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                                                                                                 u.s. news Diaranson 16 Juni 2021

                           White House to host July 4 'independence from virus' bash


            (AP) — Cue the fireworks. President Joe Biden  ficial kickoff to a new phase in the U.S. pandemic
            wants to imbue Independence Day with new  response.  The  federal  government  is  looking  to
            meaning this year by encouraging nationwide  turn the page on the domestic public health crisis
            celebrations  to  mark  the  country’s  effective  and focus on an economic and civic revival at home
            return to normalcy after 16 months of coro-     and  marshaling  support  for  vaccinations  around
            navirus pandemic disruption.                    the globe.
            Even as the U.S. is set to cross the grim milestone  Across the country, the White House is hoping to
            of 600,000 deaths from the virus on Tuesday, the  see the similar Independence Day activities, after
            White House is expressing growing certainty that  last year saw the mass cancellation of July Fourth
            July Fourth will serve as a breakthrough moment  festivities, according to two White House officials
            in  the  nation’s  recovery.  That’s  even  though  the  who spoke on the condition of anonymity to out-
            U.S. is not expected to quite reach its goal of hav-  line the administration’s thinking.
            ing 70% of adults vaccinated by the holiday.
                                                            “We welcome you to join us by hosting your own  down from a high of nearly 2 million per day two
            As COVID-19 case rates and deaths drop to levels  events  to  honor  our  freedom,  salute  those  who  months ago.
            not seen since the first days of the outbreak, travel  have been serving on the frontlines, and celebrate
            picks up and schools and businesses reopen, Biden  our progress in fighting this pandemic,” the White  White House officials acknowledged that there are
            is proclaiming “a summer of freedom” to celebrate  House wrote in an email to state and local officials  still deep geographic disparities in vaccination and
            Americans resuming their pre-pandemic lives.    Tuesday. It asked them to share their plans to be  that  the  administration  will  continue  to  remind
                                                            highlighted later by the administration.         Americans that if they are not vaccinated they re-
            The holiday will see the largest event yet of Biden’s                                            main at risk of serious illness and death from the
            presidency: He plans to host first responders, es-  In Washington, the National Mall will host the tra-  virus.
            sential workers and military servicemembers and  ditional fireworks ceremony, the White house said.
            their  families  on  the  South  Lawn  for  a  cookout                                           All American adults have been eligible for shots for
            and to watch the fireworks over the National Mall.  “America is headed into a summer dramatically dif-  two months, and the administration has mounted
            Well more than 1,000 guests are expected, officials  ferent from last year,” the administration wrote to  an aggressive “month of action” to try to drive up
            said, with final arrangements still to be sorted out.  officials. “A summer of freedom. A summer of joy.  demand for doses, though that has done little to
                                                            A summer of reunions and celebrations.”          change the trend lines: Fewer Americans are inter-
            The plan shows the dramatic shift in thinking since                                              ested in getting vaccinated.
            Biden just  three months  ago cautiously  held out  The upbeat announcement contrasts with the drea-
            hope that people might be able to hold small cook-  rier reality in Europe, where Biden is on an eight-  Officials say the effects of the July 4 vaccination goal
            outs by the Fourth, an idea that seems quaint now  day, three-country tour — not to mention much of  of 70% of Americans on driving down COVID-19
            given the swift pace of reopening.              the rest of the world where vaccines remain scarce.  cases are already being felt even if the benchmark
                                                                                                             won’t be attained. Some 166.5 million adults have
            “By July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your  Instead of having a mission accomplished moment,  received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,
            families and friends will be able to get together in  in Britain, one of the few countries that has a vacci-  according to CDC data. To reach his goal, Biden
            your backyard or in your neighborhood and have  nation rate similar to the U.S., the government an-  would need to vaccinate about 14 million more in
            a cookout and a barbeque and celebrate Indepen-  nounced Monday it plans to further delay reopen-  less than three weeks.
            dence Day,” Biden had said as he marked the one-  ing for at least another month to try to get more
            year  anniversary  of  the  pandemic  on  March  11.  people vaccinated. But cases there, unlike the U.S.,  “Regardless of where we are on July Fourth, we’re
            “That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people  are rising, and not all adults have been offered a  not shutting down shop,” White House press sec-
            together, but it does mean small groups will be able  vaccine yet, nor have children.            retary Jen Psaki said last week. “On July 5th, we’re
            to get together.”                                                                                going to continue to press to vaccinate more people
                                                            While in Europe, Biden and Group of Seven al-    across the country.”
            For most Americans, that reopening target was hit  lies announced plans to provide 1 billion shots for
            last month, by Memorial Day weekend, after the  poorer nations, half of them from the U.S., but aid  The Democratic  president intends to use his re-
            Centers  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention  re-  groups said a far greater commitment is needed to  marks on July Fourth to highlight the administra-
            laxed mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated  defeat the virus around the globe.             tion’s “wartime response,” with a vaccination cam-
            people  and  the  accompanying  relaxation  in  state                                            paign that helped bring cases and deaths down by
            and local virus restrictions.                   Still,  the  U.S.  vaccination  campaign  is  far  from  about 90% from where they were before he took
                                                            over as rates slip. Fewer than 370,000 Americans  office on Jan. 20.
            Now, officials say July Fourth will serve as an unof-  are now getting their first dose on average each day,


                         US Park service sued after gate kills Ugandan humanitarian


            (AP)  —  The  family  of  Salt Lake City reported.        something  he  has  called  the
            a  women’s  rights  activ-                                “worst  thing  I  hope  I  will
            ist from Uganda sued the  The lawsuit does not specify  ever see.”
            National  Park  Service  the  amount  of  damages  be-
            this  month  after  she  was  ing  sought,  but  Nakajjigo’s  Nakajjigo,  25,  was  born  in
            decapitated last year by a  family has previously filed a  Kampala,  Uganda,  and  used
            gate at Utah’s Arches Na-    $270 million notice of claim.  her  university  tuition  mon-
            tional Park.                 Notices  of  claim  must  be  ey to start a nonprofit com-
                                         filed ahead of lawsuits against  munity  health  care  center
            The  gate  had  been  left  un-  government agencies and the  for  girls  and  young  women
            latched against federal policy  lawsuit  was  filed  June  8  in  when she was a teenager.
            for two weeks before it struck  federal court.
            Esther  Nakajjigo  in  June                               She  earned  numerous  hu-
            2020,  according  to  the  law-  The  gate  sliced  through  the  manitarian awards and creat-
            suit filed in Denver.        side of their rented car, strik-  ed a popular reality television
                                         ing Nakajjigo in the head and  series  aimed  at  empowering
            She  and  her  husband  were  neck and killing her, the law-  young  mothers.  She  was  at-
            newlyweds  traveling  in  the  suit said.                 tending  a  social-entrepre-  A  National  Park  Service  park  service  previously  is-
            well-known  park  when  the                               neurship  program  in  Colo-  spokesperson  declined  com-  sued  a  statement  expressing
            wind caught the gate as they  Her husband Ludo Michaud  rado at the time of her death.  ment Monday on the lawsuit,  sympathy to her family.
            drove  out,  Fox13-KSTU  in  witnessed  his  wife’s  death,                            Fox13-KSTU  reported.  The
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