December 2, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Tony Romm & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "House and Senate leaders on Thursday announced they had reached a deal on a bill to fund the government into mid-February, opening the door for lawmakers to narrowly avoid a shutdown entering this weekend. The agreement on a new stopgap spending measure set the House on a path to vote before the end of the day, though swift action still seemed uncertain in the Senate, where some Republicans have threatened to grind the government to a halt as they protest President Biden's vaccine and testing mandates. Both chambers must pass identical bills by midnight on Friday to avert a shutdown. Lawmakers from both parties have warned that a failure to fund the government could be disruptive, especially at a time when the country is responding to a new, potentially more dangerous variant of the coronavirus." Politico's story is here.

Lauren Effron of ABC News: "Actor Alec Baldwin told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that he had 'no idea' how a live bullet got onto the set of his film, 'Rust,' but that he 'didn't pull the trigger' on the firearm that killed one person and wounded another." Sonia Rao of the Washington Post has more background, but no elaboration on Baldwin's new claim.

Frank Jordans of the AP: "Unvaccinated people across Germany will soon be excluded from nonessential stores, restaurants and sports and cultural venues, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Thursday, and parliament will consider a general vaccine mandate as part of efforts to curb coronavirus infections. Merkel announced the measures after a meeting with federal and state leaders, as the nation again topped 70,000 newly confirmed cases in a 24-hour period. She said the steps were necessary to address concerns that hospitals could become overloaded with patients suffering from COVID-19 infections, which are much more likely to be serious in people who have not been vaccinated."

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Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday signaled it is on the verge of a major shift in its abortion jurisprudence, and is likely to uphold a Mississippi law that mostly prohibits the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Whether that would mean overruling Roe v. Wade's finding that women have a fundamental right to end their pregnancies was unclear. But none of the six conservatives who make up the court's majority expressed support for maintaining its rule that states may not prohibit abortion before the point of fetal viability, which is generally estimated to be between 22 and 24 weeks. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., often the most moderate of the conservatives, said Mississippi's limit of 15 weeks was not a 'dramatic departure' from viability, and gave women enough time to make the choice to end their pregnancies." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's analysis, by Alice Ollstein & Josh Gerstein, is here. (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times analysis, by Adam Liptak, is here.

Roberts Explores a Questionable Middle Ground. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Much of the discussion of a Mississippi law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy has suggested that the Supreme Court faces a binary choice: it could strike down the law and fully reaffirm Roe v. Wade, as the law's challengers want, or it could gut the idea that the Constitution protects abortion rights at all, as Mississippi has urged. But during the Supreme Court's oral arguments on Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the law, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. appeared to be exploring whether he could find something of a middle ground -- one that would allow the court to uphold the Mississippi law without also proclaiming that the Constitution offered no protection of any right to an abortion.... How Chief Justice Roberts handles the case could have outsized importance. Compared to some of the other five members of the court's conservative bloc, he is broadly seen as more likely to be concerned about the institutional impact on the court if it makes a wrenching and politically contentious change in the law. He also has the power to assign himself to write the opinion if he votes with the majority. Known for crafting narrow and incremental decisions, Chief Justice Roberts distinguished on Wednesday between an outright ban on abortion and a ban on the procedure that was stricter than the current standard. At one point, he remarked that he thought moving the cutoff line to 15 weeks -- nine weeks earlier than where it is now -- was 'not a dramatic departure from viability.'"

Why, It's Almost as if Bart O'Kavanaugh Is Mendacious & Untrustworthy. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh on Wednesday repeatedly indicated he would be open to overturning 'settled law,' including Roe v. Wade, citing a long list of past Supreme Court cases that had been ruled against precedent.... The question of how he would rule in a challenge to Roe v. Wade came up multiple times during his confirmation hearings, and at the time, Kavanaugh emphasized that Roe v. Wade was 'settled as precedent.'... Kavanaugh said he believed [Roe v. Wade] ... should be 'entitled the respect under principles of stare decisis,' the notion that precedents should not be overturned without strong reason. 'And one of the important things to keep in mind about Roe v. Wade is that it has been reaffirmed many times over the past 45 years, as you know, and most prominently, most importantly, reaffirmed in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992,' Kavanaugh said then.... [Sen. Susan] Collins [R-Maine] would go on to express her full confidence in several interviews that Kavanaugh would not overturn Roe v. Wade." ~~~

     ~~~ Not to Worry. Senator Susan Is Concerned. Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "Sen. Susan Collins, the moderate Republican from Maine, favors passing legislation to enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into law, her office said Wednesday.... But Collins opposes the House-passed Women's Health Protection Act, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has promised will get a vote in the Senate." MB: Well, a little concerned. BTW, there's no way abortion rights will be codified as long as the filibuster stands.

Amy Phony Barrett, a very caring person who turns out to be concerned about women's rights, too, suggested during oral arguments that abortions were unnecessary because birth mothers could dump their unwanted neonates in special baby chutes. And somebody would adopt them. Maybe! Steve M. explains.

Justice Sotomayor: This Court Stinks. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "The six Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court left no doubt in oral argument Wednesday that they would end the constitutional right to abortion that American women have had for nearly half a century. The court will either overturn Roe v. Wade outright or cripple the landmark ruling by eliminating the 'fetal viability' standard at its core. Both would return us to a time before most people living ever knew, when state legislatures controlled women's reproductive decisions. Public opinion hasn't changed. The science hasn't fundamentally changed. No new legal theory has been promulgated. The only difference is the court now has a majority hellbent on settling scores in the culture wars. 'Will this institution survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the Constitution and its reading are just political acts?' Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked her colleagues. 'I don't see how it is possible.'"

Marie: The Mississippi AG, when arguing before the Supremes, hit on the theme that abortion decisions should be left "to the people." I couldn't quite figure where that phrase came from till Ken W. explained it in a comment at the end of yesterday's thread: "... states' rights used to allow slavery. To me, the connection between then and now is clear." "Leaving it to the people" is the new way to say "state's right." Oh, we are all whistling Dixie now. Look away, look away. BTW, this is not a discussion we would be having if the exceptional U.S. of A. elected the president by popular vote -- you know, the way every other real democracy with a presidential form of government does. Because President Hillary.

AP: "President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses held a 'family' celebration of Hanukkah at the White House Wednesday, with the first Jewish spouse of a vice president, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, joining in lighting the menorah. Speaking to more than 150 guests, including Jewish community leaders, Cabine members, lawmakers and the new Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog, Biden sought to draw parallels between his presidency and the eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees. 'Whether it's in the temple of Jerusalem or the temple of our democracy, nothing broken or profaned is beyond repair, nothing,' Biden said. 'We can always build back better, perhaps build back brighter.'" MB: Whoever came up with the idea of likening Democrats retaking the White House to the Maccabees' retaking the Temple at Jerusalem is pretty clever.

Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "President Biden marked World AIDS Day on Wednesday by renewing support for the worldwide goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by the end of the decade and launching steps to reduce the spread of the disease. 'We can do this,' Biden said at a White House ceremony. 'We can eliminate HIV transmission. We can get the epidemic under control here in the United States, in countries around the world. We have the scientific understanding, we have treatments, and we have the tools we need.' More than 700,000 people have died of AIDS-related illnesses in the country since the epidemic began more than 40 years ago. The number globally tops 36 million people. About 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States. The number nears 38 million people worldwide." Video of Biden's remarks is here.

Peggy McGlone of the Washington Post: "Reinstating a long-standing tradition, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend the Kennedy Center Honors Sunday night, when the nation's arts center celebrates the careers of actress Bette Midler, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, opera singer Justino Díaz, Motown producer Berry Gordy and 'Saturday Night Live' creator Lorne Michaels. A sitting president has not attended the celebration of the arts since 2016 because Donald and Melania Trump stayed away from the ceremonies.... In 2017, the Trumps announced in August that they wouldn't attend after several honorees, including television producer Norman Lear, were critical of him.... Vice President Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff will join the Bidens in the Opera House box alongside the honorees."

Nick Miroff & Kevin Sieff of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration has reached a deal with the Mexican government to restart the Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' program that requires asylum seekers to wait outside U.S. territory while their claims are processed, two U.S. officials and a Mexican government official said late Wednesday. The governments are planning to announce the agreement Thursday, according to two of the officials.... Implementation of the program, formerly known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), is expected to begin next week in San Diego and in the Texas cities of Brownsville, Laredo and El Paso, one official said.... The Trump administration used the MPP program to return more than 60,000 asylum seekers across the border to Mexico, where they were often preyed upon by criminal gangs, extortionists and kidnappers. President Biden denounced MPP as inhumane and quickly ended it after taking office, but Republican officials in Texas and Missouri sued the administration in federal court and won an injunction in August forcing the government to resurrect the program." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't understand how a U.S. court has the power to compel a foreign sovereign nation -- Mexico -- to do anything. And this order, even if theoretically directed at the U.S. executive branch, requires Mexico to accommodate migrants from third countries.

Rachel Shatto of the Advocate, republished by Yahoo! News: "... according to [Fox 'News']'s morning talk show, [the new omicron coronavirus variant] was created in order to help boost Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg into the presidency in 2024.... '[Buttigieg] has said we can't fix the supply chain problem until the pandemic is over, until COVID is over,' explained [cohost Rachel] Campos-Duffy. 'And now we see these new variants. So that's the answer: more lockdowns, more lockdowns, more fear and therefore he doesn't have to do his job of fixing the supply chain because "we'll keep this whole thing going."' Campos-Duffy's cohosts Pete Hegseth and Will Cain agreed. 'You can count on a variant about every October, every two years,' Hegseth added, insinuating that the new variant and any that follow would just be inventions by Democrats seeking an advantage in future elections." Thanks to a friend for the link. MB: Buttigieg is probably the smartest guy who has run for president in the past several cycles, but creating a scary new virus variant is just the most clever way to become president anyone has ever imagined. (The logic here is sort of lost on me, but, hey, good work, Pete!) (Also linked yesterday.)

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "The U.S. government on Wednesday teetered one step closer to a potential weekend shutdown, as Republicans seized on a fast-approaching fiscal deadline to mount fresh opposition to President Biden's vaccine and testing mandates. Entering the week, Democrats and Republicans initially had hoped to fund the government before a current spending arrangement expires on Friday. Lawmakers aimed to finance federal agencies and initiatives at least into late January, buying themselves more time to craft a series of longer-term measures that could sustain Washington through the rest of the fiscal year.... House and Senate leaders had yet to settle on the exact duration of their short-term funding measure, delaying lawmakers from starting the time-sensitive votes. And some GOP lawmakers in both chambers newly promised to hold up the process...." An Axios item is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously Wednesday to hold former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark in criminal contempt for failing to cooperate with its inquiry. It is unclear when the full House could take up the contempt resolution, but if it is adopted, it would be up to the Justice Department to determine whether it wants to indict Clark for not complying with a congressional subpoena. Clark, however, has one more opportunity to appear in front of the committee on Saturday for a new deposition. Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) said during the hearing that Clark informed the committee he 'now intends to claim Fifth Amendment protection,' and that the panel is 'willing to convene another deposition at which Clark can assert that privilege on a question-by-question basis.' Thompson called Clark's last-minute notice a 'last-ditch attempt to delay the Select Committee's proceedings.'"

American Exceptionalism, Ctd. Tik Root of the Washington Post: "The United States ranks as the world's leading contributor of plastic waste and needs a national strategy to combat the issue, according to a congressionally mandated report released Tuesday.... The United States ... [generates] about 287 pounds of plastics per person. Overall, the United States produced 42 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2016 -- almost twice as much as China, and more than the entire European Union combined." MB: I am not doing my part. I do use a lot of disposable plastic, but the amount I don't recycle is probably no more than a pound a year. Most American communities, even in the boondocks, make it possible -- and fairly easy -- to recycle most plastics. There's little excuse for this form of exceptionalism.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times's live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here: "President Biden will announce Thursday that the more than 150 million Americans with private health coverage will be able to get at-home coronavirus tests reimbursed by their insurers, and that international travelers must show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken the day before departing for the United States. The moves are part of a new winter strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic just as the worrisome new Omicron variant circles the globe." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Thursday are here: "Intermountain Healthcare, which operates about two dozen hospitals, mainly in Utah, is 'temporarily pausing enforcement of the vaccine requirement for caregivers until there is clearer direction from the courts,' said spokesman Jess Gomez.... A federal judge in Louisiana who was appointed by ... Donald Trump blocked the vaccine mandate issued for health-care workers at facilities that receive funding from Medicare and Medicaid. District Court Judge Terry A. Doughty said the injunction -- which is subject to appeal -- was needed to protect the 'liberty interests of the unvaccinated.'" MB: None of this makes sense. I'd guess Intermountain is a private company so it can impose mandates if it wants to; a judge's injunction against the Biden administration doesn't impose a restriction on the company. As for the judge, what a tool! The 'liberty interests' of sick people who seek care in hospitals include being reasonably assured that they are 'free from' dying of a disease brought to them courtesy of their caregivers.

Dan Diamond, et al., of the Washington Post: "Within hours of the first confirmed infection from the new omicron variant in the United States, the Biden administration on Thursday announced an array of measures to protect Americans, including campaigns to increase vaccinations and booster shots, additional testing requirements for travelers arriving in the country and plans to make rapid at-home coronavirus testing free for more people. While some of the measures are new -- such as a plan to launch 'family mobile vaccination clinics,' where all eligible members of a family can simultaneously get first shots or boosters -- others build on existing tactics, such as President Biden's plan to urge businesses to institute mandatory vaccination-or-testing requirements for their workers." The AP's story is here.

The New York Times's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Bill Chappell of NPR: "The first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in the U.S., health officials said on Wednesday. The case was detected in a person in [San Francisco,] California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'The individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on November 22,' the CDC said in a news release. 'The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive. All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative.'... The infected person is not believed to have had a booster shot, Dr. Anthony Fauci ... said as he announced the news at a White House briefing." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Adam Taylor & Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "... global leaders on Wednesday agreed to start negotiations to create an international agreement to prevent and deal with future pandemics -- which some have dubbed a 'pandemic treaty.' The special session of the World Health Assembly, only the second ever held by the WHO's governing body, pledged by consensus to begin work on an agreement, amid a round of applause, after three days of talks." (Also linked yesterday.)

Typhoid Donald, the One-man Super-spreader. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump claimed more than a dozen times that he was the most transparent president in history. But according to a top aide and ally, when he tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time in the fall of 2020, his White House did not disclose it, went forward with events including one with veterans and a debate [with Joe Biden], and then spent weeks refusing to confirm reporters' correct suspicions that it had hidden Trump's diagnosis.... Here's a look at the chronology." Related Guardian story, also linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump tested positive for coronavirus three days before his first debate with Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020, two former administration officials said Wednesday. The White House did not announce the positive test at the time, and the president received a negative result shortly afterward and carried on with a campaign rally and the debate, the officials said. The account was first reported by The Guardian, which cited a forthcoming book by Mr. Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows. The two former officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity..., confirmed the timeline on Mr. Trump's test results contained in 'The Chief's Chief,' by Mr. Meadows...." The Washington Post story, by Ashley Parker & others, is here. ~~~

~~~ Tim Miller in the Bulwark: "Of all the insane moments from 2020, this one still stands out: The former president of the United States knowingly and intentionally exposed his opponent to a deadly virus and covered it up to protect his re-election campaign.... Or, to reframe the episode just slightly: One sick old man decided to risk getting his old man opponent sick, too, and lied in order to do it. Biden at age 77 was in the prime risk category for COVID-19, Trump spent an entire evening screaming and spitting in his general direction -- remember, this was that debate -- indoors, from a few feet away, without a mask." The title of the column is "Trump Tried to Kill Biden with COVID-19."

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia Governor's Race. Jeff Amy of the AP: "Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat and leading voting rights activist, said Wednesday that she will launch another campaign to become the nation's first Black woman governor. Without serious competition in a Democratic primary, the announcement could set up a rematch between Abrams and incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Their 2018 contest was one of the most narrowly decided races for governor that year and was dominated by allegations of voter suppression, which Kemp denied." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Massachusetts Gubernatorial Race. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, a moderate Republican who defied ... Donald J. Trump during his two terms, announced on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election next year. 'After several months of discussion with our families, we have decided not to seek re-election in 2022,' Mr. Baker and his lieutenant governor, Karyn Polito, wrote in a letter to supporters. Mr. Baker, 65, who is more popular in polling among Democrats and independent voters than he is among fellow Republicans, confronted a Trump-backed primary challenge and a general election in which he could have faced the state's popular attorney general, Maura Healey, a Democrat." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Michigan. Lindsay Kalter, et al., of the Washington Post: "The 15-year-old boy accused of a shooting rampage that killed four of his classmates and injured seven others at a Michigan high school was charged as an adult on Wednesday with first-degree murder and terrorism, counts that could send him to prison for life. The charges were filed hours after authorities confirmed that the fourth victim, a 17-year-old boy, had died, and came amid mounting scrutiny of the suspect's actions in the days and hours leading up to the attack at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit. Police revealed Wednesday that school officials had met with the suspect, sophomore Ethan Crumbley, on Monday and had brought his parents into the building for a face-to-face meeting Tuesday morning -- shortly before the shooting -- to discuss 'concerning classroom behavior.' Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said ... investigators have a 'mountain of digital evidence' that shows the shooting was premeditated." ~~~

     ~~~ Griff Witte, et al., of the Washington Post: "The prosecutor overseeing the investigation into a mass killing at a Michigan high school this week strongly suggested Wednesday that she would charge the teenage suspect's parents, an unusual move but one that gun control advocates say is essential to combating the nation's scourge of shootings by minors. Officials have said that the father of the suspect, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, bought the semiautomatic handgun used in the killings last Friday. Just four days later, on Tuesday, Crumbley forged a path of terror at Oxford High School, killing four people and injuring seven others, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. While it is unclear how Crumbley may have obtained the gun from his father, McDonald said Wednesday that gun owners have a responsibility to secure their weapons -- particularly when young people are involved.... If children as young as 6 did not have access to guns, well more than half of the country's school shootings since 1999 would never have happened, according to an analysis by The Washington Post."

Oregon House Race. Tanya Snyder of Politico: Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Oregon firebrand who leads the House's transportation committee, will step down after 36 years in Congress, spelling more bad news for Democrats in 2022 and taking with him an encyclopedic amount of institutional and technical knowledge on infrastructure. DeFazio told Politico that he was retiring to 'focus on my health and well-being,' but his announcement comes on the heels of a frustrating few years in which DeFazio's dreams of an ambitious, environmentally focused overhaul of the nation's highway and transit program were sidelined for a major infrastructure bill that went only as far as Republicans in the Senate would agree to go." (Also linked yesterday.)

Pennsylvania Senate Race. Ian Ward of Politico: Dr. Oz, who lived in New Jersey till sometime last year, has announced he'll run as a Republican for an open Pennsylvania Senate seat. The last time Oz went to the Senate, it was at a witness in a subcommittee hearing about fraud in the diet industry. Oz thought he was slotted to complain about deceptive advertising, but "members of the subcommittee had cast him in a different role: not as the victim of scheming fraudsters but as the fraudster himself." ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE. Holly Otterbeing & Natalie Allison of Politico: "Hedge fund CEO David McCormick is preparing a run for Senate in Pennsylvania, a move that would upend the Republican primary for the third time in as many weeks." MB: So a quack & a hedge-fund operator are what the GOP comes up with for Senate candidates. But at least these guys are not suspected of beating their wives (as far as I know!), as was Donald Trump's preferred candidate Sean Parnell, who dropped out of the race after a judge gave custody of Parnell's children to his ex-wife, who credibly accused Parnell of physically abusing her.

Way Beyond

Rick Gladstone of the New York Times: "A bid by the new Taliban government in Afghanistan and the junta ruling Myanmar to gain international recognition suffered a blow on Wednesday when the United Nations put off a decision on the rightful representatives of both countries. The deferral by a powerful U.N. committee effectively denied, for now and possibly through much of 2022, attempts by the ruling authorities of Afghanistan and Myanmar, which are widely considered pariahs, to occupy seats at the United Nations. The nine-nation Credentials Committee of the General Assembly, which is responsible for approving the diplomatic representation of each U.N. member state, held a closed meeting on the applications by the Taliban and Myanmar junta to replace the ambassadors of the governments they had deposed."

China. Matthew Futterman of the New York Times: "The women's professional tennis tour announced Wednesday that it was immediately suspending all tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, in response to the disappearance from public life of the tennis star Peng Shuai after she accused a top Communist Party leader of sexual assault. With the move, the Women's Tennis Association became the only major sports organization to push back against China's increasingly authoritarian government. Women's tennis officials made the decision after they were unable to speak directly with Peng after she accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier of China, in social media posts that were quickly deleted." CNN's story is here.

December 1, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday signaled it is on the verge of a major shift in its abortion jurisprudence, and is likely to uphold a Mississippi law that mostly prohibits the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Whether that would mean overruling Roe v. Wade's finding that women have a fundamental right to end their pregnancies was unclear. But none of the six conservatives who make up the court's majority expressed support for maintaining its rule that states may not prohibit abortion before the point of fetal viability, which is generally estimated to be between 22 and 24 weeks. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., often the most moderate of the conservatives, said Mississippi's limit of 15 weeks was not a 'dramatic departure' from viability, and gave women enough time to make the choice to end their pregnancies." Politico's analysis, by Alice Ollstein & Josh Gerstein, is here.

Bill Chappell of NPR: "The first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in the U.S., health officials said on Wednesday. The case was detected in a person in [San Francisco,] California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'The individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on November 22,' the CDC said in a news release. 'The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive. All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative.'... The infected person is not believed to have had a booster shot, Dr. Anthony Fauci ... said as he announced the news at a White House briefing."

Georgia Governor's Race. Jeff Amy of the AP: "Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat and leading voting rights activist, said Wednesday that she will launch another campaign to become the nation's first Black woman governor. Without serious competition in a Democratic primary, the announcement could set up a rematch between Abrams and incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Their 2018 contest was one of the most narrowly decided races for governor that year and was dominated by allegations of voter suppression, which Kemp denied."

Oregon House Race. Tanya Snyder of Politico: Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Oregon firebrand who leads the House's transportation committee, will step down after 36 years in Congress, spelling more bad news for Democrats in 2022 and taking with him an encyclopedic amount of institutional and technical knowledge on infrastructure. DeFazio told Politico that he was retiring to 'focus on my health and well-being,' but his announcement comes on the heels of a frustrating few years in which DeFazio's dreams of an ambitious, environmentally focused overhaul of the nation's highway and transit program were sidelined for a major infrastructure bill that went only as far as Republicans in the Senate would agree to go."

Rachel Shatto of the Advocate, republished by Yahoo! News: "... according to [Fox 'News']'s morning talk show, [the new omicron coronavirus variant] was created in order to help boost Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg into the presidency in 2024.... '[Buttigieg] has said we can't fix the supply chain problem until the pandemic is over, until COVID is over,' explained [cohost Rachel] Campos-Duffy. 'And now we see these new variants. So that's the answer: more lockdowns, more lockdowns, more fear and therefore he doesn't have to do his job of fixing the supply chain because "we'll keep this whole thing going."' Campos-Duffy's cohosts Pete Hegseth and Will Cain agreed. 'You can count on a variant about every October, every two years,' Hegseth added, insinuating that the new variant and any that follow would just be inventions by Democrats seeking an advantage in future elections." Thanks to a friend for the link. MB: Buttigieg is probably the smartest guy who has run for president in the past several cycles, but creating a scary new virus variant is just the most clever way to become president anyone has ever imagined. (The logic here is sort of lost on me, but, hey, good work, Pete!)

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "The U.S. government on Wednesday teetered one step closer to a potential weekend shutdown, as Republicans seized on a fast-approaching fiscal deadline to mount fresh opposition to President Biden's vaccine and testing mandates. Entering the week, Democrats and Republicans initially had hoped to fund the government before a current spending arrangement expires on Friday. Lawmakers aimed to finance federal agencies and initiatives at least into late January, buying themselves more time to craft a series of longer-term measures that could sustain Washington through the rest of the fiscal year.... House and Senate leaders had yet to settle on the exact duration of their short-term funding measure, delaying lawmakers from starting the time-sensitive votes. And some GOP lawmakers in both chambers newly promised to hold up the process...." An Axios item is here.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump claimed more than a dozen times that he was the most transparent president in history. But according to a top aide and ally, when he tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time in the fall of 2020, his White House did not disclose it, went forward with events including one with veterans and a debate [with Joe Biden], and then spent weeks refusing to confirm reporters' correct suspicions that it had hidden Trump's diagnosis.... Here's a look at the chronology." Related Guardian story linked below.

The New York Times's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.

Adam Taylor & Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "... global leaders on Wednesday agreed to start negotiations to create an international agreement to prevent and deal with future pandemics -- which some have dubbed a 'pandemic treaty.' The special session of the World Health Assembly, only the second ever held by the WHO's governing body, pledged by consensus to begin work on an agreement, amid a round of applause, after three days of talks."

Massachusetts Gubernatorial Race. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, a moderate Republican who defied ... Donald J. Trump during his two terms, announced on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election next year. 'After several months of discussion with our families, we have decided not to seek re-election in 2022,' Mr. Baker and his lieutenant governor, Karyn Polito, wrote in a letter to supporters. Mr. Baker, 65, who is more popular in polling among Democrats and independent voters than he is among fellow Republicans, confronted a Trump-backed primary challenge and a general election in which he could have faced the state's popular attorney general, Maura Healey, a Democrat." The AP's story is here.

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John Wagner, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday is taking up the most serious challenge in decades to the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade in 1973. The Mississippi law at issue bans most abortions after 15 weeks into pregnancy and has not taken effect because lower courts said it violated Roe and the subsequent decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which said states may not ban abortion before viability, usually between 22 and 24 weeks." It appears the Post is live-updating developments on this page. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I assume that, as is customary with big cases, ScotusBlog will also provide live updates. As of 8:30 am ET, the blog has not yet posted a live updates page, but the main page, linked here, will probably get you there later in the morning. ~~~

     ~~~ NEW. Update: ScotusBlog will provide live audio of oral arguments here. The Court is scheduled to convene at 10 am ET.

Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times: "Gone are the blood-red trees. Gone are the icy, sparkling boughs and the imagery of a woman isolated in a winter wonderland (or a horror story, depending on your point of view). In their place: red-and-white striped knit stockings with green heels dangling brightly from a hearth, family photos, handwritten thank-you notes and an arch of presents in bright red boxes. The Biden White House Christmas décor, unveiled on Monday..., [is] positively '' accessible. In this, it is fully in line with the tactile, unpretentious image that the current first couple likes to project. The president and first lady: Just like us! Their home is your home, only a little more so." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is what struck me, too, when I first looked at pictures of the decor in some of the White House rooms. Any American family that celebrates Christmas & has amassed -- after years of collecting -- an assortment of ornaments could aspire to making their own living rooms look a bit like one of the White House rooms. Yeah, sure, maybe the tree isn't so tall & maybe the furniture isn't a collection of priceless antiques, but, in general, you too could have a room that looks at least sort of like a White House room.

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected a request from Oklahoma's governor to exempt his state's National Guard members from the coronavirus vaccine requirement, the latest salvo in a showdown that could result in punishments -- including removal from the military -- for service members who refuse to comply with the Pentagon's mandate. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), the only governor to enact such a policy, maintains that he possesses the authority to sidestep federal directives while troops are under the state's control, his office said, and is exploring legal guidelines on who can be punished for refusing the Pentagon's orders." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. New Lede: "National Guard members who refuse the coronavirus vaccine will be barred from training and have their pay withheld, the Pentagon said Tuesday in an apparent warning shot from the Biden administration to Republican governors looking to defy federal mandates."

Meadows Puts His Own Future Before Trump's. Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff under ... Donald J. Trump, has reached an agreement with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to provide documents and sit for a deposition, the panel said on Tuesday, a stunning reversal for a crucial witness in the inquiry. The change of stance for Mr. Meadows, who had previously refused to cooperate with the committee in line with a directive from Mr. Trump, came as the panel prepared to seek criminal contempt of Congress charges against a second witness who has stonewalled its subpoenas. It marked a turnabout after weeks of private wrangling between the former chief of staff and the select committee over whether he would participate in the investigation, and to what degree." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Three federal appellate judges appear likely to reject Donald Trump's effort to block Jan. 6 investigators from obtaining his White House records -- a big potential boost for lawmakers hoping to reveal the former president's actions as a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol. 'We have one president at a time under our constitution,' said Patricia Millett, one of the three judges on the D.C. Circuit panel that heard arguments Tuesday in the high-profile fight. 'That incumbent president ... has made the judgment and is best positioned, as the Supreme Court has told us, to make that call as to the interests of the executive branch.' As they questioned Trump's lawyers, the judges repeatedly expressed skepticism that a former president could override a decision by the sitting president -- in this case Joe Biden -- to release documents to Congress, particularly when the incumbent has decided it's in the national interest to release records to investigators." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story, by Charlie Savage is here.

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Hours before the deadly attack on the US Capitol this year, Donald Trump made several calls from the White House to top lieutenants at the Willard hotel in Washington and talked about ways to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election win from taking place on 6 January. The former president first told the lieutenants his vice-president, Mike Pence, was reluctant to go along with the plan to commandeer his largely ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress in a way that would allow Trump to retain the presidency for a second term. But as Trump relayed to them the situation with Pence, he pressed his lieutenants about how to stop Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January, and delay the certification process to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress. The former president's remarks came as part of strategy discussions he had from the White House with the lieutenants at the Willard -- a team led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn and Trump strategist Steve Bannon -- about delaying the certification.... The former president's call ... is increasingly a central focus of the House select committee's investigation into the Capitol attack, as it raises the specter of a possible connection between Trump and the insurrection." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Wahoo! Michael Grynbaum & John Koblin of the New York Times: "The star CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was suspended indefinitely by the network on Tuesday after new details emerged about his efforts to assist his brother, Andrew M. Cuomo, the former governor of New York, as he faced a cascade of sexual harassment accusations that led to the governor's resignation. Chris Cuomo had previously apologized for advising Andrew Cuomo's senior political aides -- a breach of traditional barriers between journalists and lawmakers -- but thousands of pages of evidence released on Monday by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, revealed that the anchor's role had been more intimate and involved than previously known.... Mr. Cuomo's entanglement with the last 18 months of his brother's governorship has proved a slow-moving headache for CNN, which had stood by its top-rated anchor even as a drip of uncomfortable revelations raised questions about the network's adherence to journalistic standards."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of the notorious Mexican drug lord best known as El Chapo, was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in prison on charges of helping run her husband's multibillion-dollar criminal empire and playing a role in his escape from custody after he was captured in 2014. Ms. Coronel, a former beauty queen who married El Chapo -- whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera -- in 2007, on her 18th birthday, was arrested at Dulles International Airport, near Washington, in February, two years after her husband was convicted at a trial in New York City and sentenced to life in prison. She had been in the cross-hairs of U.S. authorities for months. She ultimately pleaded guilty in June to helping Mr. Guzmán smuggle drugs across the U.S. border and make his dramatic flight from a high-security Mexican prison...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.

Carolyn Johnson & Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Expert advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended authorization Tuesday of the first coronavirus pill to prevent high-risk people from developing severe illness in a divided vote that reflects the complicated mix of benefits and risks involved with a new and easy mode of treatment. Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics developed the drug, molnupiravir, as a five-day regimen to be taken at home within five days of onset of coronavirus symptoms. The FDA is not bound by the 13-to-10 vote but typically follows its external advisers' recommendations. The drug could have an immediate impact on the pandemic if authorized...."

CBS/AP: "Dutch health authorities announced on Tuesday that they found the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in cases dating back as long as 11 days, indicating that it was already spreading in western Europe before the first cases were identified in southern Africa. The RIVM health institute said it found Omicron in samples dating from November 19 and 23. Those findings predate the positive cases found among passengers who came from South Africa last Friday and were tested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Azi Paybarah & Reed Abelson of the New York Times: "A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday to halt the start of President Biden's national vaccine mandate for health care workers, which had been set to begin next week. The injunction, written by Judge Terry A. Doughty, effectively expanded a separate order issued on Monday by a federal court in Missouri. The earlier one had applied only to 10 states that joined in a lawsuit against the president's decision to require all health workers in hospitals and nursing homes to receive at least their first shot by Dec. 6 and to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4."

Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "... shortly after workers began [coronavirus] vaccinations [at Kimball Elementary School in D.C.], a tall, gangly former president ambled into the school's multipurpose room. 'We are just getting through the holiday season and we have one more thing to be thankful for, which is that we can get kids vaccinated if they're between the ages of 5 and 11,' Barack Obama told the crowd of more than 50 students, teachers and parents. 'Nobody really loves getting a shot. I don't love getting a shot. But I do it because it's going to help keep me healthy.' Obama was accompanied by Anthony S. Fauci ... in the surprise event at a vaccination clinic."

** NEW. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19 three days before his first debate [on September 29, 2020,] against Joe Biden, the former president's fourth and last chief of staff has revealed in a new book. Mark Meadows also writes that though he knew each candidate was required 'to test negative for the virus within seventy two hours of the start time ... Nothing was going to stop [Trump] from going out there.' Trump, Meadows says in the book, returned a negative result from a different test shortly after the positive.... Trump announced he had Covid on 2 October. The White House said he announced that result within an hour of receiving it. He went to hospital later that day.... The [debate] host, Chris Wallace of Fox News, later said Trump was not tested before the debate because he arrived late. Organisers, Wallace said, relied on the honor system." MB: Yes, because trusting the Biggest Liar is always a safe bet.

Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post: "Marcus Lamb, founder of the large Christian network Daystar, died Tuesday after contracting the coronavirus. Lamb's network during the pandemic has made the virus a huge focus, calling it a satanic attack that should not be treated with vaccines. He was 64 years old."

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Vimal Patel of the New York Times: "The Tucson Police Department moved swiftly on Tuesday to fire a police officer after he fatally shot a man in a motorized wheelchair who was suspected of stealing a toolbox from a Walmart and flashing a knife when challenged. Police bodycam video shows an officer pursuing the suspect and yelling, 'Do not go into the store, sir,' as the man, identified as Richard Lee Richards, 61, continued to the entrance of a Lowe's Home Improvement store on Monday night. The officer, Ryan Remington, fired nine shots and hit the man in the back and side, the police said, causing Mr. Richards to hunch over and fall in front of a display of pink and red flowers. A store surveillance video shows Officer Remington placing handcuffs on a motionless Mr. Richards.... [According to his former lawyer, Richards] had a lengthy rap sheet dating to when he was a teenager that included being charged and convicted of attempted first-degree murder."

Arkansas. Where "Conservative Christian Values" Have the Effect You'd Expect. Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Josh Duggar, who gained celebrity on the TLC reality show '19 Kids and Counting' as the eldest sibling of a brimming family guided by conservative Christian values, went on trial Tuesday in Arkansas on federal child pornography charges. Mr. Duggar, 33, appeared in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville, Ark., for the first day of jury selection in his closely watched trial. He was arrested in April, accused of using the internet to download explicit material showing the sexual abuse of children, some younger than 12 years old, according to an indictment."MB: Needless to say I never saw the teevee show, but it might be fun to see a couple of rerun episodes featuring Josh being all holier-than-thou.

California. Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Tuesday restored California's prohibition on high-capacity magazines, a decision with national implications that could also lead to the reinstatement of a state ban on semiautomatic weapons. In a 7-4 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a state ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition -- reversing a federal judge's decision that said the statute violated gun owners' Second Amendment rights."

California. An Academic Question: What If You Named the Library after a Beloved Librarian Who Was a Hateful Bigot & Hitler Fan? Nick Anderson of the Washington Post: "Leaders of California State University at Fresno are proud of their campus library, a gleaming edifice that includes a five-story elliptical tower of glass, steel and angled wood meant to symbolize a woven Native American basket.... Now, the university confronts a troubling fact about the library: It is named, [Fresno State's president, Saúl] Jiménez-Sandoval said this week, for a man 'who held deeply antisemitic views and Nazi sympathies.' Henry Madden, who was the longtime librarian of Fresno State, expressed his views on Jewish people and Nazi Germany in personal papers that remained sealed for a quarter-century after they were given to the university in 1982. A scholar at the university found them a few years ago through research on a book about Nazi sympathizers, and the information recently came to the university president's attention. Jiménez-Sandoval said in a statement Monday ... that the ... university will form a task force to review the [library's] name...."

Georgia. Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "Andre Dickens, a veteran City Council member, was elected mayor of Atlanta in an upset on Tuesday night after promising voters that he would help guide the city in a more equitable direction. Mr. Dickens, 47, will step into one of the most high-profile political positions in the South after defeating Felicia Moore, 60, the City Council president, in Tuesday's runoff election. In a first round of voting, Ms. Moore had bested Mr. Dickens by more than 17 percentage points. But on Tuesday, Mr. Dickens had about 62 percent of the vote when The Associated Press declared him the winner at about 10:30 p.m. Mr. Dickens, a church deacon, delivered an upbeat, roof-raising victory speech to supporters, noting his humble upbringing in the working-class neighborhood of Adamsville, his engineering degree from Georgia Tech and the daunting problems he has promised to tackle."

New York. Alexandra Alter & Karen Zraick of the New York Times: "Alice Sebold, the best-selling author of the memoir 'Lucky' and the novel 'The Lovely Bones,' apologized publicly on Tuesday to a man who was wrongly convicted of raping her in 1982 after she had identified him in court as her attacker. The apology came eight days after the conviction of the man, Anthony J. Broadwater, was vacated by a state court judge in Syracuse, N.Y., who concluded, in consultation with the local district attorney and Mr. Broadwater's lawyers, that the case against him was deeply flawed." MB: Alas, Alice there is still feeling sorry for herself: "I will also grapple with the fact that my rapist will, in all likelihood, never be known." For context, you should read the whole story, though.

Pennsylvania Senate Race. Marc Levy of the AP: "Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV's Dr. Oz Show after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey';s show, announced Tuesday that he is running for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican. Oz, 61, will bring his unrivaled name recognition and wealth to a wide-open race that is expected to among the nation's most competitive and could determine control of the Senate in next year's election. Oz -- a longtime New Jersey resident -- enters a Republican field that is resetting with an influx of candidates and a new opportunity to appeal to voters loyal to ... Donald Trump, now that the candidate endorsed by Trump has just exited the race." MB: Every character mentioned in this story -- Oz, Oprah & Donald -- is an iconic American crackpot. What a country! (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Pennsylvania. Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Two men filed a federal lawsuit this month against the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church, saying that they were victims of a human trafficking scheme while they lived at a forced-labor farm for troubled boys run by a church member. The lawsuit said that the men, who were 14 and 18 when they first joined the farm, worked six days a week with no pay, and that they were physically and mentally abused when they stayed at Liberty Ridge Farm in McAlisterville, Pa. The lawsuit said they were denied food and zip-tied at times while at the farm."

Way Beyond

Afghanistan. Susannah George of the Washington Post: "... a Human Rights Watch report released Tuesday ... documented more than 100 killings and abductions [by the Taliban] of former Afghan officials since August. The New York-based research group described the violations as on the rise and deliberate. The killings come despite a pledge to grant amnesty to former Afghan security forces and government officials, demonstrating that building international pressure for the group to respect human rights has done little to sway the Taliban from the use of indiscriminate violence to respond to groups and individuals perceived as threats."

November 30, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected a request from Oklahoma's governor to exempt his state's National Guard members from the coronavirus vaccine requirement, the latest salvo in a showdown that could result in punishments -- including removal from the military -- for service members who refuse to comply with the Pentagon's mandate. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), the only governor to enact such a policy, maintains that he possesses the authority to sidestep federal directives while troops are under the state's control, his office said, and is exploring legal guidelines on who can be punished for refusing the Pentagon's orders."

Meadows Puts His Own Future Before Trump's. Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff under ... Donald J. Trump, has reached an agreement with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to provide documents and sit for a deposition, the panel said on Tuesday, a stunning reversal for a crucial witness in the inquiry. The change of stance for Mr. Meadows, who had previously refused to cooperate with the committee in line with a directive from Mr. Trump, came as the panel prepared to seek criminal contempt of Congress charges against a second witness who has stonewalled its subpoenas. It marked a turnabout after weeks of private wrangling between the former chief of staff and the select committee over whether he would participate in the investigation, and to what degree." CNN's report is here.

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Three federal appellate judges appear likely to reject Donald Trump's effort to block Jan. 6 investigators from obtaining his White House records -- a big potential boost for lawmakers hoping to reveal the former president's actions as a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol. 'We have one president at a time under our constitution,' said Patricia Millett, one of the three judges on the D.C. Circuit panel that heard arguments Tuesday in the high-profile fight. 'That incumbent president ... has made the judgment and is best positioned, as the Supreme Court has told us, to make that call as to the interests of the executive branch.' As they questioned Trump's lawyers, the judges repeatedly expressed skepticism that a former president could override a decision by the sitting president -- in this case Joe Biden -- to release documents to Congress, particularly when the incumbent has decided it's in the national interest to release records to investigators."

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Hours before the deadly attack on the US Capitol this year, Donald Trump made several calls from the White House to top lieutenants at the Willard hotel in Washington and talked about ways to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election win from taking place on 6 January. The former president first told the lieutenants his vice-president, Mike Pence, was reluctant to go along with the plan to commandeer his largely ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress in a way that would allow Trump to retain the presidency for a second term. But as Trump relayed to them the situation with Pence, he pressed his lieutenants about how to stop Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January, and delay the certification process to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress. The former president's remarks came as part of strategy discussions he had from the White House with the lieutenants at the Willard -- a team led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn and Trump strategist Steve Bannon -- about delaying the certification.... The former president's call ... is increasingly a central focus of the House select committee's investigation into the Capitol attack, as it raises the specter of a possible connection between Trump and the insurrection."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of the notorious Mexican drug lord best known as El Chapo, was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in prison on charges of helping run her husband's multibillion-dollar criminal empire and playing a role in his escape from custody after he was captured in 2014. Ms. Coronel, a former beauty queen who married El Chapo -- whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera -- in 2007, on her 18th birthday, was arrested at Dulles International Airport, near Washington, in February, two years after her husband was convicted at a trial in New York City and sentenced to life in prison. She had been in the cross-hairs of U.S. authorities for months. She ultimately pleaded guilty in June to helping Mr. Guzmán smuggle drugs across the U.S. border and make his dramatic flight from a high-security Mexican prison...."

CBS/AP: "Dutch health authorities announced on Tuesday that they found the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in cases dating back as long as 11 days, indicating that it was already spreading in western Europe before the first cases were identified in southern Africa. The RIVM health institute said it found Omicron in samples dating from November 19 and 23. Those findings predate the positive cases found among passengers who came from South Africa last Friday and were tested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport."

Pennsylvania. Marc Levy of the AP: "Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV's Dr. Oz Show after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey's show, announced Tuesday that he is running for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican. Oz, 61, will bring his unrivaled name recognition and wealth to a wide-open race that is expected to among the nation's most competitive and could determine control of the Senate in next year's election. Oz -- a longtime New Jersey resident -- enters a Republican field that is resetting with an influx of candidates and a new opportunity to appeal to voters loyal to ... Donald Trump, now that the candidate endorsed by Trump has just exited the race." MB: Every character mentioned in this story -- Oz, Oprah & Donald -- is an iconic American crackpot. What a country!

~~~~~~~~~~

Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.

Marie: Maybe Joe Biden is showing his age, after all. Several times this afternoon, CNN posted a chyron -- actually, two different chryons -- that announced "Breaking News: Biden Addresses Duel Problems." In fact, watching Biden's press conference early this afternoon on the new coronavirus variant was comforting; it was as if a kindly elder statesman was explaining a serious problem to the kids. No suggestions about bleaching the virus; no telling reporters they were "a disgrace," or were asking stupid questions; no asking a Black reporter if she could set up a meeting between him & her friends in the Congressional Black Caucus, no lies for the sake of lying & rants for the sake of ranting. ~~~

~~~ Disappointing, though, that the backdrop for the presser was not the red plastic tinsel I had hoped for:

~~~ The White House published some photos of the decorated rooms here. Near the bottom of the page is a link to a downloadable pdf that elaborates on the meanings of the decor & includes instructions for making an ornament. ~~~

~~~ Jura Koncius & Jada Yuan of the Washington Post: Jill "Biden's first foray into holiday decorating at the White House was not glitzy or opulent, but rather an enhanced version of how many American families decorate their own homes, with lots of candles and twinkling lights."

David Lynch of the Washington Post: "The Federal Trade Commission on Monday ordered nine large U.S. companies, including Walmart, Amazon and Procter & Gamble, to provide detailed information about their operations, in a bid to unravel the causes of the supply chain disruptions that are clouding the economic recovery. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) The commission order, approved by a 4-0 vote, came as President Biden met at the White House with corporate chieftains in the latest display of presidential concern over supply chain snarls. The president was scheduled to speak after the meeting with the chief executives of companies such as Food Lion, Mattel and Best Buy. But the White House rescheduled his comments for Wednesday, saying the president wanted to spend more time with the CEOs. While the FTC move will do nothing to ease the economy's current bottlenecks, it could shape future regulatory actions intended to maintain or increase the amount of competition in key industries, according to antitrust specialists."

Felicia Sonmez & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) refused to publicly apologize Monday in a phone call with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her Islamaphobic comments about the Muslim congresswoman and instead accused her of 'anti-American and anti-Semitic' rhetoric, prompting Omar to end the call. The exchange spurred more calls for Republican leaders to condemn Boebert's remarks and publicly address her behavior. Last week, House Democratic leaders denounced Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) 'repeated failure to condemn inflammatory and bigoted rhetoric' from fellow Republicans, including Boebert.... At the ... beginning [of a video Boebert posted on Instagram, she] said that as 'a strong Christian woman who values faith deeply, I never want anything I say to offend someone's religion.' But by the end of the video, Boebert was again making Islamophobic attacks against Omar." ~~~

     ~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "There's plenty to fault in the [George W.] Bush presidency and its wars, but his defense of Muslim Americans was the essence of moral leadership. 'Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger,' he said at the Washington mosque [days after the 9/11 attacks..., 'represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior." America 'is a great country,' he said, 'because we share the same values of respect and dignity and human worth.' Twenty years later, Boebert, Gosar, Greene and too many of their colleagues have abandoned those shared values. And Republican leaders, divesting themselves of shame, now tolerate the worst of humankind."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol moved on Monday to begin contempt of Congress proceedings against Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official involved in ... Donald J. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, setting a vote this week on recommending criminal charges for his refusal to cooperate with a subpoena from the panel.... At the same time, the committee is considering what to do about ... Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump's former chief of staff, who has also refused to comply with a subpoena. The committee said that Mr. Meadows had refused to answer even basic questions, such as whether he was using a private cellphone to communicate on Jan. 6 and the location of his text messages from that day." (Also linked yesterday.)

Conservative law professor Charles Fried, once argued -- as Ronald Reagan's solicitor general, to uphold a Mississippi anti-abortion law. He has changed his mind. In a New York Times op-ed, he writes, "That Roe was a poorly reasoned extrapolation from [earlier-decided] contraceptive cases was a position taken by many constitutional scholars.... [But] the law had changed since 1989. In the 1992 case of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, a joint opinion of Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy and David Souter reaffirmed the central holding of Roe and put it on a firmer constitutional basis: the dignity and autonomy of the pregnant woman and the equal rights of women more generally."

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... At the very moment that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, the American right has become obsessed with bodily autonomy and has adopted the slogan 'My body, my choice' about Covid vaccines and mask mandates.... When it comes to themselves, many conservatives find any encroachment on their physical sovereignty intolerable, and arguments about the common good irrelevant.... As the feminist Ellen Willis once put it, the central question in the abortion debate is not whether a fetus is a person, but whether a woman is." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Where are these newly-minted libertarians when it comes to nudity laws? You can bet the lawyers who argue for the State of Mississippi will show up in standard -- if uncomfortable -- courtroom attire. On the hottest, most humid day in Mississippi it is unlikely they come to work nude because my body, my choice. Or -- less drastically perhaps -- during a day at the beach, will they get up a loud protest against a restaurant's "no shoes, no service" rule? Ir's very odd that they object to covering their cooties with masks but meekly obey laws that require them literally to cover their asses.

Amy Cheng of the Washington Post: "Prosecutors in Montgomery County, Pa., have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling by the state's top court earlier this year that vacated the sexual assault conviction of Bill Cosby.... Cosby, 84, was found guilty of sexual assault in 2018. He spent nearly three years behind bars before his sentence was reversed in June by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled that Cosby had believed he was operating under an immunity agreement offered by a prosecutor when the entertainer provided testimony that was damaging to himself. Prosecutors have denied the existence of such a deal.... Though the case was widely followed in the media, it appears unlikely that the Supreme Court will review it.... By the time he was convicted in 2018, at least 60 women had accused Cosby of sexually assaulting or harassing them.... Cosby has always maintained his innocence..., [despite having acknowledged in a 2005 deposition that he intended] to use quaaludes, a sedative, on young women with whom he wanted to have sex.."

Kate Conger & Lauren Hirsch of the New York Times: "Jack Dorsey is stepping down as chief executive of Twitter, the social media site he co-founded in 2006 and guided through the tumultuous years of the Trump administration. Twitter announced Mr. Dorsey's departure on Monday. He is being replaced by Parag Agrawal, the company's current chief technology officer. Mr. Dorsey's plans were first reported by CNBC." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd., Brought to You by the Unvaccinated

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here.

Laurie McGinley & Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "As President Biden exhorts Americans to get coronavirus vaccines and booster shots to strengthen protections against the delta and omicron variants, another age group might soon become eligible for the boosters: 16- and 17-year-olds. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are expected to ask the Food and Drug Administration in the coming days to authorize its booster shot for that age group, according to two people familiar with the situation. The regulators are expected to sign off quickly, said the individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue." This report is free to nonsubscribers.

Jamey Keaten, et al., of the AP: "The World Health Organization warned Monday that the global risk from the omicron variant is 'very high' based on the early evidence, saying the mutated coronavirus could lead to surges with 'severe consequences.' The assessment from the U.N. health agency, contained in a technical paper issued to member states, amounted to WHO's strongest, most explicit warning yet about the new version that was first identified days ago by researchers in South Africa. It came as a widening circle of countries around the world reported cases of the variant and moved to slam their doors in an act-now-ask-questions-later approach while scientists race to figure out just how dangerous the mutant version might be."

Giulia Heyward of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Biden administration's coronavirus vaccine mandate for health care workers in the 10 states that had filed a lawsuit against the government this month. The mandate requires all 17 million health care workers in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified medical facilities, which receive government funding, to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Jan. 4. The injunction, issued by Judge Matthew Schelp of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, prevents the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from enforcing the mandate while the case is in court.... The lawsuit was filed by the states of Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming."

Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "... some red states are paying people not to get vaccinated, by cutting checks to workers who quit or are fired because they refuse covid-19 shots.... At least four states -- Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee -- have recently extended benefits to workers who are fired or quit over their employers' vaccine requirements.... Workers who are fired for cause or who quit voluntarily are usually not eligible to receive unemployment benefits.... Why are Republicans doing it [when it goes against their purported principles]? A recent report from Axios argues that these policy changes are primarily about building 'loyalty with unvaccinated Americans': 'Republicans see a prime opportunity to rally their base ahead of the midterms,' Axios reports.... These policies also undermine federal efforts to get the pandemic under control, which the right then blames [President] Biden for not controlling."

Beyond the Beltway

Alabama. Noam Scheiber of the New York Times: "A regional office of the National Labor Relations Board on Monday ordered a new union election at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, upholding a union challenge to a vote that the company won decisively. The decision was widely expected after a hearing officer recommended in August that the results be thrown out and that a new election take place. The company declared after the August decision that it intended to appeal to the labor board in Washington if it did not prevail at the regional level, but it did not say Monday whether it would follow through.... The union filed a formal objection to the election shortly after the results were announced in April, arguing that Amazon had undermined the conditions for a fair election by pressing the Postal Service to install a collection box at the warehouse, among other complaints. The union said the box, which was not authorized by the labor board, created the impression that Amazon was monitoring which workers voted." NPR's story is here.

Florida. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Democrats and Republicans in Florida had reached an uneasy truce over redistricting, avoiding a major public conflict even weeks after the GOP-led state Senate had released its preliminary maps. That ended Monday. Democrats teed off on new draft congressional maps published by the Republican-led Florida House, accusing the opposing party of playing political games with the redistricting process. The public friction comes after the Republican-led state Senate earlier this month released maps that gave the GOP an additional congressional seat, but faced more criticism from Republicans than Democrats because it was seen as not aggressive enough.... One seat getting specific attention is the 7th Congressional District, an Orlando-area seat held by Democrat Stephanie Murphy.... [The new map] leaves Murphy, who is Vietnamese-American, with the choice of running in a seat that is now slightly Republican-leaning, or a Democratic seat whose demographic makeup is tailor made for a Black candidate."

New York. Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "CNN host Chris Cuomo used his sources in the media world to seek information on women who accused his brother Andrew Cuomo, then the governor of New York, of sexual harassment, according to documents released Monday by the New York Attorney General's Office. While Chris Cuomo has previously acknowledged advising his brother and his team on the response to the scandals, the records show that his role in helping the then-governor was much larger and more intimate than previously known. Chris Cuomo was actively in touch with Melissa DeRosa, who was the then-governor's top aide, about incoming media reports that detailed alleged sexual harassment by Andrew Cuomo, according to exhibits from the Attorney General's probe and a transcript of his interview with the state's investigators. He also lobbied to help the governor's office as it sought to weather the storm of accusations, and he dictated statements for the then-governor to use.... CNN issued a comment hours after the publication of this article, saying the news organization would be reviewing the documents." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Nicholas Fandos, et al., of the New York Times: "Thousands of pages of new evidence and sworn testimony released on Monday show the extent to which former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo relied on a group of allies, including his younger brother, the CNN host Chris Cuomo, to strategize how to deflect and survive a cascade of sexual harassment charges that eventually engulfed him. Beginning last December with the first public accusation by a former aide, Lindsey Boylan, the records lay out in unvarnished detail how the tight-knit group of advisers discussed a series of increasingly drastic steps to manipulate the press, discredit his accusers and retain a grip on power that became less and less tenable. After debating the legality of the move, they agreed to pass Ms. Boylan's personnel file to reporters, portraying her as politically motivated and unhinged. They sought -- and failed -- to rally dozens of former female aides and supporters to pen an op-ed defending him. Chris Cuomo pressed to take on a greater role in crafting his brother's defense.... At one point, he even ran down a secondhand tip that another woman accusing the governor of unwanted advances at a wedding was lying. (She was not.)"

Way Beyond

Barbados. Ross Urken of the Washington Post: "In Barbados, it’s out with the queen, in with a president as the Caribbean island nation becomes the first Commonwealth realm in nearly three decades to declare itself a republic. The move, debated for years, gained momentum amid the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and growing demands for reparations for slavery on the island. Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced last year that the nation of 300,000 would become a republic by Tuesday, the 55th anniversary of its independence. That means removing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, a break with nearly four centuries of history in the former British colony. Prince Charles, who has long used the island dubbed 'Little England' as his polo playground, plans to join the celebrations in Bridgetown. The heir to the British throne will be the next head of the Commonwealth, the association made up almost entirely of former territories of the British Empire. Barbados, the easternmost island of the Caribbean, known for cricket, rum and the international pop star Rihanna, plans to remain a member of the group." (Also linked yesterday.)

New Zealand. Gina Harkins of the Washington Post: "Julie Anne Genter planned on getting to the hospital by bike ahead of her daughter's birth, but she didn’t know she would be the one pedaling. The member of the New Zealand Parliament was already having contractions when preparing to bike to the hospital early Sunday morning. Genter, an avid cyclist and member of New Zealand's Green Party, planned to make the 10-minute trek riding in the front of a cargo bike driven by her partner, Peter Nunns. When they realized it would be too much weight with her hospital bag, she told the New Zealand news outlet Stuff she 'just got out and rode.' It's not immediately clear what kind of bicycle she took to the hospital, though she has talked about owning an electric cargo bike. Less than an hour after arriving at the hospital, the 41-year-old Genter gave birth to a baby girl." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

New York Times: "Three people were killed on Tuesday when a student opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun at a high school in Oakland County, Mich., north of Detroit, according to the authorities, who said that they had taken a 15-year-old student into custody. The dead were all believed to be students, Michael McCabe, the Oakland County undersheriff, said at a news conference." The story is being updated.