At least 18 people have been killed during nationwide anti-coup protests in Myanmar on Sunday, marking the deadliest day in the country since the demonstrations began earlier this month, BBC reports. Dozens more people were reportedly injured. Deaths were reported in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay, as well as several others where police allegedly fired live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas. Demonstrators have said, in some instances at least, police fired without warning.
The military regime that overthrew Myanmar's elected government in February has ramped up its response to the pro-democracy rallies over the last few weeks after a few initial days of calm. Security forces have reportedly utilized increasingly violent tactics to disperse the crowds and hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been detained. But the protesters have so far shown no sign of slowing down. "Whatever they do, we just have to take it," one protester told Reuters.
Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's civilian leader who has not been seen in public since she was detained by the military, is scheduled to appear in court Monday on dubious charges of possessing unregistered walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus rules, but her lawyer says he has not been able to speak with her, per BBC. Read more at BBC and Reuters. Tim O'Donnell
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has been accused of sexual harassment by a second former aide, The New York Times reports.
Charlotte Bennett, who worked as a senior briefer and executive assistant in Cuomo's administration in 2019 and 2020, told the Times that Cuomo harassed her in June 2020, asking her questions about her personal life, including whether she thought age gaps mattered in relationships and if she ever had sex with older men. He also allegedly told her how lonely he felt during the coronavirus pandemic and asked her whom she last hugged. The 25-year-old Bennett said the governor never tried to touch her, but she "absolutely" felt he was making an entreaty to a sexual relationship which made her "horribly uncomfortable and scared."
Bennett said she and Cuomo had previously gotten along "really well," and she even considered him a "father figure" of sorts, but she noticed his perception of their relationship begin to change in mid-May when she began working on New York's COVID-19 response effort. After the June encounter, Bennett disclosed her experience to Cuomo's chief of staff and gave a statement to a special counsel to the governor, but she decided not to push for an investigation because she "wanted to move on" after she had been transferred to a new job in the administration as a health policy adviser. But she said her anger percolated and Cuomo's "presence was suffocating," and Bennett ultimately left the state government. She explained she agreed to recount the incident to the Times both out of a sense of obligation.
In response to the allegations, Cuomo said he has requested an independent review into the matter. He did not dispute asking Bennett personal questions, but said he believed he was acting as a mentor. Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, accused Cuomo of harassing her several times from 2016 to 2018. Read more at The New York Times. Tim O'Donnell
The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, which means there will soon be three effective shots available for Americans.
The Johnson & Johnson candidate registered a 72 percent efficacy rate in the U.S. clinical trial. That falls short of the roughly 95 percent rates seen in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna trials, but, The New York Times notes, experts are still very pleased with Johnson & Johnson's results, especially since it also showed 85 percent efficacy against severe COVID-19 infections, and 100 percent efficacy against hospitalizations and deaths, suggesting it will be a crucial tool in the fight to end the pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, told the Times people shouldn't get wrapped up in the numbers and instead "accept the fact that now you have three highly effective vaccines. Period." And Dr. Danny Avula, the vaccine coordinator for Virginia, said he's "super-pumped about this," adding that the lack of hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated trial volunteers is "all I need to hear."
Plus, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine requires just one dose for full inoculation and can be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures for three months, which will help states speed up their vaccination drives and make distribution easier. All told, Johnson & Johnson has pledged to provide the U.S. with 100 million doses by June, but four million doses should be ready to go as soon as possible now that the FDA has signed off, with another 16 million available by the end of the March. Read more at The New York Times. Tim O'Donnell
The Associated Press has obtained internal Louisiana State Police records that represent the first public acknowledgment that Ronald Greene, a 49-year-old black man who died in custody in May 2019, was mistreated.
The cause of Greene's death remains unexplained and is the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Per AP, the records reveal that body camera footage — which has not been released — shows Master Trooper Kory York dragging Ronald Greene "on his stomach by the leg shackles" after a violent arrest and high-speed pursuit, and an attorney representing Greene's family who has reportedly seen the video told AP that other troopers can be seen choking, beating, and jolting Greene with stun guns. Police initially claimed Greene died as a result of a car crash.
York, who turned his own body camera off on the way to the scene (he said it was beeping loudly and he forgot to turn it back on), was suspended without pay for 50 hours after an internal investigation. Col. Lamar Davis, the State Police's new superintendent, reportedly told York he "would have imposed" more severe discipline, but the suspension was handed out by his predecessor who stepped down last year amid a series of scandals, AP reports. Read more at The Associated Press. Tim O'Donnell