memeorandum: Please get the vaccine. And try to understand those who won't. (Kathleen Parker/Washington Post)

12:50 PM ET, December 26, 2021

Top Items:

Maxine Bernstein / Oregonian:

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 …

Zachary Petrizzo / The Daily Beast:

'Let's Go Brandon' Christmas Caller to the Bidens Says It Was a ‘Joke’ — ‘FREEDOM OF SPEECH’ — The caller who blurted out “Let's Go Brandon” to Joe and Jill Biden, while they were fielding calls from the NORAD Santa tracking service on Christmas Eve, said it was intended as a lighthearted joke …

Discussion: Louder With Crowder and Slate

The White House:
Statement by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Christmas

Discussion: Breitbart

Andrew Miller / Fox News:
MSNBC columnist calls for end of NORAD Santa tracker 'out of concern for Santa's safety' from US military

Discussion: HotAir, RedState and MSNBC

ABC News:
Bidens' Christmas message recognizes those ‘who have lost loved ones’ during pandemic

Discussion: Breitbart, CBS Philly and Politico

Marilyn Berger / New York Times:

Desmond Tutu, Whose Voice Helped Slay Apartheid, Dies at 90 — The archbishop, a powerful force for nonviolence in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. — Desmond M. Tutu, the cleric who used his pulpit and spirited oratory to help bring …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Bloomberg and The Full Belmonte

BBC:
Desmond Tutu: South Africa anti-apartheid hero dies aged 90

Discussion: France 24, Reuters, UPI, CBS News, WSVN-TV, Al Jazeera, Metro.co.uk, The Times of Israel, Politico and Just The News

Glenn Frankel / Washington Post:
Desmond Tutu, exuberant apostle of racial justice in South Africa, dies at 90

Discussion: Associated Press, Rolling Stone and CNN

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

‘Magic’ Weight-Loss Pills and Covid Cures: Dr. Oz Under the Microscope — The celebrity physician, a candidate in Pennsylvania's Republican primary for Senate, has a long history of dispensing dubious medical advice on his daytime show and on Fox News. — A wealth of evidence now shows …

Discussion: Raw Story

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:

First They Fought About Masks. Then Over the Soul of the City. — In Enid, Okla., pandemic politics prompted a fundamental question: What does it mean to be an American? Whose version of the country will prevail? — ENID, Okla. — On a hot night in July, the first summer of the pandemic …

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

PG Special Report: With shadowy money, Ukraine oligarch became Cleveland's biggest landlord — For Ukraine oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, the Westin hotel in Cleveland that he owns with partners became the center of the most powerful Republican gathering in the nation during the 2016 convention.

wusa9.com:

Capitol rioter asks judge to let him use dating apps while he awaits trial — Thomas Sibick, of Buffalo, New York, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of obstructing Congress on January 6. — WASHINGTON — A New York man asked a federal judge on Christmas to allow him to use dating apps …

Discussion: Raw Story

Vincent Ni / The Guardian:

China replaces Xinjiang party boss associated with Uyghur crackdown — It is not known if Chen Quanguo's replacement by Guangdong governor Ma Xingrui signals fresh approach — China has replaced the Communist party official widely associated with a security crackdown targeting ethnic Uyghurs …

Discussion: Reuters

John Harwood / CNN:

Biden's struggles shouldn't eclipse GOP's year of dangerous falsehoods — (CNN)America's running political conversation defaults to the sitting president. Today, Joe Biden's legislative struggles, pandemic management and weak approval rating drown out most everything else.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Post and The Welcome Party

The Hill:

Jan. 6 panel signals interest in whether Trump committed crime — The Jan. 6 Select Committee has signaled it intends to explore potential criminal wrongdoing by former President Trump, marking a significant escalation for the investigation that could put pressure on the Biden administration.

Kathleen Parker / Washington Post:

Please get the vaccine. And try to understand those who won't. — Leave it to Americans to spoof their scary disease du jour. — Several viral videos have satirized the coronavirus and the vaccines and other “woke” adaptations in dark if also hilarious ways.

New York Times:

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.

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post, Campaign Update and New York Post

ABC News:

‘This Week’ Transcript 12-26-21: Dr. Anthony Fauci & Dr. Ashish Jha — A rush transcript of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” airing on Sunday, December 26, 2021, on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors.

Discussion: Politico and New York Post

New York Times:

As Prices Rise, Biden Turns to Antitrust Enforcers — A wide-ranging presidential order helped block a railroad merger and tackle supply-chain problems, and it is planting the seeds for bigger actions. — WASHINGTON — As rising inflation threatens his presidency, President Biden is turning …