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Happening Today: Elizabeth Warren, Virginia, HIV, Hepatitis, Ozzy Osbourne, Jennifer Lawrence

What to Know

  • Elizabeth Warren issued a broader apology for claiming Native American ancestry amid a report she identified herself as an 'American Indian'
  • Trump launched a campaign to end the HIV epidemic in the US, targeting areas where new infections happen and getting drugs to people at risk
  • Ozzy Osbourne has been hospitalized for complications from the flu, his wife Sharon announced on Twitter

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Elizabeth Warren Apologizes After 'American Indian' Bar Registration

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has issued a broader apology for claiming Native American ancestry amid a report that she identified herself as an "American Indian" on her registration for the State Bar of Texas. The apology comes after The Washington Post obtained and published Warren's 1986 registration card for the State Bar of Texas, in which she identifies as "American Indian." The handwritten card was signed by Warren in blue ink. Warren's office did not dispute the authenticity of the card, according to the Post. Warren told the Post she was sorry for "for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted." When asked if an earlier reported apology to the chief of the Cherokee Nation was also because she identified herself as Native American during her time at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, Warren reportedly said, "yes."

Political Crisis Engulfs Virginia's Top 3 Elected Officials

The political crisis in Virginia spun out of control when the state's attorney general confessed to putting on blackface in the 1980s and a woman went public with detailed allegations of sexual assault against the lieutenant governor. With Gov. Ralph Northam's career already hanging by a thread over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook, the day's developments threatened to take down all three of Virginia's top elected officials, all of them Democrats. The twin blows began with Attorney General Mark Herring issuing a statement acknowledging he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like a rapper during a party when he was a 19-year-old student at the University of Virginia. Herring - who had previously called on Northam to resign and was planning to run for governor himself in 2021 - apologized for his "callous'' behavior and said that the days ahead "will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve.''

Trump Plan to Stop HIV Epidemic Targets High-Infection Areas

President Trump is launching a campaign to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030, targeting areas where new infections happen and getting highly effective drugs to people at risk. Briefing reporters ahead of Trump's State of the Union speech, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and senior public health officials said the campaign relies on fresh insights into where about half of new HIV cases occur — 48 out of some 3,000 U.S. counties, and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and seven states with at-risk rural residents. "We've never had that kind of 'This is the target,'" said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's pre-eminent AIDS warrior and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The government has "been trying to address HIV, but never in such a focused way," he said. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

NJ Warns of Potential Hepatitis Exposure at Dunkin' Donuts

New Jersey health officials say people who visited a Dunkin' Donuts in Ocean City may have been exposed to hepatitis. The Cape May County Health Department says a person who worked at the store tested positive for hepatitis A and was there while he was potentially infectious between Jan. 27 and Jan. 31. Officials say risk is low, but are recommending anyone who visited the location during the time period should receive a vaccine. Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months, including symptoms like fever, vomiting and jaundice.

Ozzy Osbourne Hospitalized for Flu Complications, Wife Says

Ozzy Osbourne has been hospitalized for complications from the flu, his wife Sharon announced on Twitter. "His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery," she wrote. "Thanks to everyone for their concern and love." The news of his hospitalization comes a week after the 70-year-old rockstar postponed 16 upcoming shows of his "No More Tours 2" tour in the U.K. and Europe after developing a "severe upper-respiratory infection" that doctors feared could turn into pneumonia, according to a statement released Jan. 29. “I’m completely devastated for having to postpone the European leg of my tour," Osbourne said in the statement. "No More Tours 2" is set to resume on March 9 in Australia, followed by shows in New Zealand, Japan and a two-month stint across the U.S. and Canada with heavy metal band Megadeth, the statement said.

Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney Are Engaged

Jennifer Lawrence and boyfriend Cooke Maroney are engaged, Lawrence's rep confirmed to E! News. Speculation that Lawrence, 28, had accepted a proposal from Cooke, 34, made headlines when the bride-to-be was spotted wearing what sources described to Page Six as a "massive ring" on her finger during a recent date night. Lawrence was first romantically linked to the art gallerist in June 2018. It's reported that the pair was introduced by Lawrence's best gal pal and date to the 2014 Oscars, Laura Simpson. In the months that followed, the Oscar winner and her boyfriend would enjoy a romantic getaway to Europe and share PDA during outings in New York City. Unlike Lawrence's prior outlook on love, which included much more public relationships with Nicholas Hoult and Darren Aronofsky, she and Cooke have apparently decided to get to know each other away from the public eye.

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