Omicron continues to spread through the U.S. this winter. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have doubled in more than a dozen states. The President Joe Biden announced a plan to require health care insurers to reimburse Americans for at-home COVID-19 tests.Inflation is rising (7 percent over the last year, the highest since 1982), but so are wages. The public's focus on the former rather than the latter has Democrats worried about election season.Meanwhile, the developing situation at the border between Ukraine and Russia wasn't deescalated following NATO talks with Russian officials. U.S. diplomats are growing frustrated, telling their Russian counterparts to choose diplomacy over conflict.We cover the most important headlines of the week on the news roundup.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.