Tuesday, December 21 top stories
It is Tuesday, December 21. Here are today’s top stories.
The CDC announced last night that the omicron variant of the coronavirus is now the dominant strain in the U.S., with it accounting for 73% of new cases on Monday. The Delta variant accounted for 26% of cases. We can see that omicron is highly contagious because between December 5 to 11, omicron accounted for only 12% of cases. So that’s a leap from 12% to 73% in about two weeks.
CDC Director Walensky said protection measures against the omicron variant remain the same: get vaccinated and boosted, wear a mask indoors, and consider taking a home Covid-19 test before gathering with others.
President Biden plans to give an address today — at the time of signing this news, he hasn’t yet given the address. News reports said he plans to announce that his administration is purchasing 500 million at-home rapid Covid-19 tests to send to Americans through the mail via a new website. Biden also plans to have 1,000 military medical personnel at the ready to support hospitals that are overwhelmed across the country.
A Texas man in his 50’s became the first person in the U.S. to die from the omicron variant on Monday. He was from the Houston area. Local officials said the man was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions. The man was previously infected with the coronavirus.
The state of California filed a lawsuit against Walmart with allegations that the company illegally dumps an enormous amount of hazardous waste such as batteries, insect killers, toxic cleaning supplies, or latex paint into California landfills each year. Walmart said the lawsuit is “unjustified” and would fight it. In 2010, California and Walmart reached a $25 million settlement for illegal dumping of hazardous waste.
The jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell case, who is accused of helping his former partner Jeffrey Epstein in sexual trafficking of underage girls, started deliberating on Monday night after closing arguments and resumed today. Four women testified during the trial that Epstein sexually abused them when they were underage and that Maxwell either facilitated it or participated in it. Maxwell’s defense team said the four women who testified were either confused or lying. If Maxwell is convicted on all of her six federal counts, she faces up to 70 years in prison. In 2019 Epstein was indicted with sexual trafficking but committed suicide in a jail cell.
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Former president Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday in an attempt to stop her investigation in the Trump Organization. The investigation is based on whether Trump’s company falsely inflated or undervalued its assets to gain advantages with loans or taxes. AG James said she wants Trump to come and sit for a deposition on January 7. The Trump lawsuit said James is targeting him for political gain and is harassing.
A local judge in Layfette, Louisiana named Michelle Odinet is on an unpaid suspension over a video in which she is heard making racist slurs. The video shows that Odinet was in her home with some people in her family watching a home security footage of a man who tried to break into her home. Odinet’s voice was heard calling the man the N-word several times and then she said the man was like a roach. Odinet later said in a statement that she was under the influence of a sedative and doesn’t remember what happened.
The Louisiana Supreme Court has suspended her and appointed Layfette’s first Black city judge in her place, Vanessa Harris.
There are now many questions about Odinet’s history of sentencing Black individuals and whether there is a disparity. Odient’s son was removed from the LSU track team because he was heard in the video saying racial slurs as well. The burglary suspect in the home video was arrested and charged with two counts of simple burglary.
CNN reported that Japan executed three death row inmates by hanging on Tuesday. Japan hasn’t executed a person since 2019, and the executions are the first under new Prime Minister Kishida. One of the men was convicted of murdering seven people in 2004 and the other two men were convicted of murdering two employees at a pachinko parlor in 2003. Daily Mail explained that the hangings take place in a chamber in Tokyo with a trap door and a rope attached to the ceiling.
A viral video shows an Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush doing a dance routine during a basketball game when she noticed that the music and dance routine around her changed. Bush was not able to match the others’ dances and was confused until she realized her partner, Brandon, was walking on the court to propose. Check out this clip.
[Video clip]
Bush said yes to the proposal.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/20/omicron-dominant-covid-strain-cdc-525801
https://twitter.com/CDCDirector
https://www.axios.com/nhl-pauses-season-due-to-covid-surge-710ccbd1-faaf-46df-93e9-0093ca63b50e.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/20/us/ghislaine-maxwell-trial-monday-closing-arguments/index.html
https://www.nola.com/news/courts/article_c497e6c6-61f6-11ec-8b7c-838a535a09ea.html