Ep. 91: News Roundup Week of 7/5/21

Heart & Home

The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated at his residence in Port-au-Prince early Wednesday. Moise, 53, had been involved in a dispute with the opposition over the terms of his presidency. ——- The Japanese Prime Minister announced a six-week state of emergency for Tokyo with the Olympics opening in just two weeks as virus infections spread across Tokyo. The ban will be the fourth for Tokyo since the pandemic began and is set to begin from next Monday to Aug. 22. The Summer Olympics, already delayed a year by the pandemic, begin July 23 and close Aug. 8. —— Elsa, now a post-tropical cyclone, battered the East Coast with heavy rainfall and gusty winds on Friday. Flash flood watches were in effect for Maine on Friday evening after flooding in Philadelphia, New York City and Boston during the day. Yesterday’s severe weather disrupted flight schedules at LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said there were system-wide delays for buses due to Elsa and that the storm impacted service along some subway and rail lines. ——- In Florida, rescue teams were able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible following the demolition Sunday of the remaining part of the Champlain Towers South building. An incoming storm, which was weakened from a hurricane, fast-tracked the demolition process, according to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett. Officials announced today that the death toll of the devastating partial collapse of a 12-story residential building in Surfside, Florida last month rose to 86. ——— Rudy Giuliani's law license was suspended in Washington, DC, after he temporarily lost his license in New York for pushing election lies. The appeals court in DC said Giuliani would be suspended from working as an attorney in the city "pending outcome" of his situation in New York. —— On Thursday, Pfizer Inc. announced it will seek clearance from U.S. regulators in coming weeks to distribute a booster shot of its Covid-19 vaccine to heighten protection against infections, as new virus strains rise. Meanwhile, hospitalizations related to Covid-19 are rising in the U.S. after a long decline, federal data showed, providing evidence of the human toll the Delta virus variant is taking on unvaccinated Americans. ——- On Monday, Canada announced exemptions for fully-vaccinated people looking to enter the country. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers will still have to fulfil testing and quarantining requirements when entering the country. —— On Thursday afternoon, a 6.0 quake followed by more than 60 aftershocks struck in Antelope Valley, California, close to the Nevada border, and felt in the San Francisco Bay Area.