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Monday 11.22.21

If it seems like it's taking longer to get your order at the drive-thru of your favorite fast food restaurant, it is -- and you can blame Covid-19. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.
 

By Andrew Torgan

Police investigate at the scene after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin

Five people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a vehicle drove into a Christmas parade yesterday in Waukesha, Wisconsin, city officials said. "These numbers may change as we collect additional information. Many people have self-transported to area hospitals," the city of Waukesha said in a Twitter post early this morning. Witnesses described the horror of seeing individuals struck and lying on the ground after a red SUV drove through a series of barricades and barreled into the crowded parade route on Main Street around 4:39 p.m. local time. Police Chief Daniel P. Thompson said officers are working with the Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office to identify victims. Thompson says there is "a person of interest in custody," but would not say whether it was the driver of the SUV nor if any arrests have been made. It is unknown at this time whether yesterday's incident was an act of terrorism, Thompson said.

Congress

Senate Democrats will try to negotiate with moderate Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to address their disagreements on the size and scope of President Joe Biden's economic package as it heads to the chamber, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday. "The House did a very strong bill. Everyone knows that Manchin and Sinema have their concerns, but we're going to try to negotiate with them and get a very strong, bold bill out of the Senate which will then go back to the House and pass," Schumer said during a news briefing, stressing the importance of party unity. The comments come days after House Democrats passed the Build Back Better bill, a key piece of Biden's sweeping domestic agenda. The $1.9 trillion plan faces hurdles in the Senate, where Manchin and Sinema have voiced concerns over its reach and price tag. Schumer said he would like the bill done by Christmas.

Coronavirus

If you and your family members are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, it's OK for you to ditch the masks this holiday season when you're around each other, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Sunday. "That's what I'm going to do with my family," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union." However, the nation's top infectious disease expert also noted that if you're traveling or are unaware of the vaccination status of the people around you, then you should wear a mask in those situations. Fauci's comments come as the US faces the second holiday season of the pandemic, but the first with safe and effective vaccines now available to people ages 5 and older. Still, a significant part of the eligible population remains unvaccinated. Meanwhile in Europe, 

protests against new Covid-19 restrictions turned violent over the weekend as cases continue to rise on the continent. Rioting broke out at The Hague on Saturday over the Dutch government's new coronavirus measures. Elsewhere, an estimated 40,000 people on Saturday crowded the streets of Vienna in the country's biggest coronavirus-related protest to date.

Sudan

Sudan's military chief reinstated Abdalla Hamdok as prime minister yesterday, almost a month after he was ousted in a military takeover. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan appeared with Hamdok at a signing ceremony in the Presidential Palace, according to a live video broadcast on state television. The deal agreed upon by Hamdok and Al-Burhan also includes the release of political detainees who were jailed following the October 25 coup, according to Mudawi Ibrahim, a prominent official in the National Forces Initiative, which helped mediate the talks. Hamdok becomes leader again of the transitional government, which was first established following the ousting of former strongman and President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Hamdok and Al-Burhan also agreed on a power-sharing deal between civilian and military leadership, but it will include as-of-yet unspecified restructuring, according to Ibrahim.

Haiti

Two missionaries kidnapped in Haiti over a month ago have been released, according to a statement by the US-based Christian Aid Ministries. "We have learned that two of the hostages in Haiti were released. We praise God for this! Only limited information can be provided, but we are able to report that the two hostages who were released are safe, in good spirits, and being cared for," the organization said yesterday. "While we rejoice at this release, our hearts are with the fifteen people who are still being held," the statement also said. The group of 16 Americans and one Canadian were kidnapped by the Haitian gang 400 Mawozo while traveling by car northeast of capital city Port-au-Prince on October 16. They include an infant, a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old, as well as two young teenagers. All hail from Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist communities across six US states and Ontario. 

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