An Alabama inmate who was set to be executed Thursday night won a last-minute reprieve after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he had the right to have his personal pastor in the death chamber, a request the state had repeatedly denied. Alabama officials canceled the man’s lethal injection around 11 p.m., local time, after the court dismissed the state’s argument that non-prison staff shouldn’t be in the room for security reasons. Willie B..
Johnson & Johnson’s 1-dose shot prevents COVID-19, but less than some others Associated Press
Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot not as strong as some two-shot rivals but still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses.
J&J said Friday that in the U.S. and seven other countries, the single-shot vaccine was 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe illness, and much more protective 85% against the most serious symptoms.
There was some geographic variation. The vaccine worked better in the U.S. 72% effective against moderate to severe COVID-19 – compared to 57% in South Africa, where it was up against an easier-to-spread mutated virus.
A judge has ruled that a prior arrest of George Floyd, who was killed last year when a now-former police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes, cannot be used as evidence in the trials of the officers who were involved in his death.
Former Make-A-Wish executive accused of stealing funds from charity Nelson Oliveira
The former CEO and president of Make-A-Wish Iowa was arrested Thursday and charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the charity, which supports children with critical and terminal illnesses.
Jennifer Woodley, 40, is accused of secretly giving herself a $10,000 bonus without getting approval from the board and making 84 unauthorized purchases on a Make-A-Wish credit card that cost the group more than $23,000, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
The dozens of unauthorized purchases happened over a 10-month span ending last summer, authorities said. Woodley led the organization’s Iowa chapter for just over a year before being fired in July.