Despite supply issues and Omicron, holiday sales rise 8.5%
The results, which covered Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, were fueled by purchases of clothing and jewelry.
Today's Liberal News
Health spending growth more than doubled in first year of pandemic
Nearly the entire increase came from the burst of federal spending as the government mobilized to contain the spread of the virus.
Breaking Point: Ed Yong Says Omicron Is Straining Hospitals & Schools Amid Vaccine Mandate Pushback
The Omicron variant’s transmission rate is exponentially higher than Delta, leaving healthcare workers across the U.S. in dire straits. Waves of doctors, nurses and other health professionals are unionizing, and some have quit the profession over exploitative conditions.
‘Sorry, Crazies’: GOP Lawmaker Dismantles Latest Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory
Adam Kinzinger debunks a new myth about the Capitol riot pushed by Sen. Ted Cruz and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
News Roundup: Pandemic school closures aren’t about politics; court weighs Trump immunity claims
In the news today: Many of the nation’s most prominent voices are now quite sure that school closures during a pandemic are a political stance—and that’s as good an example of the stakes-free nihilism of our political punditry as you might find.
With Harry Reid lying in state, we’re taking a look back at his momentous career in Nevada politics
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who died Dec. 28 at the age of 82, is lying in state at the Capitol today. As his former colleagues honor his singular career, we’re taking a look back at his long electoral history—a path that dealt Reid several setbacks on his way toward the pinnacle of American politics.
Reid famously grew up in the tiny southern Nevada town of Searchlight.
China locks down third city, raising affected to 20 million
The approach of the Winter Olympics and the emergence of Omicron have brought back citywide lockdowns.
China locks down third city, raising affected to 20 million
The approach of the Winter Olympics and the emergence of Omicron have brought back citywide lockdowns.
‘A great triumph for us’: California law giving farmworkers overtime time pay fully kicks in
Did you know that for years farmworkers have not been entitled to overtime pay unless they’ve been working at least ten hours? That’s set to change for many farm laborers in California as of this month, when state law that requires farmers with more than 26 employees to pay overtime after eight hours goes into effect, The Fresno Bee reports.
The law has been phased in since its 2016 passage, finally going into full effect on Jan. 1.
Lori Lightfoot Gets COVID After Standoff With Teachers Over Safety Precautions
The mayor of Chicago said she will work from home, something educators had also voted to do before she blocked them from teaching students altogether.
Gay student says principal told him he couldn’t reference sexual orientation in school newsletter
Students have an absolutely enormous amount on their plates no matter how they’re attending school during a global pandemic. Whether it’s virtual, in-person, a hybrid option, public or private, we know that young people are facing pandemic-related stress, uncertainty, and confusion, just like the rest of us.
‘We need donors’: U.S. faces another health care crisis, lack of blood supply and donors
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers fail to realize the strain their decisions are having on the health care system. Nationwide, hospitals have been not only forced to cancel surgeries due to COVID-19 hospitalizations but also because they lack an adequate blood supply.
In Illinois especially, donors are desperately needed.
GOP Activist Who Opposed COVID-19 Vaccine Rules Dies After Virus Complications
Kelly Canon had celebrated receiving a vaccine exemption and appeared to have attended a recent anti-vaccine “COVID symposium.
Decoding what Biden health officials told Congress about Omicron
In contrast to previous oversight hearings on the administration’s Covid-19 response, Dems raised sharp questions and complaints on the state of the resurging pandemic.
Medicare won’t cover controversial Alzheimer’s drug — unless patients are in a clinical trial
FDA approved the drug on an accelerated pathway, which requires a fourth clinical trial to demonstrate that the drug actually slows cognitive decline.
‘Rules need to be clear’: Dems call for Covid strategy reset as cases spike
Congressional Democrats fret that the White House’s strategy on Covid in recent weeks has been confusing and ineffective against the Omicron variant.
Powell’s warning to Congress: Inflation a ‘severe threat’ to jobs
The potential clash over the Fed’s plans to tighten monetary policy could be a harbinger of conflicts to come with Democrats and even some Republicans.
Chicago mayor tests positive for Covid a day after announcing school reopening deal
The news came about 17 hours after Lightfoot announced she and the Chicago Teachers Union ended a tense standoff over the safety of children and staff returning to school amid the Omicron surge.
Fauci Caught On Hot Mic After Heated Exchange With Republican Senator
Dr. Anthony Fauci had a few choice words for Sen. Roger Marshall.
Joe Manchin Lays Out Filibuster Changes He Supports
But the West Virginia senator still wants those changes to be made with support from Republicans.
Should Teen Boys Get Boosted?
Last week in the United States, more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in a single day, schools resorted to virtual instruction, and COVID outbreaks among staff left hospitals struggling to attend to their ever-growing number of COVID patients. Also, the CDC endorsed Pfizer booster shots for teenagers, saying not only that every American 12 and up can get one, but that they should.
Guantánamo 2.0: Former Prisoner Mansoor Adayfi Says Injustice Continues Even After Release
Former Guantánamo Bay detainee Mansoor Adayfi was imprisoned for 14 years without charge before being released in 2016 to Serbia. Adayfi says those released from Guantánamo become “stateless men” who experience a brutal legal limbo even after being cleared of all charges, often released to countries where they have no history or connection with their families.
Meet the Muslim Army Chaplain Who Condemned Torture of Guantánamo Prisoners & Then Was Jailed Himself
Twenty years ago today, the U.S. military began imprisoning Muslim men at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. We speak with the prison’s former Muslim chaplain, James Yee, who was jailed and held in solitary confinement for 76 days after being falsely accused of espionage. All charges were eventually dropped, and he received an honorable discharge.
Guantánamo Turns 20: Ex-Prisoner Moazzam Begg Calls on Biden to Close Site & End Legacy of Torture
On the 20th anniversary of the first prisoner’s arrival at Guantánamo Bay, we spend the hour with former detainees, starting with Moazzam Begg, who was imprisoned for three years at the military prison and eventually released without ever being charged with a crime. He now advocates on behalf of victims of the so-called war on terror, calling on the Biden administration to follow through on promises to shut down the military prison and release the remaining 39 prisoners.
Two Years Is Long Enough
I got my COVID-19 booster shot last week, on the first day I was eligible. My shot was delayed because I caught COVID in early December, an experience that was low-key grim: two days of shotgun sneezing, no taste or smell for a week, and a constant fatigue that didn’t abate until the holidays. I was very glad to face the coronavirus with two Pfizer doses already in my arm, and even more grateful that my parents and 91 percent of Britons in their age group are triple-jabbed.
Welcome to Purgatory. The Weeknd Will Be Your DJ.
What was so spooky about the 1980s? Maybe Freddy Krueger, Thriller, and goth eyeliner just reflected Cold War anxieties and suburban dread. Or maybe technological progress in the entertainment industry better explains the decade’s Halloween-party aesthetics. After all, without certain synthesizers and drum machines, you don’t get the sinister arpeggios of John Carpenter soundtracks or the telltale beat of New Order’s “Blue Monday.
Stop Fetishizing Old Homes
In early August, 254 Tamarisk Drive went on the Bay Area housing market asking $850,000, and it sparked a bidding war that topped out at $1 million. The 1968 four-bedroom ranch, clad with half-century-old fixtures and set behind a patchy lawn, was not only unremarkable but had actually been “fire charred” before it was put up for sale. And yet its buyers likely got a good deal: According to the real-estate-listing site Redfin, the home could now be worth as much as $1.36 million.
China’s Tianjin testing all residents after Omicron found
China has stepped up its strict zero tolerance strategy in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, which open Feb. 4.
They need to process your Covid tests. Now they’re out sick from Omicron.
While the supply chain for once-scarce equipment remains intact, the sheer demand for testing is stretching sample collection sites and laboratory staff.
CDC recommends all teens get Pfizer Covid booster
The advisory panel signed off on the recommendation following presentations by doctors suggesting boosters are likely to increase antibodies in young teens.