Accused Parkland shooter will plead guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder

Attorneys now turn their focus to saving him from a death sentenceNikolas Cruz is scheduled to plead guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder Wednesday for the 2018 shooting massacre at a Florida high school.Cruz, 23, will appear before Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who will ask him a lengthy list of questions to gauge his mental competency. Scherer...

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White House outlines plan to vaccinate US children once FDA gives approval – live

Scrutiny grows of Joe Manchin’s support from oil, gas and coalSenate Republicans again poised to block sweeping voting rights billMillions hope plan to expand dental care survives cuts to Biden’s billCapitol attack committee votes to recommend Steve Bannon prosecutionSign up to receive First Thing – our daily briefing by emailIt’s worth noting that...

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‘No fish means no food’: how Yurok women are fighting for their tribe’s nutritional health

Klamath River salmon populations are dwindling, so Yurok mothers are working to restore the river and reclaim Indigenous food sovereigntyKeeping salmon in her children’s diet is “an entire job”, says Georgiana Gensaw, a Yurok Tribe member and mother of four in Klamath Glen, California, a community whose only easily accessible food store is a fried chicken...

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Children ages five to 11 will soon be able to get Covid shot, White House says

Country now has ample supplies of the Pfizer shot to vaccinate the roughly 28 million kids who will soon be eligibleChildren age five to 11 in the US will soon be able to get a Covid-19 shot at their pediatrician’s office, local pharmacy and potentially even their school, the White House said Wednesday as it detailed plans for the expected authorization...

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Nathan Chen: ‘Simone Biles gave athletes a sense of peace’

The figure skater is undefeated since suffering disappointment at the last Winter Olympics. And he says two global stars have helped his extraordinary formNathan Chen takes nothing for granted. At the dawn of an Olympic season where he’s widely expected to bring home the gold medal that eluded him four years ago, the world’s most dominant figure skater...

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The populist right is regretting its encouragement of Covid conspiracists | Paulo Gerbaudo

Extremists are being pitted against moderate centre-right voters in the next chapter of the culture warsAt the 1992 US Republican convention, the paleoconservative pundit and presidential candidate Pat Buchanan introduced the world to the idea that politics had become a “culture war” between progressives and conservatives. Campaigns for environmentalism,...

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Ignore the fearmongers: the 1970s are not coming back | James T Patterson

Experts may invoke the specter of stagflation, but don’t look for a return of the economic conditions of the 1970s. We have too far to fallAre the 1970s returning to haunt us this Halloween? Increases in the consumer price index indicate rising inflation, and job growth has not matched expectations. As a result people on the Street have begun to talk...

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House committee votes to prosecute Steve Bannon | First Thing

Panel investigating the Capitol attack unanimously approves citation for contempt of Congress. Plus, Jane Goodall on fighting the good fightDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack voted on Tuesday to recommend the criminal prosecution of Donald Trump’s former chief...

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Ties that bind: Joe Manchin’s steady stream of support from oil, gas and coal

West Virginia senator who opposes Biden’s climate bill has enjoyed fruitful connections to the fossil-fuel sectorIn the tumult of negotiations over the most consequential climate legislation ever proposed in the US, there is growing scrutiny of the fossil fuel industry connections of the man poised to tear down the core of the bill – the West Virginia...

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Senate Republicans again poised to block sweeping voting rights bill

Obstructionist effort to stop Freedom to Vote Act likely to increase pressure on Democrats to do away with filibusterSenate Republicans are again poised to block a sweeping voting rights bill on Wednesday, a move that will significantly escalate pressure on Democrats to do away with the filibuster, a Senate rule that has stymied the most significant...

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