And another day--the 21st day of the 21st year in the 21st century--with differing ideas, nonexistent plans, liberation to speak freely, ethics panels, editorial boards, delaying impeachment, and so much more comes to a close:
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you cannot help them, at least do not hurt them” -- Dalai Lama
Deaths
US: 420,285 (+4391)
World: 2,100,388 (17,131)
Cases
US: 25,196,086 (+197,111)
World: 98,088,731 (+782,174)
Biden signs burst of virus orders, vows ‘Help is on the way’. With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that America’s war on COVID-19 is under new command, promising an anxious nation progress to reduce infections and lift the siege it has endured for nearly a year.
U.S. Will Remain In WHO, Fauci Announces, As Biden Reverses Trump Move. "I am honored to announce that the United States will remain a member of the World Health Organization," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday, informing the WHO's executive board that President Biden has reversed former President Trump's move to leave the U.N.'s health agency. The U.S. will also fulfill its financial obligations to the WHO, Fauci said, as well as cease a drawdown of U.S. staff who work with the organization.
Biden wants to unite America. Republicans have a different idea of what that means. Republican pleas for unity focus on urging Biden not to take actions that upset their voters. But that's incompatible with the new president's agenda. -- Why is it always about not upsetting Republican voters? Aren’t they the ones that tell the rest of the country to “get over it” and “fuck your feelings”?
Biden inheriting nonexistent coronavirus vaccine distribution plan and must start 'from scratch,' sources say. "There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch.” — The Trump plan was to let many Americans die.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he now feels liberated to speak freely on science, risk of Covid under Biden. "One of the new things about this administration is that if you don't know the answer, don't guess. Just say you don't know the answer," Fauci said in response to a reporter's question on a matter he was unaware of. -- Science is the only thing that will save us. It’s so very good to see it being taken seriously again.
Timing of second Covid vaccine doesn't need to be exact. Just get it, experts say.
Some states want to buy their own COVID vaccines. Biden administration says no. “We need to have a national approach to vaccinations, and must ensure states aren't competing against each other like they did with PPE, ventilators, and tests.”
Biden revokes Trump report promoting ‘patriotic education’. In its report, which Trump hoped would be used in classrooms across the nation, the commission glorifies the country’s founders, plays down America’s role in slavery, condemns the rise of progressive politics and argues that the civil rights movement ran afoul of the “lofty ideals” espoused by the Founding Fathers.
House Democrats could deliver impeachment article as early as Friday.
McConnell proposes delaying impeachment trial until February so Trump team can prepare.
Senate Republicans throw cold water on Biden's immigration proposal. President Joe Biden's sweeping immigration plan ran into quick resistance from key Senate Republicans, including some who championed a similar effort eight years ago.
Democrats frustrated as fight over filibuster stalls power-sharing agreement in Senate. Senate Democrats are refusing to buckle to demands from Senate Republicans that they agree not to weaken filibusters against legislation, something many progressives are anxious to do in order to push through the Biden administration's agenda.
An NPR analysis finds that nearly 20 percent of the people charged in connection with the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have served or are currently serving in the military.
Buttigieg is pledging to carry out the administration’s ambitious agenda to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, calling it a “generational opportunity” to create new jobs, fight economic inequality and stem climate change.
Even with the big changes in Washington, much of the progress on climate and clean energy will still be at the state level. Here are three states to watch in 2021.
Democrats want ethics panel to investigate Senators Hawley, Cruz. Seven Democratic senators on Thursday asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the actions of Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley "to fully understand their role" in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Senator Ron Johnson calls editorial about him 'unhinged and uninformed.' The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board responds. “Editor's note: After the Editorial Board called on Sen. Ron Johnson to either resign or be expelled from office for his role in spreading disinformation about the presidential election, the senator asked
for space to respond. We are providing him that courtesy today. We also are taking the rare step of footnoting Johnson's commentary to provide additional context so that readers have a fuller understanding of the senator's actions.” — There are 19 footnotes to Johnson’s response. He needs to go.
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files articles of impeachment against Biden. -- Go ahead and laugh. She’s a nut job.
And breathe: the world exhales as the madness of the Trump era ends.
President Biden will keep Christopher Wray as FBI director.
Democrats urge top social media platforms to change algorithms that facilitate spread of extremist content.
Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge. The order leaves projects throughout the border unfinished — but still under contract — after Trump worked feverishly last year to build 450 miles (720 kilometers), a goal he said he achieved eight days before leaving office.
ICE used the last day of the Trump era to deport people to a nation that still has slavery.
Jaime Harrison officially elected Democratic National Committee chair.
The anti-vax movement’s radical shift from crunchy granola purists to far-right crusaders. But over the last few years, Limaye has observed a subtle rightward shift: Online anti-vax communities, most of which are on Facebook, have taken on a very different tone. Instead of fretting over unwholesome additives in vaccines, members now rant about government overreach. They describe schools’ immunization rules as an assault on their freedom, and they swap theories about how Bill Gates is working with the government to control citizens with microchips, says Limaye. They’re “railing against the government and pharma companies controlling the population.”
Police arrest 320 dangerous UK child sex offenders. Mr Jones added: "These are not just images or videos being viewed online. What we are uncovering here is evidence of the horrific, real-world sexual abuse of children." Out of the 320 arrested as part of the NCA's operation targeting the UK's most dangerous child sex offenders, 122 were targeted by NCA officers. Seventeen were in positions of trust, including a volunteer with the Scouts, church youth group leaders, a social worker, primary school and college teachers, a hospital care assistant, a police officer, and a civil servant.
South Korean president under fire for saying adoptive parents should be able to 'change' their child. Children’s rights groups in South Korea have condemned comments by President Moon Jae-in suggesting that adoptive parents who do not get along with a child should be able to “change” it for another one. Mr Moon was responding to a question at a press conference on Monday about the government’s efforts to prevent child abuse in light of the death late last year of a 16-month-old girl, allegedly at the hands of her adoptive parents.
Instacart is firing every employee who voted to unionize. The news could have a chilling effect on other organizing efforts by Instacart employees across the country. The company’s leadership has already shown its hostility toward organizers, running a union-busting campaign that included bringing in managers to the grocery store in Skokie to convince workers to vote against the union.
Alzheimer's deaths skyrocket as patients have their lives 'upended' by the pandemic. Nationally, about 259,250 people with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia were expected to die last year, according to the Alzheimer's Association. But federal data analyzed by the association shows that the number of dementia deaths, at least through the end of November, was 16% higher than expected...But perhaps the biggest factor in the increase of deaths of dementia patients is the protocols in place to keep the coronavirus from spreading and the changes in routine — including a lack of visitors and the isolation — that accompany them. Dementia patients do best when they have a set routine and social interaction.
German scientists make paralyzed mice walk again.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
