"In North Carolina, the health secretary has said more than half of nursing home workers are declining the vaccine. A national survey found that 15% of health care workers who had been offered the vaccine said no, with nursing home personnel more likely to refuse than hospital staffers." Vaccine resistance. There are many reasons, and I can tell you the abundance of reactions to the Moderna second shot has caused a great deal of conversations in workrooms. Full disclosure, I've had COVID and I've received both shots. With COVID I had a runny nose and a little tiredness. With the second shot I had full body aches for a day.
"Over the summer, you could almost hear a sigh of relief rising from the portion of the research community that was tracking the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Viruses, especially those new to their hosts, often pick up mutations that help them adapt to their new habitat, or they evade drugs or immune attacks. But SARS-CoV-2 seemed to be picking up mutations at a relatively sedate pace, in part because its virus-copying enzymes had a feature that lets them correct some errors… But suddenly, new variants appear to be everywhere, and a number of them appear to increase the threat posed by the virus." Evolution is a kick in the pants.
"The US recorded more than 5,000 Covid-19 deaths on Thursday… The surge, the highest number to date, seems to be largely due to a backlog of data that was just released from Indiana, adding 1,500 deaths to the countrywide number, according to the Wall Street Journal. Though cases have otherwise been slowing down, the death toll is often a reflection of what happened in the weeks prior, since it’s usually a lagging indicator of the virus spread. Yesterday, there were 5,077 US deaths in total, according to John Hopkins University data, and 122,473 new cases." So many deaths it's hard to keep up with the tally.
Who needs regulations? "Baby food from several of the country's largest manufacturers are 'tainted' with toxic heavy metals, according to a disturbing new government report… The report, released Thursday morning, says those baby foods have 'significant levels' of substances including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. The metals can be especially dangerous to babies' and toddlers' brain development."
"The increase of just 49,000 positions in January made scarcely any dent in the nearly 10 million jobs that remain lost since the virus intensified nearly a year ago. The tepid increase followed a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April." Best economy ever.
"Now, simple tax forms — barely enough to fill a half-sheet of paper — are revealing the extent of the identity theft that made state-run unemployment offices lucrative targets for fraud after millions of people lost their jobs during the pandemic."
"Life for civilians in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region has become “extremely alarming” as hunger grows and fighting remains an obstacle to reaching millions of people with aid, the United Nations says in a new report."
"The International Criminal Court convicted child soldier-turned-Lord's Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen of war crimes and crimes against humanity Thursday. Ongwen, was the first LRA commander to face trial for its campaign of terror and violence in the early 2000s. The charges include numerous crimes against girls and women, including forced pregnancy."
"Wednesday's indictment came shortly after the Justice Department made clear it had taken more investigative steps against Proud Boys affiliates related to the insurrection. The Proud Boys are a far-right group known for their clashes with Antifa and general support of former President Donald Trump, who even mentioned them in a presidential debate, telling them to 'stand back and stand by.'"
"Parler, the far-right-friendly social media site that was knocked offline after the violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, has fired its CEO… In an interview with NPR, Matze claimed that there was a dispute with Mercer over just how far Parler would take its openness to free speech. He said that if the company wanted to succeed, Parler would have crack down on domestic terrorists and any groups that incite violence, including the Trump-supporting conspiracy theory QAnon."
"The Canadian government designated the Proud Boys group as a terrorist entity on Wednesday, noting they played a pivotal role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6."
"Prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday for a new arrest warrant for an Illinois teen charged with shooting three people, killing two of them, during a protest over police brutality in Wisconsin after he apparently violated his bail conditions… Kyle Rittenhouse failed to inform the court of his change of address within 48 hours of moving, Kenosha County prosecutors allege in a motion filed with Judge Bruce Schroeder. The motion asks Schroeder to issue an arrest warrant and increase Rittenhouse's bail by $200,000." How about revoking bail for the little shit.
"House Republicans have decided to keep Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney in her leadership role during a secret ballot vote Wednesday night, NPR's Kelsey Snell has confirmed. 145 members voted to keep her in the role, with 61 members voting to strip her of the position."
"A fiercely divided House has tossed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene off both her committees, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she’d earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories."
"The seemingly conflicting moves signal that Republican leaders, particularly in the House, are betting they can return to political power by cobbling together a coalition featuring both pro-Trump extremists and those who abhor them. The votes also suggest that Washington Republicans are unable, or unwilling, to purge far-right radicals from their party, despite some GOP leaders’ best wishes."
"The Senate early Friday approved a measure that would let Democrats muscle President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan through the chamber without Republican support. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first."
"The town attorney of Palm Beach, Fla., John Randolph, has sent a memo to the mayor and Town Council backing former President Donald Trump's claim that nothing prevents Trump from living full time at his private club, Mar-a-Lago." Dear Palm Beach, you knew he was a snake when you let him in. Always get agreements in writing. If you want Trump to move, change the name of the road the club is on to Black Lives Matter Way and paint a large Black Lives Matter on the road right outside the gate. Although the microwave barrier sounds fantastic.
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