Coronavirus risk calculations get harder as a study suggests rapid tests may be less effective at detecting omicron  —  Fauci draws a line on New Year's Eve parties — no big crowd, and moderate the “hugging and kissing”  —  As the coronavirus spawns a record-breaking wave of infections …

Trump accuses Jan. 6 panel of “seeking evidence of criminal activity”  —  Former President Trump's legal team on Wednesday accused the House committee investigating the Capitol riot of seeking to uncover evidence that would support a criminal referral against him.

L.A.'s Arms Race of the Affluent  —  From Beverly Hills to Santa Monica, the crime-panicked wealthy are banishing bling and buying guns  —  In Beverly Hills, even the purchase of a firearm comes with certain...expectations.  The city's only gun store, Beverly Hills Guns, is a “concierge service” …

I Thought I Knew Harry Reid.  I Was Wrong.  —  The first time I called Harry Reid's office, I was trying to provoke him.  It was the spring of 2008, and I was working as a banking reporter for a trade publication unhelpfully called SNL Financial and headquartered, just as unhelpfully …

Strong Labor Market in 2021 Faces Down Omicron Threat  —  Jobless claims are expected to hold near half-century low, pointing to still-solid job outlook  —  U.S. employers added a record number of jobs in 2021, a gauge of layoffs fell to a half-century low and available positions surged …

J&J's booster shot provides strong protection against severe disease from Omicron, a study says.  —  A Johnson & Johnson booster shot provided strong protection against the Omicron variant, greatly reducing the risk of hospitalization, according to a clinical trial in South Africa.

Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of Helping Jeffrey Epstein Abuse Girls  —  Ms. Maxwell vowed to appeal after a jury found her guilty of sex-trafficking and conspiracy on Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Manhattan.  —  Ghislaine Maxwell Is Found Guilty of Aiding in Epstein's Sex Abuse

Let Omicron Spell the End of the Pandemic—and the COVID Shaming  —  The Omicron variant of COVID-19 put many people's holiday plans to rest.  Just when we thought we were done with the pandemic, it roped us back in.  Mercifully, according to the CDC, this variant is milder than all other forms.

‘Slow-motion insurrection’: How GOP seizes election power  —  In the weeks leading up to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a handful of Americans — well-known politicians, obscure local bureaucrats — stood up to block then-President Donald Trump's unprecedented attempt …

Maori newsreader becomes first person with chin tattoo to anchor news programme  —  Oriini Kaipara said she had broken through a ‘glass ceiling’  —  A New Zealand reporter has made history by becoming the first person to present a prime time news programme with a traditional Māori chin tattoo.

2021 Men of the Year: Michael Avenatti's Prison Guards  —  In almost every instance, kicking a man when he's down is total bitch move.  Unless the down man is Michael Avenatti, in which case kicking is the only honorable course of action.  —  According to a Politico profile of the convicted felon …

A right-wing radio host said Trump needs an ‘intervention from a friend’ after the former president advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine  — Former President Donald Trump advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine in multiple appearances this month.  — His comments sparked criticism from some factions …

Do We Have the Supreme Court We Deserve?  —  When I left the daily Supreme Court beat back in 2008, the Week in Review, as The Times's Sunday Review section was then called, invited me to offer some reflections on nearly 30 years of writing about the court, its cases and its members.

This is the worst economy we never had  —  For months, the GOP-Fox News axis forecast the bluest of Christmases.  —  House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy joined 159 House Republicans in a letter to President Biden saying his policies “will certainly ensure that this Christmas will not be merry” …

Lawmakers & rights activists urge UNHRC's Nazhat Khan to call urgent session on Hong Kong  —  Photo: Stand News acting Chief Editor Patrick Lam is escorted by police as they leave after the police searched his office in Hong Kong [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]  —  An international coalition of 70 lawmakers …

Michigan's New Congressional Maps Undo Years of Gerrymandering  —  A citizen ballot initiative took redistricting out of the hands of partisan legislators.  The result: competitive political districts — and an example of how to push back against hyperpartisanship.

COVID Cases Fill More City Hospital Beds, Threatening Halt on Elective Surgeries  —  Public hospital system has increasingly little room for new patients, state stats show.  New York City is now above the threshold of 4 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents that can trigger a state shutdown of non-essential surgery to free up space.

They were so careful, for so long.  They got covid anyway.  —  'I'd just ruined everybody's Christmas, including my own family's'  —  Fareha Ahmed had been cautious since the beginning of the pandemic.  She had eaten in restaurants only three times.  She and her husband were vaccinated and boosted …

Second CNN producer under ‘criminal investigation’ involving ‘potential juvenile victims’  —  Rick Saleeby resigned earlier this month as a senior producer of ‘The Lead with Jake Tapper’  —  Tucker: There's something very strange going on at CNN  —  A second ex-CNN producer …

DoD Awards $136.7 Million Contract to MilliporeSigma to Establish Domestic Production Capacity of Critical Material Used in COVID-19 Point-of-Care Tests  —  On Dec. 29, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD), on behalf of and in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services …

Merced man arrested on way to White House with rifle, ‘hit list’ compiled from TikTok  —  A California man was arrested last week in Iowa after telling police he was driving straight to the White House “to kill persons in power” and was found with an assault rifle and body armor, according to federal court records.