Good morning,
After The Trial
Ex President Donald Trump was narrowly acquitted this past weekend, in a scandalous impeachment trial that clearly showed his guilt in organizing and sparking the insurrection on the capitol, as well as evidence during the riot he took phone calls from law makers who begged him to call it off, and he didn’t.
Read that paragraph twice, I had to as I wrote it because it’s almost unbelievable.
He was therefore not convicted because of political considerations by most Republicans even though they clearly saw how Trump courted white supremacists, and condoned violence and laid the ground work for insurrection by denying the election. And Republican elder Statesman Mitch McConnell’s speech after the acquittal stating Trump was morally and practically responsible will dog the Republicans for years.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lindsey-graham-says-mitch-mcconnell-speech-slamming-trump-could-haunt-republicans-in-2022/ar-BB1dG0oh
Here’s where the plot begins to thicken. The New York Times is now running a front page story saying felon Roger Stone, Trump’s life long friend, and the man who was pardoned by Trump, was not only at the rally but was guarded by members of Oath Keepers, a far right anti government militia, who later appeared in the Capitol. Take a look at the sinister photo’s in the story, but the questions now about Stone and Trump and the organization of militia’s in the rally., will be asked in criminal investigations, and looming civil actions.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/14/us/roger-stone-capitol-riot.html
Biden’s Big Bailout
The attention will now swing from Trump’s trial to passing the Covid relief 1.9 trillion dollar bail out with a cheque for families of 1400 dollars in addition to 600 dollars already received, plus a rise in minimum wage, and even support for schools reopening.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/business/economy/biden-stimulus-plan.html
Covid Reopening Plan?
Britain is at a critical moment in making decisions on the lock down end. I am struck by ads running in American newspapers saying gyms are open on President’s day. They have been closed here in The UK along with restaurants and pubs, and even retails stores since before Christmas. Because the only way to shut down the virus spread is to shutdown society. So now the numbers of sick and hospitalized is plunging in Britain, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, which is great news, and the Gov has announced 15 million vaccines have now been administered. (90% of over 70’s have taken the vaccine)
So now when do you reopen society? The debate is emotional and perhaps desperate for many in Britain, because the progress can all be undone if wrong steps are taken too quickly. My kids are still at home studying on line (although this week is half term break) and many are pushing for kids to go back to school March 8. The UK variant is likely more deadly now, not just more easy to spread. (70 % more infectious and 30% more deadly.)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9259441/Kent-Covid-variant-30-deadly-70-infectious-original-strain.html
Debate about reopening in the UK while in the U.S. daily cases have just dropped below 100,000 but the variants are spreading including the UK variant and that will possibly reverse those numbers as more people become infected much more easily.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/02/14/cautiously-optimistic-new-us-coronavirus-cases-and-hospitalizations-drop-to-lowest-levels-since-november/
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/feb/14/ministers-flatly-reject-tory-demands-to-end-covid-controls-by-may
And today Britain begins a mandatory 10 day quarantine for anyone arriving from a list of Countries where dangerous variants are spreading. The penalty for lying or breaking quarantine can be 10 years in prison!
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210215-england-begins-mandatory-hotel-quarantines-for-arrivals-from-high-risk-countries
At the same time, other European Countries are seeing numbers of sick and dying increasing like France which has not done a full lockdown and is using curfews with debatable results. My ski instructor friend in Alpe Du Huez, France reporting this winter the slopes remain closed, people are miserable, and he doubts resorts will open for Spring. A winter lost. The Guardian newspaper has this good rundown of Countries and Covid including a new outbreak in New Zealand and Australia.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/feb/15/coronavirus-live-news-uk-variant-reaches-new-zealand-absolutely-too-soon-to-lift-us-mask-mandate-says-cdc-chief
Vitamin D
A new study again raises vitamin D as a break through treatment in hospitals against severe Covid. But note the numbers in this study are only initial and some critics say they have been over stated in a very small and not balanced study. I will take a little D today because I probably need it anyway living in London in the winter where most people have vitamin D deficiencies in the winter.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/using-vitamin-d-coronavirus-treatment-23499007
Have a good day everyone. I will try to write on Wednesday. Please sign up to this newsletter. Share it. And yes you can but don’t have to become a paying subscriber for 5 dollars a month. The idea here is to help you decide what’s news and what to read.
Dana