American

2021-02-16 21:50:08 Happy gotcha day, Larry! Larry the cat, a four-legged inhabitant of 10 Downing St. who's been in office longer than some prime ministers, marked a decade as Britain's mouse-catcher-in-chief on Monday. ⁠
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Frank Augstein, apnews Open / Comment

2021-02-16 03:19:21 Bill Gates is an optimist when it comes to climate change.⁠
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Yes, the Microsoft co-founder and global health philanthropist said, the last four years have been a wasted opportunity to combat the threat of a warming planet and U.S. leadership on the issue waned under Donald Trump.⁠
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But he also believes achieving President Joe Biden's ambitious goals of decarbonizing the energy sector by 2035 and attaining net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is within reach. That is, if clean energy storage and transmission challenges are met, next-generation nuclear power remains part of the portfolio, and the federal government ramps up investment in research and development of carbon-neutral building materials to make them far less expensive.⁠
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"My goal is to say we need a plan," Gates told USA TODAY during a recent interview. "People who think a plan is easy are wrong. People who think a plan is impossible are wrong. It's super hard and very broad, but it's doable."⁠
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#politics Open / Comment

2021-02-15 15:52:40 A Happy and safe President's Day to All!

#USA #presidentsday2021 Open / Comment

2021-02-14 00:18:02 Senate acquits former President Trump of charge he incited Capitol riot. Seven Republicans vote with Democrats to convict.⁠
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The vote ended a historic and oftentimes emotional five-day proceeding that included a graphic retelling of the events of Jan. 6. ⁠
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2021-02-13 13:03:02 For this week’s 'This is America' newsletter, social visuals producer Lokela Blanc shares an original poem about the pain, struggle and empowerment she's found from within.⁠
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"In homage to Black History Month, I wanted to share a poem about how I’ve experienced my Blackness at different points in my life, whether it be navigating it through predominantly white spaces, or feeling the need to legitimize it in predominantly Black spaces."⁠
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Blanc will be reciting her poem and speaking about its creation on USA TODAY's 5 Things podcast on Sunday.⁠ Tune in with the link in the bio.⁠
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This is America is a weekly take on current events from a rotating panel of USA TODAY Network journalists with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. Open / Comment

2021-02-13 02:43:34 Wearing a tight-fitting mask or a double mask can dramatically decrease exposure to and spread of COVID-19, a crucial defense against emerging new variations of the virus, the CDC reported Wednesday.⁠⁠
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In lab tests with dummies, exposure to potentially infectious aerosols decreased by more than 90% when tight or double masks were used, the CDC said.⁠⁠
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2021-02-12 03:50:41 In this iconic photo, Captain Thomas Garahan of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division raises an American flag that was secretly made by a local French girl from a store in Bitche, France.

The infantry division was later referred to as the "Sons of Bitche," after liberating the region in March 1945. Open / Comment

2021-02-10 14:54:16 #motivational Open / Comment

2021-02-10 02:20:35 At the end of the first day of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, the vote was 56-44 with six Republicans joining every Democrat to go forward with the trial.⁠
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The Senate wrapped up initial arguments Tuesday afternoon and is set to begin hearing evidence Wednesday in Donald Trump's impeachment trial after rebuffing arguments by the former president’s lawyers that the entire proceeding was unconstitutional and lacked due process.⁠
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Trump’s lawyers – David Schoen and Bruce Castor – contended Tuesday there is no legal justification to hold a trial for a president who is no longer in office. But senators sided with House managers prosecuting the case – as well as a wide swath of legal experts – that the Senate is bound to hold a trial considering Trump was impeached before he left office.⁠ #politics
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2021-02-09 15:32:11 It’s through plastic sheeting, but nursing homes are finding ways to let residents embrace family safely after many months of separation.

Hug tent, Stephen King, Valentine’s dining: News from around our 50 states Open / Comment