From a tweet by Ron Filipkowski: “After testifying for over 3 hours in a Senate hearing where he suggested masks may not be necessary on flights, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly tested positive for covid. Sitting with him were CEOs of Delta, United, American, and Pres of Flight Attend.”

The United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit issued a ruling Friday upholding President Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses with over 100 employees. The opinion was written by Justice Jane B. Stranch, an Obama appointee. The ruling eviscerated the stay issued by the 5th Circuit court with the following argument:

“Petitioners’ arguments are primarily grounded in the Fifth Circuit’s blanket conclusion that the ETS is beyond the scope of OSHA’s statutory authority. The ETS was issued under § 655(c)(1) of the Act, which requires OSHA to issue an emergency standard if necessary to protect workers from a ‘grave danger’ presented by ‘exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful or from new hazards’…In assessing that authority, the Fifth Circuit focused solely on the words…’substances or agents…toxic or physically harmful…grave danger,’ opining that those words are to be interpreted based on the words and phrases in the immediate vicinity of the statutory language at issue…But the Supreme Court has instructed that words and phrases must be viewed in the context of the entire statute…(instructing that, when evaluating a statute, a court ‘must not be guided by a single sentence or member of a sentence, but look to the provisions of the whole law’). We therefore take a holistic view of the language that Congress chose to include in its statutory authorization to OSHA.”

Only in New York! This morning, NYPD ESU Truck 10 received a request from precinct personnel to assist with a found cow. The cow had run away from an area business but was safely corralled. She will now be spending the holiday season at her new home, a local rescue sanctuary. pic.twitter.com/7icG2xhFbH

— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) December 17, 2021

It’s common to see comments now on social media that “Republicans are sacrificing the lives of their voters so they can complain about the number of Covid deaths under Biden,” and those comments are the result of data such as a study published in October by NPR which found that “…the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth…,” Those figures spell major trouble for Florida’s failed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. Worldometers.info reports that Florida has already suffered over 62,000 deaths from Coronavirus, and that’s just the number that’s publicly reported. It is widely believed that DeSantis has been manipulating Covid19 data, and the actual death toll may be far higher. Even in “blue” counties such as Miami-Dade, Covid appears to be hitting hardest in Republican enclaves, such as the Miami Cuban Community.

“Bee essss. There wasn’t even such a thing as OSHA until the 1970s, and the court is going to give it deference??? WHAT ABOUT GIVING &@#$%!, DEFERENCE TO THE CONSTITUTION THAT PRECEDED OSHA?F the 6th circuit, too. Ain’t no black robed 2 bit lawyers going to tell me what to stick in my arm. I’ll be telling them what they can shove up their ass!”

– The current top comment on the TownHall.com article “Appeals Court Reinstates Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Private Businesses“, posted Friday. The Disqus user’s name is “Flyover Hick“.

“Stop the Steal” assclown Ali Alexander has filed a lawsuit against the House January 6th Select Committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Verizon Wireless over his subpoenas, the Daily Beast reports. This is particularly dumb as it comes after Alexander already sat for an eight hour deposition with committee staff. “Mr. Alexander reasonably fears this is payback for his beliefs and lawful campaign activity that is being lumped in with illegal acts; and before a body that is not permitted to do either such thing” says the complaint.

• Ingraham, Kilmeade and Hannity frantically texting chief of staff Mark Meadow with PR advice on how to respond to the J6 attacks–not as professional journalists covering the story–demonstrates their consciousness of guilt:  they knew the extreme delusion held by the people attacking the Capitol held because Fox seeded it in them.
• Junior texted Mark Meadows, “He has to lead now” on January 6th.  My question is, what did Junior want led?  Did he want Daddy to put on his military (school) uniform and lead the domestic terrorists into the Capitol?  Was Junior fearing the morale was collapsing and the line needed to be reinforced?  
• Junior demonstrated his own, singular, brave leadership style:  send in the aide.  Even he was too cowardly to confront his father.
• Worst memory of a holiday gift: a “book” that contained 12 rolls of Lifesavers.  Stuck in my stocking every year growing up.  Who goes through a roll of Lifesavers every month, and so much butterscotch?  Besides my father,  I mean.  Heyyyyy….
  Read More ▶ “Random thoughts Friday, Volume XLVIII”

The Dutch nuclear authority, probably not normally used to issuing public health bulletins because they deal with nuclear energy, nevertheless had to issue a warning to citizens to stop wearing “quantum pendants” and “negative ion” jewelry to “protect” themselves from 5G waves… because they’re radioactive, the Guardian reports. “Exposure to ionising radiation can cause adverse health effects,” the authority said. “Due to the potential health risk they pose, these consumer products containing radioactive materials are therefore prohibited by law. Ionising radiation can damage tissue and DNA and can cause, for example, a red skin. Only low levels of radiation have been measured on these specific products. However, someone who wears a product of this kind for a prolonged period (a year, 24 hours a day) could expose themselves to a level of radiation that exceeds the stringent limit for skin exposure that applies in the Netherlands.”

The authority did not say whether or not officials spent the rest of the day guzzling whiskey as should be expected from having to make such a warning to citizens, though such a reaction would be understandable. Most of this sort of dumbassery is harmful only to gullible people’s bank accounts, not their health. And as stupid as that one dipshit who died after he drank aquarium cleaner because it contained hydroxychloroquine was, at least he was trying to protect himself from a very real threat to his health, however incompetently he did it. These assholes are harming themselves while trying to prevent a completely fictitious health threat.

With 92% of its employees either vaccinated or qualifying for a religious or medical exemption, Boeing airlines announced that it was suspending its vaccine mandate, allowing up to 10,000 workers who have not gotten vaccines or submitted confirmations of being vaccinated, the Associated Press reports.

The Boeing decision comes as the courts hash out the legality of employer mandates for vaccines and the Biden Administration policy to ensure large employers push their workforces to get vaccinated.  In an announcement to its employees, the company said its decision “comes after a detailed review of a U.S. District Court ruling earlier this month that halts the enforcement of a federal executive order requiring vaccinations for federal contractors.”

The eight percent of employees who did not comply with the mandate accounts for about 10,000 of Boeing’s 143,000 US workforce.

Prince George’s County Schools, one of the twentieth largest school districts in the country, will revert to full-virtual instruction starting Monday until January 14th as the coronavirus delta variant sweeps through the area, WJLA ABC-7 in Washington, DC reports.

Students will renew their online learning classes and teachers will be teaching at home as they did during the start of 2020.  Students told reporters that students and teachers were being pulled out of class as contact tracing of infected individuals continued.   “A bunch of people getting called on the intercom saying it’s time to go. Or they’re like pulling classes out and telling them to wait outside the office because they have to go home,” said 8th grader Brooke Clark.

With more than 130,000 students and 19,000 staff, Prince George’s County is the largest school district to announce an extended period of virtual learning so far this school year.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular show in New York City will close early this year due to staff attrition amid the Omicron COVID surge, reports MSNBC’s Jesse Rodriguez, a development sure to elicit a fucking really stupid tweet by Jim Jordan about Biden and/or Fauci canceling Christmas.

I will choose freedom over safety every time.

— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) December 17, 2021

“HERE’s an AGRESSIVE (sic) STRATEGY: Why can t (sic) the states of GA NC PENN and other R controlled state houses declare this is BS (where conflicts and election not called that night) and just send their own electors to vote and have it go to the SCOTUS” – Text from Former Texas Governor and Trump Administration Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to Mark Meadows on November 4, 2020, days before the election had been called for Biden.

The merchandise available for sale at SidneyPowell.com is kind of overpriced, a review of the site’s “shop” section revealed Friday. The dadaist logo tee pictured above costs $30, while a 4 pack of 22oz tumbler cups (bearing the same logo) made with Tritan™ technology, whatever the fuck that is, sells for $80. The autographed Sidney Powell 8.5 x 11 “glossy photo” is $25.

We guess they make the perfect holiday gift for the Kraken fan in your life, if you’re unfortunate enough to have such a person in your life. In that case we feel deeply sorry for you.

Forbes editor Randall Lane published a post on the website Friday detailing his journalistic objections and efforts to resist a grand jury subpoena from Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance for 3 months until he was ordered to do so by a judge on Wednesday. Lane writes that his testimony was almost entirely yes or no questions, confirming under oath the details of a 2015 Fobes cover story about Trump’s long obsession with the Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans list.

Lane’s bitching over “ethics” and what not aside, none of what he confirmed for prosecutors sounds like good news for Donald as Manhattan prosecutors zero in on possible bank and/or tax fraud charges for him over differing valuations of properties he provided to the IRS and banks.

Donald Trump and administration officials undertook deliberate efforts to undermine and discredit federal efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic, including promoting debunked information and attacking federal medical professionals and scientists, to improve Trump’s political chances, a report by a House special committee investigating the administration’s response to the pandemic states, reported by NBC News.

In the report, noted by NatZero earlier today, investigators found that when the White House hosted a group of individuals, including then-White House advisor Dr. Scott Atlas, promoting herd immunity in August, Dr. Debra Birx sent a letter to Mike Pence’s chief of staff calling them “a fringe group without grounding in epidemics, public health or on the ground common sense experience.”  Birx was so perturbed at the White House meeting with this group, she offered to go out of town so the administration would not have to explain her absence from the meeting with the fringe group. 

A member of the Lexington County, South Carolina Republican Party’s executive committee was charged with third-degree assault and battery for slapping a “RINO” rival in the face during a heated argument at the local GOP’s Christmas party, the Columbia Post and Courier reports. Angus Godwin, 51, attacked West Columbia Councilman Mike Green on December 6th, an incident Green says was over Godwin’s crusade to purge those insufficiently loyal to the Orange God Emperor from the party. “It’s crazy. These people are just not rational,” Green told the Post and Courier.

Godwin has had it out for Green for months now, and backed a failed primary challenge to the councilman. It was Green taunting Godwin over this during the Christmas party at a Lexington, South Carolina pub which caused Godwin to snap and assault the councilman. “Good job on the Pete Fisher campaign,” said Green, referring to the loser Godwin backed. Godwin answered with a slap to Green’s face, for which he was arrested Wednesday after having admitted to a witness. An earlier altercation between the two in another restaurant ended with management comping other patrons for having to sit through Godwin screaming at Green, the Post-Courier reported.

Robert Scott Palmer of Largo, Florida send the judge a four-page handwritten letter of apology (which can be read here) for his actions during the January 6th domestic terrorist attack on Congress hoping to get a sentence less than the 63 months recommended by prosecutors.  It didn’t work.

According to HuffPost, Palmer received the sentence of more than 5 years when sentenced Friday by Judge Tanya Chutkan, who cited Palmer’s assault on Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police officers using a fire extinguisher.

“They kept spitting out the false narrative about a stolen election and how it was ‘our duty’ to stand up to tyranny,” Palmer wrote in his letter, noting that Trump supporters “were lied to.” “Little did I realize that they were the tyrannical ones desperate to hold on to power at any cost even by creating the chaos they knew would happen with such rhetoric.”

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge for a delay in sentencing on charges stemming from the Capitol riot for “#WalkAway” assclown Brandon Straka as the information he’s provided to investigators “may impact the government’s sentencing recommendation”, Politico reports. Straka had been facing up to five years in prison for federal felonies over entering the Capitol on January 6th, charges that were reduced to local misdemeanors when he pleaded guilty on October 6th. Straka is considered a person of interest to the January 6th Select Committee, as his name appears in document requests to the National Archives, but he himself has not been subpoenaed as of yet.

Said Trump in an interview with Axios’s Barak Ravid: “There’s people in this country that are Jewish [that] no long love Israel. I’ll tell you the Evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country. It used to be that Israel had absolute power over Congress and today I that it’s the exact opposite. And I think Obama and Biden did that, and yet in the election they still get a lot of votes from Jewish people. Which tells you that the Jewish people – I’ve said this for a long time – The Jewish people in the United States either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel. I mean you look at the New York Times – the New York Times hates Israel. Hates them. And they’re Jewish people that run the New York Times. I mean the, uh, Sulzberger family.” But Ilhan Omar though…