Pandemic, Week 46 (The Razor's Edge)

This week the Senate resolved its power-sharing agreement when two Democrats reiterated their refusal to end the filibuster.  Mitch McConnell and 44 other republicans voted to scrap Trump's impeachment trial, claiming it was unconstitutional to impeach a former president, despite having delayed the trial until his term ended. Meanwhile, five of Trump's defense lawyers quit a little over a week before the trial is set to begin. Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was confirmed as the first female Treasury Secretary. President Biden reversed the ban of transgender people serving in the armed forces. Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill for DC Statehood. After an online Reddit forum flagged that GameStop stock was being shorted by a hedge fund, share prices increased by more than 400 percent, bankrupting the hedge fund and resulting in online trading platforms restricting trading of GameStop shares and calls for the SEC to address market manipulation. Protests erupted in Russia after the arrest of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Cloris Leachman and Cicely Tyson both died.

The world reached 103.1 million COVID cases and 2.2 million deaths this week of which the U.S. accounted for 26.7 million of the cases and 450,000 of the deaths. Johnson & Johnson announced their single-shot vaccine was 66 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19. DC started vaccinating teachers as it begins reopening for in-person learning next week (our kids are staying virtual). Budweiser announced that in lieu of advertisements, it would use airtime during the Superbowl to broadcast a 90-second spot on COVID vaccine awareness. California has reversed its stay-at-home order. Meanwhile, rioting broke out in the Netherlands after the government imposed a national curfew.

We got back to work (though we can't physically get to work with all of the added security measures). Allen was appointed to the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases. He cut hair. He did taxes. I reposted all the research that the last administration removed from the agency's website. The kids finished their first full semester of social distancing. Nora crafted key chains for her BFFs. Owen started back with the Earth Treks climbing team. 

It felt good to occupy ourselves in a productive way, even though the city is still occupied by National Guardsman and arrests continue to be made of insurrectionist, including one 71-year old found by the Rayburn House Office Building with 20-rounds of ammunition. Someday, maybe we'll get to venture out again too.  

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 45 (Welcoming #46)

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. became the 46th President of the United States this week. It was a different kind of inauguration – with a lot more National Guard due to the recent insurrection, and a lot fewer people due to the same (plus COVID). The outgoing president declined to attend and instead left the city at 8:00 in the morning, as DC collectively sighed in relief. Attendees were more spaced which made it easier to make individuals out (and resulted in a flurry of memes involving Bernie Sanders). The traditional crowd of observers were replaced with American flags and beacons of light. The speeches were shorter, which made them seem all the weightier. In his 20 minute speech, Biden spoke about unity and civility, but he also reprimanded those that would not defend truth. He called for tolerance and humility, and he reminded the masses that,

here's the thing about life: There's no accounting for what fate will deal you. There are some days when we need a hand. There are other days when we're called on to lend one. That's how it has to be. That's what we do for one another. And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.

There was the swearing in of the first female Vice President, Kamala Harris by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. There was a moment of silence for the 400,000 Americans that had died of COVID.  There was the performance of the stirring poem, The Hill We Climb, written by Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, after the mob stormed the Capitol just two weeks before. And there was much rejoicing (and a crazy amount of fireworks).

On his first day, President Biden signed Executive Orders to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, rejoin the World Health Organization (with Dr. Anthony Fauci as the representative), cancel the Keystone Pipeline, include non-citizens in the Census, end the Muslim ban, and extend a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures as well as pause student loan payments and interest. The next day he issued one to ensure protections against discrimination for gay and transgendered people in schools, healthcare, and the workplace.

Meanwhile, during the week of the anniversary of the first reported COVID case in the U.S., the world reached 99.3 million COVID cases and 2.1 million deaths this week. The total number of U.S. cases hit 25.6 million with 428,000 death. The new Biden Administration discovered they inherited from their predecessor a non-existent COVID vaccine distribution plan. Despite this, the U.S. has finally started doling out 1.1 million doses of the vaccine per day.

We spent the week at the beach with the Telfair-Chas, after deciding we all needed a psychic break and a little distance from everything that was happening at home. The first part of the week was spent exploring Jockey's Ridge and Pea Island with some hot-tubbing and polar bear plunges (as well as cocktails for good measure) thrown in. There was baking, long walks on the beach and general merriment. On Wednesday, we watched and celebrated the peaceful transfer of power (in a not entirely "peaceful" manner).  By Thursday we were back to work and school, with a renewed sense of purpose (and a lot to do). Then on Saturday we drove back to DC as they removed most of the fences and barricades that the week had required.

And while we're not completely back to normal here, it feels like something like normal is finally possible. And just maybe, something even better.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 44 (Waiting to Exhale)

This week, the House impeached Trump for the second time, with 10 Republicans, including the Conference Chair, Lynn Cheney, voting for impeachment. The Senate will not schedule a vote on removal until after Biden has been inaugurated. Three members contracted COVID after they had to shelter-in-place with other members that refused to don masks. A Capitol Police Officer committed suicide following the insurrection. GAO and the IG of the Capitol Police are opening investigations as to whether any members were complicit in the mob attack. Up to 25,000 National Guardsmen are to be deployed in DC due to additional threats of violence during the transfer of power. In addition to the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the National Mall have been fenced off and closed to visitors. Streets within four blocks of the Capitol are closed to traffic and residents of the cordoned off streets require proof to enter the area. Four bridges between DC and Virginia have been closed. Airbnb has cancelled all reservations in the DC metro area. 14 Metro stations will be closed. Members of Congress are now required to go through metal detectors in order to enter the House Floor (multiple members have ignored the mandate). Twitter blocked 70,000 QAnon accounts resulting in conservatives leaders complaining about lost followers. Parler, the social media site used to plan much of the insurrection, has been effectively banned, with Amazon refusing to host its website and Apple and Google removing the app from their app stores.

In other news, the former Governor of Michigan and eight others are criminally charged for the Flint water crisis. New England Patriots' Coach Bill Belichick declined to receive from Trump the Presidential Medal of Freedom. President-elect Biden revealed his $1.9 trillion Covid relief package. The NRA declared bankruptcy. Alabama beat Ohio State for the National Championship.

There have been 95.0 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and over 2.0 million deaths. This week the U.S. reached 24.3 million cases and 405,000 deaths. The more contagious strain of COVID has reached the DC area, resulting in a spike in cases.

And Grandpa Fawcett got his first round of the vaccine.

For the last week we've essentially been living in a war zone without many bright spots in these dark, dark days. But on Monday, Allen somehow managed to schedule a vaccine appointment for John, and by 2:30 that afternoon, he'd had his first inoculation. John's not immune (yet) and he still needs the second shot, but it's a relief that in a month he'll be fully vaccinated.

But in the meantime, we thought it best to leave town before then next incursion starts...

Pandemic, Week 43 (So this is the new year...)

I'm not really sure where to begin. On Sunday of this week, the Washington Post released a transcript of an hour-long phone call between Trump and Georgia election officials where he asked them "to find 11,780 votes" and suggested that if they didn't find ballots that Trump (erroneously) claimed had been destroyed, they would be subject to criminal investigations. The phone call was recorded by Georgia officials because, "Lindsey Graham asked us to throw out legally cast ballots... So yeah, after that call we decided maybe we should [record Trump's call]."

Monday Trump headed to Georgia for a final rally before the state's run-off election where he reiterated false election claims and questioned the trust worthiness of Georgia's election officials. The following day, Georgia elected Democrats Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, resulting in Democrats gaining control of the Senate.

On Wednesday, both the House and Senate convened to certify the electoral vote count, while Trump supporters gathered on the National Mall, ostensibly to protest the results. Trump addressed them from the White House, calling the election results an egregious assault on democracy, noting, "You will never take back our country with weakness," and urging the crowd to "walk down to the Capitol" and protest the "stolen election." So they did. During debate regarding the validity of Arizona's election results prompted by nine Senators and more than 50 Representatives challenging their electoral votes, a mob formed on the steps of the Capitol. By 2 pm they had broken through the barricades and forced their way inside the building (with perhaps less resistance from Capitol Police than you would imagine). The Confederate flag was waved in the Capitol halls. Tear gas was released in the Capitol Rotunda. Shots were fired. A gallows was erected in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The Vice President (who was overseeing certification) was whisked away by Secret Service while rioters chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!" Members of Congress were taken to a safe location while the insurrectionist took over the House floor and Speaker Pelosi's office. The National Guard was eventually sent in (DC Mayor Muriel Bowser requested their presence earlier, but because DC isn't a state, the Defense Department had to approve the request, and their approval was delayed). Pipe bombs and a cooler of Molotov cocktails were found (and safely detonated) at the Capitol complex, the RNC and the DNC. Around 6 pm, the mob was escorted out of the building, just as a curfew for the city was set to begin.

Five people died, including one police officer. 55 officers were injured. 68 people were arrested. Congress reconvened where they continued to debate the legitimacy of the election results (though a few members did change their position after the events of the day, 147 members still voted to overturn the election) until finally certifying Biden's Electoral College victory around 4 am. Trump's Twitter and Facebook accounts were suspended for the remainder of his term. A seven foot, non-scalable fence surrounding the Capitol has been erected. Secretary of Transportation (and Mitch McConnell's spouse) Elaine Chao resigned; so did Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Senator Josh Hawley lost his book deal. The FBI set up a "tip line" to help identify the rioters which included state legislators and the police. After Mike Pence refused to call for the 25th Amendment, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler called for Articles of Impeachment to bypass his committee and go directly to the House floor. Trump finally conceded his election loss.

And all the while, COVID raged on. The world hit 90.1 million COVID cases and 1.9 million deaths. The U.S. reached 22.7 million cases (including Congressman Jake LaTurner, who received his results after he voted on the House floor) and 381,000 deaths – including more than 4,000 people that died on Thursday alone. 6.7 million people in the U.S. have received at least an initial dose of the vaccine, far less than the official goal of 20 million by the end of 2020.

We stayed home. The kids started back virtual learning. Allen and I worked while watching coverage of the attempted coup. And we were all very, very sad at what an irrational mob was doing blocks from our house to an institution we hold dear, one week into 2021.

Pandemic, Week 42 (Good Riddance, 2020)

This week Congress overrode Trump's veto on the Defense Bill.  Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced that $600 Covid Relief would begin to go out this week, while Senate Democrats attempted to force a vote on a House bill (which had passed with a 2/3 majority) to increase the payments to $2,000 (as requested by Trump). Mitch McConnell blocked all attempts for a vote. A federal judge threw out Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert's lawsuit seeking to allow Mike Pence to interfere with the Electoral College count by excluding certain states (Pence had independently requested the judge to reject the case). Meanwhile, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has vowed to object to the Electoral Count which will result in each member of Congress having to vote as to whether Joe Biden is the legitimate President. 11 other Senators have vowed to join him and request a 10-day audit.

The world reached 85.0 million Covid cases this week and 1.8 million deaths as the U.S. hit 20.9 million cases and 359,000 deaths. A pharmacist from the Milwaukee area was arrested after intentionally leaving out the equivalent of over 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine in order to render them ineffective. Newly elected Rep. Luke Letlow from Louisiana died of COVID. He was 41 years old.

We spent the week recovering from our Christmas celebrations (while opening a few more presents) and saying farewell to the year that must not be named. We reconvened our bubble (plus Lee) at Katherine and Lees to celebrate the official passing of time. Per usual, there were a lot of games (Owen won the point total but we decided the prize was better suited to Lee), crowdsourcing of a gingerbread house competition, a socially distant visit from Billy (which turned into a PSA for pitbull adoption), food, and adult beverages. But in the waning minutes of 2020, Katherine asked us all to reflect on the year. We talked about all that had passed – illness, death, police brutality, systemic racism, the rejection of science, and the politicizing of seemingly everything. But we also talked about what we hoped to strive for going forward. Katherine asked for everyone to share one word they wanted to focus on in the next year and then commemorated the words on bracelets. We collectively came up with hugs, peace, love, forgive, health, Afrocentric, reach, imagine, better, slow and open.

And then we welcomed 2021 (and bludgeoned our metaphorical 2020 stand-in).

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)