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Biden hails democracy and rebukes Trump after electoral college victory
Dec 16, 2020 12:28Joe Biden delivered a sharp repudiation of Donald Trump and declared that the “will of the people had prevailed” in a speech that came shortly after the Electoral College officially confirmed his victory.
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Budget toll from virus hits both US Democratic, GOP-led states
Dec 16, 2020 12:23No “blue state bailout” is a rallying cry for many US congressional Republicans as attempts to provide more federal aid to a nation stricken by an ever-worsening coronavirus pandemic remain stuck in neutral. Yet it’s not just Democratic states asking for help amid plunging tax revenue, rising joblessness and a stuttering economy. Plenty of Republican-led states are feeling the pain, too.
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Why are some scientists turning away from brain scans?
Dec 16, 2020 12:05Researchers have realized a person’s brain scan results can differ from day to day – even under identical conditions – casting a doubt on how to document consistent patterns. With so many questions being raised, some researchers are acknowledging the scans’ limitations and working to overcome them or simply turning to other tests.
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In rare show of solidarity, 14 key nations commit to protect oceans
Dec 16, 2020 11:04When the heads of state of 14 nations sat down together in late 2018 to discuss the grim condition of the world’s oceans, there was no certainty that anything consequential would result. The leaders planned 14 gatherings, but met only twice before the pandemic upended their talks. So when the group announced recently the world’s most far-reaching pact to protect and sustain ocean health, it signaled a bit more than a noteworthy achievement in a complicated time.
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Killing of two girls stokes outrage over Brazil's horrific toll of black lives
Dec 16, 2020 10:55The shooting of two young black girls – who had between them enjoyed fewer than 11 years of life – has sparked outrage in Brazil and intensified the debate over police violence and structural racism in a country still grappling with the legacy of slavery.
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'Money for war': US arms sales soar and bipartisan militarism thrives amid COVID-19 pandemic
Dec 16, 2020 10:41US President Donald Trump on Saturday, December 5th claimed a Democratic-led Senate will "destroy the military through a lack of funding," but Congress last week passed a $740 billion Pentagon budget while Americans await economic relief.
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Trump backs herd immunity and calls millions contracting COVID “terrific”
Dec 16, 2020 10:35Promoting natural herd immunity, which Trump and others in his administration have consistently done, would undoubtedly lead to more individuals having to live with serious long-term health issues. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 15.2 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus and as of now, 286,443 individuals have died from COVID-19.
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Biden defense secretary nominee Lloyd Austin comes under fire for industry connections
Dec 15, 2020 18:15William Hartung, the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, told The Intercept that picking Austin was “tantamount to making the position of secretary of defense the ‘secretary of defense contractors.’”
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Across US and Europe, pandemic’s grip on economies tightens
Dec 13, 2020 16:45In a worrisome sign of the harm the coronavirus is inflicting in the US, the government said Thursday Dec. 10, that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped last week to 853,000 – the most since September.
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Without climate action, number of low-income homes affected by flooding projected to triple by 2050, study shows
Dec 13, 2020 16:36The New Jersey-based climate research organization Climate Central released a study showing that 7,668 houses, town homes, and apartments that are either in low-income areas or are subsidized affordable housing units are currently exposed to at least one "coastal flood risk event" per year, and that number is expected to triple by 2050 if fossil fuel emissions are not dramatically reduced in the coming years.