Inside the ER, you can finally see hope | Morning Newsletter
And, Trump’s impeachment trial so far.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning from The Inquirer newsroom.
❄️ Expect the possibility of snow tonight.
First: There’s finally hope in the air inside the emergency rooms we visited almost a year since the pandemic hit.
Then: Here’s how Trump’s second impeachment trial has played out so far.
And: Two more big-name attorneys from Philly are on the Trump defense team. You might not know that one of them sued Trump just last year.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Little prepared any hospital for what we went up against starting last March, and then there was the simultaneous threat of fear haunting the hallways of never more essential hospitals. Now, medical staff on the front lines understand the contours of the threat better. And there’s something else: more treatment possibilities.
That’s what we learned spending five days shadowing nurses and doctors at three local ERs, at Roxborough in Philadelphia, Suburban in Montgomery County, and Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol last month.
“Now that we know it a little bit better, we can spot it a little bit better, we’re all less terrified of it,” emergency-room nurse Harry Caramanica told us. Caramanica was tormented by the faces of his patients whose lives the coronavirus claimed. He’s emboldened lately, and looking ahead to the finish line.
For the closest possible account of how the virus has evolved within emergency-room walls and inside the minds of the people who work and lived through the battle there, read Wendy Ruderman’s special report.
The first day of the impeachment trial yesterday marked two historic firsts. The first impeachment trial for a former president? Check. The first of a president who had been impeached twice? Check.
The moment and Pennsylvania are inseparable. The state was one of the most hotly contested election battlegrounds, and one of only two states on the debate floor the day of the insurrection.
Yesterday, Trump’s defense spent the most time on the constitutionality of impeaching a former president, not the charge of inciting insurrection. Republicans largely would not defend Trump’s actions leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, but appeared to signal that they’re highly unlikely to convict him. Democrats took a different approach, showing a video compiling scenes from Trump’s rally and the violence at the Capitol that followed it.
And two big-name attorneys from Philly who are part of Trump’s legal team in the ongoing Senate trial do not have a track record of getting behind the former president.
How does this impeachment event compare with the first one? Go in-depth with reporter Jonathan Tamari, who captured the scene.
Where can you get a vaccine in the Philly area if you’re eligible? Use our lookup tool and find out.
Here are the updated coronavirus case numbers as COVID-19 in the region.
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu, common cold, and allergies can be similar. This is how you can tell the difference.
The coronavirus is mainly transmitted through the air. Here’s how to know if your ventilation is OK.
What you need to know today
By most accounts, Bruce Castor’s big spotlight to introduce Trump’s impeachment defense did not go over well.
Philly restaurants can expand indoor dining if they boost ventilation. Not everyone thinks the rules are so clear.
Pandemic unemployment has led the health insurance marketplace to reopen for a special COVID-19 enrollment period.
John Fetterman addresses the 2013 incident in which he pulled a gun on a man who turned out to be an unarmed Black jogger.
Philly police are making solid progress in investigating a string of seven murders in 24 hours, the commissioner says
High-profile Philly lawyer Chuck Peruto is challenging DA Larry Krasner as a Republican, and he’s already coming out swinging.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Some day soon, we’ll take a walk along Kelly Drive in the spring. Thanks for sharing, @positivemag1.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
🖨️ Your desk is probably hurting your body. Here’s what to do to have a healthier workspace.
💡 Lighting can give your home a whole different look. Let’s illuminate the options, shall we?
🏖️ Wildwood beaches are known for being party central and free for all. That might eventually change with beach tags.
Opinions
“Like the nation’s byzantine college search, the race for a vaccine rewards those with the most money, the fastest computer, the sharpest resources or professional connections, and our most priceless asset of all, free time,” writes columnist Will Bunch about the eerily familiar barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Pennsylvania can come out of the pandemic with a better public education system if lawmakers allow reform for struggling schools, LEARN chair Dr. Frank Gallagher writes.
The most basic engineering ideas can actually help solve Philly vaccination problems, professor Dr. Julie Drzymalski writes.
What we’re reading
In a roundtable with the Los Angeles Times, Kate Winslet said she had a tough time getting new roles after flying with Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Titanic.
Time on your hands? This Jenkintown woman is helping to grow a community of knitters and crocheters who can teach people the therapeutic benefits of crafting. The crafty scientist has seen the healing power of knitting herself firsthand.