Tuesday morning news - December 14, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozens » Residents of Kentucky counties ravaged by a violent swarm of tornadoes could be without heat, water or power for weeks.

State officials issued that warning on Monday, as the toll of damage and deaths becomes clearer.

At least 88 people are dead in five states — including 74 in Gov. Andy Beshear’s home state of Kentucky. The governor choked up on Monday as he spoke about the victims.

BESHEAR: The age ... the age range is 5 months to 86 years, and six are younger than 18.

A 2-month-old girl has now died as well, succumbing to injuries from the storm.

Kathy Stewart O’nan is mayor of Mayfield, Kentucky, the devastated town of about 10,000 people. She told reporters…

O’NAN: There are people suffering who I, as a former teacher, taught. There are people I’m watching as first responders take care and search and rescue that I taught.

The death toll is expected to rise.

The federal government has pledged support to Kentucky and four other affected states. President Biden will travel to Kentucky tomorrow to get a firsthand look at the damage.

Biden to sign order to make govt services more customer friendly » President Biden signed an executive order Monday aimed at making government services more customer friendly.

BIDEN: The bottom line is we’re going to make the government more effective for the American citizens so it’s not as confusing and it’s straight forward.

Speaking at the White House, the president said he hopes to save Americans time and frustration on everything from renewing passports to applying for Social Security benefits to getting aid after natural disasters.

The order is aimed at cutting red tape and things like shortening long phone calls with government agencies.

White House officials said they hope it can help to renew faith in government.

Numerous presidents have tried through the years to make government more nimble. President Bill Clinton famously pledged in 1993 to “reinvent government” with an interagency task force.

Hong Kong tycoon given 13 months jail for Tiananmen vigil » A Hong Kong court, now under Beijing’s thumb, has sentenced a businessman and pro-liberty activist to more than a year in jail for urging people to take part in last year’s banned Tiananmen Square vigil. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The court sentenced 73-year-old Jimmy Lai to another 13 months behind bars.

The District Court also convicted seven others on similar charges and handed out sentences of up to 14 months.

Hong Kong’s government has banned the candlelight vigil for the past two years supposedly over pandemic concerns. But many believe it’s part of the Chinese government’s continued effort to roll back liberties in what used to be a semi-independent city.

Lai was already behind bars for taking part in pro-democracy protests. He’ll serve a total of 20 months on charges related to those demonstrations.

He was the founder of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The paper was forced to shut down in June after police froze more than $2 million of its assets, searched its office, and arrested editors and executives.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

U.K. reports first omicron death » British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday confirmed the first death in his country from the omicron COVID-19 variant.

Johnson said that while omicron might not be as lethal as delta, it is serious and it is increasing hospitalizations.

JOHNSON: I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus; I think that’s something that we need to set on one side and just recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates though the population. So the best thing we can all do is get our boosters.

And Londoners waited for hours outside a hospital by the River Thames to get COVID-19 vaccines on Monday morning.

The health secretary expects omicron to oust delta as the dominant strain in the country by tomorrow.

Researchers are still studying the omicron strain. But so far, most health officials say that while vaccines are less effective against omicron, they do provide significant protection, particularly against serious illness.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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