What to know about COVID-19, the Delta variant and vaccines as fall approaches
CBSN
Since the Delta variant was first spotted in India in late 2020, it has quickly accelerated to make up nearly all the coronavirus cases currently in the United States.
Though public health officials say the vaccines currently remain effective against this strain of the virus, Delta's rapid spread has prompted a rethinking of plans to ease restrictions and a strengthening of mask rules in many communities. Worries of waning effectiveness against the strain also led to the Biden administration announcing plans to offer booster shots to Americans starting in September. Meanwhile, the national vaccination effort is once again showing signs of slowing. Just over half of the American population is fully vaccinated, far short of the elusive "herd immunity" some hoped the country would reach by the end of the summer. Seven states have yet to complete vaccinations in even 40% of their residents.
Air travelers faced hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays on Tuesday in the wake of powerful storms that struck the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard. Many airports also continue to struggle with disruption from reduced staffing at often-jammed security checkpoints amid a partial government shutdown that has lasted more than a month. Mark Strassmann contributed to this report. In:

The race to fill the seat of retiring Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin has been heating up in the days leading up to Tuesday's 2026 Democratic primary and could set the tone for other midterm primaries on issues like President Trump's deportation policies and outside spending. And another factor in the race is Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt at powerbrokering: he's given his endorsement and millions in campaign funds to his lieutenant governor, Julianna Stratton. In:

A man who was accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack in 2021 is asking a judge to dismiss the criminal charges against him, arguing he is covered by President Trump's sweeping pardons of alleged Jan. 6 rioters.










