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| Joe Biden to visit Kentucky after tornadoes kill at least 74 people – live | Joe Biden to visit Kentucky after tornadoes kill at least 74 people – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| US president will deliver remarks on his administration’s response to tornadoes after touring hard-hit communities | US president will deliver remarks on his administration’s response to tornadoes after touring hard-hit communities |
| The White House Covid team has told the American public that “there is no need to lockdown” the country amid the spread of the Omicron variant, but that getting vaccinated and taking booster shots is essential. | |
| Jeff Zients, White House coronavirus response coordinator, and CDC director Rochelle Walensky both remarked at the briefing just now how the government and the public have “far more tools” to fight Covid that everyone had a year ago. | |
| It’s been a year since the first person in the US was officially vaccinated after the first vaccine was given emergency use authorization by the federal regulator following successful testing - when a New York City intensive care unit nurse, Sandra Lindsay, got the shot. At that point, 300,000 people in the US had already been killed by Covid, a figure which has now reached 800,000. | |
| Zients said that 95% of Americans are eligible to be vaccinated and that should be the route everyone chooses to protect against the virus. | |
| “We know how to keep our kids in school, and businesses open and we are not going to shut down our economy in any way,” he said. | |
| A reporter at the press briefing asked how worried, in the overall sense,a weary public should be about the pandemic, a winter surge and Omicron, given the data that it is spreading fast but perhaps is milder than the Delta strain. | |
| Chief medical adviser to the president, Anthony Fauci, put it bluntly. | |
| “If you are unvaccinated, you are very vulnerable, not only to the Delta surge we are currently experiencing but also to Omicron,” he said. | |
| About early reports of the effects of Omicron being milder than previous strains, Fauci said that, if you are unvaccinated, it did not matter, you are vulnerable. | |
| He added it was difficult to “read the tea leaves”, but the public should do what the officials keep saying, using the tools of, particularly, vaccinations and boosters, as well as using mask indoors with crowds. Fauci said last week he wears a mask indoors if he’s at gatherings with people whose vaccination status he does not know. | |
| “If we did not have these tools I would be telling you to really, really be worried. So get vaccinated, get boosted...we take this very seriously,” he said. | |
| A press briefing is now underway by the White House Covid-19 response team and related public health officials. | A press briefing is now underway by the White House Covid-19 response team and related public health officials. |
| Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, said that cases of the Omicron variant of Covid have now been reported in 36 US states – and 75 countries around the world. | |
| The Delta variant, which emerged last spring and took hold over the summer to become the dominant source of infections in the US, still accounts for 96% of Covid cases across the country, Walensky said. | The Delta variant, which emerged last spring and took hold over the summer to become the dominant source of infections in the US, still accounts for 96% of Covid cases across the country, Walensky said. |
| Omicron, which was identified just a few weeks ago, now represents 3% of US coronavirus cases, she said. Omicron is estimated to account for higher percentages in some areas, however, particularly New York and New Jersey, where it’s about 13% of all cases. | Omicron, which was identified just a few weeks ago, now represents 3% of US coronavirus cases, she said. Omicron is estimated to account for higher percentages in some areas, however, particularly New York and New Jersey, where it’s about 13% of all cases. |
| Walensky noted the tragedy that 800,000 people in the US have now died from coronavirus, since the pandemic reached the country in January, 2020. | |
| Omicron spreads more easily and quickly than Delta, which itself was a lot more contagious than the first strains of the highly-contagious Covid-19 virus. | |
| “It’s vital for everyone to get vaccinated and get boosted and continue to be vigilant,” Walensky said. | “It’s vital for everyone to get vaccinated and get boosted and continue to be vigilant,” Walensky said. |
| Booster shots give the best protection against catching the Omicron variant of Covid-19. | Booster shots give the best protection against catching the Omicron variant of Covid-19. |
| Walensky said 200 million Americans are now vaccinated and 55 million have received booster shots. | Walensky said 200 million Americans are now vaccinated and 55 million have received booster shots. |
| “When boosters are used, that protection works,” Walensky said. | “When boosters are used, that protection works,” Walensky said. |
| Walensky said that US nursing home residents who have received a booster vaccine dose have a rate of catching Covid that is 10 times lower than those who have not been boosted, or are unvaccinateed. | |
| Chief medical adviser to Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci, said that at this point in the pandemic there is no need for a variant-specific booster shot – the existing booster shots are effective against Omicron. | |
| Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has admitted this morning to violating George Floyd’s civil rights during the arrest that killed Floyd in May 2020, sparking mass racial justice protests across the US and beyond. | Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has admitted this morning to violating George Floyd’s civil rights during the arrest that killed Floyd in May 2020, sparking mass racial justice protests across the US and beyond. |
| Chauvin appeared in federal court in person to change his former denials to a plea of guilty. | Chauvin appeared in federal court in person to change his former denials to a plea of guilty. |
| He is charged with two counts of depriving Floyd of his rights, for pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck as he held him on the ground during an arrest attempt while the Black man said repeatedly that he couldn’t breathe and cried out for help. | He is charged with two counts of depriving Floyd of his rights, for pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck as he held him on the ground during an arrest attempt while the Black man said repeatedly that he couldn’t breathe and cried out for help. |
| The charges also involve Chauvin’s failing to provide medical care to Floyd during the encounter, in which he was joined by three other Minneapolis officers, on 25 May 2020 in actions that resulted in Floyd’s death. | The charges also involve Chauvin’s failing to provide medical care to Floyd during the encounter, in which he was joined by three other Minneapolis officers, on 25 May 2020 in actions that resulted in Floyd’s death. |
| Chauvin, who is white, has already been convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges in April this year. | Chauvin, who is white, has already been convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges in April this year. |
| Chauvin is serving 22.5 years for murdering Floyd. His three fellow police officers, who were also arrested and fired after Floyd died, are due to stand trial later this year. | Chauvin is serving 22.5 years for murdering Floyd. His three fellow police officers, who were also arrested and fired after Floyd died, are due to stand trial later this year. |
| Former Trump aide John McEntee and Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, were supposed to be deposed today by the House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. | Former Trump aide John McEntee and Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, were supposed to be deposed today by the House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. |
| Those depositions have now been postponed, per NBC News: | Those depositions have now been postponed, per NBC News: |
| The committee subpoenaed both McEntee and Tarrio last month. According to the committee’s statements, investigators wanted to ask McEntee about his participation in an Oval Office meeting where the president and his advisers discussed seizing voting motions in Georgia. | The committee subpoenaed both McEntee and Tarrio last month. According to the committee’s statements, investigators wanted to ask McEntee about his participation in an Oval Office meeting where the president and his advisers discussed seizing voting motions in Georgia. |
| Tarrio was chairman of the Proud Boys at the time of the insurrection and the committee was looking for details on his group’s involvement in the planning of the events on 6 January. | Tarrio was chairman of the Proud Boys at the time of the insurrection and the committee was looking for details on his group’s involvement in the planning of the events on 6 January. |
| Meanwhile, Democrats’ negotiations over the Build Back Better Act continue, as party leaders hope to pass the $1.75tn spending package before the end of the year. | Meanwhile, Democrats’ negotiations over the Build Back Better Act continue, as party leaders hope to pass the $1.75tn spending package before the end of the year. |
| Centrist Senator Joe Manchin, the most significant holdout in the talks, met with Joe Biden on Monday to discuss his remaining concerns about the bill. | Centrist Senator Joe Manchin, the most significant holdout in the talks, met with Joe Biden on Monday to discuss his remaining concerns about the bill. |
| Asked about Democrats’ progress, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said this morning, “The president and Senator Manchin are having many discussions, and we’re waiting to see the outcome of those.” | Asked about Democrats’ progress, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said this morning, “The president and Senator Manchin are having many discussions, and we’re waiting to see the outcome of those.” |
| If Democrats cannot pass the bill before the end of the year, families may not receive checks next month from the expanded child tax credit program, which has become a lifeline for many Americans. | If Democrats cannot pass the bill before the end of the year, families may not receive checks next month from the expanded child tax credit program, which has become a lifeline for many Americans. |
| The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack has amassed a huge trove of evidence as it seeks to connect the Trump White House to the 6 January insurrection, three months after it issued its first subpoenas to the former president’s most senior administration officials. | The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack has amassed a huge trove of evidence as it seeks to connect the Trump White House to the 6 January insurrection, three months after it issued its first subpoenas to the former president’s most senior administration officials. |
| The select committee revealed on Monday that members had reviewed thousands of documents turned over by Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, which showed the White House played a far more substantial role in overturning the 2020 election than previously known. | The select committee revealed on Monday that members had reviewed thousands of documents turned over by Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, which showed the White House played a far more substantial role in overturning the 2020 election than previously known. |
| But those communications and other documents that Meadows turned over represent just a small sample of evidence potentially incriminating the Trump White House collected since September. | But those communications and other documents that Meadows turned over represent just a small sample of evidence potentially incriminating the Trump White House collected since September. |
| The committee expects this week to depose more top aides, including the Trump justice department official Jeffrey Clark, from whom they hope to learn more about Trump’s efforts to reinstall himself as president – even if Clark invokes his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. | The committee expects this week to depose more top aides, including the Trump justice department official Jeffrey Clark, from whom they hope to learn more about Trump’s efforts to reinstall himself as president – even if Clark invokes his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. |
| That hope stems from the fact that Clark agreed to appear for a deposition just moments before the select committee would have recommended his prosecution for defying a subpoena – a circumstance that members believe means he will cooperate. | That hope stems from the fact that Clark agreed to appear for a deposition just moments before the select committee would have recommended his prosecution for defying a subpoena – a circumstance that members believe means he will cooperate. |
| Bennie Thompson, the panel chair, said on Monday that after depositions this week, the panel was on track to interview more than 300 witnesses and add to the more than 30,000 documents already turned over. | Bennie Thompson, the panel chair, said on Monday that after depositions this week, the panel was on track to interview more than 300 witnesses and add to the more than 30,000 documents already turned over. |
| Joe Biden took a few questions from reporters as he left the White House to start his trip to Kentucky, where he will survey tornado damage. | Joe Biden took a few questions from reporters as he left the White House to start his trip to Kentucky, where he will survey tornado damage. |
| Asked whether he believes the Build Back Better Act can still pass Congress before the end of the year, Biden said, “I hope so. It’s going to be close.” | Asked whether he believes the Build Back Better Act can still pass Congress before the end of the year, Biden said, “I hope so. It’s going to be close.” |
| Another reporter asked Biden about the House vote to refer Mark Meadows to the justice department for potential contempt charges, after the former chief of staff to Donald Trump defied a subpoena from the select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. | Another reporter asked Biden about the House vote to refer Mark Meadows to the justice department for potential contempt charges, after the former chief of staff to Donald Trump defied a subpoena from the select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. |
| “I don’t know enough with what — just what I’ve seen; I’ve not spoken to anyone,” Biden said. “It seems to me he is worthy of being held in contempt.” | “I don’t know enough with what — just what I’ve seen; I’ve not spoken to anyone,” Biden said. “It seems to me he is worthy of being held in contempt.” |
| Workers at a Kentucky candle factory have said they pleaded with managers to be allowed to leave as a deadly tornado barreled towards them last weekend – but say they were told they would be fired if they left their posts. | Workers at a Kentucky candle factory have said they pleaded with managers to be allowed to leave as a deadly tornado barreled towards them last weekend – but say they were told they would be fired if they left their posts. |
| The barrage of tornadoes that tore through Kentucky and surrounding states killed a dozen children, including a two-month-old infant, Governor Andy Beshear said on Tuesday. A total of 74 people died in Kentucky, with the oldest victim at 98 years old. Eight people have yet to be identified. More than 18,000 homes remained without power on Tuesday. | The barrage of tornadoes that tore through Kentucky and surrounding states killed a dozen children, including a two-month-old infant, Governor Andy Beshear said on Tuesday. A total of 74 people died in Kentucky, with the oldest victim at 98 years old. Eight people have yet to be identified. More than 18,000 homes remained without power on Tuesday. |
| Beshear said the storms produced “the strongest set of tornadoes that we have ever seen in Kentucky and what we believe will probably be one of the most devastating tornado events in US history”. | Beshear said the storms produced “the strongest set of tornadoes that we have ever seen in Kentucky and what we believe will probably be one of the most devastating tornado events in US history”. |
| The fatalities included eight at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, that was reduced to rubble. Deaths at the candle factory were initially feared to be much higher, but a company spokesman said on Monday that the remaining 102 workers on duty at the time are alive and have been accounted for. | The fatalities included eight at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, that was reduced to rubble. Deaths at the candle factory were initially feared to be much higher, but a company spokesman said on Monday that the remaining 102 workers on duty at the time are alive and have been accounted for. |
| Greetings from Washington, live blog readers. | Greetings from Washington, live blog readers. |
| Joe Biden will visit Kentucky today to survey damage from the tornadoes that swept through the state on Friday and killed at least 74 people. | Joe Biden will visit Kentucky today to survey damage from the tornadoes that swept through the state on Friday and killed at least 74 people. |
| According to the White House schedule, the president will take an aerial tour of the hard-hit community of Mayfield and receive a briefing from local leaders before visiting some of the neighborhoods impacted by the tornadoes. | According to the White House schedule, the president will take an aerial tour of the hard-hit community of Mayfield and receive a briefing from local leaders before visiting some of the neighborhoods impacted by the tornadoes. |
| Later in the afternoon, Biden will also deliver remarks on his administration’s response to tornadoes and other forms of extreme weather. | Later in the afternoon, Biden will also deliver remarks on his administration’s response to tornadoes and other forms of extreme weather. |
| Speaking to reporters yesterday, Biden said, “I want you to know that this administration has made it clear to every governor: whatever they need, when they need it. When they need it, make it known to me and we’ll get it to them as rapidly as we can.” | Speaking to reporters yesterday, Biden said, “I want you to know that this administration has made it clear to every governor: whatever they need, when they need it. When they need it, make it known to me and we’ll get it to them as rapidly as we can.” |
| The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned. | The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned. |