The U.S. on Monday stood on the brink of 400,000 reported coronavirus deaths, almost double the total of the next most severely hit nation and still mourning more than 20,000 deaths per week. The U.S. has added almost 4 million new infections this month, and the emergence of new variants only figures to add to that total.
The pace of vaccinations is picking up but remains well below the optimistic estimates from public health experts when the first vaccines were authorized last month.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar had forecast 20 million first-shot vaccinations in December and another 30 million in January. More than halfway through January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 10.6 million people have received their first shot, less than 2 million the required booster.
Hundreds of NYPD officers made their way to Washington, D.C. on Monday to assist with security for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
Celebrating Black History Month with Gail Borden Public Library As part of the Black History Month celebration, Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin invites the community to a virtual, multimedia exhibit that honors some of the most influential Black Americans and their contributions to humanity. Courtesy of Gail Borden
Updated 1/18/2021 6:30 PM
As part of the Black History Month celebration, Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin invites the community to a virtual, multimedia exhibit that honors some of the most influential Black Americans and their contributions to humanity.
Experience the stories of Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Barack Obama, and many more notable leaders brought to life with historical video and audio clips and other media.
Your Evening Briefing: Inauguration and Executive Orders
Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
Jan. 18, 2021
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1. Inauguration week dawns in an occupied city.
The nation’s capital has been secured with checkpoints, tens of thousands of National Guard troops and miles of fencing and barricades security at the cost of normalcy.
Thousands of troops have poured into Washington, where armored military trucks are parked in the middle of streets to block traffic, and where subway stations and roads are closed. Above, a rehearsal outside the Capitol today.
In the aftermath of the Capitol riot, the Justice Department has charged suspected members of the Three Percenters, a militia group that emerged from the gun-rights movement, and of the Oath Keepers, a militia group founded by law enforcement and military veterans, as it works to determine whether the extremist groups conspired to attack Congress.