It's the trial that has everybody talking.

Actor Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel over a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post about her being a victim of domestic abuse.

The piece does not name Depp, but his attorneys say the implications are defamatory, and he claims her allegations cost him his career, as Disney dropped him from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise just days after the article was published.

Depp concluded his testimony in the $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard.

He said he filed the lawsuit against Heard because it was his best chance to reclaim his reputation.

While on the witness stand, Depp spoke about Heard demeaning him and sometimes slapping or shoving him.

She has accused him of physically and sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions.

Depp calls those accusations "false and heinous."

Heard said the actor first assaulted her in 2013 when he slapped her for making fun of his "Wino Forever" tattoo.

Depp told jurors in a Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom about his rough childhood, his rise to fame, and what his relationship with Heard was like after meeting her in 2011.

The couple went on to get married in 2015, only to divorce a year later.

Although social media says he has already won, will the jury side with him?

Criminal Defense and Entertainment Attorney, Darryl Cohen, talks to Newsy and explains what to expect when Heard takes the stand next week as the first witness for her defense.  

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here: https://bit.ly/Newsy1

Nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more, deaths could have been prevented if international targets for the shots had been reached, researchers reported Thursday.

On Dec. 8, 2020, a retired shop clerk in England received the first shot in what would become a global vaccination campaign. Over the next 12 months, more than 4.3 billion people around the world lined up for the vaccines.

The effort, though marred by persisting inequities, prevented deaths on an unimaginable scale, said Oliver Watson of Imperial College London, who led the new modeling study.

"Catastrophic would be the first word that comes to mind," Watson said of the outcome if vaccines hadn't been available to fight the coronavirus. The findings "quantify just how much worse the pandemic could have been if we did not have these vaccines."

The researchers used data from 185 countries to estimate that vaccines prevented 4.2 million COVID-19 deaths in India, 1.9 million in the United States, 1 million in Brazil, 631,000 in France and 507,000 in the United Kingdom.

An additional 600,000 deaths would have been prevented if the World Health Organization target of 40% vaccination coverage by the end of 2021 had been met, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The main finding — 19.8 million COVID-19 deaths were prevented — is based on estimates of how many more deaths than usual occurred during the time period. Using only reported COVID-19 deaths, the same model yielded 14.4 million deaths averted by vaccines.

The London scientists excluded China because of uncertainty around the pandemic's effect on deaths there and its huge population.

The study has other limitations. The researchers did not include how the virus might have mutated differently in the absence of vaccines. And they did not factor in how lockdowns or mask-wearing might have changed if vaccines weren't available.

Another modeling group used a different approach to estimate that 16.3 million COVID-19 deaths were averted by vaccines. That work, by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, has not been published.

In the real world, people wear masks more often when cases are surging, said the institute's Ali Mokdad, and 2021's delta wave without vaccines would have prompted a major policy response.

"We may disagree on the number as scientists, but we all agree that COVID vaccines saved lots of lives," Mokdad said.

The findings underscore both the achievements and the shortcomings of the vaccination campaign, said Adam Finn of Bristol Medical School in England, who like Mokdad was not involved in the study.

"Although we did pretty well this time — we saved millions and millions of lives — we could have done better and we should do better in the future," Finn said.

Funding came from several groups including the WHO; the UK Medical Research Council; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here.

America, we have a problem.

Newspapers, especially the smaller ones that often serve as the eyes and ears for their communities, are in danger of disappearing. That’s according to the newest State of Local News report by Northwestern University.

“We're not only in danger; we have been losing local outlets,” said Penny Muse Abernathy, a visiting professor at the Chicago-area school.

She says as those papers vanish, so too have their trained watchdogs who monitor local government.

“Not only have we lost newspapers, we have lost 60% of the newspaper journalists we had in 2005. So, 60% — that leaves 40,000 newspaper journalists that we had in 2005 that are not there now,” said Abernathy.

For communities across the United States, the problem has created news deserts.

“We have areas where people have an abundance of local news. Typically, that's around affluent areas and in metro areas. And then we have areas where people have to really, really look to find the local news and information and data that they need. And invariably those are the communities that need it the most,” said Abernathy. “They are low income, and they are traditionally underserved in marginalized communities, often with large ethnic populations that have not been served in the past well by mainstream media.”  

A map developed by Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism shows areas served by two or more papers in dark blue, one newspaper in light blue, and no newspaper in white.

“You lose a local newspaper, and you lose the person who shows up at the school board meeting, you lose the reporter who shows up at the zoning meeting or the county commissioner meeting,” said Abernathy.

Memphis, Tennessee, is 64% Black, 27% white. There, in the home of the blues, veteran journalist Wendi Thomas runs the online nonprofit news source MLK50: Justice Through Journalism.

“It can be hard to grow to the capacity you would want to be when you're relying on grants and foundations and the $10 check your mom can write every month,” said Thomas.  

Thomas started MLK50 six years ago; now she and her staff of six full-time journalists make sure the community has a voice.

“I saw a void in news coverage that wasn't being filled here in Memphis. And it was kind of one of those things where, like, 'OK, who better to do it than me?'” said Thomas.  

MLK 50 covers a range of topics. But its most important task is making sure those abandoned by profit-focused media are heard.

“We launched a newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy, which isn't something that traditional legacy newsrooms typically cover. But I knew we wanted to focus on marginalized people here in Memphis, the people who often aren't the subject of news coverage,” said Thomas.

During her 30-year-career, Thomas worked at mom-and-pop newspapers and at conglomerates.

“Rural communities have been hit hardest by the death of newspapers across the country,” said Thomas.

With advertising flowing to online and social media platforms, many small papers closed.

“That means that in a lot of these places, there is no one whose job it is to pay attention to how tax dollars are being spent, to what the county commission is doing, to what's happening at the jails. And in the absence of that sunlight from the media, all kinds of shady things happen in the dark,” said Thomas.

Online news organizations have popped up around the country that rely on private funding, such as foundation grants — outlets like the Texas Tribune and Block Club Chicago — but that model is tougher outside metro areas.

Abernathy says one solution might be using public dollars to help newspapers and local online media operate.

“Western democracies in Europe and in Asia have figured out how to do that very successfully. And in fact, if you look back, there has been a postal subsidy for most newspapers since the very beginning of this country,” said Abernathy.

This story was originally published by Tammy Estwick, Alex Livingston, Lindsay Tuchman, Tammy Estwick, Stephanie Sandoval on ScrippsNews.com.

Freezing rain and drizzle is disrupting travel from Central Texas to the Great Lakes, with ice-glazed roads leading to hundreds of traffic accidents, including one in Kentucky that killed a toddler.

Hundreds of flights were canceled Wednesday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas braced for an ice storm.

More than half an inch of ice could accumulate in parts of the Ozarks through Friday morning, while another area of freezing rain was expected to hit south-central Pennsylvania and western Maryland, the National Weather Service said.

In western Kentucky, ice on a bridge caused multiple collisions that left a toddler dead and closed interstate lanes for hours, officials said.

Seven collisions involving 12 tractor-trailers and 6 passenger cars were reported beginning late Wednesday on Interstate 24 in Marshall County due to ice on the Tennessee River Bridge, Kentucky State Police said in a statement.

In one crash involving two semi-trailers, an 18-month-old unrestrained child was ejected and then hit by a car, police said. The toddler was declared dead at the scene by the Marshall County coroner.

In Arkansas, dozens of schools were closed or switched to remote learning on Thursday as another round of freezing rain was expected by midday. Airlines canceled more than 1,700 U.S. flights Thursday, according to the FlightAware.com tracking site. Many of them were at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, where temperatures were expected to top out above freezing only briefly late on Thursday afternoon.

DFW Airport is the biggest in the American Airlines network, and American had canceled 21% of its Thursday flights by Wednesday night, according to FlightAware. Meanwhile, heavy snow was expected in upstate New York and New England later this week, with more than 6 inches possible through Saturday morning.

Winter took a fleeting break in the Northeast on Wednesday, with temperatures soaring into the 60s before plunging within hours. The warm spell sent people streaming outdoors, but it was bad news for ski resorts.

"It's not exactly what you want to see in the middle of the busiest week of the year," said Ethan Austin, spokesperson for the Sugarloaf ski area in Maine, which was busy because of school vacation week. But he was happy to hear snow was on the way.

The weather whiplash marked the second time in less than a week that there was to be a temperature swing of more than 40 degrees in 24 hours.

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here.

The White House blamed Russia on Friday for this week's cyberattacks targeting Ukraine's defense ministry and major banks and warned of the potential for more significant disruptions in the days ahead.

Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration's deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, said the U.S. had rapidly linked Tuesday's attacks to Russian military intelligence officers. 

Britain joined the U.S. in blaming the GRU military intelligence agency for the distributed denial-of-service attacks that unfolded as tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine.

The attacks, which knocked government websites and a couple of major banks offline for much of the day, were of "limited impact" since Ukrainian officials were able to quickly get their systems back up and running, Neuberger said. 

But she said the Russians could also be laying the groundwork for more disruptive activities that could accompany an invasion of Ukraine.

"We do expect that should Russia decide to proceed with a further invasion of Ukraine, we may see further destabilizing or destructive cyber activity, and we've been working closely with allies and partners to ensure we're prepared to call out that behavior and respond," Neuberger said.

She said the U.S. was publicly blaming the Kremlin because of a need to "call out the behavior quickly."

"The global community must be prepared to shine a light on malicious cyber activity and hold actors accountable for any and all disruptive or destructive cyber activity," Neuberger said.

The British Foreign Office said the attack "showed a continued disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty. This activity is yet another example of Russia's aggressive acts against Ukraine."

Neuberger said there was no intelligence indicating that the U.S. would be targeted by a cyberattack, but that remained a concern, given that the banking system does not have the "cyber resilience" that it should.

Ukrainian officials called Tuesday's attacks the worst in the country's history. But while they definitely disrupted online banking, impeded some government-to-public communications and were clearly intended to cause panic, they were not particularly serious by global or historic standards, said Roland Dobbins, the top engineer for DDoS at the cybersecurity firm Netscout.

"Most DDoS attacks succeed due to the lack of preparation on the part of the defenders," said Dobbins, adding that most commercial mitigation services designed to counter such attacks would likely have been able to fend off Tuesday's attacks.

This story was originally published by Willie James Inman and Rob Nelson of Newsy, the Associated Press contributed.

It was the kind of jaw-dropping performance the crowd had never seen.

Zeb Powell stole the show at the 2020 X Games in Aspen, Colorado, jumping and flipping his way right into fans' hearts and a first-place win.

But here's the thing, the rookie clutching the gold medal didn't even like snowboarding the first time he tried it.

"My teacher was mean, and she set me up backward. None of it was appealing to me," Powell tells Newsy. 

For a while, he turned to skateboard, but his raw talent on the snow could not be ignored.

"He's always been flipping and turning, and he's always been on a board or something that will let him fly through the air," Valerie Powell, Zeb's mother, said. 

His parents, who adopted him at five weeks old, started sending him from his North Carolina home to a snowboarding camp in Colorado. Powell stood out in a sport that traditionally is as white as snow.

Newsy's Clayton Sandell: How many people were there doing this that looks like you?

Powell: There might have been one other black person on the mountain.

Sandell: You ever feel unwelcome in this sport?

Powell: Luckily, like, no. I don't really have anything bad to say about anyone.

But it isn't just that Zeb Powell is one of the few black faces on the slopes. Sports commentator Selema Masekela has watched generations of snowboarders over three decades. He says the 22-year-old has game-changing skills he's never seen before.

"He's a jazz musician on a snowboard. He improvises.  It's like, oh, this is a type of snowboarding, an ability and an interpretation of the thing that is crazy, and so artistic and spontaneous, but highly athletic. And also, in the body of a young black kid who grew up in North Carolina?" sports commentator Selema Masekela tells Newsy. 

Powell's first appearance at the X Games changed everything. He gained a ton of new followers and support on social media. Fans who maybe, for the first time, saw themselves.

"I heard a lot of them say they didn't even know that black people snowboarded, which is crazy. I mean, just coming from me, like I never even thought about it like that," Powell explained.  

Powell is still getting used to all the attention and all the selfies.

Sandell: What's it like being recognized like that? 

Powel: That's always crazy. I just kind of fully embrace it try to talk to everyone.

But one thing he's sure of, he's using his new visibility to help make snowboarding much more diverse.

"I think the culture is just it's so fun to be around. I love it. I think a lot of people will love it," Powell says. 

Inviting as many as he can to a sport that historically hasn't been very inviting.

"Recreating and luxuriating in the outdoors was sort of one of the last safe spaces that were built mostly specifically for white people on the back end of segregation in this country.  And so, it's going to take a very long time for those things to change," Masekela explains further. 

Powell didn't place at this year's X Games, but his mom says what's important is that her son knows he has a gift.

"And you got to use it right and stay humble and give back, and so far, that's what he's done, which makes me extremely proud. Prouder than any medal he could ever win," Valerie Powell says of her son. 

"It's exciting because he really does have an opportunity to be so much bigger than then snowboarding and to be like an icon for the sport in opening up accessibility and possibility to what the slopes can look like. It's like, you know, growing up watching Jordan or Kobe or Serena, and then to see it come along, in in a young Black man in America is just it just wildly powerful," Masekela says. 

For now, Powell says he'll be spreading the word through the type of videos he makes with his friends, hot-dogging down the slopes and dropping into concrete canyons, making sure that even though he's one of the few Black pro snowboarders, Zeb Powell is not going to be the last.

Clayton Sandell at Newsy first reported this story.

National Wear Red Day falls on the first Friday in February and is an annual campaign meant to raise awareness about heart disease in women. 

The national campaign urges women to learn their risk for heart disease and to take steps to lower their risk. Although heart disease is said to be about 80% preventable, it causes one out of every three deaths in women each year.

You can help spread the word by dressing in red and also encouraging women to learn their risks. According to The American Heart Association, smoking, sedentary lifestyles, a family history of the illness, diabetes, stress, inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s, along with complications during pregnancy and menopause can increase a woman’s chances of being diagnosed with heart disease.

Let’s go! It's #WearRedDay! So crank up the tunes, get on your feet and rock your red for women’s heart health. pic.twitter.com/ezzDSMb1OL

— GoRedforWomen (@GoRedForWomen) February 4, 2022

As the CDC notes, only around half of women recognize that heart disease is the number one killer for women. It is the leading cause of death in women in the United States, and killed 299, 578 women in 2017 alone, which equates to about 1 in every 5 female deaths the CDC said.

Talk to your doctor if you're experiencing symptoms the CDC says are associated with heart disease like angina, pain the the neck, jaw, or throat or pain in the upper abdomen or back.

For more information on National Wear Red Day visit www.goredforwomen.org

This story was originally published by Alex Livingston of Newsy.

Severe winter weather that has spread across the United States this week could cause delays with your packages. 

FedEx's Memphis, Tennessee headquarters is under an ice storm warning as the company tries to avoid any disruptions in deliveries.

The company says it's keeping an eye on the weather, but the safety of employees comes first.

FedEx released a service statement on its website which said, "FedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at the Memphis and Indianapolis hubs last night due to freezing rain in the Memphis area and snow in the Indianapolis area. The storm has created potentially hazardous operating conditions and the safety of our team members remains our number one priority. Potential delays are possible for package deliveries across the U.S. with a delivery commitment of February 3, 2022. Contingency plans are in place and we are prepared to provide the best possible service as conditions allow. Operational impacts to other FedEx operating companies may vary due to local weather conditions."

A major winter storm has left more than 200,000 homes and businesses without power across the U.S. The multiday storm dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest and triggered weather warnings from Texas to the Northeast. Power companies have struggled to keep pace with freezing rain and snow that weighed down tree limbs and encrusted power lines.

Travelers also are dealing with thousands of canceled flights around the U.S. The storm's path stretched further from the central U.S. on Thursday into more of the South and Northeast. Forecasters say more heavy snow is expected, while heavy ice buildup was likely from Texas to Pennsylvania.

This story was originally published by Dave Briggs of Newsy. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

According to a survey from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, as of 2020, African Americans accounted for 13% of the overall local TV news workforce.

One woman and accomplished journalist is paving the way for more young Black women to enter the industry she loves. Reporter Linnie Supall shares her story. 

"Over 43 years, I think I've done it all," Daphne Taylor says, walking down memory lane.

"Interviewing Oprah, covering Kamala Harris, I've covered President Obama four times."

She's celebrating more than four decades as an accomplished journalist, and her relentless fight to find success. 

"It hasn't been easy because I never made a lot of money, but I have always loved what I did," Taylor explains. 

From television to print and radio, Daphne Taylor's passion for journalism is multi-faceted — so much so, that she paved the way for others. 

"I came back to Riviera Beach and I started teaching broadcast journalism to at-risk teen girls," says Taylor.  

In 1998 Taylor launched a mentorship program introducing teenage girls to the world of broadcasting. 

"We called ourselves WGRL, where girls come first."

For nearly 10 years, WGRL cut attention across south Florida, traveling to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, to meet the latest stars and prominent leaders in town. 

"From Martin Luther King III, to Rosie O'Donnell, Alicia Keys (...) One of my former students recently told me that she would not be where she is today, had it not been for myself," Taylor recalls. 

"When you see you've made a difference, it makes a difference," she adds. 

Taylor is still writing front page headlines, acutely aware of the racial barriers that still remain. 

"Getting rid of racial injustice is going to still take more time, but we can get through it and we will get through it," Taylor says.

"All of us have a responsibility to do our best to make this world a better place. Never give up on your dream. It's never too late. Never too late."

This story was first reported by Linnie Supall and Natalie Allen at Newsy.

The pinch of inflation is creating a crunch for some businesses across the country and across industries. 

Businesses around the United States face a new challenge in this pandemic: raising the price of the products they sell. 

"The rent's going up, the labor's going up, the food cost is going up," said Pete Boland, the managing partner of The Galley and Mary Margaret's Olde Irish Tavern in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Inflation, Boland said, is a real problem.

"The $3 tacos aren't $3 tacos anymore. The days of $3 beer are long gone, too," said Boland. 

In his business, he said he's looking at the price of things like to-go boxes, fry oil, chicken breasts. Like others, his operating expenses fluctuate with the market. 

"So we're trying to be creative with things like portion control, making sure we're watching people's hours and labor, making sure that if there's a way to increase price that there's a good perception of value," he said. 

They're not alone.

The PwC Pulse Survey of executive views found more than 60% of business leaders surveyed believed they'd likely have to increase the prices of goods and services this year, and more than two-thirds expected inflation to remain high this year. 

"If you think about the continued supply chain difficulties with imports still sitting in containers in major points in the country and the reality that we are living in one of the lowest inventory-to-sales ratios that we've seen probably since World War II, you realize that this inflation, while we had hoped it would be fleeting, is probably here for at least 18-24 months," said Byron Carlock, Jr., the national leader of PwC's U.S. real estate practice. 

Carlock said the adjustments upwards appear prevalent in most industries. 

"I think the fed is going to continue to show us their strength in moderating inflation," he said.

"I think all efforts will be to contain the inflation and hope that once the supply chain levels out again we will see prices begin to stabilize."

Experts say for many managers, it's the first time they've experienced inflation like this. 

"This is the first rodeo of severe price inflation for many businesses and for many managers," said John Quelch, dean of the Miami Herbert Business School.

"It's important they adjust their prices in sync with the cost input adjustments they're having to bear on raw materials, on wages, so forth."

Quelch's advice is to buy early and buy often.

"Even though the supply chain problems were and are still part of the inflation equation, they are not such a large part of it that once they're fixed inflation is going to go away," he said. 

At The Galley, Boland said the digital menu makes it easier for them to adjust their prices.

Right now, customers will find a $4 increase in the wings since September. But Boland explained they have a loyal following. 

"You know the economy's raging here so people are a lot less price-conscious than they used to be, and they are understanding that the world has changed," he said.

This story was first reported by Haley Bull and Lindsay Tuchman at Newsy.

So who is the highest-paid person in the government? The answer may surprise you.

Here's a hint: It's not President Joe Biden, who reportedly makes $400,000 a year as Commander in Chief.

Mark Scribner, Managing Director at Oxygen Financial, tells Newsy that this person is Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Lindsay Tuchman: "So, why does Dr. Fauci make more money than the President of the United States?" 

Mark Scribner: "So, his package, it's about $440,000 a year, and then he has a lifetime pension of $380,000 a year. He is part of an old federal system, I think there's only a handful of people still left. It's called the CSRS system, and it was disbanded in 1987. So, he's part of an old package that was not very effective for pensions, that was costing the government way too much money, so they stopped it, but he's still on that program."

Tuchman: "So, and in part has to do with just his longevity of serving in the position that he's in?"

 

Scribner: "You know, I'm a financial advisor, I have clients that work for the FBI, ATF, and they've had the same tenure in terms of length of service. They don't have those kinds of packages, they are, you know, maybe $80,000 a year in pensions, they have a million dollars in their retirement accounts, Dr. Fauci has about $10.4 million in his investment accounts, so there's definitely a disparity." 

Tuchman: "Interesting. So, as we're talking about government employees making money, there's the salary of course, but we've also seen politicians on both sides of the aisle profiting off of the stock market, and sometimes it's due to some information that they have, or something that they know about, and that of course, faces a lot of criticism. What are your thoughts on making sure that doesn't happen in any, sort of way that could be seen as something to be criticized?" 

Scribner: "Well, for your viewers, there's a great website called Unusual Whales and it goes through each politician and it's not a, it's not a red or blue type of a topic, it's all across the board, but they are definitely having access to inside information. Now, I'm a financial advisor and there's a term called 'front running,' that basically prohibits us from buying an individual stock for our own accounts ahead of a client account, but they have access to trade deals, all kinds of big announcements and they buy individual stocks, and this was something that was attempted to be resolved, and it's called the Stock Act. It got watered down in 2013, but they are buying ahead of, you know, some major announcements, major trade deals, and it actually ruins the integrity of the market when you know, they have access to inside information that the average person can't. It's completely unacceptable and I think it just erodes trust for the consumers."

This report was originally published by Lindsay Tuchman of Newsy.

Manufacturers and retailers both pointing the finger at each other for the shortage. Joan Driggs the VP of content and thought leadership for IRI market research company, explains.

Alex Livingston: So, what are some of the contributing factors that are causing baby formula shortages at some retail locations?

Joan Driggs: I think it's a couple of things. First of all, it's a far different purchase than anything else that you buy in the store. There are shared supply chain challenges all across the board with Omicron trying to keep, or keeping truckers off the roads, keeping people out of stores able to stock the shelves, keeping people in manufacturing plants away from work. So that's shared across the entire supply chain. But what's unique to baby formula is that it's such an emotional purchase. You know, this is not buying breakfast cereal for the family where if your preferred brand or your preferred size isn't available, you can find other options that will tie you over. This is something that you really, these caregivers, these parents, and others really depend on for the baby's nourishment and it's not an inexpensive purchase. 

Alex Livingston:  You know, and that is so true. I didn't even think about that last part that you mentioned, but your data showed that Americans spent $4.3 billion in 2020, and 4.5% from that's up 4.5%. So how has the pandemic in particular played a role in the need for formula?

Joan Driggs: I think that it's not necessarily the pandemic, that's putting the need for formula, the need for formula is always going to be there, it makes me laugh like when we talked about the pandemic at the outside, people went off and bought bottled water and bottled water wasn't an issue, this is strictly just to keep people, you know, babies nourished and I think what happens and why there is maybe more purchase is because of the tighter supply.

If you're someone shopping for baby formula and you see that there are only a couple of cans of your 20 or 30-ounce baby formula that you really prefer, you're probably going to buy them if you can afford to because you're afraid that the next time you go to the store it won't be there and that's exacerbating the problem. 

Alex Livingston: Yeah. So, what do you think is the solution then to this issue I think a lot of it is it's out there like in some way shape, or form, it's probably out there? 

Joan Driggs: Every manufacturer wants to ensure that their customers are happy. Every retailer wants to ensure that their customers are happy. So, I think it really will be dependent on manufacturers making sure that they're getting their most preferred brands out there and then consumers understanding if the size that they prefer or the format that they prefer isn't available like one of the really growing categories, same formula but in ready to drink has been hit just as hard or even a little harder because it's so convenient. 

Alex Livingston:  So, if you have to mix your own, that's a solution, interesting. Okay, so we have about 30 seconds left so really quickly, what does your data predict about the demand for baby formula over the next year?

Joan Driggs: I think again across the board, things are going to level off as manufacturers get their full production up to speed as our supply chain keeps rolling and as retailers are able to stock those shelves, but for now people just have to be a little bit more patient shop around as best they can, and of course maybe try not to stockpile, which would help the whole thing level off.

Alex Livingston at Newsy first reported this story.

If you've dined out during the pandemic, you've probably noticed your local restaurants are operating with reduced or even dramatically reduced staffing. The Omicron variant is adding to an already existing staffing problem for the restaurant industry.

"We knew that it just was one more wave, one big variant, one bad winter away from disaster for a lot of restaurants, and that reality is quickly settling in at bars and restaurants throughout the country," said Caroline Styne, co-founder of the Independent Restaurant Coalition. 

With food prices going up, along with the cost of just about everything, fewer customers have also been dining in at restaurants around the country. All of those challenges add to the already huge problem with staffing shortages in the restaurant industry, and some of those businesses say they're on the brink of closing permanently. 

"It could be the end of January. It could be into March or April. But, it's not very long," said Bret Csencsitz, managing partner at Gotham Bar and Grill. 

Restaurant Business Magazine cites the research firm Placer.ai, that reports restaurant visits for the week of Dec. 20 were more than 10% lower than the same time in 2019. And the National Restaurant Association in November said 77% of restaurants reported not having enough employees.

Some of those lucky enough to have enough workers say they're now having to pay them even when they're closed because the demand for labor is so high. 

"I have no business, but please come work for us and we'll pay you. You know that's not normal logic and business," said Michael Dorf, CEO of City Winery.

Businesses say the whiplash of COVID-19 surges are driving them into the ground, as owners struggle to keep their doors open. Industry advocates say these current problems will have an economic ripple effect throughout the country. 

"The financial hit to the country is huge when you lose restaurants to the neighborhood, to the community, and to the job market in general," Styne said. 

This story was originally published by Meg Hilling and Bianca Facchinei of Newsy.

For millions of parents in the U.S., getting a COVID-19 vaccine for their kids is as simple as a few clicks, filling out some forms, and driving to a nearby clinic. But, for those in more rural parts of the country, access to vaccines can be a bit more of a struggle     

"We were so hopeful even back this summer when we first started hearing about, like, how soon it might be approved for children," said Annie Edwards, a mother in rural Montana.

She's hopeful because she knows what it's like to have a sick kid. Her daughter Hannah was born at 27 weeks, weighing one pound. But, for the 57 million people like Edwards who live in rural America, vaccine approval means nothing if they can't find a shot.  She drove to Billings, Montana, in December, which is a 500-mile round trip car ride to get her daughter the first dose.    

"Why are we having to drive this far? Why is it this hard?" asked Edwards.

An hour before the second appointment, the store canceled because it ran out of vaccine doses.   

"In rural areas, where people are spread out, there's much less opportunity for kids," said Dr. Jennifer Kates, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

Edwards echoed her frustration saying, "You know, we live in the United States of America, where we have the most access," she said. "This shouldn't be difficult."    

Right now, Pfizer's vaccine is the only one approved for children. It's a smaller dose. Current minimum shipments come in a 10-vial pack, with 10 doses per vial. The company said that's to "better suit the needs of pediatric clinics." They can be stored for up to 10 weeks in refrigerators.

   

"Once you open the package, you have to use those within 12 hours. And if a provider wants to vaccinate one kid, they have to vaccinate 10 kids to not waste any, so that's a big challenge that we've seen with smaller providers and doctors' offices. They have to figure out, should I even do this," Kates said. 

Edwards' pediatrician told her she's not vaccinating kids against COVID-19. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found more than one-third of rural parents said their health care providers are not even recommending the vaccine for kids.

 

"If a pediatrician isn't encouraging it, that could really be a deterrent for a parent," Kates said. "And it could be the situation where the pediatrician themselves doesn't have the vaccine."

Punching many rural zip codes into vaccines.gov will lead you to a page showing no pediatric shots within 25 miles, with some availability 50 to 100 miles away.      

"If you're a parent who's on the fence, you know, what's going to tip you if you then have to say, well, I'm going to drive 250 miles to do this thing that I'm a little bit wary of. Or even if you're an eager parent, if you don't have a car, if you can't take time off from work, what are you to do," said Kates.  

"There are some places that have put in operation mobile clinics to try to reach kids in those outposts. But, that's sort of the exception, not the rule. It's incredibly difficult. And, of course, when they're the only person who's asking for it in their community, they don't have support. And that makes it even more difficult," Kates said. 

It's a story pediatrician Kathy Rogers is familiar with. She came out of retirement to help administer vaccines.

"I can't sit this one out. This is too important," Rogers said. 

Some of the children at her clinic have traveled up to four hours round trip, twice.

    

"It breaks my heart and I would like to go door-to-door and just offer it to people, and if they don't want it, fine," said Rogers. 

"We have work that lies ahead for rural America, and in general for the country, but really in rural areas," Kates said.  

Montana data shows no kids between 5 and 11 in McCone County are fully vaccinated, with many other counties at 5% or less. Stats show similar rates in parts of rural Idaho, with numbers as low as 1% in places. And it's the same story in parts of Wyoming.    

"I don't understand how we're failing to get it dispersed in rural America," Edwards said. "Because that might be part of it. If I had access, if I could tell my neighbor, yeah, go down. You can get an appointment today, or you can get an appointment when you take your child to their well check or when you're getting their ears checked." 

Multiple doctors say removing barriers likely means an unwanted side effect, like waste.

   

"You can try as hard as you can not to waste vaccine. But if I can give one vaccine to one person, even if I have to waste the whole other dose, I'm going to do that. Because like with Omicron, the infectivity of it is just like measles. It's so high that I protected more people by doing one vaccine than doing none just because I want to save the vial," Rogers said. 

In addition to access, there's statistically more vaccine hesitancy in rural America, driving down demand. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found almost half of rural parents say they definitely will not get their 5- to 11-year-old vaccinated, compared to 22% of urban parents. But, if interest is low, Rogers said counties can and should work together to share doses, to reach as many as possible as Omicron keeps its grip on the country.     

"If you don't get out there and do this for people, what does that say? We've got to take care of each other. And I take care of my family, but my community is my family. It's too important to know those health care workers all feel that way. And that's why some of them are quitting because they feel this so intimately," Rogers said.   

Kates said some states, like Maine and Vermont, have gotten the vaccination effort right from the start, and there's more that can be done elsewhere.    

"From a broader perspective, states and certainly the federal government, can look at how they can pre-position vaccines for remote areas. So, finding the right pharmacy sites, doing mobile clinics to go to people, setting up actual vaccine clinics periodically, where you're really advertising and pushing out that information to communities, it still means that not everyone's going to be easily reached, but you have to make those opportunities more frequent, and visible and easy for parents," Kates said. 

Edwards hopes to get her daughter's second vaccine dose at a neighboring county's clinic soon.  

"It's a drive, it's not close," she said. It will mean about 200 miles round trip for her, and she along with others don't think it should be this hard.

This story was originally published by Maritsa Georgiou on Newsy.

The United States Coast Guard in Miami is monitoring any activity aimed at increasing “unsafe and illegal” crossings between Florida and Cuba in response to rare street protests on the island.

Rear Adm. Eric C. Jones issued a warning statement Monday night as groups of Cuban immigrants said they planned to travel in boats filled with supplies to Cuba to show support for the Cuban protesters. South Florida has the country's largest population of Cuban Americans.

In Miami, Cuban social media personalities posted Monday that they would make the 10-hour boat ride to Cuba to show support after rare street protests broke out over the weekend, the Miami Herald reported.

The influencers said they would bring aid — and guns — and urged people in Miami to offer up their boats.

One group gathered Monday night at Pelican Harbor Marina near Miami’s North Bay Village, and people brought cases of bottled water, flashlights and boxes of canned Chef Boyardee pasta, the newspaper reported.

The group didn't get very far on a rainy Monday night.

A message posted on organizer Santiago Rivera's Instagram account early Tuesday said the Coast Guard stopped his group from crossing the Straits because of “problems with firearms.” He promised they would try again to leave Wednesday morning “with the permission of the authorities of this country."

The Coast Guard statement suggested that such permission would not be forthcoming. It noted that the voyage is “dangerous and unforgiving,” with nearly 20 Cubans dying while trying to cross in recent weeks. It said the Coast Guard is working with state, local, and federal partners to monitor "unpermitted vessel departures from Florida to Cuba.”

Rivera's post thanked people for supporting the mission and said Cubans are determining their destiny and losing their fear. “This isn’t politics, this is brotherhood, this is humanity and common sense, proud to be Cuban for my land I give my life,” his post said.

Thousands of Cuban Americans also gathered in Little Havana over the weekend, expressing support for the Cubans who joined street marches against high prices and food shortages on the island. Such unsanctioned protests are extremely rare, and Cuban police were out in force on Monday to control them.

The last such demonstrations in Havana happened nearly 30 years ago, in 1994. President Miguel Díaz-Canel accusing Cuban Americans of using social media to egg them on.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Cuban American, tweeted that he has never “felt such raw emotion from the people of Miami desperate for intervention by the government and by themselves on behalf of Cuba." He added that “this is the moment of freedom" for Cuba.