US Domestic News Roundup: New York hospitals fire, suspend staff who refuse COVID vaccine; U.S. Senate fails to advance debt ceiling, government funding measure and more

The move, which the lawmakers argue threatens Biden's pledge to protect the U.S. farm economy, follows a Reuters report last week that Biden's administration is considering big cuts to the nation's biofuel blending requirements. U.S. murders soar nearly 30% in 2020, FBI reports The number of murders in the United States rose nearly 30% in 2020 and overall violent crime rose for the first time in four years, the FBI said in its annual crime report on Monday, in a surge experts attribute in part to COVID-19 hardships.


Reuters | Updated: 28-09-2021 18:57 IST | Created: 28-09-2021 18:30 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: New York hospitals fire, suspend staff who refuse COVID vaccine; U.S. Senate fails to advance debt ceiling, government funding measure and more
Representative Image Image Credit: Greg Willis

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

New York hospitals fire, suspend staff who refuse COVID vaccine

New York hospitals on Monday began firing or suspending healthcare workers for defying a state order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and resulting staff shortages prompted some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries or curtail services. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference the city's hospitals were not yet seeing a major impact from the mandate, adding he worried about other areas of the state where vaccination rates are lower.

U.S. Senate fails to advance debt ceiling, government funding measure

A sharply divided U.S. Senate failed on Monday to advance a measure to suspend the federal debt ceiling and avoid a partial government shutdown, as Republican lawmakers denied the bill the votes necessary to move forward. The legislation by President Joe Biden's Democrats was aimed at beating two fast-approaching deadlines that, if left unaddressed, threaten to destabilize the U.S. economy as it struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

With births and a beauty salon, Afghan 'guests' transform U.S. base

It could be the happy moments, like news of the 24 babies born here or last weekend's wedding. Or maybe it's talk of the trauma among evacuees or the Afghans picking through clothes on folding tables after losing absolutely everything. But there's a sense that life's events, in all of their complexity, are simply unfolding for the over 9,300 Afghan evacuees who have come to call this U.S. military base in New Jersey home over the past month or so - and who may be here for some time.

Pentagon leaders to face Afghanistan reckoning in Congress

President Joe Biden's top military leaders are expected to face some of the most contentious hearings in memory this week over the chaotic end to the war in Afghanistan, which cost the lives of U.S. troops and civilians and left the Taliban back in power. The Senate and House committees overseeing the U.S. military will hold hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, where Republicans are hoping to zero in on mistakes that Biden's administration made toward the end of the two-decade-old war.

Accused Georgia spa shooter to face judge on four more murder charges

A Georgia man accused of a shooting massacre at Atlanta-area day spas in March is set to appear before a judge on Tuesday to be arraigned on four counts of felony murder and other charges in Fulton County, where the prosecutor seeks the death penalty. In a case that caught national attention, Robert Aaron Long, 22, is accused of killing a total of eight people, most of them of Asian descent, at three spas in or near Atlanta. He pleaded guilty in July to four of the slayings in Cherokee County.

In the shadow of U.S. Supreme Court history, a Puerto Rican family struggles

Emanuel Rivera Fuentes, severely disabled since birth and lying in bed at the home he shares with his parents in Puerto Rico, recites a list of 14 medications he must take daily for medical conditions including cerebral palsy. The drugs represent just one aspect of the care he requires, a burden that largely falls upon his parents, Abraham Rivera Berrios and Gladys Fuentes Lozada, who adopted him when he was a baby given just weeks to live.

'A four-alarm fire': Tight Virginia governor's race holds warning signs for Democrats

Almost a year after President Joe Biden trounced Donald Trump in Virginia, the state's unexpectedly tight race for governor has alarmed Democrats and left Republicans hopeful they can win back crucial suburban voters who left the party during Trump's tumultuous presidency. With early voting under way, the non-partisan Cook Report has labeled the Nov. 2 contest between Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor, and Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin, a toss-up. A poll last week by the University of Mary Washington gave Youngkin an advantage with likely voters.

Biden's Democrats in Congress race to head off shutdown, default

President Joe Biden's Democrats will seek on Tuesday to head off two looming dangers to the U.S. economy as they try to keep government operations funded beyond a Thursday deadline and avoid defaulting on its debt. Democrats had hoped to dispatch both tasks with a single vote but were blocked on Monday by Senate Republicans, who said the two should be dealt with separately. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said more votes were likely, but did not say what course he would take.

U.S. Democratic lawmakers urge Biden not to reduce biofuel mandates

A group of U.S. Democratic lawmakers called on President Joe Biden to halt a plan to slash the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into their fuel, according to a letter dated Monday. The move, which the lawmakers argue threatens Biden's pledge to protect the U.S. farm economy, follows a Reuters report last week that Biden's administration is considering big cuts to the nation's biofuel blending requirements.

U.S. murders soar nearly 30% in 2020, FBI reports

The number of murders in the United States rose nearly 30% in 2020 and overall violent crime rose for the first time in four years, the FBI said in its annual crime report on Monday, in a surge experts attribute in part to COVID-19 hardships. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter offenses rose 29.4 percent in 2020 over 2019, marking the largest annual increase since national record-keeping began in the 1960s, the New York Times and Washington Post reported.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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