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Some officials now say the U.S. is unlikely to eradicate monkeypox
Some U.S. health officials acknowledge that monkeypox may not go away anytime soon. The spread of the disease is slowing, but the virus has spread so widely that elimination is unlikely. That conclusion appeared in a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was echoed Friday by an agency disease prediction scientist. The CDC report contained some good news: The U.S. outbreak appears to have peaked in August. The average number of cases reported per day is less than 150. That’s just a fraction of the mid-summer report. Officials expect the decline to continue for at least the next few weeks.
Biden signs temporary spending bill to provide Ukraine with $12.3B in aid
Congress on Friday finally approved a short-term spending plan to keep the government open until mid-December, which President Joe Biden signed shortly afterward, averting a midnight shutdown and providing Ukraine with about $12.3 billion. Military and financial aid. The plan includes a third tranche of aid for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, on top of a total of about $54 billion approved earlier this year. With Friday’s vote, Congress has now pledged more military aid to Ukraine than any country has in a year since the Vietnam War.
Supreme Court welcomes Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
On Friday, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was greeted by colleagues at an inauguration ceremony at the Supreme Court in the presence of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The court’s public information office noted that the proceedings were “purely ceremonial” because Jackson has been a member of the court since he was sworn in on June 30. But the event remains solemn and historic. Chief Justice John Roberts presided over the judicial oath, and Jackson promised “justice with no respect for men, equal rights for the poor and the rich.” She sat on the far right of the bench.
Newsom eases refinery rules as California natural gas prices soar
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called on state regulators to ease rules on refineries to lower soaring fuel prices. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of gasoline in California is $6.30. That’s well above the national average of $3.80. Refineries must produce a specific blend of gases designed to reduce pollutants during the summer. Newsom wants to get them switching to cheaper winter mixes earlier than usual. The oil industry said it was an acknowledgment that state regulations played a role in rising prices. Newsom also called for new taxes on oil company profits.
House passes bill to provide $2.7B to families of 9/11 victims
The House overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation on Friday authorizing $2.7 billion in reparations to the families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks in the final vote before lawmakers leave Washington for the November midterm elections. It will be adjacent to the Senate, which has already begun campaigning for recess. The bill would put the money in a one-time payment to immediate family members of the Sept. 11 victims, who are barred from receiving funds from the U.S. state-sponsored fund for victims of terrorism. Some were excluded because they had already received another payment set up specifically to compensate relatives of the 11 September victims.
Sailor acquitted of setting fire to $1.2B Navy ship
A sailor charged with knowingly creating one of the worst non-combat fires in U.S. Navy history that destroyed the $1.2 billion USS Good Man Richard in 2020 in San Diego Bay was killed Friday by a Navy The judge ruled not guilty. Seafarer recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, 21, faces life in prison if convicted of aggravated arson and intentional endangerment of a vessel. Navy prosecutors painted Mays as a disgruntled underdog who wanted to be a SEAL. Navy defense attorneys countered that the fire was the result of negligence and complacency by naval commanders.
At least 19 killed in Kabul education center explosion
A suicide attack on an education center in the Afghan capital on Friday killed at least 19 people, most of them young schoolgirls, adding to fears among many Afghans, especially the Hazara minority, of the new Taliban Can the government protect them from extremist groups of violence. At least 27 people were injured in the blast, the latest in a series of attacks on schools and education centers in recent months, Taliban officials said. Reports from medics treating victims at nearby hospitals suggested the toll could rise. Since the Taliban seized power a year ago, ISIS affiliates have been carrying out relentless attacks on the Hazara, a predominantly Shiite Muslim minority.
Burkina Faso military officer announces coup
Late Friday, military officers announced they had taken power in the West African country of Burkina Faso in what appeared to be the second coup in eight months, shaking up a country struggling to quell growing violence by extremist groups. Gunshots rang out early Friday and state television went off the air in the capital, Ouagadougou, as President Lt. Col. Paul Henry Sandogo Damiba, who led a coup in January, tried to reassure citizens that he was still in control . But after a day of uncertainty and confusion, officers announced on state television that they had ousted Dameba and that Captain Ibrahim Traore was now in power.
New ALS treatment costs $158,000 a year, manufacturer says
A new drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease is priced at $158,000 a year, the manufacturer revealed Friday. The treatment, called Relyvrio, is a combination of two existing drugs and will be available to patients in the U.S. in about four to six weeks, according to officials at the company, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals. Relyvrio was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, even though the agency’s analysis concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence that the drug could help patients live longer or slow their loss of muscle control without help, The speed of functions such as speaking or breathing.
Via Wire Source
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