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1. Covid-19
Almost two and a half years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the most infectious and contagious variant has arrived. The latest version of the shape-shifting BA.5 variant, an offshoot of Omicron, is fueling a global surge in cases — demonstrating how the virus has evolved and can evade immunity provided by previous Covid-19 vaccines. In the US, BA.5 accounted for 65% of new infections last week, according to the CDC. The variant is also on the way in China, raising fears that major cities there may soon reinstate strict quarantine measures that were recently lifted. As for how to manage the new wave, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator, urged Americans age 50 and older to get second booster shots. US health officials are urgently working on a plan to allow second Covid-19 boosters for all adults, a senior White House official confirmed to CNN on Monday.
2. Biden in Israel
President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday for the start of his four-day visit to the Middle East. It is his first visit to the region since he was elected president. Biden was greeted at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, with whom he will have meetings today. Ahead of the trip, U.S. officials have worked to deepen Israeli-Arab security coordination and mediation agreements that will bring Israel and Saudi Arabia — which do not have diplomatic relations — closer to normalization. Meanwhile, many Palestinians are pessimistic about the President’s visit because of a perceived reluctance to press Israel on continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and other key issues.
3. January 6
Former President Donald Trump tried to call a witness who was speaking to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on Capitol Hill, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. The witness, a White House support worker, was not someone who regularly communicated with the former President and “refused to answer or respond” to his call and instead notified his lawyer. “We will take any attempt to influence testimony very seriously,” Vice Chairman Liz Cheney said at a committee hearing Tuesday, adding that the information has been provided to the Justice Department. This is not the first time the committee has raised concerns about a pattern of possible witness tampering and witness intimidation by Trump and other allies in his camp.
4. Virginia
Search efforts will continue today for more than 40 people who remain unaccounted for after severe flooding swept through a rural Virginia county, tearing homes off their foundations and destroying roads and bridges across the region. Buchanan County in western Virginia was inundated with more than 6 inches of water in just a few hours Wednesday, causing widespread flooding and road closures. To help with the response, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency to aid recovery efforts. The storm was part of several that lingered over the county as well as the surrounding area — including Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia — Tuesday night.
5. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has been plunged into chaos and its President has fled to Singapore as anger grows in his home country over his refusal to formally step down. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was in the Maldives after fleeing Sri Lanka on Wednesday — the same day she announced she would step down. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed acting president in his absence. But to date, no formal letter of resignation has been received from the speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament, raising questions about the intentions of the seemingly self-exiled leader. Last weekend’s protests were among the most dramatic yet, with people torching Wickremesinghe’s residence and swimming in Rajapaksa’s private swimming pool. Many protesters have vowed to continue protesting until both men step down.
BREAKFAST DESCRIPTION
NASA has released more images of stars, galaxies and an exoplanet After decades of waiting, the world is finally able to see the deepest and sharpest images of our universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. Netflix comes with ads Nobody likes the “A” word… but if you can put up with a few ads, a lower-priced Netflix tier is currently in the works. Chris Hemsworth quit eating meat before filming a kiss with his vegan bestie This kind gesture helped vegan actress Natalie Portman calm down while filming a kiss scene for “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Ryan Gosling Brings Major ‘Ken-ergy’ to Upcoming ‘Barbie’ Movie The long-awaited “Barbie” movie won’t be released until next year, but fans are already swooning over Gosling’s “Ken doll” character. The world’s best airlines for 2022, ranked by AirlineRatings.com We may be in the midst of a chaotic travel season, but some airlines are overcoming industry challenges. See the new list here.
TODAY’S NUMBER
114 billion dollars That’s Bill Gates’ estimated net worth, making him the fourth-richest person in the world — but he doesn’t plan to rank that high forever. On Wednesday, the Microsoft co-founder said he wants to “remove and eventually be removed from the list of the world’s richest people” because he feels “obliged to give his resources back to society.” On the same day, Gates transferred $20 billion of his fortune to the endowment of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest philanthropies in the world. The foundation plans to increase its payouts from nearly $6 billion to $9 billion annually by 2026.
TODAY QUOTE
“Today, (Joshua) Schulte was convicted of one of the most brazen and destructive acts of espionage in American history.” — U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, after former CIA employee Joshua Schulte was convicted Wednesday of the largest leak of classified data in the agency’s history. Schulte, who had worked as a computer engineer at the CIA, stole cyber tools in 2016 and transferred the classified data to WikiLeaks, according to court records. Schulte had access to “some of the nation’s most valuable cyber intelligence tools used to fight terrorist organizations,” Willams said, adding that those tools are now essentially useless.
THE WEATHER TODAY
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AND FINALLY
Did someone say free fries? National French Fries Day (which is obviously real) was Wednesday, but some of America’s biggest fast food chains are giving away free fries for the rest of the week! In celebration, here’s a video of the many different ways potatoes are enjoyed around the world. (Click here to view)
