CDC updates its COVID-19 vaccine/booster recommendations during Omicron outbreak

• According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, she said that all US adults “should” receive the Covid vaccine booster
• Previously, the agency said that all adults “may” receive the booster but the Omicron variant has urged the CDC to strengthen their recommendation 

Virginia and Kentucky to deploy National Guard Soldiers to Africa 

• Amid the shift in US war efforts away from the Middle East, the Virginia and Kentucky National Guard has deployed 1,000 troops to the bottom of Africa
• It is unclear if the 1,000 Guardsmen is an increase in the Pentagon’s force in Africa, or if those troops are replacing others currently deployed

Zion National Park officials report death of a Virginia man and rescue of two others in park

• On November 28, a Virginia man died and two others were rescued while hiking in Zion National Park
• The Virginia man was found suspended from rope 260 ft. above Upper Emerald Pools along with 2 others stranded on a rock perch nearby
• Luckily, the two survivors were able to contact the National park Service, and rescue teams helped them to rappel safely to the ground 

National COVID measures are upheld by top German court

• On November 30, Germany’s highest court upheld COVID-19 restrictions despite complaints against the curfews and other restrictions imposed
• The ruling from the Federal Constitutional Court came hours before outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor, Olaf Scholz, planned to hold discussions on the situation with the country’s 16 state governors

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• In comparison to mass disruptions earlier in 2021, current cancellations are minimal
• US airlines over Thanksgiving week had some of their busiest days since before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic as travelers returned to reunite with their families
• From Nov. 22 through Nov. 28, 14.4 million people passed through TSA, more than double the 6.4 million a year ago but down from 16.4 million in 2019

President Biden says he doesn’t think more travel restrictions will be imposed with Omicron 

• As the new Omicron variant begins to spread around South Africa, the US, on November 26 said that it would ban visitors from South Africa and 7 other African national 
• In addition to the US, Japan, the UK, and Israel have all put travel restrictions to stem the spread of the Omicron variant
• President Joe Biden on November 29, said he doesn’t expect the U.S. to impose any additional travel restrictions to stem the spread of the omicron Covid-19 variant

 New York City reinstitutes Covid mask advisory “at all times”

• On November 29, New York City announced an advisory that recommends that everyone in the city wear masks indoors at all times, regardless of vaccination status
• The Outgoing Mayor, Bill de Blasio said that New York City has not yet identified any Omicron variant cases but he still urges mask wearing

CEO of Moderna says a new Omicron Covid variant vaccine will take months

• According to Stephane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, it could take months to develop and ship a vaccine targeting the Omicron variant of COVID-19
• Bancel says that he beelives that the variant may already be present in most countries
• Bancel said Moderna believes the omicron variant is highly infectious, but it will take at least two weeks to determine how much the mutations have impacted the efficacy of the vaccines currently on the market

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• On November 19, President Joe Biden transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris for a short period of time while he is under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy
• The White House said it will publicly share a written summary of the 78-year-old Biden’s physical later Friday afternoon

Mandatory vaccinations and new lockdown to affect Austrian citizens

• On November 19, Alexander Schallenberg, the Chancellor of Austria said that the country will go into a national lockdown in order to contain the 4th wave of COVID-19 cases
• This new lockdown will be effective starting November 22 and will last for up to 10 days with most stores and cultural events closed or canceled

Rich and Ultra-wealthy have new restrictive retirement rules as Biden plan passes 

• On November 19, President Biden’s Build Back Better Act was passed by House Democrats with legislation that restricts retirement plans for wealthy people
• This bill requires minimum distributions for retirement accounts of more than $10 million; eliminates Roth IRA loopholes, and restricts new contributions to large accounts

Former Colorado House Speaker appointed EPA regional head

• I an announcement on November 18, President Joe Biden has appointed a former Colorado House Speaker, KC Becker as a regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency
• As administrator of the EPA’s Region 8, Becker will oversee the agency’s work in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 28 Tribal Nations

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Pentagon’s vaccine mandate taken on by Oklahoma in Salvo

• During the third week of November 2021, Officials from the pentagon expressed their frustration while fielding questions concerning Oklahoma’s governor’s decision concerning the Oklahoma Nationa Guard
• This decision was not to punish members of his state National guard who refused to abide by the federal vaccine mandate

Dr. Fauci says COVID-19 related hospitalizations are rising among vaccinated

• According to the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, Dr. Anthony Fauci says COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising with those vaccinated
• Fauci blames this increase in hospitalizations on people not receiving the booster which is supposed to help improve immunity somehow
• Despite this information, Dr. Fauci still urges those 62 million Americans who have not received the vaccine yet, to do so soon

Florida limits mandates for COVID vaccine and challenges Biden mandate on businesses

• Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, signed legislation on November 18 that limits vaccine mandates in the state 
• The new legislation also requires the governor to construct a plan to take the state out of having to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• During a press conference on November 18, the governor said the goal of the legislation is to protect people from losing their jobs if they choose not to get vaccinated

Unvaccinated now have new restriction in Germany as infection rate hits record

• Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor along with the country’s 16 state premiers on November 18 agreed on a new series of measures to handle a new COVD-19 wave
• This package mandates that those unvaccinated will have a limit on public life and will now require hospital staff to be fully vaccinated
• As of November 18, 2021, Germany reported more than 65,000 new cases 

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• By the end of November 17, about 2.6 million kids from 5 to 11 years old will have received their vaccine shot, according to information from the White House
• On October 29, the vaccine was approved for kids in this age criteria by the CDC
• Pfizer said its smaller dose for kids is more than 90% effective at preventing symptomatic infection, and the shots were well tolerated with side effects similar to those experienced by people ages 16 to 25

Research finds that more Americans are planning holiday parties with no masks this year

• In a poll conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, they studied 2,042 adults across the nation from October 29 to November 1 on their Covid precautions 
• In the study, researchers found that 51% would ask partygoers to wear masks which is down from 67% 
• 50% of those in the survey would ask their guest’ vaccination status and only 46% required a negative Covid test 

Chancellor of Germany warns country of fourth wave of Covid 

• Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, has said, “The fourth wave is hitting our country with full force,” at an event for the Association of German cities 
• As of November 17, Germany has recorded more than 50,000 new cases and an additional 294 deaths
• Over the course of the pandemic, Germany has accumulated over 5.1 million COVID-19 cases and around 100,000 fatalities, according to John Hopkins University 

Police in Austria start to conduct random vaccination status checks across the country 

• Anyone in Austria who has not been vaccinated and has violated the lockdown rules may face fines of up to 500 euros ($567 USD) and those who refuse to comply with checks will be fined 1,450 euros ($1,641 USD)
• These restrictions only apply to anyone in the country over the age of 12 and have not had two doses of the vaccine

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• In order to deter hostile migrants with rocks and smoke grenades, Polish forces at the border with Belarus have used a water cannon 
• Warsaw has accused Belarusian authorities of gifting smoke grenades and other weapons to the migrants 
• About 2,000 migrants grouped together at the border in makeshift camps and about 100 of those were believed to be involved in attacking the Polish forces 

New long-term study of children with COIVD-19 begins

• As of November 16, the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center in Betheseda has begun conducting a large long-term study of the impacts of COVID-19 on children
• The study will include up to 1,000 children and young adults who previsouvly tested positive for COVID-19 and track them for three years

Report by UN says US states are not on track to meet sustainability goals

• According to a United Nations initiative, states in the US are less than halfway to achieving their sustainable development goals by 2030
• This report was released o November 16 and also says that the states lagging the furthest behind are those in the south
• Most of these “goals” include the transition to clean energy, better charging infrastructure, etc. 

Pfizer has submitted FDA application for emergency approval of Covid pill

• On November 16, Pfizer submitted its application to the FDA for emergency authorization of its pill as a COVID-19 treatment
• If this pill is authorized by the FDA, then it will be the first oral antiviral drug that is designed to fight Covid, according to Pfizer
• Paxlovid is the name of the pill and is expected to cut teh risk of hospitalizartion by COVID-19 by 89% in adults considered at “high-risk”

Times Square to host New Year’s Eve but only allows fully vaccinated people

• According to an announcement by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Times Square will host a New Year’s Eve celebration and has invited thousands of revelers to attend
• Revelers that plan to attend must bring proof of vaccination and a valid photo ID 
• Those who cannot receive the vaccine because of disability are allowed to attend but must have a negative COVID test within 72 hours of arriving

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Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill to include $50 billion towards climate change efforts

• On November 15, President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure bill which includes funding to protect against climate change
• Many critics point out that the bill has little to do with curbing planet-warming emissions and still falls short of preparing the country for the impacts of climate change

Fauci says political divide is hampering COVID-19 pandemic response

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Chief White Hosue medical advisor has said that the political divide over science in the US has impeded the response to the pandemic
• Fauci noted that those who identify with the Republican Party generally have lower vaccination rates 

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• On November 11, Germany recorded more than 50,000 new cases which has prompted a severe warning for those living inside the country
• Data coming from Germany’s public health body, the Robert Koch Institute, indicated that Germany’s total number of cases has now reached 4.89 million with 97,198 fatalities

US pharmacy incorrectly conducts COVID-19 vaccinations to 112 kids

• According to information from the Virginia Department of health, a pharmacy incorrectly administered the Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 shot to 112 children during the first week of November
• Recently, the shots for kids ages 5 to 11 were approved by the US CDC but the Virginia pharmacy mistakenly administered a lower dose than recommended
• Kids in that age group receive a two-dose, 10 microgram Covid vaccine regimen, compared to the 30 microgram shots for those 12 and older

Trump Documents blocked from being released to Jan. 6 committed by US appeals court

• In a temporary block decision by the US appeals court, the National Archives are restricted from releasing information from White House records to the House Jan. 6 on Former President Donald Trump
• The block was granted the stay that Trump’s lawyers requested while they appeal a lower court ruling that the former president cannot keep such documents secret by claiming executive privilege 

Air travel this Thanksgiving is set to exceed Pre-pandemic levels

• According to a new report, Thanksgiving flight bookings are exceeding the number of bookings in 2019, which shows a significant recovery from low holiday travel in 2020
• From the same time in 2020, Thanksgiving holiday bookings are 78% higher and 3.2% higher than 2019 bookings

Far-right Polish groups demand strong borders during Independence day

• On November 11, thousands of people marched in Warsaw to mark Poland’s Independence Day with a demand for stronger borders
• This march is fueled by the Belarus crisis as hundreds of new attempts are made every day by migrants to enter the country illegally from neighboring Belarus

The national religious council in Indonesia declares crypto as forbidden

• For those in the Muslim religion, the use of crypto assets as a currency is forbidden, according to Indonesia’s council of religious leaders
• The National Ulema Council has deemed cryptocurrency as banned as it has elements of uncertainty, wagering, and hard

Bill to repeal mandatory sentencing regime introduced by New Zealand Government

• On November 11, the New Zealand government introduced the Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill  to repeal parts of the Sentencing and Parole Reform Act of 2010
• The Three strikes law was enacted to put off habitual offenders by threatening with increasingly longer mandatory jail sentences and to punish repeated offenders 

Scottish hunting law could be strengthened by proposal

• The Scottish Government is looking for a “pre-emptive” ban on trail-hunting as plans to strengthen the law in a move supported by the Scottish Countryside Alliance 
• Currently, hunting in Scotland is restricted under different laws like the Hunting Act 2004 and the Protection of Wild Animals Act 2002

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• For the Air Force Military branch, 40 service members have been discharged along with thousands of others that refused to take the vaccine before the deadline on November 1
• The Air Force has become the first branch to execute what military leaders consider an essential measure but opponents to the mandate argue that it will undermine America’s ability to defend itself 

US military top officer says China is “clearly” developing the ability to invade Taiwan

• On November 3, the US military’s top officer warned that China is “clearly and unambiguously” developing the ability to invade Taiwan in the near future
• Comments from Army General Mark Milley came as the perceived potential for conflict has increased in the past month between the US and China over Taiwan
• American analysts began to fear that China could undermine US deterrence against Beijing after the country tested a hypersonic missile

Fraternal Order of Police VP shames Austin leaders as more advocate for “defunding the police”

• On November 3, Fraternal Order of Police National VP, Joe Gamaldi shamed Austin, Texas voters as many rejected a proposal to hire more police officers
• Gamaldi emphasized the importance of investing in law enforcement in Austin as the crime rate has increased significantly by 88%
• The Austin Police Department has also seen 350 resignations and retirements in the last year with another 250 to leave within the coming months

Hungary and South Korea commit to being carbon-neutral by 2050

• The presidents of South Korea and Hungary, Moon Jae-in and Janos Ader met in Budapest, Hungary where they committed to achieving carbon neutrality in their countries by 2050
• South Korean President Moon Jai-In said relations between the two countries will be elevated to a “strategic partner status” and that he will expand investments manufacturing of EVs and batteries

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• On Thursday, September 9, President Joe Biden announced new federal vaccine requirements that will affect about 100 million Americans 
• This new mandate is in an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and slow the delta variant outbreak 
• The rules in the new mandate requires all employers with more than 100 employees to ensure that every employee is vaccinated or is tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis 

International criminal sentenced to 11+ years in Federal prison after stealing millions

• On September 8, a Canadian man was sentenced o 140 months in federal prison for conspiring to launder millions of dollars stolen in many wire and bank fraud schemes
• The money launderer is a 36-year-old man named Ghaleb Alaumary from Mississauga, Ontario holding dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada
• In addition to his sentence, Ghaleb was ordered to pay more than $30 million in restitution to victims of his schemes

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