By ANNE GEARAN | The Washington Post | Published: December 30, 2020 Mohammad F., an interpreter who worked for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has a message for the incoming American president after waiting some four years for the outgoing one to help him resettle in the United States. Mr. President-elect Joe Biden; We helped you achieve your mission, now you help us we get to safty, he wrote in broken English from Afghanistan. Thank you very much. Mohammad signed off with Best Regards and his full name, along with his visa application case number, details that could put him at additional risk of retribution from the Taliban. The Washington Post is using his first name and last initial for his safety.
Rachel Leibrock December 30, 2020Updated: January 8, 2021, 4:00 pm
A global pandemic. Social unrest. An election that left democracy hanging in the balance. The year 2020 unfolded, day by day, as an age of reckoning.
As the new year approaches, it feels like we can rest. There’s a COVID-19 vaccine; ongoing discourse on race, gender and class; and a new administration headed for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Not so fast. Our collective work for anti-racism, equity, science (and, let’s face it, common sense) is far from over. Here are 10 books to pick up in 2021 because the work isn’t done; it’s just getting started.
Louisiana Rep.-Elect Luke Letlow Dies Of COVID-19: How Will His Seat Be Filled?
KEY POINTS
He helped Republicans eat into Democratic control of the House
He’s the second federal-level official to die of COVID-19
The COVID-related death of 41-year-old congressman-elect Luke Letlow of Louisiana leaves questions about filling his seat in the House of Representatives.
Letlow defeated fellow Republican and state Rep. Lance Harris in a two-man runoff in early December, just days before his diagnosis. Testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 18, Letlow died of complications from the infection on Tuesday, a spokesman for the congressman-elect stated on Facebook.
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Thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, under threat for helping Americans, hope Biden will help them resettle in U.S.
Anne Gearan, The Washington Post
Dec. 30, 2020
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1of3Janis Shinwari worked with U.S. forces as a translator in Afghanistan and became a U.S. citizen in June. His advocacy group, No One Left Behind, organized a petition of more than 1,000 Iraqi and Afghan interpreters seeking visas to the United States. Shinwari is photographed Dec. 20, 2020, in Woodbridge, Va.Washington Post photo by Matt McClainShow MoreShow Less
2of3Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 17, 2020. A Green Beret, Waltz served in Afghanistan and is trying to help those who helped the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan as fixers and translators to immigrate to the United States.Washington Post photo by Matt McClainShow MoreShow Less
Early voting in crucial Georgia runoff surpasses 2.5 million
A total of 2,570,593 votes have been cast in Georgia’s runoff elections, the Georgia secretary of state’s office told CNN Wednesday, with Georgia’s two US Senate seats and control of the chamber in the balance.
Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue both face runoffs after failing to garner more than 50% of the vote in November’s general election. If Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win both seats, the Senate would be split 50-50, prompting any legislative ties to be broken by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
While 1,713,950 Georgians have cast ballots in person at early voting locations across the state, 856,643 have voted absentee by mail, out of nearly 1.4 million absentee ballots requested. The race has drawn national attention, with President elect-Joe Biden, Harris and President Donald Trump all scheduled to hold campaign events across the state in the final week leading up to next Tues