Monday, December 20, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden's BBB Blocked

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has said he will not vote for President Joe Biden's big Build Back Better Act. The senator's opposition effectively kills the bill, given the slim majority Democrats hold in the Senate. The $1.9 trillion spending plan focused on social services, childcare, healthcare, and climate change. Manchin announced his decision on Fox News Sunday.


The White House reacted with fury, saying that Manchin had submitted his own outline for a revised bill, and discussions had been continuing. In a statement, Press Secretary Jen Psaki called Manchin's statement "a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator's colleagues in the House and Senate."

➤COVID TEST SITES STRAINED UNDER HOLIDAY RUSH: Americans looking forward to holiday get-togethers are finding it harder to get a COVID test before they go. The test is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for people planning to travel or attend mixed gatherings. But long lines at test sites and a shortage of at-home test kits are making it harder for people to comply.

Meanwhile, the rapid spread of the omnicron variant of COVID is causing some to rethink their plans:
Harvard University will return to remote learning at least for the first three weeks of January. Another Ivy League school, Cornell, has decided to administer its final exams remotely.
 
Prince George's County in Maryland has become the first large school district to return to at-home schooling for at least the first two weeks in January. New York City has closed more than 800 of its classrooms due to the rapid rise of COVID infections in the city.

Also in New York, a number of Broadway shows have canceled one or more performances due to positive COVID tests among cast and crew.

➤FAMILY OF 7 AMONG KENTUCKY DEAD: An entire family of seven in Bowling Green, Kentucky, were among the victims of the tornado that swept through five states, killing at least 90 people on December 10th. According to The New York Times, Stephen and Rachel Brown, their four children, and the children's grandmother Victoria Brown, all were killed in the storm.


➤JOHNNY ISAKSON DIES AT AGE 76: Johnny Isakson, former U.S. Senator from Georgia, has died at age 76. A real estate millionaire, Isakson played a prominent role in Republican politics in Georgia over three decades. He retired from the Senate in 2019.

➤BLAME THE BOOMERS: So this is why we have a labor shortage. A whopping 90% of the 3.6 million people who left the labor force last month were over age 55, according to a report in CNN. Many decided to retire because of concerns over the pandemic, while others were forced out of their jobs because of business slowdowns in some sectors.
 
There are signs that at least some of those baby boomers are being lured back to work. About 2.6% of retired people "unretired" in the past few months.

➤TRUMP WHITE HOUSE UNDERMINED COVID FIGHT: The Trump White House engaged in deliberate efforts to undermine the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic for political reasons, according to a congressional report released on Friday. The House investigative subcommittee alleges that the White House repeatedly overruled public health experts and silenced officials in order to promote then-President Donald Trump's agenda.

CHECK IT OUT: For details on the subcommittee report, click here.

➤NOW WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF CANDY CANES: Now we've got a shortage of candy canes to deal with, just in time for the holidays. Economy Candy, a New York City store that specializes in candy canes, has run out of stock for the first time since it opened its doors in 1937, according to The New York Post. In a classic example of trickle-through economics, this is also affecting the production of gingerbread houses and the nation's supply of Christmas tree ornaments. A shortfall in peppermint production is blamed.

🤶THE WORST ASSUMPTION PEOPLE MAKE ABOUT THEIR SINGLE COLLEAGUES DURING THE HOLIDAYS:  Many people get December holidays off, but workers in certain industries need to stay on the clock on typical days off. All too often, companies assign holiday workdays to people who are single and/or don’t have children under the assumption they need the time off less than their peers who are married and/or parents. Social Scientists Bella DePaulo calls the stigmatizing of and discrimination against people who are single “singlism.” She tells the Huffington Post, “Single people have people who matter to them, and commitments and interests and passions that matter to them. All that should be irrelevant, anyway: [The] workplace should be about work. Everything should even out—how often you get to leave early, come in on the holidays, get your choice of vacation times, etc.—such that over time, every worker is treated the same, and marital status or parental status do not matter at all.” Some suggest work places should offer incentives for workers to take holiday shifts, while others said companies should put holiday shifts up for grabs as there are “definitely folks who prefer to work those shifts for a variety of reasons” and then any remaining gaps that need to be filled in should be filled via some type of rotating schedule or by pulling worker names out of a hat.

➤TREVOR NOAH SUES NEW YORK CITY DOCTOR AND HOSPITAL FOR NEGLIGENCE: According to a lawsuit obtained by People, Trevor Noah is suing a New York City doctor and hospital for care that left him “rendered sick, sore, lame, and disabled.” The Daily Show host was under the care of Dr. Riley J. Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery from August 25, 2020, to December 17, 2020. During this time, it is reported that he had surgery on November 23, 2020.

Trevor Noah
Court documents show that Noah believes the doctor and hospital were “negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skillful manner.”

The documents also show that Noah says that he “sustained severe and painful personal injuries; sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress, and great physical pain; was confined to bed and home for a long period of time; was compelled to undergo hospital and medical aid, treatment, and attention; has suffered a loss of enjoyment of life; was prevented from engaging in his usual occupation for a long period of time; and since some of his injuries are of a permanent nature, he will continue to suffer similar damages in the future.”

The Hospital for Special Surgery has denied any wrongdoing and a spokesperson for the hospital said Noah’s claims are “meritless.” Despite the injuries he sustained from this surgery, Noah is still scheduled to host the Grammy Awards in 2022.

🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 15:
  • Dallas Cowboys 21, New York Giants 6
  • Houston Texans 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
  • Pittsburgh Steelers 19, Tennessee Titans 13
  • Miami Dolphins 31, New York Jets 24
  • Detroit Lions 30, Arizona Cardinals 12
  • Buffalo Bills 31, Carolina Panthers 14
  • Cincinnati Bengals 15, Denver Broncos 10
  • San Francisco 49ers 31, Atlanta Falcons 13
  • Green Bay Packers 31, Baltimore Ravens 30
  • New Orleans Saints 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0

Monday Night Football on ESPN: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (8:15 PM ET)

🏈BRONCO'S BRIDGEWATER INJURED: Denver Broncos quarterback Terry Bridgewater suffered a head injury during the Broncos game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was carted off the field during the third quarter of the game, which the Broncos lost 15-10. The team later announced that Bridgewater would be hospitalized overnight for further evaluation but that "everything has checked out well."

🏒NHL SHUTS DOWN THE BORDER: Citing the "fluid nature" of COVID-related travel restrictions, the National Hockey League and its players association has temporarily suspended games whose players cross the border between the U.S. and Canada to play. Canadian teams will not play U.S. teams from now through Thursday. In addition, the NHL asked the management of the Detroit Red Wings to shut down operations for now. Previously, the same request went out to the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, and Boston Bruins. The NHL hopes that the respite will allow them to salvage the season.

🏈PACKERS CLINCH PLAYOFFS PERCH: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 31-30 yesterday. And with that the Packers clinched the NFC North title and became the first NFL team to seal their place in the playoffs.


🏌DALY AND SON TRIUMPH: John Daly and his son, John II, won the PNC Championship in Orlando yesterday. The father-son duo shot 57 and a 36-hole total of 27-under 117. They shared the spotlight with Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, who came in second and scored a tournament-record 11 birdies in a row and shot 15-under 57. It was Tiger's first tournament appearance since a serious car accident 10 months ago.

🌃‘CHRISTMAS COMET’ TO FLY THROUGH SKY, WON’T BE BACK FOR 80,000 YEARS: This Christmas, stargazers will get a gift as the brightest comet of 2021 moves through the evening sky. Comet C/2021 A1, more commonly referred to as comet Leonard, was discovered earlier this year and made its closest approach to Earth on December 12th. Before its approach, it was visible only in the early morning sky, but its journey has now made it more prominent in the evening sky. The “Christmas comet” will appear in the evening sky throughout the rest of the year, but you should look for it sooner rather than later as it will become dimmer and dimmer heading into the last days of the month. Program executive at NASA headquarters, Gordon Johnston says, “This comet should be visible with a backyard telescope or binoculars and may be visible to the naked eye under very clear and dark observing conditions.” He says it will look like a fuzzy green star with a small tail. The coming nights will be the only chance to see comet Leonard as it will not swing past Earth again for another 80,000 years.



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