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Miranda Cosgrove recently posted a picture on instagram, including the cast of iCarly, hinting at the start of filming the iCarly reboot. The popular series ended in 2012, and has recently announced a reboot, but have yet to confirm if the original actors will be returning.

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Cosgrove reunited with co-stars Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor.

The beloved Nickelodeon show "iCarly" is making a comeback and series star Miranda Cosgrove shared the first look at the newly reunited cast.

Cosgrove, who starred as Carly Shay on the sitcom, shared a sweet behind-the-scenes snap with fellow co-stars Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor.

While the 27-year-old "Kissin U" singer only used the blue heart emoji in the caption, Trainor was a little more descriptive when he shared the same photo.

"Prepare yourselves," he advised. Trainor, 44, played Cosgrove's on-screen older brother, Spencer.

Kress -- who played Carly's best friend, Freddie -- also shared the picture. "My people," the 28-year-old captioned it.

It was previously reported that Paramount+, an upcoming streaming service from ViacomCBS meant to rebrand CBS All Access, picked up the "iCarly" revival with Jay Kogen and Ali Schoutens as showrunners.

"iCarly," created by Dan Schneider, ran for six season on Nickelodeon, from 2007 to 2012, and followed the tales of three best friends who run a popular webcast while juggling life's daily challenges. The series ended with Cosgrove's character moving to Italy so she can be with her dad, who was in the military.

The series, which set viewership records on the network, was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, including five for Outstanding Children's Program.

Not much else is known about the upcoming reboot or whether original stars Jennette McCurdy or Noah Munck, who respectively played Sam and Gibby, have signed on for the continuation.

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Miranda Cosgrove shares 1st on-set photos of 'iCarly' reboot

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Cosgrove reunited with co-stars Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor. The beloved Nickelodeon show "iCarly" is making a comeback and series star Miranda Cosgrove shared the first look at the newly reunited cast. Cosgrove, who starred as Carly Shay on the sitcom, shared a sweet behind-the-scenes snap with fellow co-stars Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor.

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Ohio lawmaker who asked a racsist question last year has been tapped to lead the states senate health panel.

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ohio lawmaker who question black hygiene tapped to lead state health panel - cnnpolitics

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Ohio lawmaker who asked racist question about Black hygiene tapped to lead state health panel

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A GOP Ohio lawmaker who asked a racist question last year about whether "the colored population" was contracting Covid-19 at higher rates because of poor hygiene has been tapped to lead the state Senate's health panel.

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In Las Vegas school districs are trying their hardest to get kids back into school, however the mental health throughou the school districs is falling quickly. Over the span of 9 months they lost a total of 18 students.

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[Editor's note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)]
A substantial uptick in student suicides has prompted the nation's fifth-largest school district to start bringing children back to the classroom as soon as possible, despite high numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths, a report says.

The Clark County School District - which serves Las Vegas and other cities in Nevada - is now formulating a plan to allow some elementary grade and struggling youth to return to classrooms following 18 suicides amongst its student body between March and the end of December last year, The New York Times reported. That number reportedly was twice the amount the district recorded in the entirety of 2019.

"When we started to see the uptick in children taking their lives, we knew it wasn't just the Covid numbers we need to look at anymore," Jesus Jara, the superintendent of the district, told the Times. "We have to find a way to put our hands on our kids, to see them, to look at them. They've got to start seeing some movement, some hope."

THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWNS ON KIDS' MENTAL HEALTH
Clark County, like many school districts across America, has shifted to remote learning this academic year due to the continued spread of the coronavirus.

But the district is trying to assist students who may be having difficulty adapting.

Its teachers have been trained to spot trauma cues on screens, school psychologists have been working overtime and truancy officers have been tasked with conducting wellness checks, the Times reports.

Last summer, the district also poured resources into the GoGuardian Beacon alert system. The technology scans student writing and search activity on school-issued iPads and then notifies officials of any ongoing mental health episodes or suicidal thoughts, according to the newspaper.

During a stretch from June 2020 to October 2020, that program generated more than 3,100 alerts to Clark County administrators, it added.

"I couldn't sleep with my phone nearby anymore," Jara told the Times. "It was like a 24-hour reminder that we need to get our schools open."
BOSTON COLLEGE ENCOURAGES STUDENT REPORTS OF CORONAVIRUS INFRACTIONS
In one case in November, a 12-year-old Clark County student was reported to have made an attempt to take his own life.

The district sprang into action after the child searched for "how to make a noose" on his school iPad, according to the Times.

The boy's father, on the night of the incident, went to sleep around 7 p.m. in preparation for an early morning work shift - but school officials weren't able to get through to him on the phone until 10 p.m., according to the newspaper. The father then went to his son's room and found a noose fashioned out of shoestrings around his neck, the report said.

"He is having a hard time functioning in this isolation," the child's grandfather told the Times, describing how the boy - despite doing well in school -- was "Zoomed out" and kept saying he missed his friends. "It goes against everything that he is. There has to be an option of letting these kids go to school."
THOUSANDS OF CHICAGO TEACHERS NOT HEADING BACK TO CLASSROOMS FOLLOWING UNION VOTE, WILL REMAIN REMOTE
At least 68 Clark County schools also have been participating in a face-to-face counseling program that has resulted in 30 interventions in situations where students were contemplating suicide, the Times reported.

The Clark County School District, as of the academic year prior to the onset of the coronavirus, says it serves more than 320,000 students and has 360 schools.

The district's limited reopening plan cited by the Times was approved by its board of trustees in mid-January, although the timeline is still being finalized.

Jara, speaking to reporters on Jan. 15, said late February or early March is a "good target" for bringing students back for academic and mental health support, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A behavioral risk survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year also noted the percentage of students saying they felt persistent feelings of sadness - or those who have planned and attempted suicide - has steadily risen in the last decade, the Times reported.

Fox News has reached out to the Clark County School District and the CDC for further comment.

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Las Vegas schools pushing to get students back quickly following rise in suicides, report says

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Editor's note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)] A substantial uptick in student suicides has prompted the nation's fifth-largest school district to start bringing children back to the classroom as soon as possible, despite high numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths, a report says.

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The Netherlands is suffering in arrest from people protesting as an anti-curfew riot. Being bombarded by stones and fireworks at night. The crowd started with a few people that escalated to several hundred.

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By Ben Westcott and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 0906 GMT (1706 HKT) January 26, 2021

What you need to know

President Biden said he thinks anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get it by spring and expects the US will soon be able to vaccinate 1.5 million people a day.

Moderna expects its vaccine will be protective against coronavirus variants, but will test boosters to improve immunity.

Everyday activities are more dangerous now that new variants are circulating, emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

New Zealand is likely to keep its borders closed to visitors through the rest of the year, the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a news conference Tuesday.

Ardern said that in order for borders to reopen there needs to be confidence that vaccination prevents coronavirus spread or that enough of the population is vaccinated in the country.

Ardern said that New Zealand would continue to seek travel bubbles with Australia and Pacific island nations but "the rest of the world simply poses too big a risk to our health and our economy to take the risk at this stage."

Speaking about the travel bubble with Australia, Ardern said she expressed "disappointment" to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison over Monday's decision to halt the program. She said if New Zealand enters into these travel bubbles, they need to be able to give residents confidence that borders will not be shut on short notice "when it may not be necessary."

Vaccines: New Zealand is hoping to start a mass vaccination program for the general population from "mid year" and the country's medical regulation agency could give provisional approval for the Pfizer vaccine as soon as Wednesday, Ardern said.

Around the world, the vaccine rollout has shone a harsh light on global income disparities. Rich countries take the lion's share of inoculations, and poorer states scramble to have even the prospect of life after coronavirus.

The Middle East is a microcosm of that global problem.

While oil-rich Gulf Arab nations were among the first in the world to receive a vaccine, war-torn countries such as Yemen and Syria must contend with vague timelines and complex distribution plans for the rollout, despite being among the worst affected by the virus.

Gulf nations lead the way: The first Arab countries to begin vaccinating their citizens and residents were also the richest: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

The UAE stands out. The country of almost 10 million, which has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world, also has one of the highest vaccination rates globally. More than 2 million residents and citizens have already been vaccinated using the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and China's Sinopharm vaccine.

The Gulf state has already vaccinated more people than middle-income Jordan plans to inoculate in the first phase of its roll out. Lebanon, currently in the throes of a financial meltdown, has not yet had any vaccines delivered.

Conflict zones: Syria, already on its knees after almost a decade of civil war, is facing an economic crisis. The country's president, Bashar al-Assad, does not control all of its territory. The government in Damascus will rely on GAVI, the vaccine alliance that co-leads COVAX. Opposition groups in Syria's largely Kurdish northeast, and rebel-controlled northwest will do the same.

In war-torn Yemen, suffering a devastating humanitarian crisis, rival governments in the country's south and north appear to have only a vague notion of what the vaccine rollout will look like.

In Israel and the Palestinian territories, region-wide vaccine disparities also come into sharp focus. Israel's world-leading vaccination campaign, which is on course to meet the government's target of inoculating the entire country by the end of March, leaves at least 4.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza behind.
Read the full story:

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told police Sunday night that he used pepper spray on a man who had been harassing him about Covid-19 mask policies outside of a restaurant.

"He had no face mask on and got within a foot or two of my face while he was videoing me," Wheeler said in a voluntary statement to the Portland Police Bureau.

Police do not know the identity of the man who was sprayed and have so far received no complaints, they said. When asked about the rumored incident during a news conference Monday, Wheeler said, "I can tell you there was an incident, I filed a police report, and that's all I can tell you right now."

The mayor's office told CNN Monday evening that Wheeler does not have any further comment to make.
Read the full story:

1 hr 11 min ago
5 people arrested after "unauthorized" Australia Day protests in Sydney

Five people were arrested Tuesday after an "unauthorized" Australia Day protest in Sydney that breached health restrictions put in place to avoid the spread of Covid-19, New South Wales police said in a statement.

Australia's national day, observed January 26, regularly sees large protests around the country over concerns that the date inappropriately celebrates the mass dispossession of the country's Indigenous population.

Police said they worked with organizers to separate the crowd Tuesday into groups of fewer than 500 people in an effort to minimize health risks.

"No issues arose at the protest and the crowd began to disperse just after 11am, before a large group attempted to commence a march in Hyde Park about 11.45am," the NSW police statement said.
"Police spoke with the organiser and the crowd, giving them a formal warning regarding a breach of public health regulations before the crowd eventually dispersed."

Four of those arrested were involved in a scuffle in which a police officer was allegedly assaulted, according to police. A 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man would be charged with failure to follow Covid-19 directions from police, among other charges, police said. Two other men were each issued with a 1,000 Australian dollar ($770) penalty and released.

One man who was not part of the gathering was charged with breach of the peace, the police statement added.

In Melbourne, two men were also detained during Australia Day protests for breaching the peace but were released without charge a short time later. "Police were pleased with the behaviour of those that attended," Melbourne police told CNN.

Thailand reported 959 new coronavirus infections Tuesday -- its highest single-day total since the pandemic began, according to the kingdom's Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Some 937 cases were local transmissions and 22 imported.

The CCSA said 848 of the local transmissions are from a mass testing drive in Samut Sakhon province -- the origin of Thailand's most recent wave, and the hardest hit province with a total of 6,394 cases.

The majority of the infected individuals from the mass testing are migrant workers from the neighboring nation of Myanmar, who live in dormitories and shophouses.

Most of the newly infected are young workers and asymptomatic, CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyotin said during a news conference Tuesday.

Thailand's total number of Covid-19 infections now stand at 14,646, including 75 deaths.

Japan confirmed 2,765 new coronavirus infections on Monday, falling below 3,000 new daily cases for the first time since December 28, according to the country's Health Ministry.

The country's total number of cases now stands at 368,855, with the death toll rising by 74 Monday to 5,171. The number of patients in a serious condition across the country rose to 1,017, up 10 from the previous day.

Tokyo reported 618 new Covid-19 cases from Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the capital to 94,508. There are 2,808 patients under medical care in hospital with 148 in serious condition in Tokyo.

State of emergency: Japanese minister in charge of coronavirus response Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a parliamentary session on Tuesday that one criterion for lifting the state of emergency is for the number of new cases in Tokyo to fall below 500. However, the decision to lift it will require a more comprehensive assessment, including the availability of hospital beds.

The United States reported 147,254 new coronavirus infections and 1,758 virus-related fatalities on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

According to JHU's tally, the nationwide totals now stand at 25,293,201 cases, including 420,972 deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

Vaccine numbers: At least 41,418,325 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 22,734,243 shots administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN is tracking US cases here.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced on Twitter Monday that his PCR test came back negative, one day after the country's President tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Ebrard's statement said he'll be tested again on Wednesday "as recommended", and will continue to work from home in the meantime. "Tomorrow I will participate in the UN Security Council to present Mexico's position on the Middle East," his statement said.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. On Friday, the two were seen sitting together unmasked with two other colleagues during a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

Lopez Obrador, who is rarely seen wearing a mask, has been working from the Presidential Palace as he recovers.

Mexico's total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases stands at 1,771,740, with more than 150,000 deaths from the virus, according to the country's Health Ministry.

People are more likely to contract Covid-19 through everyday activities now that virus variants are circulating in the United States, Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician and CNN analyst said Monday.

Wen told CNN's Anderson Cooper that public health officials are extremely concerned about the variants emerging across the US.

"We've seen what happens in other countries that have actually had coronavirus under relatively good control, then these variants took over and they had explosive spread of the virus, and then overwhelmed hospitals," she said.

Though public health measures, like masking and social distancing, will still help prevent the spread of the virus, low-risk activities might be more dangerous under these new conditions, said Wen.

"Now we think that maybe it's safe to open K-8 schools," she said. "Well, what happens if we have an even more transmissible variant that could make those activities a lot more dangerous?"

"If we thought that going to the grocery store before was relatively safe, there's actually a higher likelihood of contracting coronavirus through those everyday activities," she added.

Wen said the circulation of virus variants underscores the need to increase vaccinations and perform more genomic surveillance.

What you need to know

President Biden said he thinks anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get it by spring and expects the US will soon be able to vaccinate 1.5 million people a day.

Moderna expects its vaccine will be protective against coronavirus variants, but will test boosters to improve immunity.

Everyday activities are more dangerous now that new variants are circulating, emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

New Zealand is likely to keep its borders closed to visitors through the rest of the year, the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a news conference Tuesday.

Ardern said that in order for borders to reopen there needs to be confidence that vaccination prevents coronavirus spread or that enough of the population is vaccinated in the country.

Ardern said that New Zealand would continue to seek travel bubbles with Australia and Pacific island nations but "the rest of the world simply poses too big a risk to our health and our economy to take the risk at this stage."

Speaking about the travel bubble with Australia, Ardern said she expressed "disappointment" to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison over Monday's decision to halt the program. She said if New Zealand enters into these travel bubbles, they need to be able to give residents confidence that borders will not be shut on short notice "when it may not be necessary."

Vaccines: New Zealand is hoping to start a mass vaccination program for the general population from "mid year" and the country's medical regulation agency could give provisional approval for the Pfizer vaccine as soon as Wednesday, Ardern said.

Around the world, the vaccine rollout has shone a harsh light on global income disparities. Rich countries take the lion's share of inoculations, and poorer states scramble to have even the prospect of life after coronavirus.

The Middle East is a microcosm of that global problem.

While oil-rich Gulf Arab nations were among the first in the world to receive a vaccine, war-torn countries such as Yemen and Syria must contend with vague timelines and complex distribution plans for the rollout, despite being among the worst affected by the virus.

Gulf nations lead the way: The first Arab countries to begin vaccinating their citizens and residents were also the richest: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

The UAE stands out. The country of almost 10 million, which has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world, also has one of the highest vaccination rates globally. More than 2 million residents and citizens have already been vaccinated using the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and China's Sinopharm vaccine.

The Gulf state has already vaccinated more people than middle-income Jordan plans to inoculate in the first phase of its roll out. Lebanon, currently in the throes of a financial meltdown, has not yet had any vaccines delivered.

Conflict zones: Syria, already on its knees after almost a decade of civil war, is facing an economic crisis. The country's president, Bashar al-Assad, does not control all of its territory. The government in Damascus will rely on GAVI, the vaccine alliance that co-leads COVAX. Opposition groups in Syria's largely Kurdish northeast, and rebel-controlled northwest will do the same.

In war-torn Yemen, suffering a devastating humanitarian crisis, rival governments in the country's south and north appear to have only a vague notion of what the vaccine rollout will look like.

In Israel and the Palestinian territories, region-wide vaccine disparities also come into sharp focus. Israel's world-leading vaccination campaign, which is on course to meet the government's target of inoculating the entire country by the end of March, leaves at least 4.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza behind.
Read the full story:

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told police Sunday night that he used pepper spray on a man who had been harassing him about Covid-19 mask policies outside of a restaurant.

"He had no face mask on and got within a foot or two of my face while he was videoing me," Wheeler said in a voluntary statement to the Portland Police Bureau.

Police do not know the identity of the man who was sprayed and have so far received no complaints, they said. When asked about the rumored incident during a news conference Monday, Wheeler said, "I can tell you there was an incident, I filed a police report, and that's all I can tell you right now."

The mayor's office told CNN Monday evening that Wheeler does not have any further comment to make.
Read the full story:

1 hr 11 min ago
5 people arrested after "unauthorized" Australia Day protests in Sydney

Five people were arrested Tuesday after an "unauthorized" Australia Day protest in Sydney that breached health restrictions put in place to avoid the spread of Covid-19, New South Wales police said in a statement.

Australia's national day, observed January 26, regularly sees large protests around the country over concerns that the date inappropriately celebrates the mass dispossession of the country's Indigenous population.

Police said they worked with organizers to separate the crowd Tuesday into groups of fewer than 500 people in an effort to minimize health risks.

"No issues arose at the protest and the crowd began to disperse just after 11am, before a large group attempted to commence a march in Hyde Park about 11.45am," the NSW police statement said.
"Police spoke with the organiser and the crowd, giving them a formal warning regarding a breach of public health regulations before the crowd eventually dispersed."

Four of those arrested were involved in a scuffle in which a police officer was allegedly assaulted, according to police. A 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man would be charged with failure to follow Covid-19 directions from police, among other charges, police said. Two other men were each issued with a 1,000 Australian dollar ($770) penalty and released.

One man who was not part of the gathering was charged with breach of the peace, the police statement added.

In Melbourne, two men were also detained during Australia Day protests for breaching the peace but were released without charge a short time later. "Police were pleased with the behaviour of those that attended," Melbourne police told CNN.

Thailand reported 959 new coronavirus infections Tuesday -- its highest single-day total since the pandemic began, according to the kingdom's Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Some 937 cases were local transmissions and 22 imported.

The CCSA said 848 of the local transmissions are from a mass testing drive in Samut Sakhon province -- the origin of Thailand's most recent wave, and the hardest hit province with a total of 6,394 cases.

The majority of the infected individuals from the mass testing are migrant workers from the neighboring nation of Myanmar, who live in dormitories and shophouses.

Most of the newly infected are young workers and asymptomatic, CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyotin said during a news conference Tuesday.

Thailand's total number of Covid-19 infections now stand at 14,646, including 75 deaths.

Japan confirmed 2,765 new coronavirus infections on Monday, falling below 3,000 new daily cases for the first time since December 28, according to the country's Health Ministry.

The country's total number of cases now stands at 368,855, with the death toll rising by 74 Monday to 5,171. The number of patients in a serious condition across the country rose to 1,017, up 10 from the previous day.

Tokyo reported 618 new Covid-19 cases from Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the capital to 94,508. There are 2,808 patients under medical care in hospital with 148 in serious condition in Tokyo.

State of emergency: Japanese minister in charge of coronavirus response Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a parliamentary session on Tuesday that one criterion for lifting the state of emergency is for the number of new cases in Tokyo to fall below 500. However, the decision to lift it will require a more comprehensive assessment, including the availability of hospital beds.

The United States reported 147,254 new coronavirus infections and 1,758 virus-related fatalities on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

According to JHU's tally, the nationwide totals now stand at 25,293,201 cases, including 420,972 deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

Vaccine numbers: At least 41,418,325 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 22,734,243 shots administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced on Twitter Monday that his PCR test came back negative, one day after the country's President tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Ebrard's statement said he'll be tested again on Wednesday "as recommended", and will continue to work from home in the meantime. "Tomorrow I will participate in the UN Security Council to present Mexico's position on the Middle East," his statement said.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. On Friday, the two were seen sitting together unmasked with two other colleagues during a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

Lopez Obrador, who is rarely seen wearing a mask, has been working from the Presidential Palace as he recovers.

Mexico's total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases stands at 1,771,740, with more than 150,000 deaths from the virus, according to the country's Health Ministry.

People are more likely to contract Covid-19 through everyday activities now that virus variants are circulating in the United States, Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician and CNN analyst said Monday.

Wen told CNN's Anderson Cooper that public health officials are extremely concerned about the variants emerging across the US.

"We've seen what happens in other countries that have actually had coronavirus under relatively good control, then these variants took over and they had explosive spread of the virus, and then overwhelmed hospitals," she said.

Though public health measures, like masking and social distancing, will still help prevent the spread of the virus, low-risk activities might be more dangerous under these new conditions, said Wen.

"Now we think that maybe it's safe to open K-8 schools," she said. "Well, what happens if we have an even more transmissible variant that could make those activities a lot more dangerous?"

"If we thought that going to the grocery store before was relatively safe, there's actually a higher likelihood of contracting coronavirus through those everyday activities," she added.

Wen said the circulation of virus variants underscores the need to increase vaccinations and perform more genomic surveillance.

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coronavirus update: latest covid-19 vaccine and world news

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Coronavirus update: Latest Covid-19 vaccine and world news

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By Ben Westcott and Adam Renton, CNN Updated 0906 GMT (1706 HKT) January 26, 2021 What you need to know President Biden said he thinks anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get it by spring and expects the US will soon be able to vaccinate 1.5 million people a day.

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Biden has cancelled the Keystone oil pipeline. Biden has been undoing a lot of trump's environmental rollbacks and trying to replace them with new regulations. Biden has also joined the Paris agreement again after trump left it in June 2017.

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In a burst of climate orders, the president also ordered federal agencies to begin the process of reinstating environmental regulations reversed under the Trump administration.

President Biden signed an executive order on the Paris climate agreement in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times

WASHINGTON - President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement, the international accord designed to avert catastrophic global warming, and ordered federal agencies to start reviewing and reinstating more than 100 environmental regulations that were weakened or rolled back by former President Donald J. Trump.

The moves represent a first step in healing one of the deepest rifts between the United States and the rest of the world after Mr. Trump defiantly rejected the Paris pact and seemed to relish his administration's push to weaken or undo major domestic climate policies.

Mr. Biden has elevated tackling the climate crisis among his highest priorities. In addition to curbing global warming, he has vowed that ending the coronavirus pandemic, restoring the economy and addressing racial injustice will be the central causes of his administration.

"We're going to combat climate change in a way we have not before," Mr. Biden said in the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, just before signing the executive orders. Even so, he cautioned: "They are just executive actions. They are important but we're going to need legislation for a lot of the things we're going to do."

Foreign leaders hailed Mr. Biden's first moves as a powerful signal that the United States, the largest contributor to global warming in history, intends to restart its efforts to lower pollution levels and to restore the international order upended by Mr. Trump. "Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!" Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said in a Twitter message.

Under the Paris Agreement, nearly 200 nations have vowed to reduce planet warming emissions to avert the most disastrous consequences of climate change. A letter to the United Nations signed by Mr. Biden on Wednesday formally starts the 30-day process of bringing the United States back into the accord.

But analysts cautioned that Mr. Biden's actions on day one must be quickly followed by a series of aggressive domestic climate policies to drastically lower the country's emissions of planet-warming pollution from tailpipes, smokestacks and oil and gas wells.

Also on Wednesday, Mr. Biden rescinded the construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would have transported carbon-heavy oil from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast. Earlier in the day, TC Energy, a Canadian company, said that it was suspending work on the line.

But the lengthy legal process of undoing most of Mr. Trump's environmental rollbacks and replacing them with new regulations could take many years and is likely to be strewn with political land mines if Republicans or business groups fight against them.

A demonstration in Paris during the United Nations conference in December 2015 that produced the Paris climate agreement. Credit... Thibault Camus/Associated Press

Even before Mr. Biden was inaugurated on Wednesday, some Republicans lashed out against his new policy direction.

"President-elect Biden's policies from day one hurt American workers and our economy," Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said in a statement.

In another early indication of the headwinds Mr. Biden could face in Congress, Senator Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, said he intended to introduce a resolution requiring the president to seek the advice and consent of the Senate for the Paris Agreement, and a separate bill that would congressionally authorize the Keystone pipeline over Mr. Biden's objections.

The nation's largest business lobby, the United States Chamber of Commerce, which opposed much of former President Barack Obama's environmental agenda, signaled its support for rejoining the Paris accord, but also its opposition to killing the Keystone project.

"It is critical that the United States restore its leadership role in international efforts to address the climate challenge," said Marty Durbin, president of the Chamber's Global Energy Institute. But he said of the Keystone project, "It will harm consumers and put thousands of Americans in the building trades out of work."

Mr. Biden has set an ambitious target for the United States to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector by 2035 and from the entire economy by 2050. However, it is far from certain that the United States could reach those goals absent new legislation from Congress - a difficult prospect, given the Democrats' razor-thin one-vote majority in the Senate.

Scientists said that means Mr. Biden will need to enact tougher regulations than those that were put in place by Mr. Obama and rolled back by Mr. Trump.

"There's still a very big chore to be done," said Michael Oppenheimer, a professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University. He noted that United Nations climate science reports have called for net zero global emissions by 2050.

Mr. Biden on Wednesday directed federal agencies to review all the Trump administration decisions over the past four years "that were harmful to public health, damaging to the environment, unsupported by the best available science, or otherwise not in the national interest."

That includes reinstating regulations, unwound by Mr. Trump, that restrict greenhouse emissions from automobile tailpipes and methane leaks from oil and gas wells, as well as replacing energy efficiency standards for appliances and buildings.

Dr. Oppenheimer noted that reversing and replacing those measures will take time. "We've just lost four years," he said. And the new rules "need to be stronger than the previous rules, or else the time lost by the Trump administration will not be regained," Dr. Oppenheimer said.

The urgency is both political and existential. Numerous scientific reports have concluded that the first, irreversible effects of climate change have already started to sweep across the globe, including rising sea levels, record wildfires and more devastating storms. This month, scientists announced that 2020 was tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record.

Unused pipe, intended for the Keystone XL project, near Gascoyne, N.D., in 2014. Credit... Andrew Burton/Getty Images

In November, representatives from the nations participating in the Paris Agreement are to meet at a United Nations summit in Glasgow to announce tough new targets for reducing their domestic emissions. The targets are intended to be more ambitious than those first inscribed in the 2015 Paris deal.

"I warmly welcome President Biden's steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on climate change " said António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general. "But there is a very long way to go. The climate crisis continues to worsen and time is running out."

Mr. Obama had pledged that the United States would cut its planet-warming emissions across the economy by about 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025.

The United States is now only about halfway toward meeting Mr. Obama's goal, but the Biden administration will be under intense and nearly immediate pressure to ramp up the target.

When it does, possibly as early as June, the administration will most likely not be leading the world but playing catch-up. Britain and the European Union have set out new carbon-cutting goals, and China has announced that it will aim to hit net-zero emissions by 2060.

Climate policy experts said they were confident that Mr. Biden - through a combination of new regulations, increased spending on renewable energy, and supporting state efforts to move away from coal-powered generation - could meet and surpass the country's initial Paris target.

Most have suggested the Biden administration could settle on a new target somewhere between 40 percent and 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Other major economies will be keeping a close eye on the Biden administration to see what specific policy steps the new president plots out before the Glasgow meeting.

"China has laid out its concrete goal but not the concrete steps to meet it," said Byford Tsang, an analyst who focuses on China's climate policy at E3G, a research organization based in London. "So, if Biden lays out a goal and takes concrete steps, it could put pressure on China."

The Obama administration, which came to its goal in relative secrecy, incorrectly assured foreign diplomats in 2015 that a subsequent administration could not dismantle the regulatory policies to cut climate pollution upon which that target was dependent.

Now, negotiators have said they have a "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" attitude about the United States and will insist the Biden administration prove it can do what it claims.

"They say confidence comes by foot and leaves by horse," said Jules Kortenhorst, chief executive of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a research organization focused on transforming the global energy economy. "The world has missed the U.S. in this incredibly important setting over the past for years. Rebuilding confidence will come by foot for Biden the same way confidence in the U.S. under Trump left by horse."

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Biden Cancels Keystone XL Pipeline and Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement

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In a burst of climate orders, the president also ordered federal agencies to begin the process of reinstating environmental regulations reversed under the Trump administration. WASHINGTON - President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

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California lifts state-wide restrictions, leaves the responsibility on counties to govern their areas.

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Only 20 of 128,000 Israelis got Covid after second Pfizer vaccine shot

Early data from Israel suggests that very few people who received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine have contracted a symptomatic Covid-19 case, according to a leading Israeli healthcare provider.

Results shared by a Maccabi Healthcare Services showed that only 0.01 percent of people who received both shots have since come down with coronavirus cases. This is 20 out of the approximately 128,600 people.

"According to Maccabi's experts this is preliminary data but the numbers are very encouraging," Maccabi said in a statement.

Israel has become the world's leader in vaccine rollout, vaccinating nearly half of its 9 million citizens since its program began on Dec. 19, according to Our World in data.

Police use tear gas, water cannon amid rioting over Covid restrictions in Netherlands

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Groups of youths confronted police in Dutch towns and cities Monday night, defying the country's coronavirus curfew and throwing fireworks. Police in the port city of Rotterdam used a water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse a crowd of rioters.

Police and local media reported trouble in the capital, Amsterdam, where at least eight people were arrested, the central city of Amersfoort, where a car was turned on its side, and other towns before and after the 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. curfew began.

It was the second night of unrest in towns and cities across the Netherlands that initially grew out of calls to protest against the country's tough lockdown, but degenerated into vandalism by crowds whipped up by messages swirling on social media.

Mounting frustration over slow Covid vaccine rollout

NYC transit authority pays tribute to workers lost to Covid in over 100 subway stations

The New York City MTA launched a visual memorial to honor the 136 transit employees who have died from Covid-19, the agency announced in a news release Monday.

The memorial, built around photographs shared by the employees' family members and designed by MTA Arts & Design, is entitled "TRAVELS FAR" and is named after an original poem commissioned specifically for the project by former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.

The 8-minute video tribute can be seen at 107 stations throughout the city starting Jan. 25 through Feb. 7 and can also be seen online.

"COVID-19 has been a devastating scourge on our entire country and, tragically, that includes the MTA's workforce," said MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye. ""We quickly made sure that those families who lost an MTA worker to COVID were taken care of financially, but the launch of today's memorial is aimed at personalizing the legacies of those who died during the pandemic."

Minnesota reports first known case of Brazil coronavirus variant in the U.S.

Minnesota public health officials announced what appears to be the first known case of the coronavirus' Brazil P.1 variant in the nation.

The patient with variant is a resident of Minneapolis/St. Paul who became ill after traveling to Brazil, the Minnesota Department of Health said.

The strain was found among the 50 random samples analyzed every week as part of the state's variant surveillance program, according to the health department. The Brazil variant is a distinct variation from those seen in Britain and South Africa and thought to be more transmissible than the coronavirus strain that was prevalent at the beginning of the pandemic.

"The good news is that we can slow the spread of this variant and all COVID-19 variants by using the tried-and-true prevention methods of wearing masks, keeping social distance, staying home when sick, and getting tested when appropriate," Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said Monday.

Police use tear gas, water cannon amid rioting over Covid restrictions in Netherlands

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Groups of youths confronted police in Dutch towns and cities Monday night, defying the country's coronavirus curfew and throwing fireworks. Police in the port city of Rotterdam used a water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse a crowd of rioters.

Police and local media reported trouble in the capital, Amsterdam, where at least eight people were arrested, the central city of Amersfoort, where a car was turned on its side, and other towns before and after the 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. curfew began.

It was the second night of unrest in towns and cities across the Netherlands that initially grew out of calls to protest against the country's tough lockdown, but degenerated into vandalism by crowds whipped up by messages swirling on social media.
Click here to read the full story.
Biden ups vaccine goal to 1.5 million shots a day, says vaccine to be widely available by spring

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said he expects anyone who wants a vaccine to be able to get one by the spring and he upped his vaccination goal for his first 100 days in office.

Biden said Monday he now thinks the country can administer 1.5 million shots a day in the coming weeks and give 150 million vaccinations over the next 100 days, "with the grace of god."

In December, Biden set a goal of 100 million vaccines in his first 100 days and at the time, no vaccine had been cleared for use. But with states ramping up their vaccination efforts in recent weeks, the country is already averaging Biden's goal of around 1 million shots a day.

In order to reach his new goal, Biden said the federal government is going to have to set up more vaccination sites, hire more people to administer the vaccines, and ensure there are enough supplies of things like syringes. He is asking Congress for more than $400 billion to fund those efforts.

"It is going to be a logistical challenge that exceeds anything we've ever tried in this country, but I think we can do that," Biden said. He said that by summer "we're gonna be well on our way to heading toward herd immunity" including making the vaccine available for children.

California is ramping up its lagging vaccination effort, governor says

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the nation's most populous state was ramping up its lagging vaccination effort, tripling the number of doses given daily between the beginning of the month and Jan. 15.

On Jan. 4, 43,000 doses were administered across the state, he said. Eleven days later, that number was 131,000. The state's goal is to continue to substantially increase that number, he said.

Experts have attributed the slow rollout to everything from the state's size to limited federal funding, and California's efficient health care system, with its lack of extra medical workers trained to administer the vaccinations.

Newsom said Monday that California is "like a large ship. It takes a little to shift course."

He also announced the launch of a centralized vaccination scheduling system that can be accessed through a smartphone app. The platform is being tested in two of the state's largest counties - San Diego and Los Angeles - and will be rolled out across the rest of California by early February, he said.

Google to put vaccination sites on its search and map apps

Google said Monday that its search and map apps would soon display information about where to get Covid-19 vaccinations, beginning in four states.

"In the coming weeks, Covid-19 vaccination locations will be available in Google Search and Maps, starting with Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, with more states and countries to come," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post.

Information about vaccinations has been hard to come by in some places, and Pichai said searches for "vaccines near me" had increased fivefold since the beginning of the year. He said Google would rely on authoritative sources, such as government agencies and retail pharmacies, to gather the information.

Google is contributing $150 million in advertising credits so that public health agencies and nonprofits can run announcements and information campaigns, Pichai said. He also said Google planned to make select buildings available as needed for vaccination sites.

White House to hold Covid-19 briefings three times a week

White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Monday that the Biden administration will hold "science-led" Covid-19 briefings roughly three times a week.

The briefings, featuring public health officials and members of the administration's Covid-19 response team, will begin on Wednesday and continue regularly "for the foreseeable future," Psaki told reporters.

She said the briefings will focus on bringing the public "key updates" on the virus and the federal government's response to the pandemic.

Vaccine tourism on the rise as wealthy international tourists eye an opportunity in the U.S.

Shortly before the Covid-19 vaccine made its debut last month in the United States, an Indian travel agency called Gem Tours & Travels announced it was registering customers for an exciting new package: four-day trip from Mumbai to New York City with a coronavirus shot thrown in for about $2,000.

"Vaccine tourism," Nimesh Shah, the company's business development specialist, called it.

"We are only taking registrations of Indians with a valid 10-year U.S. visa," Shah told ThePrint. "We are not taking any money but just collecting data for the moment. We are proud to have coined the term 'vaccine tourism'."

Soon, competitors like the Kolkata-based Zenith Holidays were registering customers for vaccination packages.

Pronab Sarkar, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, condemned the companies for peddling these junkets. But Zenith Holidays, which generally does not offer travel packages to the U.S., still has on its website a "Vaccine Tourism" tab where customers can fill out a registration form, click send, and within minutes an email from the company pops up in their inbox promising more information soon.

"Thank you for showing interest in our Holiday," the email states.

Just how many Indians signed up for such a vaccination junket to the U.S. was not immediately clear because neither Shah nor anyone from Zenith Holidays responded to several emails from NBC News or an inquiry posed via the registration form.

But the very idea that somebody with money but no immediate access to the scarce Covid-19 vaccine could fly to another country to get a shot was raising both outrage and ethical questions.

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Jan. 25 Coronavirus updates: California lifts stay-at-home order and curfew statewide

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Early data from Israel suggests that very few people who received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine have contracted a symptomatic Covid-19 case, according to a leading Israeli healthcare provider. Results shared by a Maccabi Healthcare Services showed that only 0.01 percent of people who received both shots have since come down with coronavirus cases.

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The Los Angeles County Fire Department gave out the first dose of vaccines to their fire fighters and their overall positivity rate dropped all the way to 5.6%. Around 3,000 fire fighters had gotten the vaccine.

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In December their COVID-19 positivity rate was 18%.

Currently available COVID-19 vaccines worked well in clinical trials, and now we're seeing evidence they're protecting people in the real world - even after one dose. The Los Angeles County Fire Department has seen a dramatic decrease in its COVID-19 positivity rate since firefighters started getting vaccinated during the last week of December.

Approximately 75% of the county's firefighters, over 3000 people, have received their first dose of the vaccine. In December their COVID-19 positivity rate was 18%. It has dropped to 5.6%.

This trend is in stark contrast to what is being seen in L.A. County, now the U.S. hub of the pandemic, and California, which became the first state to surpass 3 million COVID-19 cases.

Like other frontline workers, firefighters put themselves at risk every day.

"As an emergency room physician, and for paramedics and EMS providers and firefighters, we are constantly encountering patients where we do not know the risks, we do not know about their status," said Dr. Darien Sutton, an LA-based emergency medicine physician and ABC News Contributor.

"I think there was a lot of excitement over the possibility of having an increased level of protection because these people are inside the homes of these highly viral patients and transporting them to the hospitals, so if anyone should be protected, of course they should be," Sutton said.

The dramatic decline in positivity rates was seen just after the first shot. The firefighters that received their first shots in December began getting their second shot starting last week.

Getting immunized is the best way to reduce a person's individual risk of infection in addition to precautions like wearing a mask, social distancing and hand washing. Experts stress, however, that one shot isn't enough - everyone needs two shots of either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for that 95% protection.

Experts said that the positive experience of firefighters, and other stories showing the vaccines are working, might help encourage those who are reluctant or scared to get the vaccine.

"As more and more health care providers started to participate, it kind of had this herd effect where people were like, 'ok, let me.' If you see your friends and coworkers getting it, you're going to realize the opportunity and benefits of you getting it," Sutton said.

Getting vaccinated also helps others and is necessary for herd immunity. Herd immunity is when enough people in a population develop immunity to the virus so it reduces the spread in a population even to those who lack immunity. The fewer people get sick, the less likely someone is to pass on the infection.

Experts warn that we may not see a return to our normal routines until herd immunity is reached. That may require 70-90% of the population being vaccinated.

By getting the vaccine, these firefighters are reducing their risk of having the infection and passing it to members of the community they serve daily.

"I think it's wonderful," Sutton said. "It's a great anecdotal piece to show the possibility of great effectiveness. I think this is one of those cool examples where we have some glimmer of hope of what might be expanded upon in a larger population. We might be able to get to that vaccine-induced herd immunity."
Adjoa Smalls-Mantey, M.D., D.Phil., is trained in immunology and is a psychiatrist in New York City. She is also a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

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LA County Fire Department COVID cases dramatically decrease after 75% get vaccinated

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In December their COVID-19 positivity rate was 18%. Currently available COVID-19 vaccines worked well in clinical trials, and now we're seeing evidence they're protecting people in the real world - even after one dose. The Los Angeles County Fire Department has seen a dramatic decrease in its COVID-19 positivity rate since firefighters started getting vaccinated during the last week of December.

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Former President Trump,  has established that his new place of work and business will take place in Palm Beach, Florida. His office will continue to move forward with the Trump Administration plans, through "advocacy, organizing, and public activism." Trumps main focus being to win back the house and senate for Republicans.

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Former President Donald Trump on Monday established an official post-presidency office in Palm Beach County, Florida to oversee his affairs, Fox News has learned.

A statement from Trump's office said the "Office of the Former President" will be responsible for his "correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities.

The Office will also "advance the interests of the United States and ... carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism."

The announcement comes as Democrats marched the impeachment case against Trump to the Senate Monday night for the start of his historic trial. Republican senators, meanwhile, were easing off their criticism of the former president and shunning calls to convict him over his supposed role in the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR PRESIDING OVER TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL PLEDGES IMPARTIALITY DESPITE CALL TO CONVICT
The House prosecutors delivered the sole impeachment charge of "incitement of insurrection," making the ceremonial walk across the Capitol to the Senate. But Republican denunciations of Trump have cooled since the Jan. 6 riot. Instead, Republicans are presenting a tangle of legal arguments against the legitimacy of the trial and questions whether Trump's repeated demands to overturn Joe Biden's election really amounted to incitement.

Arguments in the Senate trial will begin the week of Feb. 8, and the case against Trump, the first former president to face an impeachment trial, will test a political party still sorting itself out for the post-Trump era. Republican senators are balancing the demands of deep-pocketed donors who are distancing themselves from Trump and voters who demand loyalty to him.

Speculation about Trump's post-presidency has ranged from him possibly starting his media company to running for a second term in 2024.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump's 2020 campaign senior adviser Jason Miller on Sunday ruled out the possibility of Trump running in future elections on a third-party ticket, saying that his immediate focus is to help Republicans win back the House and Senate in the 2022 midterms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Trump creates 'Office of the Former President' in Florida

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Former President Donald Trump on Monday established an official post-presidency office in Palm Beach County, Florida to oversee his affairs, Fox News has learned. A statement from Trump's office said the "Office of the Former President" will be responsible for his "correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities.

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A women named Riley is faces several charges for stealing a computer during the storming of the capital. She could be in prison for 20 years.

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Riley June Williams, the 22-year-old Pennsylvania woman facing several federal charges for her alleged involvement during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, including theft of government property and obstruction of a government proceeding, is attempting to cover her tracks online.

A Department of Justice prosecutor said during a court hearing on Monday that the government is aware that Williams has allegedly been "deleting her own accounts online and switching devices" and that they've been given "indications she was instructing other people to delete messages as well."

It's unclear what evidence Williams is allegedly trying to destroy or encouraging others to destroy.
WHERE IS THE LAPTOP STOLEN FROM NANCY PELOSI'S OFFICE?
Williams, who was arrested on Jan. 18 in Harrisburg after surrendering to authorities, appeared virtually in a Washington court Monday.

Williams faces two misdemeanor charges associated with her actions at the Capitol, as well as at least two felonies, which carry the potential for up to 20 years in prison.

Williams has been relased to the care of her mother pending trial. The government asked federal Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui to order that Ms. Williams remain confined to her home, and prevent her from any access to the internet. A public defender representing Ms. Williams told the court that she does not currently have access to a computer or a smart phone.
NANCY PELOSI SAYS SHE'S 'NOT CONCERNED' ABOUT LAPTOP ALLEGEDLY STOLEN DURING CAPITOL RIOT
According to charging documents from the Department of Justice, prosecutors say that Williams' ex-boyfriend identified her in video footage of the Capitol riot, which has since been removed by YouTube for violating the platform's community guidelines.

Screenshots allegedly show Williams wearing a green t-shirt and brown trench coat carrying a black-and-white striped zebra-print bag over her shoulders.

According to prosecutors, she can be heard in the video repeatedly yelling, "Upstairs, upstairs, upstairs," and can be seen physically directing other intruders to proceed up a staircase into the Capitol Building.

The ex-boyfriend also claimed to have spoken to friends of Williams, who showed him video of Williams taking a laptop or computer hard drive from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and that Williams intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who would then sell the device to SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence serivce.

In one 4- second video, Williams appears to be holding a cell phone which is aimed down toward a wooden desk with an "HP" laptop. A female voice, believed to be Williams, is heard saying "Dude, put on gloves" before a man's arm appears to take the laptop. Text then appears across the video which allegedly reads: "they got the laptop."

Williams' identity was verified by comparing the video to CCTV footage showing her leaving Pelosi's office with the laptop.

In addition, another individual shared similar posts believed to be from Williams, including posts on the social media platform Discord from an individual named "Riley", in which she states, "I stole s**t from Nancy Poles," and "I took Polesis hard drives I don't care kill me."

The ex-boyfriend also told prosecutors that the transfer of the device to Russia "fell through for unkown reasons," noting that Williams "still has the computer or has destroyed it."

"This matter remains under investigation," prosecutors added.

A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m.
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Williams' arrest is one of dozens since the Capitol riot took place. The Jan. 6 attack left five people dead.
Fox News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report

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Pennsylvania woman accused of stealing Pelosi laptop during Capitol riot covering tracks online: DOJ

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A Department of Justice prosecutor said during a court hearing on Monday that the government is aware that Williams has allegedly been "deleting her own accounts online and switching devices" and that they've been given "indications she was instructing other people to delete messages as well."

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Britain is having a very harsh lock down with the new strain of corona virus and they fear that it will last much longer than three weeks.

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uk lockdown: brits fear it will take much longer to beat the new coronavirus variant - cnn

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Three weeks into harsh lockdown, weary Brits fear it will take much longer to beat the new variant

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People in the United Kingdom have been living under lockdown for the past three weeks, hoping their sacrifice would bring the country's latest coronavirus surge -- caused by the new, more contagious variant of the virus -- under control.

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President Joe Biden has lifted the military ban on transgender people. This means that no one will be denied from serving in the military for their gender identity. The ban was put in place by the Trump administration.

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Biden lifts transgender military ban | CNN Politics

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President Joe Biden signed an executive order to repeal a Trump-era ban on most transgender Americans joining the military on Monday alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

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Trucks and building machines are parked on a river dam in southwest Serbia but not for construction. They are there to clear tons of garbage in the lake such as cranes.

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PRIBOJ, Serbia -- Trucks and building machines are parked on a river dam in southwest Serbia but not for construction work. Instead, huge cranes are being used to clear tons of garbage crammed at the foot of the power plant.

Serbia and other Balkan nations are overwhelmed by communal waste after decades of neglect and lack of efficient waste-management policies in the countries aspiring to join the European Union.

Burning rubbish dumps can be seen from the roads, plastic bags are hanging from trees and islands of waste are floating down the region's rivers. The problem usually comes into focus in winter, when swollen waters sweep over landfills, pushing the garbage toward hydropower dams.

This has been the case at the Potpec accumulation lake near the power plant after a spate of rainy and snowy weather in December and early January. The surface of the lake got covered in a thick layer of waste ranging from plastics to rusty metal scraps, tree trunks and even reportedly a coffin.

The garbage has been swept downstream by the Lim River, which feeds the Potpec dam. The Lim originates in neighboring Montenegro, passing through several municipalities and their waste sites in both Montenegro and Serbia.

"Based on a recent study, we found out that in these towns, in the five municipalities in Montenegro and three in Serbia, about 45,000 tons of waste are collected (per year)," said Predrag Saponjic, the Lim River hydropower plant system manager. Looking at the rubbish-strewn lake, he added that "even if only a fraction of that waste ends up in the Lim River, we get this."

Environmentalists in the Balkans have warned that because most landfills aren't managed properly they leak toxic materials into rivers, threatening ecosystems and wildlife.

Bosnia too has reported a garbage pileup that endangers the hydroelectric dam on the Drina River, near the eastern town of Visegrad. The Lim is one of the tributaries of the Drina, which makes their waterways - and garbage flows - closely connected.

The two emerald-colored rivers - the Drina flows along the border between Serbia and Bosnia - during summer are favored by adventurers and water rafters who enjoy the winding waterways and seemingly pristine nature.

While Balkan nations have been struggling to recover following a series of wars and crises in the 1990s, environment al issues often come last for the countries whose economies are lagging far behind the rest of Europe and where public funds are vulnerable to widespread corruption.

Jugoslav Jovanovic, from Serbia's state-run Srbijavode company that is in charge of the country's water system, put the waste problem down to "our neglect and lack of care." Landfills are located too close to rivers and are overfilled rather than closed down over the years, he warned.

"If we find ourselves forced to do this year after year, then that's not really a solution," he said of the clearing operation. "We must find common ground and solve this by joining forces."

Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia have held meetings on the issue but little has been done. The Balkan countries also face other environment al emergencies, including dangerous levels of air pollution in many cities.

Experts predict the clearing of Potpec lake will take few weeks, depending on the weather. However, all the garbage from the water will end up again on a landfill in western Serbia.

Goran Rekovic, an activist from the nearby town of Priboj, said raising public awareness about pollution is a key goal, along with "institutional and systematic" solutions. These are needed also if Serbia and other Balkan countries wish to move closer to EU membership.

"This is not European Union's obligation. We should not be doing this for them," Rekovic said. "The reason why we should take care of our environment is for our own future generations."

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Jovana Gec and Marko Drobnjakovic contributed to this report.

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Follow all AP stories on the environment and climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/Climate.

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Rubbish-covered lake brings to light Balkans waste problem

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PRIBOJ, Serbia -- Trucks and building machines are parked on a river dam in southwest Serbia but not for construction work. Instead, huge cranes are being used to clear tons of garbage crammed at the foot of the power plant.