shareblue--2020-12-16--Mike Pompeo forced to quarantine a day after his big holiday party

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is under quarantine after coming into contact with a person infected with the coronavirus , the State Department announced Wednesday , just one day after his indoor holiday party that public health officials warned could be a superspreader .
The State Department added that Pompeo has thus far tested negative but would not reveal where or when he was exposed , citing privacy reasons .
`` In accordance with CDC guidelines , he will be in quarantine , '' the State Department said .
`` He is being closely monitored by the Department ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo 's exposure follows his holiday party on Tuesday night , which he had intended to be a massive event , with 900 guests invited , even as United States surpassed 300,000 deaths from the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic .
Ultimately , only 70 guests RSVP 'd to the event , with even fewer actually attending .
Many cited concerns about the virus .
One diplomat 's spouse , who was invited but did not attend , told the Washington Post that `` it was a completely irresponsible party to throw . ''
Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing measures at this reception , and face coverings are mandatory for admittance , '' according to a State Department official , at least one picture of the event showed guests without masks .
Prior to the State Department 's event , public health officials like Ian Lipkin , who leads Columbia University 's Center for Infection and Immunity , said he was `` flabbergasted '' at such an invitation .
`` An indoor event of this kind is dangerous on so many levels , '' he told the Post .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeat of what we saw in the White House Rose Garden following the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett . ''
Despite his own department 's safety guidelines for `` non-mission critical events '' to be held virtually , Pompeo and his aides planned over a dozen holiday events for December , NBC News noted .
The parties invited hundreds of guests .
The invitations alarmed the American Foreign Service , which represents 31,000 foreign service employees , so much that they issued a statement in early December .
`` The Department ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world to host only virtual holiday gatherings this year .
It is therefore disconcerting to hear of these plans , which not only go against the Department ’ s own guidelines but also health regulations in Washington , D.C. and the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , '' the service said .
The organization continued : `` We urge the Department to reverse course and model responsible behavior in accordance with its own guidelines . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is under quarantine after coming into contact with a person infected with the coronavirus, the State Department announced Wednesday, just one day after his indoor holiday party that public health officials warned could be a superspreader.
The State Department added that Pompeo has thus far tested negative but would not reveal where or when he was exposed, citing privacy reasons.
“In accordance with CDC guidelines, he will be in quarantine,” the State Department said. “He is being closely monitored by the Department’s medical team.”
The announcement of Pompeo’s exposure follows his holiday party on Tuesday night, which he had intended to be a massive event, with 900 guests invited, even as United States surpassed 300,000 deaths from the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, only 70 guests RSVP’d to the event, with even fewer actually attending. Many cited concerns about the virus.
One diplomat’s spouse, who was invited but did not attend, told the Washington Post that “it was a completely irresponsible party to throw.”
Although the event planned “to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception, and face coverings are mandatory for admittance,” according to a State Department official, at least one picture of the event showed guests without masks.
Prior to the State Department’s event, public health officials like Ian Lipkin, who leads Columbia University’s Center for Infection and Immunity, said he was “flabbergasted” at such an invitation.
“An indoor event of this kind is dangerous on so many levels,” he told the Post. “This has all the makings of a repeat of what we saw in the White House Rose Garden following the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett.”
Despite his own department’s safety guidelines for “non-mission critical events” to be held virtually, Pompeo and his aides planned over a dozen holiday events for December, NBC News noted. The parties invited hundreds of guests.
The invitations alarmed the American Foreign Service, which represents 31,000 foreign service employees, so much that they issued a statement in early December.
“The Department’s leadership has urged embassies and consulates around the world to host only virtual holiday gatherings this year. It is therefore disconcerting to hear of these plans, which not only go against the Department’s own guidelines but also health regulations in Washington, D.C. and the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the service said.
The organization continued: “We urge the Department to reverse course and model responsible behavior in accordance with its own guidelines.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Biden's team has to figure out how to actually keep COVID out of the White House

Three blocks from the White House , office space for more than 500 Biden transition staffers sits mostly idle .
The government is shipping out laptops so staffers can work from home .
President-elect Joe Biden , surrounded by just a handful of aides in Delaware , is using Zoom to oversee his plans to assume power .
But Biden soon will be entering a no-Zoom zone at the White House — just one sign of the challenges his new administration will face when it moves to Washington in the midst of a pandemic .
After months of making a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and transition team have taken toward COVID-19 , Biden 's prudence will be tested by technology and tradition when he arrives on Jan. 20 .
White House computers do n't allow the popular video conference software Zoom or rival systems like Google Meet and Slack .
Government-issue cellphones only gained texting capabilities a few years ago .
And many employees will need to be present at the White House to access classified information .
Biden 's team has limited experience with staffing a physical office during the pandemic .
His campaign went all-virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headquarters and sending staff back to their families in Washington , New York , and beyond .
His transition team plotted out his path to power entirely online .
The closest Biden 's team has come to experimenting with in-person work was election night , when a small selection of masked and socially distanced aides in Wilmington , Delaware , monitored returns in hotel conference rooms , a far cry from running a White House 24/7 .
Even now , the most prominent use of the 100,000-plus square feet of office space reserved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kamala Harris to receive the highly classified President 's Daily Brief .
Telework is possible for some White House staff , and improvements in both secure and unclassified videoconferencing have been made over the last two decades .
But the lack of in-person coordination could pose an additional challenge to the new government facing a multitude of crises .
Further complicating matters , the Biden team must devise health and safety protocols from scratch .
The Trump administration was , at best , a cautionary tale in how not to run a workplace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an aggressive testing regimen that is not available in other workplaces , the West Wing under Donald Trump has been the locus of at least two significant outbreaks of COVID-19 since Trump himself came down with the virus five weeks before Election Day .
Besides the first family , the dozens in Trump world who have tested positive include the White House chief of staff , the vice president 's chief of staff , the White House press secretary , and Trump 's campaign manager .
Still more aides have had to isolate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the infections is not publicly known .
The problems stemmed in large part from the Trump White House flouting its own guidelines for COVID-19 safety , including holding large events , allowing frequent travel , and above all not requiring face masks .
The Biden team believes that some of the greatest risk can be mitigated simply by adhering to scientific advice : holding safer events , requiring face coverings , and continuing regular testing .
White House veterans say the task of making the West Wing a safe workspace is attainable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both White House staff and the hundreds of government employees from other federal agencies who support it .
Detailed planning is still underway , but some early considerations are to curtail the number of staffers who have unfettered access to the West Wing , encourage remote work where possible , and even have staffers use secure teleconferencing between individual offices to minimize use of shared spaces .
Biden 's team may get a blueprint of sorts for its use of COVID-19 vaccines from the Trump White House , which is beginning to roll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including military aides , Secret Service agents , and Situation Room watch officers .
Biden himself appears likely to receive at least a first dose of the vaccine before taking office , relying on the advice of the nation 's top U.S. infectious-disease expert .
Dr. Anthony Fauci called for Biden and Harris to swiftly receive the vaccine .
`` For security reasons , I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can , '' Fauci said on ABC News on Tuesday .
`` You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the presidency in January . ''
Moving the Bidens into the White House — a stressful process even in normal times — will be more complicated this year .
There will be a top-to-bottom cleaning of the West Wing in the hours after Trump vacates the premises and before Biden 's team moves in .
Public health experts say it 's crucial that extra steps be taken to mitigate the spread of the disease during that changeover .
One former official said the White House ventilation system , hardened against chemical and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern than in typical buildings , but the Biden team is not taking any risks .
`` The two things to think about are cleaning off all surfaces , especially high-touch places like door knobs ... and transmission via aerosols and the possibility of aerosols lingering in the air between the two transitions if someone there is currently sick , '' said Dr. Abraar Karan , a global health specialist at Brigham and Women 's Hospital and Harvard Medical School .
`` Having full air exchange , filtration , and open ventilation will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moving in of the new presidential family . ''
Typically , the entire move is completed in about five or six hours , said Kate Andersen Brower , author of `` The Residence : Inside the Private World of the White House . ''
For security reasons , moving day is carried out by White House household staff — an undertaking that enlists everyone from building engineers to kitchen staff .
`` In the past , there 's literally one moving truck in the South Lawn entrance and one in the north entrance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's very much an all-hands-on-deck situation . ''

Three blocks from the White House, office space for more than 500 Biden transition staffers sits mostly idle. The government is shipping out laptops so staffers can work from home. President-elect Joe Biden, surrounded by just a handful of aides in Delaware, is using Zoom to oversee his plans to assume power.
But Biden soon will be entering a no-Zoom zone at the White House — just one sign of the challenges his new administration will face when it moves to Washington in the midst of a pandemic.
After months of making a virtue of the cautious approach his campaign and transition team have taken toward COVID-19, Biden’s prudence will be tested by technology and tradition when he arrives on Jan. 20.
White House computers don’t allow the popular video conference software Zoom or rival systems like Google Meet and Slack. Government-issue cellphones only gained texting capabilities a few years ago. And many employees will need to be present at the White House to access classified information.
Biden’s team has limited experience with staffing a physical office during the pandemic. His campaign went all-virtual in mid-March, clearing out its Philadelphia headquarters and sending staff back to their families in Washington, New York, and beyond. His transition team plotted out his path to power entirely online.
The closest Biden’s team has come to experimenting with in-person work was election night, when a small selection of masked and socially distanced aides in Wilmington, Delaware, monitored returns in hotel conference rooms, a far cry from running a White House 24/7.
Even now, the most prominent use of the 100,000-plus square feet of office space reserved for the transition is for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to receive the highly classified President’s Daily Brief.
Telework is possible for some White House staff, and improvements in both secure and unclassified videoconferencing have been made over the last two decades. But the lack of in-person coordination could pose an additional challenge to the new government facing a multitude of crises.
Further complicating matters, the Biden team must devise health and safety protocols from scratch. The Trump administration was, at best, a cautionary tale in how not to run a workplace during a pandemic.
Despite relying on an aggressive testing regimen that is not available in other workplaces, the West Wing under Donald Trump has been the locus of at least two significant outbreaks of COVID-19 since Trump himself came down with the virus five weeks before Election Day.
Besides the first family, the dozens in Trump world who have tested positive include the White House chief of staff, the vice president’s chief of staff, the White House press secretary, and Trump’s campaign manager. Still more aides have had to isolate after potential exposure. The full scale of the infections is not publicly known.
The problems stemmed in large part from the Trump White House flouting its own guidelines for COVID-19 safety, including holding large events, allowing frequent travel, and above all not requiring face masks. The Biden team believes that some of the greatest risk can be mitigated simply by adhering to scientific advice: holding safer events, requiring face coverings, and continuing regular testing.
White House veterans say the task of making the West Wing a safe workspace is attainable but will require intense discipline, among both White House staff and the hundreds of government employees from other federal agencies who support it.
Detailed planning is still underway, but some early considerations are to curtail the number of staffers who have unfettered access to the West Wing, encourage remote work where possible, and even have staffers use secure teleconferencing between individual offices to minimize use of shared spaces.
Biden’s team may get a blueprint of sorts for its use of COVID-19 vaccines from the Trump White House, which is beginning to roll out inoculations for some critical government staffers, including military aides, Secret Service agents, and Situation Room watch officers.
Biden himself appears likely to receive at least a first dose of the vaccine before taking office, relying on the advice of the nation’s top U.S. infectious-disease expert. Dr. Anthony Fauci called for Biden and Harris to swiftly receive the vaccine.
“For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can,” Fauci said on ABC News on Tuesday. “You want him fully protected as he enters into the presidency in January.”
Moving the Bidens into the White House — a stressful process even in normal times — will be more complicated this year.
There will be a top-to-bottom cleaning of the West Wing in the hours after Trump vacates the premises and before Biden’s team moves in. Public health experts say it’s crucial that extra steps be taken to mitigate the spread of the disease during that changeover.
One former official said the White House ventilation system, hardened against chemical and biological threats, poses less of a concern than in typical buildings, but the Biden team is not taking any risks.
“The two things to think about are cleaning off all surfaces, especially high-touch places like door knobs … and transmission via aerosols and the possibility of aerosols lingering in the air between the two transitions if someone there is currently sick,” said Dr. Abraar Karan, a global health specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “Having full air exchange, filtration, and open ventilation will be important between the cleaning and the moving in of the new presidential family.”
Typically, the entire move is completed in about five or six hours, said Kate Andersen Brower, author of “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.” For security reasons, moving day is carried out by White House household staff — an undertaking that enlists everyone from building engineers to kitchen staff.
“In the past, there’s literally one moving truck in the South Lawn entrance and one in the north entrance,” she said. “It’s very much an all-hands-on-deck situation.”


shareblue--2020-12-17--Ted Cruz is mad Twitter won't censor Biden for telling the truth

Sen. Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) took to Twitter Thursday to express his frustration that social media outlets had , as he called it , `` censored '' Donald Trump far more frequently than they did President-elect Joe Biden .
But he failed to acknowledge that the outlets flag Trump for his near-constant spread of disinformation .
Cruz retweeted a link to a report by far-right outlet Newsbusters , a site that 's rated `` mixed '' on factual reporting credibility by the website Media Bias/Fact Check .
Cruz retweeted a line from Newsbusters ' report : `` Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Trump ] 65 times but left former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee , Joe Biden , unscathed . ''
`` 65 to ZERO , '' he added for emphasis .
The report Cruz cited claimed that , looking back over a longer span of time , Trump had been `` censored '' or flagged for false information 486 times since May 2018 .
And 400 of those were in the days following the Nov. 3 election , when he was most busy on Twitter peddling outright lies and false claims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imply that Trump is targeted due to anti-Republican bias on the part of social media companies , ignoring his pushing of false , widely debunked claims on Twitter and Facebook .
According to the Washington Post 's `` Fact Checker '' column , Trump had made more than 22,000 false or misleading claims to the American people as of the end of August 2020 , the latest the writers had been able to catch up with .
Between Election Day and Nov. 27 , Twitter flagged more than 200 of Trump 's tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the first time Cruz has griped about having to be truthful on social media .
During congressional hearings in mid-November on the actions of tech companies during the election , Cruz went toe to toe with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey .
Accusing Senate Democrats of pushing social media outlets to `` abuse their power more '' and `` silence voices that Senate Democrats disagree with , '' he argued that tech CEOS like Dorsey enforced policies in a `` partisan and selective manner . ''
`` That is very dangerous if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy , '' Cruz said .
The Washington Post published a study earlier this year that found little evidence that social media platforms are biased against conservative viewpoints .
According to Steven Johnson , an information technology professor at the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce , `` If anything , there is evidence that content from highly conservative news sites is favored by Facebook algorithms . ''
Despite these and other analyses of social media platforms that find right-wing influencers dominating the narrative on key issues this year , Cruz and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Big Tech '' censors conservative voices .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took to Twitter Thursday to express his frustration that social media outlets had, as he called it, “censored” Donald Trump far more frequently than they did President-elect Joe Biden. But he failed to acknowledge that the outlets flag Trump for his near-constant spread of disinformation.
Cruz retweeted a link to a report by far-right outlet Newsbusters, a site that’s rated “mixed” on factual reporting credibility by the website Media Bias/Fact Check.
Cruz retweeted a line from Newsbusters’ report: “Before the election, Twitter and Facebook had censored [Trump] 65 times but left former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, unscathed.”
“65 to ZERO,” he added for emphasis.
The report Cruz cited claimed that, looking back over a longer span of time, Trump had been “censored” or flagged for false information 486 times since May 2018.
And 400 of those were in the days following the Nov. 3 election, when he was most busy on Twitter peddling outright lies and false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Cruz appears to imply that Trump is targeted due to anti-Republican bias on the part of social media companies, ignoring his pushing of false, widely debunked claims on Twitter and Facebook.
According to the Washington Post’s “Fact Checker” column, Trump had made more than 22,000 false or misleading claims to the American people as of the end of August 2020, the latest the writers had been able to catch up with.
Between Election Day and Nov. 27, Twitter flagged more than 200 of Trump’s tweets for sharing false information.
This is not the first time Cruz has griped about having to be truthful on social media.
During congressional hearings in mid-November on the actions of tech companies during the election, Cruz went toe to toe with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Accusing Senate Democrats of pushing social media outlets to “abuse their power more” and “silence voices that Senate Democrats disagree with,” he argued that tech CEOS like Dorsey enforced policies in a “partisan and selective manner.”
“That is very dangerous if we want to maintain a free and fair democracy,” Cruz said.
The Washington Post published a study earlier this year that found little evidence that social media platforms are biased against conservative viewpoints.
According to Steven Johnson, an information technology professor at the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce, “If anything, there is evidence that content from highly conservative news sites is favored by Facebook algorithms.”
Despite these and other analyses of social media platforms that find right-wing influencers dominating the narrative on key issues this year, Cruz and other Republican lawmakers continue to claim that “Big Tech” censors conservative voices.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--Biden's Cabinet picks show he's serious about protecting the environment

President-elect Joe Biden 's recent environmental-related Cabinet selections have the experience required to effectively handle their jobs , a contrast to the current administration and further proof of Biden 's commitment on the issue .
On Thursday , Biden tapped Michael Regan , North Carolina 's Department of Environmental Quality secretary , to head the Environmental Protection Agency .
Brian Buzby , who leads the North Carolina Conservation Network , applauded the decision , telling the New York Times , `` It signals that the Biden administration is serious about getting the E.P.A .
back to its core mission to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as ensure strong , meaningful steps are taken to advance environmental justice issues . ''
Regan formerly worked at the EPA as an air quality specialist during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations .
Also on Thursday , Biden announced Rep. Deb Haaland ( D-NM ) as his pick for Interior secretary .
The selection is historic , as Haaland would become the first Native American to hold the Cabinet position in the nation 's history .
Haaland , member of the Pueblo of Laguna , has endorsed renewable energy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post noted .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday sung Haaland 's praises , telling the Post : `` I am so proud that , as one of the first Native American women to have served in Congress , she serves as chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks , Forests and Public Lands . ''
`` Congresswoman Haaland knows the territory , and if she is the president-elect 's choice for Interior secretary , then he will have made an excellent choice , '' the speaker added .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to tap former two-term Michigan Gov .
Jennifer Granholm .
She has been credited in the automobile industry bailout in 2009 , when she worked with the Obama administration to include investments in clean energy , according to the Times .
After serving as governor , she began advocacy efforts for renewable energy , the outlet noted .
Elsewhere in his administration , Biden has appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to a newly created role as the National Security Council 's first special presidential envoy for climate .
For years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national security that climate change poses , including in a 2015 speech that emphasized the matter 's urgency .
`` America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is , '' Kerry tweeted on Nov. 23 , saying he 's proud to partner with Biden .
Biden is also set to name former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina MacCarthy as the White House climate coordinator .
McCarthy led the agency under the Obama administration , headed the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense Council 's chief executive .
As climate coordinator , MacCarthy will be tasked with lowering the country 's greenhouse gas emissions after Biden pledged carbon neutrality within the next 30 years .
Biden 's picks strike a stark contrast with Donald Trump 's picks , who have faced heavy criticism for their past records working to combat environmental advocates , or their lack of experience in the subject .
Former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler , for instance , currently leads the EPA .
A former lobbyist for Ford Motor Company , Dan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while his predecessor , former Texas Gov .
Rick Perry , previously called to abolish the very agency he was picked to run .
Though not in an environmental role , Biden has also selected California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve as Health and Human Services secretary , an unintentional snub at Trump , who has launched a barrage of attacks on the environment since taking office .
Becerra was a key figure in California 's lawsuits against Trump 's Bureau of Land Management , which sought to block the agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of protected land in Alaska ’ s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel industries .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

President-elect Joe Biden’s recent environmental-related Cabinet selections have the experience required to effectively handle their jobs, a contrast to the current administration and further proof of Biden’s commitment on the issue.
On Thursday, Biden tapped Michael Regan, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality secretary, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Brian Buzby, who leads the North Carolina Conservation Network, applauded the decision, telling the New York Times, “It signals that the Biden administration is serious about getting the E.P.A. back to its core mission to protect the environment and public health as well as ensure strong, meaningful steps are taken to advance environmental justice issues.”
Regan formerly worked at the EPA as an air quality specialist during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.
Also on Thursday, Biden announced Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) as his pick for Interior secretary. The selection is historic, as Haaland would become the first Native American to hold the Cabinet position in the nation’s history.
Haaland, member of the Pueblo of Laguna, has endorsed renewable energy and vowed to fight climate change, the Washington Post noted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday sung Haaland’s praises, telling the Post: “I am so proud that, as one of the first Native American women to have served in Congress, she serves as chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.”
“Congresswoman Haaland knows the territory, and if she is the president-elect’s choice for Interior secretary, then he will have made an excellent choice,” the speaker added.
For the Energy secretary role, Biden is expected to tap former two-term Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. She has been credited in the automobile industry bailout in 2009, when she worked with the Obama administration to include investments in clean energy, according to the Times. After serving as governor, she began advocacy efforts for renewable energy, the outlet noted.
Elsewhere in his administration, Biden has appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to a newly created role as the National Security Council’s first special presidential envoy for climate.
For years, Kerry has discussed the risks to national security that climate change poses, including in a 2015 speech that emphasized the matter’s urgency.
“America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is,” Kerry tweeted on Nov. 23, saying he’s proud to partner with Biden.
Biden is also set to name former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina MacCarthy as the White House climate coordinator.
McCarthy led the agency under the Obama administration, headed the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and currently serves as the Natural Resources Defense Council’s chief executive.
As climate coordinator, MacCarthy will be tasked with lowering the country’s greenhouse gas emissions after Biden pledged carbon neutrality within the next 30 years.
Biden’s picks strike a stark contrast with Donald Trump’s picks, who have faced heavy criticism for their past records working to combat environmental advocates, or their lack of experience in the subject.
Former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, for instance, currently leads the EPA. A former lobbyist for Ford Motor Company, Dan Brouillette, is heading the Energy Department, while his predecessor, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, previously called to abolish the very agency he was picked to run.
Though not in an environmental role, Biden has also selected California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve as Health and Human Services secretary, an unintentional snub at Trump, who has launched a barrage of attacks on the environment since taking office. Becerra was a key figure in California’s lawsuits against Trump’s Bureau of Land Management, which sought to block the agency from leasing more than a million acres of protected land in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel industries.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--GOP Senate begins slowly moving on from Trump — but not everyone is on board

The GOP-controlled Senate is moving forward on at least three of President-elect Joe Biden 's Cabinet nominees , signaling a readiness to look beyond Donald Trump 's fight to remain in power — but not everyone is on board .
On Tuesday , the Senate Finance Committee , chaired by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley , sent questionnaires to former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen , tapped by Biden for Treasury secretary , and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra , selected to serve as Health and Human Services secretary .
A spokeswoman for Ron Wyden , the top Democrat on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Bloomberg .
Additionally , the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a list of questions to Antony Blinken , whom Biden nominated as his secretary of state , and will potentially schedule a hearing for his confirmation before the Jan. 20 inauguration , a source familiar with the matter told the outlet .
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch chairs that committee and New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is ranking member .
The updates on the Cabinet confirmation process come days after the Electoral College cemented Biden 's victory over Trump .
Senate Majority Leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by acknowledging Biden 's win .
`` I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden , '' he said .
`` Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result .
But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20 .
The Electoral College has spoken . ''
Sens .
Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) and Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) also spoke with Biden over the phone to congratulate him , the Associated Press reported .
But not all Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Wednesday , Sen. Ron Johnson ( WI ) held a hearing on supposed election `` irregularities , '' claiming to have `` legitimate questions '' about voter fraud , despite no evidence to back it up .
Trump has repeatedly pushed these claims since losing the election in November , suggesting the process was rigged and insisting he had won if only `` legal '' votes were counted .
He appeared to be suggesting that all absentee and mail ballots were somehow fraudulent ( they were not ) .
Sen. Josh Hawley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing that voter fraud allegations must be investigated because his voters believed the false claims pushed by Trump and his GOP allies .
Sen. Rand Paul ( KY ) added , without any proof , `` The election was in many ways stolen . ''
It was not .
Elsewhere in that hearing , Christopher Krebs , former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , whom Trump fired recently in a tweet , reinforced his previous statements that the election had been fair and secure .
`` There is no evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes , changed votes , or was in any way compromised , '' he said .
Trump ousted Krebs over a similar statement in November , wrongly claiming that it was `` highly inaccurate , in that there were massive improprieties and fraud . ''
Trump himself has refused to take his loss lightly , filing lawsuit after lawsuit and pushing election lies on social media .
A new CNN report said Trump is also threatening to not leave the White House on Jan. 20 .
`` He 's been fed so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this thing was stolen from him , '' one of his advisers told the outlet .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The GOP-controlled Senate is moving forward on at least three of President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, signaling a readiness to look beyond Donald Trump’s fight to remain in power — but not everyone is on board.
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, sent questionnaires to former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, tapped by Biden for Treasury secretary, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, selected to serve as Health and Human Services secretary. A spokeswoman for Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, confirmed the news to Bloomberg.
Additionally, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a list of questions to Antony Blinken, whom Biden nominated as his secretary of state, and will potentially schedule a hearing for his confirmation before the Jan. 20 inauguration, a source familiar with the matter told the outlet.
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch chairs that committee and New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is ranking member.
The updates on the Cabinet confirmation process come days after the Electoral College cemented Biden’s victory over Trump.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday opened the chamber by acknowledging Biden’s win.
“I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” he said. “Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result. But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken.”
Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also spoke with Biden over the phone to congratulate him, the Associated Press reported.
But not all Republican senators are ready to move on.
On Wednesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (WI) held a hearing on supposed election “irregularities,” claiming to have “legitimate questions” about voter fraud, despite no evidence to back it up.
Trump has repeatedly pushed these claims since losing the election in November, suggesting the process was rigged and insisting he had won if only “legal” votes were counted. He appeared to be suggesting that all absentee and mail ballots were somehow fraudulent (they were not).
Sen. Josh Hawley (MO) said at that same hearing that voter fraud allegations must be investigated because his voters believed the false claims pushed by Trump and his GOP allies.
Sen. Rand Paul (KY) added, without any proof, “The election was in many ways stolen.”
It was not. Elsewhere in that hearing, Christopher Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, whom Trump fired recently in a tweet, reinforced his previous statements that the election had been fair and secure.
“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” he said.
Trump ousted Krebs over a similar statement in November, wrongly claiming that it was “highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud.”
Trump himself has refused to take his loss lightly, filing lawsuit after lawsuit and pushing election lies on social media.
A new CNN report said Trump is also threatening to not leave the White House on Jan. 20.
“He’s been fed so much misinformation that I think he actually thinks this thing was stolen from him,” one of his advisers told the outlet.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--Trump's border wall is destroying everything around it

Work crews ignite dynamite blasts in the remote and rugged southeast corner of Arizona , forever reshaping the landscape as they pulverize mountaintops in a rush to build more of Donald Trump 's border wall before his term ends next month .
Each blast in Guadalupe Canyon releases puffs of dust as workers level land to make way for 30-foot-tall steel columns near the New Mexico line .
Heavy machines crawl over roads gouged into rocky slopes while one tap-tap-taps open holes for posts on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property .
Trump has expedited border wall construction in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Indigenous territory the government owns in Arizona and New Mexico , avoiding the legal fights over private land in busier crossing areas of Texas .
The work has caused environmental damage , preventing animals from moving freely and scarring unique mountain and desert landscapes that conservationists fear could be irreversible .
The administration says it 's protecting national security , citing it to waive environmental laws in its drive to fulfill a signature immigration policy .
Environmentalists hope President-elect Joe Biden will stop the work , but that could be difficult and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave pillars towering over sensitive borderlands .
The worst damage is along Arizona 's border , from century-old saguaro cactuses toppled in the western desert to shrinking ponds of endangered fish in eastern canyons .
Recent construction has sealed off what was the Southwest 's last major undammed river .
It 's more difficult for desert tortoises , the occasional ocelot , and the world 's tiniest owls to cross the boundary .
`` Interconnected landscapes that stretch across two countries are being converted into industrial wastelands , '' said Randy Serraglio of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge near Guadalupe Canyon , biologist Myles Traphagen said field cameras have captured 90 % less movement by animals like mountain lions , bobcats , and pig-like javelinas over the past three months .
`` This wall is the largest impediment to wildlife movement we 've ever seen in this part of the world , '' said Traphagen of the nonprofit Wildlands Network .
`` It 's altering the evolutionary history of North America . ''
The U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service in 1982 established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources and endangered native fish .
Diverse hummingbirds , bees , butterflies , and bats also live there .
Since contractors for U.S. Customs and Border Protection began building a new stretch of wall there in October , environmentalists estimate that millions of gallons of groundwater have been pumped to mix cement and spray down dusty dirt roads .
Solar power now pumps water into a shrinking pond underneath rustling cottonwood trees .
Bullfrogs croak and Yaqui topminnows wiggle through the pool once fed solely by natural artesian wells pulling ancient water from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sealed off a migratory corridor for wildlife between Mexico 's Sierra Madre and the Rocky Mountains to the north , threatening species like the endangered Chiricahua leopard frog and blue-gray aplomado falcon .
The Trump administration says it 's completed 430 miles of the $ 15 billion wall and promises to reach 450 miles by year 's end .
Biden transition officials say he stands by his campaign promise — `` not another foot '' of wall .
It 's unclear how Biden would stop construction , but it could leave projects half-finished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ break contracts , and anger those who consider the wall essential to border security .
`` Building a wall will do little to deter criminals and cartels seeking to exploit our borders , '' Biden 's transition team has said .
It says Biden will focus on `` smart border enforcement efforts , like investments in improving screening infrastructure at our ports of entry , that will actually keep America safer . ''
Environmentalists hope for an ally in Alejandro Mayorkas , Biden 's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Until construction is stopped , `` every day , it will be another another mile of borderlands being trashed , '' Serraglio said .
Environmental law attorney Dinah Bear said Biden 's administration could terminate building contracts , which would allow companies to seek settlements .
What that would cost is n't clear because the contracts are n't public , but Bear said it would pale in comparison to the price of finishing and maintaining the wall .
Military funds reappropriated under a national emergency declared by Trump are now funding the work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House 's Council on Environmental Quality under Republican and Democratic administrations , said she wants to see Congress set aside money to repair damage by removing the wall in critical areas , buying more habitat , and replanting slopes .
Ecologists say damage could be reversed in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument , where thousands of tree-like saguaros were bulldozed , with some reportedly replanted elsewhere .
They say keeping floodgates open could help ease damage done by damming the San Pedro River , which runs north from just below the Mexican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sierra Madre 's `` Sky Islands . ''
These high mountains have ecosystems dramatically different from the desert below , with 300 bird species , including the yellow-billed cuckoo , nesting along what was the Southwest 's last major free-flowing river .
The white-nosed , raccoon-like coati and the yellow-striped Sonoran tiger salamander also live there .
In the nearby Coronado National Monument , scientists are using cameras to document wildlife as crews prepare to start building .
Switchbacks have been slashed into mountainsides , but 30-foot posts are n't yet up along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1540 .
The government plans to install the towering pillars 4 inches apart where there are now vehicle barriers a couple of feet high with openings large enough to allow large cats and other animals to cross to mate and hunt .
Biologist Emily Burns of the nonprofit Sky Island Alliance said construction will hurt elf owls , the world 's littlest at less than 5 inches tall .
The birds are too small to fly over the fence and likely would n't know to squeeze through .
`` This kind of large-scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brink , even if they are n't threatened , '' said Louise Misztal , alliance executive director .

Work crews ignite dynamite blasts in the remote and rugged southeast corner of Arizona, forever reshaping the landscape as they pulverize mountaintops in a rush to build more of Donald Trump’s border wall before his term ends next month.
Each blast in Guadalupe Canyon releases puffs of dust as workers level land to make way for 30-foot-tall steel columns near the New Mexico line. Heavy machines crawl over roads gouged into rocky slopes while one tap-tap-taps open holes for posts on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property.
Trump has expedited border wall construction in his last year, mostly in wildlife refuges and Indigenous territory the government owns in Arizona and New Mexico, avoiding the legal fights over private land in busier crossing areas of Texas. The work has caused environmental damage, preventing animals from moving freely and scarring unique mountain and desert landscapes that conservationists fear could be irreversible. The administration says it’s protecting national security, citing it to waive environmental laws in its drive to fulfill a signature immigration policy.
Environmentalists hope President-elect Joe Biden will stop the work, but that could be difficult and expensive to do quickly and may still leave pillars towering over sensitive borderlands.
The worst damage is along Arizona’s border, from century-old saguaro cactuses toppled in the western desert to shrinking ponds of endangered fish in eastern canyons. Recent construction has sealed off what was the Southwest’s last major undammed river. It’s more difficult for desert tortoises, the occasional ocelot, and the world’s tiniest owls to cross the boundary.
“Interconnected landscapes that stretch across two countries are being converted into industrial wastelands,” said Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson.
In the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge near Guadalupe Canyon, biologist Myles Traphagen said field cameras have captured 90% less movement by animals like mountain lions, bobcats, and pig-like javelinas over the past three months.
“This wall is the largest impediment to wildlife movement we’ve ever seen in this part of the world,” said Traphagen of the nonprofit Wildlands Network. “It’s altering the evolutionary history of North America.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1982 established the nearly 4-square-mile refuge to protect water resources and endangered native fish. Diverse hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and bats also live there.
Since contractors for U.S. Customs and Border Protection began building a new stretch of wall there in October, environmentalists estimate that millions of gallons of groundwater have been pumped to mix cement and spray down dusty dirt roads.
Solar power now pumps water into a shrinking pond underneath rustling cottonwood trees. Bullfrogs croak and Yaqui topminnows wiggle through the pool once fed solely by natural artesian wells pulling ancient water from an aquifer.
A 3-mile barrier has sealed off a migratory corridor for wildlife between Mexico’s Sierra Madre and the Rocky Mountains to the north, threatening species like the endangered Chiricahua leopard frog and blue-gray aplomado falcon.
The Trump administration says it’s completed 430 miles of the $15 billion wall and promises to reach 450 miles by year’s end.
Biden transition officials say he stands by his campaign promise — “not another foot” of wall. It’s unclear how Biden would stop construction, but it could leave projects half-finished, force the government to pay to break contracts, and anger those who consider the wall essential to border security.
“Building a wall will do little to deter criminals and cartels seeking to exploit our borders,” Biden’s transition team has said. It says Biden will focus on “smart border enforcement efforts, like investments in improving screening infrastructure at our ports of entry, that will actually keep America safer.”
Environmentalists hope for an ally in Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Customs and Border Protection.
Until construction is stopped, “every day, it will be another another mile of borderlands being trashed,” Serraglio said.
Environmental law attorney Dinah Bear said Biden’s administration could terminate building contracts, which would allow companies to seek settlements. What that would cost isn’t clear because the contracts aren’t public, but Bear said it would pale in comparison to the price of finishing and maintaining the wall. Military funds reappropriated under a national emergency declared by Trump are now funding the work.
Bear, who worked at the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality under Republican and Democratic administrations, said she wants to see Congress set aside money to repair damage by removing the wall in critical areas, buying more habitat, and replanting slopes.
Ecologists say damage could be reversed in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, where thousands of tree-like saguaros were bulldozed, with some reportedly replanted elsewhere.
They say keeping floodgates open could help ease damage done by damming the San Pedro River, which runs north from just below the Mexican border through the central corridor of the Sierra Madre’s “Sky Islands.”
These high mountains have ecosystems dramatically different from the desert below, with 300 bird species, including the yellow-billed cuckoo, nesting along what was the Southwest’s last major free-flowing river. The white-nosed, raccoon-like coati and the yellow-striped Sonoran tiger salamander also live there.
In the nearby Coronado National Monument, scientists are using cameras to document wildlife as crews prepare to start building. Switchbacks have been slashed into mountainsides, but 30-foot posts aren’t yet up along where a Spanish expedition marched through around 1540.
The government plans to install the towering pillars 4 inches apart where there are now vehicle barriers a couple of feet high with openings large enough to allow large cats and other animals to cross to mate and hunt.
Biologist Emily Burns of the nonprofit Sky Island Alliance said construction will hurt elf owls, the world’s littlest at less than 5 inches tall. The birds are too small to fly over the fence and likely wouldn’t know to squeeze through.
“This kind of large-scale disruption can push a species to the brink, even if they aren’t threatened,” said Louise Misztal, alliance executive director.


shareblue--2020-12-17--Biden to name Rep. Deb Haaland as first Native American Cabinet member

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary , according to a person familiar with the decision , a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation 's tribes for generations .
Tribal leaders and activists around the country , along with many Democratic figures , have urged Biden for weeks to choose Haaland .
They stood behind her candidacy even when concerns that Democrats might risk their majority in the House if Haaland yielded her seat in Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 60 , is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and , as she likes to say , a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico .
The role as interior secretary would put her in charge of an agency that not only has tremendous sway over the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes but also over much of the nation 's vast public lands , waterways , wildlife , national parks and mineral wealth .
The pick breaks a 245-year record of non-Native officials , mostly male , serving as the very top federal official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government often worked to dispossess them of their land and , until recently , to assimilate them into white culture .
Her selection was confirmed by a person familiar with the decision who was n't authorized to speak about it publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Thursday .
Biden 's pick could further deplete , at least temporarily , the narrow majority Democrats maintain in the House .
Biden has already selected several lawmakers from the chamber , including Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond and Ohio Rep. Marcia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The president-elect has been methodically filling the posts in his Cabinet , adding North Carolina environmental official Michael Regan as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency , according to two people familiar with the selection process .
Earlier this week , Biden introduced former South Bend , Indiana , mayor Pete Buttigieg as his transportation secretary , and he intends to make former Michigan Gov .
Jennifer Granholm his energy secretary .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear Wednesday that Biden had her blessing to choose Haaland , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' as interior secretary .
The speaker called the New Mexico congresswoman `` one of the most respected and one of the best members of Congress '' with whom she has served .
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn , the No .
3 Democrat in the House and a close Biden ally , also supported Haaland for the job .
Haaland , one of the first two Native American women elected to the House , said she could see the difference her position made for ordinary Native Americans who came to her with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They felt comfortable just launching into the issues they wanted , '' Haaland told The Associated Press in an interview before her appointment .
They would say , for example , `` Oh , we do n't have to explain tribal sovereignty to you , '' meaning tribes ' constitutionally guaranteed status as independent nations .
Scores of tribal officials around the country and dozens of Democrats had written letters urging Haaland 's appointment .
Haaland , is vice chair of the House Committee for Natural Resources .
She previously worked as head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as tribal administrator and as an administrator for an organization providing services for adults with developmental disabilities .
Born to a Marine veteran father and Navy veteran mother , Haaland describes herself as a single mother who sometimes had to rely on food stamps .
She says she is still paying off student loans after college and law school for herself and college for her daughter .
When Democrats mentioned former Interior Department officials who were male and Native American as alternatives to Haaland , her supporters charged sexism and classism , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Haaland told the AP before her selection that regardless of what job she had , she 'd be working to `` promote clean energy and protect our public lands . ''
Interior 's broad authority includes managing federal relations with tribes , administering tens of millions of acres of land and mineral rights held in trust for Native Americans and Alaska Natives , running national parks and making decisions affecting millions of miles of U.S. lands and waterways , wildlife , endangered species , and oil and gas and mining .
Biden has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to curb the oil , gas and coal emissions that are causing the rapid deterioration of the climate , and Interior would play an important part in that .

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, according to a person familiar with the decision, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for generations.
Tribal leaders and activists around the country, along with many Democratic figures, have urged Biden for weeks to choose Haaland. They stood behind her candidacy even when concerns that Democrats might risk their majority in the House if Haaland yielded her seat in Congress appeared to threaten her nomination.
Haaland, 60, is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and, as she likes to say, a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico. The role as interior secretary would put her in charge of an agency that not only has tremendous sway over the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes but also over much of the nation’s vast public lands, waterways, wildlife, national parks and mineral wealth.
The pick breaks a 245-year record of non-Native officials, mostly male, serving as the very top federal official over American Indian affairs. The federal government often worked to dispossess them of their land and, until recently, to assimilate them into white culture.
Her selection was confirmed by a person familiar with the decision who wasn’t authorized to speak about it publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Thursday.
Biden’s pick could further deplete, at least temporarily, the narrow majority Democrats maintain in the House. Biden has already selected several lawmakers from the chamber, including Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, to serve in his administration.
The president-elect has been methodically filling the posts in his Cabinet, adding North Carolina environmental official Michael Regan as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to two people familiar with the selection process. Earlier this week, Biden introduced former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg as his transportation secretary, and he intends to make former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm his energy secretary.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear Wednesday that Biden had her blessing to choose Haaland, saying she would make an “excellent choice” as interior secretary.
The speaker called the New Mexico congresswoman “one of the most respected and one of the best members of Congress” with whom she has served.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat in the House and a close Biden ally, also supported Haaland for the job.
Haaland, one of the first two Native American women elected to the House, said she could see the difference her position made for ordinary Native Americans who came to her with business before the federal government.
“They felt comfortable just launching into the issues they wanted,” Haaland told The Associated Press in an interview before her appointment. They would say, for example, “Oh, we don’t have to explain tribal sovereignty to you,” meaning tribes’ constitutionally guaranteed status as independent nations.
Scores of tribal officials around the country and dozens of Democrats had written letters urging Haaland’s appointment.
Haaland, is vice chair of the House Committee for Natural Resources. She previously worked as head of New Mexico’s Democratic Party, as tribal administrator and as an administrator for an organization providing services for adults with developmental disabilities.
Born to a Marine veteran father and Navy veteran mother, Haaland describes herself as a single mother who sometimes had to rely on food stamps. She says she is still paying off student loans after college and law school for herself and college for her daughter.
When Democrats mentioned former Interior Department officials who were male and Native American as alternatives to Haaland, her supporters charged sexism and classism, and stuck with the New Mexico Democrat.
Haaland told the AP before her selection that regardless of what job she had, she’d be working to “promote clean energy and protect our public lands.”
Interior’s broad authority includes managing federal relations with tribes, administering tens of millions of acres of land and mineral rights held in trust for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, running national parks and making decisions affecting millions of miles of U.S. lands and waterways, wildlife, endangered species, and oil and gas and mining.
Biden has promised the nation’s broadest effort yet to curb the oil, gas and coal emissions that are causing the rapid deterioration of the climate, and Interior would play an important part in that.


shareblue--2020-12-17--Top GOP senator already threatening to block any more COVID relief next year

Senate Republican Whip John Thune suggested Thursday that his party would block any further COVID-19 relief spending if a bipartisan emergency bill passes this week — even if they are in the minority .
President-elect Joe Biden endorsed the outline of a potential $ 900 billion relief package on Wednesday , saying it would be `` an important down payment on what 's going to have to be done beginning the end of January into February . ''
But Thune , the senior senator from South Dakota , said of considering the bill a `` down payment , `` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' He said that even if Democrats were to win Senate runoff races in Georgia on Jan. 5 and gain control of the Senate , Republicans could filibuster any proposals for more relief .
`` A lot of it probably depends on what happens in Georgia , but even there you know it 's gon na take 60 votes to do anything in the Senate , '' Thune said .
A vote of three-fifths of the Senate is required to end a debate on legislation .
A spokesperson for Thune did not respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
As the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are at all-time highs , unemployment is again soaring .
Making matters worse , emergency unemployment benefits , paid leave for workers , and housing protections for tenants are all set to expire this month unless Congress acts .
Millions could face defaults , evictions , foreclosures , and poverty without federal help .
Thune has been part of the bipartisan group of lawmakers conducting negotiations on another virus relief bill in the final days of the 116th Congress .
But the Republican-controlled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long to act .
The House passed a $ 3 trillion relief bill in May , but the Senate majority has refused to bring it up for a vote for seven months .
From May to September , Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to hold a vote on any relief proposal at all , telling the New York Times in August that it was `` the reasonable thing to do '' and saying , `` It allowed us to learn the coronavirus did n't mysteriously disappear . ''
Over the past few months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a $ 500 billion `` skinny '' bill that Democrats warned would not `` come close to addressing the problems '' and contained anti-worker provisions to shield businesses from lawsuits if their employees got sick on the job due to employer negligence .
If Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both win their Senate runoff elections in Georgia next month , Americans will have elected Democrats to the White House and given them the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate .
But with his latest comments , Thune is apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to prevent Democrats from passing legislation to help Americans through the worst public health crisis in a century .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Senate Republican Whip John Thune suggested Thursday that his party would block any further COVID-19 relief spending if a bipartisan emergency bill passes this week — even if they are in the minority.
President-elect Joe Biden endorsed the outline of a potential $900 billion relief package on Wednesday, saying it would be “an important down payment on what’s going to have to be done beginning the end of January into February.”
But Thune, the senior senator from South Dakota, said of considering the bill a “down payment, “I don’t see it that way.”
He said that even if Democrats were to win Senate runoff races in Georgia on Jan. 5 and gain control of the Senate, Republicans could filibuster any proposals for more relief.
“A lot of it probably depends on what happens in Georgia, but even there you know it’s gonna take 60 votes to do anything in the Senate,” Thune said. A vote of three-fifths of the Senate is required to end a debate on legislation.
A spokesperson for Thune did not respond to an request for comment for this story.
As the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are at all-time highs, unemployment is again soaring. Making matters worse, emergency unemployment benefits, paid leave for workers, and housing protections for tenants are all set to expire this month unless Congress acts. Millions could face defaults, evictions, foreclosures, and poverty without federal help.
Thune has been part of the bipartisan group of lawmakers conducting negotiations on another virus relief bill in the final days of the 116th Congress.
But the Republican-controlled Senate did not need to wait this long to act.
The House passed a $3 trillion relief bill in May, but the Senate majority has refused to bring it up for a vote for seven months. From May to September, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to hold a vote on any relief proposal at all, telling the New York Times in August that it was “the reasonable thing to do” and saying, “It allowed us to learn the coronavirus didn’t mysteriously disappear.”
Over the past few months, Senate Republicans repeatedly tried to pass a $500 billion “skinny” bill that Democrats warned would not “come close to addressing the problems” and contained anti-worker provisions to shield businesses from lawsuits if their employees got sick on the job due to employer negligence.
If Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both win their Senate runoff elections in Georgia next month, Americans will have elected Democrats to the White House and given them the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
But with his latest comments, Thune is apparently serving notice that Senate Republicans intend to continue to prevent Democrats from passing legislation to help Americans through the worst public health crisis in a century.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--New Jersey just made it easier for trans people to have whatever name they want

The New Jersey state Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to stop requiring transgender people to publish their name change in their local newspaper in order to make it official .
Transgender people in the state who wanted to change their name previously had to announce their current name and the name they would be taking in a legal ad twice before they were allowed to move forward .
In October , the Transgender Legal Defense Fund and Garden State Equality , with the law firm Lowenstein Sandler , sent comments to the New Jersey Supreme Court to advocate for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transgender people to share their deadname , the name they are changing , in a public way that was harmful to their mental health .
A 2018 study found that transgender people who used their chosen name in every setting reported far fewer depression symptoms , thoughts of suicide , and suicide attempts .
The previous rule also required transgender people — who already face discrimination in employment and housing , and are more likely to be unemployed and experience poverty — to spend their own money to place ads .
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name changes outs them to their community , which puts them at risk of targeted violence .
According to the Human Rights Campaign , at least 41 transgender or gender nonconforming people have been killed in 2020 so far , a record number of incidents since the organization began tracking them in 2013 .
`` Removing the publication requirement for name changes not only makes the process more accessible and affordable to those who need it , but also removes the safety burden of publicizing private and personal information , '' said Charlie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legal Defense Fund 's Name Change Project , which provides pro bono legal name change services , on Tuesday .
`` At a time when violence against our community continues to break records , granting legal name changes and protecting private medical information will save lives . ''
LGBTQ organizations have been fighting for changes like these for years .
Earlier this year , a law went into effect in Colorado that said transgender Colorado residents would no longer be required to publish name changes in a newspaper ; took out a requirement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changing the gender listed on their birth certificate ; and removed certain medical signature requirements for gender marker corrections on driver 's licenses , among other measures .
But other states , such as South Dakota , still enforce name change requirements , according to the National Center for Transgender Equality .
According to The Bergen Record , New Jersey is the 18th U.S. jurisdiction to reverse name-change requirements for transgender people .
More states have also begun updating the range of gender marker options people can choose on their driver 's license @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's gender .
States are recognizing the needs of nonbinary residents , by providing X as a gender marker option instead of simply M or F. New York state , for example , is preparing to make changes so that the Department of Motor Vehicles can provide the option in the next year or so .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The New Jersey state Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to stop requiring transgender people to publish their name change in their local newspaper in order to make it official.
Transgender people in the state who wanted to change their name previously had to announce their current name and the name they would be taking in a legal ad twice before they were allowed to move forward.
In October, the Transgender Legal Defense Fund and Garden State Equality, with the law firm Lowenstein Sandler, sent comments to the New Jersey Supreme Court to advocate for the rule change.
The previous policy forced transgender people to share their deadname, the name they are changing, in a public way that was harmful to their mental health. A 2018 study found that transgender people who used their chosen name in every setting reported far fewer depression symptoms, thoughts of suicide, and suicide attempts.
The previous rule also required transgender people — who already face discrimination in employment and housing, and are more likely to be unemployed and experience poverty — to spend their own money to place ads.
In addition, forcing transgender people to publish their name changes outs them to their community, which puts them at risk of targeted violence. According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 41 transgender or gender nonconforming people have been killed in 2020 so far, a record number of incidents since the organization began tracking them in 2013.
“Removing the publication requirement for name changes not only makes the process more accessible and affordable to those who need it, but also removes the safety burden of publicizing private and personal information,” said Charlie Arrowood, stated counsel for the Transgender Legal Defense Fund’s Name Change Project, which provides pro bono legal name change services, on Tuesday.
“At a time when violence against our community continues to break records, granting legal name changes and protecting private medical information will save lives.”
LGBTQ organizations have been fighting for changes like these for years. Earlier this year, a law went into effect in Colorado that said transgender Colorado residents would no longer be required to publish name changes in a newspaper; took out a requirement for transgender people to have surgery before changing the gender listed on their birth certificate; and removed certain medical signature requirements for gender marker corrections on driver’s licenses, among other measures.
But other states, such as South Dakota, still enforce name change requirements, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.
According to The Bergen Record, New Jersey is the 18th U.S. jurisdiction to reverse name-change requirements for transgender people.
More states have also begun updating the range of gender marker options people can choose on their driver’s license, in order to accurately reflect people’s gender. States are recognizing the needs of nonbinary residents, by providing X as a gender marker option instead of simply M or F. New York state, for example, is preparing to make changes so that the Department of Motor Vehicles can provide the option in the next year or so.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--Trump-loving anti-abortion extremist calls for boycott of COVID vaccine

Anti-abortion activist and 2020 Republican National Convention speaker Abby Johnson posted a video Tuesday evening urging her followers to boycott the COVID-19 vaccine , falsely claiming it props up abortion because it contains `` dead children '' and slamming political and religious leaders for promoting the vaccine .
`` I 'm here to punch a hornet 's nest , '' she announces at the top of the video .
`` I 'm about to speak about this vaccine issue and aborted babies being used , being tested in vaccines . ''
`` I am particularly interested in this because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the FDA , '' she added .
`` We do n't know what in the world it 's going to do to us . ''
Johnson added that `` if abortion was used in any part of the manufacturing or production of this vaccine , all Christians should be saying no , we do n't want any part of it . ''
She condemned leaders of the Roman Catholic Church , as well as `` Big Pharma '' and `` the liberal left , '' for `` allowing our children to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children to be injected with these vaccines that have dead children in them . ''
Experts have made clear that the COVID vaccine is safe , despite its approval having been expedited .
Dr. Andrew Badley , head of the Mayo Clinic 's COVID-19 Task Force , said , `` The fast-track part were regulatory approvals , funding , data analysis and submission to the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration ) .
Those are all paperwork items .
What was not fast-tracked was enrollment of patients , clinical follow-up of these patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the follow-up . ''
As for the `` dead children , '' according to the Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia , vaccines developed by growing viruses in fetal embryo fibroblast cells were created using cell lines obtained from two embryos electively aborted in the 1960s .
No vaccine developed through this process contains any part of the embryo 's cells or any human DNA , the hospital 's information page notes .
Additionally , manufacturers such as Pfizer and Moderna did not use the human cell lines in their production of coronavirus vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both about herself and about everything from racial profiling by law enforcement to medicine .
Before her lucrative career as an anti-abortion activist , Johnson worked as the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic and had two abortions herself .
Johnson claims she left Planned Parenthood after witnessing a 13-week abortion on ultrasound and having a crisis of conscience .
The clinic says no such abortion happened on the day Johnson claims to have seen it .
Other parts of her supposed conversion story have been debunked as well .
After Johnson was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Convention , she drew national attention for a video she had posted earlier in the summer arguing that it would be `` smart '' of police officers to racially profile her adopted biracial son because , she said , `` Statistically , my brown son is more likely to commit a violent offense over my white sons . ''
The day after posting the video about coronavirus vaccines , Johnson , a vocal supporter of Donald Trump , urged her social media followers to listen to Mike Pence 's appearance at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anti-abortion agenda of the Trump administration .
`` Honored to be with Vice President Pence today , listening to all of the amazing pro-life accomplishments that have taken place under President Donald J. Trump , '' she posted on her public Facebook page Wednesday .
But Trump , whom Pence called `` the most pro-life president in history , '' has repeatedly claimed credit for the development of the coronavirus vaccine , and the Trump administration has bragged for months about its participation in `` Operation Warp Speed , '' a vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by president @ realDonaldTrump , @ pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE , preventing infection in 90 % of its volunteers , '' Pence tweeted in early November .
Debunking another falsehood , Pfizer was quick to inform the New York Times that it turned down research and development funding from the Trump administration , and that the administration was not involved in the creation of the vaccine .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Anti-abortion activist and 2020 Republican National Convention speaker Abby Johnson posted a video Tuesday evening urging her followers to boycott the COVID-19 vaccine, falsely claiming it props up abortion because it contains “dead children” and slamming political and religious leaders for promoting the vaccine.
“I’m here to punch a hornet’s nest,” she announces at the top of the video. “I’m about to speak about this vaccine issue and aborted babies being used, being tested in vaccines.”
“I am particularly interested in this because of the COVID vaccine that has been fast-tracked through the FDA,” she added. “We don’t know what in the world it’s going to do to us.”
Johnson added that “if abortion was used in any part of the manufacturing or production of this vaccine, all Christians should be saying no, we don’t want any part of it.” She condemned leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as “Big Pharma” and “the liberal left,” for “allowing our children to be guinea pigs, and to allow our children to be injected with these vaccines that have dead children in them.”
Experts have made clear that the COVID vaccine is safe, despite its approval having been expedited.
Dr. Andrew Badley, head of the Mayo Clinic’s COVID-19 Task Force, said, “The fast-track part were regulatory approvals, funding, data analysis and submission to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Those are all paperwork items. What was not fast-tracked was enrollment of patients, clinical follow-up of these patients, capturing the events which occurred and the follow-up.”
As for the “dead children,” according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, vaccines developed by growing viruses in fetal embryo fibroblast cells were created using cell lines obtained from two embryos electively aborted in the 1960s.
No vaccine developed through this process contains any part of the embryo’s cells or any human DNA, the hospital’s information page notes. Additionally, manufacturers such as Pfizer and Moderna did not use the human cell lines in their production of coronavirus vaccines.
Johnson has spread falsehoods before, both about herself and about everything from racial profiling by law enforcement to medicine.
Before her lucrative career as an anti-abortion activist, Johnson worked as the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic and had two abortions herself. Johnson claims she left Planned Parenthood after witnessing a 13-week abortion on ultrasound and having a crisis of conscience.
The clinic says no such abortion happened on the day Johnson claims to have seen it. Other parts of her supposed conversion story have been debunked as well.
After Johnson was announced as a speaker at the Republican National Convention, she drew national attention for a video she had posted earlier in the summer arguing that it would be “smart” of police officers to racially profile her adopted biracial son because, she said, “Statistically, my brown son is more likely to commit a violent offense over my white sons.”
The day after posting the video about coronavirus vaccines, Johnson, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, urged her social media followers to listen to Mike Pence’s appearance at a “Life is Winning” event highlighting the anti-abortion agenda of the Trump administration.
“Honored to be with Vice President Pence today, listening to all of the amazing pro-life accomplishments that have taken place under President Donald J. Trump,” she posted on her public Facebook page Wednesday.
But Trump, whom Pence called “the most pro-life president in history,” has repeatedly claimed credit for the development of the coronavirus vaccine, and the Trump administration has bragged for months about its participation in “Operation Warp Speed,” a vaccine development effort.
“HUGE NEWS: Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by president @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers,” Pence tweeted in early November.
Debunking another falsehood, Pfizer was quick to inform the New York Times that it turned down research and development funding from the Trump administration, and that the administration was not involved in the creation of the vaccine.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--Judge blocks Georgia GOP's attempt to make voting harder ahead of the runoffs

A federal judge in Georgia on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit from Georgia Republicans , who were trying to ban the use of ballot drop boxes in state 's critical Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections , according to multiple reports .
Judge Randal Hall , a George W. Bush appointee , said the runoff elections are already underway and thus the rules can not be changed .
Early voting in the state began on Monday , and hundreds of thousands of people have already cast ballots .
`` We are not on the eve of an election .
We are , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we are closing in on half time , '' Hall said in a ruling from the bench , according to Politico 's Josh Gerstein .
The lawsuit seeking to ban the use of ballot drop boxes is one of three cases Republicans have brought to try to make voting harder in the upcoming Jan. 5 runoff elections .
Aside from trying to ban drop boxes for absentee ballots , the lawsuits also seek to change the rules for signature verification on absentee ballots , Politico reported .
The outcome of those runoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And GOP incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are facing tough challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and the Rev .
Raphael Warnock , respectively .
The lawsuits seeking to make it harder to vote come after Donald Trump lost reelection last month — with President-elect Joe Biden notching a 306 to 232 Electoral College victory .
Biden flipped Georgia blue , becoming the first Democrat to win the state 's 16 Electoral College votes for the first time since 1992 .
Losing Georgia enraged Trump , who has been demanding that its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the results based on lies about voter fraud .
Those lies have led to violent threats against Georgia election officials .
Ultimately , the GOP has admitted that it believes the easier it is to vote , the worse it is for their party .
For example , on Thursday , Sen. Rand Paul ( R-KY ) said he 's concerned that notifying infrequent voters that they can vote by mail would cause the two Georgia Republican senators to lose the runoffs next month .
Even before the 2020 election began , Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filing numerous lawsuits seeking to make it harder to vote .
Those efforts failed .
Now , Republicans are lying about voter fraud , and using those lies to justify making it harder to vote .
This one effort in Georgia has failed , but voting rights advocates expect the GOP to continue trying to restrict voting rights in the wake of Trump 's 2020 defeat .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

A federal judge in Georgia on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit from Georgia Republicans, who were trying to ban the use of ballot drop boxes in state’s critical Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections, according to multiple reports.
Judge Randal Hall, a George W. Bush appointee, said the runoff elections are already underway and thus the rules cannot be changed. Early voting in the state began on Monday, and hundreds of thousands of people have already cast ballots.
“We are not on the eve of an election. We are, as it relates to this particular election, we are closing in on half time,” Hall said in a ruling from the bench, according to Politico’s Josh Gerstein.
The lawsuit seeking to ban the use of ballot drop boxes is one of three cases Republicans have brought to try to make voting harder in the upcoming Jan. 5 runoff elections. Aside from trying to ban drop boxes for absentee ballots, the lawsuits also seek to change the rules for signature verification on absentee ballots, Politico reported.
The outcome of those runoff elections will determine control of the Senate. And GOP incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are facing tough challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, respectively.
The lawsuits seeking to make it harder to vote come after Donald Trump lost reelection last month — with President-elect Joe Biden notching a 306 to 232 Electoral College victory. Biden flipped Georgia blue, becoming the first Democrat to win the state’s 16 Electoral College votes for the first time since 1992.
Losing Georgia enraged Trump, who has been demanding that its GOP governor, Brian Kemp, overturn the results based on lies about voter fraud. Those lies have led to violent threats against Georgia election officials.
Ultimately, the GOP has admitted that it believes the easier it is to vote, the worse it is for their party.
For example, on Thursday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he’s concerned that notifying infrequent voters that they can vote by mail would cause the two Georgia Republican senators to lose the runoffs next month.
Even before the 2020 election began, Republicans waged a war on voting rights, filing numerous lawsuits seeking to make it harder to vote. Those efforts failed.
Now, Republicans are lying about voter fraud, and using those lies to justify making it harder to vote.
This one effort in Georgia has failed, but voting rights advocates expect the GOP to continue trying to restrict voting rights in the wake of Trump’s 2020 defeat.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-17--GOP leaders: Trump's loss taught us we need to stop more people from voting

Republican leaders around the country say they have learned their lesson from Donald Trump 's 2020 loss : suppress the vote better next time .
President-elect Joe Biden beat Trump last month by more than 7 million popular votes and by an Electoral College margin of 306 to 232 — a spread Trump called a `` landslide '' in 2016 .
This marked the seventh time in the past eight presidential elections that a plurality or majority of Americans have backed the Democratic nominee .
But rather than admit this problem and figure out how to appeal to more voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irregularities '' show the election was stolen through `` fraud '' and instead suggesting that next time , they will just make it harder to vote at all .
Election officials of both parties say there is no evidence of any widespread fraud or irregularities in the 2020 elections .
Christopher Krebs , the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , told a Senate committee on Wednesday , `` There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes , changed votes , or was in any way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretending otherwise .
Krebs was fired by Trump after issuing a joint statement with elections administrators calling the 2020 election `` the most secure in American history , '' with `` no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes , changed votes , or was in any way compromised . ''
But in a Fox News opinion piece earlier this month , Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel complained that `` voting irregularities '' were being ignored `` in several states , including my home state of Michigan . ''
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign and his allies have provided no evidence of widespread irregularities .
`` States and the courts have a duty to ensure the election was conducted properly and that similar irregularities do n't arise in future elections , '' McDaniel said , claiming that `` Republicans are protecting our democracy by fighting for the right of all Americans to have elections that are free , fair and secure , '' ignoring the government 's conclusion that the election was secure .
`` Protecting the integrity of the ballot box is of utmost importance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s why we continue to fight in court to ensure free and fair elections , '' she tweeted on Thursday , while sharing an anti-vote-by-mail video .
But all of those dozens have lawsuits have been thrown out for failure to provide any evidence for the many GOP claims , like McDaniel 's , that voting by mail undermined the integrity of the election .
By continuing to make that assertion , however , she and her fellow Republicans are laying the foundation for changes to make it harder for people to vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party has filed a lawsuit in Georgia aimed at making it harder for citizens to participate in future elections , including two January Senate runoffs , by limiting the availability of drop boxes — even during the pandemic .
Meanwhile , on Thursday a federal judge threw out another Republican Party lawsuit to change Georgia 's rules for absentee ballots ahead of its runoff .
Republican officials in Georgia have also proposed legislative changes to make it easier to challenge voters ' ballots and impossible to vote by mail without a scanner or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared that allowing people to vote by mail makes it too easy for Democrats to participate and must be stopped .
`` Mitch McConnell and I need to come up with an oversight of mail-in balloting .
If we do n't do something about voting by mail , we 're gon na lose the ability to elect a Republican in this country , '' Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) candidly told Fox News last month .
Several other state and local GOP chairs have also made similar comments in recent weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only reason they lost and that they want to change that going forward .
`` It wasn ’ t a matter of our candidate , '' said Bill Pozzi , chair of the Republican Party in Victoria County , Texas , told Politico on Thursday .
`` It was a matter of the process . ''
`` I don ’ t think there ’ s a post-mortem about losing the election , '' said Texas GOP chair Allen West .
`` The real post-mortem is about how do we protect our electoral system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his state 's lawsuit to have the election results of four other states thrown out , West suggested in a statement that `` law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution . ''
West later denied that he was calling for pro-Trump states to secede from the union .
`` I think nationally there ’ s going to be a huge focus on absentee voting and election integrity , '' North Carolina Republican Party chair Michael Whatley told Politico .
“ There has to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around absentee balloting , and we need to have that conversation with state legislatures all around the country.
” Earlier this month , Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer tweeted , `` I too believe the Georgia General Assembly should reform absentee ballot laws , starting with the immediate repudiation of the 'compromise settlement agreement ' @ GaSecofState negotiated with the Democrats in March .
It unlawfully weakened absentee ballot verification . ''
He was referencing an out-of-court settlement that made it harder to throw out mail-in ballots just because a voter 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is common as people age or become disabled .
And Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward proposed shortly after the election that early voting should be eliminated entirely .
`` How do we fix election chaos ? ''
she tweeted .
`` Let me think ... ... Vote on ONE specific day , Require voter identification , Use paper ballots , Use pens not # Sharpies .
Eureka ! ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Republican leaders around the country say they have learned their lesson from Donald Trump’s 2020 loss: suppress the vote better next time.
President-elect Joe Biden beat Trump last month by more than 7 million popular votes and by an Electoral College margin of 306 to 232 — a spread Trump called a “landslide” in 2016. This marked the seventh time in the past eight presidential elections that a plurality or majority of Americans have backed the Democratic nominee.
But rather than admit this problem and figure out how to appeal to more voters, GOP leaders are falsely claiming “irregularities” show the election was stolen through “fraud” and instead suggesting that next time, they will just make it harder to vote at all.
Election officials of both parties say there is no evidence of any widespread fraud or irregularities in the 2020 elections.
Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told a Senate committee on Wednesday, “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.” He urged Republicans stop pretending otherwise.
Krebs was fired by Trump after issuing a joint statement with elections administrators calling the 2020 election “the most secure in American history,” with “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
But in a Fox News opinion piece earlier this month, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel complained that “voting irregularities” were being ignored “in several states, including my home state of Michigan.” But dozens of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and his allies have provided no evidence of widespread irregularities.
“States and the courts have a duty to ensure the election was conducted properly and that similar irregularities don’t arise in future elections,” McDaniel said, claiming that “Republicans are protecting our democracy by fighting for the right of all Americans to have elections that are free, fair and secure,” ignoring the government’s conclusion that the election was secure.
“Protecting the integrity of the ballot box is of utmost importance to our democracy, and it’s why we continue to fight in court to ensure free and fair elections,” she tweeted on Thursday, while sharing an anti-vote-by-mail video.
But all of those dozens have lawsuits have been thrown out for failure to provide any evidence for the many GOP claims, like McDaniel’s, that voting by mail undermined the integrity of the election. By continuing to make that assertion, however, she and her fellow Republicans are laying the foundation for changes to make it harder for people to vote by mail.
Already, the national party has filed a lawsuit in Georgia aimed at making it harder for citizens to participate in future elections, including two January Senate runoffs, by limiting the availability of drop boxes — even during the pandemic. Meanwhile, on Thursday a federal judge threw out another Republican Party lawsuit to change Georgia’s rules for absentee ballots ahead of its runoff.
Republican officials in Georgia have also proposed legislative changes to make it easier to challenge voters’ ballots and impossible to vote by mail without a scanner or photocopier.
Some top Republicans have bluntly declared that allowing people to vote by mail makes it too easy for Democrats to participate and must be stopped.
“Mitch McConnell and I need to come up with an oversight of mail-in balloting. If we don’t do something about voting by mail, we’re gonna lose the ability to elect a Republican in this country,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) candidly told Fox News last month.
Several other state and local GOP chairs have also made similar comments in recent weeks, suggesting the ease of participation is the only reason they lost and that they want to change that going forward.
“It wasn’t a matter of our candidate,” said Bill Pozzi, chair of the Republican Party in Victoria County, Texas, told Politico on Thursday. “It was a matter of the process.”
“I don’t think there’s a post-mortem about losing the election,” said Texas GOP chair Allen West. “The real post-mortem is about how do we protect our electoral system.” After the Supreme Court refused his state’s lawsuit to have the election results of four other states thrown out, West suggested in a statement that “law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.” West later denied that he was calling for pro-Trump states to secede from the union.
“I think nationally there’s going to be a huge focus on absentee voting and election integrity,” North Carolina Republican Party chair Michael Whatley told Politico. “There has to be a significant tightening of the rules around absentee balloting, and we need to have that conversation with state legislatures all around the country.”
Earlier this month, Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer tweeted, “I too believe the Georgia General Assembly should reform absentee ballot laws, starting with the immediate repudiation of the ‘compromise settlement agreement’ @GaSecofState negotiated with the Democrats in March. It unlawfully weakened absentee ballot verification.”
He was referencing an out-of-court settlement that made it harder to throw out mail-in ballots just because a voter’s signature has changed over time — which is common as people age or become disabled.
And Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward proposed shortly after the election that early voting should be eliminated entirely.
“How do we fix election chaos?” she tweeted. “Let me think…… Vote on ONE specific day, Require voter identification, Use paper ballots, Use pens not #Sharpies. Eureka!”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.