MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Whatever happens in the wake of the attack on the Capitol last week, a new administration will be entering the White House in just a matter of days. And so we want to turn our attention to key challenges facing the Biden administration, and we re going to focus here on foreign policy.
President Trump leaves behind him a complicated legacy. His supporters say he highlighted long-dysfunctional or outdated policies and instigated new and productive relationships in the Middle East. On the other hand, he s pulled out of longstanding trade deals, escalated tensions with countries like China and Iran, aligned himself with strongmen and pursued an America-first agenda that critics see as dangerously unilateral.
Waterville council poised to consider hiring new city manager
The council on Tuesday also will consider keeping City Manager Michael Roy on until the end of January and swearing in new Mayor Jay Coelho, councilors and committee appointees, and electing a council chairman.
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WATERVILLE A municipal management contractor with more than 30 years experience as a chief administrative officer is on tap to become Waterville’s new city manager.
The City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to consider approving a 3-year contract for Stephen J. Daly, of North Reading, Massachusetts, to fill the job held for more than 16 years by Michael Roy, who retired at midnight Thursday.
| Updated December 31, 2020
Trump administration officials were saying just a few weeks ago that 20 million Americans could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by year’s end. Now here we are, and only 2.1 million people have gotten shots, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even allowing for a lag in the reporting of data, the final numbers for 2020 will be well short of the administration’s goal, as Operation Warp Speed officials have acknowledged.
The question going forward is what the failure represents. Is it nothing more than the predictable, ultimately temporary early difficulties that come with such a complex and massive undertaking or a sign that vaccine distribution is about to become a major failure, just like testing and the distribution of personal protective equipment were earlier in the pandemic?
Frustration builds over slow pace of vaccine rollout
The United States is ending 2020 far behind on its COVID-19 immunization goals, and many health officials are growing frustrated with the bumpy start to the vaccine rollout.
Just about 2.8 million Americans thus far have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, below the government s goal of vaccinating 20 million people in December,
Reuters reports. The final number of vaccinations for the year will ultimately end up well below this goal even allowing for a lag in the reporting of data,
One key issue in the rollout,
The New York Times reports, is that federal officials have left many of the details of the final stage of the vaccine distribution process, such as scheduling and staffing, to overstretched local health officials and hospitals.
The Baker administration said Monday that new or extended federal benefits would kick in for the week ending this Saturday. But Massachusetts residents, like those of many states, will likely have to wait a week or more for their checks.