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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Impressive displays of courage: “The funeral of Alexei Navalny on Friday almost did not happen at all. But thousands ultimately turned out — braving the snow, heavy security and weeks of Kremlin efforts to derail the event — so that they could pay their respects to the man who challenged President Vladimir Putin with a vision for a democratic Russia. Bearing flowers, candles and placards, the crowd chanted Navalny’s name as his body was first delivered to a church in southern Moscow for a brief funeral and then to a nearby cemetery.”
* In Gaza: “President Joe Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will drop food aid into the Gaza Strip, noting that the humanitarian aid flowing into the region for Palestinians is insufficient.”
* A big development for reproductive health: “CVS and Walgreens will start selling the abortion pill mifepristone this month at certain pharmacy locations in states where it is legal to do so, spokespeople for the companies told CNBC on Friday.”
* The latest Jan. 6 guilty plea: “A Texas man has pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers during the breach of the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the Justice Department on Thursday. Court documents state that Brian Scott Jackson threw a flagpole with an attached American flag at the police line at the tunnel of the Capitol.”
* In related news: “The former lead singer of a David Bowie tribute band who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, licensed his footage to media outlets, and now works as a writer for Glenn Beck’s “The Blaze” website has been arrested on misdemeanor Capitol attack charges after turning himself into federal authorities in Texas.”
* Covid guidelines: “People who test positive for Covid no longer need to isolate for five days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The CDC’s new guidance now matches public health advice for flu and other respiratory illnesses: Stay home when you’re sick, but return to school or work once you’re feeling better and you’ve been without a fever for 24 hours.”
* The benefits of immigration: “The U.S. economic recovery from the pandemic has been stronger and more durable than many experts had expected, and a rebound in immigration is a big reason. A resumption in visa processing in 2021 and 2022 jump-started employment, allowing foreign-born workers to fill some holes in the labor force that persisted across industries and locations after the pandemic shutdowns. Immigrants also address a longer-term need: replenishing the work force, a key to meeting labor demands as birthrates decline and older people retire.”
Have a safe weekend.