Oregon father of four who told President Biden 'Let's Go Brandon' on Christmas Eve call said he meant it in jest  —  A Central Point father of four who wished President Joe Biden and the first lady a wonderful Christmas and added “Let's go, Brandon,” at the end of a live streamed Santa tracker call told …

Desmond Tutu: South Africa anti-apartheid hero dies aged 90  —  Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace prize laureate who helped end apartheid in South Africa, has died aged 90.  —  President Cyril Ramaphosa said the churchman's death marked “another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell …

A U.S. Navy combat ship is stranded in Guantánamo Bay with a virus outbreak.  —  A Navy combat ship deployed to intercept drug trafficking in the Caribbean and East Pacific is stuck in the port at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, with a coronavirus outbreak among its fully vaccinated crew.

As Omicron Spreads and Cases Soar, the Unvaccinated Remain Defiant  —  To some who are steadfastly opposed to the shot, the evasiveness of the coronavirus has only reaffirmed their stance.  —  CLEVELAND — As a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus swarms across the country …

A Dangerous Ruling About The Times, Project Veritas and Press Freedom  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  Half a century ago …

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads  —  (CNN)As the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread, some experts say it's past time to reconsider your face mask options — especially if you're still wearing the cloth variety.

James Webb Space Telescope Launches on Journey to See the Dawn of Starlight  —  Astronomers were jubilant as the spacecraft made it off the launchpad following decades of delays and cost overruns.  The Webb is set to offer a new keyhole into the earliest moments of our universe.

Jim Jordan ‘Very Scared’ as 1/6 Committee Seeks Info on Trump Calls, Fellow Lawmaker Says  —  The January 6 committee wants to speak with Representative Jim Jordan about his communication with former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, and a Democratic lawmaker urged him to offer up “everything” he knows.

Joan Didion and the Opposite of Magical Thinking  —  You didn't have to agree with her, but you had to submit to her sentences.  —  It is a peculiarity of Joan Didion's work that her most ironic formulations are now read as sincere, and her sincerest provocations taken with a large pinch of salt.

Why Christmas was the best time of year to escape slavery  —  It was the night before Christmas, and as Jarm would remember it later, “though cold, it was as clear and beautiful as Tennessee sky could make it.”  —  He stood outside the slave cabin with his enslaver's horse, a stolen saddle full of food and a forged travel pass.