January 26, 2023

Thursday,January 26, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

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Joe is always busy.

The freshman class of the 118th Congress on the East Front of the Capitol, November 15, 2022.

Eleven new GOP Congress People accepted invitations to visit the White House on Tuesday.

Hey, meet some Republicans who just joined the House. 👇 Some may turn out to be people who will try to do their jobs and may even cross party lines to work with Joe and Kamala.

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Just 11 of the 45 new Republicans elected to Congress in November accepted Biden’s invitation to the welcome party. Among the dozens who rejected the invite was Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., as well as several Republicans who initially sought to block Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid in early January.

“Everyone is invited who is part of the new Congress,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday.

The Republicans who made an appearance included Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama; Rep. John James of Michigan; Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri; Rep. John Duarte of California; Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey; Rep. Kevin Kiley of California; Reps. Nick Langworthy and Mike Lawler of New York; Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas; Rep. Dale Strong of Alabama, and Rep. Rudy Yakym of Indiana. (Source. Fox News).

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US approves sending of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

The Biden administration has approved sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode.

The news came after Germany confirmed it will make 14 of its Leopard 2A6 tanks available for Ukraine’s war effort, and give partner countries its permission to re-export other battle tanks to aid Kyiv.

By agreeing to send the Abrams, the US is able to meet the demand of the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for an American commitment but without having to send the tanks immediately.

Touch to watch the President 👇 speak on sending tanks to Ukraine.

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Pope Francis says Homosexuality is not a crime.

The AP Interview.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.

Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin.” But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.

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What does an Abortion look like biologically? An a important article that you should share.

Early Abortion Looks Nothing Like What You’ve Been Told.

Jewel is a student in her early 20s who lives in Texas. When her doctor confirmed she was pregnant, Jewel felt panicked. She knew it wasn’t the right time for her to have a child, and that abortion was illegal in her state.

Fortunately, Jewel had resources. After doing her research, she packed a bag and flew to New York City, where her sister lives. From there, the two women came to see one of us — Joan Fleischman, a family medicine doctor who has been providing abortions in her small practice in New York City for over 20 years.

Jewel, who asked to be identified by her middle name, told Dr. Fleischman about her experience in Texas. Medical staff members “were trying to push a happy pregnancy, while I was miserable and crying,” she said. Jewel sensed her doctor was afraid to even talk about other options because the doctor feared losing her license.

Dr. Fleischman performed an ultrasound, which dated the pregnancy between five and six weeks. She discussed Jewel’s options and, after confirming that Jewel wanted to end the pregnancy, completed a manual uterine aspiration procedure. This method uses a hand-held device and takes a few minutes to complete in a regular exam room.

Dr. Fleischman then conducted a routine tissue examination. This involves rinsing the tissue with water using a fine sieve. She identified decidual tissue, or uterine lining, as well as a gestational sac, the visible evidence of the pregnancy. At this stage of pregnancy, the embryo is not typically visible to the naked eye.

Afterward, she offered to show Jewel the early pregnancy tissue. Jewel told Dr. Fleischman that it wasn’t what she expected. “I thought you were going to bring in something that was shaped like a little fetus or something, and it was not that at all,” Jewel said.

Early pregnancy tissue after manual uterine aspiration procedures for abortion. The first image shows fragments of uterine lining (decidua). The next images show the pregnancy tissue (gestational sacs) from five weeks through nine weeks of pregnancy.

It’s important to us to counter medical misinformation related to early pregnancy because about 80 percent of abortions in the United States occur at nine weeks or earlier. So much of the imagery that people see about abortion comes from abortion opponents who have spent decades spreading misleading fetal imagery to further their cause.

( source. New York Times).

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Covid Update.

New booster works against dominant Covid strain.

A new CDC study has found that the Covid-19 bivalent booster reduces the risk of symptomatic infection from the most common subvariant circulating in the U.S. right now by about half.

Additional new data, set to be published on the CDC website on Wednesday, also shows that individuals who received an updated vaccine reduced their risk of death by nearly 13 fold, when compared to the unvaccinated, and by two fold when compared to those with at least one monovalent vaccine but no updated booster.

CDC officials said during a briefing on Wednesday that the new findings were “reassuring.” But only 15.3 percent of eligible Americans — or about 50 million people — have received the new shot, which was rolled out in September.

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The Congress is turned upside down.

As promised, the GOP’s pathetic substitute for a Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has blocked Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee.

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McCarthy taps GOP members to investigate Covid policies

House Republicans have tapped the members who will lead an investigation into how the government handled the coronavirus pandemic, including conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Looking to flip the table on years of Democratic-led probes, Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday night named nine Republicans to the select subcommittee, including a chief in Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), co-chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus.

The subcommittee is likely to be at the center of a multi-pronged, GOP-led effort to investigate coronavirus policies. That’s expected to include pandemic restrictions, the origins of the virus and decisions by high-profile health officials, including Anthony Fauci, who stepped down from his post as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser last year.

The lawmakers “will also finally get answers to the Covid origins and the federal government’s … research that contributed to the pandemic,” McCarthy said in a statement announcing the appointments.

Greene, who emerged as an ally for the California Republican during his speakership fight but still holds a megaphone with the party’s right flank, is among the Republicans getting a seat on the subcommittee. It’s the latest high-profile boost for Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments by Democrats and about a dozen Republicans due to her incendiary rhetoric.

But Republican leadership pledged to reinstate her to committees if they won the majority. McCarthy has handed her other plum positions, including a seat on the Oversight Committee and Homeland Security Committee. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) who is leading the Oversight Committee, which will house the select subcommittee, has also pledged to conduct investigations into the coronavirus and pandemic-era aid disbursed as part of several coronavirus relief bills that totaled trillions of dollars.

Other Republicans on the committee will include Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), John Joyce (R-Pa.) Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) and Rich McCormick (R-Ga).

Democrats still need to name their own members to the subcommittee.

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McCarthy names GOP members to run sweeping investigative panel.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy has named a mixed bag of members to Republicans’ sprawling investigative panel, including conservative hardliners, leadership allies and Rep. Jim Jordan — who represents a combination of both — to lead it.

The California Republican, on Tuesday evening, appointed a dozen GOP lawmakers, including Jordan, to a select subcommittee on the “weaponization” of the federal government. Republicans are expected to use it to probe, among other targets, the FBI, Justice Department and the intelligence community — agencies at the center of some of their biggest recent gripes.

Other GOP members of the committee will include Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.). Hageman defeated former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), one of the two Republicans on the Democratic-led Jan. 6 committee.

Democrats still need to recommend their own members to the panel. As part of the resolution that greenlit it, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) automatically gets a seat, due to his perch as top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.

Additionally, the resolution laid out that McCarthy would name 13 members beyond Jordan and Nadler, including no more than five in consultation with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Beyond Jordan, McCarthy’s list Tuesday night included 11 GOP members, filling most of the panel’s 13 available slots amid intense interest within his conference. But two aides familiar with the plan said McCarthy intends to pass a second resolution expanding the size of the panel, to account for the greater number of Republicans appointees. Democrats would get a proportional increase as well, the aides said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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Social Media is also turned upside down.

Facebook-parent Meta said on Wednesday that it will restore former President Donald Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks, just over two years after suspending him in the wake of the January 6 Capitol attack.

“Our determination is that the risk [to public safety] has sufficiently receded,” Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said in a blog post. “As such, we will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.”

With his Facebook and Instagram accounts reactivated, Trump will once again gain access to huge and powerful communications and fundraising platforms just as he ramps up his third bid for the White House.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump will seize the opportunity to return to the Meta platforms. Twitter restored Trump’s account in November following its takeover by billionaire Elon Musk, but the former president has not yet resumed tweeting, opting instead to remain on his own social media platform, Truth Social.

But Trump’s campaign earlier this month sent a letter to Meta petitioning the company to unblock his Facebook account, a source familiar with the letter told CNN, making his return more likely.

Trump’s reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Giuliani Praises George Santos: “The G.O.P. Must Pass the Torch to a New Generation of Liars”

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—Offering his full-throated support for Representative George Santos, Rudolph Giuliani said that “it’s time for Republicans to pass the torch to a new generation of liars.”

“I get why some Republicans are knocking the kid—they’re envious of his raw talent,” Giuliani told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity. “But we should be showing him our respect. I mean, look at this kid’s body of work. He could turn out to be the Michael Jordan of lying.”

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Bless Andy Borowitz.

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There are no words.

https://twitter.com/purify_toast17/status/1617741657440653314?s=61&t=h8E8M4NEDJOycbV4-7Nn4A

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Jennifer Coolidge, star of White Lotus, is Woman of the Year at Harvard’s Hasty Pudding.

‘White Lotus’ star will be honored in Harvard Square on Feb. 4

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the United States, has named actor Jennifer Coolidge as the recipient of its 2023 Woman of the Year Award.

From her iconic performances in “The White Lotus,” “The Watcher,” “Legally Blonde,” and “American Pie” among countless others, the Pudding is proud to celebrate a truly unique and impactful presence in the world of entertainment.

The Woman of the Year Award is the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ oldest honor, bestowed annually on performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. Established in 1951, the Woman of the Year Award has been given to many notable and talented entertainers including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, Kerry Washington, and most recently Jennifer Garner, the 72nd Woman of the Year.

The Woman of the Year festivities will begin 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 4, when Coolidge will lead a parade through the streets of Harvard Square. Following the parade, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals will host a celebratory roast for Coolidge at 7 p.m., after which she will be presented with her Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall, the Hasty Pudding’s historic home in Harvard Square since 1888. A press conference will follow the presentation at 7:30 p.m. Afterward, Coolidge will attend the opening night of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 174th production “Cosmic Relief.”

(source. Harvard Gazette).

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Roberta Flack at a 1971 concert at the Trident Lounge in Los Angeles

‘Roberta Flack’ Review: Softly Singing Her Life

An ‘American Masters’ presentation on PBS tells the story of the songstress, who rose to stardom with a voice of rare elegance and ease.

Roberta was a genius, and they never knew what to do with her,” declares drummer Buddy Williams, just one of the several colleagues and commentators who weigh in during “Roberta Flack,” an “American Masters” presentation that contains one of the long-running series’ better life stories, and a subject who is in many ways beyond musical categorization.

Classically trained like Nina Simone and a child of the church like Aretha Franklin, Ms. Flack never growled like Simone—though her devotion to the civil-rights struggle was just as fierce—nor did she resort to the kind of vocal pyrotechnics for which Franklin was venerated; the effortlessness of her singing was one of its more memorable qualities. And her musicality and repertoire were profound.