Thursday morning news - December 9, 2021

Biden: Military action to defend Ukraine against Russia “not on the table” » President Biden said Wednesday that he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow will face severe consequences if it invades Ukraine.

The White House has threatened sanctions. But as for military action...

BIDEN: That is not on the table. We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO allies if they were to attack under Article 5. That is a sacred obligation. That obligation does not extend to Ukraine.

But he added it would—quote—“depend upon what the rest of the NATO countries were willing to do as well.”

Tensions continue to mount with Russian troops amassed near the Ukrainian border.

NATO allies are not obligated to take up arms on Ukraine’s behalf, but they would be if Ukraine were to join the organization. Moscow wants assurances that will not happen.

Biden said he hopes to announce high level meetings between NATO allies and Russia “by Friday.”

Putin, for his part, promised that Moscow will submit its proposals for a security dialogue with the United States in a few days.

Pfizer says COVID booster offers protection against omicron » President Biden also said Tuesday that he’s encouraged by a just-released report from Pfizer.

The company said a booster of its COVID-19 vaccine appears to ramp up protection against the omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear less effective.

Biden told reporters...

BIDEN: That’s very encouraging news. That’s the lab report. That’s the lab report, there’s more study going on. But that’s very, very encouraging.

Pfizer tested blood samples taken a month after a booster and measured levels of omicron-neutralizing antibodies.

Lab tests showed that two doses may not be strong enough to prevent infection. But a booster increased antibodies 25-fold.

It found the level of protection after a booster is similar to the protection that two doses provides against earlier variants.

But Pfizer said even those fully vaccinated people who have not yet had a booster still have strong protection against severe illness.

Scientists don't yet know exactly how infectious or dangerous the omicron variant really is. Right now, the delta variant remains the biggest threat.

Allies join US in diplomatic Olympics boycott » Several U.S. allies are joining America’s diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

JOHNSON: There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. No ministers are expected to attend.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heard there on Wednesday. Canadian officials will also stay home.

Those announcements came after the Australian government said it was joining Washington in the diplomatic boycott over human rights abuses in China.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the boycott is strictly diplomatic. Australian government officials won’t attend the games…

MORRISON: Australian athletes will, though. Australia is a great sporting nation and I very much separate the issues of sport and these other political issues.

U.S. and British officials also say they have no plans to block athletes from competing in Winter Games in February.

China reacted angrily to this week’s boycott announcements, vowing to react with—quote— “firm countermeasures.”

Supreme Court hears arguments for religious schools case » The Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared ready to rule that the state of Maine cannot exclude religious schools from a voucher program that helps residents with private school tuition. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The parents of students turned away by the state argue that excluding faith-based education from the program violates their religious rights.

The court’s conservative justices seemed to agree. Justice Brett Kavanaugh called the state’s decision—quote—“discrimination on the basis of religion at the neighborhood level.”

But the court’s three liberal justices appeared more sympathetic to the state’s case. Justice Elena Kagan said Maine seemed to design its program to avoid raising “questions of religious favoritism, religious division and so forth.”

Last year, the high court ruled 5-4 that states must give religious schools the same access to public funding that other private schools receive.

But even after that ruling, an appeals court upheld Maine’s exclusion of religious schools.

The Supreme Court could use this case to more broadly resolve the extent to which religious schools may use public funding.

A decision in the case is expected in June.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

India military chief, 13 others die in helicopter crash » India’s top general and 13 others are dead after a helicopter crash on Wednesday.

Sixty-three-year-old Gen. Bipin Rawat was flying to the army defense services college along with aides and his wife when the helicopter plunged to the ground.

The crash occurred near the town of Coonoor in southern India. One officer survived. He was the only survivor.

The Indian military is investigating the incident and has not disclosed the cause of the crash.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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