Biden's vaccine mandate for large employers is once again a go, after an appeals court overruled a previous judge's decision. / Associated Press

Eight charts that show how Covid vaccines shaped 2021. / Nature

This week, the Biden administration finally reversed Trump's loosening of shower head regulations. / The Washington Post

The US federal government is encouraging state officials to repair highways instead of building new ones in order to curb greenhouse gases. / WIRED

"The nation's most disobeyed law is dysfunctional from top to bottom." Why American drivers can't stop speeding. / Slate

A single block in suburban Nashville illustrates how a real-estate firm backed by global investors has exploited the affordability crisis. / The Washington Post

For the first time since 2012, a Japanese PM will live in the premier's official residence, a building with a troubled past—and hey, maybe ghosts. / Bloomberg

How the QAnon-fueled mania over the Wayfair sex-trafficking lie derailed actual trafficking investigations. / The Washington Post

"While tempted with the idea of greater intimacy, we will likely be offered more of the banal and extractive 'mind-reading' technologies we interface with every day." / Real Life

OnlyFans creators accuse a social media management company of locking them into exploitative contracts and stealing their content. / BuzzFeed News

A chilling VR simulation shows what it's like to be a US president in the event of a nuclear crisis. / The Guardian

See also: In 1952, Jimmy Carter led a team in containing a nuclear meltdown, and personally entered the highly radioactive reactor during the operation. / IFLScience

"It's kind of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind before it became a thing." A look back at Dickens's other Christmas books. / The Guardian

All about the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker bear. / The Kid Should See This

Listen: A playlist of Black artists covering Beatles songs between 1963 and 1972. / Spotify