Sunday, April 25, 2021

And another day of a lack of oxygen, hotspots, wrestling with the fear of catching the virus, a ‘more targeted’ infrastructure bill, the verdict was ‘wrong,’ GOP audits in AZ, killing wolves, and everything is too damn long comes to a close:

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” -- James Thurber

Deaths

US: 586,152 (+1077 - 2 days)

World: 3,122,538 (+23,223 - 2 days)

Cases

US: 32,824,389 (+88,685 - 2 days)

World: 147,783,379 (+1,557,029 - 2 days)

Virus ‘swallowing’ people in India; crematoriums overwhelmed. With life-saving oxygen in short supply, family members in India are left on their own to ferry coronavirus patients from hospital to hospital in search of treatment as the country is engulfed in a devastating new surge of infections. Too often their efforts end in mourning.

Oxygen demand outstrips supply in India hotspots. India’s medical oxygen shortage has become so dire that a Sikh house of worship began offering free breathing sessions with shared tanks to COVID-19 patients waiting for a hospital bed.

Biden says US set on helping India with pandemic. In a tweet Sunday, Biden said, “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.”

Germany will send oxygen, medical aid to India to help in COVID crisis.

Michigan became hotspot as variants rose and vigilance fell. Doctors, medical professionals and public health officials point to a number of factors that explain how the situation has gotten so bad in Michigan. More contagious variants, especially the mutation first discovered in Britain, have taken root here with greater prevalence than other states. Residents have emerged from harsh, lengthy state restrictions on dining and crowd sizes and abandoned mask wearing and social distancing, especially in rural, northern parts of the state that had largely avoided severe outbreaks. The state has also had average vaccine compliance.

Even after being fully vaccinated, many still wrestle with a fear of catching Covid. With more than 93 million people, or more than a quarter of America, fully vaccinated, two camps have emerged: those making up for lost time in the form of house parties, happy hours and travel, and those who cannot shake the fear that they may still get the coronavirus.

Man arrested in Mallorca town on suspicion of infecting 22 people with Covid-19.

Pivotal U.S. Senate Democrat wants 'more targeted' infrastructure bill. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Sunday said he opposes using a maneuver that would enable his party to pass U.S. President Joe Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal without Republican support, saying he favors a smaller and "more targeted" bill.

Almost half of Republicans say Chauvin jury reached wrong verdict. -- You read that correctly. White supremacy runs deep in the GOP.

Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide.

Election conspiracies live on with audit by Arizona GOP. Months after former President Donald Trump’s election defeat, legislative Republicans in Arizona are challenging the outcome as they embark on an unprecedented effort to audit the results in the state’s most populous county.

Sen. Johnson may offer insight into GOP’s 2022 positioning. Ron Johnson is in an uncomfortable class of his own. The Wisconsin Republican is the only senator in his party facing reelection next year in a state that backed Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race. But rather than moderate his politics to accommodate potentially shifting voter attitudes, Johnson is focusing even more intently on cultural issues that appeal to his party’s overwhelmingly white base. -- Senator Ron Johnson is a racist.

An unarmed man was shot by a Virginia deputy who gave him a ride home an hour earlier.

Chloe Zhao was awarded Best Director for Nomadland at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night, becoming the first woman of color in history to win in the category and only the second woman director overall.

Idaho senate passes bill allowing 90% of the state's wolves to be killed.

Dear Netflix and YouTube, everything is way too long. Just like video games, movies are way too long. And the more I think about it, everything we consume -- TV, movies, video games, podcasts -- is just too damn long.

Mars helicopter achieves fastest, furthest flight yet.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.