THE BIG STORY

Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue plan

“There is real pain overwhelming the real economy,” President-elect Joe Biden said in a speech on Thursday, outlining his plan for America’s recovery.

It’s an ambitious rescue plan. Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion package, with economic and public health measures that include $1,400 checks for Americans, extended unemployment benefits, expanded daycare, and hiring 100,000 new public health workers.

The plan calls for sheltering workers, state and local governments, and businesses until an accelerated vaccination and testing program allows for schools and the economy to emerge from the surging pandemic

This dimension is a reversal from frequent complaints by the Trump administration that lockdowns and other public health measures hurt businesses.

Biden also called for raising the minimum wage to $15, additional infrastructure spending, and increased taxes on the wealthy, in a preview of his program for his presidency.

Jim Watson / Getty Images

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Some Black officers say their departments ignored their white colleagues’ radicalization

Police departments across the US face a growing problem, one that was made more pronounced by the storming of the Capitol last week: Many officers do not accept the political process that awarded Joe Biden the presidency.

Some officers even hold the belief that their duty to protect and serve extends to helping overturn the outcome of the election.

For those who have been warning about heightening radicalization among the country’s law enforcement ranks, the fact that off-duty cops traveled to DC to protest a free and fair election alongside white nationalist groups was just an elevation of an already-existing problem.

They say the departments should have seen the radicalization coming and done more to stop it.

SNAPSHOTS

2020 was one of the hottest years on record. Global warming is to blame. NASA found 2020 tied as the hottest on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found it came in a close second to 2016.

She believed Trump. Now she doesn’t believe in America. Sandra is a nursing home staffer, a widow, and a Trump supporter deep in the right-wing news vortex. Trump and the Republican Party's claims of election fraud have left her hopeless.

Biden promised to stop all deportations for 100 days after taking office. Activists are holding him to it. Biden is facing pressure from immigrant rights groups to make good on his campaign promise to pause all deportations as soon as he takes office.

An ex-firefighter was arrested for throwing a fire extinguisher at police during the Capitol riot. The former firefighter, and a man who carried a Confederate flag through the halls of Congress, were charged as authorities continue to pursue dozens of insurrectionists.

A man charged with threatening to kill Nancy Pelosi will be kept in custody while his case is pending. The defendant brought multiple firearms to Washington but arrived too late in the day to join the Capitol insurrection, according to charging papers.

BODY WEEK 2021

Two Body Week pieces you need to read

Why does everyone on Instagram suddenly have the same smile? Michael Blackmon wrote about the ascendance of dental veneers among influencers, and the obsession with straight white teeth: “We are using much whiter teeth today. The white colors we have today didn’t even exist 20, 25 years ago.”

I don’t want butt injections, so I tried the Brazilian butt lift leggings. Scaachi Koul wrote about how the world is burning in almost every way possible, “and what better time for me to fixate on my relatively mediocre donk”. From the piece: “If I can’t exercise my way to unattainable perfection, and if I don’t feel like getting a bunch of needles stuck into my ass, then why not buy some magic pants to trick everyone’s eyes, including my own?”

TAKE A BREATHER

Unwind with these longreads this weekend

I keep getting tattoos because nothing matters. Shannon Keating wrote about how tattoos are a reminder, when nearly everything else is out of your control, that your body is your own to do with what you will.

Does Shawn Mendes know who he is? This one’s from me. As a chart-topper, Shawn Mendes can’t miss. Now, he’s trying to become more than a vaguely likable pop star. Will it work?

Our list of 2021’s most highly-anticipated books is out. A Chicago crime cover-up; a metaphysical mystery; new releases from Colson Whitehead, Kazuo Ishiguro, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Melissa Broder; and so much more. Here’s what to look out for.

Be intentional about how you prioritize your mental health today,

Elamin