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Black women face structural racism in health care jobs
12 hours ago - HealthBiden tells Putin that Ukraine invasion would cause "irrevocable damage"
12 hours ago - Politics & PolicyOmicron dashboard
12 hours ago - Politics & Policy"AgeTech" companies court digital seniors
13 hours ago - TechnologyFrench police fine hundreds in "Freedom Convoy" protest
16 hours ago - WorldCOVID pushes teachers to pivot careers
19 hours ago - Economy & BusinessPentagon orders departure of some U.S. troops in Ukraine as crisis escalates
20 hours ago - Politics & PolicyOlympics dashboard
20 hours ago - SportsA robotic "fish" powered by human heart cells
21 hours ago - ScienceToday’s top stories
Black women face structural racism in health care jobs
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Black women are more widely represented in health care than any other demographic group, yet they're concentrated in its lowest-wage and most hazardous jobs, according to a study published yesterday in Health Affairs.
Why it matters: The study was among several examining racism and health in Health Affairs released Monday in the medical journal's first issue devoted entirely to the topic.
Biden tells Putin that Ukraine invasion would cause "irrevocable damage"
President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a U.S.-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva on June 16, 2021. Photo: Saul Loeb/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. and allies will "respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs" if Russia invades Ukraine, President Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Saturday.
Driving the news: A senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call that the White House sensed "no fundamental change" in Russia's posture from the last several weeks.
1 🎧 thing
Omicron dashboard
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
- Health: FDA authorizes new antibody treatment for Omicron — Unlocking the mystery of the "never COVID" cohort — Cases are plummeting, and deaths could decline soon.
- Vaccines: Experts praise Pfizer's delay on kids' vaccines — Chicago White Sox to require COVID vaccines for minor league players — Pfizer postpones FDA request for COVID vaccine for kids under 5 — What it takes to persuade the unvaccinated.
- Politics: Supreme Court rejects request to block vaccine mandate for NYC teachers — Nevada governor rescinds indoor mask mandate — Republican lawmakers target GoFundMe over Canadian mandate protests.
- Business: Major American banks lift mask mandates in U.S. offices — Pandemic pushes teachers to pivot careers.
- World: Canadian judge grants order allowing removal of protesters blocking border bridge — Boris Johnson signals early end to U.K. restrictions.
- Variant tracker
"AgeTech" companies court digital seniors
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
As the pandemic has coaxed older people to get more nimble with technology— even trolling TikTok to check out their grandkids' posts — tech companies are increasingly catering to their needs.
Why it matters: For seniors, learning to shop online, enjoy social media and use VR headsets can beat back isolation and loneliness — particularly during COVID-19. And to marketers, wealthy retirees look like an attractive sales niche, so they're tailoring products and services accordingly.
Blockade at Canada border begins to clear after police enforcement
Police patrol near the parliament during a protest in Ottawa, Canada on February 11, 2022. Photo: Kadri Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The blockade at the U.S.-Canada border is beginning to dissolve on Saturday, but some protesters still remain after police moved in to try to remove the vaccine mandate protesters, AP reports.
Why it matters: The police intervention was the strongest escalation by authorities after truckers, farmers and other protesters have blocked roads and portions of the busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing for days, cutting off key delivery routes and leading factories to shut down.
Uncovering the Underground Railroad to Mexico
Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios
It's likely more enslaved Black people escaped to Mexico than originally thought, scholars say.
Why it matters: The story of the Underground Railroad to Mexico — loosely organized paths allowing enslaved Black people to escape bondage by fleeing south — exposes a neglected history about the Black experience in the Americas.
COVID pushes teachers to pivot careers
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Teachers are leaving the education workforce at a rapid clip, according to new LinkedIn data.
Staggering stat: Rates of attrition among educators is 66% above pre-pandemic levels.
Pentagon orders departure of some U.S. troops in Ukraine as crisis escalates
The soldiers of the Ivan Sirko 92nd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ride a tank during a drill, Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine. Photo: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
The Pentagon is pulling nearly 160 members of the Florida National Guard from Ukraine as top U.S. officials publicly warn a Russian invasion could be imminent.
Why it matters: The withdrawal of the military trainers underscores growing concern among U.S. officials that Russian military forces could invade Ukraine any day.
Olympics dashboard
Gold medallists Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner of Team United States celebrate after victory. Photo by Ian MacNico/Getty Images
🏂 U.S. wins gold medal in first-ever mixed team snowboard cross
⛸️ Russian figure skating star eligibility hearing set after positive drug test
⛷️ U.S. Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin "grateful" for outpouring of support
🇺🇦 Ukrainian Olympian holds up "No War" sign after race
📸 In photos: Winter Olympics Day 8 highlights
U.S. evacuates Ukraine embassy ahead of Biden-Putin call
Presidents Putin and Biden shake hands in Switzerland back in June of 2021. Photo: Brendan Smialowski via Getty Images
The U.S. is evacuating most embassy staff from Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv as top U.S. officials publicly warn a Russian invasion could be imminent.
Between the lines: President Biden and Russian President Putin are planning to speak by phone on Saturday, AP reports. Putin is also scheduled to speak with French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Russia earlier this week.
How inflation undermines families
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Inflation is straining the family budget.
Why it matters: The real-world effect of inflation is being felt by millions of Americans in vital areas like fuel, electricity and grocery bills, threatening to undermine consumer spending on discretionary goods.
Experts praise Pfizer's delay on kids' vaccines
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Pfizer's decision to pump the brakes on COVID vaccines for kids younger than 5 was a good call, experts tell Axios.
Driving the news: Pfizer decided not to seek an FDA authorization until it has more data about how well its vaccine works after three doses. An FDA committee had been slated to consider the data for a two-dose regimen next week.
Celebrities dominate Super Bowl ads
Screenshot from Bic's Super Bowl ad on YouTube
Hollywood A-listers are taking over this year's Super Bowl spots, an ode to the Super Bowl's triumphant return to Los Angeles this year.
Why it matters: It's a delightful departure from last year's ad slate, which featured somber messages from everyday people coming together during the pandemic.
Looking ahead to Super Bowl LVI
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Super Bowl LVI is a homecoming of sorts, as the NFL's marquee event returns to La La Land 55 years after its birth.
The backdrop: The first Super Bowl was played at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 1967, a 35-10 win for the Packers over the Chiefs. It was last there in 1993, when the Cowboys beat the Bills, 52-17, at the Rose Bowl.
Canadian judge grants order allowing removal of protesters blocking border bridge
Farmers block Highway 402 to protest against vaccine mandates near Sarnia, Ontario, on Feb. 10. Photo: Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images
A Canadian judge on Friday granted an injunction that gives law enforcement more power to remove vaccine mandate protesters from the Ambassador Bridge following a five-day blockade at the U.S.-Canada border, AP reports.
The latest: Truckers, farmers and other protesters have blocked roads and portions of U.S.-Canada border crossings for days as part of the demonstration, cutting off key delivery routes. Factories facing a shortage of parts have been forced to stop production on both sides of the border, Axios' Joann Muller reports.