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If we can’t get a Covid-19 relief package through Congress in the next week or two, we’re sunk. It means we have a legislative branch so ideologically divided it can’t address even our most glaring problems. It means we have representatives so lacking in the willingness and ability to compromise that minimally competent government will be impossible, even under a President Joe Biden.The problems a basic relief measure would address couldn’t be more obvious. Under current law, up to 12 million Americans could lose their jobless benefits by year’s end — a wretched Christmastime for millions of families, which could spawn a wave of depression, morbidity, family breakdown and suicide. (David Brooks, 12/3)

On Tuesday, three more high-ranking California elected officials joined Gov. Gavin Newsom in the What Were They Thinking? club. Newsom, you may recall, attended a dinner at the ritzy French Laundry in Napa Valley in early November to celebrate the birthday of a lobbyist friend in a group larger than the state recommends is safe. Was it technically allowable? Perhaps, but it was still incredibly bad optics for the person leading the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response to be spotted partying at one of the most exclusive and expensive restaurants in the country just as new cases were surging in his home state and new restrictions were looming. (Mariel Garza, 12/2)

As the nation tires of quarantines, boredom and loneliness, the same politicians who find glee in slapping wrists and dooming small businesses regularly break the rules, in letter and in spirit, when they want to. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, dining maskless and indoors with lobbyists at the tony French Laundry restaurant the same week he warned against Thanksgiving gatherings. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, having her hair done and joining in a riotous Joe Biden victory celebration in violation of her own restrictions — then having the gall to call her actions “essential ­activities.” (12/3)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s politicization of the coronavirus vaccines is clearly endangering New Yorkers’ health. It was already old; now he must quit it. Wednesday, after announcing that New York will get 170,000 vaccine doses to distribute by mid-December, the gov, without skipping a beat, slammed the feds for failing to provide the state with “any funding to speak of” to distribute the vaccine. Untrue: Federal sources told The Post that the state has more than $7.5 million available for just that, thanks to the CARES Act — but Cuomo hasn’t spent a dime. The city has a separate $6.6 million in untapped federal funds for vaccine distribution. (12/3)

Christmas is almost here. Usually, it's the happiest time that we have. This year of all years, Christmas has a deeper resonance, something closer to its original meaning. In a time of crisis, you inevitably start thinking about the things you might ignore if you were busier and more content. In general, people tend to become more spiritual, more openly religious when they're suffering. It's not an accident, in fact, it may be the upside of suffering. You get to think beyond the next Amazon delivery for a minute. (Tucker Carlson, 12/4)

Last month, a war erupted in America over whether to celebrate Thanksgiving if it involved visiting family and friends. My Twitter feed was filled with people railing against scenes of crowded airports, as if those traveling to see loved ones were attacking them personally. These angry judgments put people on the defensive. They fear they will be reproached for their choices. They’re not wrong. When we see people gathering in groups or going about without a mask or engaging in other activities we deem unsafe, we condemn them. Too often, we do so publicly. (Aaron E. Carroll, 12/4)

Medical officials across the country fear last week’s Thanksgiving gatherings will produce a spike in positive cases in the weeks ahead. Going forward, meanwhile, Oklahomans must embrace practices shown to help curb the spread of the virus — washing hands frequently, keeping distance from others, and wearing a mask in public. Fifty-four COVID-related deaths in one daily update cannot be repeated. (12/4)

I am grateful to Gov. Kevin Stitt for calling Oklahomans to unite Dec. 3 on a day of prayer and fasting. This is a wise call to action.In prayer, we recognize our common bond of need as we prioritize divine guidance and help in the face of unprecedented challenge. This day of prayer invites all faith communities to remember our pressing concerns, to ask God to heal those affected by COVID-19, to strengthen those who care for the sick, and to comfort all who suffer from this terrible pandemic in so many ways — physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually. With our eyes focused upon the needs of our state, prayer draws our gaze upward to the One who can meet our needs. (Health A. Thomas, 12/3)

Here we go again. The tightened pandemic restrictions that we knew were coming hit this week — the third lockdown this year and, if we are lucky to have widespread vaccine availability, distribution and acceptance next year, the final one of this pandemic — as state and local officials introduced new strategies to curb an unprecedented surge of coronavirus cases before hospitals are overwhelmed. (12/3)

The media relish negative news. “If it bleeds it leads” still holds, and perhaps it’s never been truer than in the COVID-19 era. Every day the news highlights the spread of the virus and tells the sad stories of some of its victims. And yet, much of the media does not pay sufficient attention to the good news regarding improved treatments and survival of patients with the coronavirus. (Jay Bhattacharya and Christos A. Makridis, 12/3)