politicnewsbusterinsiderpostreview: Politicians pay tribute to Harry Reid, a giant of the Senate

By Liza Hearon

Wednesday, Dec. 29

POLITICIANS PAY TRIBUTE TO HARRY REID Harry Reid, who rose from extreme poverty to become one of the most powerful figures in the Democratic Party, has died at age 82 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Barack Obama, who was president while Reid was Senate majority leader, released a letter that was shared with Reid in his last days. "I wouldn't have been president had it not been for your encouragement and support, and I wouldn't have got most of what I got done without your skill and determination," Obama wrote. Tributes came in from both sides of the aisle and spanned generations. [HuffPost]

CLIMATE DISASTERS USHER IN HORRIFIC NEW NORMAL Over the past year, we've seen the hottest July ever recorded on the planet (again), the largest ever single wildfire in California history (again), and deadly hurricanes and flooding along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coasts (again). Here's a look at some of the year's worst disasters and what they mean for the future. [HuffPost]

WHITE HOUSE, JAN. 6 COMMITTEE AGREE TO SHIELD SOME DOCUMENTS The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol has agreed to defer its attempt to get hundreds of pages of records from the Trump administration, holding off at the request of the Biden White House. The Biden administration is concerned that releasing all the Trump-era documents sought by the committee could compromise national security and executive privilege. [AP]

FLU MAKES A COMEBACK Last year's flu season in the U.S. was the lowest on record, likely because COVID-19 measures prevented its spread. But this year's flu season has arrived on schedule, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported. [AP]

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NFL LEGEND JOHN MADDEN DIES AT 85 John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the NFL said. Madden was a household name for years with his work as a television broadcaster, pitchman and as the face of the "Madden NFL Football" video game. [AP]

DENVER GUNMAN TARGETED SOME VICTIMS, POLICE SAY A gunman who went on a shooting rampage in several locations around the Denver area, killing five people and wounding two others, targeted his victims based on previous personal and business dealings, authorities said. Lyndon James McLeod, 47, was also killed Monday night after he shot a police officer who confronted him in a busy shopping district in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. [AP]

MOM OF TEEN SHOT BY LA POLICE: SHE 'DIED IN MY ARMS' Valentina Orellana-Peralta was shopping for Christmas clothes last week with her mother when the pair heard screams and hid in a dressing room, where the 14-year-old was fatally shot by Los Angeles police after an officer fired a rifle at a suspect and a bullet pierced the wall. Her family stood outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on Tuesday to call for justice and remember their daughter. [AP ]

JUDGE REFUSES TO DISMISS ALLEGED PROUD BOYS LEADERS' CHARGES A federal judge refused to dismiss an indictment charging four alleged leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to attack the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's electoral victory. The judge rejected defense attorneys' arguments that the four men are charged with conduct that is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech. [AP]

DR. OZ, WIFE'S CHAT ABOUT 'F**CKING GIRL REPORTER' OVERHEARD BY SAID REPORTER Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, and his wife raged about a "girl reporter" in a profanity-laced conversation overheard by Olivia Nuzzi, the "girl reporter" about whom they were complaining. Oz has spent years promoting potentially dangerous and questionable practices on "The Dr. Oz Show." [HuffPost]