Surgeon General warns
of youth mental health crisis
The U.S. surgeon general warned Tuesday that young people are facing “devastating” mental health effects as a result of the challenges experienced by their generation, including the coronavirus pandemic. The message came as part of a rare public advisory from the nation’s top physician, Dr. Vivek Murthy, in a 53-page report noting that the pandemic intensified mental health issues that were already widespread by spring 2020. Murthy’s advisory calls for more resources to be devoted to understanding and addressing mental health challenges, and it urges a greater appreciation of mental health as a key factor in overall health.
Pfizer’s vaccine provides some protection against omicron, lab study suggests
A report out of South Africa offered a first glimpse at how vaccinated people might fare against the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Laboratory experiments found that omicron seems to dull the power of the Pfizer vaccine but also hinted that people who have received a booster might be better protected. The study, published Tuesday, found that antibodies produced by vaccinated people were much less successful at keeping the omicron variant from infecting cells than other forms of the coronavirus. Pfizer and Moderna have said that they would be able to produce vaccines specifically tailored to the variant in roughly three months.
Congressional leaders
reach deal to allow
debt ceiling increase
Congressional leaders in both parties reached a deal Tuesday on a bill that would allow a swift increase in the debt ceiling amid a Republican blockade, agreeing to attempt an unusual maneuver that could avert the threat of a first-ever federal default. The measure would create a special pathway — to be used only once, before mid-January — for the Senate to raise the debt limit by a specific amount with a simple majority vote. The proposal is wrapped into legislation that would postpone scheduled cuts to Medicare, farm aid and other mandatory spending programs that were set to kick in next year.
US puts $400M into global vaccine distribution program
The U.S. government is investing $400 million in a new program to help countries get vaccines to their citizens quickly, an effort that comes amid fears that the delta and omicron variants will drive a new wave of cases. The U.S. Agency for International Development said the program, called the Initiative for Global Vaccine Access, would “enhance international coordination.” Three-quarters of the money will go toward administering vaccines in remote territories and helping countries with vaccine policies and supply chain logistics. The rest of the money will be used to help areas where there are surges in cases and to help countries manufacture vaccines locally.
Ethiopia says it recaptured strategic towns from rebels
Ethiopian forces recaptured two strategic towns from Tigrayan rebel fighters, the government said late Monday, the latest in a string of victories that signaled the government was regaining its footing on the battlefield after months of major defeats in the civil war. The government appears to have regained control of Dessie and Kombolcha. The towns were prized by both sides because they are on a crucial highway that connects the landlocked nation to the ports of neighboring Djibouti. The claims of territorial gains are the latest twist in a metastasizing war that has caused a massive humanitarian crisis and led to reports of massacres and ethnically motivated detentions.
Chile legalizes same-sex marriage at fraught political moment
Lawmakers in Chile on Tuesday legalized same-sex marriage, a landmark victory for gay rights activists that underscores how profoundly the country’s politics and society have shifted in the past decade. By overwhelming majorities in both chambers, lawmakers put the unions of same-sex couples on par with others, making Chile the 31st nation to allow same-sex marriage and taking a significant step toward consolidating it as the norm in Latin America. The vote comes as Chile, long seen as a stable and conservative country in the region, grapples with an urgent demand for sweeping social change from various sectors of society.
Lawmakers reach deal to overhaul how military handles sexual assault cases
House and Senate negotiators reached a landmark agreement Tuesday that would strip military commanders of most of their authority to prosecute sexual assaults and myriad other criminal cases, a move that Pentagon leaders, lawmakers and presidents have resisted for nearly a generation. The legislation comes after nearly two decades of efforts by female lawmakers and survivors’ groups, and despite fierce last-minute lobbying against the proposal by military lawyers. Under the agreement, independent military prosecutors would replace commanders in determining whether those accused of sexual assault, rape, murder, domestic violence and an array of other offenses would be prosecuted.
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