Are glasses the new masks? Plus: Capitol attack hearings insightful. Suddenly, economy's good.

By Gary Abernathy

New covid plea, ‘Just wear the d--- glasses?’

From the “You Can’t Make This Up” department, a recent study suggests that people who wear glasses are less likely to get covid-19. Is that because better eyesight helps you see the virus coming? Not exactly.

”Researchers in India suggest that individuals who wear glasses are less likely to rub their eyes and, therefore, are less at risk from the virus entering the body, the Independent reports. A person can be infected by the coronavirus by touching their eyes, nose or mouth after coming in contact with a person who is already infected with the virus,” iHeartRadio shares.

Recovering from our national covid obsession makes good angles harder to find, but people are obviously still trying. Will this become like masks, with glasses wearers versus glasses resisters? We can already hear exasperated government officials yelling, “Just wear the d--- glasses!”

On a more serious note, we’re seeing a lot of stories this week about covid deaths surpassing the 500,000 mark. Every death is tragic, whether from covid, cancer, heart disease, auto accidents or old age. People have died of covid, but we know the total numbers that are widely reported are skewed by how covid deaths are defined. As mentioned before, people who die “with covid” are generally counted as covid deaths, even when something else was actually to blame. But most stories don’t mention that fact.

Hearings on Capitol attack will show plenty of blame

Ongoing hearings focused on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are revealing that there were prior warnings that should have resulted in more security in place. While former President Trump will always bear some level of responsibility for what happened, it’s going to become clear that other officials like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dropped the ball in making sure the Capitol was more protected.

The Washington Post reports, “An FBI warning of potential violence reached the U.S. Capitol Police on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack, but top leaders testified during a Senate hearing Tuesday that they did not see it.”

The story of how the Capitol was breached will reach much further than originally believed.

Trump’s gone? Then it’s okay to predict a good economy

Contrary to almost all media stories during the 2020 presidential campaign, reports now indicate that the U.S. economy is revving up and about to be in full swing.

USA Today reports today that “growth is expanding briskly and the economy is projected to boom this year as pandemic-related restrictions ease. Some economists even predict that by late 2021 and throughout 2022, the nation’s gross domestic output will be larger than it would have been if the pandemic hadn’t occurred.”

It’s fascinating to go back and read the differing tone of stories on the economy with Donald Trump in office versus with Joe Biden in office, with virtually nothing else having changed.

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