thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-21--Jimmy Fallon Points Out The Gag-Inducing Rudy Giuliani Moment People May Have Missed

Most eyes may have been on the dark liquid oozing down Rudy Giuliani ’ s face during his unhinged press @ @ @ @ @ election fraud on Thursday .
But Jimmy Fallon pointed out another strange moment “ you @ @ @ @ @ the same briefing that was equally worthy of scrutiny .
When Giuliani , President Donald @ @ @ @ @ was not speaking , he blew his nose on a handkerchief , turned it snot-side @ @ @ @ @ around his mouth and forehead .
“ Oh my God .
Wow .
I think @ @ @ @ @ start COVID-20 , ” Fallon joked on Friday ’ s broadcast of “ The Tonight @ @ @ @ @ when it saw that clip even COVID-19 immediately put on a mask , ” the @ @ @ @ @ If that ’ s what Rudy does on national TV , I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ does at home.
” Giuliani ’ s son , Andrew , who works as a @ @ @ @ @ , announced on Friday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus .


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Michiganders Erupt After Their Maskless Lawmakers Sip Dom Perignon At Trump Hotel

After appearing to acquit themselves rationally after a controversial White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday , Michigan ’ s lawmakers were photographed celebrating maskless and downing pricey Dom Perignon champagne in the Trump International Hotel .
Voters erupted , and “ Dom Perignon ” was quickly trending on Twitter .
The bottles go for $ 500 to $ 950 each at the hotel , and if it was a treat from Trump , they were likely on an expense account paid for by taxpayers — state , or federal .
Photos of Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans surfaced on social media , where the men were lashed for their extravagant indulgence and extraordinary callous indifference as their constituents struggle with health and financial hardships .
Chatfield and Republican Senate Majority Mike Shirkey were summoned to Washington by Trump who , observers suspected , talked to them about using their power to sway the state ’ s electoral votes his way , regardless of Michigan ’ s vote backing Joe Biden .
The two legislators issued a joint statement after the meeting that they saw no problems with Michigan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ normal , ” legal process expected to confirm Biden as president-elect .
But then Dom-gate broke , which triggered worries about what was really going on between the president and the lawmakers .
Trump also mysteriously tweeted on Saturday that the Michigan legislators ’ statement “ was true but that wasn ’ t the way it was reported in the media.
” Voters ’ fears about possible continuing plots were heightened Saturday when the Republican National Committee and Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox asked the state ’ s Board of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certification of the state ’ s election results for two weeks .
That would “ allow for a full audit and investigation ” into alleged voting “ anomalies and irregularities , ” the letter stated .
Neither Chatfield nor Shirkey have yet responded to the uproar , and could not immediately be reached by HuffPost to comment .
Shirkey refused to answer reporters ’ questions when he landed back in Michigan Saturday .
He sang a hymm , ignoring queries about who paid for his trip .
Close your eyes and try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whitmer in a Washington DC hotel bar , with a $ 500 bottle of Dom Pérignon , without a mask , on the day Michigan had nearly 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths .
— Zack Pohl ( @ ZackPohl ) November 21 , 2020 Now further imagine if the bottle of Dom Perignon ( actually $ 795 at trump 's gouging hotel ) was a gift from Joe Biden , after meeting with him to discuss suppressing the votes of Republicans .
— Egalitarian ✨ # Biden/Harris 2020 ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People in # Michigan are getting sick and dying at record rates from # COVID19 , the legislature is n't doing anything about it , and our reps are drinking Dom Perignon at Trump hotel in DC after meeting with @ realDonaldTrump .
Truly disgusting .
https : //t.co/iapw9mW2t9 — Dr .
Rob Davidson # WearAMask ( @ DrRobDavidson ) November 21 , 2020 This is just a complete lack of leadership and a complete disconnect with the people of Michigan and the nation .
This is also politically dumb ... during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while in the public eye , would at least act as though they care ... — Dave Robbins ( @ DavidDRobbins ) November 21 , 2020

After appearing to acquit themselves rationally following a controversial White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday, Michigan’s lawmakers were photographed celebrating maskless and downing pricey Dom Perignon champagne in the Trump International Hotel.
Voters erupted, and “Dom Perignon” was quickly trending on Twitter. The bottles go for $500 to $950 each at the hotel, and if it was a treat from Trump, they were likely on an expense account paid for by taxpayers — state, or federal.
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Michigan, meanwhile, suffered through 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 Friday — and 53 deaths.
Photos of Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, state Rep. Jim Lilly and other Republicans surfaced on social media, where the men were lashed for their extravagant indulgence and extraordinary callous indifference as their constituents struggle with health and financial hardships.
Chatfield and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey were summoned to Washington by Trump who, observers suspected, talked to them about using their power to sway the state’s electoral votes his way, regardless of Michigan’s vote backing Joe Biden.
The two legislators issued a joint statement after the meeting that they saw no problems with Michigan’s election and intended to proceed with the “normal,” legal process expected to confirm Biden as president-elect.
But then Dom-gate broke, which triggered worries about what was really going on between the president and the lawmakers. Trump also mysteriously tweeted on Saturday that the Michigan legislators’ statement “was true but that wasn’t the way it was reported in the media.”
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Voters’ fears about possible continuing plots were heightened Saturday when the Republican National Committee and Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox asked the state’s Board of State Canvassers in a letter to delay certification of the state’s election results for two weeks. That would “allow for a full audit and investigation” into alleged voting “anomalies and irregularities,” the letter stated.
Neither Chatfield nor Shirkey have yet responded to the uproar, and could not immediately be reached by HuffPost to comment. Shirkey refused to answer reporters’ questions when he landed back in Michigan Saturday. He sang a hymn, ignoring queries about who paid for his trip.
Close your eyes and try to imagine the reaction if someone photographed Gov. Whitmer in a Washington DC hotel bar, with a $500 bottle of Dom Pérignon, without a mask, on the day Michigan had nearly 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths. — Zack Pohl (@ZackPohl) November 21, 2020
Now further imagine if the bottle of Dom Perignon (actually $795 at trump's gouging hotel) was a gift from Joe Biden, after meeting with him to discuss suppressing the votes of Republicans. — Egalitarian ✨ #Biden/Harris 2020 (@oregonvirginia) November 21, 2020
Three questions for @LeeChatfield and @SenMikeShirkey:
1. Who funded the Dom Pérignon fueled vacation while Michigan reported almost 10k new cases of COVID-19? — Michigan Democrats (@MichiganDems) November 21, 2020
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2. After Donald Trump outed you for lying about your meeting, will you apologize to Michigan voters for scheming to silence their voices? — Michigan Democrats (@MichiganDems) November 21, 2020
Two different Americas.
LEFT: Americans on food lines in Texas.
RIGHT: Michigan legislators at Trump Hotel drinking Dom Perignon pic.twitter.com/cSVoU5WyAY — JeremyNewberger (@jeremynewberger) November 21, 2020
People in #Michigan are getting sick and dying at record rates from #COVID19, the legislature isn't doing anything about it, and our reps are drinking Dom Perignon at Trump hotel in DC after meeting with @realDonaldTrump. Truly disgusting. https://t.co/iapw9mW2t9 — Dr. Rob Davidson #WearAMask (@DrRobDavidson) November 21, 2020
This is just a complete lack of leadership and a complete disconnect with the people of Michigan and the nation. This is also politically dumb...during a pandemic and economic hardship a good politician, while in the public eye, would at least act as though they care... — Dave Robbins (@DavidDRobbins) November 21, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-21--Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Pat Toomey Tells Trump It's Over, Congratulates Joe Biden

Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey issued a statement Saturday night declaring that Donald Trump has “ exhausted all plausible legal ” challenges to the presidential election , and that it ’ s time for him to concede and “ facilitate ” the transition process .
Toomey issued the statement following a harsh decision Saturday by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann throwing out the latest lawsuit from the Trump campaign seeking to rescind votes cast in the state .
Brann called out Trump ’ s attorney Rudy Giuliani for attempting to “ disenfranchise almost 7 million of voters ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Brann ’ s decision was the most recent in a string of Trump campaign failures to overturn results in Georgia and Michigan .
“ These developments , together with the outcomes in the rest of the nation , confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States , ” Toomey declared .
The senator called Biden and Harris “ dedicated public servants , ” who have his prayers .
Toomey said he looked forward to “ working across the aisle with Biden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to battle COVID-19 .
Toomey concluded that he was disappointed Trump didn ’ t win the election , and that he strongly supported several issues championed by the president , such as corporate tax and regulation cuts .
But to “ ensure that he is remembered for these outstanding accomplishments , and to help unify our country , President Trump should accept the outcome of the election and facilitate the presidential election process , ” the senator added .
There was no immediate word from the White House or the president .

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Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey issued a statement Saturday night declaring that Donald Trump has “exhausted all plausible legal” challenges to the presidential election, and that it’s time for him to concede and “facilitate” the transition process.
Toomey also congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Toomey issued the statement following a harsh decision Saturday by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann throwing out the latest lawsuit from the Trump campaign seeking to rescind votes cast in the state. Brann called out Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani for attempting to “disenfranchise almost 7 million of voters” without justification or evidence.
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Toomey called Brann, a conservative Republican, “a fair and unbiased jurist.”
Read my statement on today’s Pennsylvania federal court decision, and congratulating President-Elect Biden: https://t.co/tCCXWxIUoR pic.twitter.com/MaxfHCtK1x — Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) November 22, 2020
Toomey noted that Brann’s decision in the case was the most recent in a string of Trump campaign failures to overturn results in Georgia and Michigan.
“These developments, together with the outcomes in the rest of the nation, confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States,” Toomey declared.
The senator called Biden and Harris “dedicated public servants,” who have his prayers. Toomey said he looked forward to “working across the aisle with Biden” and said they shared a commitment to battle COVID-19.
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Toomey concluded that he was disappointed Trump didn’t win the election, and that he strongly supported several issues championed by the president, such as corporate tax and regulation cuts.
But to “ensure that he is remembered for these outstanding accomplishments, and to help unify our country, President Trump should accept the outcome of the election and facilitate the presidential election process,” the senator added.
There was no immediate word from the White House or the president.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Trump Wonders Why Joe Biden Is Forming A Cabinet In Latest Tweet Screed

President Donald Trump claimed without evidence in a Twitter rant Saturday night that his “ investigators ” uncovered massive fraud in the election , and wondered why President-elect Joe Biden was “ quickly forming a Cabinet.
” Trump baselessly claimed that “ hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes ” have been discovered — “ enough to ‘ flip ’ at least four States ” and “ more than enough to win the Election.
” Trump called on the courts or state legislatures to have the “ COURAGE to do what has to be done , ” adding : “ THE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neither Trump nor his campaign has produced any evidence of the claims of fraud , either publicly or in numerous court cases filed by attorneys .
The tweets were marked by Twitter as “ disputed.
” They appear to represent Trump ’ s most blatant call yet for GOP state legislatures to attempt to seize the election on his behalf .
Why is Joe Biden so quickly forming a Cabinet when my investigators have found hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes , enough to “ flip ” at least four States , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win the Election ?
Hopefully the Courts and/or Legislatures will have ... .
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) November 22 , 2020 ... .the COURAGE to do what has to be done to maintain the integrity of our Elections , and the United States of America itself .
THE WORLD IS WATCHING !
!
!
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) November 22 , 2020 The president ’ s tweets followed the dismissal of a Trump campaign case Saturday in Pennsylvania , where U.S. District Court Judge Matthew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguments without merit and speculative accusations.
” “ In the United States of America , this can not justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth-most-populated state .
Our people , laws and institutions demand more , ” Brann wrote in a scathing ruling .
The Pennsylvania decision was the latest in a string of legal defeats for Trump and the campaign as time is running out before states are scheduled to certify votes .
While almost no Republicans have openly defied Trump , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election has run into “ quiet resistance ” from local and state GOP legislators across the nation , The Washington Post reported Saturday .

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President Donald Trump claimed without evidence in a Twitter rant Saturday night that his “investigators” had uncovered massive fraud in the election, and wondered why President-elect Joe Biden was “quickly forming a Cabinet.”
Trump baselessly claimed that “hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes” have been discovered — “enough to ‘flip’ at least four States” and “more than enough to win the Election.”
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Trump called on the courts and state legislatures to have the “COURAGE to do what has to be done,” adding: “THE WORLD IS WATCHING!!!”
Neither Trump nor his campaign has produced any evidence of the claims of fraud, either publicly or in numerous court cases filed by attorneys.
Twitter marked Trump’s tweets as “disputed.” The tweets appear to represent Trump’s most blatant call yet for GOP state legislatures to attempt to seize the election on his behalf.
Why is Joe Biden so quickly forming a Cabinet when my investigators have found hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes, enough to “flip” at least four States, which in turn is more than enough to win the Election? Hopefully the Courts and/or Legislatures will have.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2020
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....the COURAGE to do what has to be done to maintain the integrity of our Elections, and the United States of America itself. THE WORLD IS WATCHING!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2020
The president’s tweets followed the dismissal of a Trump campaign case Saturday in Pennsylvania, where U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Brann lashed its “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations.”
“In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth-most-populated state. Our people, laws and institutions demand more,” Brann wrote in a scathing ruling.
The Pennsylvania decision was the latest in a string of legal defeats for Trump and the campaign, and time is running out before states are scheduled to certify votes.
Biden is expected to announce a key Cabinet pick in the coming week.
While almost no Republicans have openly defied Trump, the president’s gambit to seize the election has run into “quiet resistance” from local and state GOP legislators across the nation, The Washington Post reported Saturday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Trump Campaign Files For New Recount In Georgia

President Donald Trump ’ s campaign requested a recount of votes in the Georgia presidential race on Saturday , a day after state officials certified results showing Democrat Joe Biden won the state , as his legal team presses forward with attacks alleging widespread fraud without proof .
Georgia ’ s results showed Biden beating Trump by 12,670 votes out of about 5 million cast , or 0.25 % .
State law allows a candidate to request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5 % .
Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp formalized the state ’ s slate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent a hand-delivered letter to the secretary of state ’ s office requesting the recount in an election that has been fraught with unfounded accusations of fraud by Trump and his supporters .
A Trump legal team statement said : “ Today , the Trump campaign filed a petition for recount in Georgia .
We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the U.S. Constitution are followed so that every legal vote is counted .
President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matching and other vital safeguards.
” On Friday , in certifying the state ’ s electors , Kemp also brought up concerns about signatures .
But Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has reiterated confidence in the results , and in a Saturday opinion piece in the Washington Post he said : “ Georgia ’ s voting system has never been more secure or trustworthy.
” And in fact , the signatures on absentee ballot applications and envelopes are required to be checked when they are received .
Later Saturday , Raffensperger sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to officially notify county election directors to prepare for the recount and to notify political parties so they could muster observers at the respective sites .
“ This will be highly scrutinized so emphasize to the counties the importance of transparency and accuracy of the process , ” Raffensperger said in his instructions to his aide .
The recount will be done using scanners that read and tabulate the votes .
County election workers have already done a complete hand recount of all the votes cast in the presidential race .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and isn ’ t considered an official recount under the law .
State law requires that one race be audited by hand to ensure that the machines counted the ballots accurately , and Raffensperger selected the presidential race .
Because of the tight margin in that race , a full hand count of ballots was necessary to complete the audit , he said .
Trump has criticized the audit , calling it a “ joke ” in a tweet that claimed without evidence that “ thousands of fraudulent votes have been found.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disputed information .
Votes that hadn ’ t previously been counted were found in several counties during the audit , which required recertification of the election results in those counties before state certification of the results .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
President Donald Trump’s campaign requested a recount of votes in the Georgia presidential race on Saturday, a day after state officials certified results showing Democrat Joe Biden won the state, as his legal team presses forward with attacks alleging widespread fraud without proof.
Georgia’s results showed Biden beating Trump by 12,670 votes out of about 5 million cast, or 0.25%. State law allows a candidate to request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5%. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp formalized the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors.
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The Trump campaign sent a hand-delivered letter to the secretary of state’s office requesting the recount in an election that has been fraught with unfounded accusations of fraud by Trump and his supporters.
A Trump legal team statement said: “Today, the Trump campaign filed a petition for recount in Georgia. We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the U.S. Constitution are followed so that every legal vote is counted. President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia, which has to include signature matching and other vital safeguards.”
On Friday, in certifying the state’s electors, Kemp also brought up concerns about signatures. But Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has reiterated confidence in the results, and in a Saturday opinion piece in the Washington Post he said: “Georgia’s voting system has never been more secure or trustworthy.”
And in fact, the signatures on absentee ballot applications and envelopes are required to be checked when they are received.
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Later Saturday, Raffensperger sent a written message to his deputy asking him to officially notify county election directors to prepare for the recount and to notify political parties so they could muster observers at the respective sites.
“This will be highly scrutinized so emphasize to the counties the importance of transparency and accuracy of the process,” Raffensperger said in his instructions to his aide.
The recount will be done using scanners that read and tabulate the votes. County election workers have already done a complete hand recount of all the votes cast in the presidential race. But that stemmed from a mandatory audit requirement and isn’t considered an official recount under the law.
State law requires that one race be audited by hand to ensure that the machines counted the ballots accurately, and Raffensperger selected the presidential race. Because of the tight margin in that race, a full hand count of ballots was necessary to complete the audit, he said.
Trump has criticized the audit, calling it a “joke” in a tweet that claimed without evidence that “thousands of fraudulent votes have been found.” Twitter has flagged the post as containing disputed information.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Wisconsin Officials Accuse Trump Observers Of Obstructing Recount

MILWAUKEE ( AP ) — Election officials in Wisconsin ’ s largest county accused observers for President Donald Trump on Saturday of seeking to obstruct a recount of the presidential results — in some instances by objecting to every ballot tabulators pulled to count .
Trump requested the recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties , both heavily liberal , in hopes of undoing Democrat Joe Biden ’ s victory by about 20,600 votes .
With no precedent for a recount reversing such a large margin , Trump ’ s strategy is widely seen as aimed at an eventual court challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states to undo his election loss .
A steady stream of Republican complaints in Milwaukee was putting the recount far behind schedule , County Clerk George Christenson said .
Many Trump observers were breaking the rules by constantly interrupting vote counters with questions and comments , according to Christenson .
“ That ’ s unacceptable , ” he said .
He said some of the Trump observers “ clearly don ’ t know what they are doing.
” Tim Posnanski , a county election commissioner , told his fellow commissioners there appeared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where tabulators were counting ballots , violating rules that call for one observer from each campaign per table .
Posnanski said some Trump representatives seemed to be posing as independents .
At one recount table , a Trump observer objected to every ballot that tabulators pulled from a bag simply because they were folded , election officials told the panel .
Posnanski called it “ prima facie evidence of bad faith by the Trump campaign.
” He added later : “ I want to know what is going on and why there continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get to the point of dialing everything down … and not yelling at each other , ” Voiland said .
At least one Trump observer was escorted out of the building by sheriff ’ s deputies Saturday after pushing an election official who had lifted her coat from an observer chair .
Another Trump observer was removed Friday for not wearing a face mask properly as required .
His team is seeking to disqualify ballots where election clerks filled in missing address information on the certification envelope where the ballot is inserted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been accepted in Wisconsin .
The campaign also alleges thousands of absentee ballots don ’ t have proper written paperwork , and that some absentee voters improperly declared themselves “ indefinitely confined , ” a status that allows them to receive a ballot without photo ID .
Those challenges were being rejected .
There have been at least 31 recounts in statewide elections in the U.S. since the most famous one in Florida ’ s presidential election in 2000 .
The recounts changed the outcome of three races .
All three were decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Election officials in Wisconsin’s largest county accused observers for President Donald Trump on Saturday of seeking to obstruct a recount of the presidential results — in some instances by objecting to every ballot tabulators pulled to count.
Trump requested the recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties, both heavily liberal, in hopes of undoing Democrat Joe Biden’s victory by about 20,600 votes. With no precedent for a recount reversing such a large margin, Trump’s strategy is widely seen as aimed at an eventual court challenge, part of a push in key states to undo his election loss.
A steady stream of Republican complaints in Milwaukee was putting the recount far behind schedule, County Clerk George Christenson said. Many Trump observers were breaking the rules by constantly interrupting vote counters with questions and comments, according to Christenson.
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“That’s unacceptable,” he said. He said some of the Trump observers “clearly don’t know what they are doing.”
Tim Posnanski, a county election commissioner, told his fellow commissioners there appeared to be two Trump representatives at some tables where tabulators were counting ballots, violating rules that call for one observer from each campaign per table. Posnanski said some Trump representatives seemed to be posing as independents.
At one recount table, a Trump observer objected to every ballot that tabulators pulled from a bag simply because they were folded, election officials told the panel.
Posnanski called it “prima facie evidence of bad faith by the Trump campaign.” He added later: “I want to know what is going on and why there continues to be obstruction.”
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Joe Voiland, a lawyer speaking to commission members on behalf of the Trump campaign, denied his side was acting in bad faith.
“I want to get to the point of dialing everything down … and not yelling at each other,” Voiland said.
At least one Trump observer was escorted out of the building by sheriff’s deputies Saturday after pushing an election official who had lifted her coat from an observer chair. Another Trump observer was removed Friday for not wearing a face mask properly as required.
Trump paid $3 million, as required by state law, for the partial recount that began Friday and must conclude by Dec. 1.
His team is seeking to disqualify ballots where election clerks filled in missing address information on the certification envelope where the ballot is inserted, even though the practice has long been accepted in Wisconsin.
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The campaign also alleges thousands of absentee ballots don’t have proper written paperwork, and that some absentee voters improperly declared themselves “indefinitely confined,” a status that allows them to receive a ballot without photo ID. Those challenges were being rejected.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Jeb Bush Goes All Republican On Twitter's 'Partisan' Room Rater

ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Florida Gov .
Jeb Bush : He can see clearly now .
Former Florida Gov .
Jeb Bush on Saturday suddenly went bonkers over the popular Twitter account Room Rater for being “ partisan , ” and apparently largely responsible for the yawning divide in America , and maybe even for the looming end of Western civilization .
Room Rater — @ ratemyskyperoom — ranks the rooms politicians , media figures and others appear in on Zoom or Skype for interviews during the pandemic .
Bush , the younger brother of former President George W. Bush , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Room Rater is hard on Republican rooms and softer on Democratic settings .
He was apparently annoyed that Republican strategist and CNN political commentator Doug Heye only got a 9 out of a maximum rating of 10 for his room in a CNN appearance .
“ Mr .
Room Rater , is it possible now that the election is over to rate rooms on a non partisan basis ?
” Bush demanded in a tweet .
“ Are you a room rater or a hyper partisan person that is the problem ?
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time for our country.
” Mr. Room Rater , is it possible now that the election is over to rate rooms on a non partisan basis ?
Are you a room rater or a hyper partisan person that is the problem ?
We need less hyper partisanship on backgrounds at this time for our country .
https : //t.co/6oPKILYLZB — Jeb Bush ( @ JebBush ) November 21 , 2020 Heye stood up for Room Rater , pointing out he was quite pleased with his 9 .
Room Rater pointed out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not too shabby .
In addition , after Bush referred to “ Mr .
Room Rater , ” the tweet noted that the “ Canadian half of Room Rater identifies as she/her.
” After being corrected , Bush referred to “ Room man.
” How ’ s that for being partisan ?
Room man , do a review of your ratings based on ideology and publish it .
The backgrounds are varied but your bias is constant .
Be honest .
Try to make a difference .
If not , you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bush ( @ JebBush ) November 21 , 2020 Maybe Bush was goofing , but Twitter critics took him seriously .
He misgendered Room Rater twice ...
Even after being told it was a she he was talking to .
Eff him .
— GypsyRox ( @ GypsyRox1 ) November 22 , 2020 Multitudes on Twitter pointed out to Bush that he was missing the whole point of who is responsible for ripping apart the nation just now — and it is definitely not Room Rater .
Even Robyn Patterson , national press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , piled on .
So let me get this straight… You ’ ve been completely mute regarding your Republican buddies ’ attempt to destroy our democracy , but you ’ re all in a tizzy about Room Rater ?
— Lisa Glass ( @ LMplusG ) November 22 , 2020 Mr. Bush , the alleged president is trying to overturn an election he lost by 6 million individual votes and 74 electoral college votes , and you 're asking ( *checks notes* ) room rater to be kinder to the GOP ?
Really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dean Gloster ( @ deangloster ) November 22 , 2020

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: He can see clearly now. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Saturday suddenly went bonkers over the popular Twitter account Room Rater for being “partisan,” and apparently largely responsible for the yawning divide in America, and maybe even for the looming end of Western civilization.
Room Rater — @ratemyskyperoom — ranks the rooms politicians, media figures and others appear in on Zoom or Skype for interviews during the pandemic.
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Bush, the younger brother of former President George W. Bush, suddenly got it into his head that Room Rater is hard on Republican rooms and softer on Democratic settings. Well, yeah.
Bush was particularly annoyed that Republican strategist and CNN political commentator Doug Heye only got a 9 out of a maximum rating of 10 for his room in a CNN appearance.
“Mr. Room Rater, is it possible now that the election is over to rate rooms on a non partisan basis?” Bush demanded in a tweet. “Are you a room rater or a hyper partisan person that is the problem? We need less hyper partisanship on backgrounds at this time for our country.”
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Mr. Room Rater, is it possible now that the election is over to rate rooms on a non partisan basis? Are you a room rater or a hyper partisan person that is the problem? We need less hyper partisanship on backgrounds at this time for our country. https://t.co/6oPKILYLZB — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) November 21, 2020
Heye stood up for Room Rater, pointing out he was quite pleased with his 9.
Hey Gov, I'm just happy I got a 9! https://t.co/PumNm64qqQ — Doug Heye (@DougHeye) November 21, 2020
Room Rater pointed out in a tweet to Bush that a 9 is not too shabby. In addition, after Bush referred to “Mr. Room Rater,” the tweet noted that the “Canadian half of Room Rater identifies as she/her.” After being corrected, Bush referred to “Room man.” How’s that for being partisan?
You know he got a 9, right ? *Also, Canadian half of Room Rater identifies as she/her. — Room Rater (@ratemyskyperoom) November 21, 2020
Room man, do a review of your ratings based on ideology and publish it. The backgrounds are varied but your bias is constant. Be honest. Try to make a difference. If not, you are part of the problem. — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) November 21, 2020
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Maybe Bush was goofing, but Twitter critics took him seriously.
He misgendered Room Rater twice... Even after being told it was a she he was talking to. Eff him. — GypsyRox (@GypsyRox1) November 22, 2020
Multitudes on Twitter pointed out to Bush that he was missing the whole point of who is responsible for ripping apart the nation just now — and it is definitely not Room Rater. Even Robyn Patterson, national press secretary of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, piled on.
Jeb Bush lecturing Room Rater while his friends literally try and steal an election is quite a mood. https://t.co/bLDGw9MPKk — Robyn Patterson (@RM_Patterson) November 22, 2020
So let me get this straight… You’ve been completely mute regarding your Republican buddies’ attempt to destroy our democracy, but you’re all in a tizzy about Room Rater? — Lisa Glass (@LMplusG) November 22, 2020
Room Rater is the problem. Not Donald Trump. Makes total sense. 👌 https://t.co/mkxNXiND0K — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) November 22, 2020
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I’m sure room rater will stand down when you and your party stand up. — Seeking 💛 Justice (@combienDUtemps) November 21, 2020
The gop is attempting a coup and Room Rater is who you try to school? — Deb (@TheTrueAllure) November 22, 2020
Did you get hacked? Room Rater bothers you, but fascism and sedition don't? — Ellen Emerson White (@EEmersonWhite) November 22, 2020
Mr. Bush, the alleged president is trying to overturn an election he lost by 6 million individual votes and 74 electoral college votes, and you're asking (*checks notes*) room rater to be kinder to the GOP?
Really.
Stay spineless, Ponyboy. — Dean Gloster (@deangloster) November 22, 2020
Governor @JebBush ,
Doug Heye, Republican strategist, got a 9/10.
On @ratemyskyperoom ...
And you are requesting a recount? — mollyswordmcdonough 🌊 (@mollysmcdonough) November 22, 2020
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Jeb - is there ANYthing... anything at all you could think of that is perhaps more pressing than dissing harmless @ratemyskyperoom ? — Suzanne Lindbergh (@suzannebuzz) November 22, 2020
Dude, your party is trying to stage a coup and you got beef with...Room Rater? pic.twitter.com/218pRASJ6O — Phyllis, D'yer Maker Total Landscaper (@phyll_indablank) November 22, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-21--Carl Bernstein Rails At 'Mad King' Trump's Assault On Democracy

“ We are watching ... the final days of the mad king , and what he is attempting to do to overturn constitutional rule in this country , our constitutional traditions , our democratic traditions of fair elections , ” Bernstein told CNN anchor Fredericka Whitfield .
“ He also is trying to undermine the very basis of trust in our electoral institution — which is essential for having democracy , ” Bernstein added .
“ And Republicans on Capitol Hill ... know this .
And they are talking with each other now about the rantings and doings of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on , these Republicans [ will ] realize that throwing in their lot with Donald Trump is going to be increasingly a dangerous business , ” he warned .
“ We are going to see a diminution of Donald Trump ’ s influence in this country , because it is becoming apparent , more and more — to even people who voted for him — that his stability , that his processes , are not those of someone who ’ s got his feet firmly planted on the ground , ” Bernstein said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be defined by his instability .
Check it out in the video clip above .

Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein on Saturday bashed “mad king” Donald Trump on CNN for working furiously to dismantle democracy.
“We are watching ... the final days of the mad king, and what he is attempting to do to overturn constitutional rule in this country, our constitutional traditions, our democratic traditions of fair elections,” Bernstein told CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield.
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“He also is trying to undermine the very basis of trust in our electoral institution — which is essential for having democracy,” Bernstein added. “And Republicans on Capitol Hill ... know this. And they are talking with each other now about the rantings and doings of a mad king.”
As “time goes on, these Republicans [will] realize that throwing in their lot with Donald Trump is going to be increasingly a dangerous business,” he warned.
“We are going to see a diminution of Donald Trump’s influence in this country, because it is becoming apparent, more and more — to even people who voted for him — that his stability, that his processes, are not those of someone who’s got his feet firmly planted on the ground,” Bernstein said. “More and more he is going to be defined by his instability.
Check it out in the video clip above.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--The Pandemic Is Increasing Child Sex Trafficking, But Not For Reasons You May Think

In October , the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ( NCMEC ) noted that reports of online child sexual exploitation had doubled in 2020 compared with the previous year .
The anti-trafficking charity Polaris said in June that calls to the National Trafficking Hotline had spiked 40 % over pre-pandemic rates .
Most of these warnings focused on the risk of children being approached by online predators .
The FBI said abusers were joining multiple social media platforms to target kids .
Local media published stories declaring the pandemic was “ giving sex predators more access to children.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state lockdown orders could increase opportunities for offenders to groom children online .
While the coronavirus has indeed increased the risk of abuse for children , experts said these perils are more closely related to family members and cuts to social services than to strangers on the internet .
“ The young people we see are overwhelmingly kids who ran away from foster care or fled from their parents because they ’ re queer or experienced abuse , ” said Laura Nagel , a program manager with the Center for Children and Youth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps families navigate the welfare system .
Nagel and her colleagues conducted a survey of social workers and nonprofits to find out how children ’ s needs and risks had changed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The most common risks were children quarantined with unsafe people and verging on homelessness .
Most Children Are Abused By People They Know One of the most persistent myths surrounding sex trafficking is that strangers are the biggest threat to children .
In reality , decades of social science have consistently demonstrated that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of abuse .
The same principle applies to online abuse .
Most children who are “ groomed ” online are targets of someone they know — teachers , family members , schoolmates — and they perceive the abuse as part of a consensual relationship .
While abusers do sometimes use the internet to form relationships with their victims and coerce them into performing commercial sex , these cases are rare .
The National Trafficking Hotline ’ s 40 % increase in “ crisis calls ” during the pandemic represented an increase from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rene Davis , the communications manager for the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence , an abuse shelter , said she sees between six and 10 trafficking victims per year , compared to around 2,000 victims of domestic abuse .
And even when so-called “ internet-initiated ” crimes against children do occur , they don ’ t look like the dark-web stereotype of sexual predators tricking and blackmailing children into exploitation .
According to a 2008 literature review , few abusers lie about their age or use fake photos to seem like one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post as themselves .
Victims typically believe themselves to be in relationships and , when sex occurs , consider it consensual .
The study noted that three-quarters of victims met up with their abusers more than once .
“ When we see online recruitment , it ’ s mostly kids from the foster care system or who have mental health needs or maybe they ’ re trans and can ’ t access services , ” Nagel said .
“ Oftentimes they meet someone in person and then develop the relationship on social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a bed , sex for drugs , or sex for money.
” At the heart of the victimization , Nagel said , is teens ’ vulnerability to false promises of romance .
While it ’ s true that a troubling percentage of children have received sexual messages from adults ― estimates put the figure between 10 % and 20 % ― most simply ignore them or block the sender .
It is children who come from abusive or neglectful homes who are most susceptible to the onslaught of attention that online grooming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re saying , ‘ Watch out for people sending your kids random dick pics , ’ then we ’ re ignoring what makes kids vulnerable to manipulation , ” Nagel said .
“ Most of the kids who fall for these come-ons are trying to meet a need for money or self-worth — or they ’ re trying to escape from abuse.
” One of the more troubling signs of escalating danger to children during the pandemic may actually be fewer reports of abuse .
Government agencies receive most of their abuse reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other professionals whose jobs put them in regular contact with children .
Since the start of the pandemic , many agencies have stopped in-person services to keep their clients and employees safe from infection .
Many children are still attending classes via webcam .
That means most of the professionals tasked with identifying abuse victims have been out of contact with children for months .

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, law enforcement agencies and nonprofit organizations have issued dire warnings that the intense isolation and increased time online would lead to higher rates of child sex trafficking.
In October, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) noted that reports of online child sexual exploitation had doubled in 2020 compared with the previous year. The anti-trafficking charity Polaris said in June that crisis calls to the National Trafficking Hotline had spiked 40% over pre-pandemic rates.
Most of these warnings focused on the risk of children being approached by online predators. The FBI said abusers were joining multiple social media platforms to target kids. Local media published stories declaring the pandemic was “giving sex predators more access to children.” NCMEC Vice President John Shehan said state lockdown orders could increase opportunities for offenders to groom children online.
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“Child predators are using the dark net to discuss stay-at-home orders and use the opportunity to entice children to produce sexually explicit material,” an NCMEC spokesperson told Forbes magazine.
While the coronavirus has indeed increased the risk of abuse for children, experts said these perils are more closely related to family members and cuts to social services than to strangers on the internet.
“The young people we see are overwhelmingly kids who ran away from foster care or fled from their parents because they’re queer or experienced abuse,” said Laura Nagel, a program manager with the Center for Children and Youth Justice, a Washington state-based nonprofit that helps families navigate the welfare system.
Nagel and her colleagues conducted a survey of social workers and nonprofits to find out how children’s needs and risks had changed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common risks were children quarantined with unsafe people and verging on homelessness.
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“We don’t need to tell parents to micromanage their kids’ social media,” Nagel said. “We need to make sure that vulnerable kids have access to housing, jobs and transportation.”
Most Children Are Abused By People They Know
One of the most persistent myths surrounding sex trafficking is that strangers are the biggest threat to children. In reality, decades of social science have consistently demonstrated that family members and acquaintances perpetrate the vast majority of abuse.
The same principle applies to online abuse. Most children who are “groomed” online are targets of someone they know — teachers, family members, schoolmates — and they perceive the abuse as part of a consensual relationship.
While abusers do sometimes use the internet to form relationships with their victims and coerce them into performing commercial sex, these cases are rare. The National Trafficking Hotline’s 40% increase in “crisis calls” during the pandemic represented an increase from roughly 60 calls per month to 90. Rene Davis, the communications manager for the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, an abuse shelter, said she sees between six and 10 trafficking victims per year, compared to around 2,000 victims of domestic abuse.
And even when so-called “internet-initiated” crimes against children do occur, they don’t look like the dark-web stereotype of sexual predators tricking and blackmailing children into exploitation. According to a 2008 literature review, few abusers lie about their age or use fake photos to seem like one of their victims’ peers. Most post as themselves. Victims typically believe themselves to be in relationships and, when sex occurs, consider it consensual. The study noted that three-quarters of victims met up with their abusers more than once.
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“When we see online recruitment, it’s mostly kids from the foster care system or who have mental health needs or maybe they’re trans and can’t access services,” Nagel said. “Oftentimes they meet someone in person and then develop the relationship on social media. Then they end up negotiating sex for a bed, sex for drugs, or sex for money.”
“If we’re saying, ‘Watch out for people sending your kids random dick pics,’ then we’re ignoring what makes kids vulnerable to manipulation.” - Laura Nagel, Center for Children and Youth Justice program manager
Trafficking Risk Comes From Vulnerability
At the heart of the victimization, Nagel said, is teens’ vulnerability to false promises of romance. While it’s true that a troubling percentage of children have received sexual messages from adults ― estimates put the figure between 10% and 20% ― most simply ignore them or block the sender. It is children who come from abusive or neglectful homes who are most susceptible to the onslaught of attention that online grooming typically entails.
“If we’re saying, ‘Watch out for people sending your kids random dick pics,’ then we’re ignoring what makes kids vulnerable to manipulation,” Nagel said. “Most of the kids who fall for these come-ons are trying to meet a need for money or self-worth — or they’re trying to escape from abuse.”
One of the more troubling signs of escalating danger to children during the pandemic may actually be fewer reports of abuse. Government agencies receive most of their abuse reports from school counselors, doctors, therapists and other professionals whose jobs put them in regular contact with children.
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Since the start of the pandemic, many agencies have stopped in-person services to keep their clients and employees safe from infection. Many children are still attending classes via webcam. That means most of the professionals tasked with identifying abuse victims have been out of contact with children for months.
“Kids aren’t in school and they’re not getting regular health care,” said Rachel Sottile, president of the Center for Children and Youth Justice. “Who knows what kids are dealing with out there?”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Election Updates: Trump Campaign Faces Major Legal Setbacks; Biden Wins Certified

President Donald Trump continues to deny that President-elect Joe Biden won the election , more than two weeks after Biden delivered his victory speech .
Trump ’ s legal team , headed by Rudy Giuliani , has suffered several major blows in their efforts to disenfranchise voters and overturn Biden ’ s win .
A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Sunday dismissed a Trump team lawsuit that sought to invalidate millions of votes in the key battleground state .
Biden won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes , early election results show .
For the latest results , maps and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elections Hub .
On Saturday , the Trump campaign filed a petition for a new recount in Georgia , which completed its first recount Friday , reaffirming Biden ’ s win there .
The president ’ s campaign is also pursuing a partial recount in Wisconsin .
Trump , as he continues to push baseless allegations of voter fraud and ballot-counting irregularities , is stalling the presidential transition process .
Biden urged the Trump administration to share its coronavirus vaccine distribution plans , warning a delay could result in more COVID-19 deaths .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Note : An ad blocker may prevent you from seeing the blog , so if you ’ re using one , please pause or turn it off . )

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The Trump administration has finally initiated the presidential transition process more than two weeks after President-elect Joe Biden declared victory. President Donald Trump, however, still hasn’t conceded and continues to push baseless voter fraud claims despite dozens of legal setbacks.
The federal government’s General Services Administration ― headed by Trump appointee Emily Murphy ― informed Biden on Monday that the Trump administration was ready to begin the formal process.
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The decision followed mounting pressure from Democrats, national security experts, election officials and several Republican lawmakers to move forward with the process.
For the latest results, maps and more, check out HuffPost’s Elections Hub.
Trump’s legal team, headed by Rudy Giuliani, has suffered several major blows in their efforts to disenfranchise voters and overturn Biden’s win, including judges dismissing multiple lawsuits alleging election irregularities across several states.
Michigan voted to certify its election results on Monday after facing legal challenges from the Trump campaign. Biden won the state by more than 150,000 votes. On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the state had certified its results, formally granting Biden its 20 electoral votes.
As the walls continue to close in on Trump, Biden has announced several key Cabinet positions, including historic nominations for the Homeland Security Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Laid-Off Workers Lobby For Unemployment Benefits To Continue

The two New Yorkers lost their jobs in the theater industry in March .
With the coronavirus pandemic raging worse than ever and Broadway shut down for many more months , they don ’ t know how soon they ’ ll be able to work again .
“ I ’ d lose my apartment come January and will not be able to continue to afford health care , ” McDonald said .
“ It is a big ego and financial hit that because of government inaction we now have to uproot our entire lives.
” They both consider themselves far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost their jobs , but they ’ re not taking the situation lying down .
Freed and McDonald created a website , extendPUA.org , in July to call for a continuation of the federal unemployment supplement that added $ 600 to weekly payments under the CARES Act .
They also traveled to Washington to speak at a press conference with Democrats outside the Capitol .
Congress didn ’ t listen , and the $ 600 dried up .
More than 6 million workers are still getting state-funded unemployment benefits , which average around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions others are still getting payments from a federal program for gig workers and another for the long-term jobless , which will last until Dec. 26 .
Freed and McDonald want to see Congress not only revive the extra $ 600 per week , but also to save the remaining federal programs set to expire next month .
And they ’ re organizing hundreds of other unemployed workers to demand action .
Sen. Thom Tillis ( R-N.C. ) said he `` believes a bipartisan compromise should include extended unemployment benefits at a level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some with more federal benefits than they earned at their previous employer . ''
Their grassroots lobbying effort has involved more than 30 Zoom and phone meetings with Senate offices .
They have focused mostly on Republicans , and for the most part , staffers have told them their bosses support more assistance .
Staff for Sens .
John Cornyn ( R-Texas ) and Thom Tillis ( R-N.C. ) even told them , in September , that the senators would support a continuation of the $ 600 supplement if Senate Majority Leader Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote on such a measure .
( Both senators voted for an amendment to curtail the benefit before the CARES Act passed in March , but voted for the broader legislation . )
“ Senator Tillis believes a bipartisan compromise should include extended unemployment benefits at a level that provides much-needed relief without inadvertently providing some with more federal benefits than they earned at their previous employer , which would ultimately hamper our nation ’ s long-term economic recovery , ” a Tillis spokesperson said in an email .
Democrats have pushed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reauthorize the other expiring unemployment programs , and extend a plethora of other coronavirus relief measures as part of a $ 2 trillion package .
Republicans have refused to go along , insisting that a smaller bill would be more appropriate .
For the most part , Republicans have said the extra $ 600 was too much , because a substantial number of workers who received the increased benefit made more than they had earned at their jobs .
Freed and McDonald have armed their volunteers with talking points explaining that available evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held back hiring at all .
People call their representatives every day to ask for help or to urge them to take action .
They also do so as part of a broader lobbying campaign coordinated by a professional association , whether it ’ s a labor union or the National Potato Council .
Such a tactic is known as a “ fly-in , ” wherein career lobbyists leverage regular folks for a political goal .
Freed and McDonald are doing a more grassroots ( and digital ) version of the fly-in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting any help from a professional association .
They said they ’ ve arranged for more than 100 unemployed people to talk to Senate staff , and that their website has funneled more than 20,000 emails to lawmakers .
Freed is a production electrician and lighting designer .
McDonald is a video director .
The work simply can ’ t happen until people can gather to form an audience .
Neither wants to give up their career , but they have applied for jobs outside of the industry .
Both described meeting wariness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return to their old jobs as soon as they could .

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Stephanie Freed and Grant McDonald aren’t lobbyists, but they’re orchestrating a sophisticated campaign pressuring senators to save the federal unemployment benefits that are expiring next month.
When those benefits lapse on Dec. 26, neither will have any income.
The two New Yorkers lost their jobs in the theater industry in March. With the coronavirus pandemic raging worse than ever and Broadway shut down for many more months, they don’t know how soon they’ll be able to work again.
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“I can’t afford my apartment anymore and I will likely be moving to my parents’ house, in my 30s, which is a weird mental space to be in,” Freed said.
“I’d lose my apartment come January and will not be able to continue to afford health care,” McDonald said. “It is a big ego and financial hit that because of government inaction we now have to uproot our entire lives.”
They both consider themselves far more fortunate than many others who have lost their jobs, but they’re not taking the situation lying down.
Freed and McDonald created a website, extendPUA.org, in July to call for a continuation of the federal unemployment supplement that added $600 to weekly payments under the CARES Act. They also traveled to Washington to speak at a press conference with Democrats outside the Capitol.
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Congress didn’t listen, and the $600 dried up. More than 6 million workers are still getting state-funded unemployment benefits, which average around $300 per week. Approximately 13 millions others are still getting payments from a federal program for gig workers and another for the long-term jobless, which will last until Dec. 26.
Freed and McDonald want to see Congress not only revive the extra $600 per week, but also to save the remaining federal programs set to expire next month. And they’re organizing hundreds of other unemployed workers to demand action.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he "believes a bipartisan compromise should include extended unemployment benefits at a level that provides much-needed relief without inadvertently providing some with more federal benefits than they earned at their previous employer." Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Their grassroots lobbying effort has involved more than 30 Zoom and phone meetings with Senate offices. They have focused mostly on Republicans, and for the most part, staffers have told them their bosses support more assistance.
Staff for Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) even told them, in September, that the senators would support a continuation of the $600 supplement if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) allowed a floor vote on such a measure. (Both senators voted for an amendment to curtail the benefit before the CARES Act passed in March, but voted for the broader legislation.)
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“Senator Tillis believes a bipartisan compromise should include extended unemployment benefits at a level that provides much-needed relief without inadvertently providing some with more federal benefits than they earned at their previous employer, which would ultimately hamper our nation’s long-term economic recovery,” a Tillis spokesperson said in an email.
Democrats have pushed to bring back the extra $600, reauthorize the other expiring unemployment programs, and extend a plethora of other coronavirus relief measures as part of a $2 trillion package. Republicans have refused to go along, insisting that a smaller bill would be more appropriate.
For the most part, Republicans have said the extra $600 was too much, because a substantial number of workers who received the increased benefit made more than they had earned at their jobs. Freed and McDonald have armed their volunteers with talking points explaining that available evidence suggests the $600 hasn’t held back hiring at all.
People call their representatives every day to ask for help or to urge them to take action. They may also petition their government in-person, visiting Capitol Hill offices as part of a broader lobbying campaign coordinated by a professional association, whether it’s a labor union or the National Potato Council. Such a tactic is known as a “fly-in,” wherein career lobbyists leverage regular folks for a political goal.
Freed and McDonald are doing a more grassroots (and digital) version of the fly-in, since they are themselves unemployed and not getting any help from a professional association. They said they’ve arranged for more than 100 unemployed people to talk to Senate staff, and that their website has funneled more than 20,000 emails to lawmakers.
Advertisement
Freed is a production electrician and lighting designer. McDonald is a video director. The work simply can’t happen until people can gather to form an audience. Neither wants to give up their career, but they have applied for jobs outside of the industry. Both described meeting wariness from potential employers who feared they would return to their old jobs as soon as they could.
It’s clear to them that the government has to step in and make sure they don’t go broke while they wait for the public health threat to subside.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--First COVID-19 Vaccinations Expected As Early As Dec. 11, White House Vaccine Czar Says

The chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed , the Trump administration ’ s program to accelerate vaccine development during the pandemic , said he expects the first Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as early as Dec. 11 .
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer submitted an application on Friday to the Food and Drug Administration requesting approval for emergency use of its coronavirus vaccine .
Early data shows the vaccine to be 95 % effective .
“ Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of the approval , ” Moncef Slaoui , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told CNN ’ s “ State of the Union.
” “ So I would expect maybe on day two after approval , on the 11th or on the 12th of December , hopefully , the first people will be immunized across the United States , ” he added .
The first wave of vaccinations are expected to go to front-line health care workers and emergency responders , followed by those most vulnerable , including the elderly .
Slaoui said Sunday that the White House ’ s plan is to vaccinate 20 million people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million people each month after that .
Children likely won ’ t be able to receive the vaccine until mid-2021 , he added .
“ How many Americans need to be vaccinated for life to be able to return to normal and when might that happen ?
” asked host Jake Tapper .
With a vaccine that has a 95 % efficacy rate , typically 70 % of the population must receive the vaccination in order to allow for herd immunity , Slaoui said .
“ That is likely to happen somewhere in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like that ― based on our plans , ” he added .
But in order to reach herd immunity , Americans must be willing to get vaccinated , Slaoui warned .
A Gallup poll released Tuesday found that 58 % of Americans said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine , while 42 % said they would not .
“ I ’ m very , very concerned about the hesitancy as it exists , ” Slaoui told ABC ’ s “ This Week ” in an interview earlier Sunday .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the political context under which we have worked very hard with the companies and with the thousands of people that have been involved to make these vaccines available.
” Slaoui said he would be “ happy ” to take the vaccine and have his family take it .
“ You can have a highly efficacious vaccine and only a relatively small 40 , 50 % of people get vaccinated , you ’ re not going to get the herd immunity you need , ” Fauci told CBS ’ s “ Face the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is we need to get as many people as possible vaccinated.
” As Fauci stated last week , Slaoui said Sunday that it would be “ better ” if his team were able to begin communicating with President-elect Joe Biden ’ s transition team .
The Trump administration has blocked Biden from receiving funds and access to information and personnel that would help facilitate a smooth transition as Trump continues to contest the election results .

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The chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s program to accelerate vaccine development during the pandemic, said he expects the first Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as early as Dec. 11.
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer submitted an application on Friday to the Food and Drug Administration requesting approval for emergency use of its coronavirus vaccine. Early data shows the vaccine to be 95% effective.
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An FDA advisory committee is scheduled to review Pfizer’s application on Dec. 10, the agency announced Friday.
“Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of the approval,” Moncef Slaoui, the top scientist for Operation Warp Speed, told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“So I would expect maybe on day two after approval, on the 11th or on the 12th of December, hopefully, the first people will be immunized across the United States,” he added.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser of Operation Warp Speed, says first Americans could receive a Covid-19 vaccine by December. "So I would expect, maybe, on day two after approval ... hopefully the first people will be immunized across the United States." #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/UvQpPi0pl9 — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) November 22, 2020
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The first wave of vaccinations are expected to go to front-line health care workers and emergency responders, followed by those most vulnerable, including the elderly.
Slaoui said Sunday that the White House’s plan is to vaccinate 20 million people in December and as many as 30 million people each month after that. Children likely won’t be able to receive the vaccine until mid-2021, he added.
“How many Americans need to be vaccinated for life to be able to return to normal and when might that happen?” asked host Jake Tapper.
With a vaccine that has a 95% efficacy rate, typically 70% of the population must receive the vaccination in order to allow for herd immunity, Slaoui said.
“That is likely to happen somewhere in the month of May ― or something like that ― based on our plans,” he added.
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But in order to reach herd immunity, Americans must be willing to get vaccinated, Slaoui warned. A Gallup poll released Tuesday found that 58% of Americans said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine, while 42% said they would not.
“I’m very, very concerned about the hesitancy as it exists,” Slaoui told ABC’s “This Week” in an interview earlier Sunday. “It’s very unfortunate because this has been exacerbated by the political context under which we have worked very hard with the companies and with the thousands of people that have been involved to make these vaccines available.”
Slaoui said he would be “happy” to take the vaccine and have his family take it.
“The vaccines have been developed as thoroughly and as scientifically as ever,” he said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert on the White House’s coronavirus task force, cast doubt Sunday on Slaoui’s suggestion that life could return to “normal” around May.
“You can have a highly efficacious vaccine and only a relatively small 40, 50% of people get vaccinated, you’re not going to get the herd immunity you need,” Fauci told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “What we do need is we need to get as many people as possible vaccinated.”
As Fauci stated last week, Slaoui said Sunday that it would be “better” if his team were able to begin communicating with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team. The Trump administration has blocked Biden from receiving funds and access to information and personnel that would help facilitate a smooth transition as Trump continues to contest the election results.
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“I hope transitions will happen smoothly and things will be into order,” Slaoui told CNN on Sunday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Georgia's Sen. Kelly Loeffler Quarantines After Inconclusive COVID-19 Tests

Loeffler attended in-person events with both men Friday after undergoing two tests for the virus .
A rapid test immediately came back negative for the virus ; a second PCR test , which requires lab analysis , came back positive later that evening , her campaign said in a statement Saturday .
Loeffler was tested again Saturday morning , but those results came back inconclusive later in the evening .
A follow-up test on Sunday came back negative , the senator ’ s communications director , Stephen Lawson , said .
“ Out of an abundance of caution , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again to hopefully receive consecutive negative test results , ” Lawson said in a statement .
Vice President Mike Pence ( from left ) and Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue wave to supporters at a Defend the Majority Rally in Canton , Georgia , Friday .
PCR tests — for polymerase chain reaction tests — are more accurate than rapid tests but are still estimated to produce false negatives anywhere from 2 % to 37 % of the time .
Loeffler attended an outdoor rally Friday with Pence and Perdue in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not wearing masks .
The gathering came as Loeffler competes against Democrat Raphael Warnock to keep her seat ahead of the state ’ s Jan. 5 runoff elections .
Perdue is also fighting to keep his seat against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff .
Both elections are highly contested as they will determine whether Republicans or Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate .
Republicans won 50 Senate seats in the Nov. 3 election .
They need just one more to retain control of the chamber .
If Democrats win both Georgia seats , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Kamala Harris , acting as president of the Senate , could cast any tie-breaking vote in the Democrats ’ favor .

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Loeffler attended in-person events with both men Friday after undergoing two tests for the virus. A rapid test immediately came back negative for the virus; a second PCR test, which requires lab analysis, came back positive later that evening, her campaign said in a statement Saturday.
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Loeffler was tested again Saturday morning, but those results came back inconclusive later in the evening. A follow-up test on Sunday came back negative, the senator’s communications director, Stephen Lawson, said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, she will continue to self-isolate and be retested again to hopefully receive consecutive negative test results,” Lawson said in a statement.
Vice President Mike Pence (from left) and Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue wave to supporters at a Defend the Majority Rally in Canton, Georgia, Friday. Jason Armond via Getty Images
PCR tests — for polymerase chain reaction tests — are more accurate than rapid tests but are still estimated to produce false negatives anywhere from 2% to 37% of the time.
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Loeffler attended an outdoor rally Friday with Pence and Perdue in Georgia. All three were seen together not wearing masks.
The gathering came as Loeffler competes against Democrat Raphael Warnock to keep her seat ahead of the state’s Jan. 5 runoff elections. Perdue is also fighting to keep his seat against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff.
Both elections are highly contested as they will determine whether Republicans or Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Chris Christie Tears Into Trump's Legal Team: 'A National Embarrassment'

You have an obligation to present the evidence .
The evidence has not been presented and you must conclude ― @ @ @ @ @ ] Tucker Carlson even concluded the other night ― that if you are unwilling to @ @ @ @ @ evidence , it must mean the evidence doesn ’ t exist .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ on election night , and I remain concerned today .
I think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve heard lots of Republicans starting to say this ― I said it @ @ @ @ @ I hope more say it going forward because the country is what has to matter @ @ @ @ @ as I ’ m a strong Republican and I love my party , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ to come first .

You have an obligation to present the evidence. The evidence has not been presented and you must conclude ― as [Fox News’] Tucker Carlson even concluded the other night ― that if you are unwilling to come forward and present the evidence, it must mean the evidence doesn’t exist.
That’s what I was concerned about on election night, and I remain concerned today. I think it’s wrong. I think ... you’ve heard lots of Republicans starting to say this ― I said it on election night ― and I hope more say it going forward because the country is what has to matter the most. As much as I’m a strong Republican and I love my party, it’s the country that has to come first.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Trump's Legal Team Cried Voter Fraud, But Courts Found None

Now , as the legal doors close on Trump ’ s attempts to have courts do what voters would not do on Election Day and deliver him a second term , his efforts in Pennsylvania show how far he is willing to push baseless theories of widespread voter fraud .
It was led by Rudy Giuliani , Trump ’ s personal lawyer , who descended on the state the Saturday after the Nov. 3 election as the count dragged on and the president played golf .
Summoning reporters to a scruffy , far-flung corner of Philadelphia on Nov. 7 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would soon become legendary : Four Seasons Total Landscaping .
In fact , a Republican runs the city ’ s election board , and has said his office got death threats as Trump ’ s rants about the election intensified .
No judges ever found any evidence of election fraud in Pennsylvania or any other state where the campaign sued — not in Michigan , Wisconsin , Arizona , Nevada or Georgia .
“ I am asking you as a member of the bar of this court , are people representing the Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … in that room ?
” U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond asked at an after-hours hearing on Nov. 5 , when Republicans asked him to stop the vote count in Philadelphia over their alleged banishment .
And then , just as it had at Four Seasons , reality came crashing down on him , when news broke in the courtroom that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had rejected the campaign ’ s appeal over observer access in Philadelphia .
It was one of the campaign ’ s last remaining claims .
The campaign took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more puzzling questions that its election challenge raised : It only wanted the presidential election results set aside , not votes on the same ballots for other offices .
The briefs were filed by Giuliani and co-counsel Marc Scaringi , a local conservative talk radio host who , before he was hired , had questioned the point of the Trump litigation , saying “ it will not reverse this election.
” Trump could appeal the ruling to the 3rd U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia , but that court may have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 ruling , the court called it “ indisputable in our democratic process : that the lawfully cast vote of every citizen must count .
”

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As they frantically searched for ways to salvage President Donald Trump’s failed reelection bid, his campaign pursued a dizzying game of legal hopscotch across six states that centered on the biggest prize of all: Pennsylvania.
The strategy may have played well in front of television cameras and on talk radio. But it has proved a disaster in court, where judges uniformly rejected their claims of vote fraud and found the campaign’s legal work amateurish.
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In a ruling late Saturday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann — a Republican and Federalist Society member in central Pennsylvania — compared the campaign’s legal arguments to “Frankenstein’s Monster,” concluding that Trump’s team offered only “speculative accusations,” not proof of rampant corruption.
Now, as the legal doors close on Trump’s attempts to have courts do what voters would not do on Election Day and deliver him a second term, his efforts in Pennsylvania show how far he is willing to push baseless theories of widespread voter fraud.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping on legal challenges to vote counting in Pennsylvania, Saturday Nov. 7, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo) ASSOCIATED PRESS
It was led by Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, who descended on the state the Saturday after the Nov. 3 election as the count dragged on and the president played golf. Summoning reporters to a scruffy, far-flung corner of Philadelphia on Nov. 7, he held forth at a site that would soon become legendary: Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
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The 11:30 am. news conference was doomed from the start.
At 11:26 a.m., news outlets had started calling the presidential contest for Democrat Joe Biden. The race was over.
Just heating up was Trump’s plan to subvert the election through litigation and howls of fraud — the same tactic he had used to stave off losses in the business world. And it would soon spread far beyond Pennsylvania.
“Some of the ballots looked suspicious,” Giuliani, 76, said of the vote count in Philadelphia as he stood behind a chain link fence, next to a sex shop. He maligned the city as being run by a “decrepit Democratic machine.”
“Those mail-in ballots could have been written the day before, by the Democratic Party hacks that were all over the convention center,” Giuliani said. He promised to file a new round of lawsuits. He rambled.
“This is a very, very strong case,” he asserted.
Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor who specializes in election law, called the Trump lawsuits dangerous.
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“It is a sideshow, but it’s a harmful sideshow,” Levitt said. “It’s a toxic sideshow. The continuing baseless, evidence-free claims of alternative facts are actually having an effect on a substantial number of Americans. They are creating the conditions for elections not to work in the future.”
___
Not a single court has agreed with the strength of the case, but that did not stop Trump’s team from firing off nearly two dozen legal challenges to Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, including an early morning suit on Election Day filed by a once-imprisoned lawyer.
The president’s lawyers fought the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive. They complained they weren’t being let in to observe the vote count. They said Democratic counties unfairly let voters fix mistakes on their ballot envelopes. Everywhere they turned, they said, they sniffed fraud.
“I felt insidious fraud going on,” Philadelphia poll watcher Lisette Tarragano said when Giuliani called her to the microphone at the landscaping company.
A canvas observer photographs Lehigh County provisional ballots, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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In fact, a Republican runs the city’s election board, and has said his office got death threats as Trump’s rants about the election intensified. No judges ever found any evidence of election fraud in Pennsylvania or any other state where the campaign sued — not in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada or Georgia.
Instead, Trump lawyers found themselves backpedaling when pressed in court for admissible evidence, or dropping out when they were accused of helping derail the democratic process.
“I am asking you as a member of the bar of this court, are people representing the Donald J. Trump for president (campaign) … in that room?” U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond asked at an after-hours hearing on Nov. 5, when Republicans asked him to stop the vote count in Philadelphia over their alleged banishment.
“There’s a nonzero number of people in the room,” lawyer Jerome Marcus replied.
The count continued in Philadelphia. The Trump losses kept coming. By Friday, Nov. 6, when a state appeals court rejected a Republican complaint over provisional ballots and a Philadelphia judge refused to throw out 8,300 mail-in ballots they challenged, Biden was up by about 27,000 votes.
Nationally, the race had not yet been called. But it was becoming clear that a Biden win in Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, was imminent.
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When it came, Trump quickly pivoted to litigation. It did not go well.
A U.S. appeals court found Pennsylvania’s three-day extension for mail-in ballots laudatory, given the disruption and mail delays cause by the pandemic. Judges in Michigan and Arizona, finding no evidence of fraud, refused to block the certification of county vote tallies. Law firms representing the campaign started to come under fire and withdrew.
That left Giuliani, who had not argued a case in court for three decades, in charge of the effort to overturn the election.
“You can say a lot at a driveway (news conference). ... When you go to court, you can’t,” said lawyer Mark Aronchick, who represented election officials in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and elsewhere in several of the Pennsylvania suits. “I don’t really pay attention to the chatter until I see a legal brief.”
___
Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, Thursday Nov. 19, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ASSOCIATED PRESS
On Tuesday, Giuliani stepped into the court room. He was a late addition to the docket after election lawyers from Porter Wright Morris & Arthur had bowed out over the previous weekend. He had an entourage in tow, a show of force that had everything but a compelling legal argument.
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Giuliani asked Brann to hold up the certification of the state’s 6.8 million ballots over two Republican voters whose mail-in ballots were tossed over technical errors.
“I sat dumbfounded listening,” said Aronchick, a seasoned trial lawyer.
“We were ready to argue the one count. Instead, he treated us to an even more expanded version of his Total Landscaping press conference,” Aronchick said. “It didn’t bear any relationship to the actual case.”
Giuliani, admired by some for his tough talk as Manhattan’s top prosecutor and his leadership as New York City’s mayor during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, struggled to answer even basic legal questions.
But he waxed on about a supposed conspiracy to rig the state election.
“The best description of this situation is widespread, nationwide voter fraud,” Giuliani argued. Under questioning, though, he acknowledged their complaint no longer included a fraud claim.
And then, just as it had at Four Seasons, reality came crashing down on him, when news broke in the courtroom that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had rejected the campaign’s appeal over observer access in Philadelphia. It was one of the campaign’s last remaining claims.
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Even the dissent was crushing.
“The notion that presumptively valid ballots cast by the Pennsylvania electorate would be disregarded based on isolated procedural irregularities that have been redressed ... is misguided,” Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor wrote for the minority in the 5-2 decision.
Brann, who sits in Williamsport, let the federal court hearing drag on past the dinner hour, and gave both sides time to file additional motions. The campaign filings were replete with typos, spelling mistakes and even an errant reference to a “Second Amendment Complaint” instead of a second amended complaint.
The campaign took the opportunity to answer one of the more puzzling questions that its election challenge raised: It only wanted the presidential election results set aside, not votes on the same ballots for other offices. The briefs were filed by Giuliani and co-counsel Marc Scaringi, a local conservative talk radio host who, before he was hired, had questioned the point of the Trump litigation, saying “it will not reverse this election.”
Aronchick balked at the campaign’s core premise that local election workers — perhaps working for the Mafia, as Giuliani suggested — had plotted to spoil Trump’s win.
“You’re going to suggest part of them are in a conspiracy? How does that work?” Aronchick asked. “Who? Where? When? How?”
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Brann, in his ruling, said he expected the campaign to present formidable evidence of rampant corruption as it sought to nullify millions of votes. Instead, he said, the campaign presented “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations.”
Trump could appeal the ruling to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, but that court may have tipped its hand. In its Nov. 13 ruling, the court called it “indisputable in our democratic process: that the lawfully cast vote of every citizen must count.”
Biden’s lead in the state has expanded to more than 80,000 votes.
“Our system depends on the possibility that you might lose a fair contest. If that possibility doesn’t exist, you don’t have a democracy,” said Levitt, the law school professor. “There are countries that run like that. It just doesn’t describe America.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--Joe Biden's First Cabinet Picks Expected To Be Announced Tuesday

Ron Klain , Biden ’ s incoming chief of staff , offered no details Sunday about which department heads Biden would first announce .
The Associated Press has reported that Biden could name his nominee for secretary of state or treasury secretary this coming week .
Biden has pledged to build the most diverse government in modern history , and he and his team often speak about their desire for his administration to reflect America .
He is being watched to see whether he will make history by nominating the first woman to lead the Pentagon , the Treasury Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the first African American at the top of the Defense Department , the Interior Department or the Treasury Department .
Klain said the Trump administration ’ s refusal to clear the way for Biden ’ s team to have access to key information about agencies and federal dollars for the transition is taking its toll on planning , including the Cabinet selection process .
Trump ’ s General Services Administration has yet to acknowledge that Biden won the election — a determination that would remove those roadblocks .
Even some Republicans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called on him to accept the results of the election .
“ I , frankly , do think it ’ s time to — well , it was past time to start a transition , to at least cooperate with the transition , ″ said Sen. Kevin Cramer , R-N.D. , on NBC ’ s ” Meet the Press.
” He said the GSA ’ s designation should happen Monday “ because it didn ’ t happen last Monday morning , ” to give the incoming administration “ all the time they need.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said there was a “ very good chance ” Biden would be president and that Biden and his team should have access to relevant information for the transition .
After a federal judge ’ s ruling against the Trump campaign in an election challenge in Pennsylvania on Saturday , GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said the president had “ exhausted all plausible legal options ” and Toomey congratulated Biden on his win .
And on Sunday , former Republican Gov .
Chris Christie of New Jersey , a longtime Trump supporter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the president to stop contesting the outcome .
Christie said Trump ’ s legal team was a “ national embarrassment.
” Looking ahead to the Jan. 20 inauguration , Klain said it is “ going to definitely have to be changed ” due to the coronavirus pandemic , and that the Biden team is consulting with Democratic leadership in the House and Senate over their plans .
“ They ’ re going to try to have an inauguration that honors the importance and the symbolic meaning of the moment , but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease .
That ’ s our goal , ” Klain said .
Inaugurations typically include a traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue , remarks by the president and vice president from the Capitol , a lunch with lawmakers in the Capitol rotunda and numerous balls across Washington .
All are events attended by hundreds and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people who travel to the nation ’ s capital .
During the campaign , Biden drew a contrast with Trump on the coronavirus by paring down his own events in response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people were asked to wear masks and adhere to social distancing recommendations from public health experts .
Since he won the presidency , Biden has emphasized the importance of mask-wearing .

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden’s first Cabinet picks are coming Tuesday and planning is underway for a pandemic-modified inauguration in January as his team moves forward despite roadblocks from the Trump administration.
Ron Klain, Biden’s incoming chief of staff, offered no details Sunday about which department heads Biden would first announce. The Associated Press has reported that Biden could name his nominee for secretary of state or treasury secretary this coming week.
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Biden has pledged to build the most diverse government in modern history, and he and his team often speak about their desire for his administration to reflect America. He is being watched to see whether he will make history by nominating the first woman to lead the Pentagon, the Treasury Department or the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the first African American at the top of the Defense Department, the Interior Department or the Treasury Department.
Biden said last week he had settled on his pick for treasury secretary.
Klain said the Trump administration’s refusal to clear the way for Biden’s team to have access to key information about agencies and federal dollars for the transition is taking its toll on planning, including the Cabinet selection process. Trump’s General Services Administration has yet to acknowledge that Biden won the election — a determination that would remove those roadblocks.
“We’re not in a position to get background checks on Cabinet nominees. And so there are definite impacts. Those impacts escalate every day,” Klain told ABC’s “This Week.”
President-elect Joe Biden leaves St. Ann Parish, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Even some Republicans have broken with Trump in recent days and called on him to accept the results of the election.
“I, frankly, do think it’s time to — well, it was past time to start a transition, to at least cooperate with the transition,″ said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., on NBC’s ”Meet the Press.” He said the GSA’s designation should happen Monday “because it didn’t happen last Monday morning,” to give the incoming administration “all the time they need.”
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said there was a “very good chance” Biden would be president and that Biden and his team should have access to relevant information for the transition. After a federal judge’s ruling against the Trump campaign in an election challenge in Pennsylvania on Saturday, GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said the president had “exhausted all plausible legal options” and Toomey congratulated Biden on his win.
And on Sunday, former Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a longtime Trump supporter, said on ABC that it was time for the president to stop contesting the outcome. Christie said Trump’s legal team was a “national embarrassment.”
Looking ahead to the Jan. 20 inauguration, Klain said it is “going to definitely have to be changed” due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that the Biden team is consulting with Democratic leadership in the House and Senate over their plans.
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“They’re going to try to have an inauguration that honors the importance and the symbolic meaning of the moment, but also does not result in the spread of the disease. That’s our goal,” Klain said.
Inaugurations typically include a traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, remarks by the president and vice president from the Capitol, a lunch with lawmakers in the Capitol rotunda and numerous balls across Washington. All are events attended by hundreds and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people who travel to the nation’s capital.
It’s unclear how public health concerns will affect those traditions.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-22--GOP Governor On Trump’s Election Tantrum: Beginning To Look Like A ‘Banana Republic’

Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan ( R ) on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump ’ s refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden and bashed Republicans who have remained silent on the matter .
Two weeks ago , Hogan appeared on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union ” and said he believed Trump would “ do the right thing ” and admit defeat .
A day earlier , virtually all major media networks had projected Biden as the winner .
Asked Sunday if he still feels that way , Hogan said he wasn ’ t sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 20 the president-elect is going to be sworn in , ” Hogan said .
“ But I ’ m not sure I could say that I ’ m confident that the president is going to do the right thing.
” Trump met with Michigan lawmakers on Friday as part of his ongoing attempt to overturn Biden ’ s win .
Trump is reportedly urging Republican-controlled state legislatures to send pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College .
Michigan lawmakers appeared to reject Trump ’ s reported strategy on Friday , saying that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the winner of the popular vote ― the state ’ s normal process ― which would be Biden .
“ I thought the pressuring of the legislators to try and somehow change the outcome with electors was completely outrageous , ” Hogan said .
“ We used to go supervise elections around the world and we were the most respected , you know , country with respect to elections and now we ’ re beginning to look like we ’ re a banana republic , ” he added .
Only a handful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the president-elect .
Most of them have either refused to do so or haven ’ t yet weighed in publicly .
“ It ’ s time for them to stop the nonsense , ” Hogan said .
“ It just gets more bizarre every single day .
And frankly , I ’ m embarrassed that more people in the party aren ’ t speaking up.
” Following Hogan ’ s appearance on CNN , Trump tweeted an article from the right-wing website Breitbart about the Maryland governor ’ s efforts earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Korea .
The Breitbart story was based on a Washington Post story published Friday that reported Hogan spent $ 4.6 million in state funding to import 500,000 tests from South Korea that turned out to be flawed .
Hogan quickly fired back at Trump , tweeting that if the president had done his job , “ America ’ s governors wouldn ’ t have been forced to fend for themselves to find tests in the middle of a pandemic .
”

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden and bashed Republicans who have remained silent on the matter.
Two weeks ago, Hogan appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and said he believed Trump would “do the right thing” and admit defeat. A day earlier, virtually all major media networks had projected Biden as the winner.
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Asked Sunday if he still feels that way, Hogan said he wasn’t sure.
“I have confidence that on Jan. 20 the president-elect is going to be sworn in,” Hogan said. “But I’m not sure I could say that I’m confident that the president is going to do the right thing.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, says he is "embarrassed that more people in the party aren't speaking up" regarding President Trumps' refusal to concede https://t.co/jw5Aybp5N5 #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/wFNFsPP7bJ — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) November 22, 2020
Trump met with Michigan lawmakers on Friday as part of his ongoing attempt to overturn Biden’s win. Trump is reportedly urging Republican-controlled state legislatures to send pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College.
Michigan lawmakers appeared to reject Trump’s reported strategy on Friday, saying that the state’s electoral votes should go to the winner of the popular vote ― the state’s normal process ― which would be Biden.
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“I thought the pressuring of the legislators to try and somehow change the outcome with electors was completely outrageous,” Hogan said.
“We used to go supervise elections around the world and we were the most respected, you know, country with respect to elections and now we’re beginning to look like we’re a banana republic,” he added.
Only a handful of top Republicans have publicly recognized Biden as the president-elect. Most of them have either refused to do so or haven’t yet weighed in publicly.
“It’s time for them to stop the nonsense,” Hogan said. “It just gets more bizarre every single day. And frankly, I’m embarrassed that more people in the party aren’t speaking up.”
Following Hogan’s appearance on CNN, Trump tweeted an article from the right-wing website Breitbart about the Maryland governor’s efforts earlier this year to secure coronavirus tests from South Korea.
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The Breitbart story was based on a Washington Post story published Friday that reported Hogan spent $4.6 million in state funding to import 500,000 tests from South Korea that turned out to be flawed.
“Hogan is just as bad as the flawed tests he paid big money for!” Trump tweeted.
Hogan quickly fired back at Trump, tweeting that if the president had done his job, “America’s governors wouldn’t have been forced to fend for themselves to find tests in the middle of a pandemic.”
“Stop golfing and concede,” Hogan added.