illinois

Several Republican members of Congress grew angry on Tuesday over new security systems implemented at the Capitol. The safety measures, which included metal detectors and physical pat-downs in some instances, were introduced after last week's deadly insurrection at the complex.

"You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of," Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas was heard yelling at police who were conducting the check, according to a press pool report.

Updated at 1:09 p.m. ET Sunday

An active member of the military was charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder on Sunday following a shooting on the day after Christmas at a bowling alley in Rockford, Ill.

The suspect was identified as 37-year-old Duke Webb of Florida.

The nation is at a pivotal moment in the fight against the pandemic. Vaccines are finally starting to roll out, but the virus is spreading faster than ever — and killing thousands of Americans daily. And it will be months before enough people get inoculated to stop it.

That means it's critical to continue the measures that can limit the toll: mask-wearing, hunkering down, hand-washing, testing and contact tracing.

Updated Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET

With the FDA now authorizing the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine, a huge logistical challenge looms. That is, transporting and distributing the vaccines quickly and efficiently to those who need it most all around the world.

It's a complex task that will involve not only shipping companies like FedEx and UPS, but also airlines better known for carrying people, not cargo.

Hospitals in much of the country are trying to cope with unprecedented numbers of COVID-19 patients. As of Sunday, 93,238 were hospitalized, an alarming record that far exceeds the two previous peaks in April and July, of just under 60,000 inpatients.

Officials in Illinois have ordered an independent investigation into a coronavirus outbreak that killed 27 people at a state-operated veterans' home. The state's Department of Veterans' Affairs announced the decision in a statement Tuesday, pledging to "immediately address any findings from that investigation."

Updated at 10 a.m. ET

House Democrats started this month hoping, and preparing, to gain seats in the election. Instead, their once-robust majority in the House has dwindled, and Democrats are on track to begin next year with the slimmest majority in decades.

Now members on the progressive left and Democratic Party moderates are again at odds over whose policies won in 2020 and how they should govern as a party.

Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who's charged with fatally shooting two men and wounding a third during a protest in Kenosha, Wis., was extradited from Illinois to Wisconsin following the ruling of Lake County Judge Paul Novak.

Novak denied Rittenhouse's request to remain in Illinois, according to The Associated Press, noting that the defense had characterized the charges as politically motivated. "This Illinois court shall not examine any potential political impact a Wisconsin District Attorney potentially considered in his charging decision," Novak's ruling read.