The US is one of only seven countries in the world without some form of universal paid family and medical leave – but two congresswomen are trying to change that. Both mothers with daughters, this bipartisan duo is collaborating across the aisle in hopes to make progress on the issue.
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A barrage of snow, rain and harsh winds is forecast from the West Coast to the Great Lakes today, following a similar string of severe weather last week. Approximately 284,000 homes and businesses were without power across the US as of this morning, about half of which were in Michigan, where the region is bracing for another round of ice and snow, forecasts show. More than 100 other storm reports were recorded in parts of the Central US as hurricane-force winds and thunderstorms tore through various states overnight. A gust of 114 mph was recorded in Texas – equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. Meanwhile, the West is expecting a separate system of rain and high-elevation snow that will push from the Pacific Northwest down into California, where some rare blizzard warnings remain in effect.
The US Department of Energy has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely came from a laboratory leak in China. The new assessment further adds to the divide in the US government over whether the pandemic began in China in 2019 as the result of a lab leak or whether it emerged naturally. Various intelligence agencies have been split on the matter. “Right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday, noting that President Joe Biden has put resources into getting to the bottom of the origin question. The US…
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