TASK FORCE

California's first-in-the-nation task force studying reparations for Black residents is meeting in Oakland to discuss potential eligibility requirements and what form reparations could take.

The University of Michigan has created a task force of faculty and students to prepare for a potential abortion ban in the state should Roe v. Wade be overturned.

A bipartisan task force has been formed with a mission to make schools safer.

A French senior naval officer says the Islamic State group is using stealth to regenerate its forces by developing its military capabilities underground and France is deploying its warships and aircraft in the region to help troops on the ground root out the threat.

That’s on top of the nearly $200 million for virus genome sequencing, which is critical for tracking new variants of the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci said there are two studies that are pointing in a favorable direcion. If found higher amounts of the virus in the nose was linked to a greater ability to spread the virus. “In other words, higher viral load, good transmissibility; low viral load, very poor transmissibility.”So people who are fully vaccinated have less virus in their nose. Ad“When your turn to get vaccinated comes up, get vaccinated,” Fauci said.

Gretchen Whitmer’s task forces has recommended lowering the price of necessarily prescription drugs and holding sellers accountable for skyrocketing costs. The Prescription Drug Task Force joined with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to recommend legislation that requires transparency reports from drug manufacturers, makes necessary medications affordable for Michigan families and holds sellers who profit from skyrocketing prices accountable. “Michigan families deserve to know that they can trust and have access to the medicine they need,” Whitmer said. “No one should have to choose between filling needed prescriptions and paying rent or buying food.”“The goal of the Task Force since day one was to find a way to lower the cost of prescriptions for Michigan families,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said. Whitmer created the Prescription Drug Task Force last year to develop policy solutions and combat that problem.

As a resurgence of the pandemic in the fall looked set to overwhelm Portuguese care homes, the government mobilized all the resources it could. Some of the home’s residents, suddenly confined to their rooms or their floor, were bewildered and chafed at restrictions, even trying to take the elevator and escape confinement. The soldiers’ mission: fan out across the country to visit hundreds of nursing homes and help shore up their defenses against the pandemic. On top of that, nursing home staff in Portugal commonly work in several different care homes and travel between them on public transport. They have already been to more than half of the targeted 2,770 care homes.

A Michigan task force has been conducting research and implementing new protocols to help improve conditions for minority communities who have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic -- and they have seen some notable progress so far. Gretchen Whitmer established the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities to address issues leading to the disproportionate havoc the pandemic has wreaked on communities of color compared to white communities. Since the task force was created, more than 20 “Neighborhood Testing sites” have been established in previously-underserved communities throughout Michigan, the state reports. Moving forward, the group intends to close the “digital divide” by ensuring minority communities have better access to internet, telehealth services and virtual learning. “It’s clear that the work of this task force ... has made significant progress in protecting families, frontline workers, and small businesses in communities of color,” said Celeste Sanchez Lloyd, task force member and community program manager for Strong Beginnings at Spectrum Health.

In the season premiere episode of “The Blacklist” starring James Spader, Red directs the Task Force to investigate Roanoke, a legendary criminal who orchestrates elaborate extractions. Watch the season premiere tonight at 8 p.m. on Local 4. “The Blacklist” also stars Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Mozhan Marnò, Hisham Tawfiq and Harry Lennix. John Eisendrath, Jon Bokenkamp, John Davis, John Fox, James Spader, Lukas Reiter, J.R. Orci, Carla Kettner and Laura A. Benson serve as executive producers. “The Blacklist” is a production of Davis Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television and Universal Television.

Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Wednesday to extend protection for residents and staff members at long-term care facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic. “From day one, I have taken action to protect both seniors and staff in long-term care facilities from COVID-19. “That’s why we have been working around the clock to protect our seniors and aggressively following CDC guidance to limit the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. I signed an order months ago requiring testing for all residents and staff and new residents, and my administration has helped get nursing homes thousands of tests. According to the press release, the centers “will be care units dedicated exclusively to caring for and isolating COVID-19-affected residents.”The order also requires nursing homes to inform legal guardians or health proxies of residents or employees testing positive.

The man, Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, Washington, the official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron Jay Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said. During the encounter, Reinoehl was shot by a law enforcement officer who was working on the federal task force, the official said. The official said Reinoehl had pulled a gun during the encounter and was shot by law enforcement. As soon as the adults jumped in, he pulled out a gun, Reinoehl said.

A new report finds Michigan’s plan to create “hubs” for nursing home residents with COVID-19 was “logical and appropriate,” and found no significant evidence of transmission of the virus between patients and residents. Whitmer for Michigan nursing home data linked to the coronavirus outbreak as part of an effort to find out if the state’s response warrants a federal investigation. No significant evidence of transmission of COVID-19 between patients admitted from hospitals to nursing home residents in hub facilities. Nursing home resident COVID-19 prevalence positively correlated with county COVID-19 prevalence rates for both hub and non-hub nursing homes. “We have taken great strides to protect families from the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON Melania Trump has announced plans to redo the White House Rose Garden to make it more in line with the original design implemented during the 1960s Kennedy administration. President Donald Trump has been using the Rose Garden a lot more lately to make statements and hold news conferences in the age of the coronavirus. Plans described by the first lady include returning the Rose Garden to its original 1962 footprint with improved infrastructure and drainage and a better environment for the plants and flowers. The renovation plan has been approved by the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, an advisory committee. The project is also supported by the National Park Service, which cares for the White House grounds, and will be paid for using private donations, the White House said.

WASHINGTON The White House coronavirus task force will hold its first briefing in several weeks as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the U.S. The number of confirmed new infections soared past the previous high set on April 24 of 36,400, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are down to around 600 per day, compared with about 2,200 in mid-April. The virus is blamed for 124,000 deaths in the U.S. and 2.4 million confirmed infections nationwide, by Johns Hopkins count. Worldwide, the virus has claimed close to a half-million lives, according to Johns Hopkins.

WASHINGTON The White House coronavirus task force held its first briefing in several weeks Friday. Just after the briefing, Local 4 had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Deborah Birx about the issues in Michigan. While Michigans response was commendable in the early months, we are seeing an uptick in cases. READ: Michigan virus cases up 389 -- Highest one-day total in JuneYou can see the interview in the video player above.

EDENVILLE, Mich. A task force that was set to acquire and improve mid-Michigan dams has halted the purchase after dam failures caused historic flooding last week. About 10,000 people in mid-Michigan were asked to evacuate their homes after multiple dams were breached, causing a major flooding emergency. Here is the full statement from the Four Lakes Task Force:"Recent events related to the Edenville dam failure were terrible and tragic for our community. All of us on the Four Lakes Task Force are devastated by our individual and collective losses, and our hearts go out to everyone who is impacted. The Four Lakes Task Force is collaborating with the Counties, lake communities and regulatory authorities on the best path forward as we assess the issues and work toward recovery.