There are two stories that head a list of newsworthy items, both covered by President Joe Biden in a press conference today: The purpose was to provide an advanced notice of  upcoming peace talks between Israel and the Hamas about the Gaza Strip .  He went on the air as Sabbath began in Israel.  What is noteworthy about this announcement is that the president of the United States first mentioned this process.  This was bold and rare, indicating that he probably was given the go-ahead by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who will either confirm or not this process at sunset tomorrow.  Who knows what the Hamas will say.  One more point in Biden's speech is that hinted were about the prospects of a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which will certainly not occur this year, but something to work on for the four years after relection. As an opening, he remarked on the Trump guilty verdict, reaffirming  the American principle that no one is above the ...

The news shock of the day is that   all three vigilantes were judged guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, in varying degrees .  Sentencing to come later.    Georgia has become a model transition state for Black Lives Mattering and Democracy.   This will be a peaceful Thanksgiving tomorrow. Yesterday I advocated the use of home tests to determine whether you have COVID-19 or not to make yourself safe for your Thanksgiving family gathering.  From the  New York Times  this morning: That approach is possible in other countries. In Britain, pharmacies offer free packs of seven tests that people can take at home. In Germany, rapid tests are also widely available and mostly free. In this country, the situation is different, largely because the F.D.A. has been   slow to approve the tests . The rapid tests — also known as antigen tests — are designed to tell whether you are infectious. That’s why they are such a powerful public-health tool. They can pre...