As New York celebrates relaxed restrictions after reaching a 70 percent vaccination threshold, the Empire State will wave bye-bye to the coronavirus pandemic with a statewide fireworks extravaganza from various locations at 9:15 p.m.

The festivities were announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a press conference Tuesday, where he also lifted state restrictions on commercial settings.

Without further ado, here’s where to watch the ’works and enjoy the sign of changing times.

New York Harbor

The Elevated Acre

This hidden, raised gem is an ideal spot to watch the night sky light up this evening.

Built into the skyscraper at 55 Water St., this city park offers a one-of-a-kind view over the lower East River waterfront while also boasting one of New York’s most unique green spaces.

New York will celebrate reaching a 70% vaccination threshold with a statewide fireworks extravaganza on Tuesday.AP

Battery Park

For a closeup on tonight’s action, head to the southern tip of Manhattan island.

Battery Park’s all-encompassing views of New York Harbor are sure to make these fireworks a warm welcome back to normalcy for city dwellers.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade

Raised above Brooklyn Bridge Park (another A-plus spot to watch), this local esplanade offers an awe-inspiring view of lower Manhattan and its surrounding waterways.

Enter this 1,826-foot-long platform over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on Remsen Street off Montague Terrace.

The Brooklyn Bridge

Standing atop the Brooklyn Bridge during a fireworks display is likely what goes through Alicia Keys’ mind when she sings “Empire State of Mind.”

Take it all in tonight from the pedestrian level of the city’s iconic landmark and you won’t regret it. The big lights will surely inspire you.

Fireworks light up the Brooklyn Bridge.
REUTERS

Jones Beach, Long Island

Wantagh Park

This bayfront park — directly north of Jones Beach at 1 King Road in Wantagh — is an appropriate setting for those who don’t want to travel down to the barrier island and watch from one of Jones’ many fields.

Nyack Memorial Park, Hudson Valley

Scenic Hudson RiverWalk, Tarrytown

For some space between you and the show, head across the river to Westchester to watch this spectacle fly over the Mario Cuomo Bridge.

Piermont

For Rocklanders who won’t be watching from Nyack Memorial Park, Piermont’s extensive pier and Parelli Park will certainly make for a great vantage point from the south looking north.

Upstate

Other firework shows slated to shoot off around New York will occur at Albany Empire State Plaza, Binghamton University’s M Lot, Lake Placid Club, Niagara Falls State Park, the Rochester area’s Dome Arena, the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and downtown Utica.

Onlookers gather for a past fireworks display in New York City.
FilmMagic

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2021/06/15/where-to-watch-tonights-fireworks-in-around-nyc/

EXCLUSIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will announce that the delta strain of COVID-19 is a “variant of concern” in the U.S., but that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it, Fox News has learned.

Labeling delta a “variant of concern” is a change officials say is based on “mounting evidence” that the variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.

Biden administration officials said that they are studying the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine and “remain optimistic,” as overseas, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against delta. An official told Fox News the AstraZeneca vaccine is “built on a similar platform as Johnson & Johnson.” 

A CDC web page last updated Monday now shows delta among “variants of concern,” though officials are alerting to the public to the change Tuesday.

The official told Fox News that vaccinated people have a “high degree of protection,” but warned that those who are not vaccinated “are at risk.”

The CDC’s classifications define three classes of variants of COVID-19 – variants of interest, variants of concern, and variants of high consequence. 

According to the CDC, a variant’s classification status can change as officials learn more about them. 

“CDC and SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group continually review the available scientific evidence and the genomic surveillance data to assess the classification of variants,” the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, “variants of concern” may require several public health actions, like notifying the World Health Organization under International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control the spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant. 

“Based on the characteristics of the variant, additional considerations may include the development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments,” the CDC said, adding that “investigations are underway to further characterize this variant of concern and its potential effect on current vaccines and treatments (therapeutics.)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In light of the CDC’s upcoming announcement, a Biden administration official highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated, saying it is the “best way to fully protect against variants.” 

“It is easier than ever to get vaccinated,” the official told Fox News. 

According to officials, 64.5% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-delta-covid-19-variant-of-concern-vaccines-effective

EXCLUSIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will announce that the delta strain of COVID-19 is a “variant of concern” in the U.S., but that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it, Fox News has learned.

Labeling delta a “variant of concern” is a change officials say is based on “mounting evidence” that the variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.

Biden administration officials said that they are studying the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine and “remain optimistic,” as overseas, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against delta. An official told Fox News the AstraZeneca vaccine is “built on a similar platform as Johnson & Johnson.” 

A CDC web page last updated Monday now shows delta among “variants of concern,” though officials are alerting to the public to the change Tuesday.

The official told Fox News that vaccinated people have a “high degree of protection,” but warned that those who are not vaccinated “are at risk.”

The CDC’s classifications define three classes of variants of COVID-19 – variants of interest, variants of concern, and variants of high consequence. 

According to the CDC, a variant’s classification status can change as officials learn more about them. 

“CDC and SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group continually review the available scientific evidence and the genomic surveillance data to assess the classification of variants,” the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, “variants of concern” may require several public health actions, like notifying the World Health Organization under International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control the spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant. 

“Based on the characteristics of the variant, additional considerations may include the development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments,” the CDC said, adding that “investigations are underway to further characterize this variant of concern and its potential effect on current vaccines and treatments (therapeutics.)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In light of the CDC’s upcoming announcement, a Biden administration official highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated, saying it is the “best way to fully protect against variants.” 

“It is easier than ever to get vaccinated,” the official told Fox News. 

According to officials, 64.5% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-delta-covid-19-variant-of-concern-vaccines-effective

NEW YORK (WABC) — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York state-mandated COVID restrictions on commercial and social settings will be lifted effective immediately — and to celebrate, there will be fireworks across the state Tuesday night.

“We have hit 70% vaccination,” a triumphant Cuomo said Tuesday, meaning the state can “now return to life as we know it.”

Any federal guidelines involving schools, health care and mass transit remain.

Cuomo said social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, health screening, cleaning and disinfection protocols contact information for tracking have been eliminated.

Those considered commercial and social settings include the following:
– sports and recreation
– construction
– manufacturing
– trade
– child care
– camps
– food services
– offices
– real estate
– buildings
– agriculture
– fishing
– forestry
– amusement and family entertainment
– personal care services
– gyms
– retail
– malls movie theaters

During remarks at One World Trade Center, in front of an obliging audience, Cuomo recalled darker days of frequent death and overwhelming caseload.

“What New York has done is extraordinary,” the governor said.

He noted nurse Sandra Lindsey at Northwell Health on Long Island was the first American to get a shot of authorized COVID-19 vaccine six months ago.

“Congratulations to New Yorkers because they’re the ones who did it,” Cuomo said. “We’re no longer in our homes disinfecting everything we can see.”

New York state has crossed the 70% threshold for at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccinations.

The fireworks set for Tuesday night at 9:15 p.m. are also meant to be a salute to essential workers.

Fireworks will be held at the following sites across the state:

Albany
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12228

Binghamton
Binghamton University M Lot
4400 Vestal Parkway E
Vestal, NY 13850

Jones Beach
Jones Beach State Park
1 Ocean Parkway
Wantagh, NY 11793

Lake Placid
Lake Placid Club
Lake Placid, NY 12946

New York City
New York Harbor

Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls State Park
Goat Island Road
Niagara Falls, NY 14303

Nyack
Memorial Park
4 Depew Ave.
Nyack, NY 10960

Rochester
Rochester Dome Arena
2695 E. Henrietta Rd
Henrietta, NY 14467

Syracuse
NYS Fairgrounds
581 State Fair Blvd
Syracuse NY 13209

Utica
Downtown Utica
100 Whitesboro Street
Utica, NY 13502

RELATED | ‘Hometown Heroes Parade’ will honor New York City’s frontline workers

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, is in support of Cuomo’s decision.

“After 16 months of unprecedented devastation to New York’s restaurants, bars, clubs inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s monumental to join Governor Cuomo and leaders from around New York at 1 World Trade Center to officially lift restrictions on businesses and begin a new phase of the city’s recovery,” Rigie said. “This is a critically important step forward and remarkable day on a long road to recovery. Much more still needs to be done to support tens of thousands of struggling small businesses and workers in New York: top among those efforts is for the federal government to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and provide local businesses the urgent relief they need.”

Some state leaders, however, think the governor should use the money elsewhere instead of spending on fireworks.

“Like all New Yorkers, I welcome today’s news that most remaining COVID restrictions will be lifted. I want to thank the thousands of frontline workers, healthcare professionals and countless others who helped us through this crisis and led us to this point. I would also like to recognize the many small businesses who fought to make it out of this pandemic and provided paychecks to millions of New York families during this difficult time,” Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said in a statement. “Instead of taxpayer funded firework shows celebrating his own lack of leadership, the Governor should mark this occasion by ending the state of emergency and reinstating the Legislature as a co-equal branch of government. Only then can we fully repeal unnecessary restrictions like masks mandates for school children.”

Cuomo also announced landmarks will be lit in blue and gold Tuesday evening in honor of reaching the COVID milestone.

– Empire State Building
– One World Trade Center
– Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
– Kosciuszko Bridge
– The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
– State Education Building
– Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
– State Fairgrounds – Main Gate and Expo Center
– Niagara Falls
– The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
– Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct
– Albany International Airport Gateway
-MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station

The Village of Nyack posted that a fireworks show will be held in Memorial Park at 9 p.m., part of the celebration marking the end of COVID restrictions.

Sections of the park will be closed starting at 1 p.m. to allow for the fireworks to be set up, including the skate park, basketball court, foot bridge, viewing platform, and gazebo area.

The playground and splash pad and upper field will remain accessible.

At Jones Beach, the fireworks can be seen at Park at Field 4. There will be spillover lots at Fields 6 and 2 if 4 fills up.

Cuomo had promised to do away with virtually all restrictions once the state hit that 70% milestone.

The remaining restrictions include indoor capacity limits, social distancing, and health screenings in offices, restaurants, theaters and fitness centers.

All of those will now be optional, but masks will still be required in some larger venues, on public transportation, and in hospitals and schools.

“It doesn’t mean when we hit 70% it’s over,” Cuomo said Monday. “It means it’s working. It means we’re doing well, but it also means keep going. And that’s what the celebration is going to be. It’s not the finish line at 70, but we’re coming around the last turn on the track.”

ALSO READ | How 18-year-old flipped script on dad who dumped 80,000 pennies as ‘last child support payment’

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Source Article from https://abc7ny.com/ny-covid-vaccine-fireworks-testing/10792105/

EXCLUSIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will announce that the delta strain of COVID-19 is a “variant of concern” in the U.S., but that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it, Fox News has learned.

Labeling delta a “variant of concern” is a change officials say is based on “mounting evidence” that the variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.

Biden administration officials said that they are studying the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine and “remain optimistic,” as overseas, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against delta. An official told Fox News the AstraZeneca vaccine is “built on a similar platform as Johnson & Johnson.” 

A CDC web page last updated Monday now shows delta among “variants of concern,” though officials are alerting to the public to the change Tuesday.

The official told Fox News that vaccinated people have a “high degree of protection,” but warned that those who are not vaccinated “are at risk.”

The CDC’s classifications define three classes of variants of COVID-19 – variants of interest, variants of concern, and variants of high consequence. 

According to the CDC, a variant’s classification status can change as officials learn more about them. 

“CDC and SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group continually review the available scientific evidence and the genomic surveillance data to assess the classification of variants,” the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, “variants of concern” may require several public health actions, like notifying the World Health Organization under International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control the spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant. 

“Based on the characteristics of the variant, additional considerations may include the development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments,” the CDC said, adding that “investigations are underway to further characterize this variant of concern and its potential effect on current vaccines and treatments (therapeutics.)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In light of the CDC’s upcoming announcement, a Biden administration official highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated, saying it is the “best way to fully protect against variants.” 

“It is easier than ever to get vaccinated,” the official told Fox News. 

According to officials, 64.5% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-delta-covid-19-variant-of-concern-vaccines-effective

EXCLUSIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will announce that the delta strain of COVID-19 is a “variant of concern” in the U.S., but that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it, Fox News has learned.

Labeling delta a “variant of concern” is a change officials say is based on “mounting evidence” that the variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.

Biden administration officials said that they are studying the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine and “remain optimistic,” as overseas, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against delta. An official told Fox News the AstraZeneca vaccine is “built on a similar platform as Johnson & Johnson.” 

A CDC web page last updated Monday now shows delta among “variants of concern,” though officials are alerting to the public to the change Tuesday.

The official told Fox News that vaccinated people have a “high degree of protection,” but warned that those who are not vaccinated “are at risk.”

The CDC’s classifications define three classes of variants of COVID-19 – variants of interest, variants of concern, and variants of high consequence. 

According to the CDC, a variant’s classification status can change as officials learn more about them. 

“CDC and SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group continually review the available scientific evidence and the genomic surveillance data to assess the classification of variants,” the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, “variants of concern” may require several public health actions, like notifying the World Health Organization under International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control the spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant. 

“Based on the characteristics of the variant, additional considerations may include the development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments,” the CDC said, adding that “investigations are underway to further characterize this variant of concern and its potential effect on current vaccines and treatments (therapeutics.)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In light of the CDC’s upcoming announcement, a Biden administration official highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated, saying it is the “best way to fully protect against variants.” 

“It is easier than ever to get vaccinated,” the official told Fox News. 

According to officials, 64.5% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-delta-covid-19-variant-of-concern-vaccines-effective

EXCLUSIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will announce that the delta strain of COVID-19 is a “variant of concern” in the U.S., but that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it, Fox News has learned.

Labeling delta a “variant of concern” is a change officials say is based on “mounting evidence” that the variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.

Biden administration officials said that they are studying the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine and “remain optimistic,” as overseas, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against delta. An official told Fox News the AstraZeneca vaccine is “built on a similar platform as Johnson & Johnson.” 

A CDC web page last updated Monday now shows delta among “variants of concern,” though officials are alerting to the public to the change Tuesday.

The official told Fox News that vaccinated people have a “high degree of protection,” but warned that those who are not vaccinated “are at risk.”

The CDC’s classifications define three classes of variants of COVID-19 – variants of interest, variants of concern, and variants of high consequence. 

According to the CDC, a variant’s classification status can change as officials learn more about them. 

“CDC and SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group continually review the available scientific evidence and the genomic surveillance data to assess the classification of variants,” the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, “variants of concern” may require several public health actions, like notifying the World Health Organization under International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control the spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant. 

“Based on the characteristics of the variant, additional considerations may include the development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments,” the CDC said, adding that “investigations are underway to further characterize this variant of concern and its potential effect on current vaccines and treatments (therapeutics.)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In light of the CDC’s upcoming announcement, a Biden administration official highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated, saying it is the “best way to fully protect against variants.” 

“It is easier than ever to get vaccinated,” the official told Fox News. 

According to officials, 64.5% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-delta-covid-19-variant-of-concern-vaccines-effective

EXCLUSIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will announce that the delta strain of COVID-19 is a “variant of concern” in the U.S., but that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it, Fox News has learned.

Labeling delta a “variant of concern” is a change officials say is based on “mounting evidence” that the variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.

Biden administration officials said that they are studying the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine and “remain optimistic,” as overseas, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against delta. An official told Fox News the AstraZeneca vaccine is “built on a similar platform as Johnson & Johnson.” 

A CDC web page last updated Monday now shows delta among “variants of concern,” though officials are alerting to the public to the change Tuesday.

The official told Fox News that vaccinated people have a “high degree of protection,” but warned that those who are not vaccinated “are at risk.”

The CDC’s classifications define three classes of variants of COVID-19 – variants of interest, variants of concern, and variants of high consequence. 

According to the CDC, a variant’s classification status can change as officials learn more about them. 

“CDC and SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group continually review the available scientific evidence and the genomic surveillance data to assess the classification of variants,” the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, “variants of concern” may require several public health actions, like notifying the World Health Organization under International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control the spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant. 

“Based on the characteristics of the variant, additional considerations may include the development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments,” the CDC said, adding that “investigations are underway to further characterize this variant of concern and its potential effect on current vaccines and treatments (therapeutics.)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In light of the CDC’s upcoming announcement, a Biden administration official highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated, saying it is the “best way to fully protect against variants.” 

“It is easier than ever to get vaccinated,” the official told Fox News. 

According to officials, 64.5% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-delta-covid-19-variant-of-concern-vaccines-effective

There are intraparty fights to deal with, as well. Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia announced his opposition to the voting rights legislation that Ms. Harris was championing for the administration, and he was expected to be in the hot seat Tuesday afternoon during a caucus luncheon. And a group of bipartisan senators, including two Democrats who were invited to the dinner, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, has unveiled an alternative to the president’s infrastructure plan that does not address key Democratic priorities, like climate change. The plan does not have the support of a majority of Republicans, and progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, have already come out against it.

Ms. Harris has not been a key player in infrastructure negotiations and was not known for her close relationships with colleagues on Capitol Hill during her four years in the Senate, a chunk of which she spent running for president.

But as vice president — and the tiebreaking vote in the evenly divided Senate — she has taken on some of the administration’s most difficult goals. Besides the voting rights push, Ms. Harris has also been tasked with stemming the flow of migrants to the U.S. border with Mexico by addressing the root causes in countries like Guatemala that push migrants north.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/us/politics/harris-female-senators-dinner.html

A man prays during the executive committee plenary meeting at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual gathering Monday in Nashville, Tenn.

Mark Humphrey/AP


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Mark Humphrey/AP

A man prays during the executive committee plenary meeting at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual gathering Monday in Nashville, Tenn.

Mark Humphrey/AP

Southern Baptists are gathered this week in Nashville, Tenn., for an annual meeting that could prove a turning point as the faithful square off on an array of divisive issues that some fear could drive a wedge into the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

Tuesday marks the first full day for the event in which the voting members of the Southern Baptist Convention could tackle high-profile issues including racial discrimination, gender inequality and sexual abuse.

The organization is one of the country’s most politically influential. It has long aligned itself with conservative causes, and top evangelicals in the convention enthusiastically backed former President Donald Trump.

This week, the Southern Baptist Convention’s voting members will choose a new leader — a decision that could either signal a continuation of the status quo or set the stage for a more conservative ideological shift.

Ronnie Floyd (center), president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee, speaks Monday at the denomination’s annual meeting in Nashville.

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Ronnie Floyd (center), president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee, speaks Monday at the denomination’s annual meeting in Nashville.

Mark Humphrey/AP

The spotlight was already on SBC leaders as they entered this week’s convention. Last week, Russell Moore, a former president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, or ERLC, posted letters and secret recordings of internal SBC meetings that critics have said shows the denomination’s top leaders were slow-walking reforms that would address sexual abuse. Moore has parted ways with the church.

In 2018, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the denomination’s flagship institution, issued a report on the role that racism has played in the leadership and how support for slavery helped shape the denomination in its earliest days.

An effort to address sexual abuse was blocked

The SBC announced last week that it hired Guidepost Solutions, an independent investigation and risk-management firm, to review the group’s handling of internal abuse issues.

However, during the SBC executive committee meeting Monday, leaders rejected a request by Jared Wellman, a Texas pastor, to amend its agenda to consider expanding the third-party investigation of the leadership’s handling of sexual abuse claims.

Wellman’s amendment would have required the SBC to appoint an independent task force to receive the full report from Guidepost and relay its findings to the entire convention.

Jared Wellman, pastor at Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, on Monday hands out copies of his motion that called for an independent committee to lead a probe of the denomination’s handling of sex abuse cases.

Mark Humphrey/AP


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Mark Humphrey/AP

Jared Wellman, pastor at Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, on Monday hands out copies of his motion that called for an independent committee to lead a probe of the denomination’s handling of sex abuse cases.

Mark Humphrey/AP

Joe Knott, the executive committee secretary, argued that such a step would violate Baptist policy by handing “essentially unlimited power” to an outside party, according to Baptist Press. Knott also said the proposal wouldn’t stop sexual abuse.

The issue is reportedly not dead, and critics of the move have expressed outrage over the executive committee’s inaction. On social media, a group of people who say they faced sexual abuse within the denomination shared an open letter to the leadership demanding change.

There’s a brewing controversy over critical race theory

The majority of the Southern Baptist membership remains white, and it is less diverse than U.S. protestants overall, according to Pew Research Center.

When the executive committee voted in leadership elections Monday, Rolland Slade, the committee’s first Black chairman, was reelected to a second one-year term without opposition.

But little else about the denomination reflects diversity, critics say.

Dwight McKissic, a pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, spoke with NPR’s Morning Edition last week of his concern with the recent effort within the SBC to ban the teaching of critical race theory at its seminaries.

In a controversial move last year, the Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention affirmed in a statement that while the seminaries condemn “racism in any form,” they agree that “affirmation of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message.”

The statement caused a backlash among some Black pastors, causing several to leave.

Women are struggling to find a place in leadership

The SBC forbids women from becoming pastors, although some congregations have ordained them.

The executive committee punted on an amendment vote to form a task force “of gender and ethnic background to study the biblical authority and biblical viability of a woman serving or not serving as the SBC president.”

The SBC’s Book of Reports for this year’s convention — which contains reports from SBC entities and recommendations from the executive committee — recommends not making changes to its statement of faith, known as the Baptist Faith and Message, regarding the role of women.

“My optimism is very low that the SBC is going to move on the issue of women preaching, teaching or leading,” Beth Allison Barr, a history professor at Baylor University, told Morning Edition last week.

The SBC’s political goals remain conservative

According to the Book of Reports, the organization will continue to lobby on its conservative political positions, lauding the SBC’s recent efforts to join in “cases against an abortion industry that has attempted to use the pandemic as a pretext for their horrific agenda.”

ERLC also affirmed that it plans to “continue to work tirelessly to defund Planned Parenthood.”

“We will do this to protect American taxpayer dollars from the largest abortion provider in the country,” according to an ERLC statement in the Book of Reports.

ERLC said it opposes the Equality Act — which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and the jury system. The bill recently passed the House of Representatives but faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate.

ERLC has also expressed opposition to the Fairness for All Act, a bill introduced in 2019 that supporters say is aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity while providing certain benefits and exemptions to religious providers.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2021/06/15/1006480632/southern-baptists-meet-to-grapple-with-race-gender-equality-and-sexual-abuse

  • President Joe Biden is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
  • Fiona Hill, a top Russia expert, is among those helping Biden prep for the summit, Axios reported.
  • Hill served in the Trump White House and testified at Donald Trump’s first impeachment hearings.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

A former White House national security advisor who testified at the hearings for President Donald Trump’s first impeachment is helping Trump’s successor, President Joe Biden, prepare for his first meeting as commander in chief with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Axios reported.

Sources told Axios that Fiona Hill was among a group of Russia experts who briefed Biden ahead of the meeting, which is set to take place Wednesday.

Hill served as the top Russia expert in the White House from 2017 to 2019, under the Trump administration.

She testified during Trump’s first impeachment hearings, as House lawmakers investigated his dealings with Ukraine.

Hill was also present at Trump’s June 2018 meeting with Putin in Helsinki, where Trump sided with Putin over the US intelligence community on the subject of Russian election interference. Hill told BBC News earlier this year that she considered “faking some kind of medical emergency” to disrupt the press conference.

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/fiona-hill-helping-biden-prep-putin-meeting-axios-2021-6

The Oversight Committee said Tuesday that it obtained the emails after sending a May 21 letter to DOJ requesting documents related to Trump’s “efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election” before the Jan. 6 attack.

The emails, which range from mid-December up to the days before the Capitol invasion, show how Trump, his White House aides and his outside allies repeatedly pressured DOJ officials, the committee said.

On Dec. 14, for instance, Trump’s assistant emailed then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen a raft of attachments claiming an election “Cover-up” was taking place in Michigan, the panel said.

Minutes later, an assistant for Richard Donoghue, then the principal associate deputy attorney general, sent the same information to two U.S. Attorneys’ offices in Michigan, according to the committee.

About 40 minutes after the first email was sent, Trump tweeted that Rosen would be replacing Attorney General William Barr in an acting capacity, and that Donoghue would serve as acting deputy attorney general.

That announcement came just moments after the Electoral College voted to formalize Biden’s victory over Trump.

Later in December, Trump’s assistant emailed a draft legal brief to Rosen, Donoghue and acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall.

The 54-page draft complaint would have asked the Supreme Court to declare that the Electoral College votes of six crucial swing states — Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania — “cannot be counted.”

Trump never conceded to Biden after losing the presidential contest last November. Rather, he falsely claimed he won the election and spread an array of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories alleging that widespread voter fraud had rigged the race against him.

Trump’s lawyers and his allies filed dozens of lawsuits in key swing states he lost, including the United States Supreme Court, aiming to cancel or overturn Electoral College results. Most of those lawsuits avoided even alleging fraud before a court, and none succeeded in flipping any electoral votes to Trump.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/trump-pressured-doj-to-challenge-election-results-emails-show-house-panel-says.html

Ms. Tai described the new agreement as part of Mr. Biden’s effort to conduct what he has called “a foreign policy for the middle class.” She said resolving the dispute would protect 1.2 million jobs in the aerospace sector and related industries.

“The president routinely says that we are strongest when we work with our friends and allies,” she said. “Supporting Boeing means supporting good paying jobs and a strong supply chain here at home.”

Mr. Biden has promised to ease trade tensions with allies, and his decision to meet with the top European Union officials, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, president of the European Council of member states, was highly appreciated here.

At the Group of 7 summit meeting in Britain, sitting with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Mr. Biden lavished praise on the European Union. “I for one think that the European Union is an incredibly strong and vibrant entity, that has a lot to do with the ability of Western Europe not only to handle its economic issues but provide the backbone and support for NATO,” Mr. Biden said.

That is a marked change from the expressed views of former President Donald J. Trump, who considered the European Union an “economic foe” and competitor and derided NATO members as free-riders on American military spending.

In some ways, the European Union, given its enormous economic power as a market and as a trading bloc, has more impact on American life than any other multilateral institution. Mr. Biden wants more support from the Europeans on restraining the damaging effects of the rise of China, with whom the Europeans do a significant amount of trade.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/world/europe/US-EU-Airbus-Boeing.html

Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to hold the grand prize drawing of California’s Vax for the Win lottery Tuesday as the state fully reopens its economy.

Ten people will be picked for the grand prize of $1.5 million each.

To be eligible, you must be at least 12 years of age and have received at least your first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Prize money will be paid once you have completed your vaccination series.

As of Monday, nearly 19 million people were fully vaccinated in California. Close to 4 million people were partially vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine progress dashboard.

Newsom announced the Vax for the Win program last month as a way to incentivize Californians to get inoculated.

There were two Fridays — June 4 and June 11 — where 15 people were picked to receive cash prizes of $50,000. California has also been doling out gift cards to residents who get the vaccine and on Monday announced another vaccine incentive in the form of travel packages.

Below are answers to some commonly asked questions about California’s vaccine lottery:

Who is not eligible for California’s COVID-19 vaccine lottery?

Incarcerated people and those who live out of state are not eligible.

How will winners be notified?

The California Department of Public Health will notify people who win the cash prizes.

Will the winners’ names be made public?

Names will not be announced during the drawings. Winners will get the chance to either decline having their name be made public or decline the prize altogether.

How will the cash prize be disbursed?

The State Controller’s Office will handle disbursements. If the winner owes any back taxes, child support payments or liens, that could affect how much you receive.

Does U.S. citizenship impact eligibility?

State officials said immigration status does not affect eligibility for the prizes.

What are the $50 cash cards for those planning on getting the vaccine?

Starting May 27, the first 2 million eligible Californians to start and complete their vaccination series can receive a card of their choice:

  • A $50 virtual card (which can be spent online, in-store where major debit cards are accepted, or added to a mobile wallet to be used to shop in-stores that accept mobile wallets),
  • Or a $50 grocery gift card from Kroger (which includes Ralphs, Food 4 Less and Foods Co.),
  • Or a $50 grocery gift card from Albertsons (which includes Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions and Andronico’s Community Markets).

You can receive these cash cards if you live in the state, are at least 12 years of age and get vaccinated starting on or after May 27.

Again, incarcerated people and those out of state cannot receive cash cards.

This card program only lasts until the first 2 million people start or complete the process. Californians who are already fully vaccinated are NOT eligible for the cash cards program.

It can take up to five business days to receive the cash card.

If you do not have a mobile phone, email address or permanent address, you can call 1-833-993-3873 to receive a physical card. But the state says you should wait 7-10 days after your vaccination before calling.

How is the prize money being paid for?

The money will initially be coming from California’s general fund. The state expects, however, to get some of that back from federal COVID-19 relief funding.

Where can I learn more information about the COVID-19 vaccine prize money?

The state’s Vax for the Win website has more information about the $15 million in prizes, $50,000 Fridays and $50 cards.

Source Article from https://www.kcra.com/article/california-vaccine-lottery-covid-inventives-what-to-know-june-15/36721176

DEKALB COUNTY, GA. — A triple shooting at a DeKalb County grocery store in Georgia has left a cashier dead and a deputy and the gunman injured, ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported.

The shooting happened Monday afternoon at the Big Bear grocery store along Candler Road.

The incident started when a man walked into the store and refused to put on a mask.

[Man arrested, accused of shooting outside AMC Theatres at Concord Mills]

“I have a friend who works in this store and I think it was her who got shot and it’s just really sad,” witness Marquisha White said. “I don’t know what the world is coming to — period.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the cashier told Victor Lee Tucker, Jr., 30, of Palmetto, to put on a mask and that’s when the chaos unfolded.

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“Tucker left the store without making his purchase, but immediately returned inside. Tucker walked directly back to the cashier, pulled out a handgun and shot her,” the GBI said in a news release.

“The deputy returned fire, shooting the suspect who has also been transported to a local hospital,” said DeKalb County Sherriff Melody Maddox.

The GBI said two DeKalb County police officers arrested Tucker as he was attempting to crawl out the front door of the store.

Fernandes spoke with owner of Big Bear, who did not give his name.

He said he hired and off-duty deputy to help enforce the mask policy at the store.

After Monday’s triple shooting, he said he may not allow customers to carry any guns inside the store anymore.

“How come they carry all the guns in a public place like that?” he asked, calling the practice “bad.”

People who frequent the store say the gunman is well known at Big Bear and they believe he may have some mental health issues.

Tucker was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was last listed as being in stable condition.

Another cashier was also grazed by a bullet. She was treated at the scene.

The deputy was taken to Atlanta Medical Center where he was last listed as being in stable condition.

Source Article from https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/triple-shooting-over-masks-georgia-grocery-store-leaves-cashier-dead-deputy-man-injured/BUGEDLFUVVBXXLRET55FJC6ZEI/

Mr. Biden quickly declared Monday that the alliance is “critically important for U.S. interests” and called Article 5 a “sacred obligation.” He added: “I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there.”

Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy spoke for many when he connected this summit with the Group of 7 summit meeting just concluded in Britain and compared them unfavorably with the period of Mr. Trump. “This summit is part of the process of reaffirming, rebuilding the fundamental alliances of the United States,” which were “weakened by the previous administration,” Mr. Draghi said.

And he pointed to Mr. Biden’s similarly important meetings on Tuesday with the leaders of the European Union, which Mr. Trump considered an economic competitor and even a foe. “We are here to reaffirm these alliances, but also to reaffirm the importance of the European Union,” Mr. Draghi said.

Another key element of Mr. Biden’s European tour, which will conclude on Wednesday in Geneva, where he meets President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for a highly anticipated conversation, is how the democracies of Asia and the West can stand up to the authoritarian challenge. While Russia is a particular threat to NATO and the Euro-Atlantic world, it is not an economic rival.

Speaking Monday night, Mr. Biden called Mr. Putin “a worthy adversary” and said he would look for areas of cooperation with Russia, while laying down red lines about Russian efforts to disrupt democratic societies.

“I’m going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses,” Mr. Biden said. “And if he chooses not to cooperate, and acts in a way that he has in the past, relative to cybersecurity and some other activities, then we will respond. We will respond in kind.”

It is the rise of a rich, aggressive, authoritarian China, however, that Mr. Biden identifies as a major challenge to the United States and its allies, and his intention in Europe is to solicit allied support for efforts to meet that challenge — militarily, technologically and economically.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/world/europe/biden-nato-china-russia.html

Russian President Vladimir Putin dominated the conversation at President Biden’s press conference from the NATO summit on Monday, but none of the reporters who were called on asked about the growing geopolitical threat posed by China

Like at previous press conferences, Biden handpicked reporters from a prepared list. The subjects addressed were limited since the vast majority of the questions given were about his upcoming meeting with Putin. 

“You’ve met Vladimir Putin before. What have you learned about him that informs how you approach this sit down with him and what’s your mindset walking into a meeting with a former KGB agent who you’ve said has no soul?” ABC News correspondent Cecilia Vega asked.

REPORTERS SLAM BIDEN FOR ALLOWING US REPORTERS ‘LESS ACCESS THAN PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS’ DURING NATO SUMMIT

“Have any of the world leaders you met with this week expressed concern that by meeting with President Putin this early in your presidency that it will look like you’re rewarding him?” CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes wondered.

CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny pressed Biden about past remarks referring to the Russian president as a “killer” and whether he still believed that. 

Even Republicans made a cameo appearance during the NATO press conference in a question from Washington Post reporter Anne Rumsey Gearan.

“Here at this meeting and earlier at the G-7, you’ve said several times that America is back at allies’ side but a lot of those allies are themselves pretty rattled what happened on January 6th in the attempted overturns of your election. And they may still be alarmed by the continued hold that Donald Trump has over the Republican Party and the rise of nationalist figures like him around the world,” Gearan said. “What do you say to those allies, what have you been saying to them at these meetings about how the next president of the United States can keep any promises you make?

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While the five reporters that were called on were able to ask two questions, none of them asked about China. 

China, which has become an economic and military rival to the United States, has become the center of an intense political debate on the subject of the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. The theory that the virus leaked from the Wuhan lab has only recently been taken seriously by media outlets after dismissing initial concerns made by prominent Republicans and the Trump administration. They labeled their concerns as a “fringe” “conspiracy theory,” one that The Washington Post reported was “debunk” last year. 

The Post issued a “correction” on its story earlier this month. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-nato-press-conference-putin

Washington — The Senate on Monday approved the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia, confirming President Biden’s first nominee to the U.S. appellate courts.

Jackson received bipartisan backing from the upper chamber in a 53 to 44 vote. Three Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats in confirming Jackson, a judge on the federal district court in D.C. She will fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The D.C. Circuit is considered the nation’s second most-powerful court and a springboard to the Supreme Court. Three of the high court’s nine members — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh — served on the appeals court in the nation’s capital before ascending to the high court.

Jackson is considered a contender for the Supreme Court if a vacancy arises during Mr. Biden’s presidency, especially since the president has pledged to name the nation’s first Black woman to the high court if there is an open seat.

That prospect has led progressive judicial groups to call for Justice Stephen Breyer, who has been on the Supreme Court for 27 years and for whom Jackson clerked, to retire and allow Mr. Biden to name a successor while Democrats hold slim control of the Senate.

The president announced his intent to nominate Jackson to the D.C. Circuit in March as part of his first tranche of judicial nominees, and the pick was widely applauded by Democrats. Jackson has served on the U.S. District Court in D.C. since 2013 and was vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She also worked as an assistant federal public defender in D.C. for two years, professional experience that judicial groups say is lacking on the federal bench. 

With Jackson’s confirmation, there are eight vacancies on the federal courts of appeals, which are the last stop for thousands of cases. The president has announced nominees for six of those seats.

Of the more than 80 open spots on the federal courts, Mr. Biden has named 13 candidates, who are diverse in both their backgrounds and professional experience. The Senate last week confirmed Zahid Quraishi to the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, making him the first Muslim-American federal judge in the nation’s history.

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ketanji-brown-jackson-senate-confirms-dc-federal-appeals-court/

Israelis are now debating what role the Balfour protests may have played in unseating Mr. Netanyahu, who spent 12 consecutive years in office, and 15 overall, and in breaking the political deadlock that sent Israelis to the ballot box four times in two years.

Now the leader of the opposition, Mr. Netanyahu skipped the traditional handover ceremony, merely meeting Mr. Bennett alone for half an hour on Monday. He has vowed to bring down Mr. Bennett’s government, which he has branded as “left-wing.”

The prime minister’s office could not immediately say when the Netanyahus might leave Balfour. A person close to the family, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private affairs, said the subject had not come up for discussion but noted that some previous prime ministers had received a grace period of up to two months before vacating the residence.

Named for Arthur Balfour, the British foreign secretary whose declaration more than a century ago laid the diplomatic foundations for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, Balfour Street became a byword for what detractors saw as the increasingly polarizing, anti-democratic and monarchical impulses of Mr. Netanyahu, his wife, Sara, and their elder son, Yair. Many saw them as having royal delusions. Battling corruption charges, Mr. Netanyahu railed against the police, the mainstream news media and the judiciary and accused them of plotting to overthrow him.

The term “Balfour” also came to denote a political concept identified by Ben Caspit, an Israeli commentator and author of two Netanyahu biographies. In the prime minister’s circles, Mr. Caspit said, people began to speak of which policies or decisions would or would not win the approval of “the house,” which at first meant Ms. Netanyahu, and in more recent years, also referred to Yair Netanyahu.

“It was a three-member board of directors,” Mr. Caspit said in an interview, “and Bibi did not have a majority.”

The person close to the Netanyahu family said that while Ms. Netanyahu and Yair Netanyahu expressed their opinions, he had never seen any extraordinary interference in decision-making to justify the reputation they had gained.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/world/middleeast/netanyahu-balfour-corruption.html

An Atlanta area grocery store cashier was killed and three other people were injured in a shooting following a dispute over a face mask policy in the supermarket Monday, police said.

Driving the news: DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said during a news conference that the female cashier was working at the Big Bear Supermarket in Decatur when she was shot following a “confrontation” over the wearing of masks.

Zoom in: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that the suspect, identified by police as 30-year-old Victor Lee Tucker, “got into an argument with a cashier about his face mask” about 1:10 p.m. local time before leaving the store without making a purchase. But he “immediately returned inside.” 

  • “Tucker walked directly back to the cashier, pulled out a handgun and shot her,” according to the statement.
  • Sheriff Maddox said a reserve deputy, who worked part-time as security for the store and was wearing a bulletproof vest, then exchanged gunfire with the suspect and both were injured, as a bullet grazed a second cashier.
  • DeKalb County Police Department officers arrested the suspect as he tried to crawl out the supermarket door, according to Georgia investigators.
  • Both the deputy and a suspect were taken to a medical center in a stable condition. The first cashier was pronounced dead in the hospital.

Source Article from https://www.axios.com/cashier-killed-georgia-grocery-store-mask-dispute-c755c64f-2a56-4847-a5d3-5d6ec4bffa22.html