Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

Nick Martin at The New Republic writes—Kristi Noem’s War on Tribal Sovereignty Is Going to Get People Killed:

South Dakota currently ranks second in the nation for Covid-19 cases, and first in hospitalizations. On Saturday, the state reported its highest daily death total of the year.

Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond announced Tuesday that he would resign from Louisiana’s reliably blue 2nd District sometime before Jan. 20 to lead the Biden White House’s Office of Public Engagement.

Richmond’s departure will set off a special election to fill his seat, which stretches from the New Orleans area west to Baton Rouge.

The beloved country singer Dolly Parton seldom disappoints, from her proclamation during an interview with Billboard that “of course Black lives matter” to her nonprofit effort mailing free books to children each month. Now she’s out here helping fund a potentially life-saving coronavirus vaccine. Following the biotechnology company Moderna’s announcement that its coronavirus vaccine was reporting 94.

President-elect Joe Biden has some ambitious plans for his first 100 days in office, and unlike the agendas of other presidents, it prioritizes several issues that aim to help communities of color, both directly and indirectly. Biden has pledged to take several bold, sweeping actions once he steps into the Oval Office, with some people questioning whether he’ll be able to do it all in the allotted time frame.

Many immigrants have already been essential workers—that role has become clearer than ever as the novel coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the U.S. But for immigrants who lack legal status, every day becomes risk on top of risk. Not only does their status as an essential worker leave them vulnerable to contracting COVID-19; driving as part of being an essential worker can also leave them at greater risk of being turned over to federal immigration authorities.