And another day of shifting preferences, spinning lies and conspiracies, unsealing names, ex-girlfriend immunity, TX soon passing hospitalizations record, France requiring vaccinations, fines in Austria, the ‘Doomsday’ glacier, and a black diamond comes to a close:
“This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor.” -- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country.” — Dr. King, 1960
“The time is always right to do what’s right.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Deaths
US: 874,321 (+757)
World: 5,563,465 (+5723)
Cases
US: 67,631,191 (+635,658)
World: 331,410,891 (+2,606,935)
U.S. Political Party Preferences Shifted Greatly During 2021. On average, Americans' political party preferences in 2021 looked similar to prior years, with slightly more U.S. adults identifying as Democrats or leaning Democratic (46%) than identified as Republicans or leaned Republican (43%). However, the general stability for the full-year average obscures a dramatic shift over the course of 2021, from a nine-percentage-point Democratic advantage in the first quarter to a rare five-point Republican edge in the fourth quarter...Both the nine-point Democratic advantage in the first quarter and the five-point Republican edge in the fourth quarter are among the largest Gallup has measured for each party in any quarter since it began regularly measuring party identification and leaning in 1991.
In Arizona, ground zero for 2024, Trump spins lies and conspiracy theories. If his favored candidates fare well, the former president stands to tighten his stranglehold on the GOP and boost his chances of a comeback.
Ghislaine Maxwell will no longer fight to keep the names of eight 'John Does' secret and will leave it to the court to decide whether the names should be unsealed, according to a letter dated January 12.
Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend received immunity for her testimony, an ominous sign for Gaetz. Prosecutors granted immunity to an ex-girlfriend of Representative Matt Gaetz before she testified last week in front of a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigation of the congressman…Gaetz has been under investigation to determine if he violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice in that probe. Gaetz has previously denied all wrongdoing, and has said he has never paid for sex nor had sex with an underage girl.
Glenn Youngkin, the first Republican governor of Virginia since 2014, is wasting no time enacting policies that will harm the state’s people of color. Here’s a sampling of his day one executive actions:
“Glenn Youngkin is about to yank funding from public schools that require masks. He doesn’t give a damn. His kids go to elite Georgetown Prep which requires masks & vaccinations for all students & staff. GOP treats our kids like trash, while doing all they can to protect their own.” -- Lindy Li
Flashback: McConnell says he's '100 percent' focused on 'stopping' Biden's administration. — No administration can be successful if the other party has a singular focus of saying “no” to just about everything, and then blaming the problems of the country on the current administration—the administration they refuse to work with. McConnell knows this. And he’s been successful doing this shit for years.
“Republicans are honoring the oppressions MLK devoted his life to overcoming by making sure American schoolchildren never hear about any of them.” — Mrs. Betty Bowers
Texas will soon surpass its previous COVID-19 hospitalization record. Doctors and nurses say they can’t keep up this pace for much longer. “I work 60 hours a week and I don't see my child, I don't see my husband, so that I can come and care for you while you yell at me because you're upset that you have a disease that I told you how to prevent in the first place.”
Israel study: 4th vaccine shows limited results with omicron. An Israeli hospital on Monday said preliminary research indicates a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine provides only limited defense against the omicron variant that is raging around the world.
Covid-19 vaccination to be required for athletes competing in France, says sports ministry. France's vaccine pass law, approved by parliament on Sunday, will require people to have a vaccine certificate to enter public places such as restaurants, cafes, cinemas and sports arenas, among others. “The rule is simple. The vaccine pass will be required once the law comes into force in institutions that were already subject to the health pass (sporting or cultural). This will apply to everyone (spectators, professional sportspeople).”
Unvaccinated adults will face fines under Austria's new vaccine mandate. Everyone age 18 and over living in Austria must be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the latest draft. A few groups of people are exempt, such as pregnant people, people recovered from a Covid-19 infection (who are exempt from 180 days from a positive PCR test), and people who cannot be vaccinated without endangering their health.
“It’s sad how much capitalism has manipulated people into believing that everything must be a competition as opposed to an opportunity for collaboration.” -- Frederick Joseph
Tonga remains cut off after a massive eruption and tsunami. Here's what we know. Saturday's eruption of an underwater volcano near Tonga was likely the biggest recorded anywhere on the planet in more than 30 years, according to experts.
How Explosives, a Robot, and a Sled Expose a “Doomsday” Glacier. Scientists are racing to understand how Thwaites is disintegrating, and to figure out how much time humanity has before the thing causes disastrous sea level rise. The ice shelf could crumble in three to five years, which will dramatically accelerate the decline of the rest of the glacier. Each new satellite image of Thwaites shows deeper and longer fractures that are growing up to six miles a year, and they’re heading toward thinner ice…Now that scientists are piecing these trends together—the fractures in the ice shelf, the complexity of the underside of the glacier, and the tidal pumping—they’ve landed at a grim assessment of the Doomsday Glacier: It’s decomposing in more ways than they previously understood. If it melts entirely and takes surrounding glaciers with it, sea levels would go up a total of 10 feet.
Out of this world: 555.55-carat black diamond lands in Dubai. Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond — believed to have come from outer space — “The Enigma.” The rare gem was shown off on Monday to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due to be auctioned off in February in London.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
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