The newest COVID-19 variant to spread across the U.S. is about five times more contagious than an earlier omicron variant. Also in the news: Crowds of mourners filled St. Peter's Square in the Vatican Thursday for Benedict XVI's funeral and the suspect in the killing of four University of Idaho students has been brought back to Idaho. |
Here are Thursday's headlines. |
The newest COVID-19 variant XBB.1.5 doesn't appear to cause more serious disease than its predecessors, experts say. But the strain appears to be about five times more contagious than an earlier omicron variant, which was five times more contagious than the original virus, infectious disease experts told USA TODAY. |
What to know: We may not be going back to the days of 2020, but experts say the new variant is spreading fast, accounting for more than 40% of cases in the United States as of Dec. 30. | A woman looks after her elderly relative lying on a stretcher as patients receive intravenous drips in the emergency ward of a hospital in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Patients, most of them elderly, are lying on stretchers in hallways and taking oxygen while sitting in wheelchairs as COVID-19 surges in China's capital Beijing.
Andy Wong, AP |
Pope Francis honors Benedict XVI at rare requiem Mass |
Pope Francis honored his predecessor Benedict XVI, the German theologian who made history by retiring. Francis presided over a rare requiem Mass Thursday of a dead pontiff by a living one before thousands of mourners in St. Peter's Square. Bells tolled and the faithful applauded as pallbearers carried Benedict's cypress coffin out of the fog-shrouded St. Peter's Basilica and rested it before the altar. Heads of state and royalty, clergy from around the world and thousands of regular people flocked to the ceremony, despite Benedict's requests for simplicity and official efforts to keep the first funeral for an pope emeritus in modern times low-key. Read more |
👉 Missed it? Click here to watch our livestream of the funeral. | VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JANUARY 05: Clerics attend the funeral mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at St. Peter's square on January 5, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican. Former Pope Benedict XVI, who served as head of the Catholic Church from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013, died on 31 December 2022 aged 95 at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City.
Christopher Furlong, Getty Images |
What happens after McCarthy loses multiple speaker votes? |
The second day of the 118th Congress ended with still no speaker. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure enough votes to become speaker of the House on six ballots over both days, heightening tumult around the new GOP majority. McCarthy won the closed-door vote leadership election, and by wide margins, after facing challenger Rep. Andy Biggs, the Republican of Arizona and a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus. The votes on Tuesday and Wednesday, which included all members of the House and not just the Republican party, have yet to put McCarthy – or anyone else – over the vote threshold to win the speakership. Here's how the speaker vote could play out in a few ways. | Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks into the Capitol on Jan. 4, 2023, for a House vote on the Speaker.
Megan Smith, USA TODAY |
'Rivers in the sky' soak California's bay area |
Another major storm began pummeling the California coast on Wednesday as forecasters warned of massive amounts of rain and snow, as well as the possibility of even more storms. The storm is termed a "bomb cyclone" because it is expected to be marked by a quick drop in atmospheric pressure resulting in a high-intensity storm. The powerful storm whipped up huge waves and high winds and included an atmospheric river anticipated to cause flooding and landslides in Central and Northern California. Sometimes called "rivers in the sky," atmospheric rivers are a major factor in extreme rain and snowfall in the West. Read more | Drivers barrel into standing water on Interstate 101 in San Francisco, California on January 4, 2023.
JOSH EDELSON, AFP via Getty Images |
Suspect in Idaho killings extradited |
Little is known about why authorities suspect Bryan Kohberger in the Nov. 13 murders at an off-campus rental home, other than that they analyzed DNA evidence at the crime scene and were able to match it to him, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press and other media. Kohberger, the suspect in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students, was extradited and landed in Idaho Wednesday evening, potentially allowing the release of more information in the mysterious case. Officials have said they would not release information or documents pertaining to Kohberger until he was returned to Moscow to formally face charges in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20. Read more | Bryan Kohberger is pictured being escorted by law enforcement after arriving at Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport in Pullman, Washington.
Austin Johnson, AP Images |
📷 Photo of the day: New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2023 📷 |
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards kept the spirit of cinema alive on Jan. 4, shining a spotlight on the silver screen stars of the past year. Check out the stars who brought movie magic to the red carpet, starting with actress Keke Palmer, who cradled her baby bump in a sparkling silver dress. | Keke Palmer holds her baby bump on the red carpet at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP | This image provided by the Random House Group shows the cover of "Spare," Prince Harry's memoir. The book is an object of obsessive anticipation worldwide since first announced last year, is coming out Jan. 10.
Random House Group via AP |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | |
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