National

Seventeen athletes and team officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, with cases jumping from two to 19 in a day, Reuters reports. 

Why it matters: Government officials in Beijing have encouraged local districts to maintain "full emergency mode" as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city prior to the Winter Olympic Games.

State of play: Thirty-six Games-related personnel have tested positive for COVID-19, including 29 cases when they arrived at the Beijing airport and seven more in the "closed-loop" system that is separated from the public, per Reuters. 

Athletes must test negative twice within 96 hours of their flight and again once they arrive in Beijing. 

"We are now just going through the peak period of people arriving in China and therefore we expect to see the highest numbers at this stage," the Games' medical chief, Brian McCloskey, said, per Reuters.

McCloskey added that COVID-19 infections are unlikely to leak out into the public. 

What to watch: The Beijing Winter Olympics kick off on Friday.

COVID infections rise in Beijing ahead of Winter Olympic Games

Seventeen athletes and team officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

A police officer stands guard inside the closed loop bubble to protect against the spread of COVID-19 for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics near the main media center at the Olympic Park.

A police officer stands guard inside the closed-loop bubble to protect against the spread of COVID-19 for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics near the main media center at the Olympic Park. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

COVID-19

Beijing Winter Olympics

Seventeen athletes and team officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, with cases jumping from two to 19 in a day, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Reuters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/china-reports-36-new-covid-19-cases-among-olympics-related-personnel-2022-01-29/" data-vars-content-id="13a5bccc-c344-4a08-aece-ffdf32c30cdb" data-vars-headline="COVID infections rise in Beijing ahead of Winter Olympic Games" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/china-reports-36-new-covid-19-cases-among-olympics-related-personnel-2022-01-29/" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reports. Why it matters: Government officials in Beijing have encouraged local districts to maintain &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="full emergency mode" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/beijing-china-winter-olympics-covid-19-pandemic-8887861a-a8b3-48f3-96e5-2866bb703c2d.html" data-vars-content-id="13a5bccc-c344-4a08-aece-ffdf32c30cdb" data-vars-headline="COVID infections rise in Beijing ahead of Winter Olympic Games" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/beijing-china-winter-olympics-covid-19-pandemic-8887861a-a8b3-48f3-96e5-2866bb703c2d.html" target="_self">full emergency mode</a>&quot; as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city prior to the Winter Olympic Games.

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

The Department of Defense announced this week the purchase of an additional 100 million rapid COVID-19 tests that will be distributed to Americans for free.

Why it matters: The administration bought 500 million rapid tests in December and is now working to purchase an additional 500 million, so the U.S. will have 1 billion free tests available to Americans.

"On Jan. 26, 2022, the Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a contract modification to iHealth Lab Inc.," the Pentagon said on Friday. "This effort supports the president’s plan to deliver 500 million free at-home COVID-19 tests to the nation in response to the Omicron variant."

The big picture: The website, COVIDTests.gov, has been accepting orders for COVID-19 tests since Jan. 19 with shipping expected within seven to 12 days after. Nearly 60 million U.S. households have ordered the at-home rapid tests so far.

The additional 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests were ordered in response to the Omicron variant and to ease the shortage of rapid tests in the country. 

Biden administration orders 100M additional COVID tests

The administration is working to make 1 billion free tests available to Americans.

COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits are pictured in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Coronavirus testing

Coronavirus

The Department of Defense announced this week the purchase of an additional 100 million rapid COVID-19 tests that will be distributed to Americans for free.Why it matters: The administration bought 500 million rapid tests in December and is now working to purchase <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="an additional 500 million" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/biden-covid-tests-500-million-additional-ce89463c-ee44-41c1-afe1-37a31bc6456a.html" data-vars-content-id="5f2c53bc-ea3f-410a-b99a-493c5fee472a" data-vars-headline="Biden administration orders 100M additional COVID tests" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/biden-covid-tests-500-million-additional-ce89463c-ee44-41c1-afe1-37a31bc6456a.html" target="_self">an additional 500 million</a>, so the U.S. will have 1 billion <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="free tests available" data-vars-click-url="https://www.covidtests.gov/" data-vars-content-id="5f2c53bc-ea3f-410a-b99a-493c5fee472a" data-vars-headline="Biden administration orders 100M additional COVID tests" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.covidtests.gov/" target="_blank">free tests available</a> to Americans.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Former Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Andrew Hitt said Friday that he will cooperate with the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot.

Why it matters: Hitt is one of more than a dozen people who were subpoenaed Friday for leading groups of "alternate electors for former President Trump," Axios' Andrew Solender reports. 

"We are seeking information about your role and participation in the purported slate of electors casting votes for Donald Trump and, to the extent relevant, your role in the events of January 6, 2021," panel Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) wrote.

The big picture: Hitt, who stepped down as chairman of the state GOP last year, said Friday in a statement that he will provide information in response to the committee's request by Feb. 11. 

He was "part of a group of Wisconsin Republicans who met in the state Capitol on Dec. 14 to draft false elector paperwork while Wisconsin's real members of the Electoral College, all Democrats, gathered in the state Capitol to deliver the state's 10 electoral votes to Biden," The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. 

What he's saying: "As I said in the past, the Wisconsin Electors were simply following the guidance of Wisconsin legal counsel to preserve the ongoing Wisconsin legal strategy," he said in a statement published by the Sentinel. 

"There was no intent beyond that and I'm happy to participate in this process to clarify any confusion that may exist," Hitt added. 

Go deeper: Jan. 6 panel subpoenas "alternate" Trump electors

Former Wisconsin GOP chairman will cooperate with Jan. 6 panel

He is one of more than a dozen subpoenaed for leading groups of "alternate electors for former President Trump."

The U.S. Capitol from the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The U.S. Capitol from the steps of the  Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Photo:  Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jan. 6

Policymaking

Former Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Andrew Hitt said Friday that he will cooperate with the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot.Why it matters: Hitt is one of more than a dozen people who were subpoenaed Friday for leading groups of &quot;alternate electors for former President Trump,&quot; Axios&#x27; Andrew Solender <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/jan-6-panel-subpoenas-alternate-trump-electors-3f11fe95-c75b-48b2-8b04-bd156881c428.html" data-vars-content-id="95481470-d3d0-4fea-8089-5d2ed4fa1071" data-vars-headline="Former Wisconsin GOP chairman will cooperate with Jan. 6 panel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/jan-6-panel-subpoenas-alternate-trump-electors-3f11fe95-c75b-48b2-8b04-bd156881c428.html" target="_self">reports</a>.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The Hawaii Department of Health authorized the Navy on Thursday to discharge treated water from its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility after the water forced Army and Navy families from their homes into hotels. 

Why it matters: The contaminated tap water contained diesel fuel 350 times the safe level after a jet-fuel spill in November. 

State of play: The Navy will pump up to 5 million gallons of water a day from the Red Hill Shaft into the Halawa Stream in order to get rid of the contaminated tap water. The discharge was authorized under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System general permit.

The Red Hill facility was shut down on Nov. 28 following complaints by military families who experienced cramps, rashes, vomiting and more from the water. 

Nearly 1 million people on Oahu rely on Red Hill for water. 

What they're saying: “There is an urgency to remove contamination from the Navy’s Red Hill Shaft,” said Kathleen Ho, deputy director of Environmental Health, in a statement. 

“DOH is authorizing the Navy to begin pumping and treating water from the Red Hill Shaft to prevent contamination from spreading throughout the aquifer," she said in a statement. 

Navy to drain polluted water after fuel contamination in Hawaii

The contaminated tap water contained diesel fuel 350 times the safe level after a jet-fuel spill in November.

Tunnel inside the underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Photo: U.S. Navy via AP

Navy

Public health

The Hawaii Department of Health authorized the Navy on Thursday to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="discharge treated water " data-vars-click-url="https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/doh-grants-permit-to-navy-to-remove-fuel-contamination-from-red-hill-shaft/" data-vars-content-id="d40a4697-4d4f-445e-b951-6dff0ac8e5b3" data-vars-headline="Navy to drain polluted water after fuel contamination in Hawaii" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/doh-grants-permit-to-navy-to-remove-fuel-contamination-from-red-hill-shaft/" target="_blank">discharge treated water </a>from its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility after the water forced Army and Navy families from their homes into hotels. Why it matters: The contaminated tap water contained diesel fuel <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="350 times the safe level" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/navys-polluted-water-pearl-harbor-8c5d3d36-0fe6-4303-81df-02effdf0a079.html" data-vars-content-id="d40a4697-4d4f-445e-b951-6dff0ac8e5b3" data-vars-headline="Navy to drain polluted water after fuel contamination in Hawaii" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/navys-polluted-water-pearl-harbor-8c5d3d36-0fe6-4303-81df-02effdf0a079.html" target="_self">350 times the safe level</a> after a jet-fuel spill in November.

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul extended the state's mask mandate that requires face coverings in all indoor settings until at least Feb. 10. 

Why it matters: The extension comes days after a New York appellate judge granted a stay on the state's indoor mask mandate after a lower court judge struck down the rule.  

The big picture: The mandate, which was re-implemented in December, requires face coverings in all indoor settings unless a business requires proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Hochul said if COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to trend downward, the mask mandate may be lifted, per AP.  

“We’ll be extending that just through Feb. 10,” she said. “Probably a couple days before then we’ll be evaluating. But if we continue on this rapid trend downward we’ll be in a good place. If it levels off or something else happens, I need that flexibility.”

New York mask mandate extended through Feb. 10

"Probably a couple days before then we’ll be evaluating. But if we continue on this rapid trend downward we’ll be in a good place."

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="extended" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1PlKQajpbQvKE" data-vars-content-id="db2a96fc-f200-404b-9114-9a7878f53b76" data-vars-headline="New York mask mandate extended through Feb. 10" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1PlKQajpbQvKE" target="_blank">extended</a> the state&#x27;s mask mandate that requires face coverings in all indoor settings until at least Feb. 10. Why it matters: The extension comes days after a New York appellate judge <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="granted a stay" data-vars-click-url="https://www.scribd.com/document/554996207/Matter-of-Demetriou-v-New-York-State-Department-of-Health-2022-00532-73" data-vars-content-id="db2a96fc-f200-404b-9114-9a7878f53b76" data-vars-headline="New York mask mandate extended through Feb. 10" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/554996207/Matter-of-Demetriou-v-New-York-State-Department-of-Health-2022-00532-73" target="_blank">granted a stay</a> on the state&#x27;s indoor mask mandate after a lower court judge <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="struck down the rule" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/new-york-mask-mandate-court-595b4ba7-d9c4-4bab-b12d-34bff3d599d2.html" data-vars-content-id="db2a96fc-f200-404b-9114-9a7878f53b76" data-vars-headline="New York mask mandate extended through Feb. 10" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/new-york-mask-mandate-court-595b4ba7-d9c4-4bab-b12d-34bff3d599d2.html" target="_self">struck down the rule</a>.

Kierra Frazier

Stories

COVID infections rise in Beijing ahead of Winter Olympic Games

Navy to drain polluted water after fuel contamination in Hawaii

Biden administration orders 100M additional COVID tests

New York mask mandate extended through Feb. 10

Former Wisconsin GOP chairman will cooperate with Jan. 6 panel