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Our three big stories – the world scramble to figure out the new coronavirus variant; the Biden family Thanksgiving; and the death of a true legend.
Massachusetts resident Carissa Barry-Moilanen, who saw “Assassins” for her 21st birthday, said it was “devastating” to hear about Sondheim’s death.
“He was the theatre giant. He was like Shakespeare,” she said.
The New York Times had a lovely 90-minute interview with Sondheim last Sunday.
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Sung to the tune of the legendary Sondheim song “Send in the Clowns” (“’crons” = “omicron”):
Music by Stephen Sondheim, lyrics by Mark Halperin.
Isn't he rich?
Are they a pair?
Joe Biden at last on ACK ground
Rubinstein is where?
Send in the ‘crons
He’d be remiss
Travel ban, he approves
A POTUS keeps flipping around
From Africa, no one moves
Where are the ‘crons?
Send in the ‘crons
Just when it stopped
Closing all doors
Finally accepting corona — not wanted — was ours
Making its entrance again with the usual despair
Bringing declines
No one is there
Don't you love a farce?
Tony Fauci, I fear
I thought that he’d want what I want
“Sorry, unclear”
But where are the ‘crons?
Send in the ‘crons
Don't bother
It’s here (?)
Isn't this rich?
Life, it’s unfair.
Losing his timing this late
In his career
Where are the ‘crons?
There shouldn’t be ‘crons
Too much like last year
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Explainers on the omicron variant are everywhere for you to read; I don’t need to link to them.
The Wall Street Journal ed board is one of the few voices that throughout the pandemic has sought to balance science, the imperative of public health, and the need to keep our economy and institutions open – in other words, react but don’t overreact.
Here is what Gigot & Co. say today:
Cases have risen rapidly in the South African province where the new variant has been identified, crowding out the Delta strain. While this is worrisome, keep in mind that other variants that came to dominate local areas—California’s Epsilon, Brazil’s Gamma and South Africa’s Beta—haven’t taken off around the world as some scientists initially feared.
The good news is we’re better prepared if Omicron does spread and proves more virulent than other strains. BioNTech and Pfizer say they can quickly adjust their mRNA vaccine to combat the new variant if necessary. Moderna plans to rapidly advance an Omicron-specific booster candidate. The Food and Drug Administration would need to give vaccine manufacturers a green light.
Manufacturers have been reluctant to tweak vaccines for other new variants because this could become a game of whack-a-mole. Plus, modifying a vaccine for a new variant may leave it less effective against others. It’s also worth remembering that vaccines generate T-cell immune protection, beyond antibodies, that variants can’t easily evade.
HALPERIN SAYS: I wish there were any reason to think that this time, based on our shared experience, there would be a lot of quick testing and scientific research done to give policymakers and the public a sense of what to do. I wish there were any reason to think the PSAs now will be creative, compelling, omnipresent, and effective. I wish there were any reason to think the U.S. had a tracking and tracing system in place to control the variant’s impact while allowing normal life to continue. Lockdowns in America seem very unlikely, but we don’t bloody know what will happen because our capacity to deal with this round, after so many months of experience, is still absurdly low.
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The Wall Street Journal’s news section on the latest on Ukraine and Putin:
The Biden administration plans to use a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to focus on how the alliance should respond to Russian military pressure on Ukraine as the Ukrainian president warned Friday of a possible Moscow-backed coup attempt.
The meeting, which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, comes amid debate within the alliance’s ranks about how to be firm about the possibility of Russian aggression, as it masses troops near Ukraine, while keeping political channels open to Moscow.
Karen Donfried, the top State Department official for European affairs, said Friday that the U.S. is deeply concerned about “large and unusual” Russian troop movements near Ukraine, which American officials have warned allies could be a prelude to invasion.
She said the U.S. is looking at a range of options and wants to use the NATO meeting to discuss how the alliance can act together.
Although she declined to specify which options are under consideration, they range from more military support for Ukraine to stepped-up diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict, according to U.S. officials.
HALPERIN SAYS: The U.S. and NATO are still playing checkers here, while Putin plays, if not chess, at least Chinese checkers. The Russian strongman knows full well what American options are off the table, in part because he knows no one ever kicked him out of Crimea.
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In another boffo Journal piece, you can read a tight summary of what ails the Biden administration politically now:
White House officials have privately expressed frustration that positive economic developments on employment have sometimes been overshadowed by coverage of inflation and supply-chain problems, people familiar with the discussions said. They are trying to strike a balance between touting those developments and acknowledging the effects of rising prices, the people said.
And in a companion essential reading piece, the Washington Post weighs in on the supply chain:
“It’s still a hot mess,” said Stephen Lamar, president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association. “We have to dig ourselves out of a daunting hole to get a sense of anything like normalcy, and that’s going to take a long, long time….”
But the goods pipeline won’t really operate normally until Americans return to their traditional spending patterns, abandoned amid the pandemic. And there is no sign such a shift is imminent. Likewise, some of the president’s policy remedies, including $17 billion in new port spending and potential antitrust moves against the three main shipping alliances, will take years to produce benefits.
HALPERIN SAYS: All the way through the midterms there will be positive and negative macro economic data, and all the way through Democrats, including the White House, will have to balance being optimistic with not seeming out of touch. But if inflation keeps hitting U.S. households, Joe Biden could have the political gifts of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and he wouldn’t be able to talk the owls down from the trees on this one.
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The Associated Press pops this piece on a Saturday morning:
Democrats wielded demands to fix the nation’s broken immigration system as a cudgel against Republicans in the 2020 campaign. Elect us, went the argument, and we’ll stop the cruel treatment of migrants at the border, and put in place lasting and humane policies that work.
A year into Joe Biden’s presidency, though, action on the issue has been hard to find and there is growing consternation privately among some in the party that the Biden administration can’t find the right balance on immigration.
HALPERIN SAYS: The politico-media world inside the Beltway will stay focused on the economy as the/an issue driving the 2020 dynamics, but ask any (honest) political strategist in either party who is working on a midterm contest and you will hear that immigration, crime, and matters related to political correctness are driving down the Democrats’ numbers all over the place. And those matters are no easier for Team Biden to fix than inflation.
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Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert apologizes over her offensive remarks about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, per the Associated Press.
HALPERIN SAYS: I have no idea how this one plays out – way too many woman-bites-dog-and-self elements here.
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Also per the AP:
President Joe Biden appeared on the loose Friday in Nantucket.
Biden spent more than an hour walking around downtown Nantucket’s cobblestone streets, popping unannounced into quaint mom-and-pop shops, appearing to make purchases and posing for photos with surprised business owners….
Biden’s stroll around downtown was reminiscent of a period during Barack Obama’s presidency when he rebelled against the limits that come with occupying the Oval Office. Modern presidents generally do not get around on foot.
“The bear is loose!” Obama declared one day in 2014 after he left the White House on foot, instead of in a motorcade, and walked over to the Interior Department, startling ordinary people on the streets of downtown Washington.
Biden did not make a similar declaration.
HALPERIN SAYS: That is either the best or worst kicker of the year. Not sure which yet.
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A New York Times investigative story:
As a White House adviser in the Trump administration, Jared Kushner took a special interest in the petroleum-rich monarchies of the Persian Gulf.
He formed a personal friendship with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. He helped forge ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and backed Emirati rulers in a feud with Qatar. Since the electoral defeat of his father-in-law, former President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Kushner has stayed active in the region through a nonprofit organization he established.
Now, in a move that has raised eyebrows among diplomats, investors and ethics watchdogs, Mr. Kushner is trying to raise money from the Persian Gulf states for a new investment firm he has founded. So far, he is having only mixed success.
HALPERIN SAYS: If “raised eyebrows” is the new/old standard, then brace yourselves.
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HALPERIN SAYS: Jonathan Freedland’s write up of the Beatles movie proves, yet again and as if more proof were needed, that Mr. Freedland is every bit as genius as the Fab Four.
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HALPERIN SAYS: There are few sure things in life or in journalism. But as night follows day, you can always count on the New York Post to fill holiday voids with its brand of news.
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