Compiled by Caleb Kerr
Michael Doti opened the show with some news from the CDC regarding gatherings of vaccinated individuals. The biggest change in regulation is that the CDC deemed it okay for fully vaccinated people to have small gatherings indoors with other vaccinated people without any restrictions.
Doti also reported that vaccinated people can also gather with unvaccinated people indoors without restrictions, however the unvaccinated people have to be from a single household, and anyone who is not vaccinated must be deemed low risk for developing severe symptoms of COVID-19. These are just some of the updates from the CDC.
As of yesterday, about 30.7 million Americans are fully vaccinated which is approximately 9.2% of the country’s entire population. Providers are administering an average of just over 2 million doses of the vaccines every day.
Ansleigh Edwards continued the news with a report on a Barrow county robbery. Investigators believe the four Athens men involved targeted a Winder man who was in his vehicle at the time. However, the man was armed and called 911 after the event.
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office believes that the two men who were shot to death during the time of robbery were linked to other suspects arrested for an attempted armed robbery that occurred on the same roadway. The men have since been arrested and charged with criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and aggravated assault with the intent to rob.
Michael continued the show with coverage of Georgia vaccine distribution. Starting today, teachers can now get COVID-19 vaccines. Gwinnett County will be the first school district to start vaccinating their teachers at the Gwinnett Place Mall.
Doti reported that currently, 250,000 K-12 teachers are eligible to be vaccinated, and roughly 63% of those eligible plan on getting a shot, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Most teachers are relieved that it’s finally their turn, but they are also thinking, “It’s about time!”
Governor Kemp has authorized 83,000 doses of the single shot Johnson&Johnson vaccine to be delivered to educators, as well as just under 224,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Caleb Kerr then brought an update on the papal trip to Iraq. On Friday, the Pope met with the Iraqi President and a prominent Shia leader in Mosul to discuss peace and cooperation between Catholicism and Islam.
On Saturday, Kerr reported that the pontiff led a crowd in prayer amidst the rubble of a Syro-Catholic Church in Mosul’s Old City, which had been controlled by ISIS from 2014 – 2017. Pope Francis called for a “harmonious coexistence of people from different backgrounds and cultures.”
Then, on Sunday, the Pope conducted mass for a packed stadium crowd. In his visit, the Pope hoped to not only pay homage to the sites of the Old Testament but also to sow diplomatic relations with Iraq. In his Saturday speech in Mosul, the pontiff “declared hope to be more powerful than hatred and peace more powerful than war.”
After the break, Ansleigh gave an update on the facial covering situation in Switzerland. On Sunday, a narrow vote of 51.21% was passed by Swiss voters banning facial coverings including the niqab and burqa in a majority of public locations. According to CNN, this referendum will ban coverings in publicly accessible places like the streets, public transportation, restaurants and shops.
Edwards reported that the ban has already faced criticism since the measure targets Muslim women in particular who choses to wear Islamic face veils. An alternative measure that has been proposed would require people to show their faces only for identification to authorities at places like the border.
At this time, questions about the details of the ‘burqa bans’ enforcement still remain unanswered.
Sarah Train continued the show with some important information on shifting voting laws in Georgia. House Bill 531 has gained national attention for its new regulations and restrictions on voting, and passed the lower legislative chamber by a vote of 97-72.
Train reported that the bill would require photo identification for absentee voting, limit the amount of time voters can request an absentee ballot, restrict ballot drop box locations and limit early voting hours on weekends. The bill also states that Georgia counties can only have one ballot box per every 100,000 voters.
Opponents of the bill say that these potential changes will confuse voters and exclude minority voters while proponents say that it will protect election security.
Sarah then brought us a special update in entertainment news: the long awaited Oprah interview of Prince Harry and Meaghan Markle. The couple opened up about the internal struggles of being a part of the royal family, why they chose to step down from their royal duties and abuse they faced from the British press.
The Duchess of Sussex also revealed that she dealt with suicidal thoughts and reached out to the royal family for help, but was left unanswered. She also revealed that certain members of the royal family had concerns about her son Archie’s skin color.
Later in the interview, Prince Harry joined Winfrey and Markle, and the couple shared the exciting news that they are expecting a baby girl. For more on the interview or if you missed it last night, the interview is available to stream on CBS.com.
Caleb came back on the air to deliver an important announcement from schools in the University System of Georgia. Just recently, the Associated Press reports that the University System of Georgia set forth plans to return to comprehensive in-person instruction next fall.
Officials stated that their decision came after analyzing “the availability of vaccines over the next few months.” Meanwhile, however, most professors and the vast majority of students at UGA have not yet been offered a vaccine.
Kerr reported that this decision comes as thousands of high school seniors approach Decision Day on May 1, when they must decide which school to attend after graduation. For some, the opportunity of “fully populated residential communities and… student services, activities, events and recreational opportunities” may be too much to resist.
Michael wrapped up the Monday show with your Sports Power Minute. The Georgia men’s basketball team lost their regular season finale on Saturday, 89-79 at home against Alabama. Georgia enters the SEC tournament as the 10 seed, and will face seventh seeded Missouri on Thursday.
After earning the double bye in the tournament, the Lady Bulldawgs played their first game against no. 5 Kentucky on Friday and won a 78-66 victory. The next day, they shocked top seeded Texas A&M 74-68. Back-to-back three-pointers by Que Morrison and Maya Caldwell late in the fourth quarter helped bury the Aggies for good. It was Georgia’s first trip to the SEC Championship game since 2004.
Unfortunately, Georgia’s run came to an end one game short, as the Gamecocks defeated the Lady Bulldogs yesterday, 67-62. It was still a great day for the sport, as Dawn Staley and Joni Taylor were involved in the first ever Power 5 conference championship between two black female head coaches. The Lady Bulldogs are likely to be a three seed in the March Madness tournament.
The Georgia baseball team took two of three games in their weekend set with North Florida. After losing on Friday, the team rebounded with a 6-0 win on Saturday. After trailing 4-2 yesterday through the top of the seventh inning, the Dogs tied up in the bottom frame. Two innings later, Chaney Rogers launched a three-run, walk-off, series clinching home run to win it 7-4. Next up is a single game at Georgia Southern tomorrow.