Governors in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon announce the end of their statewide school mask mandates. / CNN Anya Kamenetz: A post-masking consensus may be closer than it appears. / NPR A thrifty billionaire, who's only making money in order to give away even more, feels misunderstood. / The
In the US, there have been more school shootings in the 2021-22 school year so far than at any point in the past decade. / Reuters A 2012 Supreme Court decision that blocked patent protections for diagnostic tests is one of the reasons why Americans can't get Covid
"Viral fragments with novel patterns of mutations appeared repeatedly." NYC sewage hints at Covid's future. / The New York Times Newly filed tax records show one of the best-funded anti-vax groups in the US saw a 60% bump in revenue in 2020. / NBC News Why
The US added 467,000 jobs in January despite the omicron variant surge. / The Washington Post Shares of Facebook parent company Meta plunge in the biggest one-day decline for a stock in US history. / CNBC Explainer: How Apple's push for privacy on the iPhone cost Meta $10
Biden revives the "cancer moonshot" program he led as vice president, and this time aims to cut death rates by more than half over the next 25 years. / The New York Times A decade after receiving CAR T-cell therapy, two cancer patients still show no signs of
Assailants attacked Guinea-Bissau's government palace for hours on Tuesday, but the coup was thwarted. / The Associated Press What local power tells us about national politics in South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria. / This Week in Africa President Biden to deploy more troops in Germany, Poland, and Romania,
The US State Dept. has ordered embassy family members to depart Belarus after a Russian troop buildup on the country's border with Ukraine. / CNN According to new accounts, Trump was a lot more involved than previously thought in efforts to seize voting machines after the 2020 election. / The
World leaders apply diplomatic pressure on Russia ahead of a series of United Nations meetings over the Ukraine crisis. / The Washington Post Even relatively friendly countries in Eastern Europe "mistrust Russian expansionism." / The Economist Portugal's ruling Socialist Party wins parliamentary election, returning it to power. / TIME
Though officials won't "get into the specifics," the US says if Ukraine is invaded it may halt the opening of a Russian pipeline into Western Europe. / BBC A new Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in Asia and Europe, and has now reached the US. Early evidence
The cost of visiting Hong Kong during Omicron can include being sent to the city's government quarantine camp. / CNN Helen Branswell: Hong Kong may become a living laboratory in search for Covid-19 answers. / STAT Headlines of the week? "At Beijing Games, hugs discouraged but condoms available.
