Tag Archives: WorldNews

Coronavirus tracker: California reported 49,252 new cases, 609 new deaths as of Jan. 12

California reported 49,252 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of people who have been infected to 2,793,257, according to California public heath websites’ end-of-day totals as of Jan. 12.

There were also 609 new deaths reported in California, bringing the total number of people who have died in the state to 31,055.

There were 115 fewer patients admitted into California hospitals, making for 22,550 hospitalizations statewide.

RELATED: What public health leaders mean by ‘0% ICU beds available

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Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, the World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, The Associated Press, reporting counties and news sources

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U.S. Bans All Cotton and Tomatoes From Xinjiang Region of China

The ban will increase not lessen the burden of farmers and workers, it will increase their burden but GOP will feel sanctimonious and will make believe that the policy is a good one.

The sweeping ban, which was based on concerns about forced labor in the region, could compel companies to reorganize their multinational supply chains.

Ken Paxton is only state attorney general in the U.S. who didn’t sign letters condemning Capitol insurrection

He should be impeached
Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke at the Texas Federation of Republican Women Convention in Dallas on Oct. 19, 2017.

Paxton’s critics said they are not surprised the attorney general, among a number of Republicans and Trump supporters who have falsely claimed the election was stolen by Democrats, did not sign on to the letters.

Credit: Laura Buckman/The Texas Tribune

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the only state attorney general in the United States who did not sign on to one of two letters sent this week condemning the violent insurrection of the U.S. Capitol mounted last week by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Paxton has individually condemned the violence on television and social media while falsely claiming the pro-Trump mob that invaded the Capitol was infiltrated by liberal antifa activists. There has been no evidence that antifa activists participated in the Jan. 6 attack that left five people dead and was intended to disrupt the certification of the presidential election results.

Attorneys general from 46 states — in addition to those representing Washington D.C. and three U.S. territories — signed a letter Tuesday sent to Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen condemning the attack. Only Paxton and the Republican attorneys general from Louisiana, Indiana and Montana did not sign the letter.

“The events of January 6 represent a direct, physical challenge to the rule of law and our democratic republic itself,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter, sent by the National Association of Attorneys General. “As Americans, and those charged with enforcing the law, we must come together to condemn lawless violence, making clear that such actions will not be allowed to go unchecked.”

By Wednesday, those three holdouts sent Rosen their own letter, which Paxton also did not sign.

In addition to condemning the violent mob, the three attorneys general urged their colleagues to “stand together against all political violence,” calling out antifa activists.

Asked why he did not sign either letter of condemnation, Paxton said through a spokesperson that he “already addressed this issue multiple times” and pointed to recent tweets and a Fox News interview in which he disavowed the mob and “absolutely” said its violent actors should be prosecuted.

“A certain, small percentage of those people crossed the line, and when you … cross the line, and you start harming other people’s property, and you start harming people, you should be held accountable,” Paxton said in the Jan. 7 interview with Fox Business.

Paxton signed on to a Jan. 6 statement from the Republican Attorneys General Association condemning the violence, saying “I call on protesters in our state and our nation’s Capital to practice their constitutional right in a peaceful manner. I stand for election integrity and the democratic process. I will not tolerate violence and civil disorder.”

Paxton’s critics said they are not surprised the attorney general, among a number of Republicans and Trump supporters who have falsely claimed the election was stolen by Democrats, did not sign on to the letters. The morning of the attack, Paxton, a co-chair of the Lawyers for Trump coalition, urged Trump supporters to continue fighting President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

“After inciting the violence we saw last week and wasting Texas taxpayer dollars on baseless lawsuits that never see any results, Paxton is an embarrassment to this state and a traitor to this country,” said Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party.

On Wednesday, Paxton’s office was also hit with the loss of one of its top staffers.

Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins is leaving the agency, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. The exit comes in the wake of a scandal at the agency, and also Paxton’s controversial lawsuit at the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn the election results, which Hawkins — the agency’s appellate expert — did not sign onto. Hawkins has not answered questions about his decision to leave or why his name did not appear on the case.

Emma Platoff contributed to this report.

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Dollar General to pay workers to get COVID-19 vaccine in retail first

smart move

By Jonathan Roeder | Bloomberg

Dollar General Corp. is offering workers extra pay to encourage them to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

Hourly employees will get the equivalent of four hours of pay after getting the vaccine, while salaried workers will receive “additional store labor hours to accommodate their time away from the store,” the discount retailer said in a statement. It also will provide assistance to its distribution and transportation teams.

The announcement offers an early look at how retailers will deal with getting millions of frontline workers the vaccine — an urgent issue from both a safety and operational standpoint, as well as an unprecedented logistical undertaking. About 10 million people have received the first dose of a COVID vaccine since immunizations started in December, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.

Dollar General shares fell less than 1% at 9:40 a.m. in New York.

The company, which said it doesn’t want workers to have to choose between receiving the vaccine and other needs like child care and travel time, noted that it’s encouraging, not requiring, employees get vaccinated.

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Coronavirus: L.A. County reported 11,994 new cases and 288 new deaths as of Jan. 12

Los Angeles County reported 11,994 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, Jan. 12, bringing the total number of cases to 944,319 according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The county reported 288 new fatalities linked to coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 12,674 since tracking began.

Hospitalizations are on the decline. There were 16 more patients hospitalized by the virus as of Tuesday. The total number of patients in L.A. County hospitals is 7,926 with 22% in ICU.

The breakdown of people infected with the coronavirus by age is as follows:

  • 0-4: 17,360
  • 5-11: 42,104
  • 12-17: 52,397
  • 18-29: 216,241
  • 30-49: 301,830
  • 50-64: 170,569
  • 65-79: 66,555
  • Older than 80: 24,421

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Data posted each day is preliminary and subject to change, officials emphasize. More information may become available as individual case investigations are completed.

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