'BradCast' 12/16/2021 (What you need to know about Omicron; Top Dems Push Back Against Packed, Stolen SCOTUS)
On today's 'BradCast':\xa0 The CDC warns that unvaccinated people are 14 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated, and says that booster shots provide the greatest protection against the quickly spreading Omicron variant. COVID deaths are surging again in the US, almost entirely from the Delta variant, and emerging data suggest that the pace and scope of the highly transmissible Omicron will likely result in an 'explosive' surge in late December-early January in terms of numbers of infections, swamping already overwhelmed hospitals in every state. Bottom line: Get vaccinated and get boosted. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) penned a blistering op-ed calling for expanding the Republicans' 'packed,' 'stolen' and 'corrupt' Supreme Court, breaking down how Mitch McConnell has already hypocritically changed the size of the court for partisan gain. Warren makes a forthright case explaining why re-balancing the court is crucial to mitigate the threat that the corrupted, extremely partisan court supermajority will 'continue to threaten basic liberties for decades to come.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back against the rightwing Supreme Court's recent ruling allowing a blatantly unconstitutional Texas anti-abortion law to evade judicial review by allowing private citizens to enforce it. Newsom has proposed a state law using the same mechanism to allow private citizens to sue gun manufacturers and distributors. New York Attorney General Letitia James says she agrees and may follow suit. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'