Bloomberg - Evening Briefing - Seditious conspiracy

Charges including seditious conspiracy were filed against members of the Oath Keepers, an extremist right-wing group that took part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, part of a deadly bid by followers of Donald Trump to keep him in power after he lost reelection. Carrying a potential 20-year sentence, it’s the most serious charge yet in the sprawling criminal probe of the insurrection. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged to hold all “perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law” whether “they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.” —David E. Rovella

Bloomberg is tracking the coronavirus pandemic and the progress of global vaccination efforts.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Republican-appointed majority rejected the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s push to speed vaccinations amid an unprecedented Covid-19 infection surge, throwing out his mandate for large companies. The ruling is a victory for 26 business groups and 27 Republican-led states that challenged the policy. Three Democratic-appointed justices dissented. Only 63% of the U.S. is fully vaccinated, and of that group just 37% have received a booster, now seen as the most effective protection against severe disease. The U.S. leads the world in infection and deaths, as it has for most of the pandemic. More than 800,000 Americans have died.

The coronavirus loses most of its ability to infect shortly after being exhaled and is less likely to be contagious at longer distances, a preliminary study showed, reinforcing the notion that the virus is mainly transmitted over short distances and providing fresh support for social distancing and mask-wearing as means to curb infections. Around the world, the omicron variant is still wreaking havoc: China detected the mutation in a second major port city, deepening concern about a wider outbreak on Beijing’s doorstep; In the U.S., Biden said he will double an order of rapid tests to be sent to Americans, distribute “high quality” masks and deploy military doctors and nurses to hard-hit hospitals in six states. The current surge has dwarfed anything that’s come before in terms of new cases: On Jan. 11, there were 1.8 million confirmed infections worldwide on that day alone, and more than 5,300 deaths. There have been 312 million confirmed infections and 5.5 million deaths over the course of the crisis. Here’s the latest on the pandemic.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona on Thursday did to Biden’s effort to pass voter protection laws what West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin did to his plan to expand social safety nets and fight climate change: she effectively killed it.

Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, left, speaks with Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, before a Senate Finance Committee hearing in October.  Photographer: Rod Lamkey/CNP

Another day brings yet another strategy for investing in this uncertain market environment. Money managers are now saying sell the dollar and jump into emerging-market stocks and gold. A growing chorus of investors is betting the world’s reserve currency has reached a peak, which is interesting since only a month ago positioning in the greenback was its most bullish since 2015.

As the era of cheap money draws to an end, bondholders are no longer prepared to cut Ghana any slack. The West African nation’s dollar bonds have slumped 10% in 10 days, moving deeper into distressed territory as investors judge that re-financing debt in the Eurobond market won’t be an option when the U.S. Federal Reserve hikes rates.

Navient reached a $1.85 billion settlement with 39 states and agreed to cancel about 66,000 student loans to resolve claims that it used predatory lending practices.

It just got harder to hide from the IRS. Starting this month, users selling goods and services through such popular sites as Venmo, Etsy and Airbnb will begin receiving tax forms if they take a payment of more than $600.

• Americans say they need $128,000 annually to feel financially secure.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci discusses the possibility of omicron reinfection.
• UAE vows no Covid-19 lockdowns despite a rising omicron caseload.
• Goldman Sachs postpones return to office again, citing omicron.
• Blackstone tells U.S. staff to get booster shots or stay away.
• Arkansas looks to pay tech workers in Bitcoin if they relocate.
• German teen found a flaw that allows him to hijack Teslas.

Ramon Abbas perfected a simple internet scam that helped him launder millions of dollars, riches he went on to shamelessly flaunt on Instagram. Better known as @hushpuppi, the young Nigerian became a fixture among the global elite and fashion houses showered him with gifts. But as Bloomberg’s The Breakdown reveals, his fame would ultimately be his downfall. 

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