The Hill Articles: December 7, 2021

Tokyo plans to recognize same-sex marriage starting next year Pastor plans to camp outside for three months to raise money for Chicago child center Schumer tees up key Thursday vote on debt deal House passes $768B defense policy bill South Korea breaks daily COVID-19 record with over 7K cases House approves bill to ease passage of debt limit hike Environmental groups sue FDA over hormone-disrupting phthalates Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Embarrassment’ that Boebert punishment is delayed Senate rejects attempt to block Biden’s Saudi arms sale South Dakota governor proposes spending $1B on infrastructure, state employee raises Senators to grill Instagram chief over platform’s effect on children Biden tries to tamp down tensions with Putin call Crenshaw slams House Freedom Caucus members as ‘grifters,’ ‘performance artists’ Chile legalizes same-sex marriage as major election draws near Manchin warns about inflation as Democrats pursue Biden spending bill Senate confirms Biden’s nominee to lead Customs and Border Protection Overnight Energy & Environment — Presented by ExxonMobil — Biden may get reprieve with gas price drop Authorities launch probe after ex-New Orleans Saints player dies in police custody Australia joins US in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics Ben Affleck: Republicans ‘want to dodge the consequences for their actions’ through gerrymandering Overnight Health Care — Biden mandate faces Dem resistance Boris Johnson under fire after video shows staff joking about Christmas party amid COVID-19 restrictions On The Money — Schumer, McConnell clear path to debt deal Biden’s EV tax credit expansion: Handouts for what automakers are already doing French Open director resigns, citing communication issues with tennis federation Overnight Defense & National Security — Lawmakers clinch deal on defense bill Hillicon Valley — Presented by Connected Commerce Council — Incident reporting language left out of package Batya Ungar-Sargon: Unvaccinated COVID-19 deaths are ‘protest’ against the elite Gender neutral restroom signs posted at Chicago public schools Nick Cannon announces death of 5-month-old son McConnell faces GOP pushback on debt deal Climate can’t wait: Biden must use his power to end new fossil fuel leasing SEC watchdog kept on job despite ‘serious misconduct’: Reuters White House ‘strongly opposes’ Senate resolution to stop Saudi arms sale ‘The president was in danger of dying,’ medical expert says after latest revelations about Trump Biden’s ‘Democracy Summit’ meets the African paradox First study of omicron shows Pfizer vaccine may be less effective ‘Remain in Mexico’ opens old wounds among immigration advocates Apple chief signed $275B deal to placate China: report Airlines defend delays, cancellations amid scrutiny from Congress The deadly consequences of emboldening criminals and undermining police Picasso drawing, more art donated to Boston College Biden Supreme Court study panel unanimously approves final report Exporting gas means higher monthly energy bills for American families Statue of Confederate general, KKK leader removed in Nashville Judge dismisses Rose McGowan lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein The pandemic weighs heavy on the minds of Gen Z Equilibrium/Sustainability — Volcanic eruption triggered by heavy rains Texas school district pulls 400 books from libraries after state GOP lawmaker’s inquiry HarperCollins drops plans to release Chris Cuomo’s book Senators turn up the heat on Amazon, data brokers during hearing Logo of NFL’s controversial Washington Football Team reclaimed to use as symbol for Native Americans Nunes resignation sets off GOP scramble on Ways and Means European Commission looks to criminalize hate speech and violence Almost half in new poll expect economy to get worse in next year Stabenow calls for expansion of school mental health services EPA proposes lowering past blending requirements for gasoline, rejecting waivers Language requiring companies to report cyberattacks left out of defense bill Help your pet live their best life with big savings on this DNA and Allergy test kit bundle White House: Biden would veto GOP resolution to nix vaccine mandate IOC president: Wrong to expect Olympics to ‘fundamentally change’ a country Biden’s pick for bank watchdog pulls out after GOP accusations of communism Powell and Biden ought to mimic Volcker and Reagan’s inflation solution Family of transgender woman who died in a Georgia men’s prison awarded multimillion-dollar settlement Jan. 6 panel threatens Meadows with contempt Second Senate Democrat to back vote against Biden vaccine mandate ‘Rust’ armorer’s father says he’s ‘not worried’ about investigation into fatal shooting Striking Kellogg workers reject contract proposal Players on America’s top high school football team broke student’s jaw in planned attack, lawsuit alleges Biden to attend services for Bob Dole Texas lawmaker appointed vice chair of House Hispanic Republican group Edie Falco join PETA in pitching animal experimentation reforms The most mispronounced words of 2021 No one serves alone: The impact of military service on children Watchdog says Capitol Police have not made enough improvements since Jan. 6 Charlottesville Robert E. Lee statue to be melted down to create ‘art that will reflect racial justice’ Nick Cannon announces death of 5-month-old son Pfizer CEO says omicron appears milder, but could lead to more mutations Jussie Smollett calls attackers ‘liars,’ defense rests McConnell ‘confident’ 10 GOP senators will back debt deal Biden to speak Thursday with Ukrainian president after call with Putin After Afghanistan, US forces are ill-prepared for electronic warfare elsewhere Biden may get reprieve with gas prices projected to drop Afghan evacuation ‘arbitrary and dysfunctional,’ British whistleblower testifies 50 percent back Biden vaccine mandate for companies: survey Fixing failure: Creating safer communities by designing safer roads State rep proposes unvaccinated in Illinois pay out of pocket for coronavirus care Lawmakers reach compromise on annual defense policy bill NBA: Unvaccinated players that travel to Canada won’t be able to reenter US Baltimore paying vaccinated city workers $1,000 What America’s Thinking: December 7, 2021 CEO who fired 900 employees on Zoom received massive investment just days before Ex-Bush strategist Matthew Dowd drops bid for lieutenant governor in Texas Travis Scott seeking dismissal from Astroworld suits Utilities announce collaborative electric vehicle charging network Rubio calls on Airbnb to delist some properties in China’s Xinjiang region Biden administration eying evacuation options for US citizens in Ukraine if Russia invades: report It shouldn’t be this hard to grow old in America  Greenhouse gas emissions closely correlated with income: study Wisconsin’s new bills to prevent future rape kit backlog Workout at your desk with this awesome DeskCycle, now 20% off on Amazon Trump considered withdrawing Kavanaugh nomination over beer comments, being ‘too apologetic’: Meadows book Judge halts Biden vaccine mandate for federal contractors nationwide Fauci: Omicron appears to be less severe Can GM increase electric vehicle production 2800 percent in four years? Florida removes anti-bullying webpage after complaints over inclusion of LGBTQ+ resources Third Maxwell accuser says Epstein abused her when she was 14 Watch Live: Schumer press conference Watch live: Senate GOP leaders hold press conference Montana pushing to end federal protections for some grizzly bears George Orwell’s estate approves retelling ‘1984’ from woman’s point of view Best high-end wireless headphones Nine African countries reporting omicron cases amid travel bans Elon Musk: Declining birth rate one of ‘biggest’ threats to civilization New York City Council expected to vote on measure to give noncitizens voting rights Senate GOP predicts it’ll have 10 votes for debt deal A new global naval arms race is underway Democrats offer bill to raise debt ceiling, avoid filibuster First Amendment group calls on Rep. Massie to unblock critics on Twitter Should stablecoins be regulated like banks, exchange-traded funds, or both? New chart shows how fast a computer can crack your exact password — and simple tweaks to protect it White House press briefing Senate confirms FCC’s Rosenworcel to another term Share of global wealth held by billionaires climbs during pandemic Wall Street Journal launching new internal polling operation Big raises for workers in store for 2022 Biden warns Putin against invasion of Ukraine Michigan AG ‘disappointed’ district declined offer to review shooting Reporter who tweeted vaccine conspiracy theory out at Newsmax The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden discusses Ukraine with Putin Watch live: Navy commemorates 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Google files lawsuit against Russian hackers as part of disrupting botnet Investments in clean energy are the ideal response to high fossil fuel costs Harris talks maternal health with Olympian Allyson Felix Provision requiring women to register for draft stripped from defense bill Poll: Half of voters for tightened restrictions if COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in their area California officials determine cause of city’s ‘stench of death’ Elon Musk on Biden’s infrastructure plan: ‘just can this whole bill’ Tourists are bringing invasive species to the world’s largest remaining wilderness Judge sets July trial date in Bannon case Fixing Facebook is not enough Warren knocks Hertz for stock buyback while rental rates rise UAE shifting to 4 1/2-day work week next year Your Place in the Metaverse Masks, vaccines and critical race theory don’t harm children — guns do As Democracy Summit approaches, Biden must make the Freedom to Vote Act his priority Amazon Web Services goes down, taking huge parts of internet offline Suspect in Khashoggi murder arrested Amazon delivery driver pretends to be preacher to avoid suspicious husband Treasury rules would crack down on anonymous shell companies Toyota chooses North Carolina for $1.3B battery manufacturing plant WHO strongly advises against convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients Rittenhouse tells podcast host killings ‘nothing to be congratulated about’ German lawmakers to debate vaccine mandate for health care workers Yamiche Alcindor joining NBC News as Washington correspondent Google, Uber push back returns to office Plant-based coronavirus vaccine shows ‘positive efficacy and safety results,’ developers say Meadows reverses, won’t agree to Jan. 6 panel deposition CEO of world’s largest oil producer warns of ‘rampant inflation and social unrest’ Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ banned in six Middle Eastern countries Jimmy Fallon, Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion release pro-booster ‘It Was A (Masked Christmas)’ Drivers in Chicago lost most time stuck in traffic: study Ukraine defense minister warns of ‘bloody massacre’ if Russia invades Billionaire ‘displayed rapacious appetite for plundered artifacts,’ surrenders $70M of stolen art Interpreting people’s dreams is suddenly a booming business Watch live: White House COVID-19 Response Team, health officials hold press briefing The US can’t deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine — and shouldn’t even try Rising: December 7, 2021 Biden approving oil, gas drilling permits on public lands at faster rate than Trump: analysis Amanda Gorman shares new poem on pandemic life Dave Chappelle to open Netflix comedy festival next year Hawaii governor declares state of emergency, warns of ‘disaster occurrence’ from heavy rains CIA director says US intelligence hasn’t concluded Russia will invade Ukraine To advance democracy, defend Taiwan and Ukraine Speier endorses California Democrat in race to replace her Biden to host global democracy summit Hollywood star declares he is now a ‘not-for-profit actor’ US investing $315 million in vaccine delivery for lower-income countries 7 best gifts for travelers Mixing certain COVID-19 vaccines provides better immune response: British researchers Prosecutors say they can make their case against Bannon in a day 61 percent indicate CNN was right to remove Cuomo: poll School staffing shortages can’t wait: The Biden administration is taking action Surgeon general warns of mental health challenges confronting youth 93 percent of Southwest Airlines employees vaccinated or seeking exemptions ahead of deadline 20 best stocking stuffers for new parents Watch live: Harris gives remarks on maternal health Watch live: Officials testify before House on terrorist threats Lawmakers call for investigation into proposed AT&T WarnerMedia, Discovery merger GSK: Antibody treatment has potential to work against omicron Omicron is an unwelcome but predictable lesson in the Greek alphabet 8K TVs vs. 4K TVs American Airlines CEO stepping down What’s at risk in Ukraine, and why it matters to America and its allies Fewer Republicans trust doctor’s advice: Gallup Instagram restricting content it recommends to teens WHO Europe chief: Vaccine mandates ‘absolute last resort’ Navy suspending use of WWII-era fuel storage complex above Hawaii aquifer Bidens visit WWII memorial to mark 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack CDC recommends Americans avoid travel to France, Jordan, Portugal Here’s who should (and should not) replace Chris Cuomo at CNN China: US will ‘pay the price’ for diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games Ukraine is a manageable problem — will Biden manage it? Kremlin: No breakthroughs expected at Biden-Putin talk Press: GOP freak show: Who’s in charge? Feehery: The last of the workhorses Bottom line Why are Americans remaining childless? Surprisingly, it’s not just time and money The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Uber – New vaccine mandate in NYC; Biden-Putin showdown Best secret Santa gift 8 best tech gifts for teens Democrats race to get ahead of inflation Minimum tax proposal drives wedge between corporate interests Mexico compares Biden electric car tax credits to Trump’s tariff threat Transitioning tribes to clean energy Democrats seek to avoid internal disputes over Russia and China Biden to offer warning to Putin Republicans eye gains with female voters after Virginia rout Hackers using omicron, COVID-19 phishing emails to target universities