thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--California's COVID Crisis: 2 Million Confirmed Cases And Counting

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — California became the first state to record 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases , reaching the milestone on Christmas Eve as close to the entire state was under a strict stay-at-home order and hospitals were flooded with the largest crush of cases since the pandemic began .
California ’ s infection rate — in terms of the number of cases per 100,000 people — is lower than the U.S. average but its nearly 40 million residents mean the outbreak outpaces other states in sheer numbers .
The grim milestone comes as a COVID-19 crisis that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strains the state ’ s medical system .
More than 18,000 people are hospitalized and many of the state ’ s intensive care units are filled .
The state has seen its number of cases climb exponentially in recent weeks , fueled largely by people who ignored warnings and held traditional Thanksgiving gatherings , health officials say .
Soaring rates of hospitalizations and deaths have overwhelmed intensive care units and prompted hospitals to put emergency room patients in tents and treat others in offices and auditoriums .
Nearly the entire state is under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curfew , shuttered many businesses , and restricted most retail to 20 % capacity .
Restaurants may only serve takeout .
The pleas to avoid social gatherings for Christmas and New Year ’ s rang with special desperation in Southern California .
Los Angeles County is leading the surge , accounting for one-third of the state ’ s COVID-19 cases and nearly 40 % of deaths .
“ We know that this emergency is our darkest day , maybe the darkest day in our city ’ s history , ” Los Angeles Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported its highest death toll and hospitalizations in a single day since the pandemic began — 145 deaths and more than 6,000 people in hospitals .
If LA County continues to see the same growth in COVID-19 infections in the next two weeks , hospitals may find themselves having to ration care because of a lack of medical staff , Garcetti said .
“ We are talking about people in gurneys without a bed to go to .
We are talking about people not getting hospital care ; we are talking about rationing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has left to those who would benefit the most , ” he said .
Overall , California on Wednesday recorded the second-highest number of deaths , at 361 .
The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units nearly doubled in just three weeks , to 3,827 cases , while the state ’ s ICU capacity fell to 1.1 % , down from 2.5 % just two days ago .
The number of hospitalizations jumped to 18,828 patients , more than double since Dec. 1 , with 605 new patients in one day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people that one infected person will in turn infect — has been slowing for nearly two weeks .
The rate of positive cases reached a new high of 12.3 % over a two-week period but was starting to trend downward over the last seven days from a peak of 13.3 % to 12.6 % .
The state also has nearly 1,000 health workers assisting at 91 facilities in 25 of the state ’ s 58 counties and is opening a fifth alternative care site in San Diego County .
The California National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vacant floors of the Palomar Health Center near San Diego , within the existing hospital complex , said Brian Ferguson , a spokesman for the Governor ’ s Office of Emergency Services .
It could begin accepting patients on Christmas Day , relieving overburdened hospitals , particularly in nearby Imperial County .
California expects more federal medical workers to arrive by the weekend , and Gov .
Gavin Newsom said he expects more of the 3,000 contract health care workers the state is seeking to arrive after the holidays .
The governor also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been administered as of Tuesday , in another encouraging sign beyond the modest decline in the transmission rate .

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — California became the first state to record 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases, reaching the milestone on Christmas Eve as close to the entire state was under a strict stay-at-home order and hospitals were flooded with the largest crush of cases since the pandemic began.
A tally by Johns Hopkins University showed the nation’s most populated state has recorded 2,010,157 infections since January. More than 23,000 people have died from the virus.
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California’s infection rate — in terms of the number of cases per 100,000 people — is lower than the U.S. average but its nearly 40 million residents mean the outbreak outpaces other states in sheer numbers.
The grim milestone comes as a COVID-19 crisis that health officials say stems from Thanksgiving gatherings strains the state’s medical system. More than 18,000 people are hospitalized and many of the state’s intensive care units are filled.
The state has seen its number of cases climb exponentially in recent weeks, fueled largely by people who ignored warnings and held traditional Thanksgiving gatherings, health officials say. Soaring rates of hospitalizations and deaths have overwhelmed intensive care units and prompted hospitals to put emergency room patients in tents and treat others in offices and auditoriums.
Nearly the entire state is under a stay-home order that imposed an overnight curfew, shuttered many businesses, and restricted most retail to 20% capacity. Restaurants may only serve takeout.
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The pleas to avoid social gatherings for Christmas and New Year’s rang with special desperation in Southern California. Los Angeles County is leading the surge, accounting for one-third of the state’s COVID-19 cases and nearly 40% of deaths.
“We know that this emergency is our darkest day, maybe the darkest day in our city’s history,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday when the county reported its highest death toll and hospitalizations in a single day since the pandemic began — 145 deaths and more than 6,000 people in hospitals.
More than 9,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the county.
If LA County continues to see the same growth in COVID-19 infections in the next two weeks, hospitals may find themselves having to ration care because of a lack of medical staff, Garcetti said.
“That means the doctors will be forced to determine who lives and who dies,” he said.
Medical workers are discouraged and outraged over scenes of crowded outdoor malls, packed parking lots, and parents and children walking around without masks, county Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said.
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Santa Clara County near San Francisco was down to 35 ICU beds, putting hospitals dangerously close to rationing care, said Dr. Ahmad Kamal, the county’s director of health care preparedness.
“We are talking about people in gurneys without a bed to go to. We are talking about people not getting hospital care; we are talking about rationing what scarce resources our exhausted health system has left to those who would benefit the most,” he said.
Emergency medical technicians Melanie Cristantos, left, and Ryan Schneider wait for a bed to be cleared in an emergency room at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Overall, California on Wednesday recorded the second-highest number of deaths, at 361. The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units nearly doubled in just three weeks, to 3,827 cases, while the state’s ICU capacity fell to 1.1%, down from 2.5% just two days ago. The number of hospitalizations jumped to 18,828 patients, more than double since Dec. 1, with 605 new patients in one day.
Yet there were slight but encouraging signs of hope.
The transmission rate — the number of people that one infected person will in turn infect — has been slowing for nearly two weeks. The rate of positive cases reached a new high of 12.3% over a two-week period but was starting to trend downward over the last seven days from a peak of 13.3% to 12.6%.
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The state also has nearly 1,000 health workers assisting at 91 facilities in 25 of the state’s 58 counties and is opening a fifth alternative care site in San Diego County.
The California National Guard set up about 200 beds on vacant floors of the Palomar Health Center near San Diego, within the existing hospital complex, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. It could begin accepting patients on Christmas Day, relieving overburdened hospitals, particularly in nearby Imperial County.
California expects more federal medical workers to arrive by the weekend, and Gov. Gavin Newsom said he expects more of the 3,000 contract health care workers the state is seeking to arrive after the holidays.
The governor also said more than 128,000 doses of vaccines had been administered as of Tuesday, in another encouraging sign beyond the modest decline in the transmission rate.
But Newsom also warned that any progress could dissipate quickly, leading to the nearly 100,000 hospitalizations some models project in one month if people don’t heed calls to avoid holiday gatherings, particularly indoors.
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“This virus loves social events,” Newsom said. “This virus thrives in that atmosphere.”
____


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Dogs That Sniff Out COVID-19 Report For Duty At Chile's Santiago Airport

SANTIAGO , Dec 23 ( Reuters ) - The task of sniffing out passengers infected with COVID-19 at Chile ’ s Santiago international airport is going to the dogs .
A team of Golden Retrievers and Labradors sit when they smell the virus and get a treat .
The canines sport green ” biodetector ” jackets with a red cross .
Passengers at an airport health checkpoint wipe their necks and wrists with gauze pads that are then put in glass containers and sent to the dogs to see if they detect COVID-19 .
Sniffer dogs are best-known for finding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been trained to detect malaria , cancer and Parkinson ’ s disease .
Dogs trained to detect the novel coronavirus have already begun sniffing passenger samples at airports in the United Arab Emirates and Finland .
A study recently found dogs can identify infected individuals with 85 % to 100 % accuracy and rule out infection with 92 % to 99 % accuracy .
Chile ’ s Carabinero police trained the dogs and Inspector General Esteban Diaz said dogs have more than 3 million olfactory receptors , more than 50 times those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help fight the coronavirus .
Infections in Chile are far down from a peak in June but have begun rising again with about 2,000 new cases on average reported each day , according to a Reuters tally .
Chile has a total of 589,189 confirmed cases and 16,217 deaths from the disease .

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SANTIAGO, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The task of sniffing out passengers infected with COVID-19 at Chile’s Santiago international airport is going to the dogs.
A team of Golden Retrievers and Labradors sit when they smell the virus and get a treat. The canines sport green ”biodetector” jackets with a red cross.
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Passengers at an airport health checkpoint wipe their necks and wrists with gauze pads that are then put in glass containers and sent to the dogs to see if they detect COVID-19.
Sniffer dogs are best-known for finding drugs and explosives but have also previously been trained to detect malaria, cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
Dogs trained to detect the novel coronavirus have already begun sniffing passenger samples at airports in the United Arab Emirates and Finland.
A study recently found dogs can identify infected individuals with 85% to 100% accuracy and rule out infection with 92% to 99% accuracy.
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Chile’s Carabinero police trained the dogs and Inspector General Esteban Diaz said dogs have more than 3 million olfactory receptors, more than 50 times those of humans, so were uniquely placed to help fight the coronavirus.
Infections in Chile are far down from a peak in June but have begun rising again with about 2,000 new cases on average reported each day, according to a Reuters tally. Chile has a total of 589,189 confirmed cases and 16,217 deaths from the disease.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Nurses Terrified For What's Next: 'Walk Down Our Unit For A Day'

They ’ re frightened by what people are doing , or not doing , during a coronavirus pandemic that has already killed more than 320,000 nationwide and shows no signs of slowing down .
By Tuesday evening , the hospital had 147 coronavirus patients — a record for Holy Cross but a tiny fraction of the nearly 2 million cases recorded in California since the pandemic began .
Close to 18,000 people were hospitalized in the state Tuesday , and models project the number could top 100,000 in a month — unimaginable for medical systems that are already running out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with COVID-19 have died in California , and the number is only expected to climb .
“ Are we going to have the resources to take care of our community ?
” he said .
The first COVID-19 case in California was confirmed on Jan. 25 .
It took 292 days to get to 1 million infections on Nov. 11 .
On Tuesday , Holy Cross had 147 coronavirus patients across its 377 beds , more than double the record seen at the hospital in the first wave of the pandemic earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us in April that we ’ d have 147 patients ?
” said Elizabeth Chow , Holy Cross ’ executive director of critical care and a nurse leader .
“ Never in my wildest dreams.
” Despite health officials ’ pleas that people stay home , millions of Americans are traveling ahead of Christmas and New Year ’ s , much like they did last month for Thanksgiving .
Hospitals in California — and elsewhere — already have been pushed to the brink .
They have hired extra staff , canceled elective surgeries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treat patients , all to boost capacity before the cases contracted over Christmas and New Year ’ s show up in the next few weeks .
But the bright colors don ’ t distract from the constant cacophony : ventilators belching like foghorns , monitors beeping , machines whirring — all trying to keep even one more person from adding to the death toll .
On Monday , Mission Hospital celebrated a milestone : 100 patients who had been in the isolation intensive care unit — reserved for the sickest of the sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a few seconds of respite , but it ’ s not enough .
For every patient who goes home , more are admitted .

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nurses of California are afraid.
It’s Christmas Eve, and they aren’t home with their families. They are working, always working, completely gowned up — and worn down.
They’re frightened by what people are doing, or not doing, during a coronavirus pandemic that has already killed more than 320,000 nationwide and shows no signs of slowing down.
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They’re even more terrified of what’s next.
“Every day, I look into the eyes of someone who is struggling to breathe,” said nurse Jenny Carrillo, her voice breaking.
A charge nurse at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, Carrillo is haunted by the daily counts of COVID-19 patients. Dark shadows circle her eyes.
By Tuesday evening, the hospital had 147 coronavirus patients — a record for Holy Cross but a tiny fraction of the nearly 2 million cases recorded in California since the pandemic began.
Close to 18,000 people were hospitalized in the state Tuesday, and models project the number could top 100,000 in a month — unimaginable for medical systems that are already running out of room. More than 23,000 people with COVID-19 have died in California, and the number is only expected to climb.
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Dr. Jim Keany, an emergency medicine specialist, shuts the door of a triage tent set up to treat COVID-19 patients at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dr. Jim Keany, associate director of Mission Hospital’s emergency department in Southern California’s Orange County, wonders how much more they can handle.
“Are we going to have the resources to take care of our community?” he said.
The first COVID-19 case in California was confirmed on Jan. 25. It took 292 days to get to 1 million infections on Nov. 11.
Just 44 days later, the number was closing in on 2 million.
On Tuesday, Holy Cross had 147 coronavirus patients across its 377 beds, more than double the record seen at the hospital in the first wave of the pandemic earlier this year.
“If you had told us in April that we’d have 147 patients?” said Elizabeth Chow, Holy Cross’ executive director of critical care and a nurse leader. “Never in my wildest dreams.”
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And the nightmare is expected to get worse.
Despite health officials’ pleas that people stay home, millions of Americans are traveling ahead of Christmas and New Year’s, much like they did last month for Thanksgiving.
Hospitals in California — and elsewhere — already have been pushed to the brink. They have hired extra staff, canceled elective surgeries, and set up outdoor tents to treat patients, all to boost capacity before the cases contracted over Christmas and New Year’s show up in the next few weeks.
Holy Cross and Mission Hospital have sprinkled holiday decorations throughout the hallways: poinsettias perched on counters, scraggly miniature trees in patients’ rooms, caricatures of the Grinch doodled at nurses’ stations.
But the bright colors don’t distract from the constant cacophony: ventilators belching like foghorns, monitors beeping, machines whirring — all trying to keep even one more person from adding to the death toll.
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Still, there are hopeful moments.
On Monday, Mission Hospital celebrated a milestone: 100 patients who had been in the isolation intensive care unit — reserved for the sickest of the sick — have survived and gone home.
In Holy Cross, “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles plays throughout the hospital when a COVID-19 patient is discharged.
The new pandemic tradition has happier roots — hospitals often sound a lullaby each time a baby is born.
It’s a few seconds of respite, but it’s not enough. For every patient who goes home, more are admitted.
Holy Cross charge nurse Melanie LaMadrid tends to her patients in 12-hour shifts, holding their hands in her purple gloves.
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“It’s all we can do,” she said. “Watching them suffer is hard.”
These nurses are not only exhausted, they are angry with those who flout pleas to stay home, stay safe.
“It’s not some selfish person who doesn’t want to wear a mask,” Carrillo said. “I wish they could just walk down our unit for a day and look at the faces of some of these patients.”
You can be our messengers, nurse Genyza Dawson tells her patients when — or if — they get discharged. Dawson, who has a scar forming on her nose from the tight masks, begs them to spread the word.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--House Republicans Block $2,000 Coronavirus Stimulus Checks, Defying Trump

Erin Scott/Reuters House Republicans , led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-Calif. ) , blocked Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's push to get $ 2,000 direct payments into the coronavirus relief bill .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) dared Republicans to object to Trump ’ s call for bigger direct payments , something Democrats have been arguing in favor of for months , by putting up a clean bill for $ 2,000 stimulus checks on the House floor , while most lawmakers weren ’ t in town , and trying to pass it via unanimous consent .
McCarthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Pelosi to reopen negotiations on government spending and the COVID-19 relief bill .
Pelosi has scheduled for another round of votes on Monday , Dec. 28 , when lawmakers are expected to come back to town .
Congress had passed — with overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate — a $ 900 billion coronavirus relief package Monday , alongside a $ 1.4 trillion government spending bill meant to fund federal agencies for a whole year .
Trump was said to have been on board with the proposal , which extended an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits for roughly three more months and approved a round of $ 600 checks to Americans making less than $ 75,000 .
“ I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $ 600 to $ 2,000 , or $ 4,000 for a couple , ” the president said Tuesday night on a four-minute video he posted on Twitter , decrying the government spending bill and COVID-19 relief package Congress has spent the last month tediously negotiating .
Top congressional Democrats played along with Trump ’ s demands , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal would either result in a policy win — with bigger stimulus checks for Americans — or a political one , where Republicans have to not only defy Trump but also show Americans they don ’ t want to give them more money during this health crisis .
“ Today , on Christmas Eve morning , House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $ 2,000 that the President agreed to support , ” she said in a statement .
“ If the President is serious about the $ 2,000 direct payments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end their obstruction.
” But because she chose to call Trump ’ s bluff through a unanimous consent vote that would not require House members to return to Washington from their Christmas vacations ― and that a single member ’ s objection could derail ― some skeptics warned that Pelosi ’ s move was little more than political theater .
Adam Jentleson , a former aide to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid , called on Pelosi to summon the House back into session for a roll call vote , arguing that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ package ’ s passage or put Republican members on record voting against the $ 2,000 stimulus checks .
Pelosi said in her statement that she would bring the House back into session on Monday for a vote on a bill that would increase the stimulus checks to $ 2,000 .
But that will be after federal programs for jobless Americans expire on Saturday .
In the meantime , she said she hoped the president would sign the government funding and coronavirus stimulus package already passed by both chambers .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has almost nothing to do with COVID , ” Trump said .
He then rattled off obscure items , such as U.S. aid to Cambodia and Myanmar , from the annual federal appropriations bill that Congress has combined with the COVID-19 relief bill , making it sound as if Congress had packed the relief bill itself with unrelated spending .
Trump ’ s own budget , which his administration submits to Congress every year , has previously included all the funded measures he decried via Twitter video .
But after vetoing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly willing to go against Republican leaders in Congress and those in his own administration who had negotiated these bills .
In the end , the decision to block larger stimulus checks puts Republicans in a difficult political position .
Though their objection doesn ’ t have the same power as an official roll call vote against the larger checks , they have effectively taken a public stance against both Trump , who remains deeply popular with the GOP base , and the $ 2,000 stimulus payments he proposed .
In Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff , are due to face off against Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in a Jan. 5 runoff election , the Democratic Party is already hoping that the scuttled effort to expand the stimulus could boost their chances of victory .
Ossoff and Warnock have both embraced the call for $ 2,000 stimulus checks .
If they win in January , Democrats will effectively take control of the Senate .

House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), blocked Speaker Nancy Pelosi's push to get $2,000 direct payments into the coronavirus relief bill. Erin Scott/Reuters
House Republicans defied President Donald Trump’s wishes on Christmas Eve, blocking the passage of a proposal to include $2,000 stimulus checks — something the president demanded in an angry video posted to Twitter on Tuesday night while threatening to upend months of negotiations over government funding and coronavirus relief.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dared Republicans to object to Trump’s call for bigger direct payments, something Democrats have been arguing in favor of for months, by putting up a clean bill for $2,000 stimulus checks on the House floor, while most lawmakers weren’t in town, and trying to pass it via unanimous consent.
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In what was less than a minute of action on the House floor, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) rejected the unanimous consent attempt, as Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Republicans would do.
McCarthy put out a letter Wednesday night calling on Pelosi to reopen negotiations on government spending and the COVID-19 relief bill. Pelosi has scheduled for another round of votes on Monday, Dec. 28, when lawmakers are expected to come back to town.
Congress had passed — with overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate — a $900 billion coronavirus relief package Monday, alongside a $1.4 trillion government spending bill meant to fund federal agencies for a whole year. Trump was said to have been on board with the proposal, which extended an additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits for roughly three more months and approved a round of $600 checks to Americans making less than $75,000.
But on Tuesday, Trump released a video threatening to veto the legislation altogether, risking a government shutdown and leaving 12 million unemployed Americans in the lurch as federal programs for the jobless expire Dec. 26.
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Among Trump’s demands were something his fellow Republicans in Congress have been fighting against: bigger checks.
“I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple,” the president said Tuesday night on a four-minute video he posted on Twitter, decrying the government spending bill and COVID-19 relief package Congress has spent the last month tediously negotiating.
Top congressional Democrats played along with Trump’s demands, knowing that forcing a vote on the proposal would either result in a policy win — with bigger stimulus checks for Americans — or a political one, where Republicans have to not only defy Trump but also show Americans they don’t want to give them more money during this health crisis.
On Thursday, Pelosi got the latter.
“Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support,” she said in a statement. “If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction.”
But because she chose to call Trump’s bluff through a unanimous consent vote that would not require House members to return to Washington from their Christmas vacations ― and that a single member’s objection could derail ― some skeptics warned that Pelosi’s move was little more than political theater. Adam Jentleson, a former aide to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, called on Pelosi to summon the House back into session for a roll call vote, arguing that it would either result in the expanded relief package’s passage or put Republican members on record voting against the $2,000 stimulus checks.
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Pelosi said in her statement that she would bring the House back into session on Monday for a vote on a bill that would increase the stimulus checks to $2,000. But that will be after federal programs for jobless Americans expire on Saturday. In the meantime, she said she hoped the president would sign the government funding and coronavirus stimulus package already passed by both chambers.
Trump did not explicitly state that he would veto the spending bill and COVID-19 relief package. But it was clear he was not happy with either.
“We finally thought that we’d be able to give people hope ― that’s what people need: hope,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said at a press conference after Thursday’s failed vote on $2,000 checks.
The president “doesn’t give a damn about people,” she said. “He threw more fear, he threw kerosene on a terror fire.”
On Tuesday, Trump misleadingly conflated the government spending bill with the coronavirus relief bill in an effort to characterize it all as “wasteful spending.”
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“It’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID,” Trump said. He then rattled off obscure items, such as U.S. aid to Cambodia and Myanmar, from the annual federal appropriations bill that Congress has combined with the COVID-19 relief bill, making it sound as if Congress had packed the relief bill itself with unrelated spending.
Trump’s own budget, which his administration submits to Congress every year, has previously included all the funded measures he decried via Twitter video. But after vetoing the national defense bill this week, Trump is clearly willing to go against Republican leaders in Congress and those in his own administration who had negotiated these bills.
In the end, the decision to block larger stimulus checks puts Republicans in a difficult political position. Though their objection doesn’t have the same power as an official roll call vote against the larger checks, they have effectively taken a public stance against both Trump, who remains deeply popular with the GOP base, and the $2,000 stimulus payments he proposed.
In Georgia, where two Democrats, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, are due to face off against Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in a Jan. 5 runoff election, the Democratic Party is already hoping that the scuttled effort to expand the stimulus could boost their chances of victory. Ossoff and Warnock have both embraced the call for $2,000 stimulus checks. If they win in January, Democrats will effectively take control of the Senate.
A week before Trump’s comments, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) acknowledged that the political stakes of the Georgia races made passage of a COVID-19 relief bill with direct cash payments more urgent.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Jared Kushner Played Key Role In White House Pardon 'Free-For-All'

WASHINGTON — President Trump ’ s son-in-law and top adviser , Jared Kushner , has played a key role in managing the avalanche of clemency requests that have come into the White House as the administration nears its end next month , according to multiple sources .
They went on to claim that Kushner was “ keeping score ” and tracking the people asking for clemency .
“ He ’ ll let you know where you stand , ” the source said .
“ The ones who are going to get pardoned and get to the top of the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff or counsel that were loyal to the president.
” The White House did not respond to requests for comment .
A second source familiar with the pardons said they “ believe technically that pardons and clemency were under Jared Kushner in the White House.
” One pardon recipient was Kushner ’ s own father , Charles , a real estate developer who was convicted in 2005 on charges related to illegal campaign contributions , tax evasion and witness tampering that stemmed from an extortion plot in which he hired a woman to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also went to former members of Trump ’ s presidential campaign who were ensnared in the investigations into his presidential bid , including Paul Manafort , Trump ’ s erstwhile campaign chairman , and longtime adviser Roger Stone .
Other pardons were granted to people whose applications were supported by the president ’ s allies .
According to the White House statement , some of the pardon recipients had their cases backed by pro-Trump members of Congress .
A former Border Patrol agent who was convicted of violating the civil rights of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. from Mexico had his request supported by the pro-Trump cable news personalities Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs .
Kushner has also played a leading role in the White House ’ s criminal-justice reform efforts , which included passage of legislation and prior pardons of individuals whose cases were highlighted by advocates .
Kushner spent part of this week in Israel and Morocco .
The White House source said Kushner ’ s role in the pardons was limited to being aware of those cases and backing his father ’ s efforts .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from people pursuing pardons and their advocates .
“ He obviously led the criminal-justice reform efforts and was supportive of his dad ’ s case , ” the White House source said .
“ He ’ s also gotten emails and requests from people , but in no way is he running or tracking this process.
” The Constitution grants the president unique “ power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States.
” Every president has issued pardons .
Over the years , there have been multiple controversies involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of an outgoing president ’ s term .
According to Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith , only five of the 65 pardons Trump issued on Tuesday and Wednesday were recommended by the Justice Department ’ s pardon attorney .
Several people who received pardons and commutations in the recent pre-holiday batch were supported by criminal-justice reform advocates .
One of them was Weldon Angelos , a former music producer who was sentenced to 55 years in 2002 for being in possession of marijuana and a handgun .
Angelos ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was criticized as especially harsh , including by the judge in his case .
After being released from prison in 2016 , Angelos became a criminal-justice reform advocate .
The White House said his pardon was backed by a group that included two top Trump allies in Congress , Sens .
Mike Lee and Rand Paul , as well as Alice Johnson , a former felon who became a criminal-justice reform advocate after Trump commuted her sentence in 2018 .
Angelos described the pardon as life-changing and said it would help him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and renting an apartment .
He also said Kushner played a key role .
Yahoo News reached out to more than a dozen other recipients of pardons , or sponsors of individuals who sought clemency , to ask about the process .
Most could not be reached or did not respond .

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WASHINGTON — President Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, has played a key role in managing the avalanche of clemency requests that have come into the White House as the administration nears its end next month, according to multiple sources.
With the holiday approaching, Trump has issued 65 pardons and commutations since Tuesday, including many that erased convictions and sentences for his allies, and more are expected in the coming days.
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“Everyone’s sending emails to Jared,” a source familiar with the process said. “If you want to make something happen, go to Jared.”
The source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the ongoing process, spoke with Yahoo News on Monday, before Trump issued the spate of pardons and commutations. They predicted the coming onslaught of pardons.
“It’s going to be a free-for-all,” the source said.
They went on to claim that Kushner was “keeping score” and tracking the people asking for clemency. “He’ll let you know where you stand,” the source said. “The ones who are going to get pardoned and get to the top of the list are the ones who have representatives, staff or counsel that were loyal to the president.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment. A second source familiar with the pardons said they “believe technically that pardons and clemency were under Jared Kushner in the White House.”
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One pardon recipient was Kushner’s own father, Charles, a real estate developer who was convicted in 2005 on charges related to illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering that stemmed from an extortion plot in which he hired a woman to seduce and blackmail his brother-in-law. Pardons also went to former members of Trump’s presidential campaign who were ensnared in the investigations into his presidential bid, including Paul Manafort, Trump’s erstwhile campaign chairman, and longtime adviser Roger Stone.
Other pardons were granted to people whose applications were supported by the president’s allies. According to the White House statement, some of the pardon recipients had their cases backed by pro-Trump members of Congress. A former Border Patrol agent who was convicted of violating the civil rights of an immigrant who attempted to cross into the U.S. from Mexico had his request supported by the pro-Trump cable news personalities Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs.
A White House source who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters denied that Kushner played any role in tracking pardons or guiding the overall process.
“It’s completely false,” the White House source said. “The process is being run through White House counsel.”
White House counsel Pat Cipollone did not respond to requests for comment.
Kushner has also played a leading role in the White House’s criminal-justice reform efforts, which included passage of legislation and prior pardons of individuals whose cases were highlighted by advocates. Kushner spent part of this week in Israel and Morocco. The White House source said Kushner’s role in the pardons was limited to being aware of those cases and backing his father’s efforts. They also noted that Kushner has received requests from people pursuing pardons and their advocates.
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“He obviously led the criminal-justice reform efforts and was supportive of his dad’s case,” the White House source said. “He’s also gotten emails and requests from people, but in no way is he running or tracking this process.”
The Constitution grants the president unique “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States.” Every president has issued pardons. Over the years, there have been multiple controversies involving political allies who received them, particularly at the end of an outgoing president’s term. According to Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith, only five of the 65 pardons Trump issued on Tuesday and Wednesday were recommended by the Justice Department’s pardon attorney.
Several people who received pardons and commutations in the recent pre-holiday batch were supported by criminal-justice reform advocates. One of them was Weldon Angelos, a former music producer who was sentenced to 55 years in 2002 for being in possession of marijuana and a handgun. Angelos’s sentence was the result of mandatory minimums and was criticized as especially harsh, including by the judge in his case.
After being released from prison in 2016, Angelos became a criminal-justice reform advocate. The White House said his pardon was backed by a group that included two top Trump allies in Congress, Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul, as well as Alice Johnson, a former felon who became a criminal-justice reform advocate after Trump commuted her sentence in 2018.
Johnson was freed after reality television star Kim Kardashian met with Trump to plead for her release. Kushner and his wife, the president’s daughter Ivanka, helped arrange that meeting.
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Angelos described the pardon as life-changing and said it would help him with basic tasks including getting a job and renting an apartment. He also said Kushner played a key role.
“Jared Kushner’s office has been handling this,” Angelos said, adding, “Most of my communication was with Jared’s staff.”
Angelos said there will be additional pardons coming from Trump, including for many individuals whose cases have been championed by criminal-justice reform advocates.
“I know there’s more coming as well,” he said. “There will be a lot of deserving people getting relief.”
Yahoo News reached out to more than a dozen other recipients of pardons, or sponsors of individuals who sought clemency, to ask about the process. Most could not be reached or did not respond.
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Roger Stone, Trump’s longtime adviser, responded with an email declining to comment and blasting media coverage of his case.
“While I am virtually bankrupt my Legal Defense Fund has a substantial budget for bringing lawsuits against reporters and editors who defame,” he said.
Duncan Hunter, a former Republican congressman from California convicted of using campaign contributions for personal expenses, declined to discuss his case. He received a full pardon from Trump.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Trump Mocked After He Claims Twitter Censorship Leads To Communism

Trump is officially the guy at your office who everyone hated , and then he finally got fired , but @ @ @ @ @ notice , so now every day you go into the office you 're like `` @ @ @ @ @ already god !
!
!
! ''
https : //t.co/MRDIGdh3PZ

Trump is officially the guy at your office who everyone hated, and then he finally got fired, but they gave him two weeks notice, so now every day you go into the office you're like "ugh Greg just freaking leave already god!!!!" https://t.co/MRDIGdh3PZ


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Trump's Post-Election Pardons List: War Criminals, Crooked Politicians And Family

Trump has so far pardoned Flynn , George Papadopoulos , Alex van der Zwaan , Roger Stone and Paul Manafort for crimes related to the Mueller probe .
Papadopoulos , a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016 , pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with people who claimed to be Russian officials .
Van der Zwaan , the grandson of a Russian billionaire , pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller ’ s team about contacts with the Trump campaign .
Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller ’ s team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Manafort , Trump ’ s onetime campaign manager , was placed on home confinement for a raft of charges ranging from financial crimes to obstruction of justice and witness tampering .
Manafort very clearly accepted a longer prison sentence of seven and a half years instead of cooperating against Trump .
The president praised him during the investigation and trial for refusing “ to break , ” and according to some reports , Trump made it clear to Manafort that a pardon awaited if he didn ’ t give Mueller any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass .
He pardoned Stephanie Mohr , a former police officer in Prince George ’ s County , Maryland , who was convicted of a federal civil rights violation after letting her dog attack a homeless Mexican immigrant in 1995 , even though he was not resisting arrest .
Prosecutors said she had a history of racist actions .
During one police home search , she threatened a woman living there that she would release the dog to bite the woman ’ s “ black ass , ” according to a court filing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this . )
Trump also pardoned Joseph Occhipinti , a former agent with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service , a precursor to Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
Occhipinti was convicted in 1991 for violating the civil rights of Hispanic store owners by conducting illegal searches and then lying to cover it up .
President George H.W .
Bush commuted Occhipinti ’ s sentence the following year after urging from a political ally .
“ Bush insulted the whole community , ” Jose Liberato , one of the store owners who filed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times at the time .
“ He threw the law into the garbage.
” Gary Brugman , a former Border Patrol agent , was pardoned after violating the civil rights of an immigrant by kicking and hitting him even though he was complying with officers ’ orders .
Brugman got some high-profile help to gain his pardon : conservative commentators Laura Ingraham , Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs took up his cause , as did immigration hardliners including Reps. Steve King ( R-Iowa ) and Louie Gohmert ( R-Texas ) and Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Texas .
In 2001 , Brugman and other border agents chased down a group of people who crossed the border illegally .
The men sat down when a Border Patrol agent ordered them to , but Brugman beat two of them anyway , pushing them to the ground and assaulting them even though they did not fight back or resist , according to court filings .
Trump also pardoned former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean , who were found guilty of offenses including deprivation of rights , assault with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official proceeding .
In 2005 , the men shot at a Mexican man who was smuggling drugs .
Ramos hit and wounded the man , but the agents did not report the shooting ; instead , they removed shell casings from the ground to cover up the crime scene , according to a 2009 report by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general ’ s office .
President George W. Bush commuted their sentences in 2009 , but conservative figures continued to push for a pardon .
After he learned his brother-in-law was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hired a prostitute to lure the man to a motel room , where a hidden camera would record their encounter .
Kushner planned to send the tape to his sister .
The goal , according to Christie , was to intimidate his sister from testifying against him before a grand jury .
Christie described the matter as “ one of the most loathsome , disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.
” Trump pardoned Hunter ( R-Calif. ) and his wife , Margaret Hunter , who pleaded guilty in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The two were involved in a scheme that involved using campaign money on personal expenses , including costs involved in the congressman ’ s extramarital affairs , according to prosecutors .
They also spent campaign donors ’ money on , among many other things , trips to Italy and Hawaii , home improvement , an NFL game package and flights for their pet bunny , according to an Office of Congressional Ethics report .
Thanks to Trump ’ s pardon , Collins , a former congressman from upstate New York , served only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was supposed to last 26 months .
Collins pleaded guilty to two insider trading charges on Oct. 1 , 2018 ― after being caught on camera giving his son a tip on a biotechnology company from the White House grounds during the 2017 edition of the annual Congressional Picnic .
Soon after he was charged , Collins actually said a pardon from Trump would be “ inappropriate.
” Mary McCarty , who was elected five times as county commissioner in Palm Beach , Florida , was pardoned after pleading guilty in 2009 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This followed her steering lucrative business deals to her husband and accepting free or discounted hotel rooms from a company that she supported in building a hotel .
The White House , in explaining her pardon , argued that McCarty ’ s actions may not be criminally prosecuted today due to a more narrow interpretation of the law by the Supreme Court .
Her pardon was supported by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi , who was a member of Trump ’ s legal team during his impeachment trial , and Christopher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conservative website Newsmax Media .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
In early November, President Donald Trump learned that he would only have 10 more weeks to use the power of the presidency. Amid a deadly pandemic and a massive economic downturn, he decided to mostly deploy that power in two ways: to challenge the foundations of U.S. democracy, and to boost himself, his political agenda and his personal allies in ways he can’t after Jan. 20.
He is particularly focused on one tool: the presidential pardon. Before he leaves office, Trump can forgive anyone convicted of committing a federal crime, technically wiping their record clean. He can even issue prospective pardons for people who have yet to face any charges.
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Trump signaled his intentions with his first post-election pardon on Nov. 25, when he issued an extremely broad reprieve for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump both cleared Flynn of charges he had already received for lying to federal investigators and shielded him from accountability for any other crimes he committed that are connected to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
In the run-up to Christmas, as Trump upended congressional efforts to send aid to struggling Americans and ignored the thousands-strong daily death toll of the coronavirus, he issued 41 pardons on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 to people ranging from his daughter’s father-in-law to war criminals responsible for a massacre in Iraq. He is expected to intervene in more cases in the days ahead.
“This is rotten to the core,” Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, said of the pardons on Dec. 23.
Here are some of the notable beneficiaries of Trump’s controversial pardoning spree.
War Criminals
Nicholas Slatten, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty and Paul Slough are responsible for one of the most brutal episodes in the U.S. occupation of Iraq following the 2003 U.S. invasion of that country.
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On Sept. 16, 2007, the four men were in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad working for the private security firm then known as Blackwater, which was founded by Trump ally Erik Prince. They were in a four-vehicle convoy that was assigned to protect State Department officials. Then, starting with Slatten, they began firing on unarmed Iraqi civilians in a crowded traffic circle. They killed at least 14 people, including multiple children.
On Oct. 22, 2014, a jury in Washington convicted Slatten of murder and the other three men of voluntary manslaughter and other charges. They appealed, with some success, but ultimately all received long prison sentences.
Mohammed Hafiz looks at photos of his 10-year-old son in Baghdad on Oct. 4, 2007. The boy died after the attack on Iraqi civilians by U.S. Blackwater contractors on Sept. 16, 2007. AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed
Trump’s decision horrified Iraqis, as well as other observers in the U.S. and abroad, and reflected how he celebrates brutality while claiming he wants to end wars and how little he thinks of the lives of most people, particularly foreigners.
“I’m really shocked,” Hassan Salman, one of the Iraqis shot by the Blackwater employees, told NPR after the White House announced the pardons. “The American judiciary is fair and equitable. I had never imagined that Trump or any other politician would affect American justice.”
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The White House statement on the pardons praised the men for “a long history of service to the nation” ― echoing Trump’s narrative that extreme violence defying long-held American ideals is evidence of patriotism ― while making a passing reference to the “unfortunate deaths and injuries of Iraqi civilians.”
Mueller Investigation Subjects
Robert Mueller’s monthslong investigation of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election was an existential threat to the Trump presidency — fears of federal law enforcement attention into the matter were, by Trump’s own account, the reason he fired then-FBI Director James Comey in 2017. The subsequent controversy and Mueller’s appointment as special counsel put several top Trump officials and even the president in serious legal jeopardy.
While Trump avoided criminal charges himself, others weren’t so lucky. Mueller’s team ultimately brought charges against 34 people, obtaining eight guilty pleas and one conviction. In many cases, people were convicted for obstruction or similar efforts to thwart Mueller’s probe. As an apparent reward for their help, Trump is now pardoning almost all of those people.
Trump has so far pardoned Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Alex van der Zwaan, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort for crimes related to the Mueller probe. Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016, pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with people who claimed to be Russian officials. Van der Zwaan, the grandson of a Russian billionaire, pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller’s team about contacts with the Trump campaign. Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller’s team about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
Then-GOP candidate Donald Trump with his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who received a presidential pardon several years later. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
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Stone was convicted in 2019 of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russia’s role in the election, as well as threatening a witness. Trump had previously commuted his sentence, in July. In 2018, after Stone proclaimed he would never testify against Trump, the president tweeted “Nice to know that some people still have ‘guts!’”
Manafort, Trump’s onetime campaign manager, was placed on home confinement for a raft of charges ranging from financial crimes to obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Manafort very clearly accepted a longer prison sentence of seven and a half years instead of cooperating against Trump. The president praised him during the investigation and trial for refusing “to break,” and according to some reports, Trump made it clear to Manafort that a pardon awaited if he didn’t give Mueller any help. That has now come to pass.
Law Enforcement Officers
Several of Trump’s pardons were for law enforcement officers accused of violence against people of color. Trump has long claimed that law enforcement ― immigration officers especially ―are wrongly limited in their ability to do their jobs.
He pardoned Stephanie Mohr, a former police officer in Prince George’s County, Maryland, who was convicted of a federal civil rights violation after letting her dog attack a homeless Mexican immigrant in 1995, even though he was not resisting arrest. Prosecutors said she had a history of racist actions. During one police home search, she threatened a woman living there that she would release the dog to bite the woman’s “black ass,” according to a court filing at the time. (Mohr denies this.)
Trump also pardoned Joseph Occhipinti, a former agent with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, a precursor to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Occhipinti was convicted in 1991 for violating the civil rights of Hispanic store owners by conducting illegal searches and then lying to cover it up. President George H.W. Bush commuted Occhipinti’s sentence the following year after urging from a political ally. “Bush insulted the whole community,” Jose Liberato, one of the store owners who filed a complaint against Occhipinti, told The New York Times at the time. “He threw the law into the garbage.”
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Gary Brugman, a former Border Patrol agent, was pardoned after violating the civil rights of an immigrant by kicking and hitting him even though he was complying with officers’ orders. Brugman got some high-profile help to gain his pardon: conservative commentators Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs took up his cause, as did immigration hardliners including Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas. In 2001, Brugman and other border agents chased down a group of people who crossed the border illegally. The men sat down when a Border Patrol agent ordered them to, but Brugman beat two of them anyway, pushing them to the ground and assaulting them even though they did not fight back or resist, according to court filings.
Trump also pardoned former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who were found guilty of offenses including deprivation of rights, assault with a dangerous weapon and tampering with an official proceeding. In 2005, the men shot at a Mexican man who was smuggling drugs. Ramos hit and wounded the man, but the agents did not report the shooting; instead, they removed shell casings from the ground to cover up the crime scene, according to a 2009 report by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general’s office. President George W. Bush commuted their sentences in 2009, but conservative figures continued to push for a pardon.
Well-Connected Fraudsters
And, of course, there are gifts for people with deep personal ties to the president. Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. The elder Kushner pleaded guilty in 2004 ― prosecuted by then-U.S. attorney, former New Jersey governor and Trump ally Chris Christie ― for tax evasion, illegal campaign donations and a failed scheme against his sister’s husband.
After he learned his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities, Charles Kushner hired a prostitute to lure the man to a motel room, where a hidden camera would record their encounter. Kushner planned to send the tape to his sister. The goal, according to Christie, was to intimidate his sister from testifying against him before a grand jury. Christie described the matter as “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.”
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Trump also pardoned John Boultbee and Peter Atkinson, who were convicted of a fraud scheme in 2007. Their pardon was at the urging of Lord Conrad Black, a former media mogul and their co-defendant, whom Trump pardoned last year. Black is a longtime Trump toady: he wrote a piece in 2005 entitled “Trump is the good guy,” and a fawning 2018 book called ”Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other.”
Fellow Republicans
Some of Trump’s notable pardons and commutations were for Republican political figures, including two of his first endorsers in Congress: then-Reps. Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins.
Trump pardoned Hunter (R-Calif.) and his wife, Margaret Hunter, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to conspiracy to steal campaign funds. The two were involved in a scheme that involved using campaign money on personal expenses, including costs involved in the congressman’s extramarital affairs, according to prosecutors. They also spent campaign donors’ money on, among many other things, trips to Italy and Hawaii, home improvement, an NFL game package and flights for their pet bunny, according to an Office of Congressional Ethics report.
Thanks to Trump’s pardon, Collins, a former congressman from upstate New York, served only 10 weeks of a prison term that was supposed to last 26 months. Collins pleaded guilty to two insider trading charges on Oct. 1, 2018 ― after being caught on camera giving his son a tip on a biotechnology company from the White House grounds during the 2017 edition of the annual Congressional Picnic. Soon after he was charged, Collins actually said a pardon from Trump would be “inappropriate.”
Then-Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) speaks at a campaign rally for Trump in 2016. A few years later: pardon. Al Drago/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
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John Tate and Jesse Benton, two former campaign staffers of former Texas Rep. Ron Paul whom Trump pardoned, indirectly made payments to an Iowa state senator to endorse Paul’s failed 2012 presidential campaign. Paul’s son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Lee Goodman, former chair of the Federal Election Commission, supported the pardon. Goodman argued that the “reporting law violated was unclear and not well established at the time.” Both men were convicted in 2017 of causing false records to be filed, causing false campaign expenditure reports, engaging in a false statements scheme and conspiring to commit the offenses. A federal appeals court upheld their convictions in 2018.
Mary McCarty, who was elected five times as county commissioner in Palm Beach, Florida, was pardoned after pleading guilty in 2009 to a federal charge of honest services fraud. This followed her steering lucrative business deals to her husband and accepting free or discounted hotel rooms from a company that she supported in building a hotel. The White House, in explaining her pardon, argued that McCarty’s actions may not be criminally prosecuted today due to a more narrow interpretation of the law by the Supreme Court. Her pardon was supported by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was a member of Trump’s legal team during his impeachment trial, and Christopher Ruddy, who is the CEO of the conservative website Newsmax Media.
Former Texas Congressman Steve Stockman, who was convicted in 2018 of misusing $1.25 million charitable funds for personal expenses, had the remainder of his 10-year prison sentence commuted by Trump on Tuesday. The White House cited “humanitarian and compassionate grounds” for his release, reasoning that Stockman is 64 and “has underlying pre-existing health conditions that place his health at greater risk during the COVID epidemic,” though Stockman already contracted the virus behind bars, the announcement said. He will remain subject to a period of supervised release and will still be required to pay more than $1,000,000 in restitution.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Biden ‘Unlikely’ To Wipe Out Student Loan Debt Unilaterally

Sarah Silbiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images President-elect Joe Biden said , “ I ’ ve spent most of my career arguing against the imperial presidency.
” President-elect Joe Biden told newspaper columnists on Wednesday that he was “ unlikely ” to pursue a plan pushed by Sens .
Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) and Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
to unilaterally wipe out billions of dollars worth of student loan debt .
Schumer , the Democratic leader in the Senate , had teamed with Warren , a progressive rival-turned-ally of Biden ’ s , to press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to $ 50,000 of student loan debt per borrower .
“ It ’ s arguable that the president may have the executive power to forgive up to $ 50,000 in student debt , ” Biden told a group of newspaper columnists , according to The Washington Post .
“ Well , I think that ’ s pretty questionable .
I ’ m unsure of that .
I ’ d be unlikely to do that.
” Biden contrasted his position on student debt with his willingness to use the president ’ s executive powers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration , including protecting Dreamers and rejoining the Paris climate accord .
But he also indicated he was unlikely to pursue the broad executive actions some progressive groups have pushed for .
“ I ’ ve spent most of my career arguing against the imperial presidency , ” Biden continued .
“ We got three equal branches of government .
I ’ m confident that there are a number of areas that are of such consequence that they go beyond the partisan boundaries.
” Schumer and Warren began their call for unilateral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introducing a resolution urging the next president to wipe out up to $ 50,000 in debt per borrower .
The duo argued this step could help invigorate the coronavirus-stricken economy and shrink the racial wealth gap .
The plan received renewed attention after the November election when it became clear that Democrats would either be in the minority or wield control with a bare 50 seats in the next Senate .
Biden has not disputed the severity of the student loan crisis .
During the campaign , he said he wanted to pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per person and eliminating all undergraduate student debt for people who make less than $ 125,000 a year and attended public or historically Black colleges and universities .
He ’ s also backed expanding income-based repayment programs and fixing and expanding loan forgiveness programs for those with public service jobs .
“ Young people are getting crushed by the burden of student debt , ” Biden said on Wednesday as he introduced Miguel Cardona , his pick for secretary of education .
But the president-elect ’ s comments to the newspaper columnists indicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act unilaterally on student debt , even though legislation grants the secretary of education broad powers over student loans .
The Trump administration has relied on those powers to suspend student loan interest and payments during the coronavirus pandemic .
While Schumer and Warren have led the push for a $ 50,000-per-borrower cancellation , the broad idea of canceling some amount of student loan debt has support throughout the Democratic Party , including from key teachers unions and the NAACP .
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn , the House Democratic whip who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ally , told The New York Times earlier this month that Biden should turn to executive action on the issue if working with Congress fails .
“ Let them sue , ” Clyburn said , referring to likely Republican lawsuits over such a plan .
“ They ’ re not the only ones that can employ lawyers .
”

President-elect Joe Biden said, “I’ve spent most of my career arguing against the imperial presidency.” Sarah Silbiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden told newspaper columnists on Wednesday that he was “unlikely” to pursue a plan pushed by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to unilaterally wipe out billions of dollars worth of student loan debt.
Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, had teamed with Warren, a progressive rival-turned-ally of Biden’s, to press Biden on a proposal to eliminate up to $50,000 of student loan debt per borrower.
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“It’s arguable that the president may have the executive power to forgive up to $50,000 in student debt,” Biden told a group of newspaper columnists, according to The Washington Post. “Well, I think that’s pretty questionable. I’m unsure of that. I’d be unlikely to do that.”
Biden contrasted his position on student debt with his willingness to use the president’s executive powers to overturn several actions by the outgoing Trump administration, including protecting Dreamers and rejoining the Paris climate accord. But he also indicated he was unlikely to pursue the broad executive actions some progressive groups have pushed for.
“I’ve spent most of my career arguing against the imperial presidency,” Biden continued. “We got three equal branches of government. I’m confident that there are a number of areas that are of such consequence that they go beyond the partisan boundaries.”
Schumer and Warren began their call for unilateral action on student debt in September, introducing a resolution urging the next president to wipe out up to $50,000 in debt per borrower. The duo argued this step could help invigorate the coronavirus-stricken economy and shrink the racial wealth gap.
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The plan received renewed attention after the November election when it became clear that Democrats would either be in the minority or wield control with a bare 50 seats in the next Senate.
Biden has not disputed the severity of the student loan crisis. During the campaign, he said he wanted to pass legislation forgiving $10,000 worth of debt per person and eliminating all undergraduate student debt for people who make less than $125,000 a year and attended public or historically Black colleges and universities. He’s also backed expanding income-based repayment programs and fixing and expanding loan forgiveness programs for those with public service jobs.
“Young people are getting crushed by the burden of student debt,” Biden said on Wednesday as he introduced Miguel Cardona, his pick for secretary of education.
But the president-elect’s comments to the newspaper columnists indicate that he questions the executive authority to act unilaterally on student debt, even though legislation grants the secretary of education broad powers over student loans. The Trump administration has relied on those powers to suspend student loan interest and payments during the coronavirus pandemic.
While Schumer and Warren have led the push for a $50,000-per-borrower cancellation, the broad idea of canceling some amount of student loan debt has support throughout the Democratic Party, including from key teachers unions and the NAACP.
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South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip who is arguably Biden’s most powerful congressional ally, told The New York Times earlier this month that Biden should turn to executive action on the issue if working with Congress fails.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Trump Threatens COVID Relief Bill, Tests Republicans' Loyalty

On Thursday , House Democrats who also favor $ 2,000 checks will all but dare Republicans to break with Trump , calling up his proposal for a Christmas Eve vote .
The president ’ s last-minute objection could derail critical legislation amid a raging pandemic and deep economic uncertainty .
His attacks risk a federal government shutdown by early next week .
Rather than take the victory of the sweeping aid package , among the biggest in history , Trump is lashing out at GOP leaders over the presidential election — for acknowledging Joe Biden as president-elect and rebuffing his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they are tallied in Congress on Jan. 6 .
The president ’ s push to increase direct payments for most Americans from $ 600 to $ 2,000 for individuals and $ 4,000 for couples splits the party with a politically painful loyalty test , including for GOP senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , fighting to retain their seats in the Jan. 5 special election in Georgia .
FILE - In this Tuesday , Dec. 15 , 2020 , file photo , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , of Kentucky , speaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington , while Sen. John Barrasso , R-Wyoming , listens at left .
“ There will be another major rescue package for the American people , '' McConnell said in announcing an agreement for a relief bill , Sunday , Dec. 20 , 2020 , that would total almost $ 900 billion .
“ It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.
” ( Nicholas Kamm/Pool Photo via AP , File ) On a conference call , House Republican lawmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bus , according to one Republican on the private call and granted anonymity to discuss it .
Most had voted for the package and they urged leaders to hit the cable news shows to explain its benefits , the person said .
Trump did not specifically vow to use his veto power , and there may be enough support in Congress to override him if he does .
But the consequences would be severe if Trump upends the legislation .
It would mean no federal aid to help struggling Americans and small businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with vaccine distribution .
To top it off , because lawmakers linked the pandemic relief bill to an overarching funding measure , the government would shut down on Dec. 29 .
The final text of the more than 5,000-page bill was still being prepared by Congress and was not expected to be sent to the White House for Trump ’ s signature before Thursday or Friday , an aide said .
That complicates the schedule ahead .
If Trump vetoes the package , or allows it to expire with a “ pocket veto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Americans will go without massive amounts of COVID aid .
Democrats are considering another stopgap measure to at least keep the government running until Biden is sworn into office on Jan. 20 , according to two aides granted anonymity to discuss the private talks .
The House was already set to return Monday , and the Senate Tuesday , for a vote to override Trump ’ s veto of the must-pass defense bill .
Democrats may try again at that time to pass Trump ’ s proposal for $ 2,000 checks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure to avert a shutdown , the aides said .
The push for bigger payments to Americans drew a rare common cause between Trump and some of the most liberal members of Congress .
Pelosi and Democrats said they fought for the higher stipends during protracted negotiations only to settle on the lower number when Republicans refused .
Pelosi is set to offer the president ’ s proposal Thursday under a procedure that allows just one lawmaker to object to its consideration .
It will be pushed forward during a so-called pro forma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attend .
McCarthy and Republicans are poised to object .
Republicans have been reluctant to spend more on pandemic relief and only agreed to the big year-end package as time dwindled for a final deal .
Sen. Chuck Schumer , the Senate Democratic leader , said that “ Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open , ” and Congress would step up for more aid after .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Threatening to tank Congress’ massive COVID relief and government funding package, President Donald Trump’s demand for bigger aid checks for Americans is forcing Republicans traditionally wary of such spending into an uncomfortable test of allegiance.
On Thursday, House Democrats who also favor $2,000 checks will all but dare Republicans to break with Trump, calling up his proposal for a Christmas Eve vote. The president’s last-minute objection could derail critical legislation amid a raging pandemic and deep economic uncertainty. His attacks risk a federal government shutdown by early next week.
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“Just when you think you have seen it all,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote Wednesday in a letter to colleagues.
“The entire country knows that it is urgent for the President to sign this bill, both to provide the coronavirus relief and to keep government open.”
Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have resisted $2,000 checks as too costly. House Republicans are expected to block the vote, but Democrats may try again Monday.
The president’s last-minute objections are setting up a defining showdown with his own Republican Party in his final days in office.
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Rather than take the victory of the sweeping aid package, among the biggest in history, Trump is lashing out at GOP leaders over the presidential election — for acknowledging Joe Biden as president-elect and rebuffing his campaign to dispute the Electoral College results when they are tallied in Congress on Jan. 6.
The president’s push to increase direct payments for most Americans from $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples splits the party with a politically painful loyalty test, including for GOP senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, fighting to retain their seats in the Jan. 5 special election in Georgia.
Republican lawmakers traditionally balk at big spending and many never fully embraced Trump’s populist approach. Their political DNA tells them to oppose a costlier relief package. But now they’re being asked to stand with the president.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, speaks during a news conference with other Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, while Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, listens at left. “There will be another major rescue package for the American people," McConnell said in announcing an agreement for a relief bill, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, that would total almost $900 billion. “It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.” (Nicholas Kamm/Pool Photo via AP, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
GOP leaders were mostly silent Wednesday, with neither McConnell nor Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, speaking publicly.
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On a conference call, House Republican lawmakers complained that Trump threw them under the bus, according to one Republican on the private call and granted anonymity to discuss it. Most had voted for the package and they urged leaders to hit the cable news shows to explain its benefits, the person said.
McCarthy later sent a letter to colleagues suggesting Republicans would offer their own proposal, picking up on Trump’s own complaints about foreign aid to “reexamine how our tax dollars are spent overseas.”
Democrats were taking advantage of the Republican disarray to apply pressure for a priority. Jon Ossoff, Perdue’s Democratic opponent, tweeted simply on Tuesday night: “$2,000 checks now.”
$2,000 checks now. — Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) December 23, 2020
As Congress left town for the holidays, the year-end package was part of a hard-fought compromise, a massive 5,000-plus page bill that includes the COVID aid and $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and address other priorities.
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The relief bill Trump is criticizing would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants, and theaters and money for schools, health care providers, and renters facing eviction.
Even though Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin represented the White House in negotiations, Trump assailed the bipartisan effort in a video he tweeted out Tuesday night, suggesting he may not sign the legislation.
Railing against a range of provisions in the broader government funding package, including foreign aid mainstays included each year, Trump called the bill a “disgrace.”
Trump did not specifically vow to use his veto power, and there may be enough support in Congress to override him if he does. But the consequences would be severe if Trump upends the legislation. It would mean no federal aid to help struggling Americans and small businesses, and no additional resources to help with vaccine distribution. To top it off, because lawmakers linked the pandemic relief bill to an overarching funding measure, the government would shut down on Dec. 29.
The final text of the more than 5,000-page bill was still being prepared by Congress and was not expected to be sent to the White House for Trump’s signature before Thursday or Friday, an aide said.
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That complicates the schedule ahead. If Trump vetoes the package, or allows it to expire with a “pocket veto” at the end of the year, Americans will go without massive amounts of COVID aid.
A resolution could be forced Monday. That’s when a stopgap funding bill Congress approved to keep the government funded while the paperwork was being compiled expires, risking a federal shutdown.
Democrats are considering another stopgap measure to at least keep the government running until Biden is sworn into office on Jan. 20, according to two aides granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.
The House was already set to return Monday, and the Senate Tuesday, for a vote to override Trump’s veto of the must-pass defense bill. Democrats may try again at that time to pass Trump’s proposal for $2,000 checks, as well as the temporary government funding measure to avert a shutdown, the aides said.
The push for bigger payments to Americans drew a rare common cause between Trump and some of the most liberal members of Congress. Pelosi and Democrats said they fought for the higher stipends during protracted negotiations only to settle on the lower number when Republicans refused.
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Pelosi is set to offer the president’s proposal Thursday under a procedure that allows just one lawmaker to object to its consideration. It will be pushed forward during a so-called pro forma session, with few lawmakers expected to attend. McCarthy and Republicans are poised to object.
Republicans have been reluctant to spend more on pandemic relief and only agreed to the big year-end package as time dwindled for a final deal. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said that “Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open,” and Congress would step up for more aid after.
The Senate cleared the huge relief package by a 92-6 vote after the House approved it by 359-53. Those votes totals would be enough to override a veto should Trump decide to take that step.
Biden applauded lawmakers for their work. He described the package as far from perfect, “but it does provide vital relief at a critical time.”
He also said more relief would be needed in the months ahead.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--This Christmas, Iguanas, Not Snow, Are Falling In Florida

ORLANDO , Fla. ( AP ) — With unexpectedly cold weather in the forecast and pandemic-related curfews in some places , Florida is about to have a Christmas unlike any other in recent memory , and it may involve falling iguanas .
The National Weather Service earlier this week warned that South Florida could experience the coldest Christmas Day in 21 years .
Morning lows on Saturday could drop into the low 30s and 40s degrees Fahrenheit , the weather service said .
Because they are cold-blooded reptiles , iguanas living in South Florida trees often become immobile in chilly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground when the thermometer plummets , though they are still alive .
In Jacksonville , the temperature was expected to drop 50 degrees , from about 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday to around 30 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday , putting it on the path to being one of the five coldest Christmas Days on record , according to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville .
Around the state , overnight shelters were opened to take in people who would otherwise be exposed to the cold , including several churches that were planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shelters promised social distancing and protective equipment to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus .
The pandemic also was impacting a Space Coast tradition — Surfing Santa Day , which takes place the day before Christmas .
Normally drawing hundreds of surfers in Santa costumes to the Cocoa Beach surf and thousands of their cheering supporters on the beach , this year ’ s event was moved online .
Participants were encouraged to individually go surfing or paddle-boarding at their favorite spot and post photos or videos to social media .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried this week issued “ a certificate of animal movement , ” permitting Santa Claus and his wife , as well as their reindeer , “ to enter and exit all homes , domiciles , encampments , and premises in the state of Florida between the hours of 8:00 PM on December 24 and 7:00 AM December 25 , through or over any U.S. border port.
” “ Given the challenges of this year , we want to ensure Santa Claus can safely travel the state and spread Christmas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children , ” Fried said in a news release .

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With unexpectedly cold weather in the forecast and pandemic-related curfews in some places, Florida is about to have a Christmas unlike any other in recent memory, and it may involve falling iguanas.
The National Weather Service earlier this week warned that South Florida could experience the coldest Christmas Day in 21 years. Morning lows on Saturday could drop into the low 30s and 40s degrees Fahrenheit, the weather service said.
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“ Brrr! Much colder temps expected for Christmas,” the National Weather Service in Miami tweeted earlier this week. “Falling iguanas are possible.”
Because they are cold-blooded reptiles, iguanas living in South Florida trees often become immobile in chilly weather, causing them to drop to the ground when the thermometer plummets, though they are still alive.
In Jacksonville, the temperature was expected to drop 50 degrees, from about 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday to around 30 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, putting it on the path to being one of the five coldest Christmas Days on record, according to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.
A squall line with severe storms and fast-moving winds also was headed for north Florida on Christmas Eve.
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Around the state, overnight shelters were opened to take in people who would otherwise be exposed to the cold, including several churches that were planning to hold Christmas services. Many of the shelters promised social distancing and protective equipment to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The pandemic also was impacting a Space Coast tradition — Surfing Santa Day, which takes place the day before Christmas. Normally drawing hundreds of surfers in Santa costumes to the Cocoa Beach surf and thousands of their cheering supporters on the beach, this year’s event was moved online. Participants were encouraged to individually go surfing or paddle-boarding at their favorite spot and post photos or videos to social media.
But Santa was getting help from one Florida state official.
With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried this week issued “a certificate of animal movement,” permitting Santa Claus and his wife, as well as their reindeer, “to enter and exit all homes, domiciles, encampments, and premises in the state of Florida between the hours of 8:00 PM on December 24 and 7:00 AM December 25, through or over any U.S. border port.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Japanese Spacecraft Brings Back Asteroid Chips That Look Like Charcoal

TOKYO ( AP ) — They resemble small fragments of charcoal , but the soil samples collected from an asteroid and returned to Earth by a Japanese spacecraft were hardly disappointing .
The samples Japanese space officials described Thursday are as big as 1 centimeter ( 0.4 inch ) and rock hard , not breaking when picked up or poured into another container .
Smaller black , sandy granules the spacecraft collected and returned separately were described last week .
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft got the two sets of samples last year from two locations on the asteroid Ryugu , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles ) from Earth .
It dropped them from space onto a target in the Australian Outback , and the samples were brought to Japan in early December .
The sandy granules the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency described last week were from the spacecraft ’ s first touchdown in April 2019 .
The larger fragments were from the compartment allocated for the second touchdown on Ryugu , said Tomohiro Usui , space materials scientist .
To get the second set of samples in July last year , Hayabusa2 dropped an impactor to blast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collecting material from the crafter so it would be unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors .
Usui said the size differences suggest different hardness of the bedrock on the asteroid .
“ One possibility is that the place of the second touchdown was a hard bedrock and larger particles broke and entered the compartment.
” JAXA is continuing the initial examination of the asteroid samples ahead of fuller studies next year .
Scientists hope the samples will provide insight into the origins of the solar system and life on Earth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the samples will be shared with NASA and other international space agencies for additional research .
Hayabusa2 , meanwhile , is on an 11-year expedition to another small and distant asteroid , 1998KY26 , to try to study possible defenses against meteorites that could fly toward Earth .
This optical microscope photo provided Thursday , Dec. 24 , 2020 , by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) , shows soil samples , seen inside C compartment of the capsule brought back by Hayabusa2 , in Sagamihara , near Tokyo .

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TOKYO (AP) — They resemble small fragments of charcoal, but the soil samples collected from an asteroid and returned to Earth by a Japanese spacecraft were hardly disappointing.
The samples Japanese space officials described Thursday are as big as 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) and rock hard, not breaking when picked up or poured into another container. Smaller black, sandy granules the spacecraft collected and returned separately were described last week.
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The Hayabusa2 spacecraft got the two sets of samples last year from two locations on the asteroid Ryugu, more than 300 million kilometers (190 million miles) from Earth. It dropped them from space onto a target in the Australian Outback, and the samples were brought to Japan in early December.
The sandy granules the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency described last week were from the spacecraft’s first touchdown in April 2019.
The larger fragments were from the compartment allocated for the second touchdown on Ryugu, said Tomohiro Usui, space materials scientist.
To get the second set of samples in July last year, Hayabusa2 dropped an impactor to blast below the asteroid’s surface, collecting material from the crafter so it would be unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors.
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Usui said the size differences suggest different hardness of the bedrock on the asteroid. “One possibility is that the place of the second touchdown was a hard bedrock and larger particles broke and entered the compartment.”
JAXA is continuing the initial examination of the asteroid samples ahead of fuller studies next year. Scientists hope the samples will provide insight into the origins of the solar system and life on Earth. Following studies in Japan, some of the samples will be shared with NASA and other international space agencies for additional research.
Hayabusa2, meanwhile, is on an 11-year expedition to another small and distant asteroid, 1998KY26, to try to study possible defenses against meteorites that could fly toward Earth.
___
Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--California Brush Fire At U.S. Marine Bases Forces Christmas Eve Evacuations

LOS ANGELES , Dec 24 ( Reuters ) - Wind-driven flames racing through miles of dry brush on a U.S. Marine Corps base in Southern California prompted the evacuation of more than 7,000 residents on Thursday from neighborhoods at the edge of the sprawling installation , authorities said .
The so-called Creek Fire erupted Wednesday night along a roadside on the eastern flank of Camp Pendleton , north of San Diego , and charred some 3,000 acres by noon on Thursday , the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ( CalFire ) reported .
No property damage or injuries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandatory evacuations early Thursday of base housing facilities , as well as homes in the adjacent civilian community of Fallbrook , displacing 7,000 people there , CalFire Captain Thomas Shoots said .
As of midday , firefighters had yet to establish firm control lines around the blaze , with containment at zero , although fierce Santa Ana winds that initially fanned the flames through drought-parched grass and brush had subsided by early afternoon , Shoots said .
The cause of the blaze was under investigation .
The incident capped the heaviest wildfire season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total acreage burned , with more than 4million acres and over 10,000 homes and other structures up inflames .
Thirty-three lives were lost .

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LOS ANGELES, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Wind-driven flames racing through miles of dry brush on a U.S. Marine Corps base in Southern California prompted the evacuation of more than 7,000 residents on Thursday from neighborhoods at the edge of the sprawling installation, authorities said.
The so-called Creek Fire erupted Wednesday night along a roadside on the eastern flank of Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, and charred some 3,000 acres by noon on Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) reported.
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No property damage or injuries were reported, but the blaze prompted mandatory evacuations early Thursday of base housing facilities, as well as homes in the adjacent civilian community of Fallbrook, displacing 7,000 people there, CalFire Captain Thomas Shoots said.
As of midday, firefighters had yet to establish firm control lines around the blaze, with containment at zero, although fierce Santa Ana winds that initially fanned the flames through drought-parched grass and brush had subsided by early afternoon,Shoots said.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-24--Leslie West, Guitarist Of Rock Band Mountain, Dead At 75

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — Leslie West , an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several '70s rock anthems including “ Mississippi Queen ” with the popular band Mountain , has died .
He was 75 .
His spokesman Steve Karas said West died Wednesday in Palm Coast , Florida .
Karas said West died from cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital .
West battled with health issues in the past few years .
In 2011 , his lower right leg was amputated in a life-saving operation related to his diabetes .
Rockers like Gene Simmons and Slash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day before his death when it was clear he was in dire condition .
Paul Stanley called West a “ gentle man and guitar hero ” on Twitter .
West began his music career in the mid-60s with The Vagrants with his brother Larry West Weinstein , who played bass .
The band known as a blue-eyed soul group had a minor hit with “ I Can ’ t Make a Friend ” and covered Otis Redding ’ s “ Respect ” in 1967 .
West stepped out on his own with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ album “ Mountain , ” which was produced by Felix Pappalardi .
West and Pappalardi ended up starting the hard rock band Mountain , which was named after West ’ s debut solo album .
In 1969 , Mountain performed an 11-song set at Woodstock before the Grateful Dead .
A year later , the band released their biggest hit “ Mississippi Queen , ” which appeared on numerous movie and TV soundtracks along with video games including Guitar Hero .
The song was covered by several artists such as Ozzy Osbourne , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s song “ Long Red ” became popular among multiple hip-hop artists including Jay-Z , Kanye West and Nas , who sampled the single .
“ Theme From An Imaginary Western ” was another of the band 's notable songs .
During a Mountain hiatus , West formed the group West , Bruce and Laing along with Cream bassist Jack Bruce and Mountain drummer Corky Laing .
West appeared in films such as “ Family Honor ” and “ Money Pit.
” He was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006 .
West is survived by his wife , Jenni , whom he married on stage after Mountain ’ s performance at the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert in Bethel , New York in 2009 .

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Leslie West, an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several '70s rock anthems including “Mississippi Queen” with the popular band Mountain, has died. He was 75.
His spokesman Steve Karas said West died Wednesday in Palm Coast, Florida. Karas said West died from cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital.
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West battled with health issues in the past few years. In 2011, his lower right leg was amputated in a life-saving operation related to his diabetes.
Rockers like Gene Simmons and Slash showed support for West on social media a day before his death when it was clear he was in dire condition. Paul Stanley called West a “gentle man and guitar hero” on Twitter.
West began his music career in the mid-60s with The Vagrants with his brother Larry West Weinstein, who played bass. The band known as a blue-eyed soul group had a minor hit with “I Can’t Make a Friend” and covered Otis Redding’s “Respect” in 1967.
West stepped out on his own with a solo career, releasing the 1969 album “Mountain,” which was produced by Felix Pappalardi. West and Pappalardi ended up starting the hard rock band Mountain, which was named after West’s debut solo album.
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In 1969, Mountain performed an 11-song set at Woodstock before the Grateful Dead. A year later, the band released their biggest hit “Mississippi Queen,” which appeared on numerous movie and TV soundtracks along with video games including Guitar Hero. The song was covered by several artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, W.A.S.P. and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Mountain’s song “Long Red” became popular among multiple hip-hop artists including Jay-Z, Kanye West and Nas, who sampled the single. “Theme From An Imaginary Western” was another of the band's notable songs.
During a Mountain hiatus, West formed the group West, Bruce and Laing along with Cream bassist Jack Bruce and Mountain drummer Corky Laing.
West appeared in films such as “Family Honor” and “Money Pit.” He was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show. The musician was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
West is survived by his wife, Jenni, whom he married on stage after Mountain’s performance at the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert in Bethel, New York in 2009.