Ukraine
I honestly don’t know what that video summit between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden was substantively supposed to accomplish. In the event, it appears that Putin got his desired optics. But he still might invade Ukraine.[1] Which kinda leaves me where I started.
Julia Ioffe, “Putin’s “Nightmare” Threat to Europe,” Puck News, December 6, 2021, https://puck.news/putins-nightmare-threat-to-europe/
Andrew Roth and Julian Borger, “US says it will send troops to eastern Europe if Russia invades Ukraine,” Guardian, December 6, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/06/us-says-it-will-send-troops-to-eastern-europe-if-russia-invades-ukraine
Peter Hartcher, “US can’t win two wars at once: Joe Biden’s worst nightmare,” Sydney Morning Herald, December 7, 2021, https://www.smh.com.au/national/us-can-t-win-two-wars-at-once-joe-biden-s-worst-nightmare-20211206-p59f4b.html
Ashley Parker, Isabelle Khurshudyan, and Seung Min Kim, “Biden, Putin discuss Ukraine in video call amid growing tensions,” Washington Post, December 7, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-putin-to-discuss-ukraine-in-video-call-amid-growing-tensions/2021/12/06/e089e36a-5707-11ec-a219-9b4ae96da3b7_story.html
Julia Ioffe, “Putin’s D.C Masterplan,” Puck News, December 9, 2021, https://puck.news/putins-d-c-masterplan/
Pandemic
It looks like, with a booster, less so without, the Pfizer vaccine is effective against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.[2]
Joseph Walker, “Pfizer Says Booster Is Effective Against Omicron but Variant Evades Two Doses,” Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-loses-significant-effectiveness-against-omicron-in-early-study-companies-say-11638964121
Wilkinsburg
Christine D’Antonio, “Hearing to be held on proposed annexation of Wilkinsburg by Pittsburgh,” WPXI, December 4, 2021, https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/hearing-be-held-proposed-annexation-wilkinsburg-by-pittsburgh/LWPJOELLAFCALIFV77GQW5IIUE/
Charlie Wolfson, “Pittsburgh City Council hears public comment on divisive Wilkinsburg annexation issue,” Public Source, December 4, 2021, https://www.publicsource.org/civic-briefs-wilkinsburg-pittsburgh-annexation-council-hearing/
Megan Guza, “Pittsburgh council members hear comments on possible Wilkinsburg annexation,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 5, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-council-members-hear-comments-on-possible-wilkinsburg-annexation/
- [1]Julia Ioffe, “Putin’s D.C Masterplan,” Puck News, December 9, 2021, https://puck.news/putins-d-c-masterplan/↩
- [2]Joseph Walker, “Pfizer Says Booster Is Effective Against Omicron but Variant Evades Two Doses,” Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-loses-significant-effectiveness-against-omicron-in-early-study-companies-say-11638964121↩