Friday, October 1 top stories
It is Friday, October 1. Here are today’s top stories.
Merck, a pharmaceutical company, said clinical trials of an antiviral pill for Covid-19 called molnupiravir shows that it is effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization or death by half when given to high-risk people early in their infections. The drug is designed to stop the virus from replicating. People will need to take four pills twice a day for five days. Merck is seeking FDA authorization. The pills would be a cheaper and easier alternative compared to intravenous antibody treatments.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released footage of what it looks like inside of Category 4 Hurricane Sam that is swirling in the Atlantic Ocean. The NOAA used a device called a Saildrone, which is a robotic, boat-like drone that has a camera on it. Here is a short video clip of what it looks like inside the hurricane.
[Video clip]
The NOAA said the drone endured 50-foot waves and winds of over 120 mph. The Saildrone has a “hurricane wing” that allows it to handle the wind speeds as it collects data.
According to Accuweather, Hurricane Sam poses no threat to the U.S. east coast as it is forecast to move northeast and away into the Atlantic Ocean.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state will require all children who are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine to receive the vaccine before they can go to school. Newsom said our schools “already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more. Why? Because vaccines work. This is about keeping our kids safe and healthy.”
The LA Times said the mandate could go in effect in January 2022 as long as there is full approval from the FDA. The FDA currently provides full approval only for ages 16 and above, while ages 12 to 16 are approved only under emergency use. It is expected that the FDA will grant full approval for ages 12 and above in the next few months.
The Supreme Court said Justice Brett Kavanaugh tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday evening. He has been fully vaccinated since January and currently has no symptoms. The Supreme Court is set to begin its new term on Monday with its first in-person session with all justices, and it seems likely Kavanaugh will not be able to show up in person.
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On Thursday night House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called off a vote on President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill because progressive and moderate Democrats couldn’t reach an agreement on Biden’s bigger $3.5 trillion package to address social and climate priorities.
The infrastructure bill really should have easily passed out of Congress and go to Biden’s desk —
but about 50 progressive Democrats such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) said they refuse to vote on the infrastructure bill unless they get a commitment that the $3.5 trillion package has what they want in it.
The social and climate bill’s price tag is opposed by Senate Democrats Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ). Their opposition means Democrats can’t pass the bill using reconciliation – which allows them to advance a bill without Republican support. It requires all 50 Senate Democrats to support it. Manchin said he would only go up to $1.5 trillion.
So it is two separate bills that are somewhat tied with each other. The bills are not dead, but they are delayed. All eyes are on House Speaker Pelosi and President Biden on whether they can pull off a compromise within the Democratic party. At the time of signing this news, President Biden plans to meet with House Democrats at the Capitol.
Paul Riley, the coach of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team North Carolina Courage, was fired after a report in sports publication “The Athletic” described how Riley pressured a player to have sex with him, sent sexual pictures to other players, and of Riley being verbally abusive. Riley denied most of the allegations. There is now a controversy within the NWSL on whether its top officials failed to protect players. All NWSL games are canceled this weekend because of the controversy.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a good weekend and stay with the light.
https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1443990974116495363
https://abc7chicago.com/11065837/
https://www.saildrone.com/press-release/ocean-drone-captures-video-inside-category-4-hurricane
https://www.vox.com/2021/9/30/22700697/house-progressives-infrastructure-vote
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/pelosi-delays-vote-infrastructure-bill-dems-deal-manchin
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/us/merck-antiviral-pill-covid.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/sports/soccer/nwsl-abuse-paul-riley.html