Tuesday, November 17th, 2020

Final preparations are underway to mark 20 years since the September 11th terror attacks that changed the nation; Pres. Biden ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans; Mexican authorities continue to violently crackdown on Central American and Haitian migrants trying to reach the US/Mexico border seeking asylum; and today is the last episode of Unews the broadcast and podcast, stay tuned for an exciting announcement. Thank you for following!

Los Angeles school district, the second largest in the country, is expected to announce a vaccine requirement for students 12 and up; President Biden will be laying out a six pronged strategy to fight the pandemic, including vaccine mandates for federal workers; former NYPD detective remembers the events of 9/11 and how the terrorist attacks changed policing in New York City.

New COVID cases among children are skyrocketing with nearly 252,000 American children testing positive for the virus last week; a powerful earthquake has struck in southern Mexico near Acapulco, causing buildings to rock and sway in Mexico City hundreds of miles away; Vice President Kamala Harris stomps for Gavin Newsom head of governor’s recall election.

President Biden is in Louisiana surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Ida as thousands of people remain without power; at least 50 confirmed deaths in the North East after Ida’s remnants caused historic flash flooding; growing fallout after the Supreme Court allows the most restrictive abortion law to take effect in Texas, president Biden calling it “almost un-American.”

The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped historic rain over New York City, with at least 20 deaths linked to flooding in the region; in New Orleans, an ongoing power outage after Hurricane Ida is making the sweltering summer unbearable; the CDC has issued a travel warning, telling vaccinated people to "consider their risk" and telling unvaccinated people not to travel at all.

Thousands of Louisiana residents are sweltering in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida with no electricity, no tap water, little gasoline and no clear idea of when things might improve; President Biden passionately defended the way the U.S. ended its 20-year "forever war" in Afghanistan during a Tuesday address to the nation; covid cases and hospitalizations are rising across the country but so are vaccine rates thanks in part to vaccine mandates.

Rescuers in boats, helicopters and high-water trucks have brought hundreds of people trapped by Hurricane Ida’s floodwaters to safety; the final military flight has left Afghanistan but 200 Americans were unable to leave; nearly 97% of US counties are now either reporting high or substantial community transmission of covid according to the CDC; and a violinist in Venezuela survives covid and now uses music to help others get through the illness.

Hurricane Ida became a tropical storm as top winds slowed over Mississippi overnight; average daily hospitalizations from covid-19 have crossed 100,000 for the first time since the winter surge; rocket fire targeting Kabul’s airport struck a nearby neighborhood during the final hours of the American troop withdrawal.

Pentagon officials say over 12,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in the past 24 hours as the withdrawal deadline nears; US forces in Afghanistan remain on edge bracing for another possible terrorist attack; the delta variant now accounts for 99% of all cases in the US; a judge says Florida school districts may impose mask mandates, rules Gov. DeSantis overstepped his authority.

Two blasts outside of Kabul’s airport killed at least a dozen people and injured scores, including several US Marines; covid hospitalizations are at a seven month high in the US with many ICUs at or near capacity; and proposed redistricting in Colorado will splinter the Latino vote among three Republican strongholds, diluting the group’s voting power.