Harry Reid, former Senate majority leader and Democratic kingmaker, dies at 82  —  Harry Reid, who rose from abject poverty in rural Nevada to become one of the most influential state and national leaders, died on Tuesday, sources confirmed to The Nevada Independent.  He was 82.

Omicron Is Not More Severe for Children, Despite Rising Hospitalizations  —  More children are being treated for Covid, but a combination of factors, including low vaccination rates, most likely explains the increase.  —  The latest coronavirus surge sweeping the United States …

Hong Kong Police Arrest Six Linked to Pro-Democracy News Site  —  Six current or former senior staff members of Stand News were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to publish seditious material.  More than 200 officers raided the news site's headquarters.  —  HONG KONG — The Hong Kong police …

America Sticks Out Its Tush  —  For his Christmas Day column William Kilpatrick wrote: … That's a bit of an over-simplification, but it's certainly clear that “barring a miracle” the future is post-western.  Mr Kilpatrick continues: … That was a very sharp way of putting it.

Worries that omicron surge could lead to breakdown in essential services spurred new quarantine, isolation rules  —  Health officials worried the volume of expected infections could result in tens of thousands of Americans unable to work.  —  Health officials' recommendation this week …

US shows China its hand on strategic value of ‘unsinkable’ Taiwan  —  Washington's clear statement of island's regional security role part of tougher stance towards Beijing  —  In June 1950 General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of US forces in Asia-Pacific, urged President Harry Truman …

Michigan's redistricting commission adopts final congressional map for the next decade  —  Clara Hendrickson Todd SpanglerDetroit Free Press  —  Michigan's redistricting commission voted to adopt new congressional districts Tuesday, creating political boundaries for the state's 13 U.S. House districts for the next decade.

Seriously, Upgrade Your Face Mask  —  Omicron is everywhere.  Dr. Abraar Karan explains why cloth masks don't cut it anymore.  —  We're committed to keeping our readers informed. … Throughout the pandemic, wearing a face mask has been one of the best ways that anyone can easily reduce their risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.

White House, Jan. 6 committee agree to shield some documents  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol has agreed to defer its attempt to get hundreds of pages of records from the Trump administration, holding off at the request of the Biden White House.

Anti-Biden 'Let's Go Brandon' merchandise sold at JBER mall prompts update to vendor guidance  —  Ahead of the holidays, a vendor who had set up shop at a mall on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was selling figurines with an overt political message deriding the commander-in-chief.

Judge Says New York Times Can Retain Project Veritas Memos, for Now  —  A New York appeals court said the paper did not need to immediately give up or destroy documents related to the conservative group.  The paper is still prevented from publishing certain documents.

Florida mayor: DeSantis has been MIA during omicron surge  —  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The mayor of one of Florida's largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates …

More than 50 local newsrooms launched during the pandemic  —  Nearly as many local newsletters also started publishing in that time  —  The pandemic changed the news business and, in a lot of ways, not for the better.  It accelerated layoffs.  It hastened the end of more than 100 news organizations.

Toplines and Crosstabs December 2021 National Poll: Presidential Election & Jan 6th Insurrection at the US Capitol  —  One Year Later, New UMass Amherst Poll Finds Continued National Political Division Over the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol.  —  With 71% of Republicans viewing Joe Biden's victory …

Covid: US reports record infections as Europe's Omicron cases also soar  —  The US and several European countries have reported their highest daily rises in Covid cases since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant spreads.  —  More than 440,000 new cases were recorded in the US on Monday, health officials said.

Trump warns Alaska GOP governor he'll revoke endorsement if he backs Murkowski  —  Former President Trump on Tuesday endorsed Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy's (R) reelection bid, but only on the condition that Dunleavy doesn't back Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in 2022.

Fox News Star Was Up for ‘The View’ Gig Until She Refused to Get Vaccine  —  Lisa Marie Boothe interviewed to replace Meghan McCain as the talk show's in-house conservative.  But conversations ended when she publicly refused to get any vaccines. … The View's already difficult path …

Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny  —  Amazon has updated its Alexa voice assistant after it “challenged” a 10-year-old girl to touch a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted plug.  —  The suggestion came after the girl asked Alexa for a “challenge to do”.