CDC urges adults 50 and older to get 2nd booster
In a sign of growing concern among federal health officials about the spread of new coronavirus infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now saying that all people 50 or older should get a second booster shot if at least four months have passed since their first booster dose. Previously, the agency said those 50 and older had the option of the additional shot but only encouraged people older that 65 or with underlying medical conditions to get it. The new guidance, issued in a statement on the CDC’s website Thursday, also extends to anyone 12 and older with certain immune deficiencies.
Lawyer says he dealt directly with Trump over Jan. 6 plans
Lawyer John Eastman, architect of a strategy to overturn the 2020 election, dealt directly with President Donald Trump and received handwritten notes from him as the men sought to keep Trump in power, according to a new court filing. The filing underscored how instrumental Eastman was in devising ways to fight Joe Biden’s victory and how personally involved Trump was in the attempt to keep the presidency in his hands. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is preparing for public hearings in June. Eastman is fighting the release of hundreds of documents that the panel has demanded via subpoena.
Pentagon taps next commander of US forces in Africa
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has recommended that the White House promote Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley of the Marine Corps to be the next head of the military’s Africa Command, two U.S. officials said. If formally nominated by the White House and confirmed by the Senate, Langley would become the first Black four-star Marine Corps officer. He would succeed Gen. Stephen J. Townsend of the Army, who is retiring this summer, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. Langley oversees Marine forces on the East Coast and has served in Afghanistan, Somalia and Okinawa, Japan.
Archbishop bars Pelosi from Communion over abortion stance
An ultraconservative archbishop in San Francisco said Friday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California would not be permitted to receive Communion in his archdiocese because of her support for abortion rights. Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, who has repeatedly confronted Pelosi over abortion, said in a letter Friday that until Pelosi was willing to “publicly repudiate” her position defending the “legitimacy of abortion,” she would be banned from the sacrament. Cordileone is an outspoken critic of abortion and same-sex marriage. The Vatican has warned against denying Communion to politicians supportive of abortion rights.
Russia hustles to recruit soldiers and halts gas supplies to Finland
Russia took new steps to gird for an escalating struggle with the West over the war in Ukraine, moving to expand military recruitment and severing gas supplies to Finland in apparent retaliation for its neighbor’s application to join NATO. Russia said Friday that it was suspending gas shipments to Finland because the Finnish gas company had failed to make payments in rubles. Also Friday, lawmakers introduced an amendment that would allow Russians older than 40 to sign first-time military service contracts. Under the current law, Russian citizens must be ages 18-40 to sign a first-time contract.
In SKorea, Biden seeks to rebuild economic ties across Asia
President Joe Biden arrived on his inaugural mission to Asia on Friday, hoping to lure countries back into the U.S. orbit despite the decision by his predecessor, President Donald Trump, five years ago to abandon a far-reaching trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership — but not by rejoining the economic bloc. Biden will formally unveil the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework on Monday in Tokyo, bringing together many of the same countries from the trade partnership to coordinate policies on energy, supply chains and other issues, but without the market access or tariff reductions that powered the original partnership.
G-7 nations pledge $20B to Ukraine
The Group of 7 economic powers agreed Friday to provide nearly $20 billion to support Ukraine’s economy to help keep the country’s government running while it fights to repel a Russian invasion. In a joint statement after two days of meetings, finance ministers from the G-7 affirmed their commitment to help Ukraine with a mix of grants and loans. The $19.8 billion of financing was agreed on after the United States, which is contributing more than $9 billion in short-term financing, pressed its allies to do more. The statement did not break down how much the other G-7 nations will contribute.
UN Human Rights chief to make first trip to China since 2005
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations’ top human rights official, will next week visit China, including its troubled western region of Xinjiang. The trip by Bachelet will be the first official visit to China by a U.N. high commissioner for human rights since 2005. Concerns over the human rights situation in China have escalated dramatically in recent years as a result of the crackdown by Xi Jinping, the country’s top leader, on activists, lawyers and the media, and the draconian measures unleashed on the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang. Only sketchy details have emerged about what Bachelet will do and hopes to achieve in China.
African scientists baffled by monkeypox cases in Europe, US
Scientists who have monitored numerous outbreaks of monkeypox in Africa say they are baffled by the disease’s recent spread in Europe and North America. Cases of the smallpox-related disease haven’t previously been seen among people with no links to central and West Africa. But in the past week, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United States, Sweden and Canada have all reported infections, mostly in young men who hadn’t traveled to Africa. On Friday, France, Germany, Belgium and Australia all confirmed their first cases of monkeypox. One of the theories British health officials are exploring is whether the disease is being sexually transmitted.
Boeing docks crew capsule to space station in test do-over
Boeing’s astronaut capsule has arrived at the International Space Station in a critical repeat test flight. Only a test dummy was aboard the capsule for Friday’s docking, a huge achievement for Boeing after years of false starts. The only other time Boeing’s Starliner flew in space, it never got anywhere near the station. This time, the overhauled Starliner made it to the right orbit following Thursday’s launch from Florida. With Starliner’s arrival, NASA finally realizes its longtime effort to have crew capsules from competing U.S. companies flying to the space station. SpaceX already has a running start.
Rare northern Michigan tornado kills 1, injures more than 40
A rare northern Michigan tornado that hammered a small town has killed at least one person and injured more than 40. Munson Healthcare spokesman Brian Lawson said Friday that he had no details about the person who was killed or the conditions of those who were hurt by the tornado that rushed through Gaylord, a city of about 4,200, at about 3:45 p.m. Mike Klepadlo, who owns a car repair shop in Gaylord, says he and his workers took cover in a bathroom, and that he feels lucky to be alive because it blew the back off the building. A National Weather Service forecaster said extreme winds are uncommon in that part of Michigan because the Great Lakes suck energy out of storms, especially in spring when the lakes are very cold.
By wire sources
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