Monday, September 27 top stories
It is Monday, September 27. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Today President Joe Biden publicly received his Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster shot in front of news cameras.
Last week the CDC and the FDA authorized Pfizer’s booster shots for those 65 years of age and older, those with vulnerable health, and workers in high-risk environments.
Biden is 78 years old, so he qualifies for the booster shot. Biden said, “Boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated.”
CBS News explained that data on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s booster vaccines are now under review by the FDA and CDC.
Which high-risk workers are qualified for a Pfizer booster shot? Those who work as first responders, teachers and school staff, in food and agriculture, manufacturing, jails and prisons, with the U.S. Postal Service, public transit, and in grocery stores. You can simply go to a pharmacy such as CVS or Walgreens and schedule a third dose. They are free of charge.
The CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla said the company plans to submit data for its Covid-19 vaccine trials in children ages 5 to 11 to the FDA in a few days to seek FDA authorization. The Pfizer vaccines are currently only allowed for those ages 12 and older. It may take about a month for committees from the FDA and CDC to review all the data and determine whether they are safe and what is the appropriate dose.
On Saturday afternoon, an Amtrak train with 141 passengers and 16 crew members derailed in Montana. Three people died and about 50 people were injured. News images show several train cars lying on its side, separated from other train cars. It is not clear exactly what caused the train to derail. Federal investigators and local law enforcement are investigating. The train was en route to Seattle from Chicago when it derailed.
Singer R. Kelly was found guilty on all counts in his sex trafficking trial. Prosecutors said R. Kelly had an entourage of managers and aides who helped bring women and underage girls to him. The defense team said the females were groupies or stalkers. During the trial, survivors testified about how R. Kelly would sexually abuse them and take advantage of his power, fame, and wealth to get away with it. R. Kelly will be sentenced on May 4 and he faces 10 years to life in prison.
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The FBI released data on major crimes in the U.S. in 2020 and it shows that there were almost 5,000 more murders in 2020 compared with 2019. This 30% increase is the largest jump since record keeping began in 1960. About 21,500 people were killed in 2020. 77% of the murders were committed by a firearm.
Cities that have reported their highest murder numbers ever are Albuquerque, Memphis, Milwaukee, and Des Monies. Analysts say the economic and social toll from the coronavirus pandemic and racial justice protests along with an increase in gun purchases may be to blame.
John Hinckley Jr., who shot and wounded former President Ronald Reagan and three others in an assassination attempt in 1981, will be released from federal custody in June 2022 after receiving a federal judge’s approval for “unconditional release." Hinckley is 66 years old.
There was a trial in 1982 in which Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Hinckley said he shot Reagan because he wanted to get the attention of actress Jodie Foster. He was placed in a mental institution but in recent years started having more privileges to live outside of the facility.
A prosecutor with the Department of Justice said they would monitor Hinckley for the next nine months and if they had any new concerns, they would file a motion before the court. Hinckley’s attorney said his mental disease is in “full, stable, and complete remission.”
In 2009, fossils of ancient human footprints were discovered in White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Last week scientists said the footprints date back to about 23,000 years ago. Scientists were able to find seeds stuck in the footprints to determine their approximate age by carbon dating the seeds. Scientists say the footprints are crisscrossed by mammoth or giant sloth footprints.Now scientists are reevaluating their timeline of when humans first arrived in the Americas from Africa and Asia.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/27/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040872498/john-hinckley-unconditional-release
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-booster-shot-workers-eligible/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/us/fbi-murders-2020-cities.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/23/science/ancient-footprints-ice-age.html