The White House gets ready to fight a new variant and the same old Republican Party, Brown University Dean of Public Health Dr. Ashish Jha discusses what we know and don’t yet know about Omicron, and actor Kal Penn stops by to chat about his new book, You Can’t Be Serious, and play another round of Take Appreciator.

Show Notes

IT’S THE PANDEMIC, STUPID

• White House: President Biden provides an update on the Omicron variant. 
• ABC: Biden addresses nation on omicron variant as some travel bans to US take effect
• Politico: Omicron raises concerns about global vaccine equity and hesitancy
• Playbook PM: ‘Dropping like flies’ 
• Playbook: Dems’ dicey decision: Punish Boebert or not? 
• CNN: Omicron variant puts world in a ‘race against time’, says EU Commission President 
• Bloomberg: Biden to Meet With CEOs of Walmart, CVS on Holiday Supply-Chain Issues 
• Politico: Dems want Biden to start swinging at Republicans. Allies aren’t sure he can. 
• Axios: ​​GOP courts anti-vaxxers with jobless aid 
• Politico: Fauci: ’I’m going to be saving lives and they’re going to be lying’
• USA Today opinion editor: The Biden burden: low approval ratings, soaring inflation and a COVID-19 culture war
• Axios: Dems fear supply-chain blame
• AP: High inflation? Low polling? White House blames the pandemic 
• NYT: The Disconnect Between Biden’s Popular Policies and His Unpopularity 
• NYT: Democrats Struggle to Energize Their Base as Frustrations Mount 
• NYT: G.O.P. Fights Covid Mandates, Then Blames Biden as Cases Rise 
• NPR: Biden hits a new low in the NPR/Marist poll as inflation concerns rise 
• Gallup: Biden Approval Ratings Mostly Underwater 

DR. JHA INTERVIEW

• CNN: Biden’s three messages about the new Omicron variant
• Science.org: ‘Patience is crucial’: Why we won’t know for weeks how dangerous Omicron is
• NYT: Covid Live Updates: W.H.O. Warns of ‘Very High’ Risk From Omicron as Questions Remain
• The Atlantic: We Know Almost Nothing About the Omicron Variant
• WSJ: Omicron Variant Has Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Preparing for Worst Case
• CNBC:  As the omicron variant spreads across the world, here’s what we know so far
• NYT: Portugal detects 13 cases of Omicron tied to a soccer team.
• NYT: China defends its zero-tolerance approach to the virus.
• BBC: New Covid variant: Will new measures against Omicron work?
• NYT: Scientists are studying whether Omicron leads to severe illness.
• Politico: What we know so far about Omicron

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