FDA expected to fast-track approval of J&J experimental COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use authorization

Johnson & Johnson submitted an application on Thursday to the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency use authorization of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine. The FDA could grant that authorization within weeks; if authorized, it would give the U.S. a third Covid-19 vaccine, along with those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Dr. Paul Stoffels, chief scientific …

Virginia Senate backs bill to abolish the death penalty

On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate approved legislation to abolish the death penalty, bringing the state one step closer to becoming the 23rd state to do so. The upper chamber of the General Assembly voted 21-17 on the bill along party lines. The Virginia House of Delegates must still vote on the legislation — and the …

Former Ohio police officer indicted by grand jury in fatal shooting of

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that a former Ohio police officer has been indicted in the fatal shooting of a black man last month. Adam Coy, the white officer who served with the Columbus Police Department, was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in the shooting death of Andre Hill, 47. Ohio Attorney General Dave …

Former Ohio police officer indicted by grand jury in fatal shooting of Andre Hill

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that a former Ohio police officer has been indicted in the fatal shooting of a black man last month. Adam Coy, the white officer who served with the Columbus Police Department, was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in the shooting death of Andre Hill, 47. Ohio Attorney General Dave …

Boston and NY flights canceled and vaccine distribution halted as major Nor’easter hits East Coast

A major storm hit the mid-Atlantic coast and northeast with a snow accumulation of more than a foot in some areas on Monday, and is expected to intensify Tuesday overnight. The National Weather Service said that areas from the northern Mid-Atlantic to southern New England experienced heavy snow and increasingly strong winds together with increasing …

SpaceX announces first mission with all-civilian crew

On Monday, SpaceX announced plans for the first all-civilian mission to space in late 2021.  The mission will be a days long orbit of the Earth, to be led by finance company executive and pilot Jared Isaacman. Isaacman has purchased a four-person mission in the SpaceX Dragon capsule Resilience to launch atop a Falcon 9 …

Former president Trump names new legal defense team for impeachment trial

Just one day after CNN first reported that five members of former President Trump’s defense team had departed, his office announced that David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor, Jr. will now head the legal team for his second impeachment trial.  Trump faces an article of impeachment charging incitement of insurrection, and the trial is slated …

Major Nor’easter expected to impact East Coast with blizzard-like conditions

A major nor’easter traveling toward the East Coast is expected to affect approximately 110 million people on the East Coast with blizzard-like conditions including heavy snow, rain and high winds. The storm, which forecasters predicted will last until at least Tuesday, had already dumped a half-foot of snow in the Midwest by Sunday into parts …

Dow jumps 300 points as firms rally against GameStop stock transactions

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 300.19 points while the S&P 500 climbed 0.98% and the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.50% as U.S. markets rebounded on Thursday.  Brokerage firms took steps to restrict an influx of transactions on heavily shorted stocks, after the stock trading app Robinhood restricted trades involving GameStop, AMC, Blackberry, and Nokia.  All …