Being a once-a-month gnusie, it really shows what difference one month makes. I published my last post just as Congress was finalizing the opening and counting of ballots in a Capital building that was still smoking. And that was happening at the same time that the voters of Georgia were delivering the Senate to Joe Biden.
There has been a lot of good news since then.
Let’s start with the pandemic
1 — Covid infection numbers are finally dropping. In 36 states, hospitalizations are dropping and in 12 more, rates are holding steady. In California, hospitalizations have dropped 20% in three weeks since Jan 12.
2 — The vaccine news continues to be better than many people realize. We currently have 5 vaccines either in production or in the last stages of clinical trials. All of them are saving lives. Even against the variants, the vaccines are doing what they are supposed to do.
[A]ll five of the vaccines — from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson — look extremely good. Of the roughly 75,000 people who have received one of the five in a research trial, not a single person has died from Covid, and only a few people appear to have been hospitalized. None have remained hospitalized 28 days after receiving a shot.
3 — Lots of people want to become doctors.
The number of students applying to medical school for the upcoming 2021 academic year is up by 18 % -- a huge spike compared to the previous year. It's also a record considering that the Association of American Medical Colleges usually sees an increase about 1 to 3 percent year over year.
Informally, some med school officials are calling the spike the "Fauci Effect."
Need some encouragement to get your COVID vaccination? How about free weed with your shot?
The Environment
What happens when you try to open the Arctic to drilling and there is no interest?
Arctic Oil Drilling Plans Suffer ‘Stunning Setback’ as Almost ‘No One Shows Up’ For the Sale
In a stunning setback to the waning Trump Administration’s long-stated goal of energy independence, a recent auction for oil drilling leases in the Alaskan Arctic attracted no major oil companies.
Either quite ignorant of the failings, or confident of future attempts to lease and develop the land, Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Don Young, and U.S. Rep. Dan Sullivan, all described it as “a monumental/historic day for all Alaskans.”
Joe Biden is our President
Joe is not going to let Republicans keep letting Americans suffer. Your check is on the way!
Mitt Romney is almost talking like a Democrat.
Mitt Romney Points Out GOP Wasn't Concerned About Debt, 'Spending Massively' Under Trump
During a Tuesday interview with the Utah Politics podcast, Romney said that Republicans were "spending massively" when they controlled the government. The moderate GOP senator also highlighted that members of his party are now frustrated that Democrats are ready to pass President Joe Biden's massive $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package through the Senate budget reconciliation process, despite Republicans doing the same thing with key priorities when they controlled the House and Senate.
But, always a Republican, Romney joined every other Republican to not vote for help for Americans. The good news is — we didn’t need him! The bill passed with no Republican votes.
Economy unfucked.
There was some resistance from Joe Manchin (he’s going to be a problem), but Jim Justice, Republican Governor of West Virginia talked some sense into the Senator and he went along with the caucus.
By the way, West Virginia is rocking the vaccine distribution!
How West Virginia Became a U.S. Leader in Vaccine Rollout
While many states are struggling to hand out the shots that the federal government has provided to them, West Virginia has given out 83 percent of its doses, by far among the highest.
Remember when Trump was going to pull out our military from Germany? That got unfucked.
Europe troop withdrawal plans 'on hold,' top general says
Plans to draw down thousands of U.S. troops from Germany, pushed by the Trump administration, are on hold as President Joe Biden's team reviews the decision, the commander of U.S. forces in Europe said Wednesday.
The withdrawal plan was deeply unpopular with both top Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, who argued reducing troops in Germany would embolden Russia.
Unfucking the environment
How Biden is reversing Trump's assault on the environment
The systematic reversals in environmental protections pose a challenge to Joe Biden, who has called climate change the “existential threat of our time”. Biden has set about the task of undoing Trump’s legacy with hyperactive zeal, through a flurry of executive actions. In all, about 100 Trump-era environmental policies are being targeted, although some may take several years to reverse. Here’s how Biden is doing it.
1) Protecting endangered animals and their habitats
2) Protecting land that was opened up to drilling
3) Strengthening rules on air quality and carbon emissions
4) Regulating toxic chemicals according to the science
5) Protecting waterways and drinking water
6) Enforcing environmental regulations
7) Rescinding rules that benefit industry at the cost of the environment
And oh, by the way, you can’t GIVE AWAY oil leases these days.
Major Oil Companies take a Pass On Controversial Lease Sale In Arctic Refuge
One of the Trump administration's biggest environmental rollbacks suffered a stunning setback Wednesday, as a decades-long push to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ended with a lease sale that attracted just three bidders — one of which was the state of Alaska itself.
Alaska's state-owned economic development corporation was the only bidder on nine of the parcels offered for lease in the northernmost swath of the refuge, known as the coastal plain. Two small companies also each picked up a single parcel.
Half of the offered leases drew no bids at all.
Joe Biden is getting his cabinet picks confirmed
From Ballotpedia —
- Six Cabinet members have been confirmed
- Seven nominees have had confirmation hearings
- Ten nominees have not yet had a confirmation hearing
Pete Buttigieg was confirmed as Transportation secretary (what an improvement from Elaine Chou!) and Tom Vilsack made it out of committee and is expected to be a quick confirmation.
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Good news confetti
Nancy Pelosi sent out a press release identifying Kevin McCarthy as Q-CA (ha!)
The first snowy owl spotted in Central Park for the first time in 130 years
There is a crib in the White House
The Bidens installed a crib in the White House for their youngest grandchild, Beau Biden, Jr who was born earlier this year.
Guantanamo inmates are getting COVID vaccinations
I included this because I was surprised that these vulnerable people were not being forgotten during this pandemic. Now if we could just release them and close the prison.
Virginia is poised to ban the death penalty
The death penalty has been abolished in 22 states. Three others (OR, CA, PA) haven’t banned it but have put a moratorium on its use.
Virginia has carried out more executions than any other state, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The Virginia Senate, by a 21-17 vote, passed a bill Wednesday on abolishing capital punishment.
It now awaits the approval of the Democratic-controlled House of Delegates.
Virginia's Democratic Governor Ralph Northam has said he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
Am I the only one who didn’t know Tim Kaine plays a mean harmonica?