| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Friday, January 7, 2022 by Farouq Suleiman | Hello Here's what you need to know. Biden blasts Trump's 'web of lies,' U.S. hospitals delay surgeries due to surge in COVID-19 cases and Kazakh president gives shoot-to-kill order to put down uprising. | | | | | Today's biggest stories  President Joe Biden gives remarks in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony on the first anniversary of the January 6 attack, Washington, D.C., January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Drew Angerer U.S. Speaking at the white-domed building where rioters smashed windows, assaulted police and sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives on Jan. 6, 2021, President Joe Biden said Donald Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud could unravel the rule of law and subvert future elections. Biden accused his predecessor of spreading a "web of lies" to undermine U.S. democracy.
The Department of Health and Human Services appears unprepared to assume full responsibility for the nation's COVID-19 vaccine program, including activities currently managed by the Pentagon, according to a draft government watchdog report reviewed by Reuters.
Hospitals across the United States are postponing elective surgeries to free up staff and beds due to a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. Administrators say hospital staff shortages have been compounded in the last month by medical practitioners isolating or quarantining as they themselves are infected or exposed to the virus.
The Supreme Court is set to consider requests by Republican state officials and business groups to block Biden's vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 workers and a similar requirement for healthcare facilities at a time of surging COVID-19 cases nationwide.
The three men who were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery are due to be sentenced to life in prison. A jury found Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, guilty in late November of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a felony.
The eastern United States, from Tennessee to New York, faces stronger winds and heavier snow overnight, likely causing the first bomb cyclone of the 2022 winter season in the region, forecasting service AccuWeather said. |  Troops are seen at the main square where hundreds of people were protesting against the government, Almaty, Kazakhstan January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Mariya Gordeyeva WORLD Kazakhstan's president said he had ordered his forces to shoot-to-kill to deal with disturbances from those he called bandits and terrorists, a day after Russia sent troops to put down a countrywide uprising. Security forces appeared to be in control of the streets of the main city Almaty on Friday morning but gunfire could still be heard after days of unrest.
Novak Djokovic was joined in Australian immigration detention by Czech women's player Renata Voracova in a row over COVID-19 vaccines that could scupper the Serb's shot at a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam.
Mexican authorities have arrested two suspects after an SUV filled with 10 bodies was left outside the office of a Mexican state governor in a public square lit up with Christmas tree and holiday decorations, officials said.
The United States and Japan voiced strong concern about China's growing might in unambiguous terms and pledged to work together against attempts to destabilize the region.
Britain's Ministry of Defence said that it had begun the deployment of the military to support hospitals experiencing staff shortages and extreme pressures due to record COVID-19 cases in the country. |  The New York Stock Exchange is pictured amid the coronavirus pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri BUSINESS Wall Street headed for a firmer start, though U.S. payroll figures before the opening bell will likely set the tone for the final session of a rollercoaster first week of trading in 2022 which saw new highs followed by heavy selling.
German carmaker BMW has unveiled the world's first "color-changing" car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The concept car, called the BMW iX Flow, uses electronic ink technology normally found in e-readers to transform the car's exterior into a variety of patterns in gray and white.
Apple boss Tim Cook's pay in 2021 was 1,447 times that of the average employee at the tech giant, a filing showed, fueled by stock awards that helped him earn a total of nearly $100 million.
Indonesia, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, sent shockwaves through global energy markets this week by suspending exports of the fuel in January due to critically low coal supplies at domestic power plants.
A U.S. court tossed out a request from two laundromat owners to block Mexican state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos from acquiring majority control of a Texas oil refinery. | | | | | | | | | Video of the day  What to expect in the Jan. 6 committee The U.S. Congress' probe of the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters soon begins weeks of public hearings that will put the investigation in the spotlight as campaigning intensifies for the November elections. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
