Monthly Archives: December 2021

Author Joan Didion Dies At Age 87 [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: Joan Didion, whose mordant dispatches on California culture and the chaos of the 1960s established her as a leading exponent of the New Journalism, and whose novels “Play It as It Lays” and “The Book of Common Prayer” proclaimed the arrival of a tough, terse, distinctive voice in American fiction, died on Thursday at her …

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Trump Appeals To SCOTUS To Stop Release Of Riot Docs

CNN reports: Former President Donald Trump appealed to the Supreme Court on Thursday to block the release of documents from his White House to the House committee investigating the January 6 riot at the Capitol, escalating his effort to keep about 700 pages of records secret. At issue are hundreds of documents including activity logs, schedules, speech notes and three …

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California Health Workers Must Get Booster By Feb 1st

The New York Times reports: California will require health care workers to get booster shots by Feb. 1, officials announced today, as part of a series of measures intended to stave off hospital staffing shortfalls and to keep schools open despite the unsettlingly rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Public health officials said the Feb. 1 deadline …

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Dem Sen. Chris Coons Tests Positive For Coronavirus

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) said Thursday he had tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, the senator said he is tested regularly for the virus and received a positive result Wednesday night. He described his symptoms as “minimal” so far and said he was “optimistic I will recover well after isolating and following CDC …

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Universal Orlando Reinstates Indoor Mask Rule [VIDEO]

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Universal Orlando Resort will soon be requiring guests to wear face masks. Starting Dec. 24, face masks will be required at all public indoor locations regardless of vaccination status. Public indoor locations include restaurants, shops and indoor hotel public areas. Face masks will also be required at all attractions from the moment guests enter the …

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Hungary Vows To Defy EU Court On Asylum Requests

The Associated Press reports: Hungary will not change its immigration policies despite a recent ruling from the EU’s top court that found them in contradiction with the bloc’s laws, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today. Orban’s announcement came as Hungary is locked in a dispute with the EU over the bloc’s jurisdiction over the affairs of its 27 members. A …

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FDA Authorizes Merck’s COVID Treatment Pill

CNBC reports: The Food and Drug Administration authorized on Thursday Merck’s antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 for emergency use, adding another tool to the nation’s arsenal to combat the virus. The FDA’s move comes a day after it authorized for another antiviral drug, from Pfizer. Merck’s treatment, known as molnupiravir and developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is cleared for …

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Biden Backs Filibuster Carve-Out For Voting Rights Bill

CNN reports: President Joe Biden says he supports making an exception to the Senate filibuster rules in order to pass voting rights legislation. “If the only thing standing between getting voting rights legislation passed and not getting passed is the filibuster, I support making the exception of voting rights for the filibuster,” Biden told ABC News’ David Muir in an …

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Diner Owner Who Defied Lockdown Dies Of Something

The Detroit Free Press reports: A man who defied state orders and kept his restaurant open last year during the pandemic has died of complications from COVID-19. John Parney, 62, operated the Quincy Diner in Quincy in southern Michigan. Parney wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19 but had pledged during his illness to get a shot “because the battle, at that point, …

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Five Arrested In Philly Carjacking Of Dem House Rep

NBC News reports: Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., was carjacked at gunpoint in a park in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, her spokeswoman said in a statement. Scanlon’s Acura was found at a shopping center in Newark, Delaware, around 9 p.m., and five people inside it were taken into custody, Delaware State Police said. They were not immediately identified. The investigation …

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Cruz Explains Why He’d Likely Be GOP’s 2024 Nominee

“You know, I ran in 2016. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. We had a very crowded field with 17 candidates in the race. A very strong field, and I ended up placing second. “And you know, there’s a reason historically that the runner-up is almost always the next nominee. And that’s been true going …

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Trump Pushes Back Against Owens: The Vaccines Work

“Oh no, the vaccines work. The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. “But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected. Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it’s a very minor form. “People aren’t dying …

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House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn Tests COVID Positive

The Associated Press reports: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said late Wednesday he has tested positive for COVID-19, though he is fully vaccinated with a booster and has no symptoms. “America is in a new phase of this pandemic,” Clyburn, 81, said in a statement. “No one is immune.” Two senators and another House lawmaker said recently they have tested …

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New York Makes Faking Vax Records A State Crime

The New York Daily News reports: Producing or using a fake coronavirus vaccination card has become a state crime in New York thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Hochul late Wednesday. The bill, which was inked along with a package of other pandemic response-related measures, makes the falsification of a coronavirus vaccination card a class A misdemeanor. …

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GOP Rep Regrets Vote Against Certifying Biden’s Win

The Hill reports: Rep. Tom Rice says he regrets his vote against certifying two states’ electoral votes for President Joe Biden in the hours after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. It may not be for the reason you expect. The South Carolinian says he still believes there were “real issues with the election.” “In retrospect I should have voted to …

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SCOTUS To Hold Special Session On Vaccine Mandates

Politico reports: The Supreme Court says it will hold a special session in just over two weeks to hear arguments on the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing requirement for large employers and a separate vaccine requirement for healthcare workers, an announcement that comes amid rising coronavirus cases. The high court announced late Wednesday that it would hear arguments in the …

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Woman Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Flight Attendant

San Diego’s NBC News affiliate reports: Vyvianna Quinonez of Sacramento, 28, admitted that while on a May 23 flight from Sacramento to San Diego, she hit a Southwest Airlines flight attendant identified only as S.L. in court documents. The victim suffered injuries that included three chipped teeth — two of which sustained serious enough damage that they were replaced with …

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Rep. Madison Cawthorn To Divorce His Earthen Vessel

The Insider reports: North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn and his wife Cristina Bayardelle Cawthorn are divorcing after being married for slightly less than a year, with the GOP congressman citing a change in his lifestyle after his election. Cawthorn, 26, said that he and his wife had run into “irreconcilable differences,” in a statement tweeted Wednesday. Cawthorn and Bayardelle were …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Sally Ann Howes, who began her acting career as a child and was best known for starring in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” opposite Dick Van Dyke, died on Jan. 19. She was 91. Her death was confirmed by her nephew, Toby Howes, who tweeted: “I can also confirm the passing of my beloved Aunty Sally Ann Howes who …

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TikTok Dethrones Google For Highest Traffic In 2021

Protocol reports: TikTok has dethroned Google as the most popular domain in 2021, according to Cloudflare’s 2021 Year in Review for internet traffic. In 2020, the video-sharing platform was ranked No. 7 while Google came in at No. 1. This year, TikTok came in first, followed by Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, in that order Read the full article. TikTok …

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