Los Angeles County has become the latest county in California to impose a mandatory quarantine on long-distance travelers.
At least two other counties — Santa Clara and San Francisco — have similar mandatory orders. The California Department of Public Health on Nov. 13 issued an advisory urging Californians to stay home or in their region and avoid nonessential travel, including for tourism or recreation.
The regional stay-at-home order prohibits hotels and other lodging companies from offering rooms to people visiting for tourism and leisure.
The moves are part of a desperate effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, which is pushing hospitals to the breaking point. L.A. County has seen an unprecedented surge in both cases and deaths since November and has emerged as one of the nation’s leading hot spots.
A Wilkinsburg man is charged with attempted homicide and other crimes after police said he tried to shoot another man and narrowly avoided shooting a 3-year-old girl at Harrison’s Sheldon Park public housing complex last week.
Harrison police said after the shooting, Antonio Williams, 20, buckled the girl into a car seat and hid the gun underneath her before driving away.
Williams remained in the Allegheny County Jail Sunday after failing to post $100,000 bond.
Earlier, 427 members announced themselves as present — 220 Democrats and 207 Republicans. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., needed a majority, or 214 votes, to return as speaker, meaning that she could only afford to lose just six Democratic votes. The vote was 216 for Pelosi and 209 for McCarthy (R).
Follow for the latest updates on the House speaker election. Mobile users click here.
An aerial view shows the P4 laboratory (C) at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on April 17, 2020. ( Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
A whistleblower from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China has given the United States the “most credible” intelligence yet the global coronavirus pandemic was a “leak or an accident” in the lab.
“There is a growing body of evidence that the lab is likely the most credible source of the virus,” Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger told British parliamentarians in a Zoom call, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.
With the increased availability of 24-hour news from a variety of outlets, and the rise of social media and “fake news,” there is no shortage of ways to consume news. We work hand-in-hand with the media in the field of public relations, so it’s paramount that we stay on top of current trends through reliable news sources.
Like many, I grew up watching the local news with my parents every night, scanning the newspaper (oftentimes the comics) with my dad on Saturday mornings and discussing recent headlines at the family dinner table. Growing a passion for keeping up with current events, I naturally gravitated towards an industry driven by the news.
As PR practitioners, it’s our responsibility to stay informed on global, national and local happenings and identify how these trends impact our clients or their industries. Since we are constantly identifying opportunities to build trust and client rapport through the media, we must create a natural pulse on digesting and analyzing credible news.
But where do public relations practitioners get their news? The short answer is everywhere.
We are constantly on the go, but that can’t be an excuse for not keeping up with industry and market news. Thankfully, we have more ways than ever to access it. From social media, local community newspapers and iPhone apps, to witty e-newsletters, online outlets and video – we have a variety of trusted, go-to news outlets that provide a well-rounded perspective, even when we are running 90-nothing.
The tax agency said it began distributing direct deposits Tuesday night, and will start mailing paper checks December 30.Millions of Americans are eagerly awaiting their second stimulus checks of $600 for each eligible adult and child. The IRS on Tuesday said it had started to distribute the checks via direct deposit that evening, a process that will extend into next week.
Sen. Josh Hawley’s move means Republicans will have to go on record about whether they support voter fraud claims.
While numerous Republican House members are expected to object to the Electoral College results from several swing states during Congress’ certification of the votes next week, Hawley is the first senator to commit to doing so. The announcement is significant because under congressional rules, a written objection that is endorsed by both a House member and a senator is needed to force Congress to consider an objection.
The 2020s will be the time when China truly emerges as a great power directly competing with America for global supremacy. Because of this, alliances will start to take shape such that some countries, especially in Africa and maybe Latin America, decide their futures are with China.
Indeed, the single biggest story of the 2020s will be the rise of China and the countervailing responses of other countries.
The other big question aboard is the potential of a black swan event, such as the coronavirus pandemic was this year. And speaking of the virus, people who think life will get back to normal by the summer are sorely mistaken.
I fear the economic repercussions of a government strategy of closing down and destroying businesses will be felt at least for the first half of the decade. People underestimate how easily governments can destroy economies and how hard it is to restart those economies.
Technological changes over the next decade will be monumental and transformative. From developments in oil and gas to getting potentially safer nuclear reactor systems, we could see a revolution in energy that would have massive economic implications.
We will see unprecedented advances in computers and artificial intelligence that will play a growing role in our health care system. Robotics and the right artificial intelligence can already learn more about a patient and perform surgery better than human doctors.
We should also expect to see a revolution in military technology, such as drones, which will dramatically affect how we plan for military contingencies.
Some of these developments, bolstered by a surge in computational power, are going to enable relatively small countries like Iran and Venezuela to pose more of a threat than most people would have thought possible 20 or 30 years ago.
The gray world will also expand, and by gray world I mean all of the illegal criminal actions and behaviors that are the underside of the global economy — human trafficking, drugs, weapons and illegal finance.
In America, our educational system is in crisis and will reach a boiling point. Our system of enormously expensive colleges and universities is fundamentally flawed. The student loan program essentially indebts the future to the present.
CLINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A Clinton woman was arrested for heroin possession after being with a man who died after taking it, Vermillion County Sheriff Mike Phelps reported Saturday.
On Friday at approximately 3:15 a.m. a 911 call brought law enforcement and emergency medical professionals to a residence on N. 9th Street in Clinton for a 30-year-old male who was unresponsive. Samual Greene was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 3:30 a.m.
During the investigation, officers discovered that Sabrina Dailey, 26, of rural Clinton had been with Greene at the time of his death and neglected to call 911, contacting instead a friend of Greene’s who arrived on scene, called 911 and initiated CPR.
Officers later located Dailey at her residence on State Rd. 163. Dailey admitted she had bought heroin and that she and Greene used it. A search turned up a small amount of heroin and several items of paraphernalia consistent with drug use and distribution.
Dailey was taken into custody for possession of heroin and is currently being held at the Vermillion County Jail on a $10,000 bond with 10% allowed. Greene’s autopsy is scheduled for Saturday.
Marijuana is now legal in more states than ever before, with medical marijuana proving an essential tool to relieve symptoms caused by chemotherapy and AIDS, or for those in chronic pain. Others just use it to relax, especially during stressful times (like the ones we’re going through now). But it’s important to note that smoking marijuana doesn’t come without risks, particularly if you do it every day. Here is what could possibly happen, so you can be aware of the risks as well as the rewards. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus. 1 You Might Impair Your Senses&Have Mood and Behavior Changes Daily marijuana use can lead to “feelings of fatigue or apathy; feelings of anxiety, paranoia, or panic; temporary hallucinations,” says Dr. Jenna Liphart Rhoads. As well as, “trouble taking care of oneself and lack of hygiene practices; disconnecting from activities or people they once enjoyed; impaired memory and confusion.” 2 You Put Yourself at Risk for Respiratory Diseases “Chronically inflamed airways that result in a chronic cough, sore throat, or runny nose, and put the user at a higher risk for respiratory diseases or illnesses,” says Dr. Rhoads. 3 You Might Develop Marijuana Use Disorder “Make no mistake about it, smoking marijuana daily carries with it very real potential for addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that between 9% and 30% of those who use regularly will develop marijuana use disorder,” says Dr. Mary Gay. “I have observed significant negative effects on clients who habitually use marijuana including reduced academic performance, job loss, legal consequences, depression, anxiety, and in several cases, psychotic symptoms requiring hospitalization.” 4 You May Have an Increased Risk of Heart Issues “Compared with placebo, marijuana cigarettes cause increases in heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and forearm blood flow via increased sympathetic nervous system activity,” says Dr. Kim Langdon. “In addition, marijuana has been associated with triggering heart attacks in young male patients. Smoking marijuana has been shown to increase the risk of MI onset by a factor of 4.8 for the 60 minutes after marijuana consumption, and to increase the annual risk of MI in the daily cannabis user from 1.5% to 3% per year.” 5 You Might Cause Functional and Structural Changes in Your Brain “Functional MRI studies have also revealed functional and structural changes in brain areas involved in reward processing after chronic cannabis use and in the processing of emotion,” says Dr. Langdon. “Some studies show a higher incidence of schizophrenia in chronic adolescent and teenage use of marijuana.” 6 You Might Have Changes in the Homeostasis in Your Body “Daily use of cannabis can desensitize the endocannabinoid system and override its natural capacity to maintain homeostasis. In layman’s terms, using medical marijuana too frequently can knock your endocannabinoid system out of whack a bit, which can have an effect (though not always a negative one) on some of your body’s natural processes, like your sleeping habits, mood, appetite, memory, and fertility,” says Dr. Daniel Whitelocke, M.D., Founder of AR MMJ Cards. “Because the endocannabinoid system was only identified as recently as the 1990s, experts are still working toward fully understanding it.” 7 You Might Have Pregnancy Issues “Marijuana use during pregnancy can be harmful to your baby’s health. The chemicals in marijuana (in particular, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) pass through your system to your baby and can harm your baby’s development,” says the CDC. “Some research shows that using marijuana while you are pregnant can cause health problems in newborns— including low birth weight.” 8 You May Have Fertility Issues Smoking daily increases the chances of having “problems with decreased fertility in both males and females,” says Dr. Rhoads. It can also be a factor in erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. RELATED: What Taking Ibuprofen Every Day Does to Your Body 9 What About Withdrawal? “Withdrawal from cannabis seems to induce a lack of motivation. Cognitive dysfunction and memory problems are other potential problems such as abnormal response to stress,” says Dr. Langdon. “A clinical diagnosis of cannabis withdrawal includes irritability, anger or aggression, nervousness or anxiety, sleep difficulty, decreased appetite or weight loss, restlessness, depressed mood, and physical symptoms causing significant discomfort such as shakiness or tremors, sweating, fever, chills, and headaches.” 10 On the Other Hand… “Marijuana is said to be a fantastic muscle relaxant, and people swear by its ability to lessen tremors in Parkinson’s disease.
Several witnesses from different locations across Oahu, Hawaii reported seeing a large glowing, blue mass flying over the night sky around 8.30pm on Tuesday.
A large blue glowing object was spotted in the night sky in Oahu on Tuesday
Witness Moriah and her husband followed the object for three miles in their car
Footage shows the ‘UFO’ moving across the sky before falling into the ocean
The sighting was reported to the FAA which confirmed it had not received reports of overdue or missing aircraft’
Comes as Harvard professor Avi Loeb reignited conspiracy theories about extraterrestrial life
Loeb maintains the 2017 discovery of the Oumuamua rock is actually a piece of discarded technology from an alien civilization
A Harvard professor says we were visited by an alien life form in 2017 — and we should be ready for more.
When the first sign of intelligent life first visits us from space, it won’t be a giant saucer hovering over New York. More likely, it will be an alien civilization’s trash.
Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy, believes he’s already found some of that garbage.
In his upcoming book, “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), out Jan. 26, the professor lays out a compelling case for why an object that recently wandered into our solar system was not just another rock but actually a piece of alien technology.
The object in question traveled toward our solar system from the direction of Vega, a nearby star 25 light-years away, and intercepted our solar system’s orbital plane on Sept. 6, 2017.
On Sept. 9, its trajectory brought it closest to the sun. At the end of September, it blasted at about 58,900 miles per hour past Venus’ orbital distance, and then, on Oct. 7, it shot past Earth’s before “moving swiftly toward the constellation Pegasus and the blackness beyond,” Loeb writes in the book.
The object was first spotted by an observatory in Hawaii containing the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) — the highest definition telescope on earth.
The space object was dubbed ‘Oumuamua (pronounced “oh moo ah moo ah”), which is Hawaiian for — roughly — “scout.”
As space travelers go, it was relatively small at just about 100 yards long, but it was a big deal in the scientific community.
For starters, it was the first interstellar object ever detected inside our solar system. Judging from the object’s trajectory, astronomers concluded it was not bound by the sun’s gravity — which suggested it was just traveling through.
Legendary talk show host and former CNN interviewer Larry King has Covid-19, according to a source close to the family.
King, 87, has been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week, the source said. Due to protocols at the hospital, King’s three sons have been unable to visit him, according to the source.
King, who has Type 2 diabetes, has confronted a series of medical issues over the years, including several heart attacks and quintuple bypass surgery in 1987. In 2017, King revealed he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and successfully underwent surgery to treat it. He also underwent a procedure in 2019 to address angina.
His own medical issues inspired him to start the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, a non-profit aimed at helping those without health insurance afford medical care.
Two adult drivers also died when vehicle swerved into path of Ford carrying the children, authorities said
Seven children and two adult drivers were killed in a head-on collision between an SUV and a pickup truck in central California on New Year’s Day, authorities have said.
The children, who were between six and 15 years old, were part of two related families travelling in a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup when it was hit by a Dodge Journey on State Route 33 between Avenal and Coalinga around 8pm on Friday, the Fresno county coroner’s office and the California highway patrol said.
Army officials are investigating the death of a 19-year-old soldier who was found unresponsive at a Texas military base on New Year’s Eve.
Pfc. Asia Graham was pronounced dead Thursday after her body was found in her barracks room at Fort Bliss, which is headquartered in El Paso. The circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation, authorities said in a news release Saturday.
The North Carolina native joined the Army in July 2019 and arrived at Fort Bliss five months later after completing combat training in Missouri and South Carolina, according to the release.
She was assigned to the 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade, where she served as a human resource specialist.
The graffiti appears to be in response to McConnell’s refusal to increase stimulus checks.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home in Louisville, Kentucky, was vandalized early Saturday morning. Spray-painted messages over the Republican leader’s front door appear to be in response to his opposition to increasing coronavirus relief checks to Americans from $600 to $2,000.
A suspect who shot three people is in custody after being detained under suspicion of stealing from a Walmart in Sterling, Virginia, late Saturday afternoon.
According to a news release, the suspect was confronted by two loss-prevention officers after they saw him stealing items in the store. As he was taken to custody, by a Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputy, the suspect fought back and pulled out a firearm.
(CNN)Three people are dead after a small plane crashed into a house outside Detroit, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
The three fatalities are believed to be the pilot and two passengers, the sheriff’s office said.
The family of five who lives in the home made it out alive, but the house was engulfed in flames, the office said. The home is located in Lyon Township, about 40 miles west of Detroit.
Some of New York’s most prominent female Republicans derided and mocked Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Some of New York’s most prominent female Republicans derided and mocked Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s proposal to eliminate gendered language from the official House rules.
“Instead of reviving the economy, restoring our Constitutional freedoms and delivering results for the American people, Speaker Pelosi has chosen her debut legislation — which would ban words like mother, sister and daughter,” upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik told The Post. “Obviously she is triggered by the historic number of GOP women elected to Congress who will fire Nancy Pelosi once and for all in 2022.”
ALBANY, N.Y. — The minimum wage is going up in New York in 2021, and a new sick leave law is coming into effect.
Employees at most businesses can start using sick days that the new law allowed them to start accruing in September.
The rate is one hour for every 30 hours worked. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office says about 1.3 million New Yorkers didn’t have access to paid sick leave before the law.
Also, the hourly minimum wage is now $14 an hour in Long Island and Westchester and $12.50 in the rest of the state.
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the starters who are sitting out this week to rest ahead of the playoffs did not travel with the team. This means quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, defensive lineman Cam Heyward, center Maurkice Pouncey and linebacker T.J. Watt will stay back in Pittsburgh while the rest of the team heads to Cleveland to try to knock the Browns out of playoff contention.
In addition, Pittsburgh also announced that kicker Chris Boswell and safety Terrell Edmunds are staying in Pittsburgh while they deal with injuries. Matthew Wright will handle the kicking duties this week and in Edmunds’ place, look for some combination of Jordan Dangerfield and Marcus Allen.
There was no mention of cornerback Joe Haden not traveling with the team but Haden, along with tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh were all placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Police are investigating after a woman was found deceased outside of an apartment building on Saturday morning.
Officers from Zone 1 responded to a call of an unresponsive female in the 400 block of W. Commons Street in the Allegheny West section of the city just before 8:00 a.m.
When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a female outside an apartment building.
A top COVID-19 model predicts 150,000 more deaths in the U.S. in the next month as the country heads into what is anticipated to be the worst phase of the pandemic.
A group of GOP senators led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will object to the Jan. 6 certification of the presidential election results next week unless there is an emergency 10-day audit of the results by an electoral commission.
Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home was vandalized overnight with as a spray-painted message alluding to the failed $2,000 stimulus checks, and a pig’s head in a pool of red paint.
