Obama scales back 60th birthday bash over COVID surge
CBSN
Washington — Former President Barack Obama has changed plans for his 60th birthday party set to take place in Martha's Vineyard this weekend, cutting down the event's guest list as the Delta variant drives a surge in coronavirus infections.
"Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the president and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends," Hannah Hankins, a spokesperson for Mr. Obama, said in a statement. "President Obama is appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon." The outdoor event was planned several months ago in accordance with public health guidelines, she said.An Arizona grand jury indicted 18 people Wednesday in the ongoing investigation into an alleged attempt to use alternate electors after the 2020 presidential election as part of a wider alleged conspiracy to falsely declare then-President Donald Trump the winner, the state's attorney general announced.
Almost four out of every 10 people in the United States live in a place where air pollution is considered bad enough to put their health at risk, the American Lung Association warned in its latest "State of the Air" report released on Wednesday. That proportion of people — about 39% of the population — had risen sharply since earlier rounds of pollutant data were analyzed for the annual report last year, and the trends were especially pronounced in certain parts of the country.