OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kellogg's has reached a new tentative agreement with its 1,400 striking cereal plant workers that could bring an end to the strike that began Oct. 5. 

Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union will vote Sunday on the new offer that includes cost-of-living adjustments and a $1.10 per hour raise for all employees. 

Kellogg's CEO Steve Cahillane said he hopes the union will approve this contract. Last week, the union overwhelmingly rejected a previous offer. 

The strike includes four plants in Omaha, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kellogg's has reached a new tentative agreement with its 1,400 striking cereal plant workers that could bring an end to the strike that began Oct. 5. Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union will vote Sunday on the new offer that includes cost-of-living adjustments and a $1.10 per hour raise for all employees. Kellogg's CEO Steve Cahillane said he hopes the union will approve this contract. Last week, the union overwhelmingly rejected a previous offer. The strike includes four plants in Omaha, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee.

Kellogg's reaches tentative agreement with striking workers

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ Republican governor has told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the state will not direct its National Guard members to comply with a Biden administration order requiring all members of the military to get vaccinated for COVID-19. 

Gov. Greg Abbott's rejection of the order Thursday reflects growing Republican opposition to it. 

It comes after five other GOP governors sent Austin a milder letter this week urging him to reconsider the requirements for Guard members on state active duty, when they are under their governor’s orders but still funded by the federal government. 

Abbott told the Texas National Guard in October that its more than 20,000 members were covered by his executive orders banning any governmental entity from imposing vaccine mandates.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ Republican governor has told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the state will not direct its National Guard members to comply with a Biden administration order requiring all members of the military to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Gov. Greg Abbott's rejection of the order Thursday reflects growing Republican opposition to it. It comes after five other GOP governors sent Austin a milder letter this week urging him to reconsider the requirements for Guard members on state active duty, when they are under their governor’s orders but still funded by the federal government. Abbott told the Texas National Guard in October that its more than 20,000 members were covered by his executive orders banning any governmental entity from imposing vaccine mandates.

GOP governors challenge Pentagon over Guard vaccine mandate

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE, Associated. Press

Most Americans should be given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson &amp; Johnson shot that can cause rare but serious blood clots, U.S. health advisers recommended Thursday.

The strange clotting problem has caused nine confirmed deaths after J&amp;J vaccinations — while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don’t come with that risk and also appear to be more effective, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

It’s an unusual move and the CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, must decide whether to accept the panel’s advice.

Until now the U.S. has treated all three COVID-19 vaccines available to Americans as an equal choice, since large studies found they all offered strong protection and early supplies were limited. J&amp;J’s vaccine initially was welcomed as a single-dose option that could be especially important for hard-to-reach groups like homeless people who might not get the needed second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna options.

But the CDC’s advisers said Thursday that it was time to recognize a lot has changed since vaccines began rolling out a year ago. More than 200 million Americans are considered fully vaccinated, including about 16 million who got the J&amp;J shot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600861747887.png" alt="Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE, Associated. PressMost Americans should be given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson &amp; Johnson shot that can cause rare but serious blood clots, U.S. health advisers recommended Thursday.The strange clotting problem has caused nine confirmed deaths after J&amp;J vaccinations — while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don’t come with that risk and also appear to be more effective, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.It’s an unusual move and the CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, must decide whether to accept the panel’s advice.Until now the U.S. has treated all three COVID-19 vaccines available to Americans as an equal choice, since large studies found they all offered strong protection and early supplies were limited. J&amp;J’s vaccine initially was welcomed as a single-dose option that could be especially important for hard-to-reach groups like homeless people who might not get the needed second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna options.But the CDC’s advisers said Thursday that it was time to recognize a lot has changed since vaccines began rolling out a year ago. More than 200 million Americans are considered fully vaccinated, including about 16 million who got the J&amp;J shot.

CDC panel: 9 confirmed deaths after J&J COVID vaccinations 

By: Cody Thomas – Public Relations Director

&nbsp;As Nebraskans celebrate the holidays and ring in a new year, Nebraska State Troopers will be diligently working to keep roads safe throughout the state.

“This time of year is full of joy and celebration,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Ensuring that you always have a sober driver is the best way to prevent this holiday season from being remembered for a tragedy.”

The Nebraska State Patrol is teaming up with law enforcement agencies throughout Nebraska for the annual&nbsp;Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over&nbsp;campaign. The effort runs from Friday, December 17, through Saturday, January 1. Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime during this operation, thanks in part to a grant for $26,500 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office (NDOT-HSO).

NDOT-HSO reports that in 2020, there were 1,534 alcohol-related crashes in Nebraska, which led to 76 fatalities and more than 600 additional injuries. So far in 2021, troopers have made more than 1,100 arrests for driving under the influence.

“If your holiday gatherings involve alcohol, there are many options available to find a safe ride home,” said Colonel Bolduc. “Get a ride-share, call a cab, designate a driver, or take advantage of the many community safe-ride programs and give yourself the gift of safe travel.”

Any motorist who observes an impaired driver can call *55 or 800-525-5555 to make a report directly to the nearest NSP dispatch center.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1565829728041.jpeg" alt="Nebraska State Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska State Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>By: Cody Thomas – Public Relations Director&nbsp;As Nebraskans celebrate the holidays and ring in a new year, Nebraska State Troopers will be diligently working to keep roads safe throughout the state.“This time of year is full of joy and celebration,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Ensuring that you always have a sober driver is the best way to prevent this holiday season from being remembered for a tragedy.”The Nebraska State Patrol is teaming up with law enforcement agencies throughout Nebraska for the annual&nbsp;Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over&nbsp;campaign. The effort runs from Friday, December 17, through Saturday, January 1. Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime during this operation, thanks in part to a grant for $26,500 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office (NDOT-HSO).NDOT-HSO reports that in 2020, there were 1,534 alcohol-related crashes in Nebraska, which led to 76 fatalities and more than 600 additional injuries. So far in 2021, troopers have made more than 1,100 arrests for driving under the influence.“If your holiday gatherings involve alcohol, there are many options available to find a safe ride home,” said Colonel Bolduc. “Get a ride-share, call a cab, designate a driver, or take advantage of the many community safe-ride programs and give yourself the gift of safe travel.”Any motorist who observes an impaired driver can call *55 or 800-525-5555 to make a report directly to the nearest NSP dispatch center.

Troopers on Patrol for Impaired Driving Throughout Holiday Season

By FRANK MORRIS and CARLOS MORENO <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-12-15/the-storms-across-kansas-fanned-fires-and-smoke-that-carried-as-far-as-the-great-lakes">Kansas News Service</a>

High winds scraping across the Kansas landscape Wednesday ripped down
 power lines, sparked fires and fanned flames that blew smoke from the 
Flint Hills through Kansas City and as far as the Great Lakes.

In 
Trego County west of Hays, Kansas, exhausted volunteer firefighters 
battled what they could well into the night and prepared to head back 
out Thursday morning to tame grass fires singing acres of prairie and 
farmland.

At times, the winds gusted more than 100 mph in parts of
 Kansas, stoking wildfires from the Great Plains to the Missouri River 
Valley.

“It’s just crazy,” said Kathleen Fabrizius, the emergency 
management director for Trego County. “I would have never ever thought 
that something like this could have happened.”

Fabrizius said she’s seen some of the largest Kansas wildfires in recent years.

“But
 this is not like those because it’s just across the entire county,” she
 said. “It was all sparked by power lines, and it was just one after the
 other. You don’t know which way to even go.”

Fabrizius said all the downed power lines presented their own 
dangers. Firefighters couldn’t cross them until they were sure the lines
 were dead.

She said Trego County fires destroyed at least three 
homes along with outbuildings and several abandoned farmsteads. And she 
said flames were sprouting in all the nearby counties, too. That meant 
volunteer fire departments that ordinarily would have traveled in to 
help found themselves occupied battling flames closer to home.

“Normally
 we would have backups from other counties,” Fabrizius said. “We just 
don’t have that. They’re all dealing with the same thing we are.”

Meanwhile,
 the winds blew down trees, ripped away roofs and tangled enough power 
lines that Evergy, the state’s largest electric utility, reported as 
many as 170,000 customers without power.

“We will not get 
everybody back on tonight. We will not be able to get everybody back on 
tomorrow,” said Evergy spokesman Chuck Caisley, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/article256640446.html" target="_blank">according to The Kansas City Star</a>.
 “This outage is going to extend in some areas into multiple days as the
 amount of damage would just be impossible to get done in a 24-hour 
period.”

The wind storm came with hail and triggered a series of tornado 
watches across the region. Caisley said the weather brought “some of the
 most widespread damage across our service territory that Evergy has 
ever seen.”

Some flights to Kansas City International Airport were
 diverted and outgoing flights were delayed after air traffic 
controllers were briefly evacuated from the cab of the tower.

Across
 Kansas, the winds limited visibility and sent semitractor-trailers 
weaving. Interstate 70 and a handful of other highways in western Kansas
 were closed down for hours.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639666917994.png" alt="Reno County Fire District No. 6 / Courtesy KNS" />
 <figcaption>Reno County Fire District No. 6 / Courtesy KNS</figcaption>
 </figure>By FRANK MORRIS and CARLOS MORENO <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-12-15/the-storms-across-kansas-fanned-fires-and-smoke-that-carried-as-far-as-the-great-lakes">Kansas News Service</a>High winds scraping across the Kansas landscape Wednesday ripped down
 power lines, sparked fires and fanned flames that blew smoke from the 
Flint Hills through Kansas City and as far as the Great Lakes.In 
Trego County west of Hays, Kansas, exhausted volunteer firefighters 
battled what they could well into the night and prepared to head back 
out Thursday morning to tame grass fires singing acres of prairie and 
farmland.At times, the winds gusted more than 100 mph in parts of
 Kansas, stoking wildfires from the Great Plains to the Missouri River 
Valley.“It’s just crazy,” said Kathleen Fabrizius, the emergency 
management director for Trego County. “I would have never ever thought 
that something like this could have happened.”Fabrizius said she’s seen some of the largest Kansas wildfires in recent years.“But
 this is not like those because it’s just across the entire county,” she
 said. “It was all sparked by power lines, and it was just one after the
 other. You don’t know which way to even go.”Fabrizius said all the downed power lines presented their own 
dangers. Firefighters couldn’t cross them until they were sure the lines
 were dead.She said Trego County fires destroyed at least three 
homes along with outbuildings and several abandoned farmsteads. And she 
said flames were sprouting in all the nearby counties, too. That meant 
volunteer fire departments that ordinarily would have traveled in to 
help found themselves occupied battling flames closer to home.“Normally
 we would have backups from other counties,” Fabrizius said. “We just 
don’t have that. They’re all dealing with the same thing we are.”Meanwhile,
 the winds blew down trees, ripped away roofs and tangled enough power 
lines that Evergy, the state’s largest electric utility, reported as 
many as 170,000 customers without power.“We will not get 
everybody back on tonight. We will not be able to get everybody back on 
tomorrow,” said Evergy spokesman Chuck Caisley, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/article256640446.html" target="_blank">according to The Kansas City Star</a>.
 “This outage is going to extend in some areas into multiple days as the
 amount of damage would just be impossible to get done in a 24-hour 
period.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Heads up to eastern Kansas: this is what’s coming your way <a href="https://t.co/Dg7JPgFUc0">pic.twitter.com/Dg7JPgFUc0</a>&mdash; David Condos (@davidcondos) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidcondos/status/1471248069840842759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>The wind storm came with hail and triggered a series of tornado 
watches across the region. Caisley said the weather brought “some of the
 most widespread damage across our service territory that Evergy has 
ever seen.”Some flights to Kansas City International Airport were
 diverted and outgoing flights were delayed after air traffic 
controllers were briefly evacuated from the cab of the tower.Across
 Kansas, the winds limited visibility and sent semitractor-trailers 
weaving. Interstate 70 and a handful of other highways in western Kansas
 were closed down for hours.

Kan. storms fanned fires and smoke that carried as far as the Great Lakes

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The remaining members of a missionary group who were kidnapped two months ago have been freed, Haiti police and the group said Thursday.

The spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, Gary Desrosiers, confirmed to The Associated Press that the remaining hostages had been released, but did not immediately provide additional details.

“We glorify God for answered prayer — the remaining 12 hostages are FREE!” Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement. “Join us in praising God that all 17 of our loved ones are now safe.”

The Ohio group said it hopes to provide more information later.

The missionaries were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There were five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization.

The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang had threatened to kill the hostages unless his demands are met. Authorities had said the gang was demanding $1 million per person, although it wasn’t immediately clear that included the children in the group.

Check the Post for more information as it becomes available

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634471859759.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The remaining members of a missionary group who were kidnapped two months ago have been freed, Haiti police and the group said Thursday.The spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, Gary Desrosiers, confirmed to The Associated Press that the remaining hostages had been released, but did not immediately provide additional details.“We glorify God for answered prayer — the remaining 12 hostages are FREE!” Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement. “Join us in praising God that all 17 of our loved ones are now safe.”The Ohio group said it hopes to provide more information later.The missionaries were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There were five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization.The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang had threatened to kill the hostages unless his demands are met. Authorities had said the gang was demanding $1 million per person, although it wasn’t immediately clear that included the children in the group.Check the Post for more information as it becomes available

Police: All from kidnapped US missionary group freed in Haiti

CHICAGO (AP) — States and the federal government carried out 11 executions this year. 

That's the fewest since 1988. Pandemic-related disruptions partly accounted for the low number of executions this year, but 2021 marked the seventh consecutive year when there were fewer than 30 executions and fewer than 50 new death sentences.&nbsp;That’s according to an annual report on the death penalty released Thursday. 

Three of the death sentences were carried out in January during an unprecedented run of federal executions that ended days before President Donald Trump left office. 

Annual executions have steadily declined since peaking at 98 in 1999.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639662283598.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — States and the federal government carried out 11 executions this year. That's the fewest since 1988. Pandemic-related disruptions partly accounted for the low number of executions this year, but 2021 marked the seventh consecutive year when there were fewer than 30 executions and fewer than 50 new death sentences.&nbsp;That’s according to an annual report on the death penalty released Thursday. Three of the death sentences were carried out in January during an unprecedented run of federal executions that ended days before President Donald Trump left office. Annual executions have steadily declined since peaking at 98 in 1999.

Report: 11 executions in 2021 mark three-decade low

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department
 announced today that millions of American families will soon receive 
their final advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payment for the month of 
December. Eligible families who did not receive advance payments can 
claim the Child Tax Credit on their 2021 federal tax return to receive 
missed payments and the other half of the credit.

This final batch of advance monthly payments for 2021, totaling about
 $16 billion, will reach more than 36 million families across the 
country.&nbsp;Most payments are being made by direct deposit.

Under the American Rescue Plan, eligible families have received more 
than 200 million payments totaling more than $93 billion. Most eligible 
families received payments dated July 15, August 13, September 15, 
October 15, November 15 and December 15. For eligible families, 
each&nbsp;payment is up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up 
to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17.

Here are more details on the December payments:

Claim the full Child Tax Credit on the 2021 tax return

Eligible families who did not receive any <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">advance Child Tax Credit payments</a>
 can claim the full amount of the Child Tax Credit on their 2021 federal
 tax return, filed in 2022. This includes families who don't normally 
need to file a return.

Families who received advance payments will need to file a 2021 tax 
return and compare the advance Child Tax Credit payments they received 
in 2021 with the amount of the Child Tax Credit they can properly claim 
on their 2021 tax return.

To help taxpayers reconcile the advance payments, the IRS will send 
Letter 6419 in January 2022 with the total amount of advance Child Tax 
Credit payments taxpayers received in 2021 and the number of qualifying 
children used to calculate the advance payments. People should keep this
 and any other IRS letters about advance Child Tax Credit payments with 
their tax records.

See <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-topic-h-reconciling-your-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-on-your-2021-tax-return">Reconciling Your Advance Child Tax Credit Payments on Your 2021 Tax Return</a> for more information.

Links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions and other helpful resources are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS's special advance CTC 2021 page</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department
 announced today that millions of American families will soon receive 
their final advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payment for the month of 
December. Eligible families who did not receive advance payments can 
claim the Child Tax Credit on their 2021 federal tax return to receive 
missed payments and the other half of the credit.This final batch of advance monthly payments for 2021, totaling about
 $16 billion, will reach more than 36 million families across the 
country.&nbsp;Most payments are being made by direct deposit.Under the American Rescue Plan, eligible families have received more 
than 200 million payments totaling more than $93 billion. Most eligible 
families received payments dated July 15, August 13, September 15, 
October 15, November 15 and December 15. For eligible families, 
each&nbsp;payment is up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up 
to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17.Here are more details on the December payments:<ul>
 <li>Families will see the direct deposit payments in their accounts 
starting December 15. Like the prior payments, the vast majority of 
families will receive them by direct deposit.</li><li>For those receiving payments by paper check, be sure to allow extra time, through the end of December, for delivery by mail.</li><li>Payments are going to eligible families who filed a 2019 or 2020 
federal income tax return. Returns processed by December 1 are reflected
 in these payments. This includes people who don't typically file a 
return but either during 2020 successfully filed a return to register 
for Economic Impact Payments using the IRS Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov, 
or in 2021 successfully filed a return by using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool">Non-filer Sign-up Tool for advance CTC</a>.</li><li>Families who did not get a July, August, September, October or 
November payment and are getting their first monthly payment this month 
will still receive their total advance payment amount for the year 
(which is half of their total Child Tax Credit). This means that the 
total advance payment amount will be made in one December payment.</li>
 </ul><h2>Claim the full Child Tax Credit on the 2021 tax return</h2>Eligible families who did not receive any <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">advance Child Tax Credit payments</a>
 can claim the full amount of the Child Tax Credit on their 2021 federal
 tax return, filed in 2022. This includes families who don't normally 
need to file a return.Families who received advance payments will need to file a 2021 tax 
return and compare the advance Child Tax Credit payments they received 
in 2021 with the amount of the Child Tax Credit they can properly claim 
on their 2021 tax return.To help taxpayers reconcile the advance payments, the IRS will send 
Letter 6419 in January 2022 with the total amount of advance Child Tax 
Credit payments taxpayers received in 2021 and the number of qualifying 
children used to calculate the advance payments. People should keep this
 and any other IRS letters about advance Child Tax Credit payments with 
their tax records.See <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-topic-h-reconciling-your-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-on-your-2021-tax-return">Reconciling Your Advance Child Tax Credit Payments on Your 2021 Tax Return</a> for more information.Links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions and other helpful resources are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS's special advance CTC 2021 page</a>.

Miss a Child Tax Credit payment? Claim  it on 2021 tax return

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Archives on Wednesday made public nearly 1,500 documents related to the U.S. government’s investigation into the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/release2021" target="_blank">disclosure&nbsp;</a>of secret cables, internal memos and other documents satisfies a deadline set in October by President Joe Biden and is in keeping with a federal statute that calls for the government to release records in its possession concerning the Kennedy assassination. Additional documents are expected to be made public next year.

There was no immediate indication that the records contained new revelations that could radically reshape the public’s understanding of the events surrounding the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of Kennedy in Dallas at the hands of gunman Lee Harvey Oswald.

But the latest tranche of documents was nonetheless eagerly anticipated by historians and others who, decades after the Kennedy killing, remain skeptical that at the height of the Cold War, a troubled young man with a mail-order rifle was solely responsible for an assassination that changed the course of American history.

The documents include CIA cables and memos discussing Oswald’s previously disclosed but never fully explained visits to the Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City as well as discussion, in the days after the assassination, of the potential for Cuban involvement in the killing of Kennedy.

One CIA memo describes how Oswald phoned the Soviet embassy while in Mexico City to ask for a visa to visit the Soviet Union. He also visited the Cuban embassy, apparently interested in a travel visa that would permit him to visit Cuba and wait there for a Soviet visa. On Oct. 3, more than one month before the assassination, he drove back into the United States through a crossing point at the Texas border.

Another memo, dated the day after Kennedy’s assassination, says that according to an intercepted phone call in Mexico City, Oswald communicated with a KGB officer while at the Soviet embassy that September.

After Kennedy was killed, Mexican authorities arrested a Mexican employee of the Cuban embassy with whom Oswald had communicated, and she said Oswald had “professed to be a Communist and an admirer of Castro,” according to the memo. That’s a reference to Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader at the time and an adversary of the Kennedy White House.

One CIA document marked “Secret Eyes Only” details what it says were U.S. government plots to assassinate Castro, including a 1960 scheme “that involved the use of the criminal underworld with contacts inside Cuba.”

Another document made public Wednesday shows the U.S. government evaluating whether Oswald, while living in New Orleans, may have been swayed or affected in any way by the publication in the local newspaper of an interview an Associated Press correspondent conducted with Castro in which Castro warned of retribution if the U.S. were to try to help take out Cuban leaders.

The new files include several FBI reports on the bureau’s efforts to investigate and surveil major mafia figures like Santo Trafficante Jr. and Sam Giancana, who are often mentioned in conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s assassination. The files also include several FBI reports showing the bureau kept regular tabs on anti-Castro groups operating in southern Florida and Puerto Rico in the 1960s.

Apart from the Kennedy investigation, some of the material would be of interest to scholars or anyone interested in the minutiae of 1960s counterespionage, with pages and pages of arcane details on such things as the methods, equipment and personnel used to surveil the Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City.

In blocking the release of hundreds of records in 2017 because of concerns from the FBI and the CIA, President Donald Trump cited “potentially irreversible harm.” Even so, about 2,800 other records were released at that time.

The Warren Commission in 1964 concluded that Oswald had been the lone gunman, and another congressional probe in 1979 found no evidence to support the theory that the CIA had been involved. But other interpretations have persisted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639658580146.png" alt="Image courtesy National Archives" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy National Archives</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Archives on Wednesday made public nearly 1,500 documents related to the U.S. government’s investigation into the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/release2021" target="_blank">disclosure&nbsp;</a>of secret cables, internal memos and other documents satisfies a deadline set in October by President Joe Biden and is in keeping with a federal statute that calls for the government to release records in its possession concerning the Kennedy assassination. Additional documents are expected to be made public next year.There was no immediate indication that the records contained new revelations that could radically reshape the public’s understanding of the events surrounding the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of Kennedy in Dallas at the hands of gunman Lee Harvey Oswald.But the latest tranche of documents was nonetheless eagerly anticipated by historians and others who, decades after the Kennedy killing, remain skeptical that at the height of the Cold War, a troubled young man with a mail-order rifle was solely responsible for an assassination that changed the course of American history.The documents include CIA cables and memos discussing Oswald’s previously disclosed but never fully explained visits to the Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City as well as discussion, in the days after the assassination, of the potential for Cuban involvement in the killing of Kennedy.One CIA memo describes how Oswald phoned the Soviet embassy while in Mexico City to ask for a visa to visit the Soviet Union. He also visited the Cuban embassy, apparently interested in a travel visa that would permit him to visit Cuba and wait there for a Soviet visa. On Oct. 3, more than one month before the assassination, he drove back into the United States through a crossing point at the Texas border.Another memo, dated the day after Kennedy’s assassination, says that according to an intercepted phone call in Mexico City, Oswald communicated with a KGB officer while at the Soviet embassy that September.After Kennedy was killed, Mexican authorities arrested a Mexican employee of the Cuban embassy with whom Oswald had communicated, and she said Oswald had “professed to be a Communist and an admirer of Castro,” according to the memo. That’s a reference to Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader at the time and an adversary of the Kennedy White House.One CIA document marked “Secret Eyes Only” details what it says were U.S. government plots to assassinate Castro, including a 1960 scheme “that involved the use of the criminal underworld with contacts inside Cuba.”Another document made public Wednesday shows the U.S. government evaluating whether Oswald, while living in New Orleans, may have been swayed or affected in any way by the publication in the local newspaper of an interview an Associated Press correspondent conducted with Castro in which Castro warned of retribution if the U.S. were to try to help take out Cuban leaders.The new files include several FBI reports on the bureau’s efforts to investigate and surveil major mafia figures like Santo Trafficante Jr. and Sam Giancana, who are often mentioned in conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s assassination. The files also include several FBI reports showing the bureau kept regular tabs on anti-Castro groups operating in southern Florida and Puerto Rico in the 1960s.Apart from the Kennedy investigation, some of the material would be of interest to scholars or anyone interested in the minutiae of 1960s counterespionage, with pages and pages of arcane details on such things as the methods, equipment and personnel used to surveil the Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City.In blocking the release of hundreds of records in 2017 because of concerns from the FBI and the CIA, President Donald Trump cited “potentially irreversible harm.” Even so, about 2,800 other records were released at that time.The Warren Commission in 1964 concluded that Oswald had been the lone gunman, and another congressional probe in 1979 found no evidence to support the theory that the CIA had been involved. But other interpretations have persisted._____

Additional secret JFK assassination files released

By LAURA UNGAR and CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press

The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

The White House on Wednesday insisted there was no need for a lockdown because vaccines are widely available and appear to offer protection against the worst consequences of the virus. But even if omicron proves milder on the whole than delta, it may disarm some of the lifesaving tools available and put immune-compromised and elderly people at particular risk as it begins a rapid assault on the United States.

“Our delta surge is ongoing and, in fact, accelerating. And on top of that, we’re going to add an omicron surge,” said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School.

“That’s alarming, because our hospitals are already filling up. Staff are fatigued,” leaving limited capacity for a potential crush of COVID-19 cases “from an omicron wave superimposed on a delta surge.”

Most likely, he and other experts said at a news briefing Tuesday, an omicron surge is already under way in the United States, with the latest mutant coronavirus outpacing the nation’s ability to track it.

Based on specimens collected last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said omicron accounted for about 3% of genetically-sequenced coronaviruses nationally. Percentages vary by region, with the highest — 13% — in the New York/New Jersey area.

But Harvard experts said these are likely underestimates because omicron is moving so fast that surveillance attempts can’t keep up.

Globally, more than 75 countries have reported confirmed cases of omicron. In the United States, 36 states have detected the variant. Meanwhile, delta is surging in many places, with hot spots in New England and the upper Midwest. The five states with the highest two-week rolling average of cases per 100,000 people are New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-new-york-syracuse-6686dfd1111baea6fb54791a26d232b4">Universities are abruptly closing classrooms</a>&nbsp;during finals week with infections multiplying at a fast rate. Both t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-nba-nhl-soccer-nfl-d70f4a30261997e4716214cf97abdcf1">he NBA and NHL have had to postpone games, and the NFL had its worst two-day outbreak&nbsp;</a>since the start of the pandemic, with dozens of players infected.

Outside the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-executive-branch-8bb518aaf1e15f6516e15f649ccccd19">the president of the European Union said omicron will become the dominant variant in a month</a>&nbsp;and declared that “once again, this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic.”

Scientists around the world are racing to understand omicron, which has a large number of worrisome mutations in important regions of its genetic structure that could affect how it spreads from person to person. How quickly the number of cases doubles, known as “doubling time,” can give a preview of what the disease burden could be in a few weeks.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that early data suggests omicron is more transmissible than delta, with a doubling time of about two days.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-england-9a2793178ffdd8859e9cff252dde8433">In Britain, where omicron cases are doubling every two to three days,&nbsp;</a>the variant is expected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-boris-johnson-c0cc2eda79f94bde2762d946744285fa">soon replace delta as the dominant strain in the country.</a>

The U.K. on Wednesday recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned that the situation is likely to get worse as omicron drives a new wave of illness during the holidays.

“The data out of the UK are quite alarming at this point,” and foreshadow what’s to come in the United States, said Bronwyn MacInnis, director of pathogen genomic surveillance at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. For example, she said, by Tuesday afternoon, omicron was already the most common variant in London.

In many ways, omicron remains a mystery. Hints are emerging from South Africa, where it was first reported, indicating it may cause less severe disease than delta but be better at evading vaccines.

But, MacInnis warned: “There’s much more that we don’t know about this variant than we do, including the severity.”

At the same time, Lemieux said, there seem to be fewer tools to fight it. Some monoclonal antibody treatments don’t work as well against omicron in lab tests, Lemieux said. Vaccines appear to offer less protection, although CDC officials said booster shots strengthen that protection.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Wednesday there is no need, for now, for an omicron-specific booster shot. The two-dose mRNA vaccines, the Pfizer and Moderna shots, still appear to offer considerable protection against hospitalization from omicron, Fauci said.

“If we didn’t have these tools, I would be telling you to really, really be worried,” Fauci said.

Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said the U.S. has the tools to fight the virus, including omicron, and “there is no need to lock down.” With vaccines available now for 95% of Americans, “we know how to keep our kids in schools and our businesses open. And we’re not going to shut down.”

Health officials called on Americans to get vaccinated, get their booster shots, wear masks indoors and get tested before traveling and before holiday gatherings.

“Hospital capacity is already at a breaking point in many states because of severe cases of COVID-19,” Michael Fraser, CEO of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said in a statement.

Given the high level of transmission, MacInnis said there will undoubtedly be severe cases.

“No matter how severely it affects healthy, fully vaccinated and boosted populations, it will hit the most vulnerable among us the hardest still,” she said. “So the elderly, the immunocompromised, other vulnerable populations will still be at greatest risk and still bear the brunt of this.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1638148803210.png" alt="3D structure of spike with amino acid changes in Omicron -photo courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>3D structure of spike with amino acid changes in Omicron -photo courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURA UNGAR and CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated PressThe new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.The White House on Wednesday insisted there was no need for a lockdown because vaccines are widely available and appear to offer protection against the worst consequences of the virus. But even if omicron proves milder on the whole than delta, it may disarm some of the lifesaving tools available and put immune-compromised and elderly people at particular risk as it begins a rapid assault on the United States.“Our delta surge is ongoing and, in fact, accelerating. And on top of that, we’re going to add an omicron surge,” said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School.“That’s alarming, because our hospitals are already filling up. Staff are fatigued,” leaving limited capacity for a potential crush of COVID-19 cases “from an omicron wave superimposed on a delta surge.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639492484125.png" alt="Omicron detected in over half of U.S. states-image courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>Omicron detected in over half of U.S. states-image courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>Most likely, he and other experts said at a news briefing Tuesday, an omicron surge is already under way in the United States, with the latest mutant coronavirus outpacing the nation’s ability to track it.Based on specimens collected last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said omicron accounted for about 3% of genetically-sequenced coronaviruses nationally. Percentages vary by region, with the highest — 13% — in the New York/New Jersey area.But Harvard experts said these are likely underestimates because omicron is moving so fast that surveillance attempts can’t keep up.Globally, more than 75 countries have reported confirmed cases of omicron. In the United States, 36 states have detected the variant. Meanwhile, delta is surging in many places, with hot spots in New England and the upper Midwest. The five states with the highest two-week rolling average of cases per 100,000 people are New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-new-york-syracuse-6686dfd1111baea6fb54791a26d232b4">Universities are abruptly closing classrooms</a>&nbsp;during finals week with infections multiplying at a fast rate. Both t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-nba-nhl-soccer-nfl-d70f4a30261997e4716214cf97abdcf1">he NBA and NHL have had to postpone games, and the NFL had its worst two-day outbreak&nbsp;</a>since the start of the pandemic, with dozens of players infected.Outside the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-executive-branch-8bb518aaf1e15f6516e15f649ccccd19">the president of the European Union said omicron will become the dominant variant in a month</a>&nbsp;and declared that “once again, this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic.”Scientists around the world are racing to understand omicron, which has a large number of worrisome mutations in important regions of its genetic structure that could affect how it spreads from person to person. How quickly the number of cases doubles, known as “doubling time,” can give a preview of what the disease burden could be in a few weeks.CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that early data suggests omicron is more transmissible than delta, with a doubling time of about two days.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-england-9a2793178ffdd8859e9cff252dde8433">In Britain, where omicron cases are doubling every two to three days,&nbsp;</a>the variant is expected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-boris-johnson-c0cc2eda79f94bde2762d946744285fa">soon replace delta as the dominant strain in the country.</a>The U.K. on Wednesday recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned that the situation is likely to get worse as omicron drives a new wave of illness during the holidays.“The data out of the UK are quite alarming at this point,” and foreshadow what’s to come in the United States, said Bronwyn MacInnis, director of pathogen genomic surveillance at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. For example, she said, by Tuesday afternoon, omicron was already the most common variant in London.In many ways, omicron remains a mystery. Hints are emerging from South Africa, where it was first reported, indicating it may cause less severe disease than delta but be better at evading vaccines.But, MacInnis warned: “There’s much more that we don’t know about this variant than we do, including the severity.”At the same time, Lemieux said, there seem to be fewer tools to fight it. Some monoclonal antibody treatments don’t work as well against omicron in lab tests, Lemieux said. Vaccines appear to offer less protection, although CDC officials said booster shots strengthen that protection.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Wednesday there is no need, for now, for an omicron-specific booster shot. The two-dose mRNA vaccines, the Pfizer and Moderna shots, still appear to offer considerable protection against hospitalization from omicron, Fauci said.“If we didn’t have these tools, I would be telling you to really, really be worried,” Fauci said.Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said the U.S. has the tools to fight the virus, including omicron, and “there is no need to lock down.” With vaccines available now for 95% of Americans, “we know how to keep our kids in schools and our businesses open. And we’re not going to shut down.”Health officials called on Americans to get vaccinated, get their booster shots, wear masks indoors and get tested before traveling and before holiday gatherings.“Hospital capacity is already at a breaking point in many states because of severe cases of COVID-19,” Michael Fraser, CEO of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said in a statement.Given the high level of transmission, MacInnis said there will undoubtedly be severe cases.“No matter how severely it affects healthy, fully vaccinated and boosted populations, it will hit the most vulnerable among us the hardest still,” she said. “So the elderly, the immunocompromised, other vulnerable populations will still be at greatest risk and still bear the brunt of this.”__

US faces a double coronavirus surge as omicron advances

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A legislative report says Nebraska’s use of a private contractor to help care for neglected and abused children in the Omaha area has been plagued with problems, including high worker turnover, inadequate funding and a lack of direction. 

The report released Wednesday comes a day after the state said it would terminate its contract with Saint Francis Ministries, a Kansas-based provider that faced major financial problems after winning the contract in 2019. 

Saint Francis was hired to oversee child services in Douglas and Sarpy counties. 

Nebraska began its experiment with privatized child welfare services in 2009, hiring private organizations in different regions to coordinate and manage services.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A legislative report says Nebraska’s use of a private contractor to help care for neglected and abused children in the Omaha area has been plagued with problems, including high worker turnover, inadequate funding and a lack of direction. The report released Wednesday comes a day after the state said it would terminate its contract with Saint Francis Ministries, a Kansas-based provider that faced major financial problems after winning the contract in 2019. Saint Francis was hired to oversee child services in Douglas and Sarpy counties. Nebraska began its experiment with privatized child welfare services in 2009, hiring private organizations in different regions to coordinate and manage services.

Nebraska finds problems with child welfare privatization

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress averted a catastrophic debt default early Wednesday morning after Democratic majorities in both chambers voted to send a $2.5 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to President Joe Biden over lockstep Republican opposition.

Capping a marathon day, the House gave final approval to the legislation early Wednesday morning on a near-party-line 221-209 vote, defusing a volatile issue until after the 2022 midterm elections. The action came just hours shy of a deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned last month that she was running out of maneuvering room to avoid the nation’s first-ever default.

“The full faith and credit of the United States should never be questioned,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said from the House floor shortly before the vote.

Yet the bill — which drew only one Republican vote in the House, from Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger — also saddled vulnerable Democrats with a tough vote on the cusp of an election year when both chambers will be up for grabs.

Republicans, meanwhile, said they were perplexed by the Democrats’ scramble to act.

“Democrats have known this day is coming for two years and did absolutely nothing,“ said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

Despite a seemingly straightforward name, the nation’s debt limit does little to curtail future debt. Established in 1917, it instead serves as a brake on spending decisions already endorsed by Republicans and Democrats alike — in some cases decades ago — that if left unpaid could cripple markets, send the economy into a tailspin and shake global confidence in the U.S.

That hasn’t stopped Republican saber-rattling. For months, they’ve used the debt limit to attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-business-health-congress-44c43fab00aa95a268a2cba420713d22">Democrats’ big-spending social and environmental agenda</a>&nbsp;while pledging to staunchly oppose the current effort to increase the threshold. As recently as October, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not “be a party to any future effort to mitigate the consequences of Democratic mismanagement.”

Yet McConnell softened his opposition, striking a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that created a workaround that allowed Senate Democrats to approve legislation with a simple majority while avoiding a Republican filibuster.

“This is about paying debt accumulated by both parties,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday while hailing the agreement.

McConnell’s backtracking angered some in his party. But it also gave him much of what he wanted: Democrats taking a politically difficult vote without Republican support, while increasing the limit by a staggering dollar figure that is sure to appear in future attack ads.

“If they jam through another taxing and spending spree this massive debt increase will just be the beginning,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.

The decision didn’t sit well with Donald Trump.

The former president has railed against the deal repeatedly, calling McConnell a “Broken Old Crow” who “didn’t have the guts to play the Debt Ceiling card, which would have given the Republicans a complete victory on virtually everything.”

“GET RID OF MITCH!” Trump said in a statement issued Sunday.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also criticized the intricate process Schumer and McConnell agreed to, which he warned could be used in the future to “launder” potentially unpopular votes.

Under the agreement, an amendment was made to an unrelated Medicare bill that passed last week with Republican votes. It created a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit that allowed Democrats to do so with a simple majority, bypassing the 60-vote threshold to avoid a GOP filibuster.

Lee said the process was intended to make the Republican votes last week “appear as something other than helping Democrats raise the debt ceiling,” which he said Republican leadership “committed, in writing no less, not to do.”

Yet Republican arguments against debt limit increases often ignore inconvenient facts.

The nation’s current debt load of $28.9 trillion has been racking up for decades. Major drivers include popular spending programs, like Social Security and Medicare, interest on the debt and recent COVID-19 relief packages. But taxation is also a major factor, and a series of tax cuts enacted by Republican presidents in recent decades has added to it, too.

That includes $7.8 trillion heaped onto the pile during Trump’s four-year presidency, an analysis of Treasury records shows. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-business-laws-2d9e099660064f2b8a8fc2237b4e7e4e">GOP-championed 2017 tax cut</a>&nbsp;is projected to add between $1 trillion and $2 trillion to the debt, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress averted a catastrophic debt default early Wednesday morning after Democratic majorities in both chambers voted to send a $2.5 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to President Joe Biden over lockstep Republican opposition.Capping a marathon day, the House gave final approval to the legislation early Wednesday morning on a near-party-line 221-209 vote, defusing a volatile issue until after the 2022 midterm elections. The action came just hours shy of a deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned last month that she was running out of maneuvering room to avoid the nation’s first-ever default.“The full faith and credit of the United States should never be questioned,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said from the House floor shortly before the vote.Yet the bill — which drew only one Republican vote in the House, from Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger — also saddled vulnerable Democrats with a tough vote on the cusp of an election year when both chambers will be up for grabs.Republicans, meanwhile, said they were perplexed by the Democrats’ scramble to act.“Democrats have known this day is coming for two years and did absolutely nothing,“ said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.Despite a seemingly straightforward name, the nation’s debt limit does little to curtail future debt. Established in 1917, it instead serves as a brake on spending decisions already endorsed by Republicans and Democrats alike — in some cases decades ago — that if left unpaid could cripple markets, send the economy into a tailspin and shake global confidence in the U.S.That hasn’t stopped Republican saber-rattling. For months, they’ve used the debt limit to attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-business-health-congress-44c43fab00aa95a268a2cba420713d22">Democrats’ big-spending social and environmental agenda</a>&nbsp;while pledging to staunchly oppose the current effort to increase the threshold. As recently as October, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not “be a party to any future effort to mitigate the consequences of Democratic mismanagement.”Yet McConnell softened his opposition, striking a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that created a workaround that allowed Senate Democrats to approve legislation with a simple majority while avoiding a Republican filibuster.“This is about paying debt accumulated by both parties,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday while hailing the agreement.McConnell’s backtracking angered some in his party. But it also gave him much of what he wanted: Democrats taking a politically difficult vote without Republican support, while increasing the limit by a staggering dollar figure that is sure to appear in future attack ads.“If they jam through another taxing and spending spree this massive debt increase will just be the beginning,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.The decision didn’t sit well with Donald Trump.The former president has railed against the deal repeatedly, calling McConnell a “Broken Old Crow” who “didn’t have the guts to play the Debt Ceiling card, which would have given the Republicans a complete victory on virtually everything.”“GET RID OF MITCH!” Trump said in a statement issued Sunday.Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also criticized the intricate process Schumer and McConnell agreed to, which he warned could be used in the future to “launder” potentially unpopular votes.Under the agreement, an amendment was made to an unrelated Medicare bill that passed last week with Republican votes. It created a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit that allowed Democrats to do so with a simple majority, bypassing the 60-vote threshold to avoid a GOP filibuster.Lee said the process was intended to make the Republican votes last week “appear as something other than helping Democrats raise the debt ceiling,” which he said Republican leadership “committed, in writing no less, not to do.”Yet Republican arguments against debt limit increases often ignore inconvenient facts.The nation’s current debt load of $28.9 trillion has been racking up for decades. Major drivers include popular spending programs, like Social Security and Medicare, interest on the debt and recent COVID-19 relief packages. But taxation is also a major factor, and a series of tax cuts enacted by Republican presidents in recent decades has added to it, too.That includes $7.8 trillion heaped onto the pile during Trump’s four-year presidency, an analysis of Treasury records shows. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-business-laws-2d9e099660064f2b8a8fc2237b4e7e4e">GOP-championed 2017 tax cut</a>&nbsp;is projected to add between $1 trillion and $2 trillion to the debt, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Nation’s debt load of $28.9 Trillion going up by $2.5 Trillion

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s one of the most far-reaching of all the federal aid programs launched during the COVID-19 pandemic —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monthly-child-payments-poverty-bd4643ad09e6986ef4b526ebd5a3272b">up to $300 per child</a>&nbsp;going directly into the bank accounts of families on the 15th of every month.

But the last checks will go out Wednesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-bank-accounts-0715-24023ed3ffba98e4a65dd6006518da7a">expanded child tax credit program</a>&nbsp;expiring unless Congress revives it for 2022. That appears highly uncertain as lawmakers try to push President Joe Biden’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">$2 trillion social and environmental bill</a>&nbsp;into law.

The swift launch, and potentially quick end, to the bolstered child tax credit highlights the risks of enacting sweeping social policy changes in a politically divisive environment, without consensus to make the changes stick. Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill might not have been praised by voters for adding the new benefit, but they almost surely will be blamed if the money abruptly stops flowing next month.

“We need to keep them going,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and chair of the House’s New Democrat Coalition. “Families deserve that predictability and certainty.”

The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January.

But rarely has it provided the boost to families seen with this year’s changes.

For more than 20 years, American taxpayers have been afforded a tax break for their children. Started as a $500 per child write-off under Bill Clinton in 1997, it changed over time and was beefed up under Donald Trump’s GOP tax cuts in 2017. Biden’s American Rescue Plan increased the credit to $3,000 a year, added 17-year-olds and boosted the amount to $3,600 for children under six years old. Most dramatically, it gave the credit to millions of families with low or no income, even if they didn’t earn enough money to pay income taxes or pay enough tax to qualify for the refund.

Studies suggest the child tax credit expansions are expected to cut child poverty by 40% — with 9 of 10 American children benefiting. All told, some 4.1 million children are on track to be lifted above the poverty line, according to analysis from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

After the first checks started arriving in July, about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/10/nearly-a-third-of-parents-spent-child-tax-credit-on-school-expenses.html" target="_blank">one-third of recipient families</a>&nbsp;used the money during the first few months to pay down outstanding debt, along with paying for school supplies and child care, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Families in New Mexico, which has one of the country’s highest child poverty rates, spent nearly 46% of their child tax credit money on food, a study by Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute found.

“It says a lot about what families are worried about,” said Sharon Kaye, communications director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “This is hugely important to a lot of families.”

Republicans are fully opposed to Biden’s larger policy bill, which would extend the tax credit, arguing the overall health, education and climate change package is too big and costly at a time of rising inflation.

On Tuesday, Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said his side was fine letting the policy lapse as the coronavirus crisis eases and the temporary aid goes away.

“The thing I don’t think you want is a huge spike in spending,” Thune told reporters. “And that would probably be the most obvious example of an inflationary type policy.”

Faced with Republican opposition, Biden is trying to pass the roughly $2 trillion package with Democrats alone, which the House has already done. But the path in the evenly split 50-50 Senate is more difficult, with no room for dissent.

Biden has been in talks with one key holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin, who appears to be the final obstacle for Democrats trying to pass the big bill by Christmas.

Asked specifically about the expiring tax credit this week, Manchin did not respond to repeated questions about the potential loss.

One Democrat who has had “many, many, many conversations” with Manchin is Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who said the West Virginian “is not at this moment a fan of the Child Tax Credit.”

Bennet said he hopes Manchin will come to see that the extension would help the country because it would enable more parents to afford child care and work. “My hope is that with the one-year extension of the enhanced credit he will become a fan and we’ll see,” he said.

When it became law this year, the expansion of the child tax credit was hailed as a potential philosophical shift in the way that government assistance programs work by emphasizing a direct, no-strings cash support.

Instead, the program delivers discretionary cash directly into parents’ bank accounts, leaving the parents to decide how best to use it. Recipients spend it on food, rent, school supplies or even recreational activities. Proponents described it as an element of trust that had been lacking in much of the American social safety net — relying on parents to make the right decisions on their family’s needs.

Robert Greenstein, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, compared the child tax credit to America’s signature safety net programs — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which have been adjusted and changed over the years to become mainstays in American life. He said there are few policies that are more important.

Greenstein said the benefit flows not just to the families receiving the cash, but has the potential to bring long-term economic benefits. “We’ll end up having healthier, better-educated generations of children who can be more productive workers in the U.S. economy of future decades,” he said.

“People are often skeptical — the government doesn’t do things right,” he said. ”This is an example of something that they really got right.”

With the last checks now slated for Wednesday, Democrats are rushing to ensure that Jan. 15 checks will still land in families’ bank accounts. The Treasury Department has warned lawmakers that Dec. 28 is the deadline to pass the bill and ensure no disruption, though lawmakers have suggested payments could be made retroactively if Biden’s package stalls.

Emma Mehrabi, director of poverty policy at the Children’s Defense Fund, called the potential interruption of payments “a real slap in the face for families in need.”

She said, “There is no other tool in our toolkit that has significantly reduced child poverty for decades.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636249601889.png" alt="The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s one of the most far-reaching of all the federal aid programs launched during the COVID-19 pandemic —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monthly-child-payments-poverty-bd4643ad09e6986ef4b526ebd5a3272b">up to $300 per child</a>&nbsp;going directly into the bank accounts of families on the 15th of every month.But the last checks will go out Wednesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-bank-accounts-0715-24023ed3ffba98e4a65dd6006518da7a">expanded child tax credit program</a>&nbsp;expiring unless Congress revives it for 2022. That appears highly uncertain as lawmakers try to push President Joe Biden’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">$2 trillion social and environmental bill</a>&nbsp;into law.The swift launch, and potentially quick end, to the bolstered child tax credit highlights the risks of enacting sweeping social policy changes in a politically divisive environment, without consensus to make the changes stick. Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill might not have been praised by voters for adding the new benefit, but they almost surely will be blamed if the money abruptly stops flowing next month.“We need to keep them going,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and chair of the House’s New Democrat Coalition. “Families deserve that predictability and certainty.”The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January.But rarely has it provided the boost to families seen with this year’s changes.For more than 20 years, American taxpayers have been afforded a tax break for their children. Started as a $500 per child write-off under Bill Clinton in 1997, it changed over time and was beefed up under Donald Trump’s GOP tax cuts in 2017. Biden’s American Rescue Plan increased the credit to $3,000 a year, added 17-year-olds and boosted the amount to $3,600 for children under six years old. Most dramatically, it gave the credit to millions of families with low or no income, even if they didn’t earn enough money to pay income taxes or pay enough tax to qualify for the refund.Studies suggest the child tax credit expansions are expected to cut child poverty by 40% — with 9 of 10 American children benefiting. All told, some 4.1 million children are on track to be lifted above the poverty line, according to analysis from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.After the first checks started arriving in July, about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/10/nearly-a-third-of-parents-spent-child-tax-credit-on-school-expenses.html" target="_blank">one-third of recipient families</a>&nbsp;used the money during the first few months to pay down outstanding debt, along with paying for school supplies and child care, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.Families in New Mexico, which has one of the country’s highest child poverty rates, spent nearly 46% of their child tax credit money on food, a study by Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute found.“It says a lot about what families are worried about,” said Sharon Kaye, communications director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “This is hugely important to a lot of families.”Republicans are fully opposed to Biden’s larger policy bill, which would extend the tax credit, arguing the overall health, education and climate change package is too big and costly at a time of rising inflation.On Tuesday, Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said his side was fine letting the policy lapse as the coronavirus crisis eases and the temporary aid goes away.“The thing I don’t think you want is a huge spike in spending,” Thune told reporters. “And that would probably be the most obvious example of an inflationary type policy.”Faced with Republican opposition, Biden is trying to pass the roughly $2 trillion package with Democrats alone, which the House has already done. But the path in the evenly split 50-50 Senate is more difficult, with no room for dissent.Biden has been in talks with one key holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin, who appears to be the final obstacle for Democrats trying to pass the big bill by Christmas.Asked specifically about the expiring tax credit this week, Manchin did not respond to repeated questions about the potential loss.One Democrat who has had “many, many, many conversations” with Manchin is Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who said the West Virginian “is not at this moment a fan of the Child Tax Credit.”Bennet said he hopes Manchin will come to see that the extension would help the country because it would enable more parents to afford child care and work. “My hope is that with the one-year extension of the enhanced credit he will become a fan and we’ll see,” he said.When it became law this year, the expansion of the child tax credit was hailed as a potential philosophical shift in the way that government assistance programs work by emphasizing a direct, no-strings cash support.Instead, the program delivers discretionary cash directly into parents’ bank accounts, leaving the parents to decide how best to use it. Recipients spend it on food, rent, school supplies or even recreational activities. Proponents described it as an element of trust that had been lacking in much of the American social safety net — relying on parents to make the right decisions on their family’s needs.Robert Greenstein, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, compared the child tax credit to America’s signature safety net programs — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which have been adjusted and changed over the years to become mainstays in American life. He said there are few policies that are more important.Greenstein said the benefit flows not just to the families receiving the cash, but has the potential to bring long-term economic benefits. “We’ll end up having healthier, better-educated generations of children who can be more productive workers in the U.S. economy of future decades,” he said.“People are often skeptical — the government doesn’t do things right,” he said. ”This is an example of something that they really got right.”With the last checks now slated for Wednesday, Democrats are rushing to ensure that Jan. 15 checks will still land in families’ bank accounts. The Treasury Department has warned lawmakers that Dec. 28 is the deadline to pass the bill and ensure no disruption, though lawmakers have suggested payments could be made retroactively if Biden’s package stalls.Emma Mehrabi, director of poverty policy at the Children’s Defense Fund, called the potential interruption of payments “a real slap in the face for families in need.”She said, “There is no other tool in our toolkit that has significantly reduced child poverty for decades.”___

$300 child tax credit to end as December checks go out

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.

The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.

How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?

The U.S. on Tuesday hit another depressing pandemic milestone — 800,000 deaths. It’s a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.

For its Christmas card photo, the Burnett family ultimately opted to hold up a football presented as a memorial by the Kansas City Chiefs to represent Chris. Carolyn Burnett also set up a special shelf for the holidays, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle, a poem and an ornament of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“These emotions come and go so quickly,” she said. “You see something. You hear something. His favorite food. You hear the song. There’s just all these little things. And then, bam.”

The year began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S., at a time when the country was in the throes of a winter surge so bad that patients were lined up in emergency room hallways waiting for beds.

But vaccines were just getting rolled out, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-when-can-i-get-it-20de995ab6d01dd286ad3bbea46f69ce">sports stadiums and fairgrounds</a>&nbsp;were quickly transformed into mass vaccination sites. Case numbers began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-st-louis-coronavirus-pandemic-93eadee30306a42ac7be38fdd2dec1a2">falling.</a>&nbsp;By spring, nearly all schools had reopened and communities were shedding mask orders. TV newscasters began talking cheerfully about a post-pandemic world. President Joe Biden proclaimed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f97e0316c51d2d8362a17d149daedb14">Fourth of July</a>&nbsp;holiday as a celebration of the nation’s freedom from the virus.

It didn’t last long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-c053fae3d462705c39e3ffcd612d8a50">Delta struck</a>&nbsp;just as vaccination rates were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-health-coronavirus-government-and-politics-108f1fd0813f0d2ecec1589fd137625d">stalling&nbsp;</a>amid a wave of misinformation, devastating poorly immunized portions of the Midwest and South. Hospitals brought back mobile morgues and opened up their pocket books in a desperate bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">attract enough nurses</a>&nbsp;to care for the sick.

“People have no idea,” said Debbie Eaves, a lab worker, who grew weary of the wave of death as she collected swabs from patients at Oakdale Community Hospital in Louisiana amid the surge. “Oh, no. They have no idea what it is to look and see, to see it.”

In Kansas, Carolyn Burnett begged her son, who went by the nickname Coach Cheese because of his love of cheeseburgers, to get vaccinated.

“He was a part of the group that ... just didn’t trust it,” she said, pausing and sighing. “They didn’t want to be a guinea pig. They didn’t want to be experimented on.”

She thought maybe he was softening. When his dad got his first COVID-19 shot in August, Chris, a diabetic, told his mother he would discuss it with his doctor. But then one of Chris’ children got infected at a family sleepover and soon everyone was sick.

She texted him, “Honey, God’s got you.” His last text to her said: “Mama, I feel him.” He died Sept. 11.

School administrators tweeted heartfelt condolences, praising his passion in coaching running backs at Olathe East High School. Tearful athletes paid tribute in TV interviews. The Kansas City Glory, an all-female football team that Burnett coached, asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser to help his children. And he was honored with an inspiration award at a ceremony that recognizes the region’s best high school athletes.

“We had so much support that you would think he was a celebrity,” his mom recalled.

Now, as the year ends, the delta variant is fueling another wave of hospitalizations, court battles are brewing over vaccine mandates and fresh questions are swirling about the new omicron variant.

Steve Grove has seen his share of coronavirus deaths in his role as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Recently, one dying patient’s family gathered in a conference room. One by one they were taken to the patient’s bedside, while the other relatives watched on Zoom.

“It’s a huge pain in the butt and the connection drops and it’s weird,” he acknowledged. “Here’s what I’m going to say to COVID: ‘Up yours.’ I’m getting a Zoom call going, and there you have it. That’s what’s happening today at least. You’re going to do what you’re going to do and you’re going to kill this person. You get to do that COVID. But what we’re going to do today is this. And I’m going to give them a hug when it’s done.

“The alternative,” he said, “is that you just, you just give up, and I guess most people in this building have too much faith in humanity.”

He acknowledged that he sometimes gets mad at unvaccinated patients because it “didn’t have to be this way. And now there’s a mess that perhaps was avoidable.”

“I’ll confess to it,” he said. “And I know I’m not proud of it, and I swallow it down and then I remember as a human being that my compassion reminds me that it’s still somebody’s loved one. It is still death and it still stings.”

Dr. LaTasha Perkins, of Georgetown University Student Health, is getting ready to take a job in January in a clinic that helps underserved residents of the community. She is Black and said she felt compelled to make the change after watching the virus devastate her family.

She has lost a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin to COVID-19, and she suspects the virus may have played a role in the death of her grandfather. When it struck her own household last December after she had gotten her first shot but the rest of her family wasn’t yet eligible, she spent sleepless nights watching her toddler breathe and took her husband to the hospital, although he wasn’t admitted. She never got sick and credits the vaccine. Her husband also later got the shot.

Still, maddeningly to her, only three of her six siblings are vaccinated. Some of the hesitation, she said, is rooted in the “horrible things done in the name of medicine to Black and brown bodies in this country.” She tells them: “If you’re worried about rich white people not caring about you, they’re lining up getting the vaccine.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639569362029.png" alt="Members of the U.S.&nbsp; Senate and House joined together in a moment of silence to honor the 800,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID pandemic.-photo courtesy Sen. Majority Leader" />
 <figcaption>Members of the U.S.&nbsp; Senate and House joined together in a moment of silence to honor the 800,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID pandemic.-photo courtesy Sen. Majority Leader</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHMISSION, Kan. (AP) — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?The U.S. on Tuesday hit another depressing pandemic milestone — 800,000 deaths. It’s a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.For its Christmas card photo, the Burnett family ultimately opted to hold up a football presented as a memorial by the Kansas City Chiefs to represent Chris. Carolyn Burnett also set up a special shelf for the holidays, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle, a poem and an ornament of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.But nothing feels quite right this year.“These emotions come and go so quickly,” she said. “You see something. You hear something. His favorite food. You hear the song. There’s just all these little things. And then, bam.”The year began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S., at a time when the country was in the throes of a winter surge so bad that patients were lined up in emergency room hallways waiting for beds.But vaccines were just getting rolled out, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-when-can-i-get-it-20de995ab6d01dd286ad3bbea46f69ce">sports stadiums and fairgrounds</a>&nbsp;were quickly transformed into mass vaccination sites. Case numbers began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-st-louis-coronavirus-pandemic-93eadee30306a42ac7be38fdd2dec1a2">falling.</a>&nbsp;By spring, nearly all schools had reopened and communities were shedding mask orders. TV newscasters began talking cheerfully about a post-pandemic world. President Joe Biden proclaimed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f97e0316c51d2d8362a17d149daedb14">Fourth of July</a>&nbsp;holiday as a celebration of the nation’s freedom from the virus.It didn’t last long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-c053fae3d462705c39e3ffcd612d8a50">Delta struck</a>&nbsp;just as vaccination rates were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-health-coronavirus-government-and-politics-108f1fd0813f0d2ecec1589fd137625d">stalling&nbsp;</a>amid a wave of misinformation, devastating poorly immunized portions of the Midwest and South. Hospitals brought back mobile morgues and opened up their pocket books in a desperate bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">attract enough nurses</a>&nbsp;to care for the sick.“People have no idea,” said Debbie Eaves, a lab worker, who grew weary of the wave of death as she collected swabs from patients at Oakdale Community Hospital in Louisiana amid the surge. “Oh, no. They have no idea what it is to look and see, to see it.”In Kansas, Carolyn Burnett begged her son, who went by the nickname Coach Cheese because of his love of cheeseburgers, to get vaccinated.“He was a part of the group that ... just didn’t trust it,” she said, pausing and sighing. “They didn’t want to be a guinea pig. They didn’t want to be experimented on.”She thought maybe he was softening. When his dad got his first COVID-19 shot in August, Chris, a diabetic, told his mother he would discuss it with his doctor. But then one of Chris’ children got infected at a family sleepover and soon everyone was sick.She texted him, “Honey, God’s got you.” His last text to her said: “Mama, I feel him.” He died Sept. 11.School administrators tweeted heartfelt condolences, praising his passion in coaching running backs at Olathe East High School. Tearful athletes paid tribute in TV interviews. The Kansas City Glory, an all-female football team that Burnett coached, asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser to help his children. And he was honored with an inspiration award at a ceremony that recognizes the region’s best high school athletes.“We had so much support that you would think he was a celebrity,” his mom recalled.Now, as the year ends, the delta variant is fueling another wave of hospitalizations, court battles are brewing over vaccine mandates and fresh questions are swirling about the new omicron variant.Steve Grove has seen his share of coronavirus deaths in his role as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.Recently, one dying patient’s family gathered in a conference room. One by one they were taken to the patient’s bedside, while the other relatives watched on Zoom.“It’s a huge pain in the butt and the connection drops and it’s weird,” he acknowledged. “Here’s what I’m going to say to COVID: ‘Up yours.’ I’m getting a Zoom call going, and there you have it. That’s what’s happening today at least. You’re going to do what you’re going to do and you’re going to kill this person. You get to do that COVID. But what we’re going to do today is this. And I’m going to give them a hug when it’s done.“The alternative,” he said, “is that you just, you just give up, and I guess most people in this building have too much faith in humanity.”He acknowledged that he sometimes gets mad at unvaccinated patients because it “didn’t have to be this way. And now there’s a mess that perhaps was avoidable.”“I’ll confess to it,” he said. “And I know I’m not proud of it, and I swallow it down and then I remember as a human being that my compassion reminds me that it’s still somebody’s loved one. It is still death and it still stings.”Dr. LaTasha Perkins, of Georgetown University Student Health, is getting ready to take a job in January in a clinic that helps underserved residents of the community. She is Black and said she felt compelled to make the change after watching the virus devastate her family.She has lost a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin to COVID-19, and she suspects the virus may have played a role in the death of her grandfather. When it struck her own household last December after she had gotten her first shot but the rest of her family wasn’t yet eligible, she spent sleepless nights watching her toddler breathe and took her husband to the hospital, although he wasn’t admitted. She never got sick and credits the vaccine. Her husband also later got the shot.Still, maddeningly to her, only three of her six siblings are vaccinated. Some of the hesitation, she said, is rooted in the “horrible things done in the name of medicine to Black and brown bodies in this country.” She tells them: “If you’re worried about rich white people not caring about you, they’re lining up getting the vaccine.”She has been unable, though, to get through to some of her relatives. It’s part of the reason why she started doing hesitancy talks specifically for African Americans in the D.C. area.“For my own selfish reason, I don’t want to go to any more funerals,” she said, “and I don’t want COVID to come back in my house.”