*Corporate Donations Poured Into Manchin's PAC Ahead of Final 'No' on Build Back Better.*

Robert Reich: more important than whether you go to a holiday party is whether the US will get its act together so we can protect each other from Covid-19.

US citizens: call on Congress to pass the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act.

I think the specific rules described in the petition are not ideal, but I signed anyway because the overall idea is good.

The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

If you call, please spread the word!

People in Linlithgow are campaigning to preserve the name of a centuries-old pub, the Black Bitch, which refers to a female dog from a 13th-century legend.

I agree with Nidhin Chand, the resident who said, "If people want to address [racism in Linlithgow] they need to tackle real racism, not a female dog.” Her name suggest she is of Indian origin, so I would expect she has been a target of racism.

If there are people who think the pub's name is racist, whether residents or visitors, that results from ignorance — and ignorance can be corrected. For instance, the city could put up an a very visible point-of-interest placard about the legend, near the pub itself.

*After Mocking Idea, Biden Administration to Distribute 500 Million Free Covid Tests.*

You can look at the positive side: in just two weeks, they changed their mind and adopted the policy. That's pretty good flexibility.

But the first 500 million won't last long if people use them as often as they should.

These tests give a significant fraction of false negatives, so don't assume you're safe for others because you got a negative result. The real benefit of these tests is for employees who can't work from home to use them frequently, and therefore avoid going to work after a positive result.