AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EST
Under pressure to ease up, Biden weighs new virus response
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing growing pressure to ease up on pandemic restrictions, the White House insisted Wednesday it is making plans for a less-disruptive phase of the national virus response. But impatient states, including Democratic New York, made clear they aren’t waiting for Washington as public frustration grows.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York will end its COVID-19 mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings — but will keep it for schools. Illinois announced the same.
Earlier this week, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware all disclosed plans to join states that have lifted or never had mask requirements for their schools, and Massachusetts will follow suit at the end of the month. All but Massachusetts have governors who are Democrats, like President Joe Biden.
Biden, who has long promised to follow to “follow the science” in confronting the pandemic, is hemmed in, waiting for fresh guidance from federal health officials, who so far still recommend that nearly all Americans wear masks in most indoor settings.
Defending Biden, press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged that while people are tired of masks and “we understand where the emotions of the country are,” the administration is following the advice of medical experts who rely on scientific evidence.
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Russian star practices despite report of positive drug test
BEIJING (AP) — Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian superstar who was expected to deliver her nation its third straight Olympic gold medal in women’s figure skating, practiced as usual Thursday, hours after reports that she tested positive for a banned substance.
Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication before the Beijing Games, the Russian newspaper RBC reported.
The sample was reportedly obtained before Valieva won the European championship last month in Estonia, a performance that solidified her status as the leader of Russia’s “quad squad” of elite women’s figure skaters headed to Beijing.
It’s unclear if Russia is appealing or fighting the result. Her appearance at practice implies that the federation isn’t accepting any finding that would eliminate her.
“She is not suspended,” Russian figure skating federation spokeswoman Olga Ermolina said, with no further detail.
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EXPLAINER: The drug behind Russia’s Olympic skating case
BEIJING (AP) — The first big doping case at the Beijing Olympics involves one of its biggest stars. And it seems far from straightforward, not least because she is just 15 years old and has protections as a minor in the anti-doping rule book.
The country at the center of it? Russia. Again.
Here’s a look at the drug that Kamila Valieva of the Russia Olympic Committee — the name under which Russia is competing because of previous doping violations — is suspected of taking, and how the situation might play out in coming days.
WHAT IS THE DRUG?
The medication trimetazidine is a metabolic agent that helps prevent angina attacks and treats the symptoms of vertigo, according to the European Union’s medicines agency. It can increase blood flow efficiency and improve endurance — both crucial to any high-end athletic performance.
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Kim rides big 1st run to defense of Olympic halfpipe title
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Snowboarder Chloe Kim turned in a strong opening run — one of her best top-to-bottom performances ever — as the American standout easily defended her Olympic halfpipe title on Thursday.
The last rider to drop into the halfpipe, and with the contest already over, the 21-year-old from California still attempted to go big one last time. She fell, got back up and casually glided the rest of the way down the halfpipe as the Olympic champion. She greeted her fellow medalists at the bottom with an embrace.
On this day, the only real drama was for second place, with 32-year-old Queralt Castellet of Spain taking silver in her fifth Olympic appearance. Sena Tomita of Japan held off Cai Xuetong of China for bronze.
No one was matching Kim’s height or demanding array of tricks. Not after an opening performance that featured a variety of different spins and rotations, including a front and backside 1080 (three spins each). That flawless run appeared to surprise even her as she covered her mouth in excitement. She later told a coach it was the best one she’s done.
Kim joins fellow American Shaun White as the only snowboarders to defend their Olympic titles in the halfpipe. White accomplished the feat in 2006 and ’10. As the defending champion from the Pyeongchang Games, White can do it again on Friday.
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Jan. 6 committee subpoenas ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection subpoenaed former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Wednesday, seeking to question an ally of former President Donald Trump who promoted false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The committee is demanding information and testimony from Navarro, who they say was involved in efforts to delay Congress’ certification of the 2020 election and ultimately change the election results, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s Democratic chairman, said in a statement.
“Mr. Navarro appears to have information directly relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation into the causes of the January 6th attack on the Capitol,” Thompson continued. “He hasn’t been shy about his role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and has even discussed the former President’s support for those plans.”
In a statement Wednesday, Navarro called the committee a “partisan witch hunt” and reiterated his claim of executive privilege.
The committee “should negotiate any waiver of the privilege with the president and his attorneys directly, not through me,” Navarro said.
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GOP scrutiny of Black districts may deepen after court move
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — For decades, Democratic Rep. Al Lawson’s Florida district has stretched like a rubber band from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, scooping up as many Black voters as possible to comply with requirements that minority communities get grouped together so they can select their own leaders and flex their power in Washington.
But the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is taking the unusual step of asking Florida’s Supreme Courtwhether Lawson’s plurality-Black district can be broken up into whiter — and more Republican — districts.
That type of request might typically face steep hurdles under state and federal laws that are meant to protect representation of marginalized communities in the nation’s politics. But the ground rules may be shifting after the U.S. Supreme Court sided this week with Republicans in Alabama to block efforts to ensure that Black voters are adequately represented in Congress by adding a second majority-Black district in the state.
The ruling stunned civil rights groups, who have watched the court’s conservative majority steadily eat away at the Voting Rights Act for decades. While the law’s rules governing how to draw legislative lines based on race still stand, advocates worry the justices are prepared to act with renewed fervor to eliminate remaining protections in the landmark civil rights legislation. That, some worry, could embolden Republicans in places like Florida to take aim at districts like Lawson’s and ultimately reduce Black voters’ influence on Capitol Hill.
“That has had an effect, as we’ve seen, on Black political power at all levels of government,” Kathryn Sadasivan, an NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney who worked on the Alabama case, said of prior erosions of the Voting Rights Act.
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COVID-19 truck blockade in Canada shuts down Ford plant
TORONTO (AP) — A blockade of the bridge between Canada and Detroit by protesters demanding an end to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions forced the shutdown Wednesday of a Ford plant and began to have broader implications for the North American auto industry.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, stood firm against an easing of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions in the face of mounting pressure during recent weeks by protests against the restrictions and against Trudeau himself.
The protest by people mostly in pickup trucks entered its third day at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Traffic was prevented from entering Canada, while U.S.-bound traffic was still moving.
The bridge carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and Canadian authorities expressed increasing worry about the economic effects.
Ford said late Wednesday that parts shortages forced it to shut down its engine plant in Windsor and to run an assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, on a reduced schedule.
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Family: Bob Saget died after accidental blow to the head
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Saget’s death last month stemmed from an accidental blow to the head, his family said in a statement Wednesday.
The comedian and “Full House” star was found dead Jan. 9 in a Florida hotel room. He’d performed in the area the night before as part of a stand-up tour.
“The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma,” the Saget family said. “They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.”
The medical examiner’s office in Orange County, Florida, did not immediately return a message seeking details about their investigation Wednesday night.
Saget, 65, was found on the hotel bed and there were no signs of foul play, authorities said last month. A hotel security officer had entered the room after Saget failed to check out, and called 911 when he found him unresponsive.
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NBC defends Shiffrin coverage, suggests sexism by critics
NEW YORK (AP) — NBC offered a full-throated defense of how it covered skier Mikaela Shiffrin’s shocking Olympics flameout, to the point of suggesting there’s sexism involved in criticism that it was cruel in its portrayal of her emotional response.
NBC’s cameras focused on Shiffrin for much of the time as she sat forlornly on the course, head bowed, for more than 20 minutes. The network aired a raw interview where she fought off tears and said she’s second-guessing everything she’s done for 15 years.
For the second straight Olympics, the emotional health of athletes performing on the biggest stage has become a focus of discussion. The experiences of gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka last summer were fresh in the mind of NBC’s critics, and the online blowback was fierce.
As one response on Twitter put it: “Show some empathy.” NBC, said another, was “shaming” Shiffrin — “torturing” her. “The relentless hype machine,” one critic wrote, “has claimed another victim.”
No — NBC was doing its job, said Molly Solomon, executive producer of NBC’s Olympics coverage.
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Goodell says league won’t tolerate racism or discrimination
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Under a baking California sun, Roger Goodell knew the heat was coming.
At his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday, the NFL commissioner was grilled on two hot topics that have put the league under heavy scrutiny: racism and discrimination in hiring. There were other issues that don’t shine a positive light on pro football, including threats to the integrity of the sport, and misconduct by players and team executives.
A week after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who is Black, filed a lawsuit alleging both racism in the league and being offered money by team owner Stephen Ross to tank games, Goodell vowed action on several fronts.
“We won’t tolerate racism. We won’t tolerate discrimination,” Goodell said. “I found all of the allegations, whether they were based on racism or discrimination or the integrity of our game, all of those to me were very disturbing. They are very serious matters to us on all levels, and we need to make sure we get to the bottom of all of them.”
That begins with the NFL’s poor record for hiring minorities as head coaches. While the league has made progress with other jobs, from general managers to coordinators, the most visible representative of a franchise is the coach. There are five minority head coaches on the 32 teams, two Black, one biracial, one Hispanic and one Lebanese. Approximately 70% of NFL players are Black.
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