News

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows at the U.S. Capitol in February. Meadows has agreed to provide documents and appear for a deposition before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Politics & Government

Ex-Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will appear before the Jan. 6 panel

8:52pm November 30, 2021

by Claudia Grisales

The House committee investigating the Capitol attack had threatened Meadows with a criminal contempt referral because he had previously refused to cooperate.

Queue Listen Now

Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug to treat mild to moderate COVID-19, is under consideration by the FDA for possible authorization.

Health & Safety

New antiviral drugs are coming for COVID. Here's what you need to know

7:48pm November 30, 2021

by Pien Huang

The FDA is considering new pills that could treat people in early stages of COVID. Here's what to know about how they work, how effective they are and the impact they could make on the pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

A registered nurse stirs a nasal swab in testing solution after administering a COVID-19 test in Los Angeles, Calif. Increased testing could help in efforts to detect and track new variants like omicron.

As U.S. races to detect and track omicron, patchwork surveillance makes that tough

6:42pm November 30, 2021

What's the U.S. doing to watch out for the omicron variant? Here's the work underway and the challenges that experts say may slow down the country's efforts.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in August. He called on Western nations on Sunday to scrap travel restrictions placed on southern Africa to stem the spread of the omicron variant. "The prohibition of travel is not informed by science nor will it b

African leaders condemn travel restrictions as omicron variant spreads globally

6:29pm November 30, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

African nations are bristling at the restrictions imposed on them by rich countries — and say they are harmful to local economies and discriminate against countries in the region.

A COVID-19 antiviral pill called molnupiravir from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics is being considered by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in the coronavirus pandemic.

Health & Safety

An FDA panel supports Merck COVID drug in mixed vote

6:18pm November 30, 2021

by Scott Hensley

If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes use of the drug, called molnupiravir, it would be the first oral COVID-19 treatment that could be taken at home.

The Lovely Bones author Alice Sebold said in her statement, "I will continue to struggle with the role that I unwittingly played within a system that sent an innocent man to jail."

Books
Arts

Alice Sebold apologizes to the man exonerated in the rape that her memoir focused on

6:14pm November 30, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

"I am sorry most of all for the fact that the life you could have led was unjustly robbed from you," the author wrote in a statement. A judge exonerated Anthony Broadwater of the crime last week.

Arriving South Korean tourists receive flower garlands at Phu Quoc international airport on November 20, 2021, as the island welcomes its first international tourists to arrive after a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine passport scheme kicked off this month in

World News

The U.N. predicts that 2021 global tourism losses will barely improve over last year

5:52pm November 30, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

The recent emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant presents another potential hurdle as the tourism industry prepares for the upcoming winter holiday season.

Patients queue to get vaccinated against COVID-19, in Aristotelous Square, in the center of the Greek city of Thessaloniki on November 26, 2021.

World News

Greece will mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 60, or make them pay fines

5:39pm November 30, 2021

by Joanna Kakissis

Anyone who refuses to get vaccinated will face monthly fines of 100 euros, or roughly $114. The monthly fine is substantial for retirees — the average pension is 730 euros a month.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the start of trading on Monday following Friday's steep decline in global stocks over fears of the new omicron coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa.

Economy

Stocks dive over the potential economic fallout from the omicron variant

4:56pm November 30, 2021

by Scott Horsley

Stocks fell on Tuesday as investors weighed the potential economic fallout from the new coronavirus variant. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank could end its bond-buying early.

TV's Dr. Oz enters Pennsylvania's crucial Senate race on the GOP side

4:44pm November 30, 2021

by Alana Wise

The celebrity surgeon, who has promoted questionable health advice to national television audiences, has thrown his hat into the ring to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate.