China started in the United States on Monday.

___

Even amid boycott, IOC still hit with Peng Shuai questions

IOC President Thomas Bach can't escape repeated questions about Peng Shuai and issues raised by two video calls the IOC has had with her.

The calls were aimed at conveying a message that Peng was safe despite being absent from public view after the three-time Olympic tennis player accused a top Chinese politician of sexual assault almost six weeks ago.

The questions keep coming, even overshadowing a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics called by the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Lithuania.

Bach has acknowledged that Peng's situation is "fragile." He is in the midst of three days of executive board meetings in Switzerland focused on the opening of the Games in Beijing on F

/>4. But many of the questions at the daily press briefings are about Peng.

"You have to respect this human being," Bach said Wednesday. "And in such a fragile situation (that) Peng Shuai is in, you have to make all the efforts to build trust. To engage in a human relationship. And this, as you can appreciate, is not easy in a video call."

/>