A record 9 million Americans are out sick
as COVID rates surge
Posted By: NorthernDog, 1/20/2022 4:00:17 PM
As the Omicron variant rips across the U.S., in early January almost 9 million Americans said they were not working because they had COVID-19 or were caring for someone with the virus — triple the number from a month ago. The surge in sick workers is impacting industries ranging from hospitals to airlines, adding to the nation's labor crunch. The "great American sickout," as some have called it, is taking a toll on many businesses and households, with people again forced to scale back work as the disease spreads. Weekly jobless claims, an indicator of layoffs, jumped last week to their
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NorthernDog"
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LOS ANGELES — Louie Anderson, whose more than four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68. Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his longtime publicist. Anderson had a a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Schwartz said previously. Anderson won a 2016 Emmy for best supporting actor for his portrayal of Christine Baskets, mother to twins played by Zach Galifianakis. Anderson received three consecutive Emmy nods for his performance. He was a familiar
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin might meet in an effort to resolve the standoff over Ukraine. "If it proves useful and productive for the two presidents to meet, to talk, to engage, to try to carry things forward, I think we're fully prepared to do that," Blinken said in Geneva, Switzerland, after holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. There were no breakthroughs, he said, but the two sides have agreed to return to their capitals and hold consultations before meeting again. Later, speaking with ABC's George Stephanopoulos
As the Omicron variant rips across the U.S., in early January almost 9 million Americans said they were not working because they had COVID-19 or were caring for someone with the virus — triple the number from a month ago. The surge in sick workers is impacting industries ranging from hospitals to airlines, adding to the nation's labor crunch. The "great American sickout," as some have called it, is taking a toll on many businesses and households, with people again forced to scale back work as the disease spreads. Weekly jobless claims, an indicator of layoffs, jumped last week to their
President Biden on Wednesday predicted Russia will once again invade Ukraine, speaking at a news conference in which he also made confusing remarks about how the United States and its allies would respond to Russian action short of a full-scale, multipronged offensive. (Snip) Biden also suggested that a “minor incursion” by Russian forces, as opposed to a full-scale invasion, may not prompt the severe response Washington and its allies have threatened, creating confusion about how the United States would react to a Russian attack short of a devastating offensive and large-scale occupation. “I think what you’re going to see is
Jen Psaki Issues Statement Cleaning Up
Biden’s Comment About a ‘Minor Incursion’
Into Ukraine 6 replies
Biden’s Comment About a ‘Minor Incursion’
Into Ukraine 6 replies
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has clarified the White House’s stance on a potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia after President Joe Biden made an odd remark about the situation. Russia has amassed soldiers along Ukraine’s eastern border, and there is concern about a repeat of 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea by force. (Snip) In response, one Ukrainian official told CNN he was “shocked that… Biden would distinguish between incursion and invasion.” Republicans also criticized the remark. Eventually, Psaki issued a statement later on Wednesday clarifying the administration’s position: President Biden has been clear with the Russian President
Reps. Jim Langevin of Rhode Island and Jerry McNerney of California mark the 27th and 28th House Democrats not running for reelection in 2022 as analysts expect a favorable year for Republicans. Both members announced their retirements on Tuesday. “I will keep working for the people of my district throughout the remainder of my term and look forward to new opportunities to continue to serve,” McNerney, 70, said in a tweet. McNerney has represented California in Congress since 2007, in the 9th District since 2013 and in the old 11th District before that. Langevin, 57, wrote a Providence Journal op-ed
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The campaign to ban gas stoves is heating up
16 replies
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2024 chatter reveals Democratic nervousness
16 replies
Speculation has begun about the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, almost three years before the election. Some of the suggestions are blasted as risible. But the early chatter itself reveals the nervousness that permeates the party. In the past week alone, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman held out the possibility of anti-Trump Republican Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) being added as President Biden’s 2024 running mate. (Snip) Straddling the line between reality and fantasy is a long-cherished notion for many Democrats: a Michelle Obama candidacy. The former first lady would be a formidable contender. But she has been crystal clear in CORRECTION*
Glenn Youngkin, first Republican to win
statewide in Virginia since 2009, sworn
into office 8 replies
statewide in Virginia since 2009, sworn
into office 8 replies
RICHMOND — Glenn Allen Youngkin, a Republican former business executive who has never held elected office, was sworn in Saturday as Virginia’s 74th governor before thousands of onlookers on the steps of the State Capitol. A 55-year-old former private equity executive with a huge personal fortune and no political experience, Youngkin is the first Republican to win statewide office in Virginia since 2009. He rode a huge GOP turnout in the November elections to a two-point victory that signaled Virginia is not as solidly blue as it appeared while President Donald Trump was in the White House. His popularity helped
Biden administration to launch website
for free 500 million COVID-19 testing
kits on Wednesday 38 replies
for free 500 million COVID-19 testing
kits on Wednesday 38 replies
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Wednesday will launch a website where Americans can order up to four free COVID-19 testing kits per person, according to a senior administration official. The tests, part of the Biden administration's purchase of 500 million tests last month to help tackle a record surge in infections, will be available at COVIDTest.gov and mailed to homes within 7-12 days through the U.S. Postal Service, according to the official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the announcement. President Joe Biden announced earlier this week the administration would double its
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Netflix dashed hopes for a quick rebound after forecasting weak first-quarter subscriber growth on Thursday, sending shares sinking nearly 20 percent and wiping away most of its remaining pandemic-fueled gains from 2020, just a week after raising prices by up to $2 a month. The streaming platform projected it would add 2.5 million customers for the first quarter of 2022—January through March—less than half of the 5.9 million analysts had initially forecast.(Snip)The projection for the first quarter of 2022 is a steep drop-off from the fourth quarter of last year, with the world's largest streaming service adding 8.3 million customers from October
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BREAKING: Schumer Suffers Crushing Defeat
on Filibuster, as Manchin and Sinema Stand Firm 43 replies
on Filibuster, as Manchin and Sinema Stand Firm 43 replies
I’m not sure what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) thought he was going to get by pushing a vote on the Democratic effort to federalize elections (which they call ‘voting rights’) and on the filibuster.
Schumer knew that he was likely to get a “no” on the filibuster from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). They’ve only been holding fast on the subject for months. Both also were very firm on the subject in speeches — Sinema earlier in the week and Manchin earlier on Wednesday. It wasn’t happening, they said.
But Schumer decided to commit electoral suicide anyway, and he got it tonight.
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The singer born Marvin Lee Aday died Thursday, according to a family statement posted on his official Facebook page.
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Comedian and actress Kathy Griffin claimed CNN president Jeff Zucker slashed her pay after she had asked for a raise as co-host of the network's New Year's Eve special.
In a profile published Wednesday in The New York Times, Griffin recalled reaching out to Zucker 10 days before the broadcast in 2016 and told him she felt she deserved more than her $80,000 contract since "she was carrying more of the prep work" than her co-host, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
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The US has warned of a 'united, swift and severe' response if Putin invades Ukraine as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived for talks with his Russian counterpart in Switzerland today. Blinken, arriving at the Geneva hotel where the crunch talks are now taking place, said Washington is 'committed to a path of diplomacy' for resolving border tensions between Russian and its ex-Soviet neighbour. But he added that America stands ready with a 'united, swift and severe' response if Moscow invades. 'This is a critical moment,' he said.Both sides said they are not expecting a 'breakthrough' today,
The Democrats and the propaganda ministry have tried to portray the events of January 6 as the greatest assault on democracy… in like, forever. But it seems like that narrative is starting to unravel. The unraveling began when many people began to suspect that the whole thing was a setup and started looking into it.
It wasn’t law enforcement or MSM journalists investigating -- they could be controlled. It was amateur citizen investigators using the power of the internet.
Comments:
'Might have COVID' = a 4-day weekend.