“The U.S. is heading into its second pandemic summer, but the mood is brightening.
For this Memorial Day weekend, parades and barbecues — canceled last year as the country was nearing 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus — are back on.
More than half of all adults in the U.S. have now been fully vaccinated. About 23,000 new infections are being reported daily, the lowest number in nearly a year. Travel is back, and so is congestion (which is making some traffic reporters very happy). If you’re on the road this weekend, pack patience and sunblock. Above, on the road in Kennebunk, Maine.
While the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. has slowed, the nation is getting closer to President Biden’s goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults by July 4. The biggest gains in recent weeks have been made in vaccinating children who are 12 to 15 years old, according to a Times analysis.
But for many, the pandemic has left deep scars. In New York City, a teenage brother and sister were orphaned by Covid-19. They’re rebuilding their lives, unearthing courage from sorrow.” Read more at New York Times
“Key questions about the Jan. 6 riot may never be answered now that congressional Republicans have blocked an independent inquiry.
The public may never know precisely what President Donald Trump and members of his administration did or said as a throng of his supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress met to formalize President Biden’s victory; why security officials were so unprepared for the breach; or the extent of the role of Republican lawmakers in planning the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally that turned into a deadly attack.
Instead, Republican senators moved to shift an unwelcome spotlight away from Trump and the complicity of many G.O.P. lawmakers in amplifying his false claims of widespread voter fraud. Republicans have argued that the existing investigations will address what happened. But they have strict limits.” Read more at New York Times
“Multiple gunman opened fire outside a South Florida banquet hall early Sunday, killing at least two people and wounding more than 20, police said.
The gunfire erupted at the El Mula Banquet Hall in northwest Miami-Dade County, near Hialeah, police said. The hall had been rented out for a concert. Three people rolled out of an SUV and opened fire on the crowd outside, police director Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Ramirez III said.
‘I am at the scene of another targeted and cowardly act of gun violence, where over 20 victims were shot and 2 have sadly died,’ Ramirez tweeted. T’hese are cold blooded murderers that shot indiscriminately into a crowd and we will seek justice. My deepest condolences to the family of the victims.’
Two people died at the scene, police said. As many as 25 people went to various hospitals for treatment. No arrests were immediately announced, and police were asking the community for help and gathering surveillance footage in the search for evidence.” Read more at USA Today
“The Republican-controlled Texas State Senate passed a bill early Sunday that would impose a raft of new voting restrictions in the state, moving a step closer to the expected full passage of what would be among the most far-reaching laws in Republicans’ nationwide drive to overhaul elections systems and limit voting.
The bill would tighten what are already some of the country’s strictest voting laws, and it would specifically target balloting methods that were employed for the first time last year by Harris County, home to Houston.
In addition to banning drive-through voting and 24-hour voting, which were used by nearly 140,000 voters in Harris County during the 2020 election, the bill would prohibit election officials from sending absentee ballots to all voters, regardless of whether they had requested them; ban using tents, garages, mobile units or any temporary structure as a polling location; further limit who could vote absentee; and add new identification requirements for voting by mail.
Partisan poll watchers would also have more access and autonomy under the bill’s provisions, and election officials could be more harshly punished if they make mistakes or otherwise run afoul of election codes and laws.” Read more at New York Times
Matthew Busch for The New York Times
“Gun purchases surged during the pandemic — a fifth of them by first-time owners — and the pace hasn’t slowed.
While gun sales have been climbing for decades, Americans have been on an unusual, prolonged buying spree fueled by the pandemic, the protests last summer and the fears they both stoked. A record 1.2 million background checks were conducted in a single week this spring.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign a wide-ranging bill that would allow virtually anyone over the age of 21 to carry a handgun — no permit required. It’s part of a string of Republican-led initiatives that the State Legislature has pushed through during its most conservative session in modern history. Next up: a voting bill that critics say will make Texas ‘the most difficult place to vote in the country.’” Read more at New York Times
“A Russian-speaking gang has become the face of global cybercrime. We got an inside look.
The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline by the gang known as DarkSide cast a spotlight on a rapidly expanding criminal industry based primarily in Russia. Now, even small-time criminal syndicates and low-skilled hackers can pose a potential national security threat.
Ransomware is easily obtained off the shelf, and virtually anyone can load it into a compromised computer system using YouTube tutorials or with the help of groups like DarkSide. Customer support is included. A glimpse into DarkSide’s secret communications reveals a criminal operation that is pulling in millions of dollars in ransom payments each month.” Read more at New York Times
“With pressure growing from the Biden administration, two Native American tribes in Oklahoma have agreed to consider reversing their policies of denying citizenship to descendants of Black people who were enslaved by them before the Civil War.
The tribes, the Choctaw Nation and Muscogee (Creek) Nation, said they would take initial steps to address the long-running demands of the descendants that they be granted equal rights as tribal citizens, an issue that has split their communities and highlighted clashes over identity and racism among Native Americans.
But the two tribes stopped short of a commitment to grant citizenship to the Black descendants, who are known as Freedmen, instead saying they would open discussions about the issue. In February, the Cherokee Nation eliminated from its constitutionlanguage that based citizenship on being descended from “by blood” tribal members listed on a federal census, the biggest step by a tribe so far to resolve the issue.
Those tribes and others, which had originally inhabited the Southeast, purchased enslaved Black people as laborers in the 18th and 19th centuries, and had brought them along when they were forcibly relocated by the federal government in a deadly ordeal known as the ‘Trail of Tears.’” Read more at New York Times
“LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson married his fiancee Carrie Symonds in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, the first time a British leader has married in office in 199 years.
Johnson, 56, and Symonds, 33, said ‘I do’ at London’s main Roman Catholic church in central London on Saturday afternoon in front of a small group of family and friends.” Read more at Washington Post
“Veteran actor Gavin MacLeod, known for his role as Murray Slaughter in ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ has died. He was 90.
MacLeod died early Saturday, his nephew, Mark See, told Variety. MacLeod’s health had been poor recently but no cause of death was given, the trade publication reported. TMZ first reported his death after getting confirmation from his ex-wife Joan Devore.
USA TODAY has reached out to MacLeod's representatives.
MacLeod's acting career took off when he was cast alongside legendary actress Mary Tyler Moore as the news writer for the fictional ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ WJM-TV news station. With a balding head, MacLeod's character served as a foil to Betty White's happy homemaker Sue Ann Nivens. His role on the groundbreaking sitcom landed him two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actor.” Read more at USA Today
“B.J. Thomas, the Grammy-winning singer who enjoyed success on the pop, country and gospel charts with such hits as ‘I Just Can't Help Believing,’ ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head’ and ‘Hooked on a Feeling,’ has died. He was 78.
Thomas, who announced in March that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, died from complications of the disease Saturday at his home in Arlington, Texas, his publicist Jeremy Westby said in a statement.
A Hugo, Oklahoma-native who grew up in Houston, Billy Joe Thomas broke through in 1966 with a gospel-styled cover of Hank Williams' ‘I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry’ and went on to sell millions of records and have dozens of hits across genres. He reached No. 1 with pop, adult contemporary and country listeners in 1976 with ‘(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.’ The same year, his ‘Home Where I Belong’ became one of the first gospel albums to be certified platinum for selling more than 1 million copies.” Read more at USA Today
“Helping with the national drive to get 70% of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, Kroger is offering customers, workers or individuals who get the shot the chance to win $1 million or free groceries for a year.
The sweepstakes are being offered in collaboration with the Biden Administration as part of the president’s bid to get the U.S. toward the threshold of herd immunity– where so many Americans are protected against the new coronavirus that it can’t spread.
Starting next week, Kroger will offer a $1 million prize and, separately, free groceries for a year to 10 other winners. The grocer will offer five weekly drawings, ultimately awarding five $1 million prizes and a free year's groceries to 50 other winners.” Read more at USA Today
Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
Have you tried to buy a new house recently? Best of luck.
Tired of being cooped up, eager to take advantage of low interest rates and increasingly willing to move two or more hours from the urban core, buyers have propelled new home construction to its highest level since 2006. Home builders now risk losing business because they can’t supply enough inventory.
In California, some residents have moved out of big cities in search of more space and lower prices, creating hot spots in the suburbs and the once-sleepy exurbs. Above, a new subdivision in Lathrop, Calif.” Read more at New York Times
Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press
“The Big Three are all playing for history at the French Open.
Through a quirk in the sport’s seeding system, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, above, and Roger Federer are almost guaranteed to meet on the way to the men’s final at Roland Garros. But at this singular moment in their careers, with Federer and Nadal tied at 20 Grand Slam wins each and Djokovic close behind with 18, only Djokovic is so intently focused on the numbers.
Here are some matches to watch in the first round. Naomi Osaka plays Patricia Maria Tig this morning. Osaka plans to skip news conferences during the tournament to keep focused and protect her mental health.
From Paris to Porto: At the Champions League final in Portugal, Chelsea beat Manchester City to pick up the biggest prize in European soccer.” Read more at New York Times
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