On Monday morning, the White House announced that President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners, all murderers and some multiple murderers, on federal death row. (Yes, while most death penalty cases are handled by the states, the federal government has a death row for violators of federal crimes.) Biden commuted the federal prisoners’ sentences from death to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently developed a love for having plants around my home because they add such a refreshing vibe, but I struggle to keep them alive. People remark that I don’t have a green thumb and that I should give up on this hobby, but I’m determined to prove them wrong. I’ve done a lot of research on how to care for plants, yet they always seem to wilt or lose their leaves. I’ve tried adjusting the watering schedule and moving them around, but nothing seems to work.
I’ve had the mantra “It’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year’s that counts, it’s what you eat between New Year’s and Christmas,” in my head because my husband, Peter, and I have been trying to keep our weight in check. Peter is doing it for sensible reasons. His cholesterol and blood pressure have been high. He worries he might be at risk for a stroke.
As he enters the final month of his first and only presidential term, Joe Biden is speaking to history, emphasizing the positive side of his legacy while he can still command an audience.
Editor’s Note: This is Lucy Moreno’s thoughts about the recent Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Wednesday afternoon my husband and I were the recipient of a special delivery of musical Christmas carols presented by 11 members of the Clinton High School Band at our home in Butler.
Dear Doctors: I was very interested to read your column that talked about the fat around your organs, and how when you have too much, it is bad for your health. I have also heard of something called brown fat, and that it’s actually a good thing. Can you please explain?
DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister and I have not spoken for a few months, and I’m really heartbroken over it.
Dec. 6 was a historic day. It was the first time since July 2015 – since Donald Trump entered –Americans have said they have a favorable impression of Trump than an unfavorable one. All that time, from Trump’s first Republican primary campaign to the 2016 general election to his years as president to his defeat in 2020 to his postpresidential years to his comeback in 2024 – in all that time, Trump has been underwater in the RealClearPolitics average of polls measuring favorability and unfavorability. Now, for the first time, he’s above the water, in positive poll territory.