(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
The Trump Organization now under criminal investigation by New York attorney general
The investigation into the Trump Organization by the New York Attorney General’s Office is now a criminal investigation. “We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity,” a spokesperson tells ABC News about the inquiry, which was previously a civil investigation focusing on the way the organization sought loans and tax benefits. It’s not immediately clear what the scope of the alleged crimes is. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is already pursuing a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. It has been studying former President Trump’s business and personal tax returns and presenting evidence to a grand jury as it considers whether to file criminal charges. The Trump Organization, which was informed of the New York attorney general’s criminal focus in recent months, has declined to comment.
House votes today on commission to investigate January 6 Capitol attack
The House will vote today on whether there should be a national commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol Complex. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy says he cannot support the bipartisan legislation, declaring that the inquiry would be “potentially counterproductive” and “duplicative” because there are several other ongoing investigations into the attack. McCarthy’s statement comes after Republican Rep. Liz Cheney suggested in an interview with ABC News that McCarthy should testify before any commission regarding his conversations with then-President Donald Trump on January 6, and alleged attempts by several conservatives to whitewash the events of that day.
House passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill; legislation awaits President Biden’s signature
The House of Representatives gave final passage Tuesday to the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, in response to the rise in violence against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure needed two-thirds of the chamber’s support and passed in a 364-62 vote. President Joe Biden has urged Congress to swiftly pass the bill and is expected to sign it into law now that it’s headed to his desk.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections, deaths and vaccinations.
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 164,308,019
Global deaths: 3,406,720. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 587,225.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 32,997,870 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 587,225. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 62,727.
U.S. total people tested: 454,120,086
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,771,240 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks third in the world after England, which has 3,886,364 cases, and Maharashtra, India, which leads the world with 5,433,506 reported cases. Texas is second in the U.S., with 2,934,592 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.
Latest reported COVID-19 vaccination numbers in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 346,672,525 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 275,535,207 doses have been administered, with 158,365,411 people receiving at least one dose and 124,455,693 people fully vaccinated, representing 47.7% and 37.5% of the total U.S. population, respectively. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines each require two doses to be effective. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single dose to be effective.
Governors question Biden administration about latest mask guidance
Several governors pressed members of the Biden administration during a call Tuesday over its sudden recommendation that fully vaccinated Americans can go without face masks, which left them with questions about how to implement the guidance and caused confusion in their states. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that there should have been better coordination with the states and that vaccinations, already on the decline, dropped further after the announcement, possibly because people misinterpreted the no-mask-rule to mean the pandemic is over. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper asked whether businesses should mandate masks for their employees or customers, considering that some customers might be unvaccinated and vulnerable. Delaware Gov. John Carney said he was concerned that 50 percent of unvaccinated people, including children, might be enough to trigger a COVID-19 outbreak, adding, “It’s going to be hard to put the genie back in the bottle with respect to telling folks that they can unmask but based on the honor system.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week announced that fully vaccinated people can safely stop wearing masks, leaving states and businesses scrambling to adjust their policies accordingly. The CDC also reports that more than one-third of all Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Even so, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows the U.S. is on the cusp of 33 million reported COVID-19 cases, a threshold that will likely be exceeded during the next 24 to 48 hours.
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