alternet--2020-11-21--People discovered Antarctica 200 years ago — and promptly began slaughtering some of its animals to

People discovered Antarctica 200 years ago — and promptly began slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction

200 years ago , people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction Two hundred years ago , on Nov. 17 , Connecticut ship captain Nathaniel Palmer spotted the Antarctic continent , one of three parties to do so in 1820 .
Unlike explorers Edward Bransfield and Fabian von Bellingshausen , Palmer was a sealer who quickly saw economic opportunity in the rich sealing grounds on the Antarctic Peninsula .
In the two centuries since , Antarctica has seen a range of commercial , scientific and diplomatic developments .
While some countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first half of the 20th century , today the region is governed through the international Antarctic Treaty System .
Although the treaty claims to govern Antarctica in the interests of all “ mankind , ” some countries have gained greater benefits from the region than others .
While mining is currently banned under the Antarctic Treaty and the days of sealing and whaling are over , Antarctica ’ s marine living resources are still being exploited to this day .
Palmer was followed by a rush of other sealing ships , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that methodically killed fur seals along Antarctic beaches , swiftly taking populations to the brink of extinction .
Seal fur was used for clothing in the 18th and 19th centuries in many parts of the world and was an important part of U.S. and European trade with China in the 19th century .
Fur sealing had a real boom-and-bust quality .
Once a region was picked over , the sealers would move to more fruitful grounds .
Before 1833 , at least 7 million fur seals were killed in the Antarctic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British naturalist James Eights lamented the loss of the fur seal on the Antarctic peninsula : “ This beautiful little animal was once most numerous here.
” Elephant seals were also hunted , but for their blubber , which could be converted into oil .
It was not difficult for hunters to drive them to the beaches , lance them through the heart ( or , later , shoot them in the skull ) , drain their blood and remove their blubber .
“ We left the dead things , raw and meaty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to one sealer .
The birds would pick the skeletons clean within days .
Sealing rapidly declined in the 1960s , owing to a mix of evolving cultural sentiments and changing availability of other materials , such as plastics , that could be made into warm synthetic clothing and petroleum-based lubricants .
The broadcast of footage showing Canadian sealing in the early 1960s scandalized North American and European citizens and prompted a quick shift in attitudes toward sealing .
The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals was signed in 1972 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all nations in the region .
Today , the population of fur seals has rebounded , with a colony of over 5 million on South Georgia alone , though numbers have declined since 2000 .
Elephant seals , too , have largely rebounded , with an estimated stable population of 650,000 since the mid-1990s .
The whaling grounds off Antarctica were so rich they drew fleets from many nations .
First came Norwegian and British companies , later to be joined by others from Germany , Russia , the Netherlands and Japan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 19th century , but it wasn ’ t until the first half of the 20th century that whales were hunted to near extinction there .
In the 19th century , whale oil was used primarily for lamp fuel .
But after 1910 , new uses were found for the oil , including as industrial lubricants and edible fats .
Whaling became extremely lucrative for a small group of companies , including Unilever , whose early fortunes were built from margarine made with whale oil .
At first , whales killed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shore station to be processed .
In 1925 , an observer wrote , “ What an appalling stench it is…The water in which the whales float , and on which we too are riding , is blood red.
” From the late 1920s on , these shore stations were replaced by pelagic whaling stations , where whales were processed more efficiently on factory ships at sea .
In 1946 , some international efforts were made to protect whales .
The goal of the International Whaling Commission created that year was “ to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.
” But , again in the 1960s , public attitudes toward whales , like seals , began to change when environmentalists revealed they were highly intelligent , sociable creatures that sang in the ocean depths .
Most nations ceased whale hunting in the Antarctic by the end of the 1960s – because of this consciousness and also because there were inexpensive alternatives to whale products .
Antarctica ’ s rich marine life continues to be exploited today .
Krill and toothfish began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Krill , a small shrimp-like crustacean , is used in nutritional supplements and pet foods .
Norway , China , South Korea and Chile are its biggest harvesters .
Toothfish , which has been marketed as Chilean sea bass , is on menus worldwide .
[ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Since 1982 , the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources has managed these fisheries with the overriding goal of maintaining the whole ecosystem .
Whales , seals , birds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making them essential to the Antarctic marine ecosystem .
While krill and toothfish are currently both plentiful in the Antarctic , it is unclear how much the reduction of sea ice and the changing migration patterns of predators who feed on these species are affecting their populations .
Historically and currently , only a small number of people have profited from Antarctica ’ s living resources , at the great expense of animal populations .
Even if sustainable harvesting is possible now , climate change is rapidly undermining Antarctic ’ s ecological stability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise awareness of Antarctica ’ s fragility , most consumers of its products likely do not even know their provenance .
Whale and seal populations continue to recover from past overexploitation , but the future impacts of current fishing practices and climate change are uncertain .
Daniella McCahey , Assistant Professor of History , Texas Tech University and Alessandro Antonello , Senior Research Fellow in History , Flinders University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction
Workmen dissecting a whale carcass in Antarctica, circa 1935. Hulton Archive via Getty Images
Two hundred years ago, on Nov. 17, Connecticut ship captain Nathaniel Palmer spotted the Antarctic continent, one of three parties to do so in 1820. Unlike explorers Edward Bransfield and Fabian von Bellingshausen, Palmer was a sealer who quickly saw economic opportunity in the rich sealing grounds on the Antarctic Peninsula.
In the two centuries since, Antarctica has seen a range of commercial, scientific and diplomatic developments. While some countries attempted to claim territory on the continent in the first half of the 20th century, today the region is governed through the international Antarctic Treaty System.
Although the treaty claims to govern Antarctica in the interests of all “mankind,” some countries have gained greater benefits from the region than others. While mining is currently banned under the Antarctic Treaty and the days of sealing and whaling are over, Antarctica’s marine living resources are still being exploited to this day.
Fur and blubber
Palmer was followed by a rush of other sealing ships, mostly from the United States and Britain, that methodically killed fur seals along Antarctic beaches, swiftly taking populations to the brink of extinction. Seal fur was used for clothing in the 18th and 19th centuries in many parts of the world and was an important part of U.S. and European trade with China in the 19th century.
Fur sealing had a real boom-and-bust quality. Once a region was picked over, the sealers would move to more fruitful grounds. Before 1833, at least 7 million fur seals were killed in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic. As early as 1829, British naturalist James Eights lamented the loss of the fur seal on the Antarctic peninsula: “This beautiful little animal was once most numerous here.”
Elephant seals were also hunted, but for their blubber, which could be converted into oil. It was not difficult for hunters to drive them to the beaches, lance them through the heart (or, later, shoot them in the skull), drain their blood and remove their blubber. “We left the dead things, raw and meaty, lying on the beach,” according to one sealer. The birds would pick the skeletons clean within days.
Sealing rapidly declined in the 1960s, owing to a mix of evolving cultural sentiments and changing availability of other materials, such as plastics, that could be made into warm synthetic clothing and petroleum-based lubricants.
The broadcast of footage showing Canadian sealing in the early 1960s scandalized North American and European citizens and prompted a quick shift in attitudes toward sealing. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals was signed in 1972, regulating the large-scale slaughter of seals for all nations in the region. Today, the population of fur seals has rebounded, with a colony of over 5 million on South Georgia alone, though numbers have declined since 2000. Elephant seals, too, have largely rebounded, with an estimated stable population of 650,000 since the mid-1990s.
Blood-red water
The whaling grounds off Antarctica were so rich they drew fleets from many nations. First came Norwegian and British companies, later to be joined by others from Germany, Russia, the Netherlands and Japan. Whaling had occurred in the Southern Ocean in the 19th century, but it wasn’t until the first half of the 20th century that whales were hunted to near extinction there.
In the 19th century, whale oil was used primarily for lamp fuel. But after 1910, new uses were found for the oil, including as industrial lubricants and edible fats.
Whaling became extremely lucrative for a small group of companies, including Unilever, whose early fortunes were built from margarine made with whale oil.
At first, whales killed at sea had to be brought to a shore station to be processed. In 1925, an observer wrote, “What an appalling stench it is…The water in which the whales float, and on which we too are riding, is blood red.” From the late 1920s on, these shore stations were replaced by pelagic whaling stations, where whales were processed more efficiently on factory ships at sea.
In 1946, some international efforts were made to protect whales. The goal of the International Whaling Commission created that year was “to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.”
But, again in the 1960s, public attitudes toward whales, like seals, began to change when environmentalists revealed they were highly intelligent, sociable creatures that sang in the ocean depths. Most nations ceased whale hunting in the Antarctic by the end of the 1960s – because of this consciousness and also because there were inexpensive alternatives to whale products.
Fishing
Antarctica’s rich marine life continues to be exploited today. Krill and toothfish began to be fished in the 1970s.
Krill, a small shrimp-like crustacean, is used in nutritional supplements and pet foods. Norway, China, South Korea and Chile are its biggest harvesters. Toothfish, which has been marketed as Chilean sea bass, is on menus worldwide.
[Deep knowledge, daily.Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Since 1982, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources has managed these fisheries with the overriding goal of maintaining the whole ecosystem. Whales, seals, birds and other fish rely on krill, making them essential to the Antarctic marine ecosystem.
While krill and toothfish are currently both plentiful in the Antarctic, it is unclear how much the reduction of sea ice and the changing migration patterns of predators who feed on these species are affecting their populations.
Historically and currently, only a small number of people have profited from Antarctica’s living resources, at the great expense of animal populations. Even if sustainable harvesting is possible now, climate change is rapidly undermining Antarctic’s ecological stability.
While major environmental campaigns try to raise awareness of Antarctica’s fragility, most consumers of its products likely do not even know their provenance. Whale and seal populations continue to recover from past overexploitation, but the future impacts of current fishing practices and climate change are uncertain.
Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University and Alessandro Antonello, Senior Research Fellow in History, Flinders University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-23--Chuck Todd slammed for 'malfeasance of journalism' for allowing pro-Trump Republican to spew 'blatan

Chuck Todd slammed for 'malfeasance of journalism' for allowing pro-Trump Republican to spew 'blatant lies'

Chuck Todd is once again under fire , as calls mount to fire the host of NBC News ' once-venerated `` Meet the Press . ''
Todd on Sunday hosted Republican U.S .
Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota , an early supporter of Donald Trump , and allowed him to lie on-air with nearly no push-back .
Among the lies Rep. Cramer spewed in just 21 seconds : The Obama administration spied on Donald Trump , the Mueller Russia investigation `` started with no evidence and ended proving that there was no evidence , '' and the impeachment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cramer also went on to falsely claim Trump 's baseless and frivolous lawsuits – including the most recent one that a judge tossed out `` with prejudice '' – are `` appropriate . ''
Out of three dozen lawsuits Trump has lost 34 and won just two .
And while Cramer did say that the GSA should release the transition funds to President-elect Joe Biden he refused to acknowledge Biden won the election .
He also spewed other lies , with no pushback from Todd , including : Joe Biden has not yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just exercising his legal options , '' and Biden has been `` over-dramatic . ''
Now even more people want Chuck Todd fired .

Chuck Todd is once again under fire, as calls mount to fire the host of NBC News' once-venerated "Meet the Press."
Todd on Sunday hosted Republican U.S. Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, an early supporter of Donald Trump, and allowed him to lie on-air with nearly no push-back.
Among the lies Rep. Cramer spewed in just 21 seconds: The Obama administration spied on Donald Trump, the Mueller Russia investigation "started with no evidence and ended proving that there was no evidence," and the impeachment of the President was "crazy."
Cramer also went on to falsely claim Trump's baseless and frivolous lawsuits – including the most recent one that a judge tossed out "with prejudice" – are "appropriate." Out of three dozen lawsuits Trump has lost 34 and won just two.
And while Cramer did say that the GSA should release the transition funds to President-elect Joe Biden he refused to acknowledge Biden won the election. He also spewed other lies, with no pushback from Todd, including: Joe Biden has not yet won the election, Trump "is just exercising his legal options," and Biden has been "over-dramatic."
Now even more people want Chuck Todd fired.


alternet--2020-11-22--GOP leaders are starting to come to grips with reality of Trump's loss

Just as one did in Georgia , a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Saturday launched by President Donald Trump 's campaign to bar Pennsylvania state election officials from certifying the state 's election results , CBS News reported .
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote in his order that Trump 's attorneys employed `` strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations , unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence .
In the United States of America , this can not justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently inspired some Republican legislators to come to terms with the truth of President-elect Joe Biden 's election win .
`` With today 's decision by Judge Matthew Brann , a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist , to dismiss the Trump campaign 's lawsuit , President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania , '' Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said in a statement Saturday .
Toomey was n't the only Republican embracing reality this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris Christie told TV host George Stephanopoulos Sunday on `` ABC This Week '' that `` yes , '' it 's time for this to end .
He said the president has had multiple opportunities to access the courts .
`` If you 've got the evidence of fraud , present it , '' he told Stephanopoulos Wednesday .
`` The conduct , the president 's legal team has been a national embarrassment . ''
The former prosecutor referenced an interview in which Trump attorney Sidney Powell accused Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ she has been ] unwilling to go on TV and defend and layout the evidence that she supposedly has . ''
`` This is outrageous conduct by any lawyer , and notice George they wo n't do it inside the courtroom , '' Christie said .
`` They allege fraud outside the courtroom , but when they go inside the courtroom , they do n't plead fraud and they do n't argue fraud . ''
Christie then admitted he 's supported the president and voted for him twice .
`` But elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` And we can not continue to act as if something happened here that did n't happen . ''
Following Trump 's invitation to Michigan Republicans to visit the White House , Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan also sent Trump a powerful message that our democracy could benefit from the president accepting .
That message Sunday to CNN 's Dana Bash was `` it 's over . ''
He said no one has found any evidence of fraud .
`` You know , the voters spoke , '' the Republican legislator declared .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's not a razor-thin margin .
It 's 154,000 votes .
You got to let the votes stand .
`` The process has been in place for a long time , '' Upton added .
`` It works .
And there 's no issues of fraud anywhere .
154,000 votes .
In my county commission race , it was a dead-even tie .
They had to draw to see who won because it was exactly the same .
154,000 votes is—it 's over . ''
Sen. Mike Shirkey of Michigan tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , our election process MUST be free of intimidation and threats .
Whether the Board of Canvassers certifies our results tomorrow or decides to take the full time allowed by law to perform their duties , it 's inappropriate for anyone to exert pressure on them . ''
Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan told CNN 's `` State of the Union '' he 's `` not sure '' the president is going to do the right thing .
`` Look , I thought the pressuring of the legislators to try to somehow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outrageous , '' he said .
`` Quite frankly , I mean , you know we used to go supervise elections around the world , and we were the most respected country with respect to elections .
And now we 're beginning to look like we 're a banana republic .
It 's time for them to stop the nonsense .
It just gets more bizarre every single day , and frankly I 'm embarrassed that more people in the party are n't speaking up . ''

Just as one did in Georgia, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Saturday launched by President Donald Trump's campaign to bar Pennsylvania state election officials from certifying the state's election results, CBS News reported. U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote in his order that Trump's attorneys employed "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence. In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state."
The words have apparently inspired some Republican legislators to come to terms with the truth of President-elect Joe Biden's election win. "With today's decision by Judge Matthew Brann, a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist, to dismiss the Trump campaign's lawsuit, President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania," Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said in a statement Saturday.
Toomey continued in the statement:
"This ruling follows a series of procedural losses for President Trump's campaign. On Friday, the state of Georgia certified the victory of Joe Biden after a hand recount of paper ballots confirmed the conclusion of the initial electronic count. Michigan lawmakers rejected the apparent attempt by President Trump to thwart the will of Michigan voters and select an illegitimate slate of electoral college electors. These developments, together with the outcomes in the rest of the nation, confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States."I congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory. They are both dedicated public servants and I will be praying for them and for our country. Unsurprisingly, I have significant policy disagreements with the President-elect. However, as I have done throughout my career, I will seek to work across the aisle with him and his administration, especially on those areas where we may agree, such as continuing our efforts to combat COVID-19, breaking down barriers to expanding trade, supporting the men and women of our armed forces, and keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill. "
Make no mistake about it, I am deeply disappointed that President Trump and Vice President Pence were not re-elected. I endorsed the president and voted for him. During his four years in office, his administration achieved much for the American people. The tax relief and regulatory overhauls that President Trump enacted with Republicans in Congress produced the strongest economy of my adult life. He also should be applauded for forging historic peace agreements in the Middle East, facilitating the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine through Operation Warp Speed, appointing three outstanding Supreme Court justices, and keeping America safe by neutralizing ISIS and killing terrorists like Qasem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"To ensure that he is remembered for these outstanding accomplishments, and to help unify our country, President Trump should accept the outcome of the election and facilitate the presidential transition process."
Toomey wasn't the only Republican embracing reality this weekend. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told TV host George Stephanopoulos Sunday on "ABC This Week" that "yes," it's time for this to end. He said the president has had multiple opportunities to access the courts. "If you've got the evidence of fraud, present it," he told Stephanopoulos Wednesday. "The conduct, the president's legal team has been a national embarrassment."
The former prosecutor referenced an interview in which Trump attorney Sidney Powell accused Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp of a crime, but "yet [she has been] unwilling to go on TV and defend and layout the evidence that she supposedly has."
"This is outrageous conduct by any lawyer, and notice George they won't do it inside the courtroom," Christie said. "They allege fraud outside the courtroom, but when they go inside the courtroom, they don't plead fraud and they don't argue fraud."
Christie then admitted he's supported the president and voted for him twice. "But elections have consequences," he added. "And we can not continue to act as if something happened here that didn't happen."
Following Trump's invitation to Michigan Republicans to visit the White House, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan also sent Trump a powerful message that our democracy could benefit from the president accepting. That message Sunday to CNN's Dana Bash was "it's over." He said no one has found any evidence of fraud. "You know, the voters spoke," the Republican legislator declared. "And here again, in Michigan, it's not a razor-thin margin. It's 154,000 votes. You got to let the votes stand.
"The process has been in place for a long time," Upton added. "It works. And there's no issues of fraud anywhere. 154,000 votes. In my county commission race, it was a dead-even tie. They had to draw to see who won because it was exactly the same. 154,000 votes is—it's over."
CNN 11 22 2020 08 39 31 youtu.be
Sen. Mike Shirkey of Michigan tweeted Sunday: "As I've repeatedly said, our election process MUST be free of intimidation and threats. Whether the Board of Canvassers certifies our results tomorrow or decides to take the full time allowed by law to perform their duties, it's inappropriate for anyone to exert pressure on them."
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told CNN's "State of the Union" he's "not sure" the president is going to do the right thing. "Look, I thought the pressuring of the legislators to try to somehow change the outcome with electors was completely outrageous," he said. "Quite frankly, I mean, you know we used to go supervise elections around the world, and we were the most respected country with respect to elections. And now we're beginning to look like we're a banana republic. It's time for them to stop the nonsense. It just gets more bizarre every single day, and frankly I'm embarrassed that more people in the party aren't speaking up."


alternet--2020-11-22--Top Trump official plans last-minute foreign travel

Grifting a free vacation ?
Going the extra mile—or extra 8,000 miles—to pretend there 's no presidential transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden ?
Whatever it is , Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler is packing on the official travel miles in his final weeks in government before he presumably heads back to being a fossil fuel lobbyist .
Wheeler will be traveling to Taiwan in December and Latin America in January .
The Taiwan trip will involve a $ 250,000 charter flight as a coronavirus precaution , and , The New York Times reports , `` Two people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top officials in Taiwan were not planned far in advance as is typical of such trips , and instead were hurriedly cobbled together . ''
Wheeler 's EPA defended the planned trip by noting that Obama-era EPA head Gina McCarthy went to Taiwan .
In 2014 , in the middle of President Obama 's second term .
Not during a pandemic .
The Taiwan trip is `` to collaborate on issues including the Save our Seas initiative and marine litter , air quality , and children 's health , '' an EPA spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EPA head is not an essential participant in such efforts .
As for the Latin America trip , it 's even sketchier , somehow .
The `` people knowledgeable about the trip '' told the Times there were no concrete plans , `` only a preference for countries to visit . ''
Stated policy goals ?
Nah , there are n't any of those .
`` The pandemic adds expenses and difficulty to almost everything but certainly to any kind of official travel .
When that travel is necessary for the government 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it takes are needed and probably would n't begrudge extra expense , '' Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington 's Noah Bookbinder told the Times .
But that 's not what 's going on here , and , `` It 's hard to imagine a situation in a nonemergency scenario where a cabinet official 's time is going to be better spent traveling internationally than here in Washington preparing for an orderly transition . ''
Yeah , that .
But getting in a few last expensive , unnecessary trips while pretending the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just what you 'd expect for the last gasps of Trumpian grifting .

Grifting a free vacation? Going the extra mile—or extra 8,000 miles—to pretend there's no presidential transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden? Whatever it is, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler is packing on the official travel miles in his final weeks in government before he presumably heads back to being a fossil fuel lobbyist.
Wheeler will be traveling to Taiwan in December and Latin America in January. The Taiwan trip will involve a $250,000 charter flight as a coronavirus precaution, and, The New York Times reports, "Two people knowledgeable about the trip said meetings with top officials in Taiwan were not planned far in advance as is typical of such trips, and instead were hurriedly cobbled together."
Wheeler's EPA defended the planned trip by noting that Obama-era EPA head Gina McCarthy went to Taiwan. In 2014, in the middle of President Obama's second term. Not during a pandemic.
The Taiwan trip is "to collaborate on issues including the Save our Seas initiative and marine litter, air quality, and children's health," an EPA spokesman said. But of course the about-to-be-replaced EPA head is not an essential participant in such efforts.
As for the Latin America trip, it's even sketchier, somehow. The "people knowledgeable about the trip" told the Times there were no concrete plans, "only a preference for countries to visit." Stated policy goals? Nah, there aren't any of those.
"The pandemic adds expenses and difficulty to almost everything but certainly to any kind of official travel. When that travel is necessary for the government's business, people understand that whatever resources it takes are needed and probably wouldn't begrudge extra expense," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's Noah Bookbinder told the Times. But that's not what's going on here, and, "It's hard to imagine a situation in a nonemergency scenario where a cabinet official's time is going to be better spent traveling internationally than here in Washington preparing for an orderly transition."
Yeah, that. But getting in a few last expensive, unnecessary trips while pretending the Biden presidency isn't about to begin is just what you'd expect for the last gasps of Trumpian grifting.


alternet--2020-11-22--Here are 10 ways Joe Biden can immediately undo Trump's executive order-driven foreign policy

Donald Trump loves executive orders as a tool of dictatorial power , avoiding the need to work through Congress .
But that works both ways , making it relatively easy for incoming President Joe Biden to reverse many of Trump 's most disastrous decisions .
Here are 10 things Biden can do as soon as he takes office .
Each one can set the stage for broader progressive foreign policy initiatives , which we have also outlined .
1 ) End the U.S. role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen and restore U.S. humanitarian aid to Yemen .
Congress already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. role in the Yemen war , but Trump vetoed it , prioritizing war-machine profits and a cozy relationship with the horrific Saudi dictatorship .
Biden should immediately issue an executive order to end every aspect of the U.S. role in the war , based on the resolution that Trump vetoed .
The U.S. should also accept its share of responsibility for what many have called the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today , and provide Yemen with funding to feed its people , restore its health care system and eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restore and expand USAID funding and recommit U.S. financial support to the UN , the WHO and World Food Program relief programs in Yemen .
2 ) Suspend all U.S. arms sales and transfers to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) .
Both countries are responsible for massacring civilians in Yemen , and the UAE is reportedly the largest arms supplier to Gen. Haftar 's rebel forces in Libya .
Congress passed bills to suspend arms sales to both of them , but Trump vetoed them too .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion with the UAE as part of an obscene military and commercial ménage à trois between the U.S. , the UAE and Israel , which he absurdly tried to pass off as a peace agreement .
While mostly ignored at the behest of the weapons companies , there are actually U.S. laws that require the suspension of arms transfers to countries that use them to violate U.S. and international law .
They include the Leahy Law , which prohibits the U.S. from providing military assistance to foreign security forces that commit gross violations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Export Control Act , which states that countries must use imported U.S. weapons only for legitimate self defense .
Once these suspensions are in place , the Biden administration should seriously review the legality of Trump 's arms sales to both countries , with a view to canceling them and banning future sales .
Biden should commit to applying these laws consistently and uniformly to all U.S. military aid and arms sales , without making exceptions for Israel , Egypt or other U.S. allies .
3 ) Rejoin the Iran Nuclear Agreement ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After reneging on the JCPOA , Trump slapped draconian sanctions on Iran , brought us to the brink of war by killing its top general , and is even trying to order up illegal , aggressive war plans in his last days as president .
The Biden administration will face an uphill battle undoing this web of hostile actions and the deep mistrust they have caused , so Biden must act decisively to restore mutual trust : immediately rejoin the JCPOA , lift the sanctions , and stop blocking the $ 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deal with the COVID crisis .
In the longer term , the U.S. should give up the idea of regime change in Iran — this is for the people of Iran to decide — and instead restore diplomatic relations and start working with Iran to de-escalate other Middle East conflicts , from Lebanon to Syria to Afghanistan , where cooperation with Iran is essential .
4 ) End U.S. threats and sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) .
Nothing so brazenly embodies the U.S. government 's enduring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its failure to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) .
If Biden is serious about recommitting the U.S. to the rule of law , he should submit the Rome Statute to the U.S. Senate for ratification to join 120 other countries as members of the ICC .
The Biden administration should also accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice ( ICJ ) , which the U.S. rejected after the Court convicted the U.S. of aggression and ordered it to pay reparations to Nicaragua in 1986 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Korea 's President Moon after he is sworn in .
Trump 's failure to provide sanctions relief and explicit security guarantees to North Korea doomed his diplomacy and became an obstacle to the diplomatic process under way between Korean presidents Moon and Kim Jong-un .
The Biden administration must start negotiating a peace agreement to formally end the Korean War , and initiate confidence-building measures such as opening liaison offices , easing sanctions , facilitating reunions between Korean-American and North Korean families and halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises .
Negotiations must involve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side to pave the way for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and the reconciliation that so many Koreans desire — and deserve .
6 ) Renew New START with Russia and freeze the U.S. 's trillion-dollar new nuke plan .
Biden can end Trump 's dangerous game of brinksmanship on Day One and commit to renewing Obama 's New START Treaty with Russia , which freezes both countries ' nuclear arsenals at 1,550 deployed warheads each .
He can also freeze Obama and Trump 's plan to spend more than a trillion dollars on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden should also adopt a long overdue `` no first use '' nuclear weapons policy , but most of the world is ready to go much further .
In 2017 , 122 countries voted for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons ( TPNW ) at the UN General Assembly .
None of the current nuclear weapons states voted for or against the treaty , essentially pretending to ignore it .
On October 24 , 2020 , Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the treaty , which will now go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So here is a visionary challenge for President Biden for that day , his second full day in office : Invite the leaders of each of the other eight nuclear weapons states to a conference to negotiate how all nine nuclear weapons states will sign onto the TPNW , eliminate their nuclear weapons and remove this existential danger hanging over every human being on Earth .
7 ) Lift illegal unilateral U.S. sanctions against other countries .
Economic sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council are generally considered legal under international law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council to impose or lift them .
But unilateral economic sanctions that deprive ordinary people of necessities like food and medicine are illegal and cause grave harm to innocent citizens .
U.S. sanctions on countries like Iran , Venezuela , Cuba , Nicaragua , North Korea and Syria are a form of economic warfare .
UN special rapporteurs have condemned them as crimes against humanity and compared them to medieval sieges .
Since most of these sanctions were imposed by executive order , President Biden can lift them the same way on Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unilateral sanctions that affect an entire population are a form of coercion , like military intervention , coups and covert operations , that have no place in a legitimate foreign policy based on diplomacy , the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes .
8 ) Roll back Trump policies on Cuba and move to normalize relations .
Over the past four years , the Trump administration overturned the progress towards normal relations made by President Obama , sanctioning Cuba 's tourism and energy industries , blocking coronavirus aid shipments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuba 's international medical missions , which are a major source of income for its health system .
Biden should start working with the Cuban government to allow the return of diplomats to their respective embassies , lift all restrictions on remittances , remove Cuba from the list of countries that are not U.S. partners against terrorism , cancel the portion of the Helms Burton Act ( Title III ) that allows Americans to sue companies that use property seized by the Cuban government 60 years ago , and collaborate with Cuban health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These measures would mark a down payment on a new era of diplomacy and cooperation , as long as they do n't fall victim to crass attempts to gain conservative Cuban-American votes in the next election , which Biden and politicians of both parties should commit to resisting .
In the fall of 2015 , as U.S. forces escalated their bombing of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria to more than 100 bomb and missile strikes per day , the Obama administration loosened military rules of engagement to let U.S. commanders in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to kill up to 10 civilians without prior approval from Washington .
Trump reportedly loosened the rules even further , but details were not made public .
Iraqi Kurdish intelligence reports counted 40,000 civilians killed in the assault on Mosul alone .
Biden can reset these rules and start killing fewer civilians on Day One .
But we can avoid these tragic civilian deaths altogether by ending these wars .
Democrats have been critical of Trump 's often ad hoc pronouncements about withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan , Syria , Iraq and Somalia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to truly end these wars .
He should set a date , no later than the end of December 2021 , by when all U.S. troops will come home from all these combat zones .
This policy may not be popular among war profiteers , but it would certainly be popular among Americans across the ideological spectrum .
10 ) Freeze U.S. military spending , and launch a major initiative to reduce it .
At the end of the Cold War , former senior Pentagon officials told the Senate Budget Committee that U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half over the next 10 years .
That goal was never achieved , and the promised peace dividend gave way to a triumphalist `` power dividend . ''
The military-industrial complex exploited the crimes of Sept. 11 , 2001 , to justify an extraordinary one-sided arms race in which the U.S. accounted for 45 % of global military spending from 2003 to 2011 , far outstripping its peak Cold War military spending .
The military-industrial complex is counting on Biden to escalate a renewed Cold War with Russia and China as the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budgets .
Biden must dial back the conflicts with China and Russia , and instead begin the critical task of moving money from the Pentagon to urgent domestic needs .
He should start with the 10 percent cut supported this year by 93 representatives and 23 senators .
In the longer term , Biden should look for deeper cuts in Pentagon spending , as in Rep. Barbara Lee 's bill to cut $ 350 billion per year from the U.S. military budget , approximating the 50 % peace dividend we were promised after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we sorely need to invest in health care , education , clean energy and modern infrastructure .

Donald Trump loves executive orders as a tool of dictatorial power, avoiding the need to work through Congress. But that works both ways, making it relatively easy for incoming President Joe Biden to reverse many of Trump's most disastrous decisions. Here are 10 things Biden can do as soon as he takes office. Each one can set the stage for broader progressive foreign policy initiatives, which we have also outlined.
1) End the U.S. role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen and restore U.S. humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Congress already passed a war powers resolution to end the U.S. role in the Yemen war, but Trump vetoed it, prioritizing war-machine profits and a cozy relationship with the horrific Saudi dictatorship. Biden should immediately issue an executive order to end every aspect of the U.S. role in the war, based on the resolution that Trump vetoed.
The U.S. should also accept its share of responsibility for what many have called the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today, and provide Yemen with funding to feed its people, restore its health care system and eventually rebuild this devastated country. Biden should restore and expand USAID funding and recommit U.S. financial support to the UN, the WHO and World Food Program relief programs in Yemen.
2) Suspend all U.S. arms sales and transfers to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Both countries are responsible for massacring civilians in Yemen, and the UAE is reportedly the largest arms supplier to Gen. Haftar's rebel forces in Libya. Congress passed bills to suspend arms sales to both of them, but Trump vetoed them too. Then he struck arms deals worth $24 billion with the UAE as part of an obscene military and commercial ménage à trois between the U.S., the UAE and Israel, which he absurdly tried to pass off as a peace agreement.
While mostly ignored at the behest of the weapons companies, there are actually U.S. laws that require the suspension of arms transfers to countries that use them to violate U.S. and international law. They include the Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. from providing military assistance to foreign security forces that commit gross violations of human rights, and the Arms Export Control Act, which states that countries must use imported U.S. weapons only for legitimate self defense.
Once these suspensions are in place, the Biden administration should seriously review the legality of Trump's arms sales to both countries, with a view to canceling them and banning future sales. Biden should commit to applying these laws consistently and uniformly to all U.S. military aid and arms sales, without making exceptions for Israel, Egypt or other U.S. allies.
3) Rejoin the Iran Nuclear Agreement (JCPOA) and lift sanctions on Iran.
After reneging on the JCPOA, Trump slapped draconian sanctions on Iran, brought us to the brink of war by killing its top general, and is even trying to order up illegal, aggressive war plans in his last days as president. The Biden administration will face an uphill battle undoing this web of hostile actions and the deep mistrust they have caused, so Biden must act decisively to restore mutual trust: immediately rejoin the JCPOA, lift the sanctions, and stop blocking the $5 billion IMF loan that Iran desperately needs to deal with the COVID crisis.
In the longer term, the U.S. should give up the idea of regime change in Iran — this is for the people of Iran to decide — and instead restore diplomatic relations and start working with Iran to de-escalate other Middle East conflicts, from Lebanon to Syria to Afghanistan, where cooperation with Iran is essential.
4) End U.S. threats and sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Nothing so brazenly embodies the U.S. government's enduring, bipartisan disdain for international law as its failure to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). If Biden is serious about recommitting the U.S. to the rule of law, he should submit the Rome Statute to the U.S. Senate for ratification to join 120 other countries as members of the ICC. The Biden administration should also accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which the U.S. rejected after the Court convicted the U.S. of aggression and ordered it to pay reparations to Nicaragua in 1986.
5) Back President Moon Jae-in's diplomacy for a "permanent peace regime" in Korea.
Biden has reportedly agreed to meet South Korea's President Moon after he is sworn in. Trump's failure to provide sanctions relief and explicit security guarantees to North Korea doomed his diplomacy and became an obstacle to the diplomatic process under way between Korean presidents Moon and Kim Jong-un.
The Biden administration must start negotiating a peace agreement to formally end the Korean War, and initiate confidence-building measures such as opening liaison offices, easing sanctions, facilitating reunions between Korean-American and North Korean families and halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises. Negotiations must involve concrete commitments to non-aggression from the U.S. side to pave the way for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and the reconciliation that so many Koreans desire — and deserve.
6) Renew New START with Russia and freeze the U.S.'s trillion-dollar new nuke plan.
Biden can end Trump's dangerous game of brinksmanship on Day One and commit to renewing Obama's New START Treaty with Russia, which freezes both countries' nuclear arsenals at 1,550 deployed warheads each. He can also freeze Obama and Trump's plan to spend more than a trillion dollars on a new generation of U.S. nuclear weapons.
Biden should also adopt a long overdue "no first use" nuclear weapons policy, but most of the world is ready to go much further. In 2017, 122 countries voted for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN General Assembly. None of the current nuclear weapons states voted for or against the treaty, essentially pretending to ignore it. On October 24, 2020, Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the treaty, which will now go into effect on Jan. 22, 2021.
So here is a visionary challenge for President Biden for that day, his second full day in office: Invite the leaders of each of the other eight nuclear weapons states to a conference to negotiate how all nine nuclear weapons states will sign onto the TPNW, eliminate their nuclear weapons and remove this existential danger hanging over every human being on Earth.
7) Lift illegal unilateral U.S. sanctions against other countries.
Economic sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council are generally considered legal under international law, and require action by the Security Council to impose or lift them. But unilateral economic sanctions that deprive ordinary people of necessities like food and medicine are illegal and cause grave harm to innocent citizens.
U.S. sanctions on countries like Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea and Syria are a form of economic warfare. UN special rapporteurs have condemned them as crimes against humanity and compared them to medieval sieges. Since most of these sanctions were imposed by executive order, President Biden can lift them the same way on Day One.
In the longer term, unilateral sanctions that affect an entire population are a form of coercion, like military intervention, coups and covert operations, that have no place in a legitimate foreign policy based on diplomacy, the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
8) Roll back Trump policies on Cuba and move to normalize relations.
Over the past four years, the Trump administration overturned the progress towards normal relations made by President Obama, sanctioning Cuba's tourism and energy industries, blocking coronavirus aid shipments, restricting remittances to family members and sabotaging Cuba's international medical missions, which are a major source of income for its health system.
Biden should start working with the Cuban government to allow the return of diplomats to their respective embassies, lift all restrictions on remittances, remove Cuba from the list of countries that are not U.S. partners against terrorism, cancel the portion of the Helms Burton Act (Title III) that allows Americans to sue companies that use property seized by the Cuban government 60 years ago, and collaborate with Cuban health professionals in the fight against COVID-19.
These measures would mark a down payment on a new era of diplomacy and cooperation, as long as they don't fall victim to crass attempts to gain conservative Cuban-American votes in the next election, which Biden and politicians of both parties should commit to resisting.
9) Restore pre-2015 rules of engagement to spare civilian lives.
In the fall of 2015, as U.S. forces escalated their bombing of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria to more than 100 bomb and missile strikes per day, the Obama administration loosened military rules of engagement to let U.S. commanders in the Middle East order airstrikes that were expected to kill up to 10 civilians without prior approval from Washington. Trump reportedly loosened the rules even further, but details were not made public. Iraqi Kurdish intelligence reports counted 40,000 civilians killed in the assault on Mosul alone. Biden can reset these rules and start killing fewer civilians on Day One.
But we can avoid these tragic civilian deaths altogether by ending these wars. Democrats have been critical of Trump's often ad hoc pronouncements about withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Somalia. President Biden now has the chance to truly end these wars. He should set a date, no later than the end of December 2021, by when all U.S. troops will come home from all these combat zones. This policy may not be popular among war profiteers, but it would certainly be popular among Americans across the ideological spectrum.
10) Freeze U.S. military spending, and launch a major initiative to reduce it.
At the end of the Cold War, former senior Pentagon officials told the Senate Budget Committee that U.S. military spending could safely be cut by half over the next 10 years. That goal was never achieved, and the promised peace dividend gave way to a triumphalist "power dividend."
The military-industrial complex exploited the crimes of Sept. 11, 2001, to justify an extraordinary one-sided arms race in which the U.S. accounted for 45% of global military spending from 2003 to 2011, far outstripping its peak Cold War military spending. The military-industrial complex is counting on Biden to escalate a renewed Cold War with Russia and China as the only plausible pretext for continuing these record military budgets.
Biden must dial back the conflicts with China and Russia, and instead begin the critical task of moving money from the Pentagon to urgent domestic needs. He should start with the 10 percent cut supported this year by 93 representatives and 23 senators.
In the longer term, Biden should look for deeper cuts in Pentagon spending, as in Rep. Barbara Lee's bill to cut $350 billion per year from the U.S. military budget, approximating the 50% peace dividend we were promised after the Cold War and freeing up resources we sorely need to invest in health care, education, clean energy and modern infrastructure.


alternet--2020-11-22--Alan Dershowitz gives bad news to Fox News' Bartiromo: ‘The outcome of the election will not be reve

Alan Dershowitz gives bad news to Fox News' Bartiromo: ‘The outcome of the election will not be reversed’

One of President Donald Trump 's most high profile legal defenders on Sunday said that he did not expect the results of the election to be reversed .
Alan Dershowitz , who defended Trump at his impeachment trial earlier this year , told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that the president 's legal team has failed to prove claims that the election was stolen by Democrats .
`` They have to show that it affected numbers greater than the margin of victory , '' Dershowitz explained .
`` They are not going to win on retail challenges here and there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winning — and it 's the perfect storm and it 's very unlikely to happen — is if they can show retail wholesale constitutional arguments that affect a large number of voters sufficient to be greater than the margin of victory .
I do n't think they 're there .
I do n't think they can make that case . ''
According to Dershowitz , the president 's case is `` very , very uphill . ''
`` And if you 're betting widow 's and orphan 's money , if you 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose , you have to bet that the outcome of the election will not be reversed , '' he explained to Bartiromo .
Watch the video below from Fox News .
Alan Dershowitz : 'The outcome of the election will not be reversed '

One of President Donald Trump's most high profile legal defenders on Sunday said that he did not expect the results of the election to be reversed.
Alan Dershowitz, who defended Trump at his impeachment trial earlier this year, told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that the president's legal team has failed to prove claims that the election was stolen by Democrats.
"They have to show that it affected numbers greater than the margin of victory," Dershowitz explained. "They are not going to win on retail challenges here and there. The only chances they have of winning — and it's the perfect storm and it's very unlikely to happen — is if they can show retail wholesale constitutional arguments that affect a large number of voters sufficient to be greater than the margin of victory. I don't think they're there. I don't think they can make that case."
According to Dershowitz, the president's case is "very, very uphill."
"And if you're betting widow's and orphan's money, if you're betting money you can't afford to lose, you have to bet that the outcome of the election will not be reversed," he explained to Bartiromo.
Watch the video below from Fox News.


alternet--2020-11-22--'Hero' retiree turns 'Florida man' trope on its head with incredible rescue of puppy from gator's ja

'Hero' retiree turns 'Florida man' trope on its head with incredible rescue of puppy from gator's jaw

While a certain Florida man plots how to squat in the White House long past his unceremonious eviction , a venerable Floridian hero is reshaping what it means to be a `` Florida man '' after surveillance cameras caught him on-tape rescuing his puppy from the jaws of an alligator .
AS CBS Miami reports , Richard Wilbanks , a retiree , wrestled the alligator in his backyard ponds after the reptile snatched up his 3-month-old puppy Gunner .
`` We were just out walking by the pond , and it came out of the water like a missile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never thought an alligator could be that fast .
It was so quick . ''
`` I just automatically jumped into the water , '' Wilbanks said of the rescue .
In addition to single-handedly prying open the gator 's mouth to free his puppy 's leg , observers note that this gentleman is likewise single-handedly redefining what it means to be a `` Florida man . ''
Some are also pointing out that this Florida man completed his heroic feat without even dropping his cigar .
Check out some responses below .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ walks Gunner on a leash , at least 10 feet from the pond 's edge .

While a certain Florida man plots how to squat in the White House long past his unceremonious eviction, a venerable Floridian hero is reshaping what it means to be a "Florida man" after surveillance cameras caught him on-tape rescuing his puppy from the jaws of an alligator.
AS CBS Miami reports, Richard Wilbanks, a retiree, wrestled the alligator in his backyard ponds after the reptile snatched up his 3-month-old puppy Gunner.
"We were just out walking by the pond, and it came out of the water like a missile," Wilbanks told CNN. "I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick."
"I just automatically jumped into the water," Wilbanks said of the rescue.
In addition to single-handedly prying open the gator's mouth to free his puppy's leg, observers note that this gentleman is likewise single-handedly redefining what it means to be a "Florida man." Some are also pointing out that this Florida man completed his heroic feat without even dropping his cigar.
Check out some responses below. And learn from Wilkens, who now walks Gunner on a leash, at least 10 feet from the pond's edge.


alternet--2020-11-22--Is a conservative coffee company supporting 'Kenosha killer' Kyle Rittenhouse?

Lin Wood , the lawyer of Kyle Rittenhouse – the man who shot two protestors to death on August 25 during a racial justice uprising in Kenosha , Wisconsin — posted a tweet announcing Rittenhouse 's recent release on bail .
The tweet includes an image of Rittenhouse wearing a shirt advertising Black Rifle Coffee , a conservative coffee company that has advertised on right-wing podcasts .
While a spokesperson for Black Rifle Coffee told The New Civil Rights Movement that it does not sponsor legal advocacy efforts and does not have a relationship with Kyle Rittenhouse , the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those supporting the shooter .
The image led Sleeping Giants , a watchdog group that alerts advertisers of their connections to far-right rhetoric , to question whether the company supports the young murderer .
In their tweet , Sleeping Giants showed an image recently posted by right-wing podcaster Elijah Schafer touting the coffee company , which also advertises on his podcast .
The question is particularly salient considering that Rittenhouse recently had his $ 2 million bail paid in part by Mike Lindell , the conservative CEO of the American company MyPillow , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right-leaning actor Ricky Schroeder .
Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide , first-degree reckless homicide , attempted first-degree intentional homicide and other charges for the murders of Joseph Rosenbaum , 36 , and Anthony Huber , 26 , on August 25 .

Lin Wood, the lawyer of Kyle Rittenhouse – the man who shot two protestors to death on August 25 during a racial justice uprising in Kenosha, Wisconsin — posted a tweet announcing Rittenhouse's recent release on bail. The tweet includes an image of Rittenhouse wearing a shirt advertising Black Rifle Coffee, a conservative coffee company that has advertised on right-wing podcasts.
While a spokesperson for Black Rifle Coffee told The New Civil Rights Movement that it does not sponsor legal advocacy efforts and does not have a relationship with Kyle Rittenhouse, the question raised several important issues to do with those supporting the shooter.
The image led Sleeping Giants, a watchdog group that alerts advertisers of their connections to far-right rhetoric, to question whether the company supports the young murderer. In their tweet, Sleeping Giants showed an image recently posted by right-wing podcaster Elijah Schafer touting the coffee company, which also advertises on his podcast.
The question is particularly salient considering that Rittenhouse recently had his $2 million bail paid in part by Mike Lindell, the conservative CEO of the American company MyPillow, a regular Fox News advertiser, and right-leaning actor Ricky Schroeder.
Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and other charges for the murders of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, on August 25.


alternet--2020-11-22--Republican governor drops the hammer on Trump’s ‘banana republic’ attempt to steal the election

Appearing on CNN with host Jake Tapper , Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan ( R ) scorched Donald Trump for trying to manipulate electors in various states to overturn the presidential election results and hand the presidency back to him , calling the president 's efforts `` outrageous . ''
Asked about the president meeting with officials from Michigan and trying to manipulate them into throw votes out , the `` State of the Union '' guest was livid .
`` Well , I have confidence that on January 20th , the president-elect is going to be sworn in but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I could say I 'm confident that the president is going to the right thing , '' he told the CNN host .
`` Look .
I thought the pressuring of the legislators to try to somehow , you know , change the outcome with electors was completely outrageous . ''
`` Quite frankly , we used to supervise elections around the world and we were the most respected country with respect to elections , '' he continued .
`` Now we are beginning to look like we are a banana republic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop the nonsense .
It is more bizarre every single day and , frankly , I 'm embarrassed that more people in the Republican Party are n't speaking up . ''

Appearing on CNN with host Jake Tapper, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) scorched Donald Trump for trying to manipulate electors in various states to overturn the presidential election results and hand the presidency back to him, calling the president's efforts "outrageous."
Asked about the president meeting with officials from Michigan and trying to manipulate them into throw votes out, the "State of the Union" guest was livid.
"Well, I have confidence that on January 20th, the president-elect is going to be sworn in but I'm not sure, you know, I could say I'm confident that the president is going to the right thing," he told the CNN host. "Look. I thought the pressuring of the legislators to try to somehow, you know, change the outcome with electors was completely outrageous."
"Quite frankly, we used to supervise elections around the world and we were the most respected country with respect to elections," he continued. "Now we are beginning to look like we are a banana republic. Now it's time for them to stop the nonsense. It is more bizarre every single day and, frankly, I'm embarrassed that more people in the Republican Party aren't speaking up."
Watch below:


alternet--2020-11-22--Trump campaign seeks recount in Georgia in apparent effort to lose state a third time

President Donald Trump is at it again with his embarrassing and desperate attempt to pluck votes from President-elect Joe Biden .
This time , his campaign did it in the form of a petition for a recount in Georgia Friday , according to a statement The New York Times obtained from Trump 's legal team .
`` Today , the Trump campaign filed a petition for recount in Georgia , '' the Trump campaign said the statement .
`` We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the U.S. Constitution are followed so that every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia , which has to include signature matching and other vital safeguards .
Without signature matching , the recount would be a sham and again allow for illegal votes to be counted .
If there is no signature matching , this would be as phony as the initial vote count and recount .
Let 's stop giving the People false results . ''
No , let 's stop giving the president false hope .
Jaclyn Rothenberg , Biden 's Georgia communications director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Journal-Constitution that last week 's recount `` reaffirmed what we already knew . ''
`` Georgia voters selected Joe Biden to be their next president , '' she said .
`` As the Secretary of State said , there is no reason to believe there are widespread errors or fraud and the Trump campaign has no evidence to back up their baseless claims .
Any further recount will simply reaffirm Joe Biden 's victory in Georgia a third time . ''
Sec .
of State Brad Raffensperger certified election results showing Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia had held what 's known as a Risk Limiting Audit of its presidential contest last week .
`` Due to the tight margin of the race and the principles of risk-limiting audits , this audit was a full manual tally of all votes cast .
The audit confirmed that the original machine count accurately portrayed the winner of the election , '' Raffensperger 's office said in a news release .
Finding no evidence that voting irregularities significantly affected the vote count in Georgia , U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way , rejected a GOP attempt to prevent state election leaders from certifying Biden 's victory late Thursday , according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
It was news Gov .
Brian Kemp seemed unhappy about in a live-streamed video announcement Friday .
`` I join many in backing a hand recount and urging a thorough investigation into any voting irregularities , '' Kemp said .
`` The secretary of state oversaw a complete audit , which revealed significant errors made in several counties including Floyd , Fayette , Douglas , and Walton .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was less than a 500-vote difference between Biden 's original victory margin and that of the recount .
The original tally had Biden winning by 12,780 votes , and the recount showed Biden won by 12,284 votes .
The takeaway ?
You guessed it .
Biden won .
But you have to love how the governor , who used to serve as secretary of state , is so willing to throw his own election officials under the bus to placate Trump .
Gov .
Kemp says Georgia law requires governor 's office to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes as no surprise when Trump attorney Sidney Powell does it .
She called the previous recount a `` total farce '' on the conservative news website Newsmax .
`` Georgia 's probably going to be the first state I 'm going to blow up , and Mr. Kemp and the secretary of state need to go with it , '' she said , then started floating the usual conspiracy theories .
Ultimately , Raffensperger said in a statement CNN obtained Friday : `` Because the margin is still less than 0.5 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after certification of the results .
That recount will be conducted by rescanning all paper ballots . ''
And you know who will pay for this recount ?
Georgia taxpayers .
Although state officials have n't released estimates of the total cost , in Georgia 's largest county , Fulton , election officials estimate a recount could cost $ 200,000 , NBC News reported .

President Donald Trump is at it again with his embarrassing and desperate attempt to pluck votes from President-elect Joe Biden. This time, his campaign did it in the form of a petition for a recount in Georgia Friday, according to a statement The New York Times obtained from Trump's legal team.
"Today, the Trump campaign filed a petition for recount in Georgia," the Trump campaign said the statement. "We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the U.S. Constitution are followed so that every legal vote is counted. President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia, which has to include signature matching and other vital safeguards. Without signature matching, the recount would be a sham and again allow for illegal votes to be counted. If there is no signature matching, this would be as phony as the initial vote count and recount. Let's stop giving the People false results." No, let's stop giving the president false hope.
Jaclyn Rothenberg, Biden's Georgia communications director said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that last week's recount "reaffirmed what we already knew." "Georgia voters selected Joe Biden to be their next president," she said. "As the Secretary of State said, there is no reason to believe there are widespread errors or fraud and the Trump campaign has no evidence to back up their baseless claims. Any further recount will simply reaffirm Joe Biden's victory in Georgia a third time."
Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger certified election results showing Biden's historic win in the state Friday. Georgia had held what's known as a Risk Limiting Audit of its presidential contest last week. "Due to the tight margin of the race and the principles of risk-limiting audits, this audit was a full manual tally of all votes cast. The audit confirmed that the original machine count accurately portrayed the winner of the election," Raffensperger's office said in a news release.
Finding no evidence that voting irregularities significantly affected the vote count in Georgia, U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg, who was appointed by Trump, by the way, rejected a GOP attempt to prevent state election leaders from certifying Biden's victory late Thursday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
It was news Gov. Brian Kemp seemed unhappy about in a live-streamed video announcement Friday. "I join many in backing a hand recount and urging a thorough investigation into any voting irregularities," Kemp said. "The secretary of state oversaw a complete audit, which revealed significant errors made in several counties including Floyd, Fayette, Douglas, and Walton."
Only it didn't. There was less than a 500-vote difference between Biden's original victory margin and that of the recount. The original tally had Biden winning by 12,780 votes, and the recount showed Biden won by 12,284 votes. The takeaway? You guessed it. Biden won. But you have to love how the governor, who used to serve as secretary of state, is so willing to throw his own election officials under the bus to placate Trump.
Gov. Kemp says Georgia law requires governor's office to formalize US election certification | FULL www.youtube.com
It comes as no surprise when Trump attorney Sidney Powell does it. She called the previous recount a "total farce" on the conservative news website Newsmax. "Georgia's probably going to be the first state I'm going to blow up, and Mr. Kemp and the secretary of state need to go with it," she said, then started floating the usual conspiracy theories.
Ultimately, Raffensperger said in a statement CNN obtained Friday: "Because the margin is still less than 0.5%, the President can request a recount after certification of the results. That recount will be conducted by rescanning all paper ballots." And you know who will pay for this recount? Georgia taxpayers. Although state officials haven't released estimates of the total cost, in Georgia's largest county, Fulton, election officials estimate a recount could cost $200,000, NBC News reported.


alternet--2020-11-22--Michigan state lawmaker who met with Trump pushes ‘constitutional crisis’ to overturn election on Fo

Michigan state lawmaker who met with Trump pushes ‘constitutional crisis’ to overturn election on Fox News

Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield ( R ) on Sunday explained how a constitutional crisis could mean a win for President Donald Trump despite losing the popular vote in his state .
In an interview with Fox News host Pete Hegseth , Chatfield defended his recent meeting with Trump .
Prior to the meeting , critics warned that it gave the current president an opportunity to push Michigan lawmakers not to certify President-elect Joe Biden 's victory .
`` When the president of the United States calls , you take that meeting , '' Chatfield insisted .
`` There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ask us to break the law and he was going to ask us to interfere .
And that simply did n't happen . ''
The Michigan lawmaker went on to outline Trump 's path to victory in his state , which began with a Republican Party request to delay certification of the election for two weeks .
`` We have 71 percent of the precincts in Wayne County , their absentee ballots books do n't match what is on the rolls , '' he said .
`` That 's why the legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations . ''
`` If there were to be a 2-2 split on the state Board of Canvassers , it would then go to the Michigan Supreme Court , '' Chatfield continued .
`` If they did n't have an order that it be certified , well now we have a constitutional crisis in the state of Michigan .
It 's never occurred before because as the federal constitution says , this is left up to the state legislatures .
The state legislature decided long ago to do it this way . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mixed on whether or not they have confidence in who won the greater number of votes ? ''
Hegseth replied .
`` Then you 're in a interesting place . ''
`` It 's a place I really do n't want to be in , '' Chatfield remarked .
`` There 's reports of irregularities , reports of fraud .
The fact is , no Republican or Democrat should be upset about an investigation done by the legislature .
And we 've begun those investigations . ''
`` Mr. Speaker continues to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about safeguarding the election , '' Koleszar said .
`` The constitutional crisis has already begun sir .
It began the day you and other leaders refused to stand behind our clerks and election process . ''
`` This is the crisis , '' he added .
Watch the video below from Fox News .

Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) on Sunday explained how a constitutional crisis could mean a win for President Donald Trump despite losing the popular vote in his state.
In an interview with Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Chatfield defended his recent meeting with Trump. Prior to the meeting, critics warned that it gave the current president an opportunity to push Michigan lawmakers not to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
"When the president of the United States calls, you take that meeting," Chatfield insisted. "There was this outrage that the president was going to ask us to break the law and he was going to ask us to interfere. And that simply didn't happen."
The Michigan lawmaker went on to outline Trump's path to victory in his state, which began with a Republican Party request to delay certification of the election for two weeks.
"We have 71 percent of the precincts in Wayne County, their absentee ballots books don't match what is on the rolls," he said. "That's why the legislature, we've been doing our own investigations."
"If there were to be a 2-2 split on the state Board of Canvassers, it would then go to the Michigan Supreme Court," Chatfield continued. "If they didn't have an order that it be certified, well now we have a constitutional crisis in the state of Michigan. It's never occurred before because as the federal constitution says, this is left up to the state legislatures. The state legislature decided long ago to do it this way."
"What if the state legislature is mixed on whether or not they have confidence in who won the greater number of votes?" Hegseth replied. "Then you're in a interesting place."
"It's a place I really don't want to be in," Chatfield remarked. "There's reports of irregularities, reports of fraud. The fact is, no Republican or Democrat should be upset about an investigation done by the legislature. And we've begun those investigations."
Democratic state Rep. Matt Koleszar responded to Chatfield on Twitter.
"Mr. Speaker continues to use vague language in his interviews and statements about safeguarding the election," Koleszar said. "The constitutional crisis has already begun sir. It began the day you and other leaders refused to stand behind our clerks and election process."
"This is the crisis," he added.
Watch the video below from Fox News.


alternet--2020-11-22--This is your brain on lies: Neuroscience reveals why pathological liars and get better with practice

The last five years have been a master class in gaslighting .
For those of us who came into the Trump Era with some personal experience with narcissists , emotional abusers and flat out liars , it has been a jarringly familiar time .
For those who previously had the luxury of expecting honesty of others , this has been a sharp learning curve .
We all now know exactly what it feels like to be on the receiving end of untruth so blatant and shameless it makes us question ourselves .
We know what it 's like to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becomes convincing .
We get it from the highest levels of government , from cable news networks , from our radicalized relatives and neighbors .
And we know the confusion , self-doubt and fear that come with long term exposure to what liars like to call `` alternative facts . ''
It feels pretty crappy .
But what does it feel like for the liars ?
How can they keep spinning their BS with such shocking ease and conviction ?
As with all things , it 's a matter of practice .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a 2003 University of California study found that participants reported lying on average twice a day .
If `` I 'm fine '' counts , the number must surely be higher .
White lies are a social lubricant and a `` get out complicated explanations '' card .
Dinner was delicious .
I 'm five minutes away .
I wish I could help .
But toxic people , people with antisocial personality disorder , people with pseudologia fantastica ( a.k.a .
pathological liars ) lie for other reasons , and they do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain control in their relationships .
They lie to self exonerate and to justify their behavior .
And the more they do it , the better they get at it , and the bigger their lies can become .
A 2016 study published in Nature Neuroscience found that `` Signal reduction in the amygdala , '' the part of the brain associated with emotion , `` is sensitive to the history of dishonest behavior , consistent with adaptation .
.
.
.
the extent of reduced amygdala sensitivity to dishonesty on a present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the magnitude of escalation of self-serving dishonesty on the next decision . ''
In other words , `` What begins as small deviations from a moral code could escalate to large deviations with potentially harmful consequences . ''
Hence , you can seemingly desensitize yourself to your own dishonesty .
This is especially handy for a narcissist , who , as psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee explained to Salon recently , perpetually `` must overcompensate , creating for himself a self-image where he is the best at everything , never wrong , better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'stable genius . '
'' It 's not just the amygdala that gets a workout from lying : other parts of the brain get in on the act as well .
A 2009 Harvard University study of volunteers — some of whom cheated on a simple coin toss game and some who did n't — found that while the honest players had `` no increased activity in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex known to be involved in self-control… those control regions did become perfused with blood when the cheaters responded . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were telling the truth .
Keeping your story straight takes work .
If you 're capable of knowing right from wrong , lying and cheating make you feel bad .
And even if you do n't puke like Marta in `` Knives Out , '' you may have a `` tell '' — fidgeting , averting your gaze — that communicates that .
But habitual liars do n't feel bad .
This is why lie detector tests are such unreliable tools .
The autonomic nervous system of a somewhat average person , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught in wrongdoing , will respond differently when telling the truth and when not .
Their breath , blood pressure and heart rate may change .
They may get sweaty .
If you 're someone like Gary Ridgway or Ted Bundy , two of the most prolific and vicious serial killers in American history , you can pass a polygraph with ease .
The other key component of chronic lying is that it often resides in the same neighborhood as delusion .
Individuals with delusional disorders have `` fixed beliefs that do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence , '' and oh boy , there is no shortage of a spectrum of unchanging fixed beliefs here in our country right now .
This is why gaslighting is so persuasive .
It 's the blatant , brazen confidence that only people who really put in their ten thousand hours of bald faced lying and genuine dissociation from reality can deliver that sells it .
Can habitual liars change ?
Dr. Robert Feldman , who wrote `` The Liar in Your Life : The Way to Truthful Relationships , '' told Everyday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breath , because they usually do n't want to .
The only path forward is escaping their grip — and keeping our own amygdalas honest .

The last five years have been a master class in gaslighting. For those of us who came into the Trump Era with some personal experience with narcissists, emotional abusers and flat out liars, it has been a jarringly familiar time.
For those who previously had the luxury of expecting honesty of others, this has been a sharp learning curve. We all now know exactly what it feels like to be on the receiving end of untruth so blatant and shameless it makes us question ourselves. We know what it's like to hear a falsehood repeated so insistently it almost becomes convincing. We get it from the highest levels of government, from cable news networks, from our radicalized relatives and neighbors. And we know the confusion, self-doubt and fear that come with long term exposure to what liars like to call "alternative facts."
It feels pretty crappy. But what does it feel like for the liars? How can they keep spinning their BS with such shocking ease and conviction?
As with all things, it's a matter of practice. We all bend the truth with some regularity — a 2003 University of California study found that participants reported lying on average twice a day. If "I'm fine" counts, the number must surely be higher. White lies are a social lubricant and a "get out complicated explanations" card. Dinner was delicious. I'm five minutes away. I wish I could help.
But toxic people, people with antisocial personality disorder, people with pseudologia fantastica (a.k.a. pathological liars) lie for other reasons, and they do it a lot. They lie to gain control in their relationships. They lie to self exonerate and to justify their behavior. And the more they do it, the better they get at it, and the bigger their lies can become.
A 2016 study published in Nature Neuroscience found that "Signal reduction in the amygdala," the part of the brain associated with emotion, "is sensitive to the history of dishonest behavior, consistent with adaptation. . . . the extent of reduced amygdala sensitivity to dishonesty on a present decision relative to the previous one predicts the magnitude of escalation of self-serving dishonesty on the next decision."
In other words, "What begins as small deviations from a moral code could escalate to large deviations with potentially harmful consequences." Hence, you can seemingly desensitize yourself to your own dishonesty.
This is especially handy for a narcissist, who, as psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee explained to Salon recently, perpetually "must overcompensate, creating for himself a self-image where he is the best at everything, never wrong, better than all the experts, and a 'stable genius.'"
It's not just the amygdala that gets a workout from lying: other parts of the brain get in on the act as well. A 2009 Harvard University study of volunteers — some of whom cheated on a simple coin toss game and some who didn't — found that while the honest players had "no increased activity in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex known to be involved in self-control… those control regions did become perfused with blood when the cheaters responded." And it happened even when the cheaters were telling the truth. Keeping your story straight takes work.
If you're capable of knowing right from wrong, lying and cheating make you feel bad. And even if you don't puke like Marta in "Knives Out," you may have a "tell" — fidgeting, averting your gaze — that communicates that. But habitual liars don't feel bad. This is why lie detector tests are such unreliable tools. The autonomic nervous system of a somewhat average person, with an average person's anxiety about being caught in wrongdoing, will respond differently when telling the truth and when not. Their breath, blood pressure and heart rate may change. They may get sweaty. If you're someone like Gary Ridgway or Ted Bundy, two of the most prolific and vicious serial killers in American history, you can pass a polygraph with ease.
The other key component of chronic lying is that it often resides in the same neighborhood as delusion. Individuals with delusional disorders have "fixed beliefs that do not change, even when presented with conflicting evidence," and oh boy, there is no shortage of a spectrum of unchanging fixed beliefs here in our country right now. This is why gaslighting is so persuasive. It's the blatant, brazen confidence that only people who really put in their ten thousand hours of bald faced lying and genuine dissociation from reality can deliver that sells it.
Can habitual liars change? Dr. Robert Feldman, who wrote "The Liar in Your Life: The Way to Truthful Relationships," told Everyday Health in 2016 not to hold your breath, because they usually don't want to. The only path forward is escaping their grip — and keeping our own amygdalas honest.


alternet--2020-11-22--Pennsylvania GOP senator says Trump has 'exhausted all plausible legal options' as he urges cooperat

Pennsylvania GOP senator says Trump has 'exhausted all plausible legal options' as he urges cooperation on Biden transition

Sen. Pat Toomey ( R-PA ) on Saturday said President Donald Trump has `` exhausted all plausible legal options '' as he encouraged the Trump administration to `` facilitate the presidential transition process '' with President-elect Joe Biden .
Toomey referenced U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann 's decision Saturday to dismiss a Trump campaign suit that sought to block the certification of Pennsylvania 's election results .
In his decision , Brann said the suit `` strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations '' as it urged the court to give the state legislator legal authority to assign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States of America , this can not justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state , '' Brann wrote in his opinion .
`` This is simply not how the Constitution works , '' he noted .
Pointing to that suit 's dismissal , Toomey explained the Trump campaign is out of legal options in Pennsylvania .
`` With today 's decision by Judge Matthew Brann , a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's lawsuit , President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania , '' Toomey said in a statement Saturday .
`` I congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory , '' the senator continued .
`` They are both dedicated public servants and I will be praying for them and for our country . ''
Earlier this month , Toomey urged his colleagues to cooperate with the Biden transition .
`` We 're on a path it looks likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next president of the United States , '' Toomey told Pittsburgh 's Action News on November 11 .
`` It 's not 100 % certain but it is quite likely .
So I think a transition process ought to begin . ''
In his statement Saturday , Toomey once again called for the Trump team to cooperate with Biden on the presidential transition .
`` To ensure that he is remembered for these outstanding accomplishments , and to help unify our country , President Trump should accept the outcome of the election and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statement said .

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) on Saturday said President Donald Trump has "exhausted all plausible legal options" as he encouraged the Trump administration to "facilitate the presidential transition process" with President-elect Joe Biden.
Toomey referenced U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann's decision Saturday to dismiss a Trump campaign suit that sought to block the certification of Pennsylvania's election results. In his decision, Brann said the suit "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations" as it urged the court to give the state legislator legal authority to assign Pennsylvania's electoral votes.
"In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state," Brann wrote in his opinion.
"This is simply not how the Constitution works," he noted.
Pointing to that suit's dismissal, Toomey explained the Trump campaign is out of legal options in Pennsylvania.
"With today's decision by Judge Matthew Brann, a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist, to dismiss the Trump campaign's lawsuit, President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania," Toomey said in a statement Saturday.
"I congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory," the senator continued. "They are both dedicated public servants and I will be praying for them and for our country."
Earlier this month, Toomey urged his colleagues to cooperate with the Biden transition.
"We're on a path it looks likely Joe Biden is going to be the next president of the United States," Toomey told Pittsburgh's Action News on November 11. "It's not 100% certain but it is quite likely. So I think a transition process ought to begin."
In his statement Saturday, Toomey once again called for the Trump team to cooperate with Biden on the presidential transition.
"To ensure that he is remembered for these outstanding accomplishments, and to help unify our country, President Trump should accept the outcome of the election and facilitate the presidential transition process," the statement said.


alternet--2020-11-22--‘It’s over’: Michigan GOP House member defies Trump by revealing the truth about election fraud in h

‘It’s over’: Michigan GOP House member defies Trump by revealing the truth about election fraud in his state

Appearing on CNN 's `` Inside Politics '' with host Dana Bash , Rep. Fred Upton ( R-MI ) insisted that there was no election fraud in his state and that it is time for Donald Trump to accept that he lost the 2020 presidential election .
Breaking with the president who has been insisting that the election was stolen from him , Upton bluntly stated : `` It 's over . ''
Asked by the CNN host what is going on in his state , Upton got right to the point .
`` You know what ?
The voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` No one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse .
All 83 counties have certified their own election results .
Those will be officially tabulated or should be tomorrow .
We expect that process moves forward and let the voters , not the politicians , speak . ''
Adding `` It 's over , '' he continued , `` Well , here 's what the issue is : the longer this lasts , languishes , the time escapes from us from seeing a peaceful transition to the next administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the health briefings , the normal transition from one president to the next , only brings about more uncertainty and threatens that peaceful transition that would otherwise — that would certainly undermine the next administration . ''
`` We 're Americans , '' he forcefully asserted .
`` We need this process to work .
This time from the November 3rd until January 20th , traditionally has been one that allows the two candidates to shake hands , to figure out what the transition is going to be , to make sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government , are , in fact , benefitted because of that transition .
And when you slow it down , when you fail to certify the results , when you add all this uncertainty , it only makes it very problematic for the next administration to start with the feet hitting the ground . ''

Appearing on CNN's "Inside Politics" with host Dana Bash, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) insisted that there was no election fraud in his state and that it is time for Donald Trump to accept that he lost the 2020 presidential election.
Breaking with the president who has been insisting that the election was stolen from him, Upton bluntly stated: "It's over."
Asked by the CNN host what is going on in his state, Upton got right to the point.
"You know what? The voters have spoken," he began. "No one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse. All 83 counties have certified their own election results. Those will be officially tabulated or should be tomorrow. We expect that process moves forward and let the voters, not the politicians, speak."
Adding "It's over," he continued, "Well, here's what the issue is: the longer this lasts, languishes, the time escapes from us from seeing a peaceful transition to the next administration. By not allowing the security briefings, the health briefings, the normal transition from one president to the next, only brings about more uncertainty and threatens that peaceful transition that would otherwise — that would certainly undermine the next administration."
"We're Americans," he forcefully asserted. "We need this process to work. This time from the November 3rd until January 20th, traditionally has been one that allows the two candidates to shake hands, to figure out what the transition is going to be, to make sure the American people, those not in the government, are, in fact, benefitted because of that transition. And when you slow it down, when you fail to certify the results, when you add all this uncertainty, it only makes it very problematic for the next administration to start with the feet hitting the ground."
Watch below: