Friday, December 17, 2021

And another day of a lot of Covid news, dismissals, pleading the 5th, the toughest sentence yet, ‘PINO,’ limiting how slavery is taught in schools, teachers are ‘hanging by a thread,’ Canada’s ‘crying shame,’ eye drops to correct vision, and an upcoming birthday party comes to a close:

“Nothing says normal like a two-hour covid testing line on a 60-degree December day.” — Molly Osberg

“The problem isn’t inflation. It’s lack of competition. Corporations have record profits. They could easily afford to pay higher wages without passing those costs on to consumers. They’re  passing on the costs because they don’t worry about competition.” — Robert Reich

Deaths

US: 826,719 (+2199)

World: 5,360,789 (+8104)

Cases

US: 51,610,281 (+174,629)

World: 273,978,147 (+757,418)

Surging COVID-19 cases bring a 2020 feel to the end of 2021. U.S. officials intensified calls Friday for unvaccinated Americans to get inoculated in the face of the new omicron variant that contributed to a record number of infections in New York and threatened to wipe out a second holiday season in Europe.

Court allows Biden employer vaccine mandate to take effect. A federal appeals court panel on Friday allowed President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead, reversing a previous decision on a requirement that could affect some 84 million U.S workers. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overrules a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the mandate nationwide.

Denmark seeks to close public venues to curb coronavirus. Denmark’s prime minister said Friday that his government is moving to close theaters, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries as part of new restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Trump White House made 'deliberate efforts' to undermine Covid response, report says. The report, prepared by the House select subcommittee investigating the nation’s Covid response, says the White House repeatedly overruled public health and testing guidance by the nation’s top infectious disease experts and silenced officials in order to promote then-President Donald Trump's political agenda.

Far-right using COVID-19 theories to grow reach, study shows. “COVID-19 has served as a catalyst for radicalization,” said the study’s author, Ciaran O’Connor, an analyst at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue. “It allows conspiracy theorists or extremists to create simple narratives, framing it as us versus them, good versus evil.”…Telegram, based in the United Arab Emirates, has many different kinds of users around the world, but it has become a favorite tool of some on the far-right in part because the platform lacks the content moderation of Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.

Fox News loses bid to dismiss Dominion defamation lawsuit over election coverage. Dominion’s lawsuit, filed in March, accused Fox of trying to boost its TV ratings by amplifying false conspiracy theories that the company rigged the presidential election.

Roger Stone invokes Fifth Amendment in appearance before Jan. 6 committee. Stone said he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination "to every question" posed by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot.

McConnell says Jan. 6 committee's findings are 'something the public needs to know'. McConnell’s interest in the investigation is notable given that he had opposed the creation of a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission, calling the idea “slanted and unbalanced.” -- Never trust Mitch McConnell. Even when he says shit like this.

Toughest sentence yet for any Capitol rioter: over 5 years. A Capitol rioter who attacked police officers working to hold back the angry pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6 was sentenced Friday to more than five years behind bars, the most so far for anyone sentenced in the insurrection.

A national progressive grassroots organization is labeling six members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus "progressive in name only," or "PINO" in a new report released on Thursday. The report released by RootsAction.org, titled "Meet The PINOs: "Progressive In Name Only," targets Democratic Reps. Madeleine Dean (Pa.), Donald Norcross (N.J.), Jimmy Panetta (Calif.), Joseph Morelle (N.Y.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.) and Brenda Lawrence (Mich.). 

Herschel Walker’s campaign falsely claimed he graduated from college. The former football star’s campaign removed the reference that he “graduated from UGA with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice” late Thursday after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution inquired about the claim. It’s a falsehood that has proliferated elsewhere, including in an online biography advertising Walker’s book, at a campaign rally for his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, and even during his introduction this year at a congressional hearing. Walker released a statement to the AJC acknowledging he did not graduate from college.

Ghislaine Maxwell declines to testify as defense rests case. After 12 days of testimony over three weeks, jurors heard from the final witnesses Friday in the sex trafficking trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who told the judge she wouldn’t testify because she was confident prosecutors hadn’t proved their case.

Oklahoma Republican introduces bill to limit how slavery is taught in schools. A new bill proposed in the Oklahoma state Legislature would limit how slavery is taught in schools and ban teaching that "one race is the unique oppressor" or "victim" in slavery's history.

'I'm hanging by a thread'. Teachers say school shootings and mental health struggles have made this year their hardest yet. -- We have failed our teachers...which was the GOP plan all along.

Pressure builds on Biden ahead of student loan cliff. President Biden is facing an avalanche of pressure over his administration’s plans to require millions of Americans to resume student loan payments in the coming weeks.

MIT graduate students move to unionize. The MIT-GSU sent a letter to MIT President Leo Reif on Monday announcing the majority of graduate employees have signed union cards. The union is asking for official recognition so students can directly negotiate with university administration and improve "the state of our science and scientists."

Since 1980s US chances of a white Christmas melt a bit. A white Christmas seems to be slowly morphing from a reliable reality to a dream of snowy holidays past for large swaths of the United States in recent decades. Analysis of 40 years of December 25 U.S. snow measurements shows that less of the country now has snow for Christmas than in the 1980s. That’s especially true in a belt across the nation’s midsection — from Baltimore to Denver and a few hundred miles farther north. And snow that falls doesn’t measure up to past depths.

Generators poison thousands of people a year. The U.S. has failed to force safety changes. . Portable generators, which emit carbon monoxide, are among the deadliest consumer products. Two decades after the government identified the danger, people are left vulnerable by a system that lets the industry regulate itself.

Uncertainty follows court’s rejection of Purdue opioids deal. A federal judge’s decision to reject a multibillion dollar opioid settlement involving OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is being hailed as a step toward justice by advocates who have long called for greater accountability for the family that owns the company. But not everyone involved in the arduous settlement process is celebrating, including some advocates who have lost loved ones to the nation’s ongoing — and growing — addiction crisis.

The FDA Just Approved Eye Drops to Correct Aging Vision. The FDA has approved the first prescription eye drop that treats presbyopia.

Canada’s ‘crying shame’: The fields full of children’s bones. Indigenous survivors of Canada’s residential schools tell the stories of those who never made it out. That night, as he slept alongside 100 or so other boys, he heard strange sounds. He understood then that monsters lurked in the dark. He soon discovered who those monsters were. Staff known as “night-keepers” were assigned to watch over the children as they slept. “When that door would open and the light would cast upon the dorm, you could hear the whimpering begin,” he says. The night-keepers would prowl the rows of beds and molest the children. “I’ll never forget the smell,” he says, choking up. Boys would soil their underwear out of fear, he explains. Others would do it on purpose to try to deter their molesters from abusing them that night. For the six years that he was there, Barry was regularly molested. There are tears in his eyes and anger in his voice as he says, “They were predators, plain and simple.”

Three NFL games moved due to COVID-19 outbreaks. -- You might be done with Covid, but Covid’s not done with you. And stop watching the NFL.

Eric Clapton successfully sues 55-year-old German widow for listing bootleg CD on eBay for $11. The woman – referred to in filings as Gabriele P. – will have to pay court costs for both herself and Clapton, reportedly totaling almost $4,000. — What a prick.

Betty White is turning 100 and we're all invited. Betty White is about to turn 100 and she'll celebrate in a big way. White, former Golden Girl and national treasure, turns 100 on January 17 and is inviting fans to celebrate with her in a special movie event called "Betty White: 100 Years Young -- A Birthday Celebration." The movie, made by Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein, follows White in her day-to-day life, including behind-the-scenes on sets, working with her office staff, entertaining at home, lending her voice as an animal advocate and, take viewers to her actual birthday party.

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

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