News Roundup: New York City Mayor Signs Law Allowing Non-Citizens to Vote

BY JACK CROWE

January 10, 2022

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

New York City Mayor Signs Law Allowing Non-Citizens to Vote

New York City Mayor Eric Adams enacted a measure Sunday that will allow more than 800,000 non-citizens in the city to vote in municipal elections.

The new law, which the city council passed a month ago, will grant voting rights to any adult who has been a lawful permanent resident in the city for more than 30 days. If it survives a legal challenge, New York City will be the first to institute such a law. Under the law, legal non-Americans would be able to vote for a number of elected positions including mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and council member.

Australian Court Grants Tennis Champion Novak Djokovic Visa Appeal

An Australian court granted Serbian tennis champion Novak Djokovic his visa appeal, which he filed after the government rejected his entry papers over an allegedly inadmissible medical vaccine exemption.

The judge's decision reverses the government's cancellation of his visa, stalling deportation at least for now and allowing the star to compete in the 2022 Australian Open next week, where he will defend his long-standing title.

While Djokovic abstained from receiving the shot, which is required for admission into Australia, he argued that he had natural immunity from prior infection last month that qualified as a legitimate medical exemption to the vaccine.

Walensky Dodges on How Many U.S. Covid Deaths Are Actually Caused by Covid

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, CDC director Rochelle Walensky failed to clarify how many of the 836,000 U.S. patients whose deaths were attributed to Covid in the last two years had underlying medical conditions.

"How many of the 836,000 deaths in the U.S. linked to Covid are from Covid or how many are with Covid but they had other co-morbidities. Do you have that breakdown?" anchor Bret Baier asked.

"Yes, of course, with Omicron we're following that very carefully, our death registry takes a few weeks to collect and Omicron has been with us for just a few weeks but those data will be forthcoming," Walensky replied.

Chicago Mayor Rejects Teachers'-Union Proposal for Remote Return to School

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot (D.) rejected a proposal from the Chicago Teachers' Union that would commence remote instruction starting Wednesday.

Both parties have been engaged at the negotiating table since last Wednesday, when Chicago Public Schools was forced to cancel classes all week after the teachers' union voted to transition to online learning, unauthorized by the district.

Under the CTU offer, teachers would come back to campus Monday to distribute laptops and register students in a weekly Covid-19 testing program, and virtual teaching would start Wednesday. The union said in-person classes could resume by January 18 if case numbers stabilize among the student body and faculty.

Record-Setting Transgender Swimmer Bested in Meet by Another Transgender Swimmer

Lia Thomas, the transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer who has set women's swimming records this season after previously competing as a male, was defeated in two events on Saturday — by another transgender athlete.

Earlier this season, Thomas set pool, program, and meet records, 38 seconds ahead of the next-closest female Penn swimmer in one event.

On Saturday, though, Thomas fell short in two races; one in which Thomas placed fifth and Iszac Henig — another transgender athlete who is presently making the transition from female to male — came in first, and then once again in a relay in which Henig bested Thomas by over a second.

Henig has not yet begun taking hormones, but has undergone a mastectomy. Both Thomas and Henig are permitted to compete in the women's division under current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules.

U.K. Government Panel Advises against Fourth Covid Vaccine Dose

A U.K. advisory panel recommended against a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose for elderly and at-risk populations, citing evidence that a third shot provides sufficient immunity.

The U.K. Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization advised against the fourth dose after data showed one booster shot — a third dose of an mRNA vaccine — offered enough protection against Covid-19 after three months, according to the Associated Press.

Harris's New Comms Aide Under Fire for Old Tweet about Illegal Immigrants

Vice President Kamala Harris' new communications director issued an apology on Friday following backlash over a tweet he posted in 2010 asking why two illegal immigrants appearing on cable news had not been deported.

Jamal Simmons, who was chosen to lead the vice president's communications team on Thursday, tweeted in 2010: "Just saw 2 undocumented folks talking on MSNBC. One law student the other a protester. Can someone explain why ICE is not picking them up?"

Simmons shared a statement with Politico reporter Alex Thompson expressing remorse for the tweet.

"As a pundit for much of my career I have tweeted a lot and spoken out on public issues," Simmons said. "Sometimes I have been sarcastic, unclear, or just plainly missed the mark. I sincerely apologize for offending those who care as much as I do about making America the best, multi-ethnic, diverse democracy it can be."