Day by day it's looking like the pandemic is gradually fading away into history. It still may stage a comeback next winter but if so the vaccine makers should be ready with upgrades to fight off any of the variants that emerge.
I'm reading the tea leaves here and am a congenital optimist, so everyone is free to disregard my assessment. But it's based on sorting through the news every day, reading any studies I can obtain, and talking with doctors.
In short, I think we've got this thing beat.
If this is true, we now are returning to the world as it existed pre-Covid, adjusted for the alterations that occurred during the crisis, in some cases, because of the crisis.
On the positive side, Trump is no longer in power. He was the worst possible leader to have during a pandemic. First he denied it was happening, then he weaponized it every step of the way, by blaming China, belittling mask-wearing, undermining his own public health officials, and using the virus to further polarize the nation.
But though he's out of office, Trump is still lurking in the shadows, like a monster in a horror film. Perhaps worse, polls indicate that he successfully corrupted his own political party to such an extent that a majority of Republicans actually believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
As a result of that fantasy, an incredibly dangerous toxin is coursing through our electoral bloodstream. Voter suppression efforts are underway in multiple states; Trump-like candidates are campaigning for office; and election-deniers are bent on installing officials in key districts who would violate the law in order to guarantee Republican victories in the future.
Therefore, as a nation we potentially face an electoral crisis as soon as next year manufactured by conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists.
If the decent people who are loyal Republicans allow themselves to be hoodwinked by the demagogue and his acolytes, the horrendous events of January 6th may be merely a precursor of worse to come. And remember, I'm an optimist...
...but not a fool. It's easy to see how the politics of fear and disinformation are reshaping a large enough portion of the electorate to throw the entire democratic underpinnings of our society into doubt.
So despite the bright light of vanquishing the coronavirus threat, which is an accomplishment we all can celebrate this holiday weekend, a bleak darkness hovers just over the horizon. It is going to require vigilance and aggressive investigative reporting on a national scale to hold it at bay.
A few days ago I posted about the hope represented by the Local News Network, which aims to serve the audiences in the "news deserts" of our small towns and rural areas. It is no coincidence that these are the places where pro-Trump sentiment is flourishing. It feeds on the fake news offered by Fox and even more marginal sources.
As a result, in these places reality has given way to ignorance, and an ignorant population is vulnerable to manipulation by dark forces. Like drowning men, if they are not reached before they drift too far and get caught by the rip tide, they will drag all of the rest of us under with them.
***
The news:
* GOP senators block legislation seeking probe of Capitol riot -- The Senate failed to muster the 10 Republican votes needed to clear a procedural hurdle for the legislation, dashing hopes that a comprehensive investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection can happen outside of Congress’s political fray. (WP)
* American Democracy Isn't Dead Yet, but It's Getting There -- A country that cannot even agree to investigate an assault on its Capitol is in big trouble, indeed. (New Yorker)
* White House to propose $6 trillion budget plan in bid to reshape safety net, economy (WP)
* The Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one with four or more people injured or killed, not including the perpetrator, has counted at least 232 mass shootings so far this year. (California Today)
* Big oil may get more climate lawsuits after Shell ruling (Reuters)
* Hong Kong Has a New Type of Prisoner: Pro-Democracy Activists -- Hundreds of protesters, many students or college-educated, face potentially stiff sentences after Beijing’s crackdown. Those behind bars already battle isolation and disillusionment. (NYT)
* Election-deniers are running for a key role in swing states. It could lead to a scary 2024. (WP)
* Prosecutors Investigating Whether Ukrainians Meddled in 2020 Election -- The Brooklyn federal inquiry has examined whether former and current Ukrainian officials tried to interfere in the election, including funneling misleading information through Rudolph W. Giuliani. (NYT)
* New York Prosecutor in Trump Case Known for Aggressive Pursuit of Evidence (WSJ)
* Plague of ravenous, destructive mice tormenting Australians (AP)
* Bulldozers threaten conservation of ancient Mexican metropolis (Reuters)
* Harris Pushes Companies To Invest In Guatemala, Honduras And El Salvador (NPR)
* Biden’s Silence on Abortion Rights at a Key Moment Worries Liberals -- As a case before the Supreme Court threatens Roe v. Wade and Democrats’ urgency grows, many activists believe the president needs to be bolder in defending reproductive rights. (NYT)
* Polls find most Republicans say 2020 election was stolen and roughly one-quarter embrace QAnon conspiracies (CNN)
* Google Is Nearing a Settlement of France Antitrust Case (WSJ)
* In visions of post-pandemic life, Roaring ’20s beckon again (AP)
* India’s covid surge has killed more than 500 doctors and sickened hundreds of others since March, stretching staffs thin (WP)
* European regulators OK Pfizer vaccine for children 12-15 (AP)
* Major League Baseball’s Great Hitting Depression -- The record pace of no-hitters in 2021 isn’t an aberration—it’s the product of a series of evolutions that have pitchers dominating. (WSJ)
* Facebook’s AI treats Palestinian activists like it treats American black activists. It blocks them. (WP)
* Facebook Apologizes For Giving Mark Zuckerberg A Platform (The Onion)
***
"You've Got To Stand For Something" (excerpt)
Sung by Aaron Tippin
Written by Aaron Tippin and William Brock
Now Daddy didn't like trouble, but if it came along
Everyone that knew him knew which side that he'd be on
He never was a hero, or this county's shinin' light
But you could always find him standing up
For what he thought was right
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
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