Post by mhbruin on Jan 22, 2022 9:11:15 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 534 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Jan 18)
We had a great December, but January has been pretty bad. There are no big storms in the 10-day forecast.
Reservoirs are still low, but they are filling up a bit.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
A man was arrested for allegedly creating multiple disturbances and exposing himself to a flight attendant and passengers during a Delta Air Lines flight.
On an eight-hour flight traveling from Dublin, Ireland to New York City on January 7, Shane McInerney, 29, allegedly refused to wear a face mask despite being asked several times to do so by the flight crew, according to an affidavit and complaint unsealed Friday.
The Galway, Ireland, native allegedly threw an empty beverage can, hitting another passenger in the head, according to the complaint. Court documents also said McInerney had an exchange with the flight captain, who was on a break, and twice placed his own cap on the captain's head. The affidavit says McInerney held his fist near the captain's face and said, "Don't touch me."
At one point during the flight, McInerney allegedly pulled down his pants and underwear, exposing his buttocks to a flight attendant, according to the complaint.
An Ass Exposed His Ass
..............
A Florida man who threatened to behead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pleaded guilty to federal counts Friday and faces years in prison.
Paul Vernon Hoeffer, 60, of Palm Beach Gardens, phoned in the threats to the offices of the two high-profile Democratic lawmakers in 2019, he admitted in a plea agreement.
He also admitted to phoning in a racist threat to Kim Foxx, the top state prosecutor for the Chicago area, that same year.
Was the UW Fan Badgering Asians?
A University of Wisconsin fan was removed from a basketball game at Northwestern University this week after he made anti-Asian racist gestures at a crowd of Northwestern fans.
The incident, which went viral on TikTok and Twitter, showed the white fan in Wisconsin Badgers attire giving Northwestern fans the middle finger before making racist gestures. The man initially refused to leave with Northwestern security and was escorted by police out of the event.
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Authorities in New York arrested and charged a man with a hate crime on Jan. 14 in connection to a Jan. 3 incident. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD) officials confirmed that 21-year-old Mohamed Hassanain was arrested for attacking a Sikh taxi driver at JFK International Airport. The incident is considered a hate crime because Hassanain shouted “Go back to your country!” but called the driver “turbaned people” in a derogatory manner while repeatedly attacking him.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Queens District Attorney's Office Hassanain allegedly hit the victim in the face and body multiple times. He told investigators that he was at the airport to pick up his girlfriend when "I saw a cab driver there who cursed at me. I threw a punch and cursed at him."
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Fox News’ TucKKKer Carlson was pummeled on social media Friday night after he compared vaccine requirements to protect Americans from COVID-19 to the barbaric experiments Nazis inflicted on Jews during World War II.
Critics pointed out that Fox News has a vaccine requirement so Carlson is likely not worried about contracting COVID himself, even while he encourages his viewers not to get them.
They also pointed out that, late last year, Fox “ghosted” contributor Lara Logan after she compared White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci to infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele for suggesting health guidelines to keep people safe amid the pandemic.
Crabby About Crabgrass
A Detroit-area judge has apologized for wishing that she could send a 72-year-old immigrant with cancer to jail for a weedy property.
“I acted intemperately. I’m very embarrassed that I did so,” said Alexis Krot, a judge in Hamtramck’s District Court.
The statement was dated Tuesday, days after she ordered Burhan Chowdhury to pay $100 for failing to get rid of weeds and other vegetation at the rear of his property. The judge’s apology followed a TV report about the case and criticism about how she treated the man.
“Shameful! The neighbors should not have to look at that. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Krot said during the online hearing. “If I could give you jail time on this, I would.”
Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh, explained that he was weak with cancer. A son, Shibbir Chowdhury, said he helps his father with the yard but was out of the country at the time last year.
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A Virginia mother was charged Friday after she said at a school board meeting that she would "bring every single gun loaded and ready" to fight mask requirements for her children. Amelia King later emailed the board to apologize for her choice of words, saying she was not referring to "actual firearms."
The Luray Police Department said King, 42, was charged with making an oral threat on school property. She has since been released on a $5,000 bond, the department said.
These Guys Also Get the Nomination For the Dumbest Criminals in the World
Police in Ireland are investigating reports that the body of a dead man was brought to a post office in an attempt to collect his pension.
The Irish Times said a man who appeared to be in his 60s was dragged into the post office in the town of Carlow on Friday, propped up by two younger men. When questioned by staff, the two fled, leaving behind the older man, who was found to be dead.
If You Have Enough Money, a Fine Becomes An Asshole Fee
An London-bound American Airlines flight was forced to turn around and go back to Miami because a woman refused to wear a mask.
The passenger is likely to face some pretty stiff fines from the FAA for what she did. Plus, she’s been banned from flying on American, pending investigation. I would think American would be well within its rights to send her the bill for rebooking the passengers and turning the plane back around. But according to South Florida ABC affiliate WPLG, if American does go that route, she’d certainly have the money to pay it. It turns out this woman was a first-class passenger.
So She's Banned From American Airlines. She Can Screw People on Other Airlines?
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Where in the Film is Ana de Armas? Is She Hanging Out With Waldo and Carmen Sandiego?
Two US fans of Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas have sued Hollywood studio Universal Pictures, saying they were duped into renting a film because she was in the trailer.
Conor Woulfe and Peter Rosza say they each paid $3.99 (£2.94) for the comedy Yesterday, only to discover the actress had been removed from the final cut.
They are seeking $5m in compensation on behalf of all affected viewers.
Universal Pictures has so far not commented on the issue.
The fans say they were victims of deceptive marketing, and that Universal used de Armas's "fame, radiance and brilliance" to promote a film she wasn't in.
"Although defendant included the scenes with Ms de Armas in the movie trailer advertisements, for the purposes of promoting Yesterday and enticing film sales and rentals, Ms de Armas is not and was never in the publicly released version of the movie," says the complaint filed in California on Friday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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The Rise of the Machines. Today a Vacuum Cleaner, Tomorrow The Terminator.
A robot vacuum cleaner made a break for freedom after giving staff the slip at a Travelodge hotel.
The automated cleaner failed to stop at the front door of the hotel in Orchard Park in Cambridge on Thursday, and was still on the loose the following day.
Staff said it just kept going and "could be anywhere" while well-wishers on social media hoped the vacuum enjoyed its travels, as "it has no natural predators" in the wild.
It was found under a hedge on Friday.
Maybe the Vacuum Cleaner Was Looking for the Monkeys ... Or Vice Versa
Police in the US are searching for a monkey that escaped after a truck carrying 100 of them was involved in a crash.
The trailer, which was carrying the monkeys to a laboratory in Florida, collided with a dump truck on a motorway in Pennsylvania.
No-one was hurt, but four monkeys managed to escape.
Three have since been found, but one monkey remained unaccounted for on Saturday morning.
The long-tailed macaques are in demand for coronavirus vaccine research.
Are Even Monkeys Smart Enough to Get Vaccinated?
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Will Omicron Be the End of the Pandemic?
The world feared the worst when a worrying new coronavirus variant emerged in late November and ripped through South Africa at a pace not seen before in the pandemic.
But two months later, with Omicron dominant across much of the globe, the narrative has shifted for some.
"Levels of concern about Omicron tend to be lower than with previous variants," Simon Williams, a researcher in public attitudes and behaviors towards Covid-19 at Swansea University, told CNN. For many, "the 'fear factor of Covid' is lower," he said.
Omicron's reduced severity compared to previous variants, and the perceived likelihood that individuals will eventually be infected, have contributed to that relaxation in people's mindsets, Williams said. This has even caused some people to actively seek out the illness to "get it over with" -- a practice experts have strongly warned against.
But some within the scientific community are cautiously optimistic that Omicron could be the pandemic's last act -- providing huge swathes of the world with "a layer of immunity," and moving us closer to an endemic stage when Covid-19 is comparable to seasonal illnesses like the cold or flu.
"My own view is that it's becoming endemic, and it will continue to stay endemic for some time -- as has happened with other coronaviruses," said David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
"All viruses try to become endemic, and to me this one looks like it's succeeding," he said.
This Sounds Good, But Most Predictions Don't Come True
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5G and Airplanes. Where Are We?
Over the past two weeks, radar altimeter manufacturers have scrambled to "evaluate data from the wireless companies to determine how robust each model" of radar altimeter is and whether it can still function even when flying near an active 5G antenna, according to the FAA.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said it issued more approvals that allow 78% of the US commercial airliner fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports near where wireless companies deployed 5G. Essentially, regulators said that they now deemed it safe for aircraft that used one of 13 types of radar altimeters.
But of course, more than 20% of the United States' commercial aircraft fleet hasn't been approved. And the FAA warned that it anticipates that "some altimeters will be too susceptible to 5G interference."
"To preserve safety, aircraft with those altimeters will be prohibited from performing low-visibility landings where 5G is deployed because the altimeter could provide inaccurate information," the agency said.
The agency also warned that the buffers that are reducing 5G signal strength around certain airports are essential for keeping safe operations going.
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Another Reason to Hug Your Dog
A 10-year-old girl survived a night in a heavy snowstorm in Russia by hugging a dog, according to Russian state TV and local media reports.
The girl, who is not named in the report, left her school in the town of Uglegorsk last week but failed to return home. The town sits on the west Russian island of Sakhalin, which had been slammed with heavy snow and winds reaching 38 to 50 miles per hour.
Authorities and local residents searched overnight for the girl after it was determined she was missing. Search parties focused on houses with pets, because locals reported seeing the girl playing with a dog the evening before her disappearance. The girl's parents also told police how much she loved to play with pets.
A volunteer found the girl the next morning, sitting with the dog in its outdoor kennel and hugging it to keep warm, according to Russian state TV.
The girl was taken to hospital and found to be healthy, the report noted.
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The US Secretary of State Handles Foreign Affairs, But State Secretaries of State Handle Elections. Go Figure.
The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State and its affiliated groups raised $4.5 million last year -- a record haul for the group and the latest indication of the heightened interest in once-sleepy down-ballot races for state election chiefs.
The fundraising total, shared first with CNN, is three times what the organizations collected during the entire 2018 election cycle. And Kim Rogers, its executive director, said the group and its affiliates are on track to bring in $15 million for the 2022 election cycle -- 10 times what it collected four years ago.
Rogers called Democratic secretaries of state "the last line of defense for democracy" as Republicans in key battlegrounds enact measures that could make it harder to vote and press ahead with partisan reviews of 2020 election results.
And Why Do We Have a Vice President, But Lieutenant Governors? Why Not a Vice Governor?
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If He Was Just a Tiny Bit Smarter, Maybe He Wouldn't Have Murdered A Man
A Pakistani inmate serving a life sentence for murder in an overcrowded Karachi prison has won a scholarship for further study after taking one of the highest scores in the city’s higher secondary school exams last year.
Syed Naeem Shah, 35, scored the highest in the general high school exams among private candidates — that is, among non-traditional students — last year in Pakistan’s largest city, winning a scholarship for further studies from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).
Shah was sentenced to life — 25 years in Pakistan — in 2018 for the shooting and killing of another man in a personal disagreement in 2010. Years spent as a prisoner on trial, plus time off for academic achievements, good behaviour and blood donations, leaves him with about six years to serve.
25 Years = Life? Weird Math.
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You Know Something's Not Kosher When His Name is "Bacon"
Right-wing evangelical Christians like to pretend they speak for Jewish people. This is not, to put it mildly, generally in the interest of Jews. It isn’t in the interest of a healthy democracy, either.
The latest example of the appropriation of Jewish identity is the congressional “Caucus for the Advancement of Torah Values.” It is led by Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska and conservative Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. Neither of these men is Jewish. None of the other members of the caucus appear to be Jewish, either. Besides Cuellar, they all also seem to be Republicans. This caucus is clearly not an organization by and for Jews. It’s an organization for mostly right-wing American Christians who want to be associated with, and speak for, Jewish people.
Again, this isn’t unusual. At the end of 2019, President Donald Trump retweeted a quote from a Christian conservative radio host that described him as “the King of Israel.” After the antisemitic massacre at Tree of Life synagogue in Philadelphia, Vice President Mike Pence appeared at a rally where a prayer was delivered by a Christian claiming to somehow be a rabbi. The right also loves to use the phrase “Judeo-Christian values” to promote a conservative Christian agenda that conveniently erases the several thousand years during which “Christian values” included beating, forced conversion and murder of Jewish people.
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I Think We Already Knew This, But ...
That booster shots keep people from becoming infected, at least for a while, has not been in dispute. But the new finding largely supports conclusions from Israel and other countries showing that boosters also are effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization, especially in older adults.
And the C.D.C.’s figures represent the first real-world data showing the effects of extra shots of a Covid vaccine in the United States.
The numbers published on the agency’s website on Thursday night suggest that in December, unvaccinated people ages 50 and older were 17 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who had completed the initial immunization series — without boosters.
But unvaccinated Americans between 50 and 64 were 44 times more likely to end up in the hospital with Covid than those in the age group who were vaccinated and received a booster shot.
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WTF Is Merrick Garland Waiting For?
This post began as an attempt to figure out who developed the “fake elector vote count in a box” package Republicans in seven states used to create “alternate” elector vote certifications.
It ended up helping me understand the “bigger conspiracy” to which Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel referred. What follows is not an indictment and nothing in it is particularly new. Most of what I describe can be found in various comments here at emptywheel.
I’ve laid out how I think the “alternate” elector scheme played a central role in the coup. I think I understand why it was important for Nessel to refer this to the Department of Justice. Because some of these activities violated multiple states’ laws, it’s easier to show the entire scheme was corrupt.
Many of the Fake Electors Weren't Even on the Ballot in Those States
Giuliani oversaw a behind-the-scenes operation to coordinate Trump-supporting electors to submit electoral certificates in states Biden won. And Bobb was on those calls.
One America News anchor Christina Bobb assisted Rudy Giuliani on the Trump campaign’s outlandish plan to submit rival Republican elector slates to affirm then-President Donald Trump’s victory in five states President Joe Biden won, according to The Washington Post.
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Let's Not Confuse Them With Facts. They Are Already Confused Enough.
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Is Ginni Thomas a Threat to the Supreme Court?
Behind closed doors, Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife is working with many groups directly involved in controversial cases before the Court.
The claim that the Justices’ opinions are politically neutral is becoming increasingly hard to accept, especially from Thomas, whose wife, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, is a vocal right-wing activist. She has declared that America is in existential danger because of the “deep state” and the “fascist left,” which includes “transsexual fascists.” Thomas, a lawyer who runs a small political-lobbying firm, Liberty Consulting, has become a prominent member of various hard-line groups. Her political activism has caused controversy for years. For the most part, it has been dismissed as the harmless action of an independent spouse. But now the Court appears likely to secure victories for her allies in a number of highly polarizing cases—on abortion, affirmative action, and gun rights.
No, She's a Threat to America. That's What Happens When you Put Unqualified People on the Federal Bench
A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Friday barring the federal government from enforcing President Joe Biden's requirement that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for Covid-19.
Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden's vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.
Biden announced in September that more than 3.5 million federal workers were required to undergo vaccination, with no option to get regularly tested instead, unless they secured approved medical or religious exemptions. The requirement kicked in this past November, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that 98 percent of federal workers are vaccinated.
He Went to the 60th Best Law School in the US
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It's the Ron and Mo-Ron Show
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Meet Ex-Honorary Doctors Giuliani and Flynn
The University of Rhode Island will revoke honorary degrees given to Rudy Giuliani and Michael Flynn, key allies of Donald Trump in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
The URI board of trustees on Friday voted unanimously to revoke the degrees, which were given to Giuliani in 2003 and Flynn in 2014.
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CDC doesn't do a good job of reporting around holidays.
Doses Administered 7-Day Average | Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses | Number of People 2 or More Doses | New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Jan 22 | 1,002,322 | 250,568,431 | 210,229,586 | ||
| Jan 21 | 1,035,111 | 250,262,153 | 210,021,766 | 716,829 | 1,974 |
| Jan 20 | 1,094,988 | 250,028,635 | 209,842,610 | 726,870 | 1,843 |
| Jan 19 | 1,135,453 | 249,702,939 | 209,509,297 | 744,615 | 1,749 |
| Jan 18 | 1,158,537 | 249,393,487 | 209,312,770 | 755,095 | 1,669 |
| Jan 17 | No Data | 736,350 | 1,746 | ||
| Jan 16 | No Data | 771,131 | 1,851 | ||
| Jan 15 | 1,268,202 | 248,707,432 | 208,995,438 | 788,628 | 1,858 |
| Jan 14 | 1,286,773 | 248,338,448 | 208,791,862 | 798,335 | 1,784 |
| Jan 13 | 1,291,013 | 247,987,225 | 208,564,894 | 794,587 | 1,730 |
| Jan 12 | 1,234,672 | 247,695,845 | 208,182,657 | 782,765 | 1,729 |
| Jan 11 | 1,213,113 | 247,321,023 | 207,954,605 | 761,535 | 1,656 |
| Jan 10 | 1,307,445 | 247,051,363 | 207,796,335 | 750,996 | 1,633 |
| Jan 9 | 1,331,635 | 246,812,939 | 207,662,071 | 674,406 | 1,552 |
| Jan 8 | 1,286,783 | 246,447,823 | 207,452,448 | 680,330 | 1,544 |
| Jan 7 | 1,226,151 | 246,050,320 | 207,229,983 | 668,497 | 1,513 |
| Jan 6 | 1,164,127 | 245,653,518 | 207,016,514 | 614,552 | 1,350 |
| Jan 5 | 1,117,999 | 245,278,020 | 206,797,799 | 586,391 | 1,245 |
| Jan 4 | 1,093,005 | 244,947,293 | 206,581,659 | 554,328 | 1,238 |
| Jan 3 | No Data | 491,652 | 1,165 | ||
| Jan 2 | No Data | 438,082 | 1,174 | ||
| Jan 1 | No Data | 411,871 | 1,151 | ||
| Dec 31 | No Data | 391,098 | 1,135 | ||
| Dec 30 | 1,234,917 | 243,527,564 | 205,811,394 | 360,276 | 1,144 |
| Dec 29 | 1,042,911 | 243,182,423 | 205,638,307 | 316,277 | 1,100 |
| Dec 28 | 1,091,279 | 242,813,374 | 205,420,745 | 277,241 | 1,085 |
| Dec 27 | 1,034,442 | 242,433,620 | 205,196,973 | 240,408 | 1,096 |
| Dec 26 | No Data | 206,577 | 1,041 | ||
| Dec 25 | No Data | 196,511 | 1,053 | ||
| Dec 24 | No Data | 195,713 | 1,108 | ||
| Dec 23 | 1,189,954 | 241,520,561 | 204,740,321 | 192,453 | 1,199 |
| Dec 22 | 1,283,244 | 241,583,543 | 204,818,717 | 176,097 | 1,213 |
| Dec 21 | 1,542,936 | 241,132,288 | 204,578,725 | 161,261 | 1,223 |
| Dec 20 | 1,554,261 | 241,881,712 | 204,098,982 | 149,331 | 1,188 |
| Dec 19 | 1,558,720 | 241,571,084 | 203,926,479 | 132,659 | 1,169 |
| Dec 18 | 1,562,366 | 241,205,528 | 203,727,446 | 127,445 | 1,182 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | 1,716,311 | 39,670,551 | 15,015,434 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 75.4% | 64.3% | 39.5% |
| % of Population 5+ | 80.1% | 67.3% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 85.3% | 72.1% | 42.6% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.3% | 73.8% | 54.1% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.2% | 62.7% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Jan 18)
We had a great December, but January has been pretty bad. There are no big storms in the 10-day forecast.
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | 2 Weeks ago | 3 Weeks ago | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 134% | 149% | 158% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 121% | 138% | 156% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 112% | 127% | 145% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 117% | 128% | 135% | 134% |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 114% | 129% | 148% | 148% |
| Snow Water Content - South | 121% | 135% | 160% | 158% |
Reservoirs are still low, but they are filling up a bit.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
A man was arrested for allegedly creating multiple disturbances and exposing himself to a flight attendant and passengers during a Delta Air Lines flight.
On an eight-hour flight traveling from Dublin, Ireland to New York City on January 7, Shane McInerney, 29, allegedly refused to wear a face mask despite being asked several times to do so by the flight crew, according to an affidavit and complaint unsealed Friday.
The Galway, Ireland, native allegedly threw an empty beverage can, hitting another passenger in the head, according to the complaint. Court documents also said McInerney had an exchange with the flight captain, who was on a break, and twice placed his own cap on the captain's head. The affidavit says McInerney held his fist near the captain's face and said, "Don't touch me."
At one point during the flight, McInerney allegedly pulled down his pants and underwear, exposing his buttocks to a flight attendant, according to the complaint.
An Ass Exposed His Ass
..............
A Florida man who threatened to behead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pleaded guilty to federal counts Friday and faces years in prison.
Paul Vernon Hoeffer, 60, of Palm Beach Gardens, phoned in the threats to the offices of the two high-profile Democratic lawmakers in 2019, he admitted in a plea agreement.
He also admitted to phoning in a racist threat to Kim Foxx, the top state prosecutor for the Chicago area, that same year.
Was the UW Fan Badgering Asians?
A University of Wisconsin fan was removed from a basketball game at Northwestern University this week after he made anti-Asian racist gestures at a crowd of Northwestern fans.
The incident, which went viral on TikTok and Twitter, showed the white fan in Wisconsin Badgers attire giving Northwestern fans the middle finger before making racist gestures. The man initially refused to leave with Northwestern security and was escorted by police out of the event.
..............
Authorities in New York arrested and charged a man with a hate crime on Jan. 14 in connection to a Jan. 3 incident. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD) officials confirmed that 21-year-old Mohamed Hassanain was arrested for attacking a Sikh taxi driver at JFK International Airport. The incident is considered a hate crime because Hassanain shouted “Go back to your country!” but called the driver “turbaned people” in a derogatory manner while repeatedly attacking him.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Queens District Attorney's Office Hassanain allegedly hit the victim in the face and body multiple times. He told investigators that he was at the airport to pick up his girlfriend when "I saw a cab driver there who cursed at me. I threw a punch and cursed at him."
..............
Fox News’ TucKKKer Carlson was pummeled on social media Friday night after he compared vaccine requirements to protect Americans from COVID-19 to the barbaric experiments Nazis inflicted on Jews during World War II.
Critics pointed out that Fox News has a vaccine requirement so Carlson is likely not worried about contracting COVID himself, even while he encourages his viewers not to get them.
They also pointed out that, late last year, Fox “ghosted” contributor Lara Logan after she compared White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci to infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele for suggesting health guidelines to keep people safe amid the pandemic.
Crabby About Crabgrass
A Detroit-area judge has apologized for wishing that she could send a 72-year-old immigrant with cancer to jail for a weedy property.
“I acted intemperately. I’m very embarrassed that I did so,” said Alexis Krot, a judge in Hamtramck’s District Court.
The statement was dated Tuesday, days after she ordered Burhan Chowdhury to pay $100 for failing to get rid of weeds and other vegetation at the rear of his property. The judge’s apology followed a TV report about the case and criticism about how she treated the man.
“Shameful! The neighbors should not have to look at that. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Krot said during the online hearing. “If I could give you jail time on this, I would.”
Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh, explained that he was weak with cancer. A son, Shibbir Chowdhury, said he helps his father with the yard but was out of the country at the time last year.
..............
A Virginia mother was charged Friday after she said at a school board meeting that she would "bring every single gun loaded and ready" to fight mask requirements for her children. Amelia King later emailed the board to apologize for her choice of words, saying she was not referring to "actual firearms."
The Luray Police Department said King, 42, was charged with making an oral threat on school property. She has since been released on a $5,000 bond, the department said.
These Guys Also Get the Nomination For the Dumbest Criminals in the World
Police in Ireland are investigating reports that the body of a dead man was brought to a post office in an attempt to collect his pension.
The Irish Times said a man who appeared to be in his 60s was dragged into the post office in the town of Carlow on Friday, propped up by two younger men. When questioned by staff, the two fled, leaving behind the older man, who was found to be dead.
If You Have Enough Money, a Fine Becomes An Asshole Fee
An London-bound American Airlines flight was forced to turn around and go back to Miami because a woman refused to wear a mask.
The passenger is likely to face some pretty stiff fines from the FAA for what she did. Plus, she’s been banned from flying on American, pending investigation. I would think American would be well within its rights to send her the bill for rebooking the passengers and turning the plane back around. But according to South Florida ABC affiliate WPLG, if American does go that route, she’d certainly have the money to pay it. It turns out this woman was a first-class passenger.
So She's Banned From American Airlines. She Can Screw People on Other Airlines?
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Where in the Film is Ana de Armas? Is She Hanging Out With Waldo and Carmen Sandiego?
Two US fans of Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas have sued Hollywood studio Universal Pictures, saying they were duped into renting a film because she was in the trailer.
Conor Woulfe and Peter Rosza say they each paid $3.99 (£2.94) for the comedy Yesterday, only to discover the actress had been removed from the final cut.
They are seeking $5m in compensation on behalf of all affected viewers.
Universal Pictures has so far not commented on the issue.
The fans say they were victims of deceptive marketing, and that Universal used de Armas's "fame, radiance and brilliance" to promote a film she wasn't in.
"Although defendant included the scenes with Ms de Armas in the movie trailer advertisements, for the purposes of promoting Yesterday and enticing film sales and rentals, Ms de Armas is not and was never in the publicly released version of the movie," says the complaint filed in California on Friday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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The Rise of the Machines. Today a Vacuum Cleaner, Tomorrow The Terminator.
A robot vacuum cleaner made a break for freedom after giving staff the slip at a Travelodge hotel.
The automated cleaner failed to stop at the front door of the hotel in Orchard Park in Cambridge on Thursday, and was still on the loose the following day.
Staff said it just kept going and "could be anywhere" while well-wishers on social media hoped the vacuum enjoyed its travels, as "it has no natural predators" in the wild.
It was found under a hedge on Friday.
Maybe the Vacuum Cleaner Was Looking for the Monkeys ... Or Vice Versa
Police in the US are searching for a monkey that escaped after a truck carrying 100 of them was involved in a crash.
The trailer, which was carrying the monkeys to a laboratory in Florida, collided with a dump truck on a motorway in Pennsylvania.
No-one was hurt, but four monkeys managed to escape.
Three have since been found, but one monkey remained unaccounted for on Saturday morning.
The long-tailed macaques are in demand for coronavirus vaccine research.
Are Even Monkeys Smart Enough to Get Vaccinated?
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Will Omicron Be the End of the Pandemic?
The world feared the worst when a worrying new coronavirus variant emerged in late November and ripped through South Africa at a pace not seen before in the pandemic.
But two months later, with Omicron dominant across much of the globe, the narrative has shifted for some.
"Levels of concern about Omicron tend to be lower than with previous variants," Simon Williams, a researcher in public attitudes and behaviors towards Covid-19 at Swansea University, told CNN. For many, "the 'fear factor of Covid' is lower," he said.
Omicron's reduced severity compared to previous variants, and the perceived likelihood that individuals will eventually be infected, have contributed to that relaxation in people's mindsets, Williams said. This has even caused some people to actively seek out the illness to "get it over with" -- a practice experts have strongly warned against.
But some within the scientific community are cautiously optimistic that Omicron could be the pandemic's last act -- providing huge swathes of the world with "a layer of immunity," and moving us closer to an endemic stage when Covid-19 is comparable to seasonal illnesses like the cold or flu.
"My own view is that it's becoming endemic, and it will continue to stay endemic for some time -- as has happened with other coronaviruses," said David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
"All viruses try to become endemic, and to me this one looks like it's succeeding," he said.
This Sounds Good, But Most Predictions Don't Come True
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5G and Airplanes. Where Are We?
Over the past two weeks, radar altimeter manufacturers have scrambled to "evaluate data from the wireless companies to determine how robust each model" of radar altimeter is and whether it can still function even when flying near an active 5G antenna, according to the FAA.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said it issued more approvals that allow 78% of the US commercial airliner fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports near where wireless companies deployed 5G. Essentially, regulators said that they now deemed it safe for aircraft that used one of 13 types of radar altimeters.
But of course, more than 20% of the United States' commercial aircraft fleet hasn't been approved. And the FAA warned that it anticipates that "some altimeters will be too susceptible to 5G interference."
"To preserve safety, aircraft with those altimeters will be prohibited from performing low-visibility landings where 5G is deployed because the altimeter could provide inaccurate information," the agency said.
The agency also warned that the buffers that are reducing 5G signal strength around certain airports are essential for keeping safe operations going.
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Another Reason to Hug Your Dog
A 10-year-old girl survived a night in a heavy snowstorm in Russia by hugging a dog, according to Russian state TV and local media reports.
The girl, who is not named in the report, left her school in the town of Uglegorsk last week but failed to return home. The town sits on the west Russian island of Sakhalin, which had been slammed with heavy snow and winds reaching 38 to 50 miles per hour.
Authorities and local residents searched overnight for the girl after it was determined she was missing. Search parties focused on houses with pets, because locals reported seeing the girl playing with a dog the evening before her disappearance. The girl's parents also told police how much she loved to play with pets.
A volunteer found the girl the next morning, sitting with the dog in its outdoor kennel and hugging it to keep warm, according to Russian state TV.
The girl was taken to hospital and found to be healthy, the report noted.
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The US Secretary of State Handles Foreign Affairs, But State Secretaries of State Handle Elections. Go Figure.
The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State and its affiliated groups raised $4.5 million last year -- a record haul for the group and the latest indication of the heightened interest in once-sleepy down-ballot races for state election chiefs.
The fundraising total, shared first with CNN, is three times what the organizations collected during the entire 2018 election cycle. And Kim Rogers, its executive director, said the group and its affiliates are on track to bring in $15 million for the 2022 election cycle -- 10 times what it collected four years ago.
Rogers called Democratic secretaries of state "the last line of defense for democracy" as Republicans in key battlegrounds enact measures that could make it harder to vote and press ahead with partisan reviews of 2020 election results.
And Why Do We Have a Vice President, But Lieutenant Governors? Why Not a Vice Governor?
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If He Was Just a Tiny Bit Smarter, Maybe He Wouldn't Have Murdered A Man
A Pakistani inmate serving a life sentence for murder in an overcrowded Karachi prison has won a scholarship for further study after taking one of the highest scores in the city’s higher secondary school exams last year.
Syed Naeem Shah, 35, scored the highest in the general high school exams among private candidates — that is, among non-traditional students — last year in Pakistan’s largest city, winning a scholarship for further studies from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).
Shah was sentenced to life — 25 years in Pakistan — in 2018 for the shooting and killing of another man in a personal disagreement in 2010. Years spent as a prisoner on trial, plus time off for academic achievements, good behaviour and blood donations, leaves him with about six years to serve.
25 Years = Life? Weird Math.
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You Know Something's Not Kosher When His Name is "Bacon"
Right-wing evangelical Christians like to pretend they speak for Jewish people. This is not, to put it mildly, generally in the interest of Jews. It isn’t in the interest of a healthy democracy, either.
The latest example of the appropriation of Jewish identity is the congressional “Caucus for the Advancement of Torah Values.” It is led by Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska and conservative Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. Neither of these men is Jewish. None of the other members of the caucus appear to be Jewish, either. Besides Cuellar, they all also seem to be Republicans. This caucus is clearly not an organization by and for Jews. It’s an organization for mostly right-wing American Christians who want to be associated with, and speak for, Jewish people.
Again, this isn’t unusual. At the end of 2019, President Donald Trump retweeted a quote from a Christian conservative radio host that described him as “the King of Israel.” After the antisemitic massacre at Tree of Life synagogue in Philadelphia, Vice President Mike Pence appeared at a rally where a prayer was delivered by a Christian claiming to somehow be a rabbi. The right also loves to use the phrase “Judeo-Christian values” to promote a conservative Christian agenda that conveniently erases the several thousand years during which “Christian values” included beating, forced conversion and murder of Jewish people.
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I Think We Already Knew This, But ...
That booster shots keep people from becoming infected, at least for a while, has not been in dispute. But the new finding largely supports conclusions from Israel and other countries showing that boosters also are effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization, especially in older adults.
And the C.D.C.’s figures represent the first real-world data showing the effects of extra shots of a Covid vaccine in the United States.
The numbers published on the agency’s website on Thursday night suggest that in December, unvaccinated people ages 50 and older were 17 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who had completed the initial immunization series — without boosters.
But unvaccinated Americans between 50 and 64 were 44 times more likely to end up in the hospital with Covid than those in the age group who were vaccinated and received a booster shot.
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WTF Is Merrick Garland Waiting For?
This post began as an attempt to figure out who developed the “fake elector vote count in a box” package Republicans in seven states used to create “alternate” elector vote certifications.
It ended up helping me understand the “bigger conspiracy” to which Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel referred. What follows is not an indictment and nothing in it is particularly new. Most of what I describe can be found in various comments here at emptywheel.
I’ve laid out how I think the “alternate” elector scheme played a central role in the coup. I think I understand why it was important for Nessel to refer this to the Department of Justice. Because some of these activities violated multiple states’ laws, it’s easier to show the entire scheme was corrupt.
Many of the Fake Electors Weren't Even on the Ballot in Those States
Giuliani oversaw a behind-the-scenes operation to coordinate Trump-supporting electors to submit electoral certificates in states Biden won. And Bobb was on those calls.
One America News anchor Christina Bobb assisted Rudy Giuliani on the Trump campaign’s outlandish plan to submit rival Republican elector slates to affirm then-President Donald Trump’s victory in five states President Joe Biden won, according to The Washington Post.
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Let's Not Confuse Them With Facts. They Are Already Confused Enough.
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Is Ginni Thomas a Threat to the Supreme Court?
Behind closed doors, Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife is working with many groups directly involved in controversial cases before the Court.
The claim that the Justices’ opinions are politically neutral is becoming increasingly hard to accept, especially from Thomas, whose wife, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, is a vocal right-wing activist. She has declared that America is in existential danger because of the “deep state” and the “fascist left,” which includes “transsexual fascists.” Thomas, a lawyer who runs a small political-lobbying firm, Liberty Consulting, has become a prominent member of various hard-line groups. Her political activism has caused controversy for years. For the most part, it has been dismissed as the harmless action of an independent spouse. But now the Court appears likely to secure victories for her allies in a number of highly polarizing cases—on abortion, affirmative action, and gun rights.
No, She's a Threat to America. That's What Happens When you Put Unqualified People on the Federal Bench
A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Friday barring the federal government from enforcing President Joe Biden's requirement that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for Covid-19.
Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden's vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.
Biden announced in September that more than 3.5 million federal workers were required to undergo vaccination, with no option to get regularly tested instead, unless they secured approved medical or religious exemptions. The requirement kicked in this past November, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that 98 percent of federal workers are vaccinated.
He Went to the 60th Best Law School in the US
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It's the Ron and Mo-Ron Show
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Meet Ex-Honorary Doctors Giuliani and Flynn
The University of Rhode Island will revoke honorary degrees given to Rudy Giuliani and Michael Flynn, key allies of Donald Trump in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
The URI board of trustees on Friday voted unanimously to revoke the degrees, which were given to Giuliani in 2003 and Flynn in 2014.
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