Veritasium

 Veritasium is one of favorite YouTube channels, but it does not cover current events so I did not show many videos from them. Here is the latest video about epidemics from Veritasium, I hope that you find it informative and check out there other videos. I also included my favorite Veritasium video from the past.

• I Asked Bill Gates What's The Next Crisis?
• Why Are 96,000,000 Black Balls on This Reservoir?

Baldy Awards

Every now and then Bill Maher comes up with a real gem:

• New Rule: The Baldy Awards 

Second Impeachment

Here are a couple of videos I found interesting about Trump's second impeachment:

• After Second Impeachment, Trump Begins Moving Out of White House
• OLBERMANN VS. TRUMP #54: TRUMP LOST HIS ABILITY TO PARDON ANY COUP CONSPIRATORS - INCLUDING HIMSELF

Day of Infamy 1/6/21

 Here are some videos on what happened yesterday:

• Hey, Republicans Who Supported This President
• Jimmy Kimmel on Angry Trump Mob Storming the Capitol
• Seth Meyers Addresses the Armed Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
• James Corden Is Hopeful on a Dark Day in the U.S.
• Jimmy Addresses the Violence at the U.S. Capitol

Goodbye 2020 and Good Riddance

Ther title expresses all I feel. How about you?

If you want to do something to make you feel good, the IRS has allow some donations to be deducted even if you take the standard deduction:

• Special $300 tax deduction helps most people give to charity this year – even if they don’t itemize

Be sure to check if your donation qualifies. The web page gives instructions instructions but it may be hard to follow. In general the deduction applies to charities but not for non-profits like Wikipedia. Let me know if you need help to find out if your donation qualifies.

Here is a parting YouTube video for the year, no particular reason:

• President Obama on Roasting Trump, Private Life, and His Legacy

AND here is the final update to my song parody page for Xmas and New Years for a total of 50:

• 2020 Parody Songs

Joe and Mitch

Regardless of what happens in the Georgia runoff, the future of this country may depend mostly on the personal relation between two 78 year old men, Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell. Remember from a previous blog post, Joe Manchin pledged not end the filibuster. So even if the Democrats win control of the Senate, they will not be able to do much without the support of 10 Republican Senators. If the Republicans keep control of the Senate, they may be more willing to work with Biden on moderate policy, which may be what Biden wants anyway.

Both Biden and McConnell need to appease their base, but they seem to be able to work together; remember the accomplishments of the 2010 Lame Duck Session. Also McConnell, and many other Republican Senators, have acknowledged their friendship with Biden. Here are two videos from 2016:

• Sen. Mitch McConnell talks negotiating with Biden
• Joe Biden Emotional As Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid, Rename Part Of Bill After Beau

After Biden was declared the winner, McConnell had to respect Trumps challenges, but it was suspected that he had privately communicated with Biden, but neither could admit it back then. Biden seemed awfully confident that a compromise would be reached.

• Biden does not say if he's spoken with McConnell amid stimulus negotiation in Congress

After the Electoral College made it official, McConnell recognized Biden as President Elect in spite of Trump's protests. McConnell also encouraged all Republican Senators not to challenge the results on Jan. 6th when the Congress formally accepts the electoral votes from the states. While many Republican Congressmen will challenge the votes, they need the support of at least one Senator for the challenge to be recognized. Biden and McConnell now openly communicated on a compromise for COVID relief and it seems to be working. Trump will continue to protest, but so what.

• Mitch McConnell Recognizes President-Elect Biden’s Victory In Election
• COVID-19 relief package deal on horizon
• When Will It End?

Vaccines Cometh

It was reported that the FDA said that will soon approve the Pfizer vaccine and it should be in people's arms early next week. Not surprisingly, Trump took credit even though he had nothing to do with the development of the technology which made it possible to develop the vaccines so quickly. Trump also said that the USA will get first dibs. So low risk Americans will have access to the vaccine before high risk people of poor countries, particularly in Africa. However, the Africans may not be as bad off as we once thought. They have managed the virus quite well and a cheaper vaccine is on the way. The real people at risk are the Americans who are suffering, in spite of their wealth, because of incompetent leadership.

• President Donald Trump holds event to celebrate Covid-19 vaccine
• Can Scientists Use RNA to Create a Coronavirus Vaccine?
• AstraZeneca Says Its Covid-19 Vaccine Is Highly Effective
• How Africa Is Leading the World in Corona Response