“A look at how TV and film productions are faking big crowds these days”.
“The end of the emergency phase of the pandemic is in sight in the United States, at least for now. But as the weight of the crisis is lifted, experts are also anticipating a long-term impact on people’s mental health.”
“Eventually, I want to do a post quantifying all the damage to national security Billy Barr did by thwarting an influence-peddling investigation into Rudy Giuliani in 2019. But first, I want to quantify four ways that Barr is known to have obstructed the investigation into Rudy, effectively stalling the investigation for over 500 days.”
“Here’s who’s most and least enthusiastic about getting vaccinated”.
“Wyoming is faced by a transition to renewable energy that’s gathering pace across America, but it has now come up with a novel and controversial plan to protect its mining industry—sue other states that refuse to take its coal.”
“No one has a greater interest than progressives in public safety and low rates of crime. Because rising rates of crime, especially violent crime, drive rightist politics as sure as night follows day. This is a demonstrable fact.”
RIP, Pete du Pont, former Delaware governor and Republican Presidential candidate.
“Well I can see why you don’t want to talk about Dominion Voting Systems because if you do, Newsmax could get sued and lose billions of dollars because these are lies.”
“All of which is to say: Family policy is one piece of the declining birth rates story. But it’s just one piece, and I’m not sure it’s wise, long-term, to justify good family policies by saying they’ll increase births. Because even if they don’t — and the evidence suggests that even the best family policies in the world may not nudge birth rates above replacement rate — they’re still good, necessary policies that women, children, and families need.”
Just say No to reality TV.
“There are four possibilities for holding an attorney general accountable if evidence suggests he did abuse his office to protect a president.”
What if Rudy Giuliani has already been pardoned, and we just don’t know it yet?
“Five Former IRS Chiefs Say Biden’s Plan Would Make Tax System ‘Far Fairer’”.
Using image metadata to infer Q’s location.
“A Closer Look at the DarkSide Ransomware Gang”, the group responsible for the attack on the Colonial Pipeline.
“I mean, if the prevailing theory is that unemployed workers are just sitting back and collecting UI bc it pays more than any job, how about going out and finding somebody who says that that is what they are doing? People have admitted far more embarrassing things to reporters.”
“Pipeline Hackers Say They’re ‘Apolitical,’ Will Choose Targets More Carefully Next Time“. No, that is not from The Onion.
RIP, Norman Lloyd, longtime actor best known for St. Elsewhere. He got his start on Broadway in 1927 and worked with everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Judd Apatow.
While vaccine resistant people are mostly Republican, vaccine hesitant people are mostly non-voters.
“What we know is that when Trump attempted to subvert the election, a number of Republicans in key positions refused to go along. We know that, for the most part, those individuals won’t be able to stop a similar effort in 2024, and that the party has sent clear signals that standing up for the constitution and the rule of law was unacceptable.”
My early nominee for 2021 Headline of the Year: “Carole Baskin of ‘Tiger King’ blames Ted Cruz, John Cornyn for Houston’s missing tiger on CNN”.
“Joe Manchin’s surprisingly bold proposal to fix America’s voting rights problem”.
“There is a growing public wish to put COVID-19 behind us by eliminating visible signs that it still exists (e.g., mask wearing). But guidance driven by this magical thinking will cause unnecessary harm. Public health measures should protect the larger population, including those who cannot be or have not yet been vaccinated. This CDC guidance proffers individual advice at the expense of the goals of public health.”
“A lot of people may be wondering, with 8 vaccinated breakthrough cases on the Yankees – is this evidence the vaccines aren’t as effective as we thought? The short answer is no.”
“We have a few months to go before we reach ideal vaccination levels. For the sake of at-risk community members’ peace of mind, I’m happy to wear my mask outdoors and in non-intimate indoor environments for a little while longer.”
RR’s latest is a very entertaining must-see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07II_EJlcYg