“How Civil Wars Start,” a new book by political scientist Barbara F. Walter, was cited all over the place in the days around the anniversary of last winter’s riot at the Capitol. The New Yorker’s David Remnick, Vox’s Zack Beauchamp and my New York Times colleague Michelle Goldberg all invoked Walter’s work in essays discussing the possibility that the United States stands on the edge of an abyss, with years of civil strife ahead.

The book begins with a story from the fall of 2020: the kidnapping plot against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, hatched by a group of right-wing militiamen who opposed Whitmer’s pandemic restrictions. Fortunately “the FBI was on to them” and foiled the plot — but the alleged kidnapping conspiracy, Walter argues, is a harbinger of worse to come. Periods of civil war often “start with vigilantes just like these — armed militants who take violence directly to the people.”

Here’s a skeptical question, though: When we say the FBI was “on to” the plotters, what exactly does that mean? Because at the moment the government’s case against them is a remarkable tangle. Fourteen men have been charged with crimes, based in part on evidence reportedly supplied by at least 12 confidential informants — meaning that the FBI had almost one informant involved for every defendant.

And according to reporting from BuzzFeed’s Jessica Garrison and Ken Bensinger, one of these informants, an extremely colorful convicted felon named Stephen Robeson appears to have been a crucial instigator of the plot. He is alleged to have used government funds to pay for meals and hotel rooms, encouraged people “to vent their anger about governors who enacted COVID-19 restrictions” and “to plan violent actions against elected officials and to acquire weapons and bomb-making materials,” and followed up aggressively, calling potential plotters “nearly every day.”

Robeson’s role has become enough of a headache for the prosecution, in fact, that they recently disowned him, declaring that he was actually a “double agent” (meaning&nbsp;triple&nbsp;agent, I think) who betrayed his obligations as an informant by trying to destroy evidence and seeking to warn one of the accused conspirators ahead of his arrest. Prosecutors had already ruled out testimony from an agent who ran one of their key informants, probably because he spent much of 2019 trying to drum up business for his private security firm by touting his FBI casework.

Presumably we’ll find out more about all this when the case comes to trial, but for now it’s reasonable to wonder whether Whitmer’s would-be kidnappers would have been prepared to go all the way with their vigilante fantasies, absent some prodding from the feds.

And those doubts, in turn, might be reasonably extended to the entire theory of looming American civil war, which assumes something not yet entirely in evidence — a large number of Americans willing to actually put their lives, not just their Twitter rhetoric, on the line for the causes that currently divide our country.

Overall, the academic and journalistic literature on America’s divisions offers a reasonably accurate description of increasing American division. The country is definitely more ideologically polarized than it was 20 or 40 years ago; indeed, with organized Christianity’s decline, you could say that it’s more metaphysically polarized as well. We are more likely to hate and fear members of the rival party, more likely to sort ourselves into ideologically homogeneous communities, more likely to be deeply skeptical about public institutions and more likely to hold conspiratorial beliefs — like the belief that Joe Biden and the Democrats stole the 2020 election — that undercut the basic legitimacy of the opposition party’s governance.

At the same time, the literature suffers from a serious liberal-bias problem, a consistent naivete about the left and center’s roles in deepening polarization. For instance, in the Bush and Obama eras there were a lot of takes on the dangers of “asymmetric polarization” — the supposed ideological radicalization of the Republicans relative to the Democrats. Across most of the 2010s, though, it was clearly liberals who moved leftward much more rapidly, while Republicans basically stayed put — and yet somehow the perils of that kind of asymmetry get much less expert attention.

Likewise the drama of protest politics in 2020 is often analyzed in a way that minimizes the revolutionary symbolism of the left’s protests — the iconoclasm and the toppled statues, the mayhem around federal buildings and the White House, the zeal to rename and rewrite — and focuses intensely on the right’s response, treating conservative backlash as though it emerges from the reactionary ether rather than as a cyclical response.

The other bias in the civil-war literature is toward two related forms of exaggeration. First, an exaggerated emphasis on what Americans say they believe, rather than what (so far, at least) they actually&nbsp;do. It’s absolutely true that if you just look at polling data, you see a lot of beliefs that would seem to license not just occasional protest but some sort of continuing insurrection. This includes not only the Trumpist stolen-election theories but also popular beliefs about recent Republican presidents — that George W. Bush had foreknowledge and allowed Sept. 11 to happen or that the Russians manipulated vote tallies in order to place Donald Trump, their cat’s-paw, in the White House.

However, an overwhelming majority of people who hold those kinds of beliefs show no signs of being radicalized into actual violence. For all the talk of liberal “resistance” under Trump, the characteristic left-wing response to the Trump administration was not to join Antifa but to mobilize to elect Democrats; it took the weird conditions of the pandemic and the lockdowns, and the spark of the George Floyd killing, to transmute anti-Trumpism into national protests that actually turned violent.

Likewise, despite fears that Jan. 6 was going to birth a “Hezbollah wing” of the Republican Party, there has been no major far-right follow-up to the event, no dramatic surge in Proud Boys or Oath Keepers visibility, no campaign of anti-Biden terrorism. Instead, Republicans who believe in the stolen-election thesis seem mostly excited by the prospect of thumping Democrats in the midterms, and the truest believers are doing the extremely characteristic American thing of running for local office.

This has prompted a different liberal fear — that these new officeholders could help precipitate a constitutional crisis by refusing to do their duty in a close election in 2024. But that fear is an example of the other problem of exaggeration in the imminent-civil-war literature, the way the goal posts seem to shift when you question the evocations of Fort Sumter or 1930s Europe.

Thus we are told that some kind of major democratic breakdown is likely “absent some radical development” (as Beauchamp puts it); that we are already “suspended between democracy and autocracy” (as Remnick writes); that “the United States is coming to an end” and the only question “is how,” to quote the beginning of Stephen Marche’s new book, “The Next Civil War.” But then it turns out that the most obvious danger is an extremely contingent one, involving a cascade of events in 2024 — a very specific sort of election outcome, followed by a series of very high-risk, unusual radical choices by state legislators and Republican senators and the Supreme Court — that are worth worrying about but not at all the likeliest scenario, let alone one that’s somehow structurally inevitable.

Similarly, we are first told that “civil war” is coming, but then it turns out that the term is being used to mean something other than an actual war, that the relevant analogies are periods of political violence like the Irish Troubles or Italy’s “Years of Lead.” And then if you question whether we’re destined to reach even that point, you may be informed that actually the civil war is practically here already — because, Marche writes, “the definition of civil strife starts at twenty-five deaths within a year,” and acts of anti-government violence killed more people than that annually in the later 2010s.

That kind of claim strikes me as a ridiculous abuse of language. The United States is a vast empire of more than 330 million people in which at any given time some handful of unhinged people will be committing deadly crimes. And we are also a country with a long history of sporadic armed conflict — mob violence, labor violence, terrorism and riots — interwoven with the normal operation of our politics. If your definition of civil war implies that we are always just a few mass shootings or violent protests away from the brink, then you don’t have a definition at all: You just have a license for perpetual alarmism.

I am very aware that I’m always the columnist making some version of this calm-down argument, sometimes to a fault. So I want to stress that the problems that undergird the civil-war hypothesis are serious problems, the divisions in our country are considerable and dangerous, the specific perils associated with a Trump resurgence in 2024 entirely real.

But there are also lots of countervailing and complicating forces, and the overall picture is genuinely complex — at least as complex, let’s say, as the informant-riddled plot against Whitmer. And as with that conspiracy, it’s worth asking whether the people who see potential insurrection lurking everywhere are seeing a danger rising entirely on its own — or in their alarm are helping to invent it.

“How Civil Wars Start,” a new book by political scientist Barbara F. Walter, was cited all over the place in the days around the anniversary of last winter’s riot at the Capitol.

“How Civil Wars Start,” a new book by political scientist Barbara F. Walter, was cited all over the place in the days around the anniversary of last winter’s riot at the Capitol. The New Yorker’s David Remnick, Vox’s Zack Beauchamp and my New York Times colleague Michelle Goldberg all invoked Walter’s work in essays discussing the possibility that the United States stands on the edge of an abyss, with years of civil strife ahead. The book begins with a story from the fall of 2020: the kidnapping plot against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, hatched by a group of right-wing militiamen who opposed Whitmer’s pandemic restrictions. Fortunately “the FBI was on to them” and foiled the plot — but the alleged kidnapping conspiracy, Walter argues, is a harbinger of worse to come. Periods of civil war often “start with vigilantes just like these — armed militants who take violence directly to the people.” Here’s a skeptical question, though: When we say the FBI was “on to” the plotters, what exactly does that mean? Because at the moment the government’s case against them is a remarkable tangle. Fourteen men have been charged with crimes, based in part on evidence reportedly supplied by at least 12 confidential informants — meaning that the FBI had almost one informant involved for every defendant. And according to reporting from BuzzFeed’s Jessica Garrison and Ken Bensinger, one of these informants, an extremely colorful convicted felon named Stephen Robeson appears to have been a crucial instigator of the plot. He is alleged to have used government funds to pay for meals and hotel rooms, encouraged people “to vent their anger about governors who enacted COVID-19 restrictions” and “to plan violent actions against elected officials and to acquire weapons and bomb-making materials,” and followed up aggressively, calling potential plotters “nearly every day.” Robeson’s role has become enough of a headache for the prosecution, in fact, that they recently disowned him, declaring that he was actually a “double agent” (meaning triple agent, I think) who betrayed his obligations as an informant by trying to destroy evidence and seeking to warn one of the accused conspirators ahead of his arrest. Prosecutors had already ruled out testimony from an agent who ran one of their key informants, probably because he spent much of 2019 trying to drum up business for his private security firm by touting his FBI casework. Presumably we’ll find out more about all this when the case comes to trial, but for now it’s reasonable to wonder whether Whitmer’s would-be kidnappers would have been prepared to go all the way with their vigilante fantasies, absent some prodding from the feds. And those doubts, in turn, might be reasonably extended to the entire theory of looming American civil war, which assumes something not yet entirely in evidence — a large number of Americans willing to actually put their lives, not just their Twitter rhetoric, on the line for the causes that currently divide our country. Overall, the academic and journalistic literature on America’s divisions offers a reasonably accurate description of increasing American division. The country is definitely more ideologically polarized than it was 20 or 40 years ago; indeed, with organized Christianity’s decline, you could say that it’s more metaphysically polarized as well. We are more likely to hate and fear members of the rival party, more likely to sort ourselves into ideologically homogeneous communities, more likely to be deeply skeptical about public institutions and more likely to hold conspiratorial beliefs — like the belief that Joe Biden and the Democrats stole the 2020 election — that undercut the basic legitimacy of the opposition party’s governance. At the same time, the literature suffers from a serious liberal-bias problem, a consistent naivete about the left and center’s roles in deepening polarization. For instance, in the Bush and Obama eras there were a lot of takes on the dangers of “asymmetric polarization” — the supposed ideological radicalization of the Republicans relative to the Democrats. Across most of the 2010s, though, it was clearly liberals who moved leftward much more rapidly, while Republicans basically stayed put — and yet somehow the perils of that kind of asymmetry get much less expert attention. Likewise the drama of protest politics in 2020 is often analyzed in a way that minimizes the revolutionary symbolism of the left’s protests — the iconoclasm and the toppled statues, the mayhem around federal buildings and the White House, the zeal to rename and rewrite — and focuses intensely on the right’s response, treating conservative backlash as though it emerges from the reactionary ether rather than as a cyclical response. The other bias in the civil-war literature is toward two related forms of exaggeration. First, an exaggerated emphasis on what Americans say they believe, rather than what (so far, at least) they actually do. It’s absolutely true that if you just look at polling data, you see a lot of beliefs that would seem to license not just occasional protest but some sort of continuing insurrection. This includes not only the Trumpist stolen-election theories but also popular beliefs about recent Republican presidents — that George W. Bush had foreknowledge and allowed Sept. 11 to happen or that the Russians manipulated vote tallies in order to place Donald Trump, their cat’s-paw, in the White House. However, an overwhelming majority of people who hold those kinds of beliefs show no signs of being radicalized into actual violence. For all the talk of liberal “resistance” under Trump, the characteristic left-wing response to the Trump administration was not to join Antifa but to mobilize to elect Democrats; it took the weird conditions of the pandemic and the lockdowns, and the spark of the George Floyd killing, to transmute anti-Trumpism into national protests that actually turned violent. Likewise, despite fears that Jan. 6 was going to birth a “Hezbollah wing” of the Republican Party, there has been no major far-right follow-up to the event, no dramatic surge in Proud Boys or Oath Keepers visibility, no campaign of anti-Biden terrorism. Instead, Republicans who believe in the stolen-election thesis seem mostly excited by the prospect of thumping Democrats in the midterms, and the truest believers are doing the extremely characteristic American thing of running for local office. This has prompted a different liberal fear — that these new officeholders could help precipitate a constitutional crisis by refusing to do their duty in a close election in 2024. But that fear is an example of the other problem of exaggeration in the imminent-civil-war literature, the way the goal posts seem to shift when you question the evocations of Fort Sumter or 1930s Europe. Thus we are told that some kind of major democratic breakdown is likely “absent some radical development” (as Beauchamp puts it); that we are already “suspended between democracy and autocracy” (as Remnick writes); that “the United States is coming to an end” and the only question “is how,” to quote the beginning of Stephen Marche’s new book, “The Next Civil War.” But then it turns out that the most obvious danger is an extremely contingent one, involving a cascade of events in 2024 — a very specific sort of election outcome, followed by a series of very high-risk, unusual radical choices by state legislators and Republican senators and the Supreme Court — that are worth worrying about but not at all the likeliest scenario, let alone one that’s somehow structurally inevitable. Similarly, we are first told that “civil war” is coming, but then it turns out that the term is being used to mean something other than an actual war, that the relevant analogies are periods of political violence like the Irish Troubles or Italy’s “Years of Lead.” And then if you question whether we’re destined to reach even that point, you may be informed that actually the civil war is practically here already — because, Marche writes, “the definition of civil strife starts at twenty-five deaths within a year,” and acts of anti-government violence killed more people than that annually in the later 2010s. That kind of claim strikes me as a ridiculous abuse of language. The United States is a vast empire of more than 330 million people in which at any given time some handful of unhinged people will be committing deadly crimes. And we are also a country with a long history of sporadic armed conflict — mob violence, labor violence, terrorism and riots — interwoven with the normal operation of our politics. If your definition of civil war implies that we are always just a few mass shootings or violent protests away from the brink, then you don’t have a definition at all: You just have a license for perpetual alarmism. I am very aware that I’m always the columnist making some version of this calm-down argument, sometimes to a fault. So I want to stress that the problems that undergird the civil-war hypothesis are serious problems, the divisions in our country are considerable and dangerous, the specific perils associated with a Trump resurgence in 2024 entirely real. But there are also lots of countervailing and complicating forces, and the overall picture is genuinely complex — at least as complex, let’s say, as the informant-riddled plot against Whitmer. And as with that conspiracy, it’s worth asking whether the people who see potential insurrection lurking everywhere are seeing a danger rising entirely on its own — or in their alarm are helping to invent it.

Let’s not invent a civil war

Despite soaring cases and hospitalizations in the Biden administration is under pressure to focus on ways in which the country can learn to live with covid-19 as a manageable virus. Amid that conversation, a senate hearing on the pandemic turned explosive after the Republicans attempted to use the public hearing to attack White House chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci.

Heated exchange between Dr Fauci and Senator Paul over covid pandemic in United States

January 11 2022 marks 20 years since the opening of Guantanamo Bay, the infamous US prison in Cuba known as a symbol of injustice and torture across the world. When and why this product of the United States as war on terror was set up and will it ever shut down our next report get you more.

20  years since the opening of Guantanamo Bay, the infamous US prison

Hospitalizations and daily cases in United States reached a record high on Monday with several states struggling to cope with the spike.

United States break Covid-19 hospitalization record amid alarming surge

In the aftermath of the devastating storms in the United States, several parts of the country are struggling to get back on feet. The state of Washington saw its worst flooding in a decade with rivers overflowing at more than 18 feet, this has resulted in flooded streets.

United States: Washington witnessed worst flooding in a decade

At least 19 people have died in a major fire in high-rise apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams informed on Sunday (January 9).&nbsp;

As per media reports in the United States, the death toll includes nine children also. Dozens of people are seriously injured and receiving treatment in the hospital.&nbsp;

"We know that we have 19 people who are confirmed dead, as well as several others in critical condition," Adams told CNN, adding that 63 people had been injured. He added that this is going to be one of the "worst fires in our history."

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Daniel Nigro, who is the commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, revealed the cause of the fire. As quoted by CNN, Nigro said that a "malfunctioning electric space heater" was the source of the fire.&nbsp;

He further added that the fire-causing heater was in the bedroom of an apartment and the fire consumed the room, spreading in the entire apartment.

He informed that the apartment door was left open and that's how the smoke spread throughout the multistoried building.&nbsp;

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At least 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out mid-morning on the second and third floors of a 19-story building on East 181st Street, several blocks west of the Bronx Zoo.&nbsp;

Flames quickly engulfed much of the structure, and Nigro said the smoke was so dense as to be "unprecedented."&nbsp;

Photographs and videos posted on social media showed flames and thick black smoke billowing out of a third-story window of the brick building as firefighters operated on a nearby ladder.

At least 19 people have died in a major fire in high-rise apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams informed on Sunday (January 9). As per media reports in the United States, the death toll includes nine children also.

At least 19 people have died in a major fire in high-rise apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams informed on Sunday (January 9). As per media reports in the United States, the death toll includes nine children also. Dozens of people are seriously injured and receiving treatment in the hospital. "We know that we have 19 people who are confirmed dead, as well as several others in critical condition," Adams told CNN, adding that 63 people had been injured. He added that this is going to be one of the "worst fires in our history." ALSO READ | In another case of anti-Asian hate crimes, man brutally attacked last year in US dies after 8 months Daniel Nigro, who is the commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, revealed the cause of the fire. As quoted by CNN, Nigro said that a "malfunctioning electric space heater" was the source of the fire. He further added that the fire-causing heater was in the bedroom of an apartment and the fire consumed the room, spreading in the entire apartment. He informed that the apartment door was left open and that's how the smoke spread throughout the multistoried building. ALSO READ | 164 people killed in Kazakhstan, 'strategic facilities' under guard At least 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out mid-morning on the second and third floors of a 19-story building on East 181st Street, several blocks west of the Bronx Zoo. Flames quickly engulfed much of the structure, and Nigro said the smoke was so dense as to be "unprecedented." Photographs and videos posted on social media showed flames and thick black smoke billowing out of a third-story window of the brick building as firefighters operated on a nearby ladder.

New York City apartment fire kills at least 19 people, including nine children

Last year on January 6, a year after the mob of hundreds of angry supporters of former United States President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC, with an intention to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.&nbsp;

During the attack, the rioters vandalised property, assaulted some of the lawmakers and they even occupied the building for several hours. Many were injured and at least five people died either shortly before, during or following the incident.&nbsp;

Ever since the incident, one of the major questions that have been raised is: was there any lapse in internal security, did the intelligence agencies fail to anticipate the extent of destruction the attacks might cause.&nbsp;

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Last year <a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/majority-media/peters-portman-klobuchar-blunt-release-bipartisan-report-investigating-january-6th-capitol-attack">a Senate probe</a> into the incident uncovered a "number of intelligence and security failures" leading up to and on the day violence erupted on Jan 6.

As per the 95-page report, warnings of the potential attack at the Capitol weren't issued by intelligence officers, including the FBI. The police officers were unprepared to deal with rioters.

The report, which was published by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Rules committees, had stated that the police's intelligence unit "knew about social media posts" that were circulated ahead of the attack. The posts mentioned violence at the Capitol including a plot to breach the building.

The report also highlighted other delays, and now a latest report by The Associated Press reiterates the same thing as it states the police agency for days underestimated the prospect of chaotic violence and disruptions and the intelligence reports show how.

As per the media report, those documents also obtained by AP, warned that crowds could number in thousands and include members of extremist groups like the Proud Boys.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden accused his predecessor Trump Thursday of attempting to block the democratic transfer of power on January 6, 2021 after losing the presidential election.

"For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election; he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol," Biden said in a speech marking the first anniversary of the attack on the US Congress.

"This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection," he said.

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(With inputs from agencies)

Last year on January 6, a year after the mob of hundreds of angry supporters of former United States President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC, with an intention to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Last year on January 6, a year after the mob of hundreds of angry supporters of former United States President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC, with an intention to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. During the attack, the rioters vandalised property, assaulted some of the lawmakers and they even occupied the building for several hours. Many were injured and at least five people died either shortly before, during or following the incident. Ever since the incident, one of the major questions that have been raised is: was there any lapse in internal security, did the intelligence agencies fail to anticipate the extent of destruction the attacks might cause. ALSO READ | US ready to talk missiles and military exercises in Ukraine with Russia: Official Last year a Senate probe into the incident uncovered a "number of intelligence and security failures" leading up to and on the day violence erupted on Jan 6. As per the 95-page report, warnings of the potential attack at the Capitol weren't issued by intelligence officers, including the FBI. The police officers were unprepared to deal with rioters. The report, which was published by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Rules committees, had stated that the police's intelligence unit "knew about social media posts" that were circulated ahead of the attack. The posts mentioned violence at the Capitol including a plot to breach the building. The report also highlighted other delays, and now a latest report by The Associated Press reiterates the same thing as it states the police agency for days underestimated the prospect of chaotic violence and disruptions and the intelligence reports show how. As per the media report, those documents also obtained by AP, warned that crowds could number in thousands and include members of extremist groups like the Proud Boys. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden accused his predecessor Trump Thursday of attempting to block the democratic transfer of power on January 6, 2021 after losing the presidential election. "For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election; he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol," Biden said in a speech marking the first anniversary of the attack on the US Congress. "This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection," he said. × (With inputs from agencies)

Did US intelligence reports fail to forecast Capitol riot?

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a sharp increase in the number of children being hospitalised in the United States due to coronavirus (COVID-19) has been recorded amid a rise in cases globally.&nbsp;

The hospitalisation rate in the kids, who are not even eligible for the vaccination, had increased with an average of 4.3 children under 5 per 100,000 hospitalised with an infection as of the week ending January 1, up from 2.6 children the previous week, as per the report.&nbsp;

The CDC report mentioned that rates are higher again in these pediatric populations than seen previously but they are also higher in many of our other populations, even vaccinated ones.&nbsp;

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"For our youngest children, those who are not yet eligible for vaccination, it's critically important that we surround them with people who are vaccinated to provide them protection," CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Friday.&nbsp;

She also said, "There's a lot of pediatric admissions associated with many things and other respiratory viruses. We're seeing more than that than we generally do, and that some of these are coming in and they're completely asymptomatic, and we didn't expect to find them."

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As mentioned, the pediatric infection rate under the Omicron variant is unprecedented - and while the vast majority of cases are mild, the sheer number of cases means hospitalisations are also at an all-time high.

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a sharp increase in the number of children being hospitalised in the United States due to coronavirus (COVID-19) has been recorded amid a rise in cases globally.

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a sharp increase in the number of children being hospitalised in the United States due to coronavirus (COVID-19) has been recorded amid a rise in cases globally. The hospitalisation rate in the kids, who are not even eligible for the vaccination, had increased with an average of 4.3 children under 5 per 100,000 hospitalised with an infection as of the week ending January 1, up from 2.6 children the previous week, as per the report. The CDC report mentioned that rates are higher again in these pediatric populations than seen previously but they are also higher in many of our other populations, even vaccinated ones. ALSO READ | 'We will meet again': 60-year-old becomes first in Colombia to undergo euthanasia for non-terminal illness "For our youngest children, those who are not yet eligible for vaccination, it's critically important that we surround them with people who are vaccinated to provide them protection," CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Friday. She also said, "There's a lot of pediatric admissions associated with many things and other respiratory viruses. We're seeing more than that than we generally do, and that some of these are coming in and they're completely asymptomatic, and we didn't expect to find them." ALSO READ | China's parenting law: Court directs divorced mother to live with child As mentioned, the pediatric infection rate under the Omicron variant is unprecedented - and while the vast majority of cases are mild, the sheer number of cases means hospitalisations are also at an all-time high.

US: Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases caused by Omicron variant, child hospitalisation rates hit record highs

The United States is approaching a new Covid-19 pandemic trend the hospitalization of children is soaring to a record high. Last week over 600 children were admitted to hospitals with covid-19 each day, according to data from the centers for disease control and prevention, last week's numbers are more than double the average of the week before.

US approaches a new grim record, 30,000 children tested positive last week

The United States is approaching a new pandemic trend. The hospitalization of children is soaring to a record high.

US approaches new pandemic trend

In the year 2020, Joe Biden campaigned as a leader who could unite America a leader who could bring the polarized country together. But a year later, the United States still remains divided it has been a year since the US capitol witnessed its worst riots in history. An attack on the American democracy outside the capital last year. Biden's inaugural address was focused on healing and now Joe Biden left the rhetoric blaming former president Donald Trump for the chaos and carnage at the capitol last year.

Capitol Riots Anniversary: Trump is a defeated president, says US president Joe Biden

January the 6th 2021, it's a significantly infamous day in the United States of America. Just one year ago today an angry mob broke into the capital as the world witnessed the insurrection live on television. One year on the Americans have woken up to commemorate the painful events in a few minutes from now a ceremony will take place at Capitol hill.

US: One year anniversary of Capitol Riots, a sombre ceremony at Capitol hill

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said that the United States President Joe Biden will speak about the truth of what had happened when the US Capitol was attacked last year on January 6.&nbsp;

The US President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will address the nation, marking the first anniversary of the January 6 attack against Congress. The event is scheduled for 9:00am local time.&nbsp;

Last year, on January 6, supporters of Republican then-President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol to block Congress from certifying Biden's presidential election victory.&nbsp;

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During the White House media briefing, aiming at former President Donald Trump, Psaki said that the President is going to speak the truth, "not the lies" that some have spread since. She said that the lies posed peril to the rule of law and the "system of democratic governance".&nbsp;

So far, Biden has mostly opted to ignore Trump, despite the repeated claims made by some of the Republicans, especially Trump that there were discrepancies in the 2020 elections.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Psaki said that Biden has been "clear-eyed about the threat the former President represents to our democracy". She added that Biden acknowledges how the former President [Donald Trump] "constantly works to undermine basic American values and rule of law".&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/george-floyds-4-year-old-niece-shot-in-her-houston-home-442504">George Floyd’s 4-year-old niece shot in her Houston home</a>

On being asked about whether Biden will mention Trump's role in the riot during his address, Psaki said, "I would expect that President Biden will lay out the significance of what happened at the Capitol and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw."

"And he will forcibly push back on the lie spread by the former President in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters, as well as distract from his role in what happened," she added.&nbsp;

She also added that Biden sees January 6 attacks on US Capitol as a "tragic culmination of what those four years under President Trump did to our country". She added that the speech is not finalised yet, but people will know who he is referring to.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Gravitas: Why is Melania Trump auctioning her possessions from White House?

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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said that the United States President Joe Biden will speak about the truth of what had happened when the US Capitol was attacked last year on January 6.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said that the United States President Joe Biden will speak about the truth of what had happened when the US Capitol was attacked last year on January 6. The US President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will address the nation, marking the first anniversary of the January 6 attack against Congress. The event is scheduled for 9:00am local time. Last year, on January 6, supporters of Republican then-President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol to block Congress from certifying Biden's presidential election victory. ALSO READ | No progress with Russia so long as 'gun to Ukraine's head': Blinken During the White House media briefing, aiming at former President Donald Trump, Psaki said that the President is going to speak the truth, "not the lies" that some have spread since. She said that the lies posed peril to the rule of law and the "system of democratic governance". So far, Biden has mostly opted to ignore Trump, despite the repeated claims made by some of the Republicans, especially Trump that there were discrepancies in the 2020 elections. Meanwhile, Psaki said that Biden has been "clear-eyed about the threat the former President represents to our democracy". She added that Biden acknowledges how the former President [Donald Trump] "constantly works to undermine basic American values and rule of law". ALSO READ | George Floyd’s 4-year-old niece shot in her Houston home On being asked about whether Biden will mention Trump's role in the riot during his address, Psaki said, "I would expect that President Biden will lay out the significance of what happened at the Capitol and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw." "And he will forcibly push back on the lie spread by the former President in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters, as well as distract from his role in what happened," she added. She also added that Biden sees January 6 attacks on US Capitol as a "tragic culmination of what those four years under President Trump did to our country". She added that the speech is not finalised yet, but people will know who he is referring to. WATCH | Gravitas: Why is Melania Trump auctioning her possessions from White House? ×

Joe Biden to blame Donald Trump for 'singular responsibility' in January 6 'chaos and carnage': White House

The protests of summer 2020 may have been not only some of the biggest in the country, but also some of the biggest in the world.

Millions took to streets to condemn the racism that pervades modern life, as well as decades of past injustice. Protesters called for accountability across the ages. The oppressive policies and practices of this era as well as those of yore were tied up together, a continuum, and all of them had to be brought down, their perpetrators brought to justice.

The lies America had told itself about the degree and severity of its oppression were put on trial. The American narrative was put on trial. And it didn’t fare well.

There was a great movement for many toward enlightenment, a mass removing of scales from eyes. Industries responded, schools responded, individual citizens responded.

Confederate monuments came down, and social justice monuments went up, sometimes with paint on streets and sometimes in ways that were more permanent.

The change was swift. But, predictably, so has been the backlash. The response has particularly taken hold and found a form in the campaign to ban the proper teaching of America’s racial history in schools.

The Republicans behind those bills can bang on about how they are banning the teaching of critical race theory, but what they are really banning is the teaching of the horrific history of white supremacy and how it spawned the oppression of nonwhite people.

The truth is that critical race theory is generally not taught in grade school, but that was never the point, in the same way that in the 2010s conservative lawmakers were never really concerned about what they called the threat of Shariah law in the United States when they introduced bills to ban it in American courts; what they wanted was to advance a racist, Islamophobic agenda.

As a 2019 report born of a partnership between USA Today, The Arizona Republic and the Center for Public Integrity pointed out, conservative lawmakers had drawn on the same basic rubric for these bills, a model perfected and touted by a network of far-right activists and organizations like the Center for Security Policy, a think tank founded in the 1980s by Frank Gaffney, a former Reagan administration official “who pushes conspiracy theories alleging radical Muslims have infiltrated the government.”

The report detailed how “at least 10,000 bills almost entirely copied from model legislation were introduced nationwide in the past eight years, and more than 2,100 of those bills were signed into law.”

Critical race theory is the new Shariah law, a boogeyman the right can use to activate and harness the racist anti-otherness that is endemic to American conservatism.

Republican lawmakers learned long ago that a surefire way to activate their base was to stoke fears of cultural change and inclusion. They are constantly looking for new issues to hitch this wagon to, and they believe that they have found one this cycle in critical race theory.

Lawmakers have only just begun to push anti-CRT bills. Politico reported on Wednesday, “Legislators in at least a dozen Republican-controlled statehouses — including in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio — plan to push dozens of bills in upcoming legislative sessions that aim to halt teachings about race and society and give parents more say in what’s discussed in classrooms.”

Republicans believe that these bills could propel what one called a “huge red wave” in the midterms.

But the right’s opportunistic, politically motivated, repression-rooted culture war crusades are by no means new; they are enduring, central features of American politics.

You can see it in the recent rash of anti-trans bathroom bills, again largely focused on schools. One could argue that they are in part a backlash to the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of gay marriage in 2015.

In 2006, there was a massive immigrant rights march. In 2007, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, with President George W. Bush’s support, pushed a comprehensive immigration bill. Although it failed, there was still backlash. Within a few years, scores of anti-immigrant bills would be passed.

As Mother Jones reported in 2012, between 2010 and 2011, state legislatures passed 164 of these measures, including so-called show-your-papers laws, which allowed the police to demand proof of immigration status from anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally.

You can see this same pattern in the wave of anti-gay marriage laws passed in the 1990s. In 1993, gay Hawaii couples won a procedural victory in their fight to marry in the state. The reaction was strong. In 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. Soon after, states across the country passed their own anti-gay marriage laws. “Ultimately, 30 more states adopted constitutional amendments prohibiting gay marriage,” NBC News reported in 2020.

This list could go on and on, but there is only so much room on the internet. The point and pattern are clear: The right, and even some on the left, keep lashing out against cultural inclusion and liberation, and Republican politicians continue to exploit the panic.

Critical race theory isn’t really what’s being targeted right now, it is progress. And for Republican lawmakers, the issue is just the latest acid tablet they can place on the tongues of the members of their base to keep them raging and spastic.

The protests of summer 2020 may have been not only some of the biggest in the country, but also some of the biggest in the world. Millions took to streets to condemn the racism that pervades modern life, as well as decades of past injustice.

The protests of summer 2020 may have been not only some of the biggest in the country, but also some of the biggest in the world. Millions took to streets to condemn the racism that pervades modern life, as well as decades of past injustice. Protesters called for accountability across the ages. The oppressive policies and practices of this era as well as those of yore were tied up together, a continuum, and all of them had to be brought down, their perpetrators brought to justice. The lies America had told itself about the degree and severity of its oppression were put on trial. The American narrative was put on trial. And it didn’t fare well. There was a great movement for many toward enlightenment, a mass removing of scales from eyes. Industries responded, schools responded, individual citizens responded. Confederate monuments came down, and social justice monuments went up, sometimes with paint on streets and sometimes in ways that were more permanent. The change was swift. But, predictably, so has been the backlash. The response has particularly taken hold and found a form in the campaign to ban the proper teaching of America’s racial history in schools. The Republicans behind those bills can bang on about how they are banning the teaching of critical race theory, but what they are really banning is the teaching of the horrific history of white supremacy and how it spawned the oppression of nonwhite people. The truth is that critical race theory is generally not taught in grade school, but that was never the point, in the same way that in the 2010s conservative lawmakers were never really concerned about what they called the threat of Shariah law in the United States when they introduced bills to ban it in American courts; what they wanted was to advance a racist, Islamophobic agenda. As a 2019 report born of a partnership between USA Today, The Arizona Republic and the Center for Public Integrity pointed out, conservative lawmakers had drawn on the same basic rubric for these bills, a model perfected and touted by a network of far-right activists and organizations like the Center for Security Policy, a think tank founded in the 1980s by Frank Gaffney, a former Reagan administration official “who pushes conspiracy theories alleging radical Muslims have infiltrated the government.” The report detailed how “at least 10,000 bills almost entirely copied from model legislation were introduced nationwide in the past eight years, and more than 2,100 of those bills were signed into law.” Critical race theory is the new Shariah law, a boogeyman the right can use to activate and harness the racist anti-otherness that is endemic to American conservatism. Republican lawmakers learned long ago that a surefire way to activate their base was to stoke fears of cultural change and inclusion. They are constantly looking for new issues to hitch this wagon to, and they believe that they have found one this cycle in critical race theory. Lawmakers have only just begun to push anti-CRT bills. Politico reported on Wednesday, “Legislators in at least a dozen Republican-controlled statehouses — including in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio — plan to push dozens of bills in upcoming legislative sessions that aim to halt teachings about race and society and give parents more say in what’s discussed in classrooms.” Republicans believe that these bills could propel what one called a “huge red wave” in the midterms. But the right’s opportunistic, politically motivated, repression-rooted culture war crusades are by no means new; they are enduring, central features of American politics. You can see it in the recent rash of anti-trans bathroom bills, again largely focused on schools. One could argue that they are in part a backlash to the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of gay marriage in 2015. In 2006, there was a massive immigrant rights march. In 2007, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, with President George W. Bush’s support, pushed a comprehensive immigration bill. Although it failed, there was still backlash. Within a few years, scores of anti-immigrant bills would be passed. As Mother Jones reported in 2012, between 2010 and 2011, state legislatures passed 164 of these measures, including so-called show-your-papers laws, which allowed the police to demand proof of immigration status from anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally. You can see this same pattern in the wave of anti-gay marriage laws passed in the 1990s. In 1993, gay Hawaii couples won a procedural victory in their fight to marry in the state. The reaction was strong. In 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. Soon after, states across the country passed their own anti-gay marriage laws. “Ultimately, 30 more states adopted constitutional amendments prohibiting gay marriage,” NBC News reported in 2020. This list could go on and on, but there is only so much room on the internet. The point and pattern are clear: The right, and even some on the left, keep lashing out against cultural inclusion and liberation, and Republican politicians continue to exploit the panic. Critical race theory isn’t really what’s being targeted right now, it is progress. And for Republican lawmakers, the issue is just the latest acid tablet they can place on the tongues of the members of their base to keep them raging and spastic.

The GOP is making 'critical race theory’ the new 'Shariah Law'

Hong Kong announced a series of strict pandemic control measures Wednesday, including suspending flights from the United States and seven other countries, as it scrambled to control an incipient omicron outbreak.

The new measures will deepen the city’s isolation from the outside world and mark a return to the tough restrictions from the early days of the pandemic. Hong Kong has largely brought the coronavirus under control, but the arrival of omicron threatens to set off the city’s fifth wave of the pandemic.

“Given the very dire situation of the pandemic, we have to grasp this critical moment,” Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said at a news conference announcing the new rules.

A day earlier, Lam had said that no new social-distancing measures were expected. But the spread of omicron, including the infection of a person with no clear connections to the city’s first omicron cluster, evidently forced a change.

“We have to contain the pandemic to make sure there will not be a major outbreak in the community again,” she said. “We are racing with omicron, a highly transmissible variant.”

The restrictions will make it even harder to enter Hong Kong, which already has one of the world’s longest quarantines — up to three weeks. Under the new rules, flights will be temporarily banned from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and United States for two weeks starting on Saturday. People who have recently been in those countries will also be barred from traveling by other routes.

Large public events will be canceled, and several public venues — including bars, gyms and karaoke parlors — will be closed. Visits to hospitals and nursing homes will also be banned for two weeks. Dining in restaurants will be banned after 6 p.m. But the government decided not to stop in-person teaching or require government officials to work from home.

Hong Kong has had a growing number of imported cases of the omicron variant, with 133 as of Tuesday.

“If this continues, there will be tremendous strain on our quarantine and health care facilities,” said Dr. Ronald Lam, Hong Kong’s director of health.

The omicron outbreak in the city has been traced to a Cathay Pacific flight attendant who ignored quarantine requirements after returning from the United States. He dined at the Moon Palace restaurant in the upscale Fashion Walk shopping mall on Dec. 27, infecting his father and at least one other person.

Lam said the measures were most likely “the most decisive, rapid, targeted and comprehensive for the past two years so that we can cut the transmission chains as soon as possible.”

The restrictions came as Hong Kong health authorities on Wednesday ordered a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to return to port early as officials searched for the contacts of a COVID-19 patient.

Nine people who boarded the ship, the Spectrum of the Seas, on Jan. 2 had come into contact with the patient, who did not board the ship, the government said in a statement. The people were told to quarantine as soon as they were identified as contacts, though they preliminarily tested negative. 
&nbsp;

Hong Kong announced a series of strict pandemic control measures Wednesday, including suspending flights from the United States and seven other countries, as it scrambled to control an incipient omicron outbreak.

Hong Kong announced a series of strict pandemic control measures Wednesday, including suspending flights from the United States and seven other countries, as it scrambled to control an incipient omicron outbreak. The new measures will deepen the city’s isolation from the outside world and mark a return to the tough restrictions from the early days of the pandemic. Hong Kong has largely brought the coronavirus under control, but the arrival of omicron threatens to set off the city’s fifth wave of the pandemic. “Given the very dire situation of the pandemic, we have to grasp this critical moment,” Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said at a news conference announcing the new rules. A day earlier, Lam had said that no new social-distancing measures were expected. But the spread of omicron, including the infection of a person with no clear connections to the city’s first omicron cluster, evidently forced a change. “We have to contain the pandemic to make sure there will not be a major outbreak in the community again,” she said. “We are racing with omicron, a highly transmissible variant.” The restrictions will make it even harder to enter Hong Kong, which already has one of the world’s longest quarantines — up to three weeks. Under the new rules, flights will be temporarily banned from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and United States for two weeks starting on Saturday. People who have recently been in those countries will also be barred from traveling by other routes. Large public events will be canceled, and several public venues — including bars, gyms and karaoke parlors — will be closed. Visits to hospitals and nursing homes will also be banned for two weeks. Dining in restaurants will be banned after 6 p.m. But the government decided not to stop in-person teaching or require government officials to work from home. Hong Kong has had a growing number of imported cases of the omicron variant, with 133 as of Tuesday. “If this continues, there will be tremendous strain on our quarantine and health care facilities,” said Dr. Ronald Lam, Hong Kong’s director of health. The omicron outbreak in the city has been traced to a Cathay Pacific flight attendant who ignored quarantine requirements after returning from the United States. He dined at the Moon Palace restaurant in the upscale Fashion Walk shopping mall on Dec. 27, infecting his father and at least one other person. Lam said the measures were most likely “the most decisive, rapid, targeted and comprehensive for the past two years so that we can cut the transmission chains as soon as possible.” The restrictions came as Hong Kong health authorities on Wednesday ordered a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to return to port early as officials searched for the contacts of a COVID-19 patient. Nine people who boarded the ship, the Spectrum of the Seas, on Jan. 2 had come into contact with the patient, who did not board the ship, the government said in a statement. The people were told to quarantine as soon as they were identified as contacts, though they preliminarily tested negative.

Hong Kong suspends flights from 8 countries, including US

In the United States of America, the snowstorm has just ended but the travel misery has not. Hundreds of motorists have been stranded in freezing temperatures on interstate 95 highway in Virginia, this is the main north-south Harvey along the eastern coast where a major snowstorm left snow and ice packed onto the road.

United States: Snowstorm strands drivers for 20 hours

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, on Monday, formally pledging his “complete support” to a far-right foreign leader who has touted turning Hungary into an “illiberal democracy.”

Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country’s independent and democratic institutions — rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the country’s Constitution and changing the composition of the judiciary.

The actions have caused consternation in the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, but also made Orban something of a cause célèbre in conservative American political circles, following years of an aggressive influence operation in the United States.

Last fall, Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host, broadcast from Budapest for a week, calling the nation a place “with a lot of lessons for the rest of us.” Former Vice President Mike Pence visited Hungary last year for a conference on conservative values. And the American Conservative Union has been promoting plans for a gathering there dubbed #CPACHungary later this year.

Orban was an early supporter of Trump, endorsing him in the summer of 2016. After he won, Trump granted Orban a meeting in the Oval Office in 2019. The Hungarian leader had been denied such an audience since 1998.

After that meeting, Trump said Orban was “probably, like me, a little bit controversial, but that’s OK.”

Orban again publicly backed Trump in 2020. Now, Trump is doing the same ahead of the Hungarian elections, scheduled for this spring.

In his endorsement Monday, Trump hailed Orban as a “strong leader” who has “done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming election.”

It is Trump’s second endorsement of a foreign leader since leaving the White House. He endorsed Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, last year.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, on Monday, formally pledging his “complete support” to a far-right foreign leader who has touted turning Hungary into an “illiberal democracy.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, on Monday, formally pledging his “complete support” to a far-right foreign leader who has touted turning Hungary into an “illiberal democracy.” Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country’s independent and democratic institutions — rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the country’s Constitution and changing the composition of the judiciary. The actions have caused consternation in the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, but also made Orban something of a cause célèbre in conservative American political circles, following years of an aggressive influence operation in the United States. Last fall, Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host, broadcast from Budapest for a week, calling the nation a place “with a lot of lessons for the rest of us.” Former Vice President Mike Pence visited Hungary last year for a conference on conservative values. And the American Conservative Union has been promoting plans for a gathering there dubbed #CPACHungary later this year. Orban was an early supporter of Trump, endorsing him in the summer of 2016. After he won, Trump granted Orban a meeting in the Oval Office in 2019. The Hungarian leader had been denied such an audience since 1998. After that meeting, Trump said Orban was “probably, like me, a little bit controversial, but that’s OK.” Orban again publicly backed Trump in 2020. Now, Trump is doing the same ahead of the Hungarian elections, scheduled for this spring. In his endorsement Monday, Trump hailed Orban as a “strong leader” who has “done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming election.” It is Trump’s second endorsement of a foreign leader since leaving the White House. He endorsed Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, last year.

Trump endorses Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister

When it comes to social media platforms, free speech and the spread of misinformation and fake news are divided, by a thin line. Many fail to understand the difference, and sometimes even the social media platforms themselves have no clue as to what are facts and what are essentially fake news. This is a controversy in which Twitter now seems to be mired.

Twitter Suspends US Virologist Dr Robert Malone’s Account after his claims over Pfizer vaccine

As per officials, one person has been found and two are still feared dead following a devastating Colorado wildfire that wiped out swaths of several towns and forced thousands of people to flee with little notice.

Eerie scenes as drone video shows SNOW-CLAD Colorado region destroyed by wildfires

Twitter bans prominent US vaccine scientists' account over alleged misinformation

Supporters of former US president Donald Trump have once again been accused of intimidation in the 2020 elections. According to a report by Reuters, more than 850 hostile messages aimed at election officials have been reported since the 2020 election. Almost all of them expressed support for Trump.

Supporters of former US president Donald Trump accused of intimidation in 2020 elections

The new year will bring a host of new laws that take effect starting Saturday on issues from surprise medical bills to restraints for the family pet. Protections from unexpected medical bills kick in on New Year’s Day. A new federal law, the No Surprises Act, requires insurance companies to cover even out-of-network expenses that can sneak up, especially in emergencies.

New laws to take effect in United States from new year 2022

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia will be forced to take measures to eliminate unacceptable threats if the United States and NATO don't respond to Moscow's security proposals. Also read the report on Covid hospitalisation among children is rising in US. Don't miss our yearender on world events that defined 2021. Click on the links to read the full report.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-will-take-measures-to-eliminate-threats-if-us-ignores-security-proposals-minister-lavrov-441473">Russia will take measures to eliminate threats if US ignores security proposals: Minister Lavrov</a> 
Russia will be forced to take necessary measures to eliminate unacceptable threats if the United States and NATO don’t respond to Moscow’s security proposals, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

<img alt="Sergey Lavrov" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9b2bf73f-e974-46e0-ad99-8db61be457e1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Sergey%20Lavrov.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-hospitalisation-among-us-children-sees-sharp-uptick-as-omicron-fuels-new-wave-of-infections-441465">Covid hospitalisation among US children sees sharp uptick as Omicron fuels new wave of infections</a> 
Covid hospitalisation among children is rising in US as the country continues to shatter record Covid cases due to Omicron wave, with 355,990 new infections being reported every day in the past week. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed on an average 378 children were being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in the past one week.

<img alt="Covid" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6a54e8c7-1427-43b6-a868-6846a6c01cf6" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Covid.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fast-moving-colorado-wildfires-destroy-hundreds-of-homes-and-cause-mass-evacuation-see-catastrophic-pics-441458#fast-moving-wildfires-in-colorado-441442">Fast-moving Colorado wildfires destroy hundreds of homes and cause mass evacuation, see catastrophic pics</a> 
Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the fast-moving wildfires in the US state of Colorado. It has also forced at least 33,000 people to flee, as per the officials. Local media outlets have reported that at least six patients were hospitalised with injuries and people in the towns of Louisville and Superior were told to flee. The National Weather Service (NWS) described the situation as "life-threatening."

<img alt="Colorado" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e3ed86bb-2dd1-4335-a141-4d5d415566ba" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Colorado%20%2810%29.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russias-new-hypersonic-tsirkon-missile-was-fired-from-frigate-submarine-new-details-emerge-441437">Russia's new hypersonic Tsirkon missile was fired from frigate, submarine; new details emerge</a> 
Russia test-fired around 10 new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate, Interfax news agency reported on Friday. The report added that two more were test-fired from a submarine.&nbsp;

<img alt="Russia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d45e5e0c-6501-468b-b2e5-694309cfb8ce" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Russian%20President%20Vladimir%20Putin_0.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chinese-embassy-threatens-indian-mps-for-attending-tibet-event-441413">Chinese embassy threatens Indian MPs for attending Tibet event</a> 
The Chinese embassy has shot off an angry letter to some Indian members of parliament (MPs) who attended a meet organised by the Tibetan govt in exile. The Indian MPs who participated in the meet were - Jairam Ramesh, Manish Tiwari, Sujeet Kumar, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Ramdas Athawale, Maneka Gandhi.&nbsp;

<img alt="Chinese embassy" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aab9e089-c82c-4056-9e40-39e6aec71296" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Chinese%20embassy.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/25-year-old-armed-man-with-hit-list-of-biden-fauci-arrested-on-way-to-white-house-441439">25-year-old armed man with ‘hit list’ of Biden, Fauci arrested on way to White House</a> 
An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci. According to reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong had an AR-15–type rifle, ammunition, and body armour when he was pulled over for driving aggressively on December 21 in Iowa state.

<img alt="Anthony Fauci" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f97c6431-1409-4c97-ac1d-b9c4eb0accc3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joe%20Biden%2C%20Anthony%20Fauci.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-a-shocking-incident-in-us-man-shoots-dead-own-daughter-after-mistaking-her-for-intruder-441474">In a shocking incident in US, man shoots dead own daughter after mistaking her for intruder</a> 
A shocking incident has been reported in the United States as a man in Ohio shot dead his own 16-year-old daughter after mistaking her for an intruder, local police said Thursday (December 30). As per the media reports, the incident happened around 4:30am (local time) on Wednesday at a home near Canal Winchester on Piper Bend Drive.&nbsp;

<img alt="Canal Winchester" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="146ac802-6dfe-49af-a503-ecd2de4eeb7b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/US%20man%20shoots%20dead%20daughter.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-new-beginning-spains-local-administrations-offer-menstrual-leave-to-staff-441434">A new beginning? Spain's local administrations offer menstrual leave to staff</a> 
In a remarkable effort, some local administrations in Spain have come up with menstrual leave for its staff. This seems to be one of the first attempts to come up with such a leave in western Europe.

<img alt="menstrual leave" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="357edde9-cbdb-4b73-9b8a-a08dd3a408d9" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/menstrual%20leave.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tesla-recalls-almost-half-a-million-electric-cars-over-safety-issues-441422">Tesla recalls almost half a million electric cars over safety issues</a> 
Tesla Inc is recalling more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address rearview camera and trunk issues that increase the risk of crashing, the U.S. road safety regulator said on Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been discussing another camera issue with the automaker, while probing the company's driver assistant system.

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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/year-ender-world-events-that-defined-2021-441476">Year ender: World events that defined 2021</a> 
Politics and money never sleep, they say. Years come and go but things innate to human nature never cease to exist. This is not to say that all peace efforts are futile. But it just underlines the fact that the interplay of good and bad goes on and on. But then, who is to say what is absolute good and bad when it comes to politics? Everyone claims it's a matter of perspective.

<img alt="Politics" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="79c6f8bd-9ed1-47d8-aa44-9c69b6b0999e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Politics.jpg" />

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia will be forced to take measures to eliminate unacceptable threats if the United States and NATO don't respond to Moscow's security proposals.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia will be forced to take measures to eliminate unacceptable threats if the United States and NATO don't respond to Moscow's security proposals. Also read the report on Covid hospitalisation among children is rising in US. Don't miss our yearender on world events that defined 2021. Click on the links to read the full report. Russia will take measures to eliminate threats if US ignores security proposals: Minister Lavrov Russia will be forced to take necessary measures to eliminate unacceptable threats if the United States and NATO don’t respond to Moscow’s security proposals, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. Covid hospitalisation among US children sees sharp uptick as Omicron fuels new wave of infections Covid hospitalisation among children is rising in US as the country continues to shatter record Covid cases due to Omicron wave, with 355,990 new infections being reported every day in the past week. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed on an average 378 children were being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in the past one week. Fast-moving Colorado wildfires destroy hundreds of homes and cause mass evacuation, see catastrophic pics Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the fast-moving wildfires in the US state of Colorado. It has also forced at least 33,000 people to flee, as per the officials. Local media outlets have reported that at least six patients were hospitalised with injuries and people in the towns of Louisville and Superior were told to flee. The National Weather Service (NWS) described the situation as "life-threatening." Russia's new hypersonic Tsirkon missile was fired from frigate, submarine; new details emerge Russia test-fired around 10 new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate, Interfax news agency reported on Friday. The report added that two more were test-fired from a submarine. Chinese embassy threatens Indian MPs for attending Tibet event The Chinese embassy has shot off an angry letter to some Indian members of parliament (MPs) who attended a meet organised by the Tibetan govt in exile. The Indian MPs who participated in the meet were - Jairam Ramesh, Manish Tiwari, Sujeet Kumar, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Ramdas Athawale, Maneka Gandhi. 25-year-old armed man with ‘hit list’ of Biden, Fauci arrested on way to White House An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci. According to reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong had an AR-15–type rifle, ammunition, and body armour when he was pulled over for driving aggressively on December 21 in Iowa state. In a shocking incident in US, man shoots dead own daughter after mistaking her for intruder A shocking incident has been reported in the United States as a man in Ohio shot dead his own 16-year-old daughter after mistaking her for an intruder, local police said Thursday (December 30). As per the media reports, the incident happened around 4:30am (local time) on Wednesday at a home near Canal Winchester on Piper Bend Drive. A new beginning? Spain's local administrations offer menstrual leave to staff In a remarkable effort, some local administrations in Spain have come up with menstrual leave for its staff. This seems to be one of the first attempts to come up with such a leave in western Europe. Tesla recalls almost half a million electric cars over safety issues Tesla Inc is recalling more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address rearview camera and trunk issues that increase the risk of crashing, the U.S. road safety regulator said on Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been discussing another camera issue with the automaker, while probing the company's driver assistant system. Year ender: World events that defined 2021 Politics and money never sleep, they say. Years come and go but things innate to human nature never cease to exist. This is not to say that all peace efforts are futile. But it just underlines the fact that the interplay of good and bad goes on and on. But then, who is to say what is absolute good and bad when it comes to politics? Everyone claims it's a matter of perspective.

Top 10 World News: Russia's warning to US, update on Covid hospitalisation among kids in US and more

A shocking incident has been reported in the United States as a man in Ohio shot dead his own 16-year-old daughter after mistaking her for an intruder, local police said Thursday (December 30).&nbsp;

As per the media reports, the incident happened around 4:30am (local time) on Wednesday at a home near Canal Winchester on Piper Bend Drive.&nbsp;

Police informed that her mother called the emergency services after the incident and reported that her daughter was lying on the floor of their garage.&nbsp;She mentioned that her father mistook her for an intruder and shot her.&nbsp;

As per a report published by a local newspaper The Columbus Dispatch, the parents were furious and could be heard frantically begging their daughter to wake up. The newspaper is believed to have obtained a recording of the call.&nbsp;

The girl named Janae Hairston was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 5:40am.&nbsp;

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and our thoughts, prayers, and support are with them. We are saddened by this tragic loss and will make every effort to help students and families cope," said Hairston's school district, in a note to parents published by the local press.

On December 7, three other people - aged six, nine and 22 - were killed in the same area about a kilometre away from where the shooting incident happened on Thursday.&nbsp;

The reports have mentioned that the two youngest victims were students in the same school district as Hairston in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio's capital.&nbsp;

Gun violence in US

The newspaper mentioned that 2021 was on track to become one of the deadliest years in the city's history for shootings and homicides.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence has risen sharply in the United States, where gun rights are a hotly debated issue, but largely protected by the constitution.

According to the site Gun Violence Archive, more than 44,000 people have been killed by guns in the United States this year, including suicides, of which 1,517 were minors.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A shocking incident has been reported in the United States as a man in Ohio shot dead his own 16-year-old daughter after mistaking her for an intruder, local police said Thursday (December 30).

A shocking incident has been reported in the United States as a man in Ohio shot dead his own 16-year-old daughter after mistaking her for an intruder, local police said Thursday (December 30). As per the media reports, the incident happened around 4:30am (local time) on Wednesday at a home near Canal Winchester on Piper Bend Drive. Police informed that her mother called the emergency services after the incident and reported that her daughter was lying on the floor of their garage. She mentioned that her father mistook her for an intruder and shot her. As per a report published by a local newspaper The Columbus Dispatch, the parents were furious and could be heard frantically begging their daughter to wake up. The newspaper is believed to have obtained a recording of the call. The girl named Janae Hairston was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 5:40am. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and our thoughts, prayers, and support are with them. We are saddened by this tragic loss and will make every effort to help students and families cope," said Hairston's school district, in a note to parents published by the local press. On December 7, three other people - aged six, nine and 22 - were killed in the same area about a kilometre away from where the shooting incident happened on Thursday. The reports have mentioned that the two youngest victims were students in the same school district as Hairston in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio's capital. Gun violence in US The newspaper mentioned that 2021 was on track to become one of the deadliest years in the city's history for shootings and homicides. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence has risen sharply in the United States, where gun rights are a hotly debated issue, but largely protected by the constitution. According to the site Gun Violence Archive, more than 44,000 people have been killed by guns in the United States this year, including suicides, of which 1,517 were minors. (With inputs from agencies)

In a shocking incident in US, man shoots dead own daughter after mistaking her for intruder

The latest virus surge across the United States has produced a worrisome rise in hospitalizations among children especially the ones who are too young to be vaccinated. Parents across the country are facing a heightened anxiety of the risks of Omicron on children, several states have reported an increase of about 50 percent in pediatric hospitalizations in December.

United States: Rise in hospitalizations of children, as Omicron and Delta variant becomes dominant

Coronavirus has outpaced the American government once again. The Omicron variant has taken over from the previous variants. Long queues are expanding outside testing centres across the country, the isolation period for infected patients has been reduced and the promised free rapid home test kits are nowhere to be seen.

Americans struggle to find free rapid test kits,  Biden govt fails to deliver promise

US experiencing extreme weather conditions, heavy snowfall warning issued across country

The pandemic has caused many supply-chain bottlenecks in everyday life, but few are as critical as the United States’ ever-shrinking blood banks. For the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood, and other nonprofit blood centers, the problem lies mostly at the top of the chain: the diminishing number of healthy donors.

“This is the biggest challenge that I’ve seen in my 30 years in the business,” Chris Hrouda, president of biomedical services at the American Red Cross, said in an interview Thursday.

Donations of blood typically decline at this time of year, when holiday parties, wintry weather, seasonal illnesses, travel, and school and college breaks lead to lower donor turnout. But Hrouda said this month’s national supply had dipped to levels that the Red Cross has not seen in 10 years.

“We simply like to keep three days of inventory,” he said. “We’re struggling to keep one day.” Blood takes up to three days to be tested and prepared for patients.

Remote work, blood drive cancellations, and the limits that colleges and businesses have placed on the number of people allowed in public spaces have all reduced donor turnout.

“We just didn’t get as much access as we had hoped for this fall,” Hrouda said.

Compounding the problem, the Red Cross, like many employers, is struggling to attract and retain employees amid the pandemic.

The critical shortage leaves hospitals to more carefully allocate the precious resource. “We have not had to delay any cases yet, but we are very mindful" of what our blood supply is, said Dr. Jennifer Andrews, medical director of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center blood bank in Nashville, Tennessee. Blood donations are essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries.

Vanderbilt, the only level-one trauma center in its region, has recalibrated the transfusions it uses to rescue patients — by using fewer red blood cells — to ensure that there is enough for all. “We still think that’s safe, and we know that saves lives,” Andrews said.

Other hospitals have altered treatment for some patients or canceled some patient surgeries, Red Cross officials said.

At Vanderbilt, “an elective surgery put off today is an emergency surgery tomorrow,” Andrews said. The medical staff has held two to three blood drives a month, up from one before the pandemic, to help replenish the center’s supplies, she said. But more is needed.

The nation’s blood supply also faced a critical shortage after March 2020 as the first wave of the coronavirus spread across the country. Blood drives were canceled when businesses closed, and many people — especially older Americans, who have traditionally been the most frequent donors — feared going into donation centers. At that time, the FDA eased some restrictions to help reverse the drastic drop in supply.

“We’ve overcome the fear of any sort of risk associated with a blood drive,” said Hrouda, who noted that the supply had largely bounced back until the delta variant began spreading over the summer. Blood bank directors are hoping that supply will once again catch up to demand.

“Every unit of blood is giving someone life,” Andrews said. “This holiday season, you can give the gift of life.” 
&nbsp;

The pandemic has caused many supply-chain bottlenecks in everyday life, but few are as critical as the United States’ ever-shrinking blood banks. For the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood, and other nonprofit blood centers, the problem lies mostly at the top of the chain: the diminishing number of healthy donors.

The pandemic has caused many supply-chain bottlenecks in everyday life, but few are as critical as the United States’ ever-shrinking blood banks. For the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood, and other nonprofit blood centers, the problem lies mostly at the top of the chain: the diminishing number of healthy donors. “This is the biggest challenge that I’ve seen in my 30 years in the business,” Chris Hrouda, president of biomedical services at the American Red Cross, said in an interview Thursday. Donations of blood typically decline at this time of year, when holiday parties, wintry weather, seasonal illnesses, travel, and school and college breaks lead to lower donor turnout. But Hrouda said this month’s national supply had dipped to levels that the Red Cross has not seen in 10 years. “We simply like to keep three days of inventory,” he said. “We’re struggling to keep one day.” Blood takes up to three days to be tested and prepared for patients. Remote work, blood drive cancellations, and the limits that colleges and businesses have placed on the number of people allowed in public spaces have all reduced donor turnout. “We just didn’t get as much access as we had hoped for this fall,” Hrouda said. Compounding the problem, the Red Cross, like many employers, is struggling to attract and retain employees amid the pandemic. The critical shortage leaves hospitals to more carefully allocate the precious resource. “We have not had to delay any cases yet, but we are very mindful" of what our blood supply is, said Dr. Jennifer Andrews, medical director of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center blood bank in Nashville, Tennessee. Blood donations are essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. Vanderbilt, the only level-one trauma center in its region, has recalibrated the transfusions it uses to rescue patients — by using fewer red blood cells — to ensure that there is enough for all. “We still think that’s safe, and we know that saves lives,” Andrews said. Other hospitals have altered treatment for some patients or canceled some patient surgeries, Red Cross officials said. At Vanderbilt, “an elective surgery put off today is an emergency surgery tomorrow,” Andrews said. The medical staff has held two to three blood drives a month, up from one before the pandemic, to help replenish the center’s supplies, she said. But more is needed. The nation’s blood supply also faced a critical shortage after March 2020 as the first wave of the coronavirus spread across the country. Blood drives were canceled when businesses closed, and many people — especially older Americans, who have traditionally been the most frequent donors — feared going into donation centers. At that time, the FDA eased some restrictions to help reverse the drastic drop in supply. “We’ve overcome the fear of any sort of risk associated with a blood drive,” said Hrouda, who noted that the supply had largely bounced back until the delta variant began spreading over the summer. Blood bank directors are hoping that supply will once again catch up to demand. “Every unit of blood is giving someone life,” Andrews said. “This holiday season, you can give the gift of life.”

US blood banks experiencing biggest shortage in a decade

For the second time this year, a jury in Minneapolis has ruled against a former police officer for killing a Black man.

Like the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, the verdict Thursday against Kimberly Potter on two counts of manslaughter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop represented an unusual decision to send a police officer to prison.

And yet, despite the two high-profile convictions in Minneapolis, a review of the data a year and a half after America’s summer of protest shows that accountability for officers who kill remains elusive and that the sheer numbers of people killed in encounters with police have remained steady at an alarming level.

The murder of Floyd on a Minneapolis street corner drew millions to the streets in protest and set off a national reassessment on race that touched almost every aspect of American life, from corporate boardrooms to sports nicknames. But on the core issues that set off the social unrest in the first place — police violence and accountability — very little has changed.

Since Floyd’s death in May of last year, 1,646 people have been killed by the police, or about three people per day on average, according to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit that tracks people killed by police. Although murder or manslaughter charges against officers have increased this year, criminal charges, much less convictions, remain exceptionally rare.

That underscores both the benefit of the doubt usually accorded law officers who are often making life-or-death decisions in a split second and the way the law and the power of police unions often protect officers, say activists and legal experts.

The convictions of both Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer who was captured on an excruciating bystander video pinning Floyd to the ground for more than nine minutes as he gasped for air, and Potter strike some experts as tantalizing glimpses of a legal system in flux. Potter’s case in particular reflected the kind of split-second decision — she mistakenly used her gun instead of her Taser after Wright tried to flee an arrest — that jurors usually excuse even when something goes horribly wrong.

Chris Uggen, a sociology and law professor at the University of Minnesota, said that even though the number of people killed by police remained prevalent, high-profile cases could still send a message to the police.

“The probability of punishment is not zero,” he said. “So it moves the needle to some degree, and it can certainly affect the behaviors of police officers.”

But many experts are reluctant to read too much into a few isolated cases carried out in the glare of media scrutiny.

“Criminal trials are not designed to be instruments of change,” said Paul Butler, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a former prosecutor. “Criminal trials are about bringing individual wrongdoers to justice. So while there have been high-profile prosecutions of police officers for killing Black people, that doesn’t in and of itself lead to the kind of systemic reform that might reduce police violence.”

Philip M. Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio who tracks police criminal charges and convictions, said Potter was the first female police officer convicted of a murder or manslaughter charge in an on-duty shooting since 2005. He said he believed that the number of deaths from excessive police force was higher than what was recorded and reflected in news coverage.

“Many police officers exhibit a fear of Black people,” he said. “Until we can address that, it is very difficult to bring about meaningful reforms.”

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a constitutional law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said accountability also needed to be aimed at prosecutors who gave officers “carte blanche” for a century until the recent show of public outrage. Change is not likely to come soon, she said.

“In these individual cases, justice won in the end,” she said. “But there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.”

Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, said the rarity of criminal charges against officers does not indicate a lack of accountability, but simply reflects that the vast majority of police shootings are lawful — with many occurring under dangerous circumstances in which officers have to make quick, life-or-death decisions.

There has been no finding of fault against officers in many of the other recent high-profile cases of people killed in encounters with the police.

Less than three weeks after the murder of Floyd, an officer in Atlanta fatally shot a Black man named Rayshard Brooks, who was fleeing a Wendy’s parking lot after taking a Taser from the officer’s partner and firing it at him. The killing in Atlanta, like that of Floyd’s, was captured on bystander video and drew protesters, adding to the demands for justice and accountability over the number of African Americans killed by police.

And about two months before Floyd’s murder, Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment during a botched police raid that targeted an ex-boyfriend for alleged drug crimes. Her name, too, became familiar to millions of Americans.

Yet the officers involved in the Taylor case have largely been cleared, even as federal authorities continue to investigate. And in Atlanta, Brooks’ case stalled this summer as it was passed to a third prosecutor, who is starting the investigation all over again. The officer who shot Brooks has been charged with murder, but there is no timeline for a trial.

“We are taking a fresh look at it and starting from day one,” said Pete Skandalakis, the special prosecutor in Georgia who took over the case. He added that he could not predict when the case would see a courtroom.

That has left Brooks’ family wondering if they will ever see justice.

“I think we’re all just lost right now,” said L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer who represents the Brooks family. “We don’t know what to think or what’s going on.”

According to data kept by Stinson and a research team at Bowling Green, 21 officers this year have been charged with murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting — although five of the officers charged are for the same encounter: the killing in November 2020 of a 15-year-old boy who was a suspect in an armed robbery.

While this is an increase from the 16 officers charged in 2020 and the highest number since Stinson began compiling the data since 2005, it remains small next to the roughly 1,100 people killed by police annually. (Just as the pace of killings since Floyd’s death has remained largely unchanged, racial disparities have also stayed the same. Black people are still 2 1/2 to 3 times as likely as white people to be killed by a police officer, according to Mapping Police Violence.)

While Chauvin’s trial was underway in the spring, Wright’s death at the hands of Potter in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, set off new rounds of protests in the Twin Cities. And in the rest of the U.S., the number of new cases of people killed in encounters with police continued apace, some of them piercing the national consciousness and adding to the names protesters shouted in the streets.

Among them were Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino boy who was killed by a Chicago police officer after running down a dark alleyway with a gun. And in Columbus, Ohio, shortly before the jury reached a decision in the Chauvin trial, a 16-year-old Black girl named Ma’Khia Bryant was shot to death by an officer as she swung a knife at a young woman.

A state agency investigated Ma’Khia’s death and in July turned its findings over to local prosecutors in Franklin County. At the time, the state attorney general said he expected it to take prosecutors “several weeks” to make a charging decision, but a spokesperson for G. Gary Tyack, the county’s top prosecutor, said the case was still under review five months later.

More recently, at a high school football game in a suburb of Pennsylvania this fall, police officers opened fire amid a crowd after they heard gunshots, killing an 8-year-old Black girl named Fanta Bility.

All of these cases remain under investigation, and no charges have been filed against the officers involved.

One of the reasons for Chauvin’s conviction was that the circumstances of the case differed so starkly from so many other cases in which officers were cleared by prosecutors or juries: There was no split-second decision made in an environment in which Chauvin could argue that his life, or those of other officers, was in danger.

In the trial of Potter, which played out in the same courtroom where Chauvin was tried, her defense attorneys said Potter acted reasonably in using force because she feared for the life of a fellow officer, a scenario more emblematic of a typical police killing case.

This time, that argument did not work.

For the second time this year, a jury in Minneapolis has ruled against a former police officer for killing a Black man. Like the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, the verdict Thursday against Kimberly Potter on two counts of manslaughter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop represented an unusual decision to send a police officer to prison.

For the second time this year, a jury in Minneapolis has ruled against a former police officer for killing a Black man. Like the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, the verdict Thursday against Kimberly Potter on two counts of manslaughter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop represented an unusual decision to send a police officer to prison. And yet, despite the two high-profile convictions in Minneapolis, a review of the data a year and a half after America’s summer of protest shows that accountability for officers who kill remains elusive and that the sheer numbers of people killed in encounters with police have remained steady at an alarming level. The murder of Floyd on a Minneapolis street corner drew millions to the streets in protest and set off a national reassessment on race that touched almost every aspect of American life, from corporate boardrooms to sports nicknames. But on the core issues that set off the social unrest in the first place — police violence and accountability — very little has changed. Since Floyd’s death in May of last year, 1,646 people have been killed by the police, or about three people per day on average, according to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit that tracks people killed by police. Although murder or manslaughter charges against officers have increased this year, criminal charges, much less convictions, remain exceptionally rare. That underscores both the benefit of the doubt usually accorded law officers who are often making life-or-death decisions in a split second and the way the law and the power of police unions often protect officers, say activists and legal experts. The convictions of both Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer who was captured on an excruciating bystander video pinning Floyd to the ground for more than nine minutes as he gasped for air, and Potter strike some experts as tantalizing glimpses of a legal system in flux. Potter’s case in particular reflected the kind of split-second decision — she mistakenly used her gun instead of her Taser after Wright tried to flee an arrest — that jurors usually excuse even when something goes horribly wrong. Chris Uggen, a sociology and law professor at the University of Minnesota, said that even though the number of people killed by police remained prevalent, high-profile cases could still send a message to the police. “The probability of punishment is not zero,” he said. “So it moves the needle to some degree, and it can certainly affect the behaviors of police officers.” But many experts are reluctant to read too much into a few isolated cases carried out in the glare of media scrutiny. “Criminal trials are not designed to be instruments of change,” said Paul Butler, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a former prosecutor. “Criminal trials are about bringing individual wrongdoers to justice. So while there have been high-profile prosecutions of police officers for killing Black people, that doesn’t in and of itself lead to the kind of systemic reform that might reduce police violence.” Philip M. Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio who tracks police criminal charges and convictions, said Potter was the first female police officer convicted of a murder or manslaughter charge in an on-duty shooting since 2005. He said he believed that the number of deaths from excessive police force was higher than what was recorded and reflected in news coverage. “Many police officers exhibit a fear of Black people,” he said. “Until we can address that, it is very difficult to bring about meaningful reforms.” Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a constitutional law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said accountability also needed to be aimed at prosecutors who gave officers “carte blanche” for a century until the recent show of public outrage. Change is not likely to come soon, she said. “In these individual cases, justice won in the end,” she said. “But there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.” Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, said the rarity of criminal charges against officers does not indicate a lack of accountability, but simply reflects that the vast majority of police shootings are lawful — with many occurring under dangerous circumstances in which officers have to make quick, life-or-death decisions. There has been no finding of fault against officers in many of the other recent high-profile cases of people killed in encounters with the police. Less than three weeks after the murder of Floyd, an officer in Atlanta fatally shot a Black man named Rayshard Brooks, who was fleeing a Wendy’s parking lot after taking a Taser from the officer’s partner and firing it at him. The killing in Atlanta, like that of Floyd’s, was captured on bystander video and drew protesters, adding to the demands for justice and accountability over the number of African Americans killed by police. And about two months before Floyd’s murder, Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment during a botched police raid that targeted an ex-boyfriend for alleged drug crimes. Her name, too, became familiar to millions of Americans. Yet the officers involved in the Taylor case have largely been cleared, even as federal authorities continue to investigate. And in Atlanta, Brooks’ case stalled this summer as it was passed to a third prosecutor, who is starting the investigation all over again. The officer who shot Brooks has been charged with murder, but there is no timeline for a trial. “We are taking a fresh look at it and starting from day one,” said Pete Skandalakis, the special prosecutor in Georgia who took over the case. He added that he could not predict when the case would see a courtroom. That has left Brooks’ family wondering if they will ever see justice. “I think we’re all just lost right now,” said L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer who represents the Brooks family. “We don’t know what to think or what’s going on.” According to data kept by Stinson and a research team at Bowling Green, 21 officers this year have been charged with murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting — although five of the officers charged are for the same encounter: the killing in November 2020 of a 15-year-old boy who was a suspect in an armed robbery. While this is an increase from the 16 officers charged in 2020 and the highest number since Stinson began compiling the data since 2005, it remains small next to the roughly 1,100 people killed by police annually. (Just as the pace of killings since Floyd’s death has remained largely unchanged, racial disparities have also stayed the same. Black people are still 2 1/2 to 3 times as likely as white people to be killed by a police officer, according to Mapping Police Violence.) While Chauvin’s trial was underway in the spring, Wright’s death at the hands of Potter in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, set off new rounds of protests in the Twin Cities. And in the rest of the U.S., the number of new cases of people killed in encounters with police continued apace, some of them piercing the national consciousness and adding to the names protesters shouted in the streets. Among them were Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino boy who was killed by a Chicago police officer after running down a dark alleyway with a gun. And in Columbus, Ohio, shortly before the jury reached a decision in the Chauvin trial, a 16-year-old Black girl named Ma’Khia Bryant was shot to death by an officer as she swung a knife at a young woman. A state agency investigated Ma’Khia’s death and in July turned its findings over to local prosecutors in Franklin County. At the time, the state attorney general said he expected it to take prosecutors “several weeks” to make a charging decision, but a spokesperson for G. Gary Tyack, the county’s top prosecutor, said the case was still under review five months later. More recently, at a high school football game in a suburb of Pennsylvania this fall, police officers opened fire amid a crowd after they heard gunshots, killing an 8-year-old Black girl named Fanta Bility. All of these cases remain under investigation, and no charges have been filed against the officers involved. One of the reasons for Chauvin’s conviction was that the circumstances of the case differed so starkly from so many other cases in which officers were cleared by prosecutors or juries: There was no split-second decision made in an environment in which Chauvin could argue that his life, or those of other officers, was in danger. In the trial of Potter, which played out in the same courtroom where Chauvin was tried, her defense attorneys said Potter acted reasonably in using force because she feared for the life of a fellow officer, a scenario more emblematic of a typical police killing case. This time, that argument did not work.

Despite uproar over Floyd’s death, the number of fatal encounters with police hasn’t changed

The United States has issued at least five general licenses which basically enables US citizens, aid organisations, and other organizations to do transfers into Afghanistan for “specified purposes”. But what do these general licenses mean, here is a breakdown.

The first general license, general licenses number 15 was issued on September 24&nbsp;this year, it gave an exemption in fact an authorisation to do transactions related to exportation or re-exportation of agricultural commodities, medicines, medicinal devices, replacement of parts, and/or components and even software upgrades.

The agricultural commodity was further defined and so were the medicines and medicinal devices in the order.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/talibans-show-of-strength-military-parade-with-us-made-weapons-429432" hreflang="en">Taliban's show of strength:&nbsp;Military parade with US-made weapons</a>

The perception US gave through the first license was that it was willing to facilitate the people of Afghanistan who continued to live a miserable life in the war-torn country following the Taliban takeover.

Two and a half months later, the month of December 2021 saw the US showing more leniency, in the first general license issued for the month of December and the second general license on Afghanistan overall, license number 16 authorized the transfer of non-commercial and personal remittances to Afghanistan.

On December 22, the United States issued three more general licenses to facilitate the people of Afghanistan and authorized the US government employees, grantees, or contractors to do transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network-related entities, for official business purposes in the general license number 17.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/dont-politicise-education-and-right-to-work-afghan-women-protest-against-taliban-government-422880" hreflang="en">'Don't politicise education and right to work:' Afghan women protest against Taliban government</a>

On the same date, the general licenses number 18 authorised The United Nations, including its programmes, funds, and other entities and bodies, as well as its specialised agencies and related organisations, The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); The African Development Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), including any fund entity administered or established by any of the foregoing; The International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; and The Islamic Development Bank to do transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network as entities for official business purposes.

The last general license issued by US Treasury on Afghanistan taking its tally of general licenses on Afghanistan to five, that is,&nbsp;the general license number 19 which basically took the handcuffs off from aid organizations authorised transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network as entities for; Activities to support humanitarian projects to meet basic human needs in Afghanistan, including drought and flood relief; food, nutrition, and medicine distribution; the provision of health services; assistance for vulnerable or displaced populations, including individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence; and environmental programs; Activities to support the following in Afghanistan: rule of law, citizen participation, government accountability and transparency, human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to information, and civil society development projects; Activities to support education in Afghanistan, including combating illiteracy, increasing access to education, international exchanges, and assisting education reform projects; Activities to support non-commercial development projects directly benefitting the Afghan people, including related to health, food security, and water and sanitation; and Activities to support environmental and natural resource protection in Afghanistan, including the preservation and protection of threatened or endangered species, responsible and transparent management of natural resources, and the remediation of pollution or other environmental damage.

The other more pertinent question is that why a need for the general license was there be issued, the answer to that is that since the Taliban are currently a listed organization, both at the UN and the US, therefore any direct transactions would not be possible as per law, however, these general licenses act as an enabler or exemption for an undefined period.

The United States has pledged a total of $474 million as aid for Afghanistan, the most by any country. Earlier this week, A senior US official told this correspondent that the US had quietly been working behind the scenes with the UN and other international organisations to pump cash into the Afghan system, an example of which was the $200 million&nbsp;pumped into the Afghan system for the use of the UN employees, very recently.

These licenses were mirrored by the United Nations Sanctions Committee through a resolution on the same day as well which means that under the UN charter, this allows UN member countries to do business with the Taliban or Haqqani under the set parameters as defined earlier.

The guidelines to do business with the Taliban are very clearly laid out, that it must be on an entity basis and not on individual basis, so while the entities might be headed by proscribed individuals, business with the office is allowed but not with the individual.

To simply put it, as an example, Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani Network might be a listed individual by the US and the UN both, the other reality is that Sirajuddin Haqqani is also the Minister of Interior of Taliban ruled Afghanistan, so while the transfer would not be permitted to Sirajuddin Haqqani as an individual, his ministry can very well have funds or transactions under these set of rules, as defined in the general licenses issued.

The Taliban and international community have been long-pressing the United States to release the “frozen Afghan assets it houses” following the Taliban takeover of the country, however, a senior US official clarifying the situation said that the US has no magic button to release these assets as they were being held back due to a court order.

The United States has issued at least five general licenses which basically enables US citizens, aid organisations, and other organizations to do transfers into Afghanistan for “specified purposes”.

The United States has issued at least five general licenses which basically enables US citizens, aid organisations, and other organizations to do transfers into Afghanistan for “specified purposes”. But what do these general licenses mean, here is a breakdown. The first general license, general licenses number 15 was issued on September 24 this year, it gave an exemption in fact an authorisation to do transactions related to exportation or re-exportation of agricultural commodities, medicines, medicinal devices, replacement of parts, and/or components and even software upgrades. The agricultural commodity was further defined and so were the medicines and medicinal devices in the order. Also see | Taliban's show of strength: Military parade with US-made weapons The perception US gave through the first license was that it was willing to facilitate the people of Afghanistan who continued to live a miserable life in the war-torn country following the Taliban takeover. Two and a half months later, the month of December 2021 saw the US showing more leniency, in the first general license issued for the month of December and the second general license on Afghanistan overall, license number 16 authorized the transfer of non-commercial and personal remittances to Afghanistan. On December 22, the United States issued three more general licenses to facilitate the people of Afghanistan and authorized the US government employees, grantees, or contractors to do transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network-related entities, for official business purposes in the general license number 17. Also see | 'Don't politicise education and right to work:' Afghan women protest against Taliban government On the same date, the general licenses number 18 authorised The United Nations, including its programmes, funds, and other entities and bodies, as well as its specialised agencies and related organisations, The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); The African Development Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), including any fund entity administered or established by any of the foregoing; The International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; and The Islamic Development Bank to do transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network as entities for official business purposes. The last general license issued by US Treasury on Afghanistan taking its tally of general licenses on Afghanistan to five, that is, the general license number 19 which basically took the handcuffs off from aid organizations authorised transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network as entities for; Activities to support humanitarian projects to meet basic human needs in Afghanistan, including drought and flood relief; food, nutrition, and medicine distribution; the provision of health services; assistance for vulnerable or displaced populations, including individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence; and environmental programs; Activities to support the following in Afghanistan: rule of law, citizen participation, government accountability and transparency, human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to information, and civil society development projects; Activities to support education in Afghanistan, including combating illiteracy, increasing access to education, international exchanges, and assisting education reform projects; Activities to support non-commercial development projects directly benefitting the Afghan people, including related to health, food security, and water and sanitation; and Activities to support environmental and natural resource protection in Afghanistan, including the preservation and protection of threatened or endangered species, responsible and transparent management of natural resources, and the remediation of pollution or other environmental damage. The other more pertinent question is that why a need for the general license was there be issued, the answer to that is that since the Taliban are currently a listed organization, both at the UN and the US, therefore any direct transactions would not be possible as per law, however, these general licenses act as an enabler or exemption for an undefined period. The United States has pledged a total of $474 million as aid for Afghanistan, the most by any country. Earlier this week, A senior US official told this correspondent that the US had quietly been working behind the scenes with the UN and other international organisations to pump cash into the Afghan system, an example of which was the $200 million pumped into the Afghan system for the use of the UN employees, very recently. These licenses were mirrored by the United Nations Sanctions Committee through a resolution on the same day as well which means that under the UN charter, this allows UN member countries to do business with the Taliban or Haqqani under the set parameters as defined earlier. The guidelines to do business with the Taliban are very clearly laid out, that it must be on an entity basis and not on individual basis, so while the entities might be headed by proscribed individuals, business with the office is allowed but not with the individual. To simply put it, as an example, Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani Network might be a listed individual by the US and the UN both, the other reality is that Sirajuddin Haqqani is also the Minister of Interior of Taliban ruled Afghanistan, so while the transfer would not be permitted to Sirajuddin Haqqani as an individual, his ministry can very well have funds or transactions under these set of rules, as defined in the general licenses issued. The Taliban and international community have been long-pressing the United States to release the “frozen Afghan assets it houses” following the Taliban takeover of the country, however, a senior US official clarifying the situation said that the US has no magic button to release these assets as they were being held back due to a court order.

What does the issuance of additional general licenses mean for Afghanistan?

The president needed the senator from West Virginia on his side, but he wasn’t sure he needed his vice president to get him there.

It was summertime, and President Joe Biden was under immense pressure to win the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, whose decisive vote in a 50-50 chamber made him the president’s most delicate negotiating partner. Biden had invited Manchin to the Oval Office to privately make the case for his marquee domestic policy legislation. Just before Manchin arrived, he turned to Vice President Kamala Harris.

What he needed from her was not strategy or advice. He needed her to only say a quick hello, which she did before turning on her heel and leaving the room for another meeting.

The moment, described as an exchange of “brief pleasantries” by a senior White House official and confirmed by two other people who were briefed on it, was a vivid reminder of the complexity of the job held by Harris: While most presidents promise their vice presidents access and influence, at the end of the day, power and responsibility are not shared equally, and Biden does not always feel a need for input from Harris as he navigates some of his most important relationships.

In Harris’ case, she came to the job without strong ties to key senators; one person briefed on the Oval Office meeting said it would be more productive if the discussion between Biden and Manchin remained private. It is unclear that the president had much sway on his own, either, given the senator’s decision this week to break with the White House over the domestic policy bill.

But without a headlining role in some of the most critical decisions facing the White House, the vice president is caught between criticism that she is falling short and resentment among supporters who feel she is being undercut by the administration she serves. And her allies increasingly are concerned that while Biden relied on her to help him win the White House, he does not need her to govern.

“I think she was an enormous help to the ticket during the campaign,” said Mark Buell, one of Harris’ earliest fundraisers since her first race for district attorney in San Francisco. “I would like to see her employed in the same way, now that they’re implementing their objectives or goals.”

The urgency surrounding her position is tied to whether the president, who at 79 is the oldest person to hold the office, will run for reelection in 2024. He told ABC News on Wednesday that he would run again if he was in good health. But questions about Harris’ readiness for the top job are starting far earlier than is usual for an administration in its first year.

Harris declined requests for an interview, but White House officials said that her relationship with Biden is a partnership.

“The vice president has diligently worked alongside the president coordinating with partners, allies and Democratic members of the House and Senate to advance the goals of this administration,” said Sabrina Singh, Harris’ deputy press secretary.

An early front-runner whose presidential ambitions fizzled amid a dysfunctional 2020 campaign, Harris was pulled onto the Biden ticket for her policy priorities that largely mirrored his, and her ability as a Black woman to bolster support with coalitions of voters he needed to win the presidency. But according to interviews with more than two dozen White House officials, political allies, elected officials and former aides, Harris is still struggling to define herself in the Biden White House or meaningfully correct what she and her aides feel is an unfair perception that she is adrift in the job.

Faced with declining approval ratings, a series of staff departures and a drumbeat of criticism from Republicans and the conservative news media, she has turned to powerful confidantes, including Hillary Clinton, to help plot a path forward.

Harris has privately told her allies that the news coverage of her would be different if she were any of her 48 predecessors, all of whom were white and male. She also has confided in them about the difficulties she is facing with the intractable issues in her portfolio, such as voting rights and the root causes of migration. The White House has pushed back against scathing criticism on both fronts, for what activists say is a lack of attention.

“I think it’s no secret that the different things she has been asked to take on are incredibly demanding, not always well understood publicly and take a lot of work as well as a lot of skill,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview. “You have to do everything except one thing, which is take credit.”

Even in the best of times, the constraints of the job often make the vice president an afterthought, and not everyone asked to serve accepts it. (“I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead and in my coffin,” Daniel Webster, a former secretary of state, said in the 1840s about declining the job.)

But the complexity of the issues she has been assigned, and the long-term solutions they require, should have prompted the West Wing to defend Harris more aggressively to the public, said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., the former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“What the White House could’ve done is been clearer with the expectations of what was supposed to happen under her watch,” she said.

Other Democrats say their frustrations run deeper.

Harris, who spent much of her four years in the Senate running for the presidency, was at odds with Manchin after she gave a series of interviews in West Virginia that he interpreted as unwelcome infringement on his home turf. Asked about the meeting in the Oval Office over the summer, a spokeswoman for Manchin said that the senator enjoys “a friendly and respectful working relationship” with the vice president.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, a moderate from Texas and one of the more prominent voices on border issues in the Democratic Party, said his experiences with Harris’ team had been disappointing. When Cuellar heard Harris was traveling to the border in June, he had his staff call her office to offer help and advice for her visit. He never received a call back.

“I say this very respectfully to her: I moved on,” Cuellar said. “She was tasked with that job, it doesn’t look like she’s very interested in this, so we are going to move on to other folks that work on this issue.”

In the future, Cuellar said he would go straight to the West Wing with his concerns on migration rather than the vice president’s office.

Of the White House, Cuellar said, “at least they talk to you.”

Harris’ aides have pointed to her work lobbying other countries and companies to join the United States in a commitment to invest about $1.2 billion to expand digital access, climate resilience and economic opportunity in Central America. But little progress has been made on curbing corruption in the region.

On voting rights, Harris, who asked Biden if she could lead the administration’s efforts on the issue, has invited activists to the White House and delivered speeches. But her office has not developed detailed plans to work with lawmakers to make sure that two bills that would reform the system will pass Congress, according to a senior official in her office.

Since arriving in Washington, Harris has sought the counsel of other women — including Clinton, the first female Democratic presidential nominee — who have achieved historical political success to help her find a path.

“There is a double standard; it’s sadly alive and well,” Clinton said in an interview. “A lot of what is being used to judge her, just like it was to judge me, or the women who ran in 2020, or everybody else, is really colored by that.”

The two speak every few months on the phone. In November, Clinton visited Harris in her West Wing office.

Bass pointed out that the double standard goes beyond Harris’ gender.

“I know, and we all knew, that she would have a difficult time because anytime you’re a ‘first,’ you do,’” Bass said. “And to be the first woman vice president, to be the first Black, Asian woman, that’s a triple. So we knew it was going to be rough, but it has been relentless, and I think extremely unfair.”

Before her trip to Vietnam and Singapore in August, Harris called Clinton and several former female secretaries of state, including Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright. She has had several private conversations with Angela Merkel, who has recounted the challenges she faced as the first female chancellor of Germany.

For this article, Harris’ office supplied dozens of examples of her work. She was sent to France to further repair frosty relations after an embarrassing diplomatic spat, a trip that the White House has hailed as a success. She has attended over 30 events focused on promoting the president’s domestic agenda, and her mark is on the final infrastructure bill on issues like clean water policy, broadband access and investments to combat wildfires. (Voting rights is another.)

The president also gave Harris credit for her interest in relieving student loan debt as he agreed Wednesday to extend a moratorium on federal loan repayments until May 1, a decision that was hailed by activists and Democratic lawmakers who have pleaded with the administration to do more.

And yet, as the White House struggles to push through major legislation, Biden has relied on his own experience — 36 years in the Senate and eight years as vice president — to try to pull the United States out of the coronavirus pandemic and deliver on a towering set of economic promises. And Harris is facing questions about where she fits into the White House’s biggest priorities.

By all accounts, she and the president have a warm relationship. In meetings, the two often play off each other, with Biden allowing her to jump in and ask questions that go beyond what he has asked for; one adviser likened it to them playing “good cop, bad cop.” Alongside the president, Harris, a former prosecutor, has quizzed economic experts and immigration officials, at times asking them to better explain their reasoning.

Still, her allies are concerned that she is sometimes treated as an afterthought.

When the president worked late hours on a Friday night last month to win approval from lawmakers for his bipartisan infrastructure plan, a White House statement said only that he was working with a group of policy and legislative aides.

The vice president’s team, surprised her name had been omitted, informed the news media that she had also been there, placing calls to lawmakers. Asked about the exclusion, a White House spokesman said the initial statement issued to the public was based on information gathered before the vice president had arrived to join Biden and his senior staff. The White House issued a statement hours later noting Harris’ presence.

In recent weeks, she has seen a string of departures from the communications office; a number of other officials departed earlier this year.

Gil Duran, who worked for Harris when she was California attorney general in 2013, said she could be insulting and unprofessional. Duran said he quit after five months on the job when Harris declined to attend a briefing before a news conference, but then berated a staff member to the point of tears when she felt unprepared.

“A lot of us would still be with her if she was the Kamala Harris we thought she would be,” Duran said.

The White House had no comment when asked about the episode.

Aware of the criticism of her, Harris has been focused on promoting her own agenda in a series of interviews and appearances.

But Bass said the immediate challenge was the midterm elections next year, when Republicans could take back control of the House.

As for Harris’ presidential ambitions?

“I think she is the front-runner,” Bass said. “I think she’ll be the front-runner.”

The president needed the senator from West Virginia on his side, but he wasn’t sure he needed his vice president to get him there. It was summertime, and President Joe Biden was under immense pressure to win the support of Sen.

The president needed the senator from West Virginia on his side, but he wasn’t sure he needed his vice president to get him there. It was summertime, and President Joe Biden was under immense pressure to win the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, whose decisive vote in a 50-50 chamber made him the president’s most delicate negotiating partner. Biden had invited Manchin to the Oval Office to privately make the case for his marquee domestic policy legislation. Just before Manchin arrived, he turned to Vice President Kamala Harris. What he needed from her was not strategy or advice. He needed her to only say a quick hello, which she did before turning on her heel and leaving the room for another meeting. The moment, described as an exchange of “brief pleasantries” by a senior White House official and confirmed by two other people who were briefed on it, was a vivid reminder of the complexity of the job held by Harris: While most presidents promise their vice presidents access and influence, at the end of the day, power and responsibility are not shared equally, and Biden does not always feel a need for input from Harris as he navigates some of his most important relationships. In Harris’ case, she came to the job without strong ties to key senators; one person briefed on the Oval Office meeting said it would be more productive if the discussion between Biden and Manchin remained private. It is unclear that the president had much sway on his own, either, given the senator’s decision this week to break with the White House over the domestic policy bill. But without a headlining role in some of the most critical decisions facing the White House, the vice president is caught between criticism that she is falling short and resentment among supporters who feel she is being undercut by the administration she serves. And her allies increasingly are concerned that while Biden relied on her to help him win the White House, he does not need her to govern. “I think she was an enormous help to the ticket during the campaign,” said Mark Buell, one of Harris’ earliest fundraisers since her first race for district attorney in San Francisco. “I would like to see her employed in the same way, now that they’re implementing their objectives or goals.” The urgency surrounding her position is tied to whether the president, who at 79 is the oldest person to hold the office, will run for reelection in 2024. He told ABC News on Wednesday that he would run again if he was in good health. But questions about Harris’ readiness for the top job are starting far earlier than is usual for an administration in its first year. Harris declined requests for an interview, but White House officials said that her relationship with Biden is a partnership. “The vice president has diligently worked alongside the president coordinating with partners, allies and Democratic members of the House and Senate to advance the goals of this administration,” said Sabrina Singh, Harris’ deputy press secretary. An early front-runner whose presidential ambitions fizzled amid a dysfunctional 2020 campaign, Harris was pulled onto the Biden ticket for her policy priorities that largely mirrored his, and her ability as a Black woman to bolster support with coalitions of voters he needed to win the presidency. But according to interviews with more than two dozen White House officials, political allies, elected officials and former aides, Harris is still struggling to define herself in the Biden White House or meaningfully correct what she and her aides feel is an unfair perception that she is adrift in the job. Faced with declining approval ratings, a series of staff departures and a drumbeat of criticism from Republicans and the conservative news media, she has turned to powerful confidantes, including Hillary Clinton, to help plot a path forward. Harris has privately told her allies that the news coverage of her would be different if she were any of her 48 predecessors, all of whom were white and male. She also has confided in them about the difficulties she is facing with the intractable issues in her portfolio, such as voting rights and the root causes of migration. The White House has pushed back against scathing criticism on both fronts, for what activists say is a lack of attention. “I think it’s no secret that the different things she has been asked to take on are incredibly demanding, not always well understood publicly and take a lot of work as well as a lot of skill,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview. “You have to do everything except one thing, which is take credit.” Even in the best of times, the constraints of the job often make the vice president an afterthought, and not everyone asked to serve accepts it. (“I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead and in my coffin,” Daniel Webster, a former secretary of state, said in the 1840s about declining the job.) But the complexity of the issues she has been assigned, and the long-term solutions they require, should have prompted the West Wing to defend Harris more aggressively to the public, said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., the former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “What the White House could’ve done is been clearer with the expectations of what was supposed to happen under her watch,” she said. Other Democrats say their frustrations run deeper. Harris, who spent much of her four years in the Senate running for the presidency, was at odds with Manchin after she gave a series of interviews in West Virginia that he interpreted as unwelcome infringement on his home turf. Asked about the meeting in the Oval Office over the summer, a spokeswoman for Manchin said that the senator enjoys “a friendly and respectful working relationship” with the vice president. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a moderate from Texas and one of the more prominent voices on border issues in the Democratic Party, said his experiences with Harris’ team had been disappointing. When Cuellar heard Harris was traveling to the border in June, he had his staff call her office to offer help and advice for her visit. He never received a call back. “I say this very respectfully to her: I moved on,” Cuellar said. “She was tasked with that job, it doesn’t look like she’s very interested in this, so we are going to move on to other folks that work on this issue.” In the future, Cuellar said he would go straight to the West Wing with his concerns on migration rather than the vice president’s office. Of the White House, Cuellar said, “at least they talk to you.” Harris’ aides have pointed to her work lobbying other countries and companies to join the United States in a commitment to invest about $1.2 billion to expand digital access, climate resilience and economic opportunity in Central America. But little progress has been made on curbing corruption in the region. On voting rights, Harris, who asked Biden if she could lead the administration’s efforts on the issue, has invited activists to the White House and delivered speeches. But her office has not developed detailed plans to work with lawmakers to make sure that two bills that would reform the system will pass Congress, according to a senior official in her office. Since arriving in Washington, Harris has sought the counsel of other women — including Clinton, the first female Democratic presidential nominee — who have achieved historical political success to help her find a path. “There is a double standard; it’s sadly alive and well,” Clinton said in an interview. “A lot of what is being used to judge her, just like it was to judge me, or the women who ran in 2020, or everybody else, is really colored by that.” The two speak every few months on the phone. In November, Clinton visited Harris in her West Wing office. Bass pointed out that the double standard goes beyond Harris’ gender. “I know, and we all knew, that she would have a difficult time because anytime you’re a ‘first,’ you do,’” Bass said. “And to be the first woman vice president, to be the first Black, Asian woman, that’s a triple. So we knew it was going to be rough, but it has been relentless, and I think extremely unfair.” Before her trip to Vietnam and Singapore in August, Harris called Clinton and several former female secretaries of state, including Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright. She has had several private conversations with Angela Merkel, who has recounted the challenges she faced as the first female chancellor of Germany. For this article, Harris’ office supplied dozens of examples of her work. She was sent to France to further repair frosty relations after an embarrassing diplomatic spat, a trip that the White House has hailed as a success. She has attended over 30 events focused on promoting the president’s domestic agenda, and her mark is on the final infrastructure bill on issues like clean water policy, broadband access and investments to combat wildfires. (Voting rights is another.) The president also gave Harris credit for her interest in relieving student loan debt as he agreed Wednesday to extend a moratorium on federal loan repayments until May 1, a decision that was hailed by activists and Democratic lawmakers who have pleaded with the administration to do more. And yet, as the White House struggles to push through major legislation, Biden has relied on his own experience — 36 years in the Senate and eight years as vice president — to try to pull the United States out of the coronavirus pandemic and deliver on a towering set of economic promises. And Harris is facing questions about where she fits into the White House’s biggest priorities. By all accounts, she and the president have a warm relationship. In meetings, the two often play off each other, with Biden allowing her to jump in and ask questions that go beyond what he has asked for; one adviser likened it to them playing “good cop, bad cop.” Alongside the president, Harris, a former prosecutor, has quizzed economic experts and immigration officials, at times asking them to better explain their reasoning. Still, her allies are concerned that she is sometimes treated as an afterthought. When the president worked late hours on a Friday night last month to win approval from lawmakers for his bipartisan infrastructure plan, a White House statement said only that he was working with a group of policy and legislative aides. The vice president’s team, surprised her name had been omitted, informed the news media that she had also been there, placing calls to lawmakers. Asked about the exclusion, a White House spokesman said the initial statement issued to the public was based on information gathered before the vice president had arrived to join Biden and his senior staff. The White House issued a statement hours later noting Harris’ presence. In recent weeks, she has seen a string of departures from the communications office; a number of other officials departed earlier this year. Gil Duran, who worked for Harris when she was California attorney general in 2013, said she could be insulting and unprofessional. Duran said he quit after five months on the job when Harris declined to attend a briefing before a news conference, but then berated a staff member to the point of tears when she felt unprepared. “A lot of us would still be with her if she was the Kamala Harris we thought she would be,” Duran said. The White House had no comment when asked about the episode. Aware of the criticism of her, Harris has been focused on promoting her own agenda in a series of interviews and appearances. But Bass said the immediate challenge was the midterm elections next year, when Republicans could take back control of the House. As for Harris’ presidential ambitions? “I think she is the front-runner,” Bass said. “I think she’ll be the front-runner.”

Heir apparent or afterthought? The frustrations of Kamala Harris.

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