Florida vaccine free-for-all: https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/sns-nyt-coronavirus-vaccine-florida-20210111-a72ouf4ogjdkhhgdluj5om2tz4-story.html . Another SNAFU is visited on Floridians by their clueless governor. This is not what was meant by “vaccine free for all”.
COVID vaccine black market: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coming-black-market-near-you-covid-19-vaccine-n1253504 . Incompetence has consequences, most of them undesirable.
Mass vaccination sites open in New York: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-vaccines-new-york/mass-vaccination-sites-open-in-new-york-city-as-covid-19-batters-u-s-idUKKBN29F0NP .
Texas announces vaccination hubs for next shipment: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/10/texas-coronavirus-vaccine-sites/ .
Boston hospital beds are 96% full: https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/01/09/boston-crosses-coronavirus-hospitalization-threshold/ .
UK vaccinating over 200,000 per day: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-vaccines/covid-19-uk-vaccinating-200000-people-a-day-health-minister-idUSKBN29F08P .
The path forward in the UK: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/10/now-we-have-the-coronavirus-vaccine-how-soon-can-we-get-back-to-normal-life .
Pope’s personal physician dies from COVID: https://www.foxnews.com/world/pope-francis-personal-doctor-coronavirus .
Pope calls vaccine opposition “suicidal denial”: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-vaccine-coronavirus-b1785051.html .
Capitol mob likely superspreader event: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/capitol-hill-riot-prove-covid-19-superspreader-event/story?id=75134968 . Members of Congress exposed: https://news.yahoo.com/capitol-hill-riots-evacuation-coronavirus-170503488.html . They were exposed by Republican members and staff who refused to wear masks even in the close quarters of the secure locations.
Pandemic forces California to ignore its legal limits on nurse patient ratio: https://apnews.com/article/california-coronavirus-pandemic-f5d228109141806f2da4b6f03f985b16 .
Vaccine roll-out suffers from lacks of federal leadership and funding: https://ph.news.yahoo.com/vaccine-rollout-confirms-public-health-171134015.html . Officials have warned of these problems for many months. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-covid-19-vaccination-plan-limits-speed-of-rollout-supply-chain-experts-say-11610283601 .
Dr. Gottlieb calls for roll-out reset: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scott-gottlieb-coronavirus-vaccine-face-the-nation/ .
How to speed vaccine roll-out: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/how-can-the-sluggish-coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-be-sped-up-135517416.html .
WSJ: World’s fastest vaccine roll-out: https://www.wsj.com/articles/israels-covid-19-vaccinations-hold-lessons-for-u-s-11610307240 .
WSJ: Updating COVID vaccines: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-light-regulatory-touch-to-keep-covid-drugs-current-11610313257 .
Boris Johnson under pressure as UK sinks under another COVID wave: https://apnews.com/article/europe-coronavirus-pandemic-sadiq-khan-london-boris-johnson-9f45538038d470952d70bcc093193384 .
Most Wuhan COVID patients have long-term symptoms: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3117141/coronavirus-chinese-study-finds-most-patients-still-show-signs .
Japan finds new COVID variant in travelers from Brazil: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/japan-finds-new-coronavirus-variant-in-travellers-from-brazil-1.5261023 .
Economists see 2021 as record-breaking jobs growth: https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-could-be-the-best-year-on-record-for-job-growth-11610274600 . These projections seem too rosy. We will struggle with COVID for much of the year. Many businesses are gone permanently or will re-open slimmed down. Baby boomers will elect retirement rather than continue to struggle in business. And there are many financially battered consumers.
WSJ: Undoing Trump: https://www.wsj.com/articles/democratic-control-of-senate-creates-path-to-repeal-last-minute-trump-policies-11610287200 .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
House prepares for second Trump impeachment: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/house-poised-to-impeach-trump-pences-24-hour-deadline-everything-you-need-to-know/ . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-prepares-for-trump-impeachment-could-add-charges-on-georgia-allegations-11610295488 .
Republicans consider their position on Orange Julius: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/09/donald-trump-impeachment-resignation-capitol-riot-republican-senator-murkowski-twitter .
Trump’s staff looks to the end days: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-white-house/trumps-demoralized-staff-count-down-the-final-days-idUSKBN29F0MD . Ask yourself, who is running the country right now?
Money talks: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/no-marriott-money-for-ted-cruz-josh-hawley-and-all-republicans-who-voted-against-certifying-joe-biden-11610299933 . And BS should resign … More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/citi-and-jpmorgan-join-marriott-in-pausing-political-donations/ar-BB1cCSHj?li=BBnb7Kz . And: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/corporations-suspend-donations-lawmakers-objected-certifying-electoral-college . WSJ: Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/capitol-riot-prompts-some-big-banks-and-companies-to-pause-political-funding-11610315288 .
WSJ: PGA dumps Trump: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pga-removes-2022-championship-from-trumps-n-j-golf-course-11610338857 .
Inauguration security: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/09/biden-inauguration-security-capitol-trump . Nancy Cordes made a very important point on Friday’s Washington Week (January 8, PBS) about inauguration security. The failed response to the insurrection has caused all the Capitol Hill security brass to resign. So, inauguration security lacks significant leadership at the moment. And this is a critical moment. (Cordes’ comments start around 12:50 of this 24½ minute show, which you can stream on the PBS website.)
WSJ: Law enforcement prepares, one march too late: https://www.wsj.com/articles/law-enforcement-braces-for-more-trump-marches-in-washington-at-state-capitols-11610319843 .
Former Governor Schwarzenegger on the insurrection and the Nazis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_P-0I6sAck . This is by far the best statement from a Republican on Trump’s attempted coup.
Helping a Trump supporter separate from conspiracy theories: https://www.msnbc.com/american-voices/watch/as-trump-supporters-cling-to-conspiracies-here-s-how-to-help-them-face-the-truth-99242053548 .
WSJ: Making a nut: https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-trump-fans-descent-into-the-u-s-capitol-mob-11610311660 . He accepts the lies and discusses them with his dog.
WSJ: Mixed nuts: https://www.wsj.com/articles/conspiracy-theorists-ceos-and-grandmothers-inside-the-capitol-mob-11610329655 . I’m really not in favor of publicizing the nuts. This glorifies the criminals over the victims (elected representatives, the Capitol police, democracy). And this stuff goes way beyond the average criminal act.
More arrests: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/10/politics/eric-munchel-larry-rendell-brock-capitol-riot/index.html . The restraints follow reports that the insurrectionists were looking to restrain, try and execute lawmakers opposing Orange Julius. People involved in these activities will go to prison for a very, very long time. And: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/10/politics/man-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-capitol-riot-identified/index.html . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/capitol-riot-charges-florida-man-who-removed-pelosi-lectern-man-in-horned-costume-taken-into-custody-11610219330 .
Second GOP senator urges Trump to resign: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-impeachments-pat-toomey-latin-america-61cc494f74843f711993105c3a32f640 . Senator Toomey also says Trump committed impeachable offenses: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-impeachments-pat-toomey-1cfc09ef14e98c25db29fa74eb638547 .
Chris Krebs urges Trump to resign: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/533558-krebs-calls-for-trump-to-resign-the-presidents-legacy-is-a-heap-of .
Pentagon cowers: https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2467051/planning-and-execution-timeline-for-the-national-guards-involvement-in-the-janu/ . What is this crap? “First Amendment Protests”? It was an armed insurrection, period. I had wondered if there were some Trump political appointees who should be retained, at least temporarily. I am now completely persuaded that everyone associated with Trump must go. That includes every political appointee and whoever wrote this bizarre disinformation (Captain Soldow and collaborators).
It also includes Frackin’ Ted Cruz and “You Must be Joshin’” Hawley. Their personal political scheming involved promotion of the lie of election fraud, incitement of the insurrection, and failure to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
And it should include Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, people obviously lacking the temperament (and in Barrett’s case, intellectual ability) to serve on the Supreme Court. Both nominations were rammed through by dropping the required vote from 60 to 51. The allegations against Kavanaugh were far more serious than those against Clarence Thomas, and there is considerable evidence they were true. Barrett is simply unqualified, plain and simple. The country would be better off if all four resigned.
If Cruz and Hawley do not do so, the Senate should expel them. As to the Supreme Court, the most practical option is raising the number of seats to 13 and giving Biden the opportunity to appoint 4 Justices. It makes sense to me to require all future justices to currently sit on a US Court of Appeals or State Supreme Court and to have 5 years of judicial experience. That would have eliminated Barrett (but not Kavanaugh). It would have also have disqualified Thomas, whose only qualification was that he was a black Republican with a legal degree.