*** REGIONAL NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

+ KING-5 TV: Gov. Inslee signs bill to delay long-term care tax until 2023

+ Airliner Watch: Relatives of 737 MAX crash victims want to re-open a settlement that protected the manufacturer from criminal prosecution

+ JOLT News: Timberland Regional Library (TRL) prioritizes staff and patron safety

*** NATIONAL NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

Daily Kos: Far-right extremists plotting to take down power grids in order to ‘cause chaos,’ DHS warns

The Washington Post via Yahoo! News: The IRS wants to scan your face – Starting this summer, you’ll need to provide a video of your face to access the agency’s website. It’s a major expansion of the use of facial recognition software by the government.

The Washington Post: Biden outpaces Trump in issuing drilling permits on public lands – The widening gulf between the president’s policies on oil, gas and coal extraction and his initial promises has raised questions about his climate goals

*** VIRUS NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

AP News: COVID-19 vaccine booster drive is faltering in the US

Axios: It’s very difficult to get access to antiviral COVID treatments

Newsweek: Scolding the Unvaccinated Left Biden Unprepared for Omicron – “supposedly non-partisan public health agencies, such as the CDC, NIH and FDA, have become thoroughly politicized and have repeatedly downplayed or ignored data that contradict the White House narrative.”

The Defender: ‘Tide Is Turning’: Several EU Countries Scrap COVID Restrictions – they announced plans to ditch COVID restrictions, including masks, quarantine rules and capacity restrictions at indoor venues.

ABC News: Austria will end its lockdown for unvaccinated residents next Monday — one day before a COVID-19 vaccine mandate takes effect in the country

The Defender: Numerous studies conclude COVID vaccines protect people after the second dose, but those conclusions are based on data that excludes data on infection rates in people during the two-week period after vaccination. “Obviously, this is flawed.”

FOX News: Canadian ‘freedom’ truckers massive vaccine mandate protest convoy may smash world record – Justin Trudeau called participants of the protest a ‘small fringe minority’

The Defender: COVID Vaccines Causing Miscarriages, Cancer and Neurological Disorders Among Military, DOD Data Show – Attorney Thomas Renz on Monday told a panel of experts that data provided to him by three whistleblowers show COVID-19 vaccines are causing catastrophic harm to members of the U.S. military.

*** TRUMP NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

People: New Filings Shed Light on How Much Money Donald Trump Really Has in the Bank – “In 2020, Forbes estimated that Trump had about $93 million in cash, which is interesting because as recently as 2015, he told Forbes he had $793 million in cash—which is probably just a rounding error of $700 million.”

The Hill: McConnell aims to sidestep GOP drama over Trump

Truthout: Trump, While Golfing, Describes Himself as “45th and 47th” President