Raphael Warnock is the man to bring the gospel back into public life

Raphael Warnock is the man to bring the gospel back into public life

Rev. Otis Moss III writes: On a Sunday morning in 1989, during my freshman year at Morehouse College in Atlanta, I listened to a sophomore chapel assistant named Raphael Warnock. Extraordinarily composed, Warnock delivered from the pulpit a thoughtful, powerful sermon — one that challenged us, as people of faith, to “sound the trumpet” on behalf of children forgotten at the doorstep of America’s promise. When he finished, we all rose to our feet in applause. Warnock once again stands…

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Stealing to survive: More Americans are shoplifting food as aid runs out during the pandemic

Stealing to survive: More Americans are shoplifting food as aid runs out during the pandemic

The Washington Post reports: Early in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he’d spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too. Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket — even though he now stations more employees…

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In 2020, normal became exceptional

In 2020, normal became exceptional

BuzzFeed reports: Helped by geographic isolation or governmental response or both, infections are low to nonexistent in several countries, particularly in the Asia Pacific, where life looks practically normal. Some people even occasionally forget there’s a pandemic going on. “I feel like there were days I forgot there was a pandemic, especially on days I wasn’t going out so much, just staying in my area,” said Jade Dhangwattanotai, a 25-year-old software developer in Bangkok. “In my day-to-day life, yes, I…

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Identifying and naming the enemies of democracy

Identifying and naming the enemies of democracy

Christian Vanderbrouk writes: Three days before Christmas in 2001, Richard Reid took off from Paris on a flight to Miami. He did not intend on arriving. Instead, he attempted to ignite explosives packed into one of his shoes to destroy the plane, killing everyone aboard for the cause of violent jihad. He did not succeed. Other passengers noticed his odd behavior—most notably lighting numerous matches while wires were dangling from his pant leg. He was subdued; the flight landed safely….

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A political obituary for Donald Trump

A political obituary for Donald Trump

George Packer writes: To assess the legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency, start by quantifying it. Since last February, more than a quarter of a million Americans have died from COVID-19—a fifth of the world’s deaths from the disease, the highest number of any country. In the three years before the pandemic, 2.3 million Americans lost their health insurance, accounting for up to 10,000 “excess deaths”; millions more lost coverage during the pandemic. The United States’ score on the human-rights organization…

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Trump asks Supreme Court to invalidate millions of votes in battleground states

Trump asks Supreme Court to invalidate millions of votes in battleground states

CNN reports: President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to block millions of votes from four battleground states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden. Trump’s request came in a filing with the court asking to intervene in a lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeking to invalidate millions of votes cast in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The President is being represented by a new attorney, John Eastman, who is known for recently pushing a racist…

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17 states and Trump join Texas’ lawsuit. It’s still a doomed Supreme Court stunt

17 states and Trump join Texas’ lawsuit. It’s still a doomed Supreme Court stunt

Steve Vladeck writes: For all of the (many) lawsuits that President Donald Trump and his supporters have filed challenging the 2020 election results, the new winner for hubris and cynicism may be the action that the state of Texas filed directly in the Supreme Court late Monday night, asking the justices to throw out the results in four (but only four) battleground states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. So far, 17 states have filed motions backing the Texas attorney general,…

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Even in defeat, Trump tightens grip on state GOP lawmakers

Even in defeat, Trump tightens grip on state GOP lawmakers

The New York Times reports: Last week, allies of President Trump accused Republican leaders in Pennsylvania of being “cowards” and “liars” and of letting America down. Mr. Trump himself called top Republicans in the General Assembly in his crusade to twist the arms of officials in several states and reverse an election he lost. The Pennsylvania lawmakers told the president they had no power to convene a special session to address his grievances. But they also rewarded his efforts: On…

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Antitrust lawsuits: U.S. and states say Facebook illegally crushed competition

Antitrust lawsuits: U.S. and states say Facebook illegally crushed competition

The New York Times reports: The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states accused Facebook on Wednesday of buying up its rivals to illegally squash competition, and they called for the deals to be unwound, escalating regulators’ battle against the biggest tech companies in a way that could remake the social media industry. Federal and state regulators of both parties, who have investigated the company for over 18 months, said in separate lawsuits that Facebook’s purchases, especially Instagram for…

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How ‘neutral theory’ altered ideas about biodiversity

How ‘neutral theory’ altered ideas about biodiversity

Christie Wilcox writes: If you had braved the jungles of China’s Fujian province in the early 20th century, various accounts say you could have witnessed a stunningly unexpected animal: a blue tiger. These tigers were described as “marvelously beautiful” with bodies “a deep shade of Maltese, changing into almost deep blue on the under parts.” As late as the 1950s, hunters reported spotting their blue hairs alongside the traditional orange fur of other South China tigers on trails. Then the…

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Over the last week, Covid-19 killed more than twice as many Americans as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor combined

Over the last week, Covid-19 killed more than twice as many Americans as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor combined

Deadliest days in American history: 1. Galveston Hurricane – 8,0002. Antietam – 3,6003. 9/11 – 2,9774. Last Thursday – 2,8615. Last Wednesday – 2,7626. Last Tuesday – 2.4617. Last Friday – 2,4398. Pearl Harbor – 2,403 — 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 (@Sundae_Gurl) December 9, 2020 According to Worldometers, between December 1 and December 7, 13,433 Americans died from Covid-19.

This winter, fight Covid-19 with humidity

This winter, fight Covid-19 with humidity

Joseph G. Allen, Akiko Iwasaki and Linsey C. Marr write: We have a great set of tools that can help slow the spread of this virus: masks, social distancing and hand-washing, as well as healthy building strategies such as ventilation and filtration. And there is one more healthy building tool that we can use this winter: maintaining relative humidity in the 40-to-60-percent range. Relative humidity is the term for how much water vapor is actually in the air compared to…

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Trump blows a hole in the GOP on his way out

Trump blows a hole in the GOP on his way out

Politico reports: Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election have met with defeat in every swing state and in nearly every court where his cases have been heard. But Trump’s campaign to pressure GOP elected officials to support his baseless claims of a rigged election — and his success in convincing a majority of the party that widespread voter fraud occurred — is already showing signs of having far-reaching effects that will reshape the Republican Party for years to…

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Arizona GOP asks followers if they’re willing to die in effort to overturn election results

Arizona GOP asks followers if they’re willing to die in effort to overturn election results

Arizona Republic reports: The Arizona Republican Party has asked its followers if they are willing to die for the cause of overturning the presidential election results, eliciting alarm and criticism in response. The party’s official Twitter account on Monday night shared a post from Ali Alexander, an activist with an organization called “Stop the Steal” that has protested election results. “I am willing to give my life for this fight,” Alexander wrote. When sharing the post, the GOP asked followers:…

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