Earthquake: An earthquake with an intensity of 7.0 struck off the coast of Northern California Thursday afternoon. There also were numerous less powerful quakes. Some minor damage was reported. Although a tsunami warning was issued for parts of the California and Oregon coastlines, it was cancelled after analysts were able to determine there was no major threat. Some power outages were reported and California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency.
Anesthesia: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which provides medical insurance in New York, Connecticut and Missouri, has backed off implementing a policy that would have put limits on the length of time a patient can be under anesthesia during surgery and still be covered by its insurance. When the policy was announced there was an outcry from anesthesiologists. They said that medical experts and not insurance companies should determine how long a patient needs to be under anesthesia.
Enemies: CNN and The New York Times report that the Biden White House is considering having President Biden issue Presidential Pardons to people Donald Trump is likely to target for prosecution once he takes office. The White House also is supposed to be considering arranging legal aid for high profile people Trump has named as being on his enemies list. Trump has threatened to prosecute people such as Congressman Adam Schiff, Vice President Harris, Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey and former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
Gaetz report: House Republicans have voted to block the release of an ethics committee report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz. The Republicans killed two Democratic resolutions that would have required that the report on Gaetz be made public. Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general under the new Trump Administration. Gaetz was alleged to have engaged in sex trafficking of a minor and was accused of paying thousands of dollars to women for sex.
Lilly: Eli Lilly and Company has announced a $3 billion expansion of the Kenosha County, Wisconsin, manufacturing facility that the company acquired earlier this year. Lilly says that the expansion will help it meet the growing demand for its diabetes, obesity and other drugs. Lilly expects to add 750 jobs at the plant that currently employs just over 100. Lilly says that since 2020 it has committed more than $23 billion to construct, expand and acquire manufacturing sites worldwide.
Purdue: Donald Trump has picked former Republican Senator David Purdue to be ambassador to China under his new administration. When Purdue was running for Senate Georgia’s Democratic Party charged that Purdue had longstanding business ties to China and amassed wealth while running companies that sent U.S. jobs to China and other countries. The companies Purdue headed included Reebok, Sara Lee and Dollar General.
