Wednesday, December 21, 2022

And another day of Ukraine still standing, severe Covid in China, flu medicine released from national stockpile, George Santos lying about everything, facial recognition tech at a Rockettes show, and dolphins with Alzheimer's disease comes to a close:

“Not many world leaders have defied both Donald Trump's blackmail and Vladimir Putin's aggression. Zelensky is that rare hero.” — David Frum

“Anyone who’s pro-Putin today would’ve been a pro-Nazi “isolationist” in 1939, a Confederate in 1861, and an anti-federalist opposing the ratification of the Constitution in 1787.” — Tristan Snell 

Covid Deaths

US: 1,114,931 (+1123)

World: 6,678,284 (+2632)

Covid Cases

US: 102,048,475 (+182,548)

World: 659,653,555 (+780,579)

Zelenskyy thanks ‘every American,’ sees ‘turning point’. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering U.S. legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation’s capital on Wednesday that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is “not charity,” but an “investment” in global security and democracy.

Undoing of Roe quickly shifts abortion in states. Anti-abortion groups hoped and strategized for decades for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that was delivered in June, ending a court-protected right to abortion after nearly 50 years. The fallout was immediate and far-reaching — and it’s not over yet.

WHO “very concerned” about reports of severe COVID in China. The head of the World Health Organization said the agency is “very concerned” about rising reports of severe coronavirus disease across China after the country largely abandoned its “zero COVID” policy, warning that its lagging vaccination rate could result in large numbers of vulnerable people getting infected.

As flu rages, US releases medicine from national stockpile. The Biden administration said Wednesday it will release doses of prescription flu medicine from the Strategic National Stockpile to states as flu-sickened patients continue to flock to hospitals and doctors’ offices around the country.

Claims by incoming Republican Rep. George Santos that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” as Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname to survive are contradicted by sources reviewed by CNN’s KFile including family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records on Jewish refugees and interviews with multiple genealogists…The incoming Republican lawmaker has faced scrutiny over his resume since The New York Times revealed on Monday that Santos’ biography appeared to be partly fictional. CNN confirmed details of The New York Times reporting on Monday, including that he may have misrepresented parts of his resume about his college education and employment history.

Did Republican Representative-elect George Santos lie about everything? As revealed in the New York Times on Monday, it wasn’t just that Santos exaggerated his résumé, he had allegedly invented it out of whole cloth. The Times found that he apparently did not graduate from Baruch College, he did not work for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, there were no records of him being a successful financier, nor were there of him registering his animal rescue charity. The Times also found that he had been charged with check fraud in Brazil.

Girl Scout mom kicked out of Radio City and barred from seeing Rockettes after facial recognition tech identified her. The mom, and lawyers like her who work for firms that are suing Radio City's parent company, MSG Entertainment, are barred from setting foot in its venues while litigation is ongoing.

Dolphins show hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, new study suggests. The brains of three species of dolphin found stranded along the Scottish coast have shown the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research, providing greater insight into the disease in species other than humans. The findings may also provide a possible answer to unexplained strandings of dolphins along the coast, researchers said.

RIP Franco Harris. He was 72.

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

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