Ossoff scores victory over Perdue in Senate runoff
Democrat Jon Ossoff has defeated Republican David Perdue in the remaining Georgia Senate race — clinching control of the chamber for his party after fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock triumphed in the state’s other runoff election.
Ossoff, an investigative journalist and former congressional candidate, had 50.3 percent of the vote to Perdue’s 49.7 percent when The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday, with 98 percent of precincts reporting.
Ossoff’s victory resets the Senate’s balance of power at 50-50 and comes after Warnock vanquished incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler earlier on Wednesday — securing a Democratic majority for the first time since 2014 due to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s ability to cast tie-breaking votes in the chamber.
Democrats’ twin victories in Georgia have huge implications for President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, as he will not be forced to navigate a Republican Senate and negotiate with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during the opening years of his administration.
The Georgia results also represent a triumphant coda for Democrats’ 2020 campaign season, which began last year with high hopes for wresting back control of the Senate.
Instead, Democratic candidates fell short in many battlegrounds across the country, while the races for Georgia’s two Senate seats proceeded to runoffs after no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote in the November election.
original article here https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/jon-ossoff-wins-georgia-runoff-455596
Dr. Dre Hospitalized Following Brain Aneurysm, Updates Fans: “I’m Doing Great”
Dr. Dre has been hospitalized after suffering a brain aneurysm, TMZ reports and Pitchfork has learned. Dre posted to his official Instagram account after the news was first reported, writing that he is “doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team.” He added that he will be out of the hospital soon. Find his post below.
According to TMZ, Dre is currently at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He reportedly suffered the aneurysm on Monday (January 4) and was driven to the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai immediately by ambulance. Dr. Dre is reportedly stable and lucid, but he remains in ICU. TMZ also reports that doctors are uncertain what caused the aneurysm.
original article here https://pitchfork.com/news/dr-dre-hospitalized-following-brain-aneurysmandnbsp/
MF DOOM The Man Behind The Mask. Documentary
Listening to MF Doom is very hip hop educational!
Elfen’s Neosoul Hip Hop New Music Tuesday for Jan 5th 2021 MF DOOM
If you’ve never heard of MF DOOM. Now’s the time. Doom was the illist lyricist of my generation. MF DOOM Died Oct 31st 2020. Cause of death unknown. Doom kept his Business to him and himself. In fact he’s been known to have a concert and have DOOM look alikes perform in his place.
this evening I’m giving you his 1999 hour operation Doomsday! This album is heavy in sampling from the 1980s R&B. I failed to mention that he was an avid comic book reader as a child. His style and his lyrical choice centered around comic book characters. You can find MF Doom on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube music. See you next Tuesday! Peace, Love and Neosoul!
McDonald’s adds three new sandwiches to compete in chicken wars
New York (CNN Business)McDonald’s is launching new sandwiches next month in an effort to win fast food’s chicken war. On Monday, the company announced three versions of a new chicken sandwich, which will be available nationally on February 24: The Crispy Chicken Sandwich, topped with pickles and served on a potato roll, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which adds a spicy pepper sauce, and the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, which comes with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. McDonald’s told investors in November to expect a new chicken sandwich this year. The new products, along with faster drive-thrus and other changes, could help McDonald’s draw more traffic to its restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Prior to the pandemic, the company was losing customers to fast casual chains and higher-end burger joints. The number of transactions at its US restaurants that have been open for at least 13 months slipped 1.9% in 2019, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That year, McDonald’s franchise operators warned that the chain needed a better chicken sandwich to win customers back. “JFK called for a man on the moon,” they wrote in a letter that summer. “Our call should be a category leading chicken sandwich.”
The burger chain, which already serves chicken nuggets and the McChicken sandwich nationally, has since tested fried chicken sandwiches in regional markets.And during a November webcast for investors, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said that “a much anticipated, delicious, new crispy chicken sandwich” would hit US menus this year.
Chicken is a good bet for McDonald’s, he explained. “Globally, the chicken category is almost twice the size of beef,” he said at the time. “It is growing faster and represents a significant opportunity,” he said. “Developing a reputation for great chicken represents one of our highest aspirations. We want customers to choose McDonald’s for chicken.” Erlinger added that the new sandwich would “jump-start our chicken journey,” suggesting more chicken products to come. McDonald’s launched Spicy Chicken McNuggets in the fall, its first new McNugget flavor in the United States since the item was introduced to the US menu in 1983.Chains with a popular chicken sandwich have been rewarded by customers. Popeyes, which saw its new sandwich offering sell out just two weeks after it launched nationally in August 2019, has pointed to the sandwich as one reason that it continued to grow during the pandemic. Chick-fil-A, known for its line of chicken sandwiches, has been growing steadily for years. Recently, the competition has been heating up. Wendy’s rolled out a new version of its chicken sandwich in October. The brand’s Classic Chicken Sandwich, made with a fried-chicken filet, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo, replaced the Homestyle Chicken Sandwich, which had been on Wendy’s menu for at least a decade. Over the summer, KFC tested a new, premium chicken sandwich called the KFC Chicken Sandwich. — CNN’s Jordan Valinsky contributed to this report.
original article here https://www.cnn.com/business
COVID: California funeral homes run out of space as pandemic rages
LOS ANGELES — As communities across the country feel the pain of a surge in coronavirus cases, funeral homes in the hot spot of Southern California say they must turn away grieving families as they run out of space for the bodies piling up.
The head of the state funeral directors association says mortuaries are being inundated as the United States nears a grim tally of 350,000 COVID-19 deaths. More than 20 million people in the country have been infected, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
“I’ve been in the funeral industry for 40 years and never in my life did I think that this could happen, that I’d have to tell a family, ‘No, we can’t take your family member,'” said Magda Maldonado, owner of Continental Funeral Home in Los Angeles.
Continental is averaging about 30 body removals a day – six times its normal rate. Mortuary owners are calling one another to see whether anyone can handle overflow, and the answer is always the same: They’re full, too.
In order to keep up with the flood of bodies, Maldonado has rented extra 50-foot (15-meter) refrigerators for two of the four facilities she runs in LA and surrounding counties. Continental has also been delaying pickups at hospitals for a day or two while they deal with residential clients.
Bob Achermann, executive director of the California Funeral Directors Association, said that the whole process of burying and cremating bodies has slowed down, including embalming bodies and obtaining death certificates. During normal times, cremation might happen within a day or two; now it takes at least a week or longer.
Achermann said that in the southern part of the state, “every funeral home I talk to says, ‘We’re paddling as fast as we can.'”
The volume is just incredible and they fear that they won’t be able to keep up,” he said. “And the worst of the surge could still be ahead of us.”
Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the crisis in California, has surpassed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths alone. Hospitals in the area are overwhelmed, and are struggling to keep up with basics such as oxygen as they treat an unprecedented number of patients with respiratory issues. On Saturday, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews arrived to update some hospitals’ oxygen delivery systems.
Nationally, an average of just over 2,500 people have died of COVID-19 over the past seven days, according to Johns Hopkins data. The number of daily newly reported cases in that period has averaged close to 195,000, a decline from two weeks earlier.
It’s feared that holiday gatherings could fuel yet another rise in cases.
Arkansas officials reported a record of more than 4,300 new COVID-19 cases Friday. Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted that the state is “certainly in the surge after Christmas travel and gatherings” and added, “As we enter this new year, our first resolution should be to follow guidelines.”
North Carolina officials also reported a record 9,527 confirmed cases New Year’s Day. That’s more than 1,000 cases above the previous daily high.
In Louisiana, a funeral was being held Saturday for a congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 complications. Republican Luke Letlow died Tuesday at age 41. His swearing-in had been scheduled Sunday. He leaves behind his wife, Julia Letlow, and two children, ages 1 and 3.
In Texas, state officials say they have only 580 intensive care beds available as staff treat more than 12,480 hospitalized coronavirus patients, a number that has risen steadily since September and has set record highs this past week.
In Window Rock, Arizona, the Navajo Nation remained in the midst of a weekend lockdown to try to slow the rate of infection. The tribe late Friday reported another seven deaths, bringing its totals since the pandemic began to 23,429 cases and 813 deaths. The reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Arizona on Saturday reported 18,943 new cases Friday and Saturday, a record for the state in any two-day period. It also reported 46 new deaths Saturday.
original article here https://abc7chicago.com/funeral-homes-california-covid-pandemic/9310651
Inflatable costume could be behind Covid outbreak at California hospital
A hospital in California is facing a coronavirus outbreak among its staff that might be tied to an inflatable costume worn on Christmas to cheer up patients.
At least 43 staff members tested positive for the virus between Dec. 27 and New Year’s Day, according to a statement from Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center on Saturday. The hospital’s emergency department has been deep-cleaned, and all infected staff members are isolating.
The hospital is looking into whether the fan on an “air-powered costume” could have spread droplets after a staff member briefly wore it in the emergency department on Christmas Day.
“Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time,” the hospital said.
Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center will no longer allow such costumes in its facility, the statement said.
Emergency department employees at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center who were able to get a Covid-19 vaccine were only given their first inoculation days prior to Christmas Day and would not have reached immunity by the time of the incident.
None would have had their second booster shot by Christmas Day.
“During this period, even as vaccine is beginning to be provided in our communities, it is crucial that everyone continue to protect themselves and each other by continuing to use masks, hand washing, avoid gatherings, and practice social distancing,” the hospital said.
None of the staff members who tested positive will return to work, though the hospital said it has been engaging additional staff as part of its preparations.
California hospitals have been overwhelmed with casesin recent weeks amid a new surge of the virus, which brought record numbers of daily deaths and hospitalizations.
The state’s Bay Area has only 5.1 percent availability in its intensive care units. Southern California is beset with hospitalizations, with no available beds in many of its hospitals as staff create makeshift units in gift shops or pediatric wards.
California has recorded 2,345,909 confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 26,000 deaths, according to numbers the state’s public health department released Saturday.
original story here https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/inflatable-costume-could-be-behind-covid-outbreak-california-hospital-n1252685
Pastor killed, two others injured in Texas church shooting
A pastor was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at a Texas church on Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
The shooting occurred Sunday morning at Starrville Methodist Church in Starrville, about 100 miles east of Dallas. The suspect, who is in custody, was allegedly fleeing from police after an incident Saturday night and had snuck into the church to hide, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said.
A pastor at Starrville Methodist Church found the man hiding in a bathroom around 9:21 a.m. when he, his wife and several others entered the church Sunday morning. The suspect fled but returned to the church amid an early morning manhunt by authorities.
“He starts coming toward the front door, then he turns around and lunges at the pastor and was able to disarm the pastor, it appears at this time,” Smith said. “He used … the pastor’s firearm is the one he used. The pastor is deceased at this time.”
Another person was being treated for a gunshot wound and their condition was unknown, Smith said. Someone was also being treated related to a fall during the incident.
The suspect was found after he allegedly stole the pastor’s vehicle to flee the scene and was apprehended in Harrison County, Smith said. He was injured with a gunshot wound to the hand, though was unclear when he was shot.
Abbott sent his condolences to the victims and their families Sunday in his statement, which did not identify the pastor or the suspect.
“The State of Texas is working closely with first responders and local officials to ensure that justice is served and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during this time,” Abbott said.
Smith said the incident is being investigated as a capital murder case, but the shooting does not appear to have been motivated by anti-religious sentiment.
“This is a crime of opportunity for this man, suspect,” Smith said. “The church just happened to be here. It could have been one of these houses he went inside, but he knew people were there … I believe he probably just got there to seek shelter.”
The sheriff did not provide details as to why the suspect was being sought Saturday, but he said authorities were working on obtaining the arrest warrant for the suspect.
Smith did not release the name of the suspect or any other victims in the shooting.
Original Post here https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/one-dead-several-injured-texas-church-shooting-n1252693