| Good morning. It's Thursday, Dec. 30, and if you're stuck inside because of the omicron variant, we put together a list of ways to stay safe and sane. Here's the latest: |
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| Rapid tests may be less effective at detecting omicron. - New findings: The tests do spot the coronavirus variant but may have "reduced sensitivity," according to research from the FDA.
- What does this mean? You should still use them, experts say. Just take a negative result with a grain of salt and follow up with a PCR test if you have symptoms.
- Is this confusing? Yes. With new research daily, the CDC's changing isolation guidance and continued unknowns about omicron, risk calculations are getting much harder to make.
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| Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking girls. - A jury found her guilty on five of six charges.
- What was she accused of? Recruiting teenagers between 1994 and 2004 for her longtime paramour Jeffrey Epstein.
- What's next? Her sentencing, which doesn't have a date yet. Maxwell could face up to 65 years in prison. She's also expected to appeal.
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| Flight cancellations will probably continue to be a problem. - The situation was slightly better yesterday (only 970 flights were canceled, down from 1,200 on Tuesday), but airlines warned people to expect more.
- Why? Staffing shortages because of the coronavirus are expected to continue, even though the CDC shortened some of its isolation guidelines.
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| President Biden will talk with Russia again today. - It will be his second call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month over Russian troops gathering near the border of Ukraine.
- The background: NATO, the military alliance between the U.S. and other Western countries, is the big issue. It's been helping Ukraine, which Russia sees as a threat.
- What to expect: Putin wants to keep Ukraine from ever joining NATO and is looking for an immediate response to his demands, which Biden isn't likely to give.
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| 2021 had the most unusual job market in modern U.S. history. - What stood out: Lots of openings but not enough people willing to fill them. There are still about 3.5 million fewer people employed than before the pandemic started.
- What does this mean for 2022? Something will have to give or shortages could become a lasting part of the U.S. economy.
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| Paris plans to make the Seine swimmable by the 2024 Olympics. - The host of the next Summer Games wants to use the famous river for competitions, French officials said this month.
- The problem: Swimming has been banned since 1923, and the river was declared biologically dead in the 1960s because of pollution and waste.
- What's being done: Better wastewater treatment and other efforts mean it's already in much better shape, but there's $1 billion of work left to go.
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| Amy Schneider made more "Jeopardy!" history last night. - What happened? The contestant won her 21st game in a row, the most ever won by a woman in the show's history. She's earned $806,000 so far.
- A record-breaking run: Last week she became the woman with the most all-time earnings, and she's the first transgender contestant to make the top players' tournament.
You're all caught up. See you tomorrow. But before you go … "Succession," "You" and Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview, and more, this was the year's best TV. Plus, a list of 2021's best movies (many of which you may have missed).  (Jordan Robertson for The Post) | Do you know someone who would like this newsletter? Share it with them. Prefer push notifications? Download The Post's app to get one when The 7 publishes. |
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