WEATHER ALERT
David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies
Read full article: David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, diesDr. David Nabarro, a British physician who led the U.N. response to some of the biggest health crises in recent years, including bird flu, Ebola and the coronavirus pandemic, has died.
Trump's pace of early travel largely mirrors Biden's, but with more sports events and golf
Read full article: Trump's pace of early travel largely mirrors Biden's, but with more sports events and golfMoving at the โspeed of Trumpโ is one of the White Houseโs favorite phrases, but when it comes to presidential travel, Donald Trumpโs pace is about the same as that of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses
Read full article: Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine dosesThe federal government has dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines worth thousands of dollars during the pandemic.
Doctors and public health organizations sue Kennedy over vaccine policy change
Read full article: Doctors and public health organizations sue Kennedy over vaccine policy changeDoctors groups and public health organizations are suing the U.S. government over the decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.
FDA vaccine official restricted COVID vaccine approvals against the advice of agency staff
Read full article: FDA vaccine official restricted COVID vaccine approvals against the advice of agency staffA top official at the Food and Drug Administration recently overruled government scientists on the availability of two COVID-19 vaccines.
Funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 decaying bodies sentenced to 20 years in prison
Read full article: Funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 decaying bodies sentenced to 20 years in prisonA federal judge has sentenced a Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 decomposing bodies to 20 years in prison on federal fraud charges.
World Bank warns that 39 fragile states are falling further behind as conflicts grow, get deadlier
Read full article: World Bank warns that 39 fragile states are falling further behind as conflicts grow, get deadlierThe worldโs most desperate countries are falling further and further behind, their plight worsened by conflicts that are growing deadlier and more frequent.
Unemployment among young college graduates outpaces overall US joblessness rate
Read full article: Unemployment among young college graduates outpaces overall US joblessness rateYoung people graduating from college this spring and summer are facing one of the toughest job markets in more than a decade.
Americans sour on US economy and anxiety over tariffs remains the chief culprit
Read full article: Americans sour on US economy and anxiety over tariffs remains the chief culpritAmericansโ view of the economy worsened in June, wiping out much of the previous monthโs gain which followed a string of declines that had dragged consumer confidence to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago.
Middle East conflict threatens to exacerbate inflationary pressure on some things
Read full article: Middle East conflict threatens to exacerbate inflationary pressure on some thingsIsraelโs attack on Iran has catapulted their long-running conflict into what could become a wider, more dangerous regional war and potentially drive prices higher for both businesses and households.
Ex-congressman Billy Long confirmed as commissioner of the IRS, an agency he once sought to abolish
Read full article: Ex-congressman Billy Long confirmed as commissioner of the IRS, an agency he once sought to abolishFormer congressman Billy Long of Missouri has been confirmed to lead the Internal Revenue Service, an agency he once sought to abolish.
Google offers buyouts to more workers amid AI-driven tech upheaval and antitrust uncertainty
Read full article: Google offers buyouts to more workers amid AI-driven tech upheaval and antitrust uncertaintyGoogle has offered buyouts to another swath of its workforce across several key divisions in a fresh round of cost cutting coming ahead of a court decision that could order a breakup of its internet empire.
The world's oldest restaurant faces a challenge from another Madrid tavern that says its even older
Read full article: The world's oldest restaurant faces a challenge from another Madrid tavern that says its even olderIn the heart of Spainโs capital, the famous Sobrino de Botรญn restaurant proudly holds the title of being the worldโs oldest restaurant.
Classroom violence went up in Texas after the pandemic. Is more discipline the answer?
Read full article: Classroom violence went up in Texas after the pandemic. Is more discipline the answer?Texas lawmakers are poised to make it easier to suspend disruptive students. But some teachers and school psychologists say discipline alone wonโt meet the mental health needs at the root of their behavior.
WHO adopts a 'pandemic agreement' after the chaos of COVID
Read full article: WHO adopts a 'pandemic agreement' after the chaos of COVIDThe World Health Organization's member countries have approved an agreement to better prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics in the wake of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus.
US biochemist researching treatment of HIV and coronaviruses wins Israel's Wolf Prize
Read full article: US biochemist researching treatment of HIV and coronaviruses wins Israel's Wolf PrizeAn American biochemist whose research has helped scientists make inroads on treating coronavirus and HIV has won this yearโs Wolf Prize, a major Israeli award in the arts and sciences.
Texas lawmakers want to make it easier to convert office space into apartments and condos
Read full article: Texas lawmakers want to make it easier to convert office space into apartments and condosSupporters hope easing zoning rules will entice landlords to renovate and ease the stateโs housing crisis.
Absenteeism spiked in the pandemic. Texas schools want the stateโs help to keep students in the classroom.
Read full article: Absenteeism spiked in the pandemic. Texas schools want the stateโs help to keep students in the classroom.Chronically absent students โ those who missed at least 10% of their school days โ are more likely to drop out, education advocates say.
Houston doctor explains COVID-19โฒs continued impact on heart
Read full article: Houston doctor explains COVID-19โฒs continued impact on heartAs cold and flu season ramps up, one local doctor wants you to know about a link between AFib and COVID-19. Itโs a type of irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, and other heart-related issues.

Why were free COVID-19 tests costing people thousands?
Read full article: Why were free COVID-19 tests costing people thousands?KPRC 2 Investigates is looking into why people end up with bills for hundreds even thousands of dollars for a simple covid test. By federal law covid tests are free regardless of having insurance. So why the high fees? We are getting answers and showing you how to find a free test when you need one.
Austrian woman is found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19
Read full article: Austrian woman is found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19A woman in Austria has been found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19 in 2021, her second pandemic-related conviction in a year, according to local media.
Texasโ youngest students are struggling with their learning, educators say
Read full article: Texasโ youngest students are struggling with their learning, educators sayA national study found young children are faring worse academically than their peers before the pandemic. The problemโs scope in Texas is unclear.
Texas schools got billions in federal pandemic relief. It is coming to an end as the school year starts.
Read full article: Texas schools got billions in federal pandemic relief. It is coming to an end as the school year starts.Educators say theyโll struggle to keep the programs they created with those funds, highlighting their precarious situation without more state help.
Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade
Read full article: Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenadeCeline Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance, closing out the Paris Olympicsโ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower.
To fight poverty, some Texas cities gave aid with no strings attached. Conservatives are pushing back.
Read full article: To fight poverty, some Texas cities gave aid with no strings attached. Conservatives are pushing back.Guaranteed income programs let participants use funds however they see fit. Critics argue they're not a good use of taxpayer dollars.
Biden and Trump ask voters if they're 'better off' than they were 4 years ago. It's complicated
Read full article: Biden and Trump ask voters if they're 'better off' than they were 4 years ago. It's complicatedBoth former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are posing the time-tested question โAre you better off today than you were four years ago?โ.
COVID-19 milestone: How Houstonโs response to the virus has changed in the last four years
Read full article: COVID-19 milestone: How Houstonโs response to the virus has changed in the last four yearsMarch 11 marks the day four years ago when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Walgreens to pay $275,000 to settle allegations in Vermont about service during pandemic
Read full article: Walgreens to pay $275,000 to settle allegations in Vermont about service during pandemicWalgreens has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle allegations about service in some of the national pharmacy chain's Vermont stores during the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas attorney general sues Pfizer, claiming vaccines didnโt end pandemic quickly enough
Read full article: Texas attorney general sues Pfizer, claiming vaccines didnโt end pandemic quickly enoughExperts argue other assertions made in the lawsuit filing are completely unsubstantiated, such as one claiming that vaccinated people were more likely to die from COVID-19, which Texas health data disputes.
In a hot oil and gas economy, a West Texas welder charts his own course one cup of coffee at a time
Read full article: In a hot oil and gas economy, a West Texas welder charts his own course one cup of coffee at a timeFabian Maldonado has supported his Odessa family for years on his welding salary. Wanting more, heโs gambling that a mobile coffee trailer can withstand the booms and busts of the industry.
Ban on COVID vaccine mandates by private businesses, including health care facilities, passes Texas Senate
Read full article: Ban on COVID vaccine mandates by private businesses, including health care facilities, passes Texas SenateThe bill offers no exceptions for doctorsโ offices, clinics or other health facilities. Senators agreed to let those entities require unvaccinated employees to wear personal protective gear or take other โreasonableโ measures to manage the spread.
COVID-19 funding halted rural hospital closures across Texas, until now
Read full article: COVID-19 funding halted rural hospital closures across Texas, until nowLa Grange residents worked for months to try to save the 65-bed hospital and asked the city to step in with a loan, but it wasnโt enough.
For Texans with long COVID, specialized centers can provide more effective treatments โ if they can access them
Read full article: For Texans with long COVID, specialized centers can provide more effective treatments โ if they can access themLong COVID clinics in Texas are few and far between, often with months-long waitlists. But these centers can provide care that validates stigmatized patients, offers unique treatments and teaches physicians more about the new condition.
Texas lawmakers again try to prohibit private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines
Read full article: Texas lawmakers again try to prohibit private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccinesA Senate panel on Tuesday advanced such a measure. The debate centered largely around the safety of the vaccine and whether doctorsโ offices and health care facilities should be exempt.
Britain's COVID-19 response inquiry enters a second phase with political decisions in the spotlight
Read full article: Britain's COVID-19 response inquiry enters a second phase with political decisions in the spotlightBritain's inquiry into the response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the nation has entered the second phase with political decision-making taking center stage.
To mask or not to mask? Biden goes both ways after first lady tests positive for COVID-19
Read full article: To mask or not to mask? Biden goes both ways after first lady tests positive for COVID-19President Joe Biden turned up in a mask for the first time in months on Tuesday, a day after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.
Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbottโs COVID ban on local mask rules was lawful
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbottโs COVID ban on local mask rules was lawfulSeveral of Texasโ largest cities sought to put in place mask requirements, which Gov. Greg Abbott overturned. The ruling is a legal win for Republicans in Austin their ongoing symbolic fight with cities, often run by Democrats.
UK was ill-prepared for pandemic because resources were diverted to Brexit, ex-health chief says
Read full article: UK was ill-prepared for pandemic because resources were diverted to Brexit, ex-health chief saysBritain's former health secretary has told an official inquiry that the U.K. was ill-prepared for a pandemic partly because government resources had been diverted away from pandemic planning to brace for a possibly chaotic no-deal Brexit.
Now that the pandemic is โover,โ we want to know how it changed your life
Read full article: Now that the pandemic is โover,โ we want to know how it changed your lifeThe World Health organization declared earlier this month that the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer an emergency, putting a three-year end to the virus that killed at least 7 million people and turned the world upside down.
Texas schools say itโs time to stop tying mental health funding to school safety money
Read full article: Texas schools say itโs time to stop tying mental health funding to school safety moneyFederal pandemic aid helped build public school mental health services in Texas. School officials now brace for the expiration of those funds next year. Theyโre urging lawmakers to create a dedicated funding stream for mental health assistance in schools.
Lawmakers consider long-shot $2.3 billion proposal to keep struggling child care providers afloat
Read full article: Lawmakers consider long-shot $2.3 billion proposal to keep struggling child care providers afloatThree years after the COVID-19 pandemic upset the fragile child care industry, about a third of the stateโs child care providers remain closed.
As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares state of emergency
Read full article: As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares state of emergencyEl Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said asylum-seekers are camping out on the sidewalks and staying at shelters in Ciudad Juรกrez, Mexico, under the false notion that they will be allowed to enter the U.S. once Title 42 expires.
Japan to lift COVID-19 border controls before holiday week
Read full article: Japan to lift COVID-19 border controls before holiday weekJapan will lift most of its coronavirus border controls, including a requirement that entrants show proof of three vaccinations or a pre-departure negative test, beginning Saturday as the countryโs Golden Week holiday season begins and a large influx of foreign tourists is expected.
UK health chief's leaked messages revive raw pandemic debate
Read full article: UK health chief's leaked messages revive raw pandemic debateCOVID-19 has shot back into the headlines in Britain through the leak of more than 100,000 private messages sent or received by the health minister as the government scrambled to respond to the new respiratory virus.
Ex-UK health chief defends record after COVID messages leak
Read full article: Ex-UK health chief defends record after COVID messages leakBritainโs former health minister is denying wrongdoing after a newspaper published extracts of private messages he sent in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
More Americans apply for jobless benefits last week
Read full article: More Americans apply for jobless benefits last weekMore Americans filed for jobless benefits last week, but layoffs remain historically low despite the Federal Reserveโs aggressive interest rate policy intended to cool the economy and bring down inflation.
Gov. Greg Abbott says he wonโt give up COVID-era power until Texas lawmakers ban vaccine mandates, strengthen border
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott says he wonโt give up COVID-era power until Texas lawmakers ban vaccine mandates, strengthen borderAbbott doubles down on his long-standing call to lawmakers to prohibit local governments from enacting mask and vaccine mandates.
EXPLAINER: How will we know if the U.S. is in recession?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: How will we know if the U.S. is in recession?A second consecutive quarter of economic growth underscored Thursday that the nation isnโt in a recession despite high inflation and the Federal Reserveโs fastest pace of interest rate hikes in four decades.
U.S. Supreme Court rules to keep Title 42, the pandemic-era policy to quickly turn away migrants, for now
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court rules to keep Title 42, the pandemic-era policy to quickly turn away migrants, for nowThe court ordered the Biden administration to continue enforcing the policy while Texas and other states that want to keep the Trump-era rule in place prepare their legal arguments.
Texas elections secure despite COVID-related โirregularitiesโ in 2020, audit finds
Read full article: Texas elections secure despite COVID-related โirregularitiesโ in 2020, audit findsFour Texas counties were evaluated in a 359-page audit released by Secretary of State John Scott on Monday, two weeks before he steps down as chief election official.
Fewer Americans apply for jobless benefits last week
Read full article: Fewer Americans apply for jobless benefits last weekThe number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, a sign that the labor market remains strong even as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates in an effort to cool the economy and slow inflation.
White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free tests
Read full article: White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free testsThe Biden administration is once more making some free COVID-19 tests available to all U.S. households as it unveils its contingency plans for potential coronavirus surges this winter.
Texas hits 1,000 days under Greg Abbottโs public health disaster as a new COVID-19 wave and legislative session loom
Read full article: Texas hits 1,000 days under Greg Abbottโs public health disaster as a new COVID-19 wave and legislative session loomAfter more than 92,000 deaths and 8 million reported COVID-19 cases in Texas, the state remains one of less than a dozen still under a statewide disaster or public health emergency.
Why some Texas cities and counties had to return millions of dollars meant to help renters during the pandemic
Read full article: Why some Texas cities and counties had to return millions of dollars meant to help renters during the pandemicFor some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned.
New Zealand court rules against anti-vax parents of ill baby
Read full article: New Zealand court rules against anti-vax parents of ill babyA New Zealand court has temporarily taken away medical custody of a baby from his parents after they refused blood transfusions for him unless the blood comes from donors who are unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Asia stocks lower as China scales back many COVID curbs
Read full article: Asia stocks lower as China scales back many COVID curbsShares are lower in Asia after benchmarks fell again on Wall Street on fears the Federal Reserve will need to keep the brakes on the economy to get inflation under control, risking a sharp recession.
China's Xi visiting Saudi Arabia amid bid to boost economy
Read full article: China's Xi visiting Saudi Arabia amid bid to boost economyChinese leader Xi Jinping is attending a pair of regional summits in Saudi Arabia amid efforts to kick-start economic growth weighed down by strict anti-COVID-19 measures.
COVID's lingering impact prompts Real ID deadline extension
Read full article: COVID's lingering impact prompts Real ID deadline extensionThe deadline for obtaining the Real ID needed to board a domestic flight has been pushed back again, with the Department of Homeland Security citing the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the slower-than-expected rollout.
Foundations, major donors tackle nationโs nursing shortage
Read full article: Foundations, major donors tackle nationโs nursing shortageAs more nurses leave their jobs in hospitals and health-care centers, foundations are pouring millions of dollars into efforts to ensure that more stay in the profession and get more out of the job than just the applause and pats on the back they got during the bleakest days of the pandemic.
Late Chinese leader Jiang hailed in memorial service
Read full article: Late Chinese leader Jiang hailed in memorial serviceChina's leaders have eulogized the late Jiang Zemin as a loyal Marxist-Leninist who oversaw their country's rapid economic rise while maintaining rigid Communist Party control over society.
Review: A Sugarplum Fairy waves a sweet 'Nutcracker' goodbye
Read full article: Review: A Sugarplum Fairy waves a sweet 'Nutcracker' goodbyeGeorge Balanchine's โNutcrackerโ is back in full swing at New York City Ballet, a year after a number of performances were canceled due to COVID-19, and two years after being sidelined entirely due to the pandemic.
Image of Pelรฉ shines bright for Brazilian fans at World Cup
Read full article: Image of Pelรฉ shines bright for Brazilian fans at World CupThe image of a young Pelรฉ celebrating goals and lifting trophies with Brazilโs national team appeared brightly on the shirts, flags and banners of Brazilian fans gathering before the Seleรงaoโs World Cup match against South Korea.