The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) complained about the new coronavirus variant making global headlines by comparing it to what he called the “overhyped” AIDS crisis while appearing on a Fox News host’s podcast Wednesday. Wednesday was World AIDS Day. Without a wisp of tact, Johnson likened the way Dr. Anthony Fauci has issued warnings about the omnicron …

The Associated Press reports: President Joe Biden is set to kick off a more urgent campaign for Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots Thursday as he unveils his winter plans for combating the coronavirus and its omicron variant with enhanced availability of shots and vaccines but without major new restrictions. The plan includes a requirement for private insurers to cover …

The BBC reports: A man who put superglue on the lock of a Covid-19 vaccination centre, preventing 504 people from getting jabs, has been jailed for 12 weeks. Hayden Brown, 53, of Burgh Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, squirted glue into the keyhole of the centre’s door on 26 November. It meant the premises in Lowestoft Road, Gorleston, could not be …

The Guardian reports: “No one would [focus] on the actions of … those supporters of President Trump who came [to Washington on 6 January] without hate in their hearts or any bad intentions,” he writes. “Instead, they would laser in on the actions of a handful of fanatics across town.” Throughout his book, Meadows seeks to play down Donald Trump’s …

Florida Politics reports: Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters met last week with controversial lawyer Sidney Powell in Sarasota. While not embracing specific accusations Powell has made against election officials around the country, he characterized his conversation as informative. “It’s important to listen to every side and she brought up a lot of good points,” Gruters told Florida Politics. …

New from our pal Matt Baume: Over his 55-year career, Jim Nabors cultivated a wholesome, folksy persona, from playing Gomer Pyle on multiple sitcoms to appearing as himself on variety shows to singing every year at the start of the Indianapolis 500. But behind the scenes, Jim Nabors harbored a secret that would have scandalized the country and ruined his …

CNN reports: The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol unanimously voted Wednesday night to approve the report to hold former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark in contempt of Congress for defying his subpoena by refusing to answer questions during a recent deposition and failing to hand over documents to the panel. Passing the criminal contempt …

The Washington Post reports: A hacker gained access to the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Planned Parenthood patients last month, the reproductive health-care group’s Los Angeles branch said Wednesday. The breach is limited to the Los Angeles affiliate, and spokesperson John Erickson said there is no indication at this point that the information was “used for fraudulent purposes.” …

Reuters reports: President Joe Biden’s administration will extend requirements for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at airports and train stations through mid-March to address ongoing COVID-19 risks, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. A formal announcement extending the requirements through March 18 is expected on Thursday, the sources said. The White House and Transportation …

The Missouri Independent reports: Mask mandates saved lives and prevented COVID-19 infections in Missouri’s biggest cities during the worst part of the delta variant wave, an analysis by the state Department of Health and Senior Services shows. But the analysis, conducted at the request of Gov. Mike Parson’s office in early November, was never made public and was only obtained …

The CBC reports: The federal government’s updated bill to ban the practice of conversion therapy has been adopted unanimously by the House of Commons. MPs voted to fast track Bill C-4 on Wednesday afternoon. The Commons erupted in applause after the vote and several Liberal MPs walked across the floor to shake hands with and — in some cases — …

The Daily Beast reports: The shooter who allegedly killed four students and injured seven, including a teacher, at Michigan’s Oxford High School on Tuesday was previously flagged by administrators for “behavior in the classroom that they felt was concerning,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Wednesday. Authorities have identified the suspect as 15-year-old sophomore Ethan Crumbley. His parents had been …

Raw Story reports: A 71-year-old Pennsylvania man has been charged by the Department of Justice with assaulting police officers during the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Like many other MAGA rioters that day, Howard Charles Richardson of King Prussia was captured on video as part of the crowd fighting with law enforcement. But Richardson was also betrayed by …

Law & Crime reports: A Georgia man accused of striking and kicking police officers while armed with mace and a boot knife outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has pleaded guilty to assault. Kevin Creek, appearing by video, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich on Tuesday. Creek assaulted multiple law enforcement officers while on the West Terrace …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Stacey Abrams launched a campaign for Georgia governor on Wednesday with a pledge to fight for economic equality and expand healthcare access, setting up a potential rematch against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in one of the nation’s most competitive political battlegrounds. The Democrat announced her campaign with a video that highlighted her work in the state …

The Associated Press reports: A 15-year-old boy was charged Wednesday with murder, terrorism and other counts for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at Michigan’s Oxford High School. Charges against Ethan Crumbley were announced Wednesday, a few hours after authorities reported the death of a fourth teen from the school in southeastern Michigan. Crumbley is charged …

Fox News reports: The House Freedom Caucus sent a letter Wednesday to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., urging him to use “all procedural tools” at his disposal to delay a stopgap measure to extend government funding into January unless Democrats agree to prohibit funding for President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Lawmakers are rushing to approve a short-term spending bill, …

Via press release published by Christian Newswire: In a brief submitted November 24, the Christian media outreach D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal of a lower court ruling dismissing DJKM’s defamation lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In its appeal brief, DJKM, represented by the National Center for Law and …

CNN reports: The United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in California. The World Health Organization designates Omicron a “variant of concern.” In a technical brief released this week, WHO noted that the variant poses a “very high” global risk. The variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, and has since been …

“I got COVID, Suzanne got COVID — I don’t know if she gave it to me or I gave it to her. But then she went to visit my parents, and gave it to them. “My mother got it, and my father got it, and my current daughter, I won’t use her name on the air, let’s just say Hortense, …