A federal advisory panel has discussed ways to simplify and routinize COVID-19 vaccines, more than two years after the first shots became available. Also in the news: The National Archives has requested former officials look for any classified documents they might have. It's the last weekend of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. |
Now, here we go with Friday's news. |
One COVID vaccine target for everyone |
With vaccines and boosters authorized incrementally for different COVID-19 vaccines and different age groups as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continued to evolve, there are now more than a dozen vaccines and schedules, the Food and Drug Administration's Dr. David Kaslow said in a panel meeting Thursday. The FDA hopes to simplify vaccine options and provide a process for updating the shots at least once a year to cope with the continued presence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. The committee took only one formal vote Thursday, unanimously supporting a shift to a consistent vaccine target, regardless of how many shots a person has had. Read more |
| • | Florida nursing schools sold 7,600 fake diplomas, feds say. | | If approved by the FDA commissioner, as expected, all shots would target the same variants going forward.
Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP |
Israel, Palestinian fighters trade fire after deadly West Bank raid |
Palestinian militants fired rockets and Israel carried out airstrikes as tensions soared following an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. The raid killed nine Palestinians, including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman. It was the deadliest single incursion in the territory in over two decades. The flare-up in violence poses an early test for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and casts a shadow on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's expected trip to the region next week. Palestinian militants fired five rockets at Israel, which carried out a series of airstrikes at what it said were militant targets. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Read our latest reporting on Israel. | Palestinians burn tires and wave the national flag during a protest against an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, along the border fence with Israel, in east of Gaza City, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.
Fatima Shbair, AP |
Who else has classified documents? |
Faced with a steady stream of disclosures about improperly kept classified documents, the National Archives on Thursday asked former presidents and vice presidents to look for any sensitive and potentially top-secret material they might have, according to a source familiar with the matter. |
One thing to know: In its letter, the archives is asking all former presidents and vice presidents dating back to the Ronald Reagan administration to re-examine their files. |
| • | Many former top White House officials already have indicated that they do not have any classified documents in their possession, after reports that President Joe Biden kept such documents in his personal possession from his time as vice president in the Barack Obama administration. Former President Donald Trump and, more recently, his vice president, Mike Pence, also have been found to have such documents in their possession. | | • | A wider problem: The situation underscores how the U.S. system of safeguarding classified presidential documents is in urgent need of improvement, especially during the critical period when one administration hands over the White House keys to another. | | • | Are other former presidents holding classified documents? USA TODAY attempted to call all of the former officials to find out if they have any sensitive material that should be turned over, and to see if they are looking through their files. This story will be updated as additional responses come in. | | A letter from acting archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall to former President Donald Trump's legal team is photographed Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. The letter details that the National Archives recovered 100 documents bearing classified markings, totaling more than 700 pages, from an initial batch of 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago earlier in 2022.
Jon Elswick, AP |
Former Memphis police officers arrested, face murder charges in Tyre Nichols' death |
Former Memphis police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmit Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. have each been charged with one count of second-degree murder, aggravated assault – acting in concert, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and one count of official oppression, court records show. The charges come less than a week after the officers were fired and accused of violating department policy during the stop of Tyre Nichols, 29. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis called the incident "heinous, reckless and inhumane" in a video statement Wednesday. Read more | RowVaughn Wells, second from left, mother of Tyre Nichols, cries as she is comforted by Tyre's stepfather Rodney Wells, behind her, at a news conference with civil rights Attorney Ben Crump, left, in Memphis, Tennessee, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.
Gerald Herbert, AP |
IOC stands firmly with Russia |
The International Olympic Committee is clearing the way for Russian athletes to compete at the Olympic Games despite that country's unlawful invasion of Ukraine and the continuing brutality of its war against its neighbor. The IOC Executive Board agreed to allow individual athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to take part in Olympic events if they are not "actively supporting" Russia's war in Ukraine. The athletes also must compete under neutral status. "It is becoming increasingly clear that Russia has complete control over the IOC and its leadership," Global Athlete said in a statement Wednesday, after the IOC announced it was pursuing ways to appease President Vladimir Putin and Russia. Read more | A Russian flag is held above the Olympic Rings at Adler Arena Skating Center during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 18, 2014.
The Associated Press |
📷 Photo of the day: Sundance Film Festival 2023 📷 |
After going virtual for a couple of pandemic-affected editions, the Sundance Film Festival is back in Park City, Utah through Jan. 29. The indie films on tap are, as usual with the fest, a pretty interesting mix, from the Jonathan Majors bodybuilding drama "Magazine Dreams" to Daisy Ridley's "Sometimes I Think About Dying" to a slate of documentaries featuring Judy Blume, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox and Brooke Shields. Read more | Brooke Shields poses for a portrait to promote the film "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields" at the Latinx House during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Park City, Utah.
Taylor Jewell, Invision | Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) limps back to the huddle against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Associated Press |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | |
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