thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Trump Now One Of American History’s Greatest Losers – Except For 2024 Republicans

WASHINGTON ― As Donald Trump officially joins the ranks of the biggest losers in presidential history , he can likely count on continued public praise from at least one group : Republicans eager to run for the job in 2024 , potentially re-creating the same conditions that led to his 2016 primary victory .
“ It ’ s virtually impossible for anyone to gain any real footing as long as Trump continues to pretend that he ’ s going to run again , ” said one Republican consultant who spoke on condition of anonymity , who added that the would-be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s vindictiveness .
“ This is the irrefutable truth : This was not a close election .
Donald Trump is in the weakest position a politician could be in .
He is a lame duck who lost big , ” said Jennifer Horn , who once chaired the state party in New Hampshire .
Given the enormous advantages of incumbency , most presidents who have sought a second term have won it , and Trump last month became just the fourth incumbent to lose reelection in a century .
Republican Herbert Hoover lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980 , and Republican George H.W .
Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992 .
Only Hoover tried to run again , but he failed to win the nomination in 1936 .
Carter and Bush were treated by many within their own parties as pariahs for having lost .
That his would-be GOP successors are afraid of him or , more precisely , afraid of his hard-core base of supporters , has been evident since the Nov. 3 election .
The potential 2024 candidates ― from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hawley and Arkansas ’ s Tom Cotton to former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley ― avoided congratulating Democratic nominee Joe Biden on his victory .
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas , who ran against Trump in 2016 amid a crowded Republican presidential primary field and called him “ utterly amoral ” and a “ pathological liar , ” even volunteered to argue a case before the Supreme Court that would have disenfranchised millions of voters in order to throw the election to Trump .
“ The last four years , the likely 2024 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes to criticizing the president .
One has to wonder if they miraculously have a change of heart when it appears he may upend their political aspirations , ” said Terry Sullivan , who in 2016 ran Florida Sen. Marco Rubio ’ s presidential campaign .
“ If [ Trump ] decides he wants to run again , it ’ s going to take someone willing to go toe to toe with him and put him on the defensive if they want to have any chance of stopping him .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But whoever does it has to stick with it.
” Yet so far , other potential candidates have largely praised Trump in hopes of winning over his supporters if he falters or winds up not running ― which is the exact strategy that most of the 2016 GOP field employed without success .
“ Exact same posture , ” Sullivan said .
“ But for a different reason .
Then everyone thought they could beat him in a head-to-head .
Now they think he won ’ t actually run .
In some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They don ’ t face any real scrutiny or expectations as long as he ’ s doing his dance.
” “ Are we going to be a party that can ’ t win a national election ?
” Hogan asks , alluding to the Republicans ’ track record now of losing the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections .
“ Or are we willing to do the hard work of building a durable coalition that can shape our nation ’ s destiny ?
” Hogan does not mention Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seconds , but he harks back to Reagan , including a clip of him saying “ make America great again ” decades before Trump co-opted the slogan .
Hogan then repeats a message that the GOP embraced after losing the 2012 election but then abandoned after Trump won the 2016 nomination on a platform of deporting undocumented immigrants and making Mexico build a wall along the southern border .
“ Here ’ s a truth that our party needs to hear : No one will listen to our message if they don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to them , ” Hogan says in the video .
Another Republican consultant , who also spoke on condition of anonymity , said if most of the other 2024 candidates are competing to see who can be most like Trump to win over his supporters , that could leave an opening for an anti-Trump candidate like Hogan to win over a significant plurality of support .
He added that once Trump is gone from the White House and no longer has the ability to dictate the national conversation , his dominance over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters may begin to see his 7-million-vote loss as the terrible showing that it was .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
WASHINGTON ― As Donald Trump officially joins the ranks of the biggest losers in presidential history, he can likely count on continued public praise from at least one group: Republicans eager to run for the job in 2024, potentially re-creating the same conditions that led to his 2016 primary victory.
Unlike previous one-term presidents rejected by voters, Trump still maintains a death grip on many elected Republicans, who appear fearful of crossing him and angering his loyal fan base. To complicate matters further, Trump has publicly broached the idea of running himself in four years.
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“It’s virtually impossible for anyone to gain any real footing as long as Trump continues to pretend that he’s going to run again,” said one Republican consultant who spoke on condition of anonymity, who added that the would-be field is well aware of Trump’s vindictiveness.
That fear mystifies Trump’s GOP critics, who wonder what it will take for the rest of the party to move past him.
“This is the irrefutable truth: This was not a close election. Donald Trump is in the weakest position a politician could be in. He is a lame duck who lost big,” said Jennifer Horn, who once chaired the state party in New Hampshire.
President Donald Trump could continue to be a wild card for Republicans who have presidential aspirations. Evan Vucci/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Given the enormous advantages of incumbency, most presidents who have sought a second term have won it, and Trump last month became just the fourth incumbent to lose reelection in a century. Republican Herbert Hoover lost in 1932 to Franklin Roosevelt. Democrat Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Republican George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992. Only Hoover tried to run again, but he failed to win the nomination in 1936. Carter and Bush were treated by many within their own parties as pariahs for having lost.
“Why are you afraid of him?” Horn said. “What is it exactly about this roundly defeated crazy person that is scaring you off?”
That his would-be GOP successors are afraid of him or, more precisely, afraid of his hard-core base of supporters, has been evident since the Nov. 3 election. The potential 2024 candidates ― from GOP senators including Missouri’s Josh Hawley and Arkansas’s Tom Cotton to former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley ― avoided congratulating Democratic nominee Joe Biden on his victory. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who ran against Trump in 2016 amid a crowded Republican presidential primary field and called him “utterly amoral” and a “pathological liar,” even volunteered to argue a case before the Supreme Court that would have disenfranchised millions of voters in order to throw the election to Trump.
The high court refused to take the case last week.
“Are we going to be a party that can’t win a national election? Or are we willing to do the hard work of building a durable coalition that can shape our nation’s destiny?” - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan
“The last four years, the likely 2024 Republican hopefuls have been mighty quiet when it comes to criticizing the president. One has to wonder if they miraculously have a change of heart when it appears he may upend their political aspirations,” said Terry Sullivan, who in 2016 ran Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. “If [Trump] decides he wants to run again, it’s going to take someone willing to go toe to toe with him and put him on the defensive if they want to have any chance of stopping him. We’ve seen it done effectively at times. But whoever does it has to stick with it.”
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Yet so far, other potential candidates have largely praised Trump in hopes of winning over his supporters if he falters or winds up not running ― which is the exact strategy that most of the 2016 GOP field employed without success.
“Exact same posture,” Sullivan said. “But for a different reason. Then everyone thought they could beat him in a head-to-head. Now they think he won’t actually run. In some ways, he will help them. They don’t face any real scrutiny or expectations as long as he’s doing his dance.”
One potential 2024 candidate, though, has already broken from the pack of those hoping to inherit Trump’s support: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who within weeks of the Nov. 3 election posted a video on his “An America United” group’s website arguing that the Republican Party needs to change direction.
“Are we going to be a party that can’t win a national election?” Hogan asks, alluding to the Republicans’ track record now of losing the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections. “Or are we willing to do the hard work of building a durable coalition that can shape our nation’s destiny?”
Hogan does not mention Trump once during the 2 minutes and 35 seconds, but he harks back to Reagan, including a clip of him saying “make America great again” decades before Trump co-opted the slogan. Hogan then repeats a message that the GOP embraced after losing the 2012 election but then abandoned after Trump won the 2016 nomination on a platform of deporting undocumented immigrants and making Mexico build a wall along the southern border. “Here’s a truth that our party needs to hear: No one will listen to our message if they don’t believe that we’re listening to them,” Hogan says in the video.
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Another Republican consultant, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said if most of the other 2024 candidates are competing to see who can be most like Trump to win over his supporters, that could leave an opening for an anti-Trump candidate like Hogan to win over a significant plurality of support.
He added that once Trump is gone from the White House and no longer has the ability to dictate the national conversation, his dominance over the field is likely to fade and Republican voters may begin to see his 7-million-vote loss as the terrible showing that it was.
“This year should have been a layup,” he said. “Every single incumbent’s ratings have surged. Except him. He ran an awful campaign and lost.”
The Trump campaign did not respond to HuffPost queries for this story.
Horn said that Trump’s loss gives his Republican would-be successors everything they need to confront Trump, and if they still cannot, they have no business running.
“Anyone in the Republican Party unwilling to stand up to him is too weak and lacks the strength of character to run for president to begin with,” she said. “If Donald Trump’s conspiratorial mutterings scare them, they shouldn’t be on the ballot.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Joe Biden’s Inauguration Ceremony To Have 'Limited' Attendance Amid Pandemic

Construction of the inaugural platform outside the Capitol where Biden will take the oath of office has been underway for more than a month .
But many of the ceremonies that have come to mark the day will look different for the 46th president .
Traditionally , presidents host a celebratory concert on the National Mall , parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House and spend the night attending balls across the city .
But this time around “ the ceremony ’ s footprint will be extremely limited , and the parade that follows will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement that also urged Americans to “ refrain from traveling ” and participate from home .
Biden is still expected to give a speech from the Capitol steps — one that his team says will focus on his plans for stemming the COVID-19 crisis and rebuilding the nation ’ s economy .
The committee said the ceremony will include strict public health guidelines .
“ Americans everywhere must do their part to slow the spread of the virus : wear masks , stay home , and limit gatherings , ” Dr. David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s chief medical advisor said in the statement .
“ We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves , their families , friends , and communities.
” With the onset of colder weather , the pandemic has again been spiking across most of the nation , with President Donald Trump providing little guidance on measures to combat it as he baselessly claims November ’ s election was rigged .
The virus ’ death toll topped an alarming 300,000 this week .
The District of Columbia experienced its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with record numbers of new cases reported in one day .
The city has limited outdoor gatherings to only 25 people , and indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people .
Meanwhile , the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was administered at some medical centers on Monday , the start of a mass vaccination effort .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease specialist , on Tuesday said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should get the vaccine as soon as possible .
Biden pledge to get his shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adaptions to Inauguration Day are a continuation of Biden ’ s unusual general election campaign , where he refrained from holding large rallies and held off on even small-scale events until the campaign ’ s waning weeks .
Trump , who has not adhered to public health guidelines recommended by his own coronavirus task force , may not attend his successor ’ s inauguration , NBC reported earlier this month .
Asked in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News whether he would attend , he said , “ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since Election Day , Trump ’ s supporters have held two rallies in the nation ’ s capital at which participants disputed Biden ’ s electoral victory and rejected guidance about social distancing and mask-wearing .

POOL New / Reuters
Citing the worsening coronavirus pandemic, President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration committee doesn’t want Americans to travel to Washington to attend his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20.
Construction of the inaugural platform outside the Capitol where Biden will take the oath of office has been underway for more than a month. But many of the ceremonies that have come to mark the day will look different for the 46th president.
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Traditionally, presidents host a celebratory concert on the National Mall, parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House and spend the night attending balls across the city.
But this time around “the ceremony’s footprint will be extremely limited, and the parade that follows will be reimagined,” the committee said in a statement that also urged Americans to “refrain from traveling” and participate from home.
Biden is still expected to give a speech from the Capitol steps — one that his team says will focus on his plans for stemming the COVID-19 crisis and rebuilding the nation’s economy. The committee said the ceremony will include strict public health guidelines.
“Americans everywhere must do their part to slow the spread of the virus: wear masks, stay home, and limit gatherings,” Dr. David Kessler, the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s chief medical advisor said in the statement. “We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities.”
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With the onset of colder weather, the pandemic has again been spiking across most of the nation, with President Donald Trump providing little guidance on measures to combat it as he baselessly claims November’s election was rigged.
The virus’ death toll topped an alarming 300,000 this week. The District of Columbia experienced its worst days of the pandemic in December, with record numbers of new cases reported in one day. The city has limited outdoor gatherings to only 25 people, and indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people.
Meanwhile, the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was administered at some medical centers on Monday, the start of a mass vaccination effort. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, on Tuesday said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should get the vaccine as soon as possible. Biden pledge to get his shot in a public setting.
The pandemic-related adaptions to Inauguration Day are a continuation of Biden’s unusual general election campaign, where he refrained from holding large rallies and held off on even small-scale events until the campaign’s waning weeks.
Trump, who has not adhered to public health guidelines recommended by his own coronavirus task force, may not attend his successor’s inauguration, NBC reported earlier this month. Asked in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News whether he would attend, he said, “I don’t want to talk about that.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Pelosi, McConnell Hold First Meeting In Months On Coronavirus Relief

WASHINGTON — As Congress and the White House try to negotiate a deal to fund the government and provide relief to Americans struggling from the coronavirus pandemic , top congressional leaders met Tuesday for the first time in months .
It ’ s perhaps the clearest sign that a deal may actually be coming together after a bipartisan group of senators reached a compromise on coronavirus legislation .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) also spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the phone for more than an hour Tuesday before the top four leaders in Congress met later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-Ky. ) has insisted on including a provision to bar lawsuits by people who say they were negligently exposed to coronavirus by a business , school or health care provider .
But last week , McConnell said he would drop his liability shield proposal if Democrats dropped their demand for money to help state budgets that have been depleted by the coronavirus recession .
He reiterated on Tuesday that both sides should “ live to fight another day on what we disagree on.
” Dropping $ 160 billion in state and local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats to swallow .
Both Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) have said that state and local aid is a priority in a coronavirus relief deal .
State and local governments are confronting tax revenue shortfalls as the virus and related restrictions sharply reduce in-person shopping , dining and events .
Some Republicans support the aid , but others say state and local lawmakers should just cut their spending and deal with it , even though doing so would result in layoffs that would include police officers and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crafted a $ 748 billion stimulus bill that would reauthorize federal unemployment benefits while providing billions of dollars for businesses and for vaccine distribution .
The lawmakers set aside a revised version of McConnell ’ s lawsuit ban along with $ 160 billion for states after only one Democrat , Sen. Joe Manchin ( D-W.Va. ) , was willing to support the liability changes .
McConnell hasn ’ t said whether he supports the policies in the $ 748 billion package , which includes a reauthorization of federal unemployment programs , plus an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional 16 weeks of eligibility for the long-term unemployed .
In his own proposal this month , McConnell did not include extra benefits or additional weeks of eligibility A relief package totaling $ 748 billion , enacted , would fall far short of what Democrats initially demanded this summer .
The House approved a $ 3 trillion measure in May , followed by a $ 2.2 trillion bill in October .
The Trump administration also previously offered Democrats a $ 1.8 trillion deal , which they rejected as inadequate .
If lawmakers fail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 million people will lose their unemployment income at the end of the month .
Student debt forbearance , an eviction moratorium , a new paid-leave program and several tax breaks , all enacted in response to the pandemic , will also expire ― just as the numbers of new infections and deaths shatter records .
The bipartisan plan unveiled earlier this week would extend the eviction moratorium ― but only for one month , until the end of January .
It does not extend the paid sick leave program Congress approved earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include a second round of stimulus checks .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
WASHINGTON — As Congress and the White House try to negotiate a deal to fund the government and provide relief to Americans struggling from the coronavirus pandemic, top congressional leaders met Tuesday for the first time in months.
It’s perhaps the clearest sign that a deal may actually be coming together after a bipartisan group of senators reached a compromise on coronavirus legislation.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the phone for more than an hour Tuesday before the top four leaders in Congress met later Tuesday.
But an agreement could still be elusive.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has insisted on including a provision to bar lawsuits by people who say they were negligently exposed to coronavirus by a business, school or health care provider. But last week, McConnell said he would drop his liability shield proposal if Democrats dropped their demand for money to help state budgets that have been depleted by the coronavirus recession.
He reiterated on Tuesday that both sides should “live to fight another day on what we disagree on.”
“We’re not leaving here without a COVID package,” McConnell added at a weekly news conference. “No matter how long it takes, we’ll be here.”
Dropping $160 billion in state and local funding could be a bitter pill for Democrats to swallow. Both Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have said that state and local aid is a priority in a coronavirus relief deal.
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State and local governments are confronting tax revenue shortfalls as the virus and related restrictions sharply reduce in-person shopping, dining and events. Some Republicans support the aid, but others say state and local lawmakers should just cut their spending and deal with it, even though doing so would result in layoffs that would include police officers and other first responders.
The bipartisan working group crafted a $748 billion stimulus bill that would reauthorize federal unemployment benefits while providing billions of dollars for businesses and for vaccine distribution. The lawmakers set aside a revised version of McConnell’s lawsuit ban along with $160 billion for states after only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), was willing to support the liability changes.
McConnell hasn’t said whether he supports the policies in the $748 billion package, which includes a reauthorization of federal unemployment programs, plus an extra $300 per week and an additional 16 weeks of eligibility for the long-term unemployed. In his own proposal this month, McConnell did not include extra benefits or additional weeks of eligibility
A relief package totaling $748 billion, enacted, would fall far short of what Democrats initially demanded this summer. The House approved a $3 trillion measure in May, followed by a $2.2 trillion bill in October. The Trump administration also previously offered Democrats a $1.8 trillion deal, which they rejected as inadequate.
If lawmakers fail to act by Dec. 26, nearly 12 million people will lose their unemployment income at the end of the month. Student debt forbearance, an eviction moratorium, a new paid-leave program and several tax breaks, all enacted in response to the pandemic, will also expire ― just as the numbers of new infections and deaths shatter records.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Lloyd Austin Should Answer For One Of The Worst Mistakes Of The Obama Era: Yemen

Since then , Biden has called for an end to American involvement in Yemen , multiple officials who crafted it have said they regret their choices , and in 2019 , every single Democrat then in Congress ― along with several key Republicans ― voted for legislation to withdraw the U.S. from the war .
Meanwhile , the Saudi-led intervention has continued to kill civilians in likely war crimes and driven millions of Yemenis closer to famine .
But now that he ’ s up for the top Pentagon job , learning what Austin thought and did behind the scenes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to understanding whether he has reflected on the failures of the Obama era , and whether he will deliver on Biden ’ s promises to respond to evolving views on foreign policy among Democrats .
Influential human rights and anti-war advocates and international relations analysts are paying close attention .
“ We ’ d like to see , now that there ’ s a different hand in power , what will be done to end U.S. support for the war , ” said Jehan Hakim , who chairs a Yemeni-American advocacy group called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that many members of her community mobilized for Biden .
“ If we ’ re going to be looking at a progressive foreign policy , when will that happen ?
” For Austin to reflect on Yemen would show that Biden ’ s incoming team knows that acting less aggressively abroad is about more than bringing troops home ― it ’ s also a matter of being less reckless about other American shows of force .
As with Yemen , the U.S. often creates devastating crises without sending in its personnel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , shielding its partners from scrutiny , and supporting policies like blockades and sanctions that make it harder for people to get food and medicine .
“ The people I have spoken to in the Obama administration who now have roles in the Biden administration … see the need for a course correction and grasp the moral urgency of the situation .
I have no doubt Gen. Austin will align himself with the approach of ending the war , ” Khanna said .
Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have worked on Yemen for years and have said they are concerned about Austin taking the Pentagon job because of how recently he served in the military : Sens .
Kirsten Gillibrand ( D-N.Y. ) and Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass. )
.
Warren plans to vote against giving Austin a waiver he would require to be defense secretary .
Representatives for Gillibrand and Warren did not respond to HuffPost ’ s requests for comment .
Gillibrand pressed Austin on Yemen during a Senate hearing in 2015 , when he was the Central Command @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he wasn ’ t certain about Saudi Arabia ’ s plans for the beleaguered country but called the Saudis “ great partners.
” One year later , Austin told lawmakers the war was “ trending towards … the Saudi-led coalition because of some incremental gains that have been made there recently ” and argued the coalition would organize peace talks that would permit the U.S. to help Yemenis fight the local branch of al Qaeda .
The then-general ’ s comments echo the way the Obama administration defended the Saudi-led intervention for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violating international humanitarian standards while making Yemen poorer , hungrier and more dangerous .
Over the course of the war , al Qaeda and other armed extremist groups gained significant ground in the country , including by obtaining American weapons purchased by the Saudis and their ally in the war , the United Arab Emirates .
Meanwhile , the U.S.-backed coalition led by the Saudis and the UAE bombed targets like schools and hospitals ― as the Obama team argued that U.S. involvement kept the civilian toll of the fighting from getting even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about U.S. involvement from members of Congress , Pentagon staff insisted Washington could not pull back support from the Saudis and its other Arab partners , Obama aides told the think tank .
Defense officials also helped convince Congress to permit arms sales to the Saudis , notably a $ 1.29 billion package of bombs that Obama sent the kingdom in late 2015 despite growing objections to his policy from his own party .
And Defense Department personnel who were sent to Riyadh to help the Saudis run less damaging missions rarely had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in minimizing civilian casualties ― while experts who did come from Central Command , which Austin managed , only visited periodically and gave overly general guidance , the report suggests .
“ What is most jarring about the U.S. role in the Yemen conflict is not just that the Obama administration agreed to a measure of support for the coalition in spite of concerns that it might be getting into a car with a reckless driver ― to paraphrase one former official .
It is that Washington never got out of the car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Before Lloyd Austin was President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of defense, he spent three years under President Barack Obama running America’s military operations in the Middle East. As the head of U.S. Central Command, the busiest of the Pentagon’s 11 sprawling combatant commands, Austin oversaw U.S. support for Saudi Arabia and its partners as they waged a brutal military campaign in Yemen, fueling the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Since then, Biden has called for an end to American involvement in Yemen, multiple officials who crafted it have said they regret their choices, and in 2019, every single Democrat then in Congress ― along with several key Republicans ― voted for legislation to withdraw the U.S. from the war. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led intervention has continued to kill civilians in likely war crimes and driven millions of Yemenis closer to famine.
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Austin, however, has never publicly distanced himself from the effort. He has not publicly commented on the Yemen war since entering private life in 2016, a source close to the Biden transition team told HuffPost, and he declined to comment for this story.
The former general’s personal assessment of the Saudi-led intervention is unclear. Then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter, other Cabinet secretaries and ultimately Obama made the big decisions about the policy, while Austin’s job was operational, noted the source close to the transition, who requested anonymity to speak frankly. Austin wasn’t in a position to question the president.
But now that he’s up for the top Pentagon job, learning what Austin thought and did behind the scenes about U.S. conduct in Yemen is critical to understanding whether he has reflected on the failures of the Obama era, and whether he will deliver on Biden’s promises to respond to evolving views on foreign policy among Democrats. Influential human rights and anti-war advocates and international relations analysts are paying close attention.
“We’d like to see, now that there’s a different hand in power, what will be done to end U.S. support for the war,” said Jehan Hakim, who chairs a Yemeni-American advocacy group called the Yemeni Alliance Committee, and who noted that many members of her community mobilized for Biden. “If we’re going to be looking at a progressive foreign policy, when will that happen?”
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A malnourished child is fed in Al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, on Dec. 13. Millions in the country are on the brink of famine amid a Saudi-led military intervention and the coronavirus pandemic. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Austin’s role in the conflict has received little attention as lawmakers and national security experts debate the wisdom of tapping a former general for a job almost always held by a civilian and focus on other policies where Austin had a major impact, like the fight against the self-styled Islamic State.
Yet a public discussion of situations like Yemen is vital to the message being promoted by Biden and Austin’s other proponents: that he believes in military restraint, as Biden says he personally does, and that reducing messy foreign interventions will be one of Austin’s chief priorities.
For Austin to reflect on Yemen would show that Biden’s incoming team knows that acting less aggressively abroad is about more than bringing troops home ― it’s also a matter of being less reckless about other American shows of force. As with Yemen, the U.S. often creates devastating crises without sending in its personnel, by supplying weapons systems to destructive forces, shielding its partners from scrutiny, and supporting policies like blockades and sanctions that make it harder for people to get food and medicine.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a leader in the congressional effort against the Yemen war, told HuffPost he’s hopeful that Austin agrees with others who once supported the U.S. intervention and now say the policy must end.
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“The people I have spoken to in the Obama administration who now have roles in the Biden administration … see the need for a course correction and grasp the moral urgency of the situation. I have no doubt Gen. Austin will align himself with the approach of ending the war,” Khanna said.
Senators will likely raise Yemen during confirmation hearings for Austin and other Biden appointees, said Hassan El-Tayyab of the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
Activists will also push lawmakers to ask Austin about his position on the board of directors of Raytheon, a military contractor whose bombs the Saudis often use in Yemen.
Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which will consider Austin’s nomination, have worked on Yemen for years and have said they are concerned about Austin taking the Pentagon job because of how recently he served in the military: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Warren plans to vote against giving Austin a waiver he would require to be defense secretary. Representatives for Gillibrand and Warren did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment.
Gillibrand pressed Austin on Yemen during a Senate hearing in 2015, when he was the Central Command chief. At the time, Austin said he wasn’t certain about Saudi Arabia’s plans for the beleaguered country but called the Saudis “great partners.” One year later, Austin told lawmakers the war was “trending towards … the Saudi-led coalition because of some incremental gains that have been made there recently” and argued the coalition would organize peace talks that would permit the U.S. to help Yemenis fight the local branch of al Qaeda.
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“What is most jarring about the U.S. role in the Yemen conflict is not just that the Obama administration [got] into a car with a reckless driver. ... It is that Washington never got out of the car.” - International Crisis Group report
The then-general’s comments echo the way the Obama administration defended the Saudi-led intervention for years despite growing evidence that it was violating international humanitarian standards while making Yemen poorer, hungrier and more dangerous. Over the course of the war, al Qaeda and other armed extremist groups gained significant ground in the country, including by obtaining American weapons purchased by the Saudis and their ally in the war, the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed coalition led by the Saudis and the UAE bombed targets like schools and hospitals ― as the Obama team argued that U.S. involvement kept the civilian toll of the fighting from getting even worse.
Many people working in government at the time came to acknowledge the problems with the policy and its horrifying consequences in 2015 and 2016 ― with some even suggesting that continued American support for the Saudis and their partners implicated U.S. officials in war crimes.
The Defense Department, where Austin was in a key position, was especially committed to the controversial Yemen policy, according to a comprehensive review of the Obama administration’s approach to Yemen produced by the International Crisis Group in 2019.
In spite of growing concerns about U.S. involvement from members of Congress, Pentagon staff insisted Washington could not pull back support from the Saudis and its other Arab partners, Obama aides told the think tank. Defense officials also helped convince Congress to permit arms sales to the Saudis, notably a $1.29 billion package of bombs that Obama sent the kingdom in late 2015 despite growing objections to his policy from his own party. And Defense Department personnel who were sent to Riyadh to help the Saudis run less damaging missions rarely had that effect because they were not experts in minimizing civilian casualties ― while experts who did come from Central Command, which Austin managed, only visited periodically and gave overly general guidance, the report suggests.
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Eventually, Pentagon staff withdrew from that program in Riyadh “very quietly” in a move that some other officials saw as an attempt to protect the agency’s reputation, per the report.
“What is most jarring about the U.S. role in the Yemen conflict is not just that the Obama administration agreed to a measure of support for the coalition in spite of concerns that it might be getting into a car with a reckless driver ― to paraphrase one former official. It is that Washington never got out of the car,” the Crisis Group analysis concludes.
Scores of former Obama officials ― including Biden ― have spent years decrying Trump’s continuation of U.S. support for the Saudis and worked with progressive groups to kill it while acknowledging their own culpability to varying degrees.
For Austin to express similar views would boost unity among Biden supporters and quell hopes among the Saudis, Emiratis and others that they can maintain U.S. support even as they drive fighting in places like the crucial Hodeidah port, where clashes are now harming growing numbers of women and children, according to a Monday press release from Doctors Without Borders.
It’s likely just a matter of time before the Pentagon hopeful has to join the public conversation about what will pose one of the earliest foreign policy tests for the Biden administration. Doing that on his own terms might be the best move.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Joe Biden To Tap Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm As Energy Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Michigan Gov .
Jennifer Granholm to lead the Department of Energy , a source with knowledge of the pick confirmed to HuffPost on Tuesday .
Granholm , 61 , is a longtime Biden ally with a strong record on renewable energy , and she helped boost jobs in that sector while serving as Michigan ’ s governor from 2003 to 2011 .
She was also Michigan ’ s attorney general for four years .
Environmental activists were optimistic upon hearing Granholm might be nominated for the job .
Several spoke out against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s energy secretary , Ernest Moniz , criticizing his ties to the oil and gas industries .
“ We ’ re glad that President-elect Biden is listening to the thousands of climate justice activists who opposed fossil fuel representatives like Ernest Moniz for Secretary of Energy , ” Lisa Ramsden , the Greenpeace USA senior climate campaigner , said in a statement .
“ Jennifer Granholm has forcefully spoken out against both the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and advocated for shifting investment from oil and gas to renewable energy , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the kind of leadership the Department of Energy has been sorely missing.
” If she is nominated and confirmed for the role , Granholm will be the second woman to lead the department since the position was created in 1977 .
Biden ’ s energy secretary will play a crucial role in his plan to speed up the transition to electric vehicles , boosting the network of charging stations used to power those vehicles , as well as reducing building emissions .
Granholm has argued that moving away from fossil fuels makes economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for The Detroit News about reviving Michigan ’ s economy after the pandemic passes , she noted that studies show that “ a low-carbon recovery plan boosts income , employment and GDP more so than broad economic recovery measures alone , while significantly reducing emissions.
” Yet she faces an agency in flux .
The Energy Department experienced less upheaval under President Donald Trump , who put former Texas Gov .
Rick Perry in charge until late 2019 , when Deputy Secretary Daniel Brouillette took over .
But the past four years saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s aging equipment controlling the nation ’ s nuclear arsenal and the administration ’ s illegal withholding of $ 91 million in funding from ARPA-E , the agency ’ s premier program for researching advanced clean energy projects .
Granholm ’ s background as a politician would bring “ the unique skills of the bully pulpit ” to a job historically held by technocrats , said Scott Segal , a partner at Bracewell , a powerful Washington law firm that represents oil , gas and renewable energy companies .
“ Granholm is well-positioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ She has been a leader in the clean energy transition back in Michigan , addressing some of the same key issues that will confront development and implementation of the Biden plan .
”

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President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to lead the Department of Energy, a source with knowledge of the pick confirmed to HuffPost on Tuesday.
Granholm, 61, is a longtime Biden ally with a strong record on renewable energy, and she helped boost jobs in that sector while serving as Michigan’s governor from 2003 to 2011. She was also Michigan’s attorney general for four years.
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Politico first reported the news.
Environmental activists were optimistic upon hearing Granholm might be nominated for the job. Several spoke out against the possibility of Biden re-nominating Barack Obama’s energy secretary, Ernest Moniz, criticizing his ties to the oil and gas industries.
“We’re glad that President-elect Biden is listening to the thousands of climate justice activists who opposed fossil fuel representatives like Ernest Moniz for Secretary of Energy,” Lisa Ramsden, the Greenpeace USA senior climate campaigner, said in a statement.
“Jennifer Granholm has forcefully spoken out against both the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and advocated for shifting investment from oil and gas to renewable energy,” she said. “That’s the kind of leadership the Department of Energy has been sorely missing.”
If she is nominated and confirmed for the role, Granholm will be the second woman to lead the department since the position was created in 1977.
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Biden’s energy secretary will play a crucial role in his plan to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, boosting the network of charging stations used to power those vehicles, as well as reducing building emissions.
Granholm has argued that moving away from fossil fuels makes economic sense. In a Nov. 7 op-ed for The Detroit News about reviving Michigan’s economy after the pandemic passes, she noted that studies show that “a low-carbon recovery plan boosts income, employment and GDP more so than broad economic recovery measures alone, while significantly reducing emissions.”
Yet she faces an agency in flux. The Energy Department experienced less upheaval under President Donald Trump, who put former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in charge until late 2019, when Deputy Secretary Daniel Brouillette took over. But the past four years saw fresh warnings about the Energy Department’s aging equipment controlling the nation’s nuclear arsenal and the administration’s illegal withholding of $91 million in funding from ARPA-E, the agency’s premier program for researching advanced clean energy projects.
Granholm’s background as a politician would bring “the unique skills of the bully pulpit” to a job historically held by technocrats, said Scott Segal, a partner at Bracewell, a powerful Washington law firm that represents oil, gas and renewable energy companies.
“Granholm is well-positioned to run DOE,” Segal said. “She has been a leader in the clean energy transition back in Michigan, addressing some of the same key issues that will confront development and implementation of the Biden plan.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--CNN's Brianna Keilar Counts Off All The Times Trump Has Lost Since The Election

Donald Trump could have lost the 2020 election just one time , but “ because of his penchant for self-sabotage , he keeps losing it over and over again , ” CNN host Brianna Keilar said Tuesday as she recapped the president ’ s string of losses since Nov. 3 .
“ He lost the Electoral College ― he lost it on November 7th and then confirmed it again yesterday .
He lost the popular vote on election night .
...
He ’ s lost multiple recounts in two states , ” Keilar said .
“ In Georgia , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was done voluntarily by the state .
In Wisconsin , he lost a recount where [ President-elect Joe ] Biden actually gained votes .
The president , by the way , paid $ 3 million to find that out.
” She continued : “ He ’ s lost nearly 50 lawsuits that he or his allies have filed , baselessly claiming that the election should be overturned or votes should be tossed out because of widespread fraud.
” Among those lawsuits , Keilar noted , were two cases rejected by the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lost this election only once , but because of his penchant for self-sabotage he keeps losing it over and over again . ''
@ brikeilarcnn takes a closer look at how President Trump keeps confirming his election loss .
pic.twitter.com/AcIzqcBrTb — CNN Newsroom ( @ CNNnewsroom ) December 15 , 2020 She then read aloud an excerpt from Trump ’ s 1987 book , “ The Art of the Deal ” : “ You can ’ t con people , at least not for long .
You can create excitement , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kinds of press , and you can throw in a little hyperbole .
But if you don ’ t deliver the goods , people will eventually catch on.
” You can count Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) among those who have finally caught on , Keilar said .
McConnell acknowledged Biden ’ s win on Tuesday after electors had formalized it a day earlier , casting 306 electoral votes for Biden and 232 for Trump .
But Trump still hasn ’ t conceded and claimed Tuesday that there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud .
There has never been anything like this in our Country !
” He didn ’ t provide any such evidence , nor did his legal team in more than four dozen failed lawsuits contesting the election ’ s results .

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Donald Trump could have lost the 2020 election just one time, but “because of his penchant for self-sabotage, he keeps losing it over and over again,” CNN host Brianna Keilar said Tuesday as she recapped the president’s string of losses since Nov. 3.
“He lost the Electoral College ― he lost it on November 7th and then confirmed it again yesterday. He lost the popular vote on election night. ... He’s lost multiple recounts in two states,” Keilar said.
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“In Georgia, he lost one that he requested and another that was done voluntarily by the state. In Wisconsin, he lost a recount where [President-elect Joe] Biden actually gained votes. The president, by the way, paid $3 million to find that out.”
She continued: “He’s lost nearly 50 lawsuits that he or his allies have filed, baselessly claiming that the election should be overturned or votes should be tossed out because of widespread fraud.”
Among those lawsuits, Keilar noted, were two cases rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The President could have lost this election only once, but because of his penchant for self-sabotage he keeps losing it over and over again." @brikeilarcnn takes a closer look at how President Trump keeps confirming his election loss. pic.twitter.com/AcIzqcBrTb — CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) December 15, 2020
“Finally, President Trump lost his own way,” Keilar concluded.
She then read aloud an excerpt from Trump’s 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal”:
“You can’t con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don’t deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.”
You can count Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) among those who have finally caught on, Keilar said.
McConnell acknowledged Biden’s win on Tuesday after electors had formalized it a day earlier, casting 306 electoral votes for Biden and 232 for Trump.
But Trump still hasn’t conceded and claimed Tuesday that there’s “Tremendous evidence pouring in on voter fraud. There has never been anything like this in our Country!”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Pastor Of Black Church Vandalized After Pro-Trump Rally Hopes More Christians Speak Up

Among the damaged houses of worship were two historically Black churches where people ripped down Black Lives Matter banners , with video posted to social media showing one banner being burned .
Those defacements – which are being investigated as possible hate crimes , according to the police – raised questions among some clergy and churchgoers about why more fellow Christians were not speaking out against the incidents .
Mills also underscored that she didn ’ t “ want to make this into a political statement ” and said her intention was to “ move us all to greater healing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building a beloved community where all are welcome.
” The church plans a Thursday prayer service to help foster unity and healing , she said .
She added that the episode at her church was “ incredibly minor compared with what happened to our neighbors ” and urged that attention be paid to the damage at Asbury and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church , both historically Black institutions .
“ People need to denounce it and call it an act of racial violence , ” Claycomb Sokol said .
“ People who have been really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with what actually took place on our streets on Saturday , and how silence can actually be a sign of support , of complicity.
” The tearing down of Black Lives Matter signs came after pro-Trump demonstrations in the capital that attracted a sizable number of Proud Boys , a neo-fascist group prone to violent encounters .
The protests were planned to bolster the president ’ s claims of election irregularities , although the absence of widespread election fraud has been confirmed by a range of officials nationwide , including Attorney General William @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on behalf of unborn babies , can speak on behalf of law and order when it comes to white people and white property , but are silent when it comes to banners that proclaim ‘ Black lives matter , ’ the moral silence is stupefying , ” said Cornell William Brooks , former president of the NAACP and a member of Metropolitan A.M.E .
The Episcopal bishop of Washington , who criticized Trump during the summer ’ s racial inequality protests after protesters were forcibly cleared in order for him to stage a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement Monday with the dean of the Washington National Cathedral decrying the recent church vandalism as well as “ the racist and religious overtones surrounding the effort to discredit the presidential election.
” One pro-Trump rally on Saturday counted several religious conservatives as headliners .
Johnnie Moore , president of The Congress of Christian Leaders and an evangelical adviser to the administration , said that “ we must put extremists on the far right and the far left on notice that these acts stop now.
” “ Whether it ’ s synagogues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenosha , a Catholic shrine in Southern California , or historic — especially historically Black — churches in Washington , D.C. — America ’ s places of worship must never be targeted in any form , whatsoever , by violent extremists , ” Moore said by email .
The Rev .
Samuel Rodriguez , an evangelical leader who has advised Trump , said in a statement that “ there is quite a difference between a movement driven by righteousness and justice , truth and love , and a movement driven by chaos , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ a clear , unbridled depiction of the true agenda behind many of these so-called ‘ movements .
’ ”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Vandalism at four downtown Washington churches after rallies in support of President Donald Trump is exposing rifts among people of faith as the nation confronts bitter post-election political divisions.
Among the damaged houses of worship were two historically Black churches where people ripped down Black Lives Matter banners, with video posted to social media showing one banner being burned. Those defacements – which are being investigated as possible hate crimes, according to the police – raised questions among some clergy and churchgoers about why more fellow Christians were not speaking out against the incidents.
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The Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills, senior pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church, issued a statement Sunday likening the torched banner to a cross burning and said Monday that she hopes more evangelical Christians condemn the destruction.
Mills also underscored that she didn’t “want to make this into a political statement” and said her intention was to “move us all to greater healing and to more of a commitment to building a beloved community where all are welcome.” The church plans a Thursday prayer service to help foster unity and healing, she said.
The pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in DC responds to the burning of the church’s Black Lives Matter sign last night by people who appeared to be affiliated with Proud Boys.
“For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings.” pic.twitter.com/eX3aAE7qTJ — Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) December 13, 2020
The nearby Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church reported that vandals slashed a banner printed with colors supporting LGBTQ rights and rejecting “acts of hate or violence” against others, pastor Donna Claycomb Sokol said.
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She added that the episode at her church was “incredibly minor compared with what happened to our neighbors” and urged that attention be paid to the damage at Asbury and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, both historically Black institutions.
“People need to denounce it and call it an act of racial violence,” Claycomb Sokol said. “People who have been really quick to be silent need to wrestle with what actually took place on our streets on Saturday, and how silence can actually be a sign of support, of complicity.”
The tearing down of Black Lives Matter signs came after pro-Trump demonstrations in the capital that attracted a sizable number of Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group prone to violent encounters. The protests were planned to bolster the president’s claims of election irregularities, although the absence of widespread election fraud has been confirmed by a range of officials nationwide, including Attorney General William Barr.
Police in Washington are seeking public help in identifying suspects in the defacements, with the FBI’s Washington field office also offering a reward for those who aid the investigation.
Pro-Trump protesters gathered during the "Million MAGA March" from Freedom Plaza to the US Capitol in Washington, DC, United States on December 12, 2020. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Some members of the affected churches noted the contrast between the vocal Christian response to property destruction during protests against racial injustice this summer and the comparatively quieter pushback now.
“When evangelicals can speak on behalf of unborn babies, can speak on behalf of law and order when it comes to white people and white property, but are silent when it comes to banners that proclaim ‘Black lives matter,’ the moral silence is stupefying,” said Cornell William Brooks, former president of the NAACP and a member of Metropolitan A.M.E.
“We’ve gone from having to say ‘Black lives matter’ to now having to say ‘Black churches matter,’” added Brooks, a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School graduate program.
The Episcopal bishop of Washington, who criticized Trump during the summer’s racial inequality protests after protesters were forcibly cleared in order for him to stage a visit to a fire-damaged church, issued a statement Monday with the dean of the Washington National Cathedral decrying the recent church vandalism as well as “the racist and religious overtones surrounding the effort to discredit the presidential election.” One pro-Trump rally on Saturday counted several religious conservatives as headliners.
Some pro-Trump conservative evangelicals criticized the church vandalism, while describing it as part of a broader trend that has marked a year of heightened political tensions.
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Johnnie Moore, president of The Congress of Christian Leaders and an evangelical adviser to the administration, said that “we must put extremists on the far right and the far left on notice that these acts stop now.”
“Whether it’s synagogues in Portland, Los Angeles, or Kenosha, a Catholic shrine in Southern California, or historic — especially historically Black — churches in Washington, D.C. — America’s places of worship must never be targeted in any form, whatsoever, by violent extremists,” Moore said by email.
Proud Boys during a rally for Donald Trump in Washington, DC, December 12, 2020. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, an evangelical leader who has advised Trump, said in a statement that “there is quite a difference between a movement driven by righteousness and justice, truth and love, and a movement driven by chaos, describing attacks on houses of worship as “a clear, unbridled depiction of the true agenda behind many of these so-called ‘movements.’”
While stopping short of fully acknowledging Trump’s election loss, several top evangelical conservatives have refrained from echoing the harsh rhetoric that the president directed toward President-elect Joe Biden during the hard-fought campaign.
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White House spokesman Judd Deere said by email that “President Trump condemns violence in all forms and any group that expounds hate and bigotry.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Biden Names Obama-Era EPA Chief Gina McCarthy As Climate Czar

Kim Raff via Getty Images Gina McCarthy , head of the Natural Resources Defense Council , had led the Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration .
President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Gina McCarthy as his domestic climate czar , tasking the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency chief with overseeing the new administration ’ s sweeping plans to overhaul the nation ’ s energy , agriculture and transportation systems and prepare for the hotter world to come .
McCarthy , 66 , served as a chief architect of the Obama administration ’ s climate regulations , overseeing the drafting and passage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power plants , vehicles and fossil fuel producers .
Following a stint as a professor at Harvard University , she became the president and chief executive of the Natural Resources Defense Council , a lion in the environmental advocacy sphere that has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times to block environmental rollbacks , in January .
If confirmed by the Senate , McCarthy would serve as a domestic-side counterpart to John Kerry , the former secretary of state who , as Biden ’ s special envoy on climate , will oversee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such matters as rejoining the Paris climate accords and working with other nations to curb fossil-fuel emissions that are warming the planet .
“ Every department in the Biden administration should be centering climate action and clean energy in their federal policies and investments , ” McCarthy wrote in a tweet earlier this month .
“ And they should do it in a way that continues to advance labor interests and environmental justice in communities across the country.
” McCarthy is widely respected in the environmental world and has inspired fierce loyalty among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EPA .
The Massachusetts native , with a thick Boston accent , worked in five Massachusetts Democratic and Republican administrations and served as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection before joining the EPA in 2009 .
President Barack Obama named her EPA administrator in 2013 , a position she held until President Donald Trump took office in 2017 .
While Kerry will also advise the National Security Council on climate issues , McCarthy ’ s work will ostensibly respond to those warnings with long-overdue policy decisions that could shape the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come .
The reach and success of such efforts , though , may depend on whether Democrats can gain control of the Senate by winning next month ’ s runoffs for Georgia ’ s two seats .
If not , the Senate ’ s GOP majority almost assuredly will work to thwart the administration ’ s environmental agenda .
The last time anyone served as a domestic climate czar , Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress .
In 2009 , Carol Browner , who headed the Environmental Protection Agency under President Bill Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the newly established White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy .
Two years later , she quit and the position was abolished following Democrats ’ failure to pass a major climate bill through Congress and the GOP winning control of the House .
Since then , scientific projections of the speed and severity of global warming have grown significantly direr .
The demands for policy remedies have dramatically shifted in response .
In the early 2010s , the consensus in Washington on addressing climate change was that a price on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system or a tax , was the only viable solution to surging heat-trapping gases .
Today , the climate movement ― now led most fervently by youth activists ― has rallied around the framework of a Green New Deal , a Word War II-style federal mobilization to rapidly and dramatically redirect key economic sectors to stem the warming .
Biden vowed a whole-of-government approach to curbing emissions and adapting the nation ’ s economy to that goal , rather than siloing the mission to the EPA , Interior Department and National Oceanic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is envisioned as the central coordinator in this approach .
Other possible names floated for the position included John Podesta , a top Democratic operative who has made climate his central issue in recent years ; Jay Inslee , the newly reelected Washington governor who ran as the “ climate candidate ” in a brief bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination ; and Ali Zaidi , a climate policy expert and the Office of Management and Budget ’ s former associate director for natural resources , energy and science .
McCarthy ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible nominee to take over at the EPA again .
Mary Nichols , the head of the California Air Resources Board , had been the front-runner .
But criticism from activists that Nichols ’ record as California ’ s top air regulator hurt Black and Latino communities appeared to tank her standing with the transition team , prompting a scramble to elevate alternative candidates , The New York Times reported this week .
“ Gina McCarthy ’ s experience and perspective make her the right person to drive the whole government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , campaign director of the climate group Evergreen Action , said in a statement .
“ Now it ’ s all hands on deck to defeat the climate crisis and rebuild a better economy .
”

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President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Gina McCarthy as his domestic climate czar, tasking the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency chief with overseeing the new administration’s sweeping plans to overhaul the nation’s energy, agriculture and transportation systems and prepare for the hotter world to come.
McCarthy, 66, served as a chief architect of the Obama administration’s climate regulations, overseeing the drafting and passage of landmark limits on planet-heating pollution from power plants, vehicles and fossil fuel producers. Following a stint as a professor at Harvard University, she became the president and chief executive of the Natural Resources Defense Council, a lion in the environmental advocacy sphere that has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times to block environmental rollbacks, in January.
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The Washington Post first reported the pick. A spokesperson for McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gina McCarthy, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council, had led the Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration. Kim Raff via Getty Images
If confirmed by the Senate, McCarthy would serve as a domestic-side counterpart to John Kerry, the former secretary of state who, as Biden’s special envoy on climate, will oversee a 180-degree turn in U.S. diplomacy on such matters as rejoining the Paris climate accords and working with other nations to curb fossil-fuel emissions that are warming the planet.
“Every department in the Biden administration should be centering climate action and clean energy in their federal policies and investments,” McCarthy wrote in a tweet earlier this month. “And they should do it in a way that continues to advance labor interests and environmental justice in communities across the country.”
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McCarthy is widely respected in the environmental world and has inspired fierce loyalty among those who worked under her at the EPA. The Massachusetts native, with a thick Boston accent, worked in five Massachusetts Democratic and Republican administrations and served as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection before joining the EPA in 2009. President Barack Obama named her EPA administrator in 2013, a position she held until President Donald Trump took office in 2017.
While Kerry will also advise the National Security Council on climate issues, McCarthy’s work will ostensibly respond to those warnings with long-overdue policy decisions that could shape the nation’s physical contours for generations to come. The reach and success of such efforts, though, may depend on whether Democrats can gain control of the Senate by winning next month’s runoffs for Georgia’s two seats. If not, the Senate’s GOP majority almost assuredly will work to thwart the administration’s environmental agenda.
Every department in the Biden administration should be centering climate action and clean energy in their federal policies and investments. And they should do it in a way that continues to advance labor interests and environmental justice in communities across the country. https://t.co/8D3HDP2Flm — Gina McCarthy (@GinaNRDC) December 7, 2020
By selecting McCarthy, Biden appears to be preparing to implement his climate agenda through executive fiat and regulations.
“This a real hands-on, butt-in-chair job,” David Goldwyn, president of the energy consultancy Goldwyn Global Strategies and a former White House special energy envoy, told HuffPost. “It requires a Ph.D. in bureaucratic management.”
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The priorities, he said, will be making good on Biden’s plan to eliminate power plant emissions by 2035 and transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.
The last time anyone served as a domestic climate czar, Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress. In 2009, Carol Browner, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency under President Bill Clinton, served as Obama’s director of the newly established White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy. Two years later, she quit and the position was abolished following Democrats’ failure to pass a major climate bill through Congress and the GOP winning control of the House.
Since then, scientific projections of the speed and severity of global warming have grown significantly direr. The demands for policy remedies have dramatically shifted in response. In the early 2010s, the consensus in Washington on addressing climate change was that a price on carbon emissions, either through a cap-and-trade system or a tax, was the only viable solution to surging heat-trapping gases. Today, the climate movement ― now led most fervently by youth activists ― has rallied around the framework of a Green New Deal, a Word War II-style federal mobilization to rapidly and dramatically redirect key economic sectors to stem the warming.
Biden vowed a whole-of-government approach to curbing emissions and adapting the nation’s economy to that goal, rather than siloing the mission to the EPA, Interior Department and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The climate czar position is envisioned as the central coordinator in this approach.
Other possible names floated for the position included John Podesta, a top Democratic operative who has made climate his central issue in recent years; Jay Inslee, the newly reelected Washington governor who ran as the “climate candidate” in a brief bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination; and Ali Zaidi, a climate policy expert and the Office of Management and Budget’s former associate director for natural resources, energy and science.
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The 33-year-old Zaidi, the Post reported, will serve as McCarthy’s deputy.
McCarthy’s name had surfaced recently as a possible nominee to take over at the EPA again. Mary Nichols, the head of the California Air Resources Board, had been the front-runner. But criticism from activists that Nichols’ record as California’s top air regulator hurt Black and Latino communities appeared to tank her standing with the transition team, prompting a scramble to elevate alternative candidates, The New York Times reported this week.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Lori Lightfoot Tried To Block Video Of Cops Raiding Wrong Home, Cuffing Naked Woman

CBS2-TV released body camera footage on Monday night of officers forcing their way into the home of Anjanette Young nearly two years ago .
The 50-year-old clinical social worker , who helps victims of violence and mentors people of color going into her profession , had just finished her work shift at a hospital and was undressing in her bedroom when a group of male officers broke down her door with a battering ram .
In the disturbing Feb. 21 , 2019 , footage , officers appear to have their guns drawn while they yell for Young to put her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in the video fully naked with her hands raised , looking terrified and confused ( CBS2 blurred parts of the video in which Young was shown naked ) .
One officer puts Young ’ s hands behind her back and handcuffs her , leaving her with no way to cover herself as police search her home .
An officer can be seen attempting to drape a short coat around Young ’ s shoulders , which still leaves her front fully exposed while police surround her .
Someone puts a blanket on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t hold it closed .
Eventually , an officer holds the blanket closed on her .
Young becomes increasingly and understandably distressed in the footage as officers refuse to tell her why they have raided her home .
She asks them repeatedly to let her put clothes on and tells them she believes they have the wrong information .
According to CBS2 , Young told police at least 43 times that they were in the wrong home .
She said that officers responded to her distress in a way that amplified it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ d ask questions .
“ When I asked them to show me , when I asked them to tell me what they are doing in my house , and their response to me was just ‘ shut up and calm down , ’ ” Young told the station , “ that ’ s so disrespectful.
” CBS2 found that the officers involved failed to check if they had the correct address before getting their search warrant approved .
A confidential informant had told the raid ’ s lead officer that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with guns and ammunition at the address , according to the police department ’ s complaint for a search warrant , which the news station obtained .
The person that officers were looking for actually lived in the unit next door to Young at the time of the raid and had no connection to her , CBS2 found .
The suspect was also reportedly wearing an electronic monitoring device , making it even easier for officers to track his location .
Body camera footage showed officers in a squad car looking at notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t initially approved or some crap.
” Young fought for nearly two years to get the footage of the raid on her home released .
The Chicago Police Department initially denied her Freedom of Information Act request but eventually turned over the footage after a judge ordered it as part of Young ’ s lawsuit .
Chicago police declined to tell HuffPost whether the officers involved in the raid will be penalized , citing an open investigation with the city ’ s Civilian Office of Police Accountability .
COPA didn ’ t launch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident , when CBS2 first broke the story of the raid .
“ Social workers are trained to have unconditional positive regard for clients , ” tweeted Social Service Workers United-Chicago , a group of area social workers who advocate for improved conditions in the field .
“ CPD ’ s behavior would not have been justified if they had violently raided the ‘ right ’ home , because everyone , regardless of what they are accused of , is entitled to constitutional due process.
” “ That was not something that happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started .
“ Because of the concern that we saw and was expressed , we changed the protocols for search warrants .
It requires now two supervisors , it requires a pre-check of the location .
And I ’ m not gon na sit here and tell you that we ’ ve solved every problem.
” “ I watched that video and I put myself in that poor woman ’ s place and thinking about somebody breaking into your home … and the trauma that that causes , ” Lightfoot continued .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ address that issue .
This case was litigated in federal court .
The federal judge put in place an order .
There ’ s allegations she has violated that .
But what I ’ ve directed my law department to is resolve any pending case with respect to Young ’ s situation .
”

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The city of Chicago attempted to block a local news station from airing recently obtained body camera footage of police mistakenly raiding the wrong home with guns drawn and handcuffing a distressed, naked woman.
CBS2-TV released body camera footage on Monday night of officers forcing their way into the home of Anjanette Young nearly two years ago. The 50-year-old clinical social worker, who helps victims of violence and mentors people of color going into her profession, had just finished her work shift at a hospital and was undressing in her bedroom when a group of male officers broke down her door with a battering ram.
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“It was so traumatic to hear the thing that was hitting the door,” she told CBS2 in a televised interview as part of Monday’s report. “And it happened so fast, I didn’t have time to put on clothes.”
In the disturbing Feb. 21, 2019, footage, officers appear to have their guns drawn while they yell for Young to put her hands up. She can then be seen in the video fully naked with her hands raised, looking terrified and confused (CBS2 blurred parts of the video in which Young was shown naked). One officer puts Young’s hands behind her back and handcuffs her, leaving her with no way to cover herself as police search her home.
An officer can be seen attempting to drape a short coat around Young’s shoulders, which still leaves her front fully exposed while police surround her. Someone puts a blanket on her that keeps sliding open because she can’t hold it closed. Eventually, an officer holds the blanket closed on her.
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Young becomes increasingly and understandably distressed in the footage as officers refuse to tell her why they have raided her home. She asks them repeatedly to let her put clothes on and tells them she believes they have the wrong information.
According to CBS2, Young told police at least 43 times that they were in the wrong home. She said that officers responded to her distress in a way that amplified it, telling her not to shout when she’d ask questions.
“When I asked them to show me, when I asked them to tell me what they are doing in my house, and their response to me was just ‘shut up and calm down,’” Young told the station, “that’s so disrespectful.”
CBS2 found that the officers involved failed to check if they had the correct address before getting their search warrant approved. A confidential informant had told the raid’s lead officer that he’d recently seen a known felon with guns and ammunition at the address, according to the police department’s complaint for a search warrant, which the news station obtained.
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The informant reportedly gave police the wrong address, and there’s no evidence that officers independently verified the informant’s claim.
The person that officers were looking for actually lived in the unit next door to Young at the time of the raid and had no connection to her, CBS2 found. The suspect was also reportedly wearing an electronic monitoring device, making it even easier for officers to track his location. Body camera footage showed officers in a squad car looking at notes and saying, “It wasn’t initially approved or some crap.”
“They are adding trauma to people’s lives that will be with them the rest of their lives,” Young told CBS2. “The system is broken.”
Young fought for nearly two years to get the footage of the raid on her home released. The Chicago Police Department initially denied her Freedom of Information Act request but eventually turned over the footage after a judge ordered it as part of Young’s lawsuit.
Hours before CBS2’s report on Monday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s lawyers filed an emergency motion in federal court to try and stop the station from airing bodycam footage of the raid. The lawyers also wanted Young punished, accusing her of sharing the video with a news outlet despite a confidentiality order.
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“In open court, Defense Counsel specifically outlined concerns that this video would be shared with the media in a salacious and unfair manner designed to elicit a reactionary response, which carries the risk of poisoning the public’s view of the case,” Lightfoot’s lawyers argued in the filing.
They also said the footage, which shows a naked woman in distress begging officers to leave because they raided the wrong home, paints “an inaccurate picture of what happened during the subject search warrant.”
The body cam footage backs up exactly what Anjanette told us happened last year.
It shows she told police they were in the wrong home over 40 times. It shows she was undressed for 13 minutes. Handcuffed for 20. https://t.co/7jnN5wNhNf https://t.co/E0A7h1Q1if — Samah Assad (@SAssadNews) December 15, 2020
CBS2 said it filed a response to the city’s motion calling it unconstitutional and an effort to suppress the station’s reporting. While CBS2 was broadcasting the report, a judge denied the motion by Lightfoot’s lawyers.
Chicago police declined to tell HuffPost whether the officers involved in the raid will be penalized, citing an open investigation with the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. COPA didn’t launch its investigation until nine months after the incident, when CBS2 first broke the story of the raid.
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“Social workers are trained to have unconditional positive regard for clients,” tweeted Social Service Workers United-Chicago, a group of area social workers who advocate for improved conditions in the field. “CPD’s behavior would not have been justified if they had violently raided the ‘right’ home, because everyone, regardless of what they are accused of, is entitled to constitutional due process.”
Social workers are trained to have unconditional positive regard for clients. CPD's behavior would not have been justified if they had violently raided the "right" home, because everyone, regardless of what they are accused of, is entitled to constitutional due process — Social Service Workers United-Chicago (@SSWUChicago) December 15, 2020
At a press conference for Chicago’s first COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, a reporter asked Lightfoot why her office attempted to block CBS2 from airing the footage and also punish Young for sharing it.
“That was not something that happened on my watch,” the mayor started. “Because of the concern that we saw and was expressed, we changed the protocols for search warrants. It requires now two supervisors, it requires a pre-check of the location. And I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that we’ve solved every problem.”
“I watched that video and I put myself in that poor woman’s place and thinking about somebody breaking into your home … and the trauma that that causes,” Lightfoot continued. “I think we have taken steps to address that issue. This case was litigated in federal court. The federal judge put in place an order. There’s allegations she has violated that. But what I’ve directed my law department to is resolve any pending case with respect to Young’s situation.”
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However, Chicago police have continued to ignore even the small search warrant policy changes Lightfoot made in February of this year, nearly two years after CBS2 began exposing botched Chicago police raids.
The mayor also dodged the question on Tuesday of why her law department tried to get a last-minute federal court order to stop CBS2 from airing its story.
“It's one of those moments where I felt I could have died that night. ... I truly believe they would have shot me.” - Anjanette Young
If the story feels familiar, that’s because it is. Chicago’s previous mayor, Rahm Emanuel, left a stained legacy when he blocked bodycam footage of police fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald for nearly a year until a judge ordered the city to release it.
Young’s ordeal also recalls the killing of Breonna Taylor, a young Black woman whom police shot to death earlier this year as part of a botched drug raid meant for someone else. Body camera footage released much later showed officers walking around the apartment as Taylor lay on the floor, bleeding to death.
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While Taylor’s family received a settlement for the high-profile crime, none of the officers were charged for killing her. Earlier this year, Lightfoot held a citywide moment of silence for Taylor.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--The Federal Reserve Just Took A Major Step Forward On Climate

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday took its most significant step forward on climate change , announcing that it joined a group of some 75 other central banks focused on rooting out the risk warming poses to the global financial system .
The U.S. central bank ’ s five-member governing board voted unanimously last week to become a formal member of the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System , known by the acronym NSGS .
The international coalition was founded in 2017 to exchange “ ideas , research , and best practices on the development of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial sector.
” The mounting billion-dollar disasters wrought by rising global temperatures are only one part of the climate threat to the global banking and finance system .
Despite recent steps by some lenders to restrict investments in the dirtiest fossil fuels , particularly coal , financial giants keep giving money to oil and gas companies whose value is largely dependent on the projected ability to profit from new drilling projects during the decades to come .
If governments reduce fossil fuel use at the rate scientists say is needed to keep warming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investments could become virtually worthless , potentially causing a financial collapse even more severe than the mortgage-backed securities crisis that triggered the Great Recession more than a decade ago .
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has said since earlier this year that he expected the U.S. central bank to join a global network of similar institutions examining the risks posed by global warming to the financial sector .
“ As we develop our understanding of how best to assess the impact of climate change on the financial system , we look forward to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NGFS colleagues from around the world , ” Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell , a President Donald Trump appointee , said in a statement Tuesday .
The announcement comes five days after dozens of House Republicans sent a letter to Powell and the Fed Vice Chairman of Supervision Randal Quarles urging against joining the NGFS “ without first making public commitments to only accept and implement in the U.S. recommendations that are in the best interest of our domestic financial system.
” The letter warned of climate scenarios projected by the banks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industries such as coal , oil and gas .
“ Over the last several years , we have seen banks make politically motivated and public relations-focused decisions to limit credit availability to these industries , ” the lawmakers wrote .
“ Politicizing access to capital and choking off funding to industries that millions of Americans rely on is unacceptable , especially in times of economic and financial uncertainty.
” The Fed has been long expected to enlist in the NSGS , which it began talks with more than a year ago , joining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Bank of Japan .
Last month , the European Central Bank set out guidelines for climate stress tests it plans to impose on banks in the Eurozone starting in 2022 .
European regulators , meanwhile , have spent years developing and seeking to standardize definitions of what qualifies as a truly “ green ” investment .
The U.S. is nowhere close to that , making the Fed ’ s ascent to the NSGS akin to President-elect Joe Biden ’ s plan to restore his country ’ s place in the Paris climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from those agreements early in his term .
“ The U.S. is the gorilla in the room that hasn ’ t joined , ” said Dylan Tanner , executive director of Influence Map , a British nonprofit that researches climate policies at central banks .
“ It ’ s almost like rejoining the Paris Agreement , it ’ s a natural thing to do under the next administration.
” As part of the Trump administration ’ s coronavirus relief efforts , the Fed took on billions in distressed fossil fuel debt ; meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and struggled to stay afloat .
The Biden administration is expected to take a starkly different approach , making climate change a top issue across federal agencies , including the Treasury Department .
Biden could reappoint Powell to the Fed , whose push to keep interest rates low won praise from Janet Yellen , his predecessor and Biden ’ s pick for Treasury secretary .
But other Biden appointments to the Fed ’ s board of governors are likely to face greater scrutiny of their positions on climate .
“ We applaud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raising its ambitions , ” said Steven Rothstein , a managing director at the climate-focused investor advocacy group Ceres .
“ Given that it is responsible for the safety and security of the world ’ s largest economy , we hope that it will not only catch up with central banks around the world , but , in time , lead the way in addressing systemic financial risk .
Our economy deserves no less .
”

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The Federal Reserve on Tuesday took its most significant step forward on climate change, announcing that it joined a group of some 75 other central banks focused on rooting out the risk warming poses to the global financial system.
The U.S. central bank’s five-member governing board voted unanimously last week to become a formal member of the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, known by the acronym NSGS. The international coalition was founded in 2017 to exchange “ideas, research, and best practices on the development of environment and climate risk management for the financial sector.”
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The mounting billion-dollar disasters wrought by rising global temperatures are only one part of the climate threat to the global banking and finance system. Despite recent steps by some lenders to restrict investments in the dirtiest fossil fuels, particularly coal, financial giants keep giving money to oil and gas companies whose value is largely dependent on the projected ability to profit from new drilling projects during the decades to come. If governments reduce fossil fuel use at the rate scientists say is needed to keep warming in a relatively safe range, those investments could become virtually worthless, potentially causing a financial collapse even more severe than the mortgage-backed securities crisis that triggered the Great Recession more than a decade ago.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has said since earlier this year that he expected the U.S. central bank to join a global network of similar institutions examining the risks posed by global warming to the financial sector. Leah Millis / Reuters
“As we develop our understanding of how best to assess the impact of climate change on the financial system, we look forward to continuing and deepening our discussions with our NGFS colleagues from around the world,” Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, a President Donald Trump appointee, said in a statement Tuesday.
The announcement comes five days after dozens of House Republicans sent a letter to Powell and the Fed Vice Chairman of Supervision Randal Quarles urging against joining the NGFS “without first making public commitments to only accept and implement in the U.S. recommendations that are in the best interest of our domestic financial system.” The letter warned of climate scenarios projected by the banks that could hurt “politically unpopular” industries such as coal, oil and gas.
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“Over the last several years, we have seen banks make politically motivated and public relations-focused decisions to limit credit availability to these industries,” the lawmakers wrote. “Politicizing access to capital and choking off funding to industries that millions of Americans rely on is unacceptable, especially in times of economic and financial uncertainty.”
The Fed has been long expected to enlist in the NSGS, which it began talks with more than a year ago, joining peers such as the Bank of England and Bank of Japan. Last month, the European Central Bank set out guidelines for climate stress tests it plans to impose on banks in the Eurozone starting in 2022. European regulators, meanwhile, have spent years developing and seeking to standardize definitions of what qualifies as a truly “green” investment.
“It’s almost like rejoining the Paris Agreement, it’s a natural thing to do under the next administration.” - Dylan Tanner, executive director of the nonprofit research outfit Influence Map
The U.S. is nowhere close to that, making the Fed’s ascent to the NSGS akin to President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to restore his country’s place in the Paris climate accords. Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from those agreements early in his term.
“The U.S. is the gorilla in the room that hasn’t joined,” said Dylan Tanner, executive director of Influence Map, a British nonprofit that researches climate policies at central banks. “It’s almost like rejoining the Paris Agreement, it’s a natural thing to do under the next administration.”
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As part of the Trump administration’s coronavirus relief efforts, the Fed took on billions in distressed fossil fuel debt; meanwhile, solar and wind companies laid off workers and struggled to stay afloat. The Biden administration is expected to take a starkly different approach, making climate change a top issue across federal agencies, including the Treasury Department.
Biden could reappoint Powell to the Fed, whose push to keep interest rates low won praise from Janet Yellen, his predecessor and Biden’s pick for Treasury secretary. But other Biden appointments to the Fed’s board of governors are likely to face greater scrutiny of their positions on climate.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Vatican 'Darth Vader' Nativity Scene Gets Earthly Thumbs Down

VATICAN CITY , Dec 15 ( Reuters ) - St. Peter ’ s Square in theVatican has hosted a few unorthodox nativity scenes over the years , but this season ’ s entry looks like it came from outer space .
The futuristic ceramic crèche - which includes an astronaut and a character reminiscent of Darth Vader from Star Wars - has received so many terrible reviews that , if it were a Broadway play , it probably would have closed on opening night .
Some social media users - perhaps in keeping with the prevailing mood of 2020 - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ What in the name of sane Christianity have they created in the piazza in the Vatican , ” tweeted A.A. Michelangelo .
.
” ..Words ( are ) inadequate for this horrific creation which must have come from the planet Zog.
” Mary , Joseph , the three kings and the shepherds look like cubic chess figures and the animals are squat and square .
The Vatican uses a different nativity scene each year , usually donated by towns or artists .
This year ’ s modernist , larger-than-life display , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made by students and teachers in Castelli , an Italian town famous for ceramics , between 1965 and1975 .
Past Vatican nativity scenes have included a broken boat representing the plight of refugees and a person visiting an inmate in a jail cell , symbolizing charity .
Last year ’ s was sculpted from 720 tons of beach sand .
The astronaut represents the lunar landings of the late1960s and early 1970s , according to a description for visitors .
One person on social media responded by posting a picture showing that figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Another showed Darth Vader asking for directions to St. Peter ’ s Square .
Among the scene ’ s few unqualified fans was American Lino Rulli , who hosts “ The Catholic Guy , ” a weekday radio program in Minnesota .
“ I don ’ t know what I love more : the spaceman or the guy from the Star Wars Cantina .
I really want a small one for our home , ” he tweeted .
For others closer to home , the decision by the VaticanCity ’ s de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of 2020 of all years was particularly irksome .
“ With this global pandemic and everything else the Christian people , or anyone for that matter , was expecting a sign of rebirth , ” said Alfredo Chiarelli , 65 , who has been selling religious items in the square for 30 years .

VATICAN CITY, Dec 15 (Reuters) - St. Peter’s Square in theVatican has hosted a few unorthodox nativity scenes over the years, but this season’s entry looks like it came from outer space.
The futuristic ceramic crèche - which includes an astronaut and a character reminiscent of Darth Vader from Star Wars - has received so many terrible reviews that, if it were a Broadway play, it probably would have closed on opening night.
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Some social media users - perhaps in keeping with the prevailing mood of 2020 - called it disturbing or lacking reassurance.
Others were more scathing.
“What in the name of sane Christianity have they created in the piazza in the Vatican,” tweeted A.A. Michelangelo. .”..Words (are) inadequate for this horrific creation which must have come from the planet Zog.”
Mary, Joseph, the three kings and the shepherds look like cubic chess figures and the animals are squat and square.
The Vatican uses a different nativity scene each year, usually donated by towns or artists.
This year’s modernist, larger-than-life display, which has appeared at various venues, was made by students and teachers in Castelli, an Italian town famous for ceramics, between 1965 and1975.
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Italians traditionally add a new character to represent a current event.
Past Vatican nativity scenes have included a broken boat representing the plight of refugees and a person visiting an inmate in a jail cell, symbolizing charity. Last year’s was sculpted from 720 tons of beach sand.
The astronaut represents the lunar landings of the late1960s and early 1970s, according to a description for visitors.
One person on social media responded by posting a picture showing that figure planting a Vatican flag on the moon. Another showed Darth Vader asking for directions to St. Peter’s Square.
Among the scene’s few unqualified fans was American Lino Rulli, who hosts “The Catholic Guy,” a weekday radio program in Minnesota. “I don’t know what I love more: the spaceman or the guy from the Star Wars Cantina. I really want a small one for our home,” he tweeted.
For others closer to home, the decision by the VaticanCity’s de facto municipal government to use it at the end of 2020 of all years was particularly irksome.
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“With this global pandemic and everything else the Christian people, or anyone for that matter, was expecting a sign of rebirth,” said Alfredo Chiarelli, 65, who has been selling religious items in the square for 30 years.
“It has confused and saddened a lot of people,” he told Reuters.