"A mysterious signal that appeared to be emanating from the closest star to our own sun put scientists on a nearly yearlong hunt to track down its origin… The result? The signal was not from an alien world circling Proxima Centauri but instead something much more mundane — possibly a radio, a telephone or even a computer located somewhere in Australia, according to two studies published this week in the journal Nature Astronomy."
"A climate extravaganza got underway in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday. President Biden showed up. So have other world leaders and a small city's worth of diplomats, business executives and activists. It's billed as a potential turning point in the struggle to avert the worst effects of climate change, and it has a curious name: COP26."
"President Biden on Sunday placed blame on Russia and China for a lack of momentum by the world's most powerful nations in the fight to combat climate change as he marked the end of the Group of 20 conference in Rome ahead of a crucial summit on climate change in Glasgow, Scotland."
"Yang knew, though, that if she helped Angelica get treated with three weekly shots of penicillin at least 30 days before she gave birth, it was likely that the infection would be wiped out and her baby would be born without any symptoms at all. Every case of congenital syphilis, when a baby is born with the disease, is avoidable. Each is considered a 'sentinel event,' a warning that the public health system is failing."
"But a top White House official is cautioning that parents shouldn't expect to be able to get their kids vaccinated the very next day if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine, as it is expected to on Tuesday. Patience may be needed, as it could take several days before shots are readily available."
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will need more time to decide whether to approve Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 12 to 17, the company announced Sunday… The extended timeline is so the FDA can look into reports of a rare side effect — myocarditis, or the inflammation of the heart muscle — in those who've gotten the shot. Moderna said the FDA informed the company of the delay on Friday."
"The researchers were studying another coronavirus, called 229E, that causes only a mild cold in humans. But the results of that experiment offer some intriguing insights into the possible endgame of the COVID-19 pandemic. After this delta-variant surge wanes this winter, as scientists forecast, what's next? Will the virus come back next year? And the year after that?" Welcome to the endemic phase.
"More than 90% of New York City's employees have been vaccinated and about 9,000 were placed on unpaid leave Monday for failing to meet today's mandatory vaccination deadline, Mayor Bill de Blasio said."
"Eventually, Board President Marlys Davidson told Roupoli her time was up, according to public video of the meeting, and called up the next parent. Roupoli concluded, and Davidson mumbled under her breath 'f--- you,' which was picked up by her mic." While I don't disagree with her, just a reminder that just like you should treat every firearm as if it is loaded until you personally verify it is not, you should consider every mic a hot mic and it will pick up anything you say, no matter how softly.
"The Biden administration has announced the broad outlines of a deal to end an expensive economic impasse that had led to growing tension between the United States and the European Union… The United States will keep steel and aluminum tariffs on European nations, but will allow a certain amount of steel and aluminum produced in the EU to enter U.S. markets tariff-free." This is the problem with trade wars, you can't just end them. You have to slowly walk them back.
"With inflation at its highest point in three decades, the Federal Reserve is set this week to begin winding down the extraordinary stimulus it has given the economy since the pandemic recession struck early last year, a process that could prove to be a risky balancing act."
"Halloween — the night of ghost stories and trick-or-treating — has religious origins that span over two thousand years and over time, the Catholic Church, pagan groups, and even the brewing company Coors have played a role in shape-shifting the holiday. How did Halloween turn from a spiritual celebration to a multi-billion dollar industry? From the Great Famine of Ireland to the Simpsons, we present the many evolutions of Halloween." The Throughline podcast with an episode about Halloween.
"A federal jury in Tacoma, Wash., says the GEO Group, which owns and runs a large detention center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, owes former detainees $17.3 million in back pay for tasks such as cleaning and cooking meals… The Florida-based for-profit prison company paid detainees $1 a day for such work, a practice the jury determined earlier this week is a violation of the state's minimum wage law. On Friday, they announced how much back pay was owed."
"A federal judge in Utah ordered the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and two of its affiliates to pay nearly $1 million for allegedly violating child labor laws when they employed minors on a ranch without paying them for years."
"A federal inspection report has found serious violations in how marine mammals have been cared for at one of Miami's oldest attractions. The Seaquarium is where the Flipper TV series was filmed in the 1960s. For 51 years, its star attraction has been Lolita, one of the oldest killer whales in captivity. The federal report raises concerns about Lolita's health and has renewed calls for her to be relocated."
"President Joe Biden's first day at the Group of 20 Summit began Saturday with the President achieving one of his core objectives for the global conference -- an endorsement of a 15% global minimum tax from world leaders… The tax is a chief priority of Biden's that the White House believes would end the global race-to-the-bottom on corporate tax rates. The new rule will be formalized when the leaders release a final G20 communiqué on Sunday, when the summit ends." While agreements are nice, the proof is having the legislation in hand.
"Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants denied spreading disinformation about climate change as they sparred Thursday with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming." Uh huh. Sure.
"Nearly five years after Joe Arpaio was voted out as sheriff of Arizona's most populous county, taxpayers are covering one of the last major bills from the thousands of lawsuits the lawman's headline-grabbing tactics inspired — and the overall legal tab has hit $100 million." Was it worth it?
"The Lincoln Project has confirmed it was behind a political stunt in which five members posed as white supremacists carrying tiki torches at a campaign stop for Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, in Charlottesville ahead of election day next week." Not cool, Lincoln Project.
"White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that she had tested positive for COVID-19, days after pulling out of the president's overseas trip due to a family emergency. Psaki is vaccinated, and said she is only experiencing mild symptoms."
"Donald Trump is seeking to prevent Jan. 6 investigators from accessing daily presidential diaries, drafts of election-related speeches, logs of his phone calls, handwritten notes and files of top aides, the National Archives revealed in a Saturday morning court filing."
"John Eastman, a conservative lawyer working with then-President Donald Trump's legal team, said in a radio interview in early January that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the power to throw the 2020 presidential election to the House of Representatives, saying it depended on whether Pence had 'courage and the spine.' Those comments are more direct than how Eastman has recently described his conversation with Pence, when he has said he told the vice president it was an 'open question' whether he could throw out seven states' Electoral College votes and that it'd be a 'foolish' option to pursue." One story for the public, another for the faithful.
And then… "During the Jan. 6 insurrection, a lawyer for President Donald Trump emailed a top aide of Vice President Mike Pence claiming that Pence had caused the violence by refusing to block the certification of the election, according to the Washington Post… Trump’s lawyer, John Eastman, continued to pressure Pence to overturn the election, even after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol."
"The origins of the meme go back to Oct. 2, when race car driver Brandon Brown won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race and was being interviewed by NBC reporter Kelli Stavast. In the background, some in the crowd can be heard chanting 'F*** Joe Biden,' though Stavast says 'you can hear the chants from the crowd, "Let's go, Brandon!"' in her broadcast." I'm sure the usage makes conservatives think they're clever.
"For anyone hoping that voting and elections post-2020 would become less polarized, the recent Take Back Virginia rally outside Richmond was not a good sign… For many of the speakers at the event, election integrity was at the top of their priority list — and not just opposition to ballot drop boxes or voting by mail. Instead, the emphasis was for direct involvement by regular voters and activists to monitor election workers." It's not over. In fact, it's barely begun.
"Three University of Florida professors were denied permission from the school to testify in a major voting rights case against the state, documents filed in federal court show… As part of the testimony, the plaintiffs were seeking three professors from the university — Dan Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin — to testify as expert witnesses. All three specialize in voting rights and behavior and election law."
"Almost a third of Republicans believe violence may be necessary to 'save' the US, according to a new poll… Researchers at the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit, found that 30% of Republicans agreed with the statement 'Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country'."
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