
Vaccination disparities reflect 'two Americas' this July 4th
CNN
Millions of Americans have their lives and livelihoods back and are basking in a summer of freedom. But a divided nation's varied faith in vaccines and a more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus are thwarting hopes of a full declaration of independence from the pandemic.
President Joe Biden long ago named the Fourth of July as the moment when citizens would escape the clutches of the virus -- if the country united in one last huge effort to follow health guidelines and embraced the vaccine rollout. Biden fell short of his target of 70% of American adults getting at least one dose of vaccine by the holiday. In a briefing this week, Jeff Zients, the White House Covid-19 response coordinator, said that more than 180 million Americans -- and 67% of adults -- had received at least one shot.
Janet Mills and her allies are counting on a gender gap to narrow Platner’s wide lead ahead of the June 9 primary to decide who will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. They are betting that the unfiltered style that has brought Platner widespread attention as someone who could help Democrats reach young men will backfire with women.

As a shrinking number of Transportation Security Administration agents work to keep hourslong security lines moving despite not being paid, President Donald Trump stepped into the fray Saturday, announcing he will send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports by Monday if Congress doesn’t agree to a plan to end the partial government shutdown.











