Top Items:
Janice Kew / Bloomberg:
Omicron Has 80% Lower Risk of Hospitalization, New Study Shows — Once admitted, risk of severe disease is the same: NICD data — Compared to delta, odds of severe omicron disease is 70% lower — South Africans contracting Covid-19 in the current fourth wave of infections …
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit and Al Jazeera
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Yascha Mounk / The Atlantic:
Omicron Is the Beginning of the End — No matter the severity of the variant, the appetite for shutdowns or other large-scale social interventions simply isn't there. — About the author: Yascha Mounk is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University …
medRxiv:
Early assessment of the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in South Africa
Early assessment of the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in South Africa
Derek Thompson / The Atlantic:
Is Omicron Milder? — The mystery of the moment is very hard to solve. Here's my best shot.
Is Omicron Milder? — The mystery of the moment is very hard to solve. Here's my best shot.
Discussion:
Denver Post
David Gilbert / VICE:
People Got Sick at a Conspiracy Conference. They're Sure It's Anthrax. — The fact that the conference was likely a COVID outbreak and superspreader event has been almost entirely ignored. — DG — A group of unvaccinated people who attended a huge conspiracy conference in Dallas earlier …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire
Jason Stanley / The Guardian:
America is now in fascism's legal phase — The history of racism in the US is fertile ground for fascism. Attacks on the courts, education, the right to vote and women's rights are further steps on the path to toppling democracy — et us be reminded that before there is a final solution …
Discussion:
Raw Story
David Frum / The Atlantic:
Biden Won Big With a Bad Hand — Relative to its strength in Congress, the Biden administration has proved outstandingly successful. — About the author: David Frum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy (2020).
Discussion:
Fox News and New Republic
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Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
Were Progressives Right About Joe Manchin?
Were Progressives Right About Joe Manchin?
Discussion:
CNN, HotAir, Revolving Door Project …, Washington Examiner, Politico, RedState, The Rabbit Hole, Bangor Daily News, TheBlaze, Daily Kos, The Conservative Wahoo, Conservative Brief, Townhall, Acceptable Takes, The Dispatch, The Bulwark, Slate, PBS NewsHour, CNBC, New York Times and Daily Mail
Adam Jentleson / Washington Post:
Here's how Democrats can fix the Build Back Better mess — and appease Manchin
Here's how Democrats can fix the Build Back Better mess — and appease Manchin
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNBC and Raw Story
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon carjacked and robbed in South Philly after touring FDR Park — U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Wednesday afternoon shortly after finishing a meeting at FDR Park, her office and police officials confirmed.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
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Teaganne Finn / NBC News:
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia
Discussion:
CBS Philly and Washington Times
Niraj Chokshi / New York Times:
Why Christmas Gifts Are Arriving on Time This Year — Fears that a disrupted supply chain could wreak havoc on the logistics industry over the holiday turned out to be wrong as many Americans ordered early and shopped in stores. — The warnings started to stream in early this fall: Shop early or you may not get your gifts on time.
Discussion:
Politico, Fox News, Washington Post, Insider, MSNBC, The White House, Daily Mail, CBS News, The Daily Wire, RedState, Deseret News and Twitchy
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Ruby Cramer / Politico:
‘Have I Hit Bottom?’: Michael Avenatti and the Fall of a Trump-Era Antihero — VENICE, Calif. — Inside a two-bedroom apartment, 11 blocks from the ocean, there is a man in free fall, though he has nowhere to go. He wears a monitor on his right ankle, government-issued, blinking green beneath his tapered track pants.
Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Michael Flynn loses his legal challenge to the House January 6 probe, one day after filing it — (CNN)Michael Flynn has swiftly lost his bid in court to block a possible House select committee subpoena for his phone records and to hold off demands he speak to the panel investigating January 6.
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Carl Zimmer / New York Times:
Covid Live Updates: Omicron Cases Appear Less Severe, 2 U.K. Studies Say — Experts warned that hospitals could still be flooded, because the variant is so transmissible. The F.D.A. authorized Pfizer's Covid pills for high-risk patients 12 and older, a treatment that could be available within days.
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Jared S. Hopkins / Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer's Covid-19 Pill Authorized in U.S.
Pfizer's Covid-19 Pill Authorized in U.S.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, CNN, Daily Kos, CBS News, Politico, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Reuters, NPR, STAT, KXAN-TV and Political Wire
Robert Langreth / Bloomberg:
Pfizer's Covid Pill Wins FDA Emergency-Use Authorization
Pfizer's Covid Pill Wins FDA Emergency-Use Authorization
Discussion:
CNN, US Food and Drug …, Engadget, New York Times, Metro.co.uk and The Daily Caller
Jonathan S. Tobin / Haaretz:
Trump Just Crossed a Red Line for His Evangelical and Jewish Fans — Trump's obscenities and antisemitic tropes don't bother his Jewish fans. But a recent quote has stunned his pro-Israel base, evangelicals and Jews, to the core - and could complicate his chances for a second term — Zen Read
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Wajahat Ali / The Daily Beast:
Trump's GOP Has Five Simple Tricks for Promoting Antisemitism
Trump's GOP Has Five Simple Tricks for Promoting Antisemitism
Discussion:
Raw Story
Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
Proud Boy pleads guilty to felony charge in Capitol riot — A New York man who was a member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing Congress and conspiring to obstruct law enforcement during the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, a felony. — The plea is significant because Matthew Greene …
Discussion:
CNN, NPR, CBS News, NBC News and Associated Press
David Wasserman / Cook Political Report:
Democrats Score a Big Win in California Redistricting Map — On Monday, California's citizens' redistricting commission voted 14-0 to approve a map that's a dream for Democrats. Technically, the commission (five Democrats, five Republicans and four others) was prohibited from taking partisan or incumbent data into consideration.
Discussion:
Sacramento Bee
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
House Jan. 6 probe seeks information from Rep. Jim Jordan about his contact with Trump — The House select committee investigating the deadly Capitol riot has asked for a meeting with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan to discuss his communications with then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6.
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New York Times:
The F.B.I. Deployed Surveillance Teams Inside Portland Protests — Federal agents infiltrated Portland's unruly racial justice protests, dressing to blend in and capturing clandestine video. The tactics raised internal concern. — PORTLAND, Ore. — In the hours after President Biden's inauguration …
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo and S.T.O.P.
Washington Post:
Inside the nonstop pressure campaign by Trump allies to get election officials to revisit the 2020 vote — More than a year after Donald Trump lost the presidency, election officials across the country are facing a growing barrage of claims that the vote was not secure and demands to investigate …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Caitlin Owens / Axios:
Biden's COVID culpability — In its never-ending race to stay ahead of the coronavirus, the Biden administration keeps falling behind. — Why it matters: The U.S. is facing an overwhelming surge of cases driven by the Omicron variant less than six months after President Biden celebrated …
Discussion:
Washington Post, HotAir, Washington Examiner, Reason, Acute Condition, CBS News and Alternet.org
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Christopher Tremoglie / Washington Examiner:
I did everything Biden told me to do. On Friday, I tested positive for COVID-19
I did everything Biden told me to do. On Friday, I tested positive for COVID-19
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Deseret News, New York Times, The White House, Progress Pond, Outside the Beltway, The Verge, RedState, Bloomberg and New York Post
National Review:
End the Covid-Zero Mentality — As the Omicron variant rips through areas of the United States with among the highest vaccination rates in the world, it should be abundantly clear that we will not be able to “end” Covid. But we still have the power to end the “Covid zero” mentality.
Discussion:
Washington Post, RedState and The National Interest
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
How bad will 2022 be for Democrats? A new party analysis sounds the alarm. — Get ready to hear this phrase in discussions among Democrats about the 2022 midterms: “The Biden-Youngkin voter.” — This category — which refers to voters who picked President Biden in 2020 …
Discussion:
Townhall
The White House:
Statement by President Joe Biden Extending the Pause on Student Loan Repayment an Additional 90 Days — When I came into office, we were facing a number of unprecedented crises. Our economy was creating only 50,000 new jobs per month, less than 1 percent of Americans were fully vaccinated …
Discussion:
Insider, Washington Post, ED News, Breitbart, The Daily Wire, NPR, Representative Ayanna Pressley, CBS News, Truthout, TheBlaze, Mediaite, Townhall and Deseret News
Mike Spies / New Yorker:
N.R.A. Chief Wayne LaPierre's Misleading Testimony About Free Yacht Trips in the Bahamas — Documents and accounts of former staffers, which raise questions about LaPierre's statements, could strengthen the New York attorney general's lawsuit to dissolve the gun-rights group.
New York Times:
India's Christians Attacked Under Anti-Conversion Laws — “They want to remove us from society,” a Christian farmer said of Hindu extremists. Rising attacks on Christians are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe. — INDORE, India — The Christians were mid-hymn when the mob kicked in the door.
Quint Forgey / Politico:
‘The runner-up is almost always the next nominee’: Cruz says he's well-positioned for 2024 — Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday argued he is particularly well-positioned to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, citing his second-place finish behind then-candidate Donald Trump in the party's 2016 primary.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Mediaite, Washington Times, Conservative Brief and The Daily Wire
Washington Post:
D.C. to require coronavirus vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms and other businesses — People 12 and older will be required to show proof of coronavirus vaccination to enter many businesses in D.C., including restaurants, starting in mid-January under rules that Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced on Wednesday.