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Here's what we're talking about:
- Emails show how Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talks to his staff about vaccines, pride flags, and his adopted babies
- The CDC urges all adults to get boosters amid Omicron concerns
- CNN anchor Chris Cuomo used his media sources to try to help his embattled brother
1. INSIDE THE ADMINISTRATION: Want to know what it's like to work for Pete Buttigieg? My Insider colleague obtained nine of the transportation secretary's missives to his department. The messages provide an insight into Buttigieg's approach to running a department with 55,000 federal employees around the US, not to mention the details he shares about his own personal life.
Here's a look at our story:
Buttigieg has made it a priority to engage with staffers, a Department of Transportation representative told my colleague. Many of the all-staff emails serve as pep talks of sorts, thanking the team for its work and updating it on the department's priorities.
- He also gets personal too: "We're seeing a lot of flags out around D.C. and around the country and as the first out, Senate-confirmed member of a president's Cabinet, it's of course personal to me and I'm delighted to be able to celebrate this occasion with so many of you," Buttigieg wrote in an email marking LGBTQ pride month.
And it's "Secretary Pete," in case you were wondering: "He signs off with 'All my best, Secretary Pete,' or 'Sincerely, Secretary Pete,'" my colleague writes. "Several of the notes begin with some version of: 'Hey everyone! Secretary Pete here.'"
Read Secretary Pete Buttigieg's messages to the Transportation Department employees for yourself.
2. CDC urges all adults to get boosters amid Omicron concerns: The new recommendation marks a vigilant approach toward the new coronavirus variant, which has been detected in the UK, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, and several more countries since South Africa first reported it to global health authorities. Previously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved boosters for all vaccinated adults — with the caveat that older folks needed them most. More on the CDC's new guidance.
- WHO warns Omicron poses a "very high" global risk: Though it's unclear what effects Omicron's many mutations have on its behavior, the World Health Organization cited the record number of mutations as a cause for concern.
- President Joe Biden says there will be no new lockdowns: He sought to reassure the American people that the variant was not a "cause for panic." He also said he didn't "anticipate" further travel restrictions. Here's what else the president had to say about Omicron.
3. A federal judge blocked one of Biden's vaccine mandates in 10 states: Judge Matthew Schelp, an appointee of President Donald Trump, temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. More on the decision.
4. Labor board calls for another Amazon union vote: The National Labor Relations Board has ordered a new union election for Amazon employees at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. It concluded that Amazon improperly influenced the results of the first election. The federal board sided with union organizers, who argued that Amazon violated labor laws by installing a mailbox outside its warehouse and trying to gauge employees' support for the union in mandatory meetings. More on the decision and what it means for Amazon.
5. Trump's lawyers are set to defend his move to shield records: Trump's legal team plans to argue in federal court later today that a lower judge's ruling requiring the National Archives and Records Administration to turn over records related to the January 6 insurrection to Congress should be overturned, the Associated Press reports. It's likely that the Supreme Court will ultimately be drawn in. More on the extraordinary presidential-records fight.
- The "QAnon Shaman" has added Kyle Rittenhouse's former lawyer: Jacob Chansley has hired a new lawyer, in an apparent first step toward appealing his 41-month prison sentence.
6. Prosecutors say Ghislaine Maxwell ran "a pyramid scheme of abuse" with Jeffrey Epstein: In opening statements for the British socialite's child-sex-trafficking trial, prosecutors accused Maxwell of grooming and sexually abusing teenage girls. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Her defense argues she is being framed. The New York trial is expected to last up to six weeks. Here's what else happened on the opening day of the closely watched trial.
7. Rep. Lauren Boebert escalates feud with Rep. Ilhan Omar: Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota ended a call with Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado after the two spoke via phone in the wake of Boebert's Islamophobic comments about Omar. The pair seemed to differ over whether Boebert had offered a sufficient apology for her comments. Omar's communications director, Jeremy Slevin, told Insider that the Minnesota Democrat suggested ending the call after Boebert refused to apologize. Here's what may happen next, including an effort by some Democratic lawmakers to censure Boebert.
8. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo used media sources to try to help his embattled brother: Cuomo used media connections in an attempt to get more info about a woman who accused his brother, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of sexual harassment, according to new transcripts by the New York attorney general's office. The documents included text-message exchanges between Chris Cuomo and Melissa DeRosa, the governor's top aide, in which the CNN host appeared more involved in his brother's defense than previously reported. "'I have a lead on the wedding girl," the anchor texted DeRosa in one instance. Read more from the previously undisclosed exchanges.
9. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey steps down: Dorsey, who founded the company, became CEO of Twitter in 2006 before being booted two years later. He returned and became CEO again in 2015 while staying on as CEO of his digital-payments company, Square, which is now worth more than double Twitter. Twitter's chief technology officer, Parag Agrawal, was named Dorsey's successor. More on the changing of the guard.
10. Remembering Lee Elder: Elder, the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters tournament, died Sunday at 87. He went on to make five more appearances in the major tournament. He was also the first Black player to compete in the Ryder Cup when he made the team in 1979. More on his legacy.
Today's trivia question: Today marks the anniversary of the first modern instance of a meteorite striking a person. Which state did it occur in? Email your answer and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
- Yesterday's answer: In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison's grandchildren decorated the first Christmas tree set up at the White House. And Jimmy Carter became the first president to light the National Menorah. Check out this year's White House Christmas decorations, which include a gingerbread tribute to frontline workers.