According to American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill, the association now has 2,010 members, at 2,547 locations, an increase of more than 300 since spring 2021. It’s the highest ABA total in years.
Stories by associated press
Many Baby Formula Plants Weren’t Inspected Because of COVID
U.S. regulators have historically inspected baby formula plants at least once a year, but they did not inspect any of the three biggest manufacturers in 2020, according to federal records reviewed by The Associated Press.
WHO Convenes Experts to Decide If Monkeypox Is an Emergency
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday he decided to convene the emergency committee on June 23 because the virus has shown “unusual” recent behavior by spreading in countries well beyond parts of Africa, where it is endemic.
Senate Negotiators Announce a Deal on Guns, Breaking Logjam
The proposal falls far short of tougher steps long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats. Even so, if the accord leads to the enactment of legislation, it would signal a turn from years of gun massacres that have yielded little but stalemate in Congress.
US: Pfizer COVID-19 Shot Appears Effective for Kids Under 5
Federal health officials said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children.
31 Members of White Supremacist Group Patriot Front Arrested Near Idaho Pride Event
Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas, police said. Only one was from Idaho.
High-Profile Independent Candidates Try to Break Democrat, Republican Control
The Republican and Democratic parties have dominated politics in America since the 1850s. These days, they’ve staked out sharply opposing positions on gun control, abortion rights, policing, climate change and much more, leaving a lot of middle-ground opportunities for independent and third-party candidates.
Biden Juggles Principles, Pragmatism in Stance on Autocrats
As a candidate for president, Joe Biden was not shy about calling out dictators and authoritarian leaders as he anchored his foreign policy in the idea that the world is in a battle between democracy and autocracy. But Biden’s governing approach as president has been far less black and white as he tries to balance such high-minded principles with the tug toward pragmatism.
US Inflation at New 40-Year High as Price Increases Spread
Consumer prices surged 8.6% last month from a year earlier, faster than April’s year-over-year increase of 8.3%, the Labor Department said Friday. The new inflation figure, the highest since 1981, will heighten pressure on the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates aggressively.
What’s Next for the Jan. 6 Panel: More Hearings, More Trump
The next round of hearings won’t take place in prime time like the debut on Thursday, but lawmakers will go into greater detail about specific aspects of the insurrection. Here’s a snapshot of what the committee says is ahead.
US Lifts COVID-19 Test Requirement for International Travel
The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Capitol Riot Panel Blames Trump for 1/6 ‘Attempted Coup’
Thursday’s prime-time hearing will open with eyewitness testimony from the first police officer pummeled in the mob riot and from a documentary filmmaker tracking the extremist Proud Boys, who prepared to fight for Trump immediately after the election, and led the storming of the Capitol.
Chicago Man Who Saved Man on Train Tracks Gets Free Car
On Monday, he got off at a stop on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line when he noticed a nearly unconscious man on the electrified third rail of the tracks. He jumped down onto the tracks and pulled the man to safety.
Prosecutors: R. Kelly Should Get At Least 25 Years in Prison for New York Conviction
A New York City jury found Kelly guilty of racketeering and multiple other counts last year at a sex-trafficking trial. Prosecutors alleged that the entourage of managers and aides who helped Kelly meet girls — and keep them obedient — amounted to a criminal enterprise.
GOP Candidate for Michigan Governor Charged for Capitol Riot Role
Ryan Kelley, one of five Republican candidates for Michigan governor, was charged with misdemeanors Thursday for his role in the 2021 postelection riot at the U.S. Capitol.
World Health Organization: COVID Origins Unclear, but Lab Leak Theory Needs Study
That stance marks a sharp reversal of the U.N. health agency’s initial assessment of the pandemic’s origins. WHO concluded last year that it was “extremely unlikely” COVID-19 might have spilled into humans from a lab.
Jan. 6 Committee’s Members Are on Diverging Political Paths
Working in private rooms in a Capitol office building, the seven Democrats and two Republicans have participated in hours of interviews, hearing testimony from members of former President Donald Trump’s family, former Justice Department officials and Trump White House aides.
Explainer: Hundreds Charged With Crimes in Jan. 6 Capitol Attack
The charges against members of the angry pro-Trump mob range from low-level misdemeanors for those who only entered the Capitol to felony seditious conspiracy charges against far-right extremists. It’s the largest prosecution in the history of the Justice Department.
Joy, Sadness Intertwine at Normandy’s D-Day Commemorations
As several dozen D-Day veterans — now all in their 90s — set foot on the sands that claimed so many colleagues, they are thankful for the gratitude and friendliness of the French toward those who landed here on June 6, 1944.
Proud Boys Charged With Seditious Conspiracy in Capitol Riot
The new riot-related indictments against Proud Boys members are among the most serious filed so far, but they aren't the first of their kind. Eleven members or associates of the anti-government Oath Keepers militia group were indicted in January on seditious conspiracy charges in the Capitol attack.
After Groundbreaking Slave Reparations Report, What Next?
The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans recommended a long list of actions the state can take to address the racial wealth gap.
More Job Gains Point to a Solid Economy And Fed Rate Hikes
Last month’s gain reflects a resilient job market that has so far shrugged off concerns that the economy will weaken in the coming months as the Federal Reserve steadily raises interest rates to fight inflation.
White House: 1st Shots for Kids Under 5 Possible by June 21
White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha outlined the administration’s planning for the last remaining ineligible age group to get shots. He said the Food and Drug Administration’s outside panel of advisers will meet on June 14-15 to evaluate the Pfizer and Moderna shots for younger kids.
US and Germany Agree to Supply Advanced Weapons to Ukraine
Germany said it will supply Ukraine with up-to-date anti-aircraft missiles and radar systems, while the U.S. announced it will provide four sophisticated, medium-range rocket systems and ammunition.
Shootings Prompt Debate on Purchase Age for AR-Style Rifles
Only six states require someone to be at least 21 years old to buy rifles and shotguns. Advocates argue that such a limit might have prevented the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead and the racially motivated supermarket attack in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10.
Block of COVID Funds Risks US Lives, White House Says
President Joe Biden’s appeal for funds for vaccines, testing and treatments has hit opposition from Republicans, who’ve fused the fight with the precarious politics of immigration. Congress is in recess, and the next steps are uncertain.
