Both sides are telling the Supreme Court there’s no middle ground in Wednesday’s showdown over abortion. The justices can either reaffirm the constitutional right to an abortion or wipe it away altogether.
The South African doctor who first alerted the scientific community to a new SARS-CoV-2 — B.1.1.529, which the World Health Organization has dubbed "Omicron" — has described symptoms of the variant as "unusual, but mild."
South Africa's medical chief says recent travel bans represent a "storm in a teacup" and that the country has only recorded "very mild cases" of the new strain.
US President Joe Biden will apparently allow new leasing of federal lands for oil and natural-gas exploration, though with new restrictions and higher fees on producers, rather than fulfill a campaign promise to halt drilling.
