New York state school mask mandate will end Wednesday
CBSN
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Sunday that the statewide school mask mandate will end Wednesday. Shortly afterward, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the vaccine mandate for bars, restaurants and theaters could end as soon as March 7.
The governor's office said the decision to end the mask mandate was based on "the analysis of several key COVID-19 data trends and after consulting with health and education experts, as well as parents, teachers and school administrators."
The state's mandate will be lifted, but local officials will still maintain the authority to require masks indoors, Hochul said. Parents and guardians may still choose to send their children to school in masks as well.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.