alternet--2020-12-18--Former Ted Cruz communications director slams some of the worst Trump enablers of 2020 — including h

Former Ted Cruz communications director slams some of the worst Trump enablers of 2020 — including her ex-boss

Although Amanda Carpenter formerly served as communications director for Sen. Ted Cruz , the Never Trump conservative and CNN pundit has made no secret of her total disdain for President Donald Trump — who she believes has been a curse for the Republican Party and the conservative movement .
Carpenter discusses the Trumpication of the GOP in a scathing article published by The Bulwark on December 18 , and one of the people she lambasts is her former boss : Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas .
Carpenter served as Cruz ' communications director in the past , and she is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of her Bulwark articles mentions that she worked for Cruz as well as for former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint .
Regardless , Carpenter does n't cut Cruz any slack in her Bulwark piece , and the other Republicans she slams as Trump 's worst enablers of 2020 range from White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to Sen. Susan Collins of Maine .
Carpenter recalls that on July 22 , Cruz shamelessly politicized the COVID-19 pandemic — making the ridiculous claim that if Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no longer favor social distancing restrictions .
Cruz viewed social distancing as nothing more than a way for Democrats to hurt Trump .
Biden , of course , is now president-elect , and Democrats have n't abandoned social distancing as Cruz predicted they would — they are as pro-social distancing as ever .
On July 22 , Cruz was obviously much more concerned about Trump 's political wellbeing than the wellbeing of all the Americans who were dying left and right from COVID-19 .
Carpenter attacks Graham for his total hypocrisy with Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in opposing President Barack Obama 's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 only to demand , in 2020 , that Trump 's High Court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett , be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as quickly as possible .
McEnany , according to Carpenter , repeatedly debased herself in the name of Trumpism in 2020 — especially after the election .
Carpenter explains , `` Kayleigh McEnany — the Top Tribune of Trumpism , White House press secretary , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whatever gets her on TV — unlocked new levels of toadyism while mouthing Trump 's lies about the election .
Earlier this month , citing the same pseudo-scientific nonsense used by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton , McEnany proclaimed to the masses that the chances of Trump losing key swing states were 'one in a quadrillion to the 4th power'… .
Dual dishonors go to Paxton and McEnany . ''
According to Carpenter , the `` most unintentionally hilarious political moment of 2020 '' came when GOP activist Kimberly Guilfoyle , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ironically , the ex-wife of Democratic California Gov .
Gavin Newsom , spoke — or rather yelled — at the 2020 Republican National Convention .
`` In August , MAGA 's favorite former Fox News leg-chair occupant delivered an unforgettable speech at the Republican National Convention that shall forever and always remain unmatched in its disturbingly unbridled enthusiasm for all things Trump , '' Carpenter recalls .
`` After some par-for-the-course mendacity , like referring to 'Biden , Harris , and the rest of the socialists , ' she yelled , 'President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lifts you up to live your American Dream ' and warned Republicans not to let the Democrats 'kill future generations because they told you and brainwashed you and fed you lies that you were n't good enough . '
Then came her big finish that truly must be watched to appreciate all its mortifying grandeur . ''
To illustrate just how embarrassing Guilfoyle 's RNC 2020 speech was , Carpenter used this infamous video with her article : Collins is n't nearly as Trumpian as some of the other Republicans Carpenter slams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trumpistas repeatedly attack the Maine senator as a RINO : Republican in Name Only .
But Carpenter notes that during Trump 's impeachment trial , Collins lacked the courage to vote `` guilty . ''
`` Maine Sen. Susan Collins expressed various degrees of concern about Donald Trump throughout his presidency — while somehow managing to support him with her votes every step of the way , '' Carpenter writes .
`` In February , during the impeachment trial , Collins voted to acquit Trump , justifying her decision this way in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that the president has learned from this case ' and that Trump 'will be much more cautious in the future . '
Which he , of course , did not and was not . ''

Although Amanda Carpenter formerly served as communications director for Sen. Ted Cruz, the Never Trump conservative and CNN pundit has made no secret of her total disdain for President Donald Trump — who she believes has been a curse for the Republican Party and the conservative movement. Carpenter discusses the Trumpication of the GOP in a scathing article published by The Bulwark on December 18, and one of the people she lambasts is her former boss: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Carpenter served as Cruz' communications director in the past, and she is up-front about that fact: the mini-bio at the end of her Bulwark articles mentions that she worked for Cruz as well as for former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint. Regardless, Carpenter doesn't cut Cruz any slack in her Bulwark piece, and the other Republicans she slams as Trump's worst enablers of 2020 range from White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Carpenter recalls that on July 22, Cruz shamelessly politicized the COVID-19 pandemic — making the ridiculous claim that if Joe Biden were elected president, Democrats would no longer favor social distancing restrictions. Cruz viewed social distancing as nothing more than a way for Democrats to hurt Trump.
Biden, of course, is now president-elect, and Democrats haven't abandoned social distancing as Cruz predicted they would — they are as pro-social distancing as ever. On July 22, Cruz was obviously much more concerned about Trump's political wellbeing than the wellbeing of all the Americans who were dying left and right from COVID-19.
Carpenter attacks Graham for his total hypocrisy with Supreme Court nominees, noting that he joined Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in opposing President Barack Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 only to demand, in 2020, that Trump's High Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as quickly as possible.
McEnany, according to Carpenter, repeatedly debased herself in the name of Trumpism in 2020 — especially after the election.
Carpenter explains, "Kayleigh McEnany — the Top Tribune of Trumpism, White House press secretary, Trump campaign advisor, and catch-all surrogate of whatever gets her on TV — unlocked new levels of toadyism while mouthing Trump's lies about the election. Earlier this month, citing the same pseudo-scientific nonsense used by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, McEnany proclaimed to the masses that the chances of Trump losing key swing states were 'one in a quadrillion to the 4th power'…. Dual dishonors go to Paxton and McEnany."
According to Carpenter, the "most unintentionally hilarious political moment of 2020" came when GOP activist Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is Donald Trump, Jr.'s girlfriend and, ironically, the ex-wife of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, spoke — or rather yelled — at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
"In August, MAGA's favorite former Fox News leg-chair occupant delivered an unforgettable speech at the Republican National Convention that shall forever and always remain unmatched in its disturbingly unbridled enthusiasm for all things Trump," Carpenter recalls. "After some par-for-the-course mendacity, like referring to 'Biden, Harris, and the rest of the socialists,' she yelled, 'President Trump believes in you! He emancipates and lifts you up to live your American Dream' and warned Republicans not to let the Democrats 'kill future generations because they told you and brainwashed you and fed you lies that you weren't good enough.' Then came her big finish that truly must be watched to appreciate all its mortifying grandeur."
To illustrate just how embarrassing Guilfoyle's RNC 2020 speech was, Carpenter used this infamous video with her article:
Kim Guilfoyle full remarks at 2020 Republican National Convention youtu.be
Collins isn't nearly as Trumpian as some of the other Republicans Carpenter slams in her article. In fact, Trumpistas repeatedly attack the Maine senator as a RINO: Republican in Name Only. But Carpenter notes that during Trump's impeachment trial, Collins lacked the courage to vote "guilty."
"Maine Sen. Susan Collins expressed various degrees of concern about Donald Trump throughout his presidency — while somehow managing to support him with her votes every step of the way," Carpenter writes. "In February, during the impeachment trial, Collins voted to acquit Trump, justifying her decision this way in an interview with CBS News: 'I believe that the president has learned from this case' and that Trump 'will be much more cautious in the future.' Which he, of course, did not and was not."


alternet--2020-12-19--Bill Barr's years-long charade falls apart in an accidentally revealing interview

Speaking on the phone for 90 minutes with Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel as his tenure at the Justice Department comes to a close , Attorney General Bill Barr let down his guard .
He must have been far too relaxed while talking to a devoted ally who once gratuitously referred to him as `` real attorney general , '' because his comments were much more revealing and inculpatory than he seemed to realize .
Strassel has been a consistent propagandist for the Trump administration , so it 's little surprise that Barr went to her to deliver a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
Nor is it surprising that he got a fawning reception .
Early in the piece , Strassel revealed that Barr made a stunning admission : This is remarkable since it rests on a false premise .
There 's no evidence that there was a group of people using the Justice Department to `` topple '' the Trump administration .
And importantly , this is n't how Barr discussed his appointment or his regard for the Mueller investigation at the time when he was nominated .
`` When [ Robert Mueller ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his selection was 'good news ' and that , knowing him , I had confidence he would handle the matter properly , '' Barr said during his confirmation hearing .
`` I still have that confidence today . ''
He also dismissed Trump 's attacks on the probe as a `` witch hunt '' during his confirmation , saying , `` I do n't believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt . ''
He added that his argument , circulated months before he was appointed attorney general , against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on speculation .
`` I was writing in the dark , and we 're all in the dark , '' he said .
And he dismissed calls that he recuse , saying he would make his own determination about whether to supervise the investigation based on consultation with ethics officials .
For the sake of the investigation 's integrity , it never made sense that Barr should supervise it .
He only got the attorney general job because his predecessor had infuriated the president by refusing to interfere and shut down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not obstructing justice .
And Barr became attorney general in 2019 after having circulated a memo the previous summer to the Justice Department arguing against a potential obstruction of justice charge for the president , which some viewed as his `` audition '' for the role , though he denied this characterization .
So Barr 's subsequent decision to spin the Mueller report in the most favorable light for the president , and his assertion that he had cleared Trump of any potential obstruction of justice charge related to the damning conduct it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But now , he has admitted that he already had his mind made up about the investigaiton before he was officially confirmed .
He was going into the Justice Department specifically to stop the people using claims of `` Russian collusion '' to `` topple '' Trump .
But he also wants us to believe he read the Mueller report and made a dispassionate assessment of the facts and the law ?
It gets worse .
As he has before , Barr said that Mueller 's conclusion that he could n't establish a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign and Russia means there was never any evidence of `` collusion '' at all .
`` Of course the Russians did bad things in the election , '' he said .
`` But the idea that this was done with the collusion of the Trump campaign—there was never any evidence .
It was entirely made up . ''
At this point , a real journalist — or even someone who 's not an entirely credulous booster — would point out that there was plenty of evidence of collusion .
For an incomplete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Papadopoulos getting secret offers of Hillary Clinton dirt before Russia released its hacked files , Campaign Chair Paul Manafort 's exchanges with a Russian spy and debts to a Russian oligarch , Roger Stone 's correspondence with WikiLeaks , and Trump 's own secret negotiations for Trump Tower Moscow .
Strassel did n't mention , either , that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz extensively reviewed the investigation and concluded it was properly predicated .
Barr never accepted Horowitz 's explanation .
Instead , he appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the Durham probe has n't lived up to the high expectations Barr has set for it .
He touted it for more than a year , breaking Justice Department protocol by discussing an open investigation without any plausible justification .
`` He is looking at other agencies and also private — departments , and also private actors .
So it is a much broader investigation , '' Barr has said of Durham 's investigation , as Politico reported in 2019 .
`` And also , he 's not just looking at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at all the conduct , both before and after the election . ''
However , Durham 's permit has since narrowed .
As the AP reported of its own recent interview with Barr : And he told Strassel that the CIA had been cleared : This was a huge admission , though Strassel did n't treat it like much of one .
Strassel herself had stoked conspiracy theories about the CIA and a supposed `` spy scandal . ''
Barr himself had told Congress in 2019 that he believed there was `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fanning the flames of conspiracy even higher .
What Barr is now admitting to , though , is that he swallowed a bunch of conspiracy theories pushed by the right wing and sent investigators off to uncover them .
That 's actually exactly what he claims was wrong with the Mueller investigation .
But the Mueller investigation actually uncovered a lot of criminal activity , including obstruction of justice , as well as evidence of troubling if not criminal behavior .
And yet when his own conspiracy theories crash and burn , Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improperly motivated .
No , that 's just the system working as it should .
It 's only when other investigations started by other people fail to produce conclusive proof of a specific type of crime that the investigators ' motives should be suspect , in Barr 's view .
Barr appears blissfully unaware of or undisturbed by his blatant hypocrisy .
Barr also just went on to suggest that , unlike Mueller 's case , Durham might not bringing many charges at all .
( He 's already obtained one guilty plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minor charge uncovered by Horowitz . )
Barr , seeming to tamp down expectations , said that the American criminal justice system is designed to find people innocent , and we should n't be desperate to see political opponents end up in `` orange jumpsuits . ''
But while he 's downplaying the possibility of criminal charges now , it was Barr himself who repeatedly stoked them .
Consider what he said of Durham 's probe in one interview in June : After talking like that , he should n't be shocked that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had raised their expectations .
Of course , that 's one reason why he should n't have been talking about an ongoing investigation at all .
As I 've argued before , what Barr often seems most aggrieved by about the Russia investigation is the media coverage it received , some of which arguably went too far .
But Barr is , in this case , entirely unconcerned with the fact that he is smearing others and helping to spread falsehoods about an investigation that may end up with significantly much less to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perhaps most preposterous of all , though , is Barr 's insistence that even if Durham does n't conclude by bringing any charges , we may still have reason to be concerned about non-criminal activity he uncovers .
Again , this is not the standard Barr judges others by .
He does n't consider the fact that there are a series of troubling connections between Trump campaign figures and Russians during the 2016 campaign as worthy of investigation in themselves .
If Barr were consistent , there may have been no reason to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Still , Strassel , gallingly , includes Barr 's phrase , `` one standard of justice , '' in her title for the piece .
Utterly laughable .
The truth is that Bill Barr is a highly partisan figure who came into the Justice Department with a deeply misguided view warped by right-wing media .
He may have convinced himself that he is just bringing balance back to the department , but he spent much of his time hunting down perceived enemies and acting as the president 's personal defense attorney .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories and his investigation came up dry , or when he had an opportunity for partisan advantage that was too obviously corrupt for even him to take , well , these events just proved he was an upstanding guy all along .
And as long as he can get people like Kimberley Strassel to tell his story , he 'll have no reason to doubt this farcical fiction .

Speaking on the phone for 90 minutes with Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel as his tenure at the Justice Department comes to a close, Attorney General Bill Barr let down his guard. He must have been far too relaxed while talking to a devoted ally who once gratuitously referred to him as a "real attorney general," because his comments were much more revealing and inculpatory than he seemed to realize.
Strassel has been a consistent propagandist for the Trump administration, so it's little surprise that Barr went to her to deliver a sprawling interview on his controversial time in office. Nor is it surprising that he got a fawning reception.
Early in the piece, Strassel revealed that Barr made a stunning admission:
He reminds me why he took the job [of attorney general] in the first place: "The Department of Justice was being used as a political weapon" by a "willful if small group of people," who used the claim of collusion with Russia in an attempt to "topple an administration," he says. "Someone had to make sure that the power of the department stopped being abused and that there was accountability for what had happened." Mr. Barr largely succeeded, in the process filling a vacuum of political oversight, reimposing norms, and resisting partisan critics on both sides.
This is remarkable since it rests on a false premise. There's no evidence that there was a group of people using the Justice Department to "topple" the Trump administration. And importantly, this isn't how Barr discussed his appointment or his regard for the Mueller investigation at the time when he was nominated.
"When [Robert Mueller] was named special counsel, I said that his selection was 'good news' and that, knowing him, I had confidence he would handle the matter properly," Barr said during his confirmation hearing. "I still have that confidence today."
He also dismissed Trump's attacks on the probe as a "witch hunt" during his confirmation, saying, "I don't believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt." He added that his argument, circulated months before he was appointed attorney general, against Mueller's theory of obstruction was just based on speculation. "I was writing in the dark, and we're all in the dark," he said.
And he dismissed calls that he recuse, saying he would make his own determination about whether to supervise the investigation based on consultation with ethics officials.
For the sake of the investigation's integrity, it never made sense that Barr should supervise it. He only got the attorney general job because his predecessor had infuriated the president by refusing to interfere and shut down the probe. Trump fired Jeff Sessions for not obstructing justice. And Barr became attorney general in 2019 after having circulated a memo the previous summer to the Justice Department arguing against a potential obstruction of justice charge for the president, which some viewed as his "audition" for the role, though he denied this characterization.
So Barr's subsequent decision to spin the Mueller report in the most favorable light for the president, and his assertion that he had cleared Trump of any potential obstruction of justice charge related to the damning conduct it described, always looked blatantly corrupt. But now, in the new interview, he has admitted that he already had his mind made up about the investigaiton before he was officially confirmed. He was going into the Justice Department specifically to stop the people using claims of "Russian collusion" to "topple" Trump. But he also wants us to believe he read the Mueller report and made a dispassionate assessment of the facts and the law?
It gets worse. As he has before, Barr said that Mueller's conclusion that he couldn't establish a criminal obstruction between members of the Trump campaign and Russia means there was never any evidence of "collusion" at all.
"Of course the Russians did bad things in the election," he said. "But the idea that this was done with the collusion of the Trump campaign—there was never any evidence. It was entirely made up."
At this point, a real journalist — or even someone who's not an entirely credulous booster — would point out that there was plenty of evidence of collusion. For an incomplete list, there was campaign aide George Papadopoulos getting secret offers of Hillary Clinton dirt before Russia released its hacked files, Campaign Chair Paul Manafort's exchanges with a Russian spy and debts to a Russian oligarch, Roger Stone's correspondence with WikiLeaks, and Trump's own secret negotiations for Trump Tower Moscow. Strassel didn't mention, either, that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz extensively reviewed the investigation and concluded it was properly predicated.
Barr never accepted Horowitz's explanation. Instead, he appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the investigators, just as Trump demanded. But the Durham probe hasn't lived up to the high expectations Barr has set for it. He touted it for more than a year, breaking Justice Department protocol by discussing an open investigation without any plausible justification.
"He is looking at other agencies and also private — departments, and also private actors. So it is a much broader investigation," Barr has said of Durham's investigation, as Politico reported in 2019. "And also, he's not just looking at the FISA aspect of it. He is looking at all the conduct, both before and after the election."
However, Durham's permit has since narrowed. As the AP reported of its own recent interview with Barr:
The current investigation, a criminal probe, had begun very broadly but has since "narrowed considerably" and now "really is focused on the activities of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation within the FBI," Barr said. He said he expects Durham would detail whether any additional prosecutions will be brought and make public a report of the investigation's findings.
And Barr told Strassel that the CIA had been cleared:
The biggest news from Mr. Durham's probe is what he has ruled out. Mr. Barr was initially suspicious that agents had been spying on the Trump campaign before the official July 2016 start date of Crossfire Hurricane, and that the Central Intelligence Agency or foreign intelligence had played a role. But even prior to naming Mr. Durham special counsel, Mr. Barr had come to the conclusion that he didn't "see any sign of improper CIA activity" or "foreign government activity before July 2016," he says. "The CIA stayed in its lane."
This was a huge admission, though Strassel didn't treat it like much of one. Strassel herself had stoked conspiracy theories about the CIA and a supposed "spy scandal." Barr himself had told Congress in 2019 that he believed there was "spying" on the Trump campaign, fanning the flames of conspiracy even higher.
What Barr is now admitting to, though, is that he swallowed a bunch of conspiracy theories pushed by the right wing and sent investigators off to uncover them. That's actually exactly what he claims was wrong with the Mueller investigation. But the Mueller investigation actually uncovered a lot of criminal activity, including obstruction of justice, as well as evidence of troubling if not criminal behavior.
And yet when his own conspiracy theories crash and burn, Barr doesn't conclude that his investigation was improperly motivated. No, that's just the system working as it should. It's only when other investigations started by other people fail to produce conclusive proof of a specific type of crime that the investigators' motives should be suspect, in Barr's view. Barr appears blissfully unaware of or undisturbed by his blatant hypocrisy.
Barr also just went on to suggest that, unlike Mueller's case, Durham might not bringing many charges at all. (He's already obtained one guilty plea from a former FBI lawyer on a minor charge uncovered by Horowitz.) Barr, seeming to tamp down expectations, said that the American criminal justice system is designed to find people innocent, and we shouldn't be desperate to see political opponents end up in "orange jumpsuits."
But while he's downplaying the possibility of criminal charges now, it was Barr himself who repeatedly stoked them. Consider what he said of Durham's probe in one interview in June:
My own view is that the evidence shows that we're not dealing with just mistakes or sloppiness. There is something far more troubling here, and we're going to get to the bottom of it. And if people broke the law, and we can establish that with the evidence, they will be prosecuted.
...
I think what happened to [Trump] was one of the greatest travesties in American history. Without any basis they started this investigation of his campaign, and even more concerning, actually is what happened after the campaign, a whole pattern of events while he was president. So I—to sabotage the presidency, and I think that— or at least have the effect of sabotaging the presidency.
After talking like that, he shouldn't be shocked that his fans — including the president — had raised their expectations. Of course, that's one reason why he shouldn't have been talking about an ongoing investigation at all.
As I've argued before, what Barr often seems most aggrieved by about the Russia investigation is the media coverage it received, some of which arguably went too far. But Barr is, in this case, entirely unconcerned with the fact that he is smearing others and helping to spread falsehoods about an investigation that may end up with significantly much less to show for itself than Mueller's.
Perhaps most preposterous of all, though, is Barr's insistence that even if Durham doesn't conclude by bringing any charges, we may still have reason to be concerned about non-criminal activity he uncovers. Again, this is not the standard Barr judges others by. He doesn't consider the fact that there are a series of troubling connections between Trump campaign figures and Russians during the 2016 campaign as worthy of investigation in themselves. If Barr were consistent, there may have been no reason to start the Durham probe at all.
Still, Strassel, gallingly, includes Barr's phrase, "one standard of justice," in her title for the piece. Utterly laughable.
The truth is that Bill Barr is a highly partisan figure who came into the Justice Department with a deeply misguided view warped by right-wing media. He may have convinced himself that he is just bringing balance back to the department, but he spent much of his time hunting down perceived enemies and acting as the president's personal defense attorney. When the facts didn't support his conspiracy theories and his investigation came up dry, or when he had an opportunity for partisan advantage that was too obviously corrupt for even him to take, well, these events just proved he was an upstanding guy all along. And as long as he can get people like Kimberley Strassel to tell his story, he'll have no reason to doubt this farcical fiction.


alternet--2020-12-19--Tucker Carlson says COVID vaccines are 'anti-white' as anti-vaxxers urge folks to refuse them

On Friday 's installment of Tucker Carlson Tonight , the Fox News commentator accused the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) of suggesting that COVID-19 vaccinations should be distributed based on race rather than need .
Carlson 's claims was a deliberate misrepresentation of a CDC presentation on the groups most needing vaccination .
In the presentation , the CDC said that healthcare personnel , adults ages 65 and older , people with high-risk medical conditions , and essential workers would be the first to receive vaccinations .
In explaining why these groups were chosen for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential workers tend to be poor people and people of color who ca n't work from home .
People of color also tend to be underrepresented among people ages 65 and older ( ie .
They do n't typically live as long ) .
As such , inoculating essential workers who are largely poor and people of color will help reduce healthcare inequalities among these communities .
Always eager to whip up racial resentment and outrage , Carlson explained the presentation this way : '' It is true that more lives would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the vaccine .
But here 's the problem , quote , racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among adults aged 65 and older .
Therefore , the elderly should not be a top priority . ''
He continued , `` In other words , it 's entirely racial .
They 're making the decision based on race .
Kathleen Dooling 's presentation concluded that doling out life-saving medicine on the basis of skin color would quote mitigate health inequities .
Of course , it would kill people , and she effectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would kill come from a disfavored race , so it 's not a big deal .
It 's been a very long time since anyone close to what we would consider the mainstream has endorsed eugenics that 's exactly what that is — it 's eugenics . ''
Media Matters writer Parker Molloy pointed out that Carlson has effectively made Dooling a target for harassment and death threats following his misrepresentation .
Democratic California Representative Eric Swalwell commented on Carlson 's falsehoods by asking , `` How many people did Tucker Carlson try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writer Ed Yong pointed out that people of color younger than age 65 are disproportionately dying from COVID-19 at higher rates , which explains why the CDC would want to inoculate them .
MSNBC commentator Chris Hayes pointed out that Fox News is owned by Rupert Murdoch who himself received a COVID vaccine this week .
As Carlson peddles these dangerous distortions , anti-vaxxers are flooding Facebook and YouTube with videos training people how to refuse inoculations .
President-elect Joe Biden has said he wo n't make vaccines mandatory nationwide , although employers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccinated before allowing them back into workplaces , schools and colleges , USA Today reports .

On Friday's installment of Tucker Carlson Tonight, the Fox News commentator accused the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of suggesting that COVID-19 vaccinations should be distributed based on race rather than need. Carlson's claims was a deliberate misrepresentation of a CDC presentation on the groups most needing vaccination.
In the presentation, the CDC said that healthcare personnel, adults ages 65 and older, people with high-risk medical conditions, and essential workers would be the first to receive vaccinations.
In explaining why these groups were chosen for vaccinations first, the CDC mentioned that essential workers tend to be poor people and people of color who can't work from home. People of color also tend to be underrepresented among people ages 65 and older (ie. They don't typically live as long). As such, inoculating essential workers who are largely poor and people of color will help reduce healthcare inequalities among these communities.
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1340114067780984833
Always eager to whip up racial resentment and outrage, Carlson explained the presentation this way:
"It is true that more lives would be saved if the elderly receive priority access to the vaccine. But here's the problem, quote, racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among adults aged 65 and older. Therefore, the elderly should not be a top priority."
He continued, "In other words, it's entirely racial. They're making the decision based on race. Kathleen Dooling's presentation concluded that doling out life-saving medicine on the basis of skin color would quote mitigate health inequities. Of course, it would kill people, and she effectively concedes that. But the people who would kill come from a disfavored race, so it's not a big deal. It's been a very long time since anyone close to what we would consider the mainstream has endorsed eugenics that's exactly what that is — it's eugenics."
https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1340103950763253762
Media Matters writer Parker Molloy pointed out that Carlson has effectively made Dooling a target for harassment and death threats following his misrepresentation.
Democratic California Representative Eric Swalwell commented on Carlson's falsehoods by asking, "How many people did Tucker Carlson try and kill tonight?"
https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1340113381450264578
Atlantic science writer Ed Yong pointed out that people of color younger than age 65 are disproportionately dying from COVID-19 at higher rates, which explains why the CDC would want to inoculate them.
https://twitter.com/edyong209/status/1340077357839822848
MSNBC commentator Chris Hayes pointed out that Fox News is owned by Rupert Murdoch who himself received a COVID vaccine this week.
https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1340143861377748996
As Carlson peddles these dangerous distortions, anti-vaxxers are flooding Facebook and YouTube with videos training people how to refuse inoculations.
President-elect Joe Biden has said he won't make vaccines mandatory nationwide, although employers and states may require people to get vaccinated before allowing them back into workplaces, schools and colleges, USA Today reports.


alternet--2020-12-19--Former Trump official: President will face legal jeopardy for campaign cash that went to his busines

Former Trump official: President will face legal jeopardy for campaign cash that went to his businesses

On MSNBC Saturday , former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci predicted that President Donald Trump will face legal and political consequences for the newly reported scheme in which he and his son-in-law Jared Kushner allegedly skimmed money from the campaign through a shell company to enrich the family businesses .
`` Of course he knows he 's lost , '' said Scaramucci , who famously served in the Trump administration only ten days before being fired .
`` He 's already planning possibly a television show , a network .
Lots of things to do when he leaves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of money , over $ 250 million bundled .
He 's going to have to answer for the shell companies inside the campaign , and the disappearance of some of that money . ''
`` I do n't see him as a political force going forward , '' continued Scaramucci .
`` I think he 'll have too many things to do .
There 'll be legal consequences to some of his actions .
There 's ongoing investigations in New York .
And I think he 's going to be distracted , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Remember , whether Secretary Pompeo or others , ten or so younger men and women that look in the mirror every morning and see a future president in his party .
They 're going to come after him very hard once he leaves power . ''

On MSNBC Saturday, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci predicted that President Donald Trump will face legal and political consequences for the newly reported scheme in which he and his son-in-law Jared Kushner allegedly skimmed money from the campaign through a shell company to enrich the family businesses.
"Of course he knows he's lost," said Scaramucci, who famously served in the Trump administration only ten days before being fired. "He's already planning possibly a television show, a network. Lots of things to do when he leaves. And he's bundled a tremendous amount of money, over $250 million bundled. He's going to have to answer for the shell companies inside the campaign, and the disappearance of some of that money."
"I don't see him as a political force going forward," continued Scaramucci. "I think he'll have too many things to do. There'll be legal consequences to some of his actions. There's ongoing investigations in New York. And I think he's going to be distracted, as his political power wanes, distracted. Remember, whether Secretary Pompeo or others, ten or so younger men and women that look in the mirror every morning and see a future president in his party. They're going to come after him very hard once he leaves power."
Watch below:


alternet--2020-12-19--BUSTED? Why the numbers behind Mitch McConnell's re-election don't add up

On a Thursday in August in Louisville , months before the 2020 election , a parade of cars filled with Kentucky Teamster representatives and labor groups , showed their fury at Mitch McConnell 's constant blocking of critical COVID aid .
They drove by McConnell 's office raucously honking and bearing signs saying `` Mitch better have my money . ''
In 2017 , a Public Policy Polling Survey asked Kentuckians , `` Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Mitch McConnell 's job performance ? ''
Only 18 % approved .
He clawed his rating back up to 39 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
McConnell , leader of Senate Republicans , rarely holds town hall meetings with Kentucky voters—not since a heated exchange with an angry constituent went viral .
So , what exactly drove these angry Kentuckians to reelect Mitch McConnell with a 19-point advantage over opponent Amy McGrath—57.8 % to 38.2 % ?
Even as Republicans across the country still insist that the election was rife with fraudulent Democratic votes , no one 's asking how McConnell managed one of the most lopsided landslides of the Nov. 3 election .
They should .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raises significant questions about the vote tallies in McConnell 's state .
• McConnell racked up huge vote leads in traditionally Democratic strongholds , including counties that he had never before carried .
• There were wide , unexplained discrepancies between the vote counts for presidential candidates and down-ballot candidates .
• Significant anomalies exist in the state 's voter records .
Forty percent of the state 's counties carry more voters on their rolls than voting-age citizens .
• Kentucky and many other states using vote tabulation machines made by Election Systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at significant odds with pre-election polls .
DCReport focused on the results in three counties in eastern Kentucky 's Appalachian Mountains , two of which Democrats usually always win , but similar patterns emerge in other counties across the state .
Even in counties that voted overwhelmingly for Democrats as recently as the 2019 gubernatorial election , there were a staggering number of Democrats voting Republican in 2020 .
In rural Breathitt County , for instance , there are 9,508 registered Democrats and just 1,599 registered Republicans .
The county has a history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got only 1,652 votes versus 3,738 for McConnell , a 67 % to 29 % trouncing .
McGrath 's votes , if accurate , equaled only 17 % of registered Democrats in Breathitt County .
Conventional political wisdom in McConnell-land holds that these days `` ancestral Kentucky Democrats '' vote Republican , and analysts should n't correlate party registration with voting patterns .
But simply dismissing any anomalies based on anecdotal hearsay ignores the data and other possible explanations .
McConnell won Breathitt County in 2020 with 1,308 more votes than he received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race , which he won by fewer than 400 votes .
The 2019 governor 's race was also a squeaker in Breathitt County , but Democrat Andy Beshear eked out a 69-vote victory .
Beshear won the race statewide .
McConnell 's results were even more out of whack in two other nearby Appalachian counties .
In his six previous Senate elections , Elliott and Wolfe counties had never voted for McConnell .
Even up to last year , Elliott County remained reliably Democratic in non-presidential races , voting for the party 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2019 statewide elections .
Yet in 2020 , McConnell won 64 % of the votes in Wolfe County and 66 % of the votes in Elliott County .
McGrath only got 21 % of registered Democrats in Wolfe and 20 % in Elliott .
Next , take the premise that there would be some basic logic in the voting patterns of those who did vote Democratic .
One might expect a registered Democrat , who 's going to vote Democratic , would walk into the booth and cast their vote for both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the data tell another story .
In 119 of 120 counties , Amy McGrath got more votes than Joe Biden .
In some counties , the votes were close .
But in counties like Breathitt and Elliott , 1 out of 5 voters appear to have filled out their ballots with votes for both the female Democratic Amy McGrath and the Republican pussy-grabber Donald Trump .
Then there is the question of why a county like Breathitt has more registered voters than it has people of voting age ?
2019 population data shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approximately 23 % below the voting age of 18 .
This means approximately 9,700 people are of voting age , yet there are 11,497 registered voters .
Having 100 % of the voting-age population registered would be astounding enough , but Breathitt County appears to have almost 120 % more registered voters than age-eligible citizens .
And looking further , it appears this is not limited to Breathitt .
In November 2017 , Judicial Watch , a right-wing non-partisan foundation promoting transparency , sued Kentucky over its `` Dirty Voter Rolls '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lists .
The suit argued that 48 of the 120 Kentucky counties had more registered voters than citizens over the age of 18 and alleged that Kentucky was one of only three states with a statewide active registration rate greater than 100 % of the age-eligible citizen population .
Kentucky 's inflated voter rolls , and lack of transparency , provide a perfect cover for malfeasant behavior regarding the election results .
Turning an 18 % approval into a 58 % win may seem like a `` turning water into wine '' -style @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mirrors '' parlor trick seems more likely .
To better understand how the data could have been manipulated , look no further than Trump 's own legal filings .
In an incompetent post-election lawsuit , the Trump team may have intended to accuse Democrats of election fraud , but in describing a possible plot , they attributed the cheating to Trump himself .
In a Dec. 4 filing in Georgia , Trump 's legal team referred to a `` machine-controlled algorithm deliberately run '' by a voting machine vendor , Dominion Voting Systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took more than 2.5 % of the votes from Mr. Biden and flipped them to Mr .
Trump . ''
So Trump 's own legal team , instead of providing evidence of fraud by Biden 's side , may have inadvertently revealed fraud benefiting Trump .
In describing a deliberate , vendor installed , machine-controlled algorithm automatically taking a percentage of Biden 's votes and giving them to Trump , they certainly are outlining how fraud could have been executed .
Trump 's team claims Dominion was the machine vendor embedding algorithms to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointing to one machine vendor to distract from another ?
In Kentucky , when looking at counties where the numbers leap out on behalf of Mitch McConnell , none used Dominion machines .
Most used machines from Election Systems & Software ( ES & S ) , a Dominion competitor .
If you swap ES & S for Dominion in the alleged vote-flipping scheme , you may arrive at an alternate explanation for why Amy McGrath 's numbers were n't lining up and correlating with Biden 's .
To steal an election it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for each race on the ballot so results did not appear to be uniform .
Knowing the McGrath-McConnell race faced more nationwide scrutiny , schemers might have had to miscount votes by different margins in the presidential and Senate races .
Flipping more votes from Biden to Trump than McGrath votes to McConnell would explain her getting approximately 20 % more votes than the Democratic presidential candidate .
Significantly , Trump and his post-election legal team have pointed at Dominion voting machines and implored courts to look into this automated vote-flipping premise—but only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let 's test it in ES & S states like Kentucky where Trump won .
McConnell had his biggest percentage of registered Democrats voting Republican in counties using ES & S machines .
But he was n't the only senator to perform so well .
Other Republican incumbents , whom polls indicated would have close races , had similar luck to their majority leader on election day .
Lindsey Graham 's race in South Carolina was so tight that he infamously begged for money , yet he won with a comfortable 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout the state .
In Susan Collins 's Maine , where she never had a lead in a poll after July 2 , almost every ballot was fed through ES & S machines .
Kentucky , South Carolina , Maine , Texas , Iowa and Florida are all states that use ES & S machines .
Maybe the polls did n't actually get it wrong .
When Trump says `` look over here '' at Dominion voting machines , maybe we should look at ES & S machines instead .
When Republicans spout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , maybe we should be looking at Republican vote totals instead .
And when Trump calls this the most fraudulent election in our history , maybe he knows of what he speaks .
You can follow Alison Greene on Twitter @ GrassrootsSpeak .

On a Thursday in August in Louisville, months before the 2020 election, a parade of cars filled with Kentucky Teamster representatives and labor groups, showed their fury at Mitch McConnell's constant blocking of critical COVID aid. They drove by McConnell's office raucously honking and bearing signs saying "Mitch better have my money."
In 2017, a Public Policy Polling Survey asked Kentuckians, "Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Mitch McConnell's job performance?" Only 18% approved. He clawed his rating back up to 39% on the eve of the election.
McConnell, leader of Senate Republicans, rarely holds town hall meetings with Kentucky voters—not since a heated exchange with an angry constituent went viral.
1 out of 5 voters appear to have filled out their ballots with votes for both the female Democratic Amy McGrath and the Republican pussy-grabber Donald Trump.
So, what exactly drove these angry Kentuckians to reelect Mitch McConnell with a 19-point advantage over opponent Amy McGrath—57.8% to 38.2%?
Even as Republicans across the country still insist that the election was rife with fraudulent Democratic votes, no one's asking how McConnell managed one of the most lopsided landslides of the Nov. 3 election. They should. An investigation of Kentucky voting results by DCReport raises significant questions about the vote tallies in McConnell's state.
McConnell racked up huge vote leads in traditionally Democratic strongholds, including counties that he had never before carried.
There were wide, unexplained discrepancies between the vote counts for presidential candidates and down-ballot candidates.
Significant anomalies exist in the state's voter records. Forty percent of the state's counties carry more voters on their rolls than voting-age citizens.
Kentucky and many other states using vote tabulation machines made by Election Systems & Software all reported down-ballot race results at significant odds with pre-election polls.
[caption id="attachment_21747" align="aligncenter" width="625"] The 2020 Kentucky U.S. Senate election results map[/caption]
DCReport focused on the results in three counties in eastern Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains, two of which Democrats usually always win, but similar patterns emerge in other counties across the state. Even in counties that voted overwhelmingly for Democrats as recently as the 2019 gubernatorial election, there were a staggering number of Democrats voting Republican in 2020.
In rural Breathitt County, for instance, there are 9,508 registered Democrats and just 1,599 registered Republicans. The county has a history of close contests, but Amy McGrath got only 1,652 votes versus 3,738 for McConnell, a 67% to 29% trouncing. McGrath's votes, if accurate, equaled only 17% of registered Democrats in Breathitt County.
Conventional political wisdom in McConnell-land holds that these days "ancestral Kentucky Democrats" vote Republican, and analysts shouldn't correlate party registration with voting patterns. But simply dismissing any anomalies based on anecdotal hearsay ignores the data and other possible explanations. McConnell won Breathitt County in 2020 with 1,308 more votes than he received in the county's much closer 2014 race, which he won by fewer than 400 votes. The 2019 governor's race was also a squeaker in Breathitt County, but Democrat Andy Beshear eked out a 69-vote victory. Beshear won the race statewide.
McConnell's results were even more out of whack in two other nearby Appalachian counties. In his six previous Senate elections, Elliott and Wolfe counties had never voted for McConnell. Even up to last year, Elliott County remained reliably Democratic in non-presidential races, voting for the party's entire Democratic slate in both the 2015 and 2019 statewide elections. Yet in 2020, McConnell won 64% of the votes in Wolfe County and 66% of the votes in Elliott County. McGrath only got 21% of registered Democrats in Wolfe and 20% in Elliott.
Next, take the premise that there would be some basic logic in the voting patterns of those who did vote Democratic. One might expect a registered Democrat, who's going to vote Democratic, would walk into the booth and cast their vote for both Joe Biden and Amy McGrath. But the data tell another story. In 119 of 120 counties, Amy McGrath got more votes than Joe Biden. In some counties, the votes were close. But in counties like Breathitt and Elliott, 1 out of 5 voters appear to have filled out their ballots with votes for both the female Democratic Amy McGrath and the Republican pussy-grabber Donald Trump.
Then there is the question of why a county like Breathitt has more registered voters than it has people of voting age? 2019 population data shows that Breathitt County had 12,630 people with approximately 23% below the voting age of 18. This means approximately 9,700 people are of voting age, yet there are 11,497 registered voters. Having 100% of the voting-age population registered would be astounding enough, but Breathitt County appears to have almost 120% more registered voters than age-eligible citizens. And looking further, it appears this is not limited to Breathitt.
In November 2017, Judicial Watch, a right-wing non-partisan foundation promoting transparency, sued Kentucky over its "Dirty Voter Rolls" and its failure to maintain accurate voter registration lists. The suit argued that 48 of the 120 Kentucky counties had more registered voters than citizens over the age of 18 and alleged that Kentucky was one of only three states with a statewide active registration rate greater than 100% of the age-eligible citizen population. Kentucky's inflated voter rolls, and lack of transparency, provide a perfect cover for malfeasant behavior regarding the election results.
Turning an 18% approval into a 58% win may seem like a "turning water into wine"-style miracle, but a "smoke & mirrors" parlor trick seems more likely. To better understand how the data could have been manipulated, look no further than Trump's own legal filings. In an incompetent post-election lawsuit, the Trump team may have intended to accuse Democrats of election fraud, but in describing a possible plot, they attributed the cheating to Trump himself.
In a Dec. 4 filing in Georgia, Trump's legal team referred to a "machine-controlled algorithm deliberately run" by a voting machine vendor, Dominion Voting Systems. They allege this algorithm "generally took more than 2.5% of the votes from Mr. Biden and flipped them to Mr. Trump." So Trump's own legal team, instead of providing evidence of fraud by Biden's side, may have inadvertently revealed fraud benefiting Trump. In describing a deliberate, vendor installed, machine-controlled algorithm automatically taking a percentage of Biden's votes and giving them to Trump, they certainly are outlining how fraud could have been executed.
Trump's team claims Dominion was the machine vendor embedding algorithms to "flip" votes but is Trump pointing to one machine vendor to distract from another?
In Kentucky, when looking at counties where the numbers leap out on behalf of Mitch McConnell, none used Dominion machines. Most used machines from Election Systems & Software (ES&S), a Dominion competitor. If you swap ES&S for Dominion in the alleged vote-flipping scheme, you may arrive at an alternate explanation for why Amy McGrath's numbers weren't lining up and correlating with Biden's.
To steal an election it may make sense to use different algorithms for each race on the ballot so results did not appear to be uniform. Knowing the McGrath-McConnell race faced more nationwide scrutiny, schemers might have had to miscount votes by different margins in the presidential and Senate races. Flipping more votes from Biden to Trump than McGrath votes to McConnell would explain her getting approximately 20% more votes than the Democratic presidential candidate.
Significantly, Trump and his post-election legal team have pointed at Dominion voting machines and implored courts to look into this automated vote-flipping premise—but only in states that he lost. So, let's test it in ES&S states like Kentucky where Trump won.
McConnell had his biggest percentage of registered Democrats voting Republican in counties using ES&S machines. But he wasn't the only senator to perform so well. Other Republican incumbents, whom polls indicated would have close races, had similar luck to their majority leader on election day.
Lindsey Graham's race in South Carolina was so tight that he infamously begged for money, yet he won with a comfortable 10% lead—tabulated on ES&S machines throughout the state. In Susan Collins's Maine, where she never had a lead in a poll after July 2, almost every ballot was fed through ES&S machines. Kentucky, South Carolina, Maine, Texas, Iowa and Florida are all states that use ES&S machines. Maybe the polls didn't actually get it wrong.
When Trump says "look over here" at Dominion voting machines, maybe we should look at ES&S machines instead. When Republicans spout unfounded claims that Democrats stole the election, maybe we should be looking at Republican vote totals instead. And when Trump calls this the most fraudulent election in our history, maybe he knows of what he speaks.
You can follow Alison Greene on Twitter @GrassrootsSpeak.


alternet--2020-12-19--Officials apologize for vaccine chaos while insisting 20 million doses will still be delivered by ye

Officials apologize for vaccine chaos while insisting 20 million doses will still be delivered by year-end

A top-ranking federal government official has issued a statement of apology to address the confusion and `` miscommunication '' surrounding the distribution and allocation of Pfizer 's COVID-19 vaccine following several states reporting significant decreases in the number of doses they were set to receive .
On Saturday , Dec. 19 , Army Gen. Gustave Perna , who oversees all logistical operations for Operation Warp Speed , released a statement about the debacle suggesting that he initially released a `` forecasted '' number of doses for planning purposes as opposed to the actual number .
Describing the ordeal as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full responsibility for what occurred .
`` I accept responsibility for the miscommunication , '' Perna said .
`` So to the governors and the governor 's staffs ; please accept my personal apology .
If this was disruptive in your decision making and in your conversations with the people of your great state , I will work hard to correct this . ''
According to documentation obtained by The Hill , the U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals released a memo to governors confirming that Pfizer `` should have on-hand more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort . ''
The publication also offered a brief breakdown on the allocation of the doses ready for distribution .
Those doses include the 2.9 million that will be sent as a second dose in three weeks , the 500,000 in reserve , and 4 million doses allocated for next week , divided in half , with 2 million held by Pfizer as a second dose .
Perna also confirmed that report saying , `` '' All of these doses are spoken for .
If Pfizer has more releasable doses available , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
While Perna refrained from offering any specific details about what caused this week 's issues with the rollout of the vaccine , he did insist the government nor drug manufacturer are to blame .
`` There is a delay between what is available and what is releasable , because we 're talking about hundreds of thousands and millions of doses , that we want to make sure are right , '' Perna said .
He added , `` To this date to the best of my knowledge , there have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going from manufactured to releasable , it is just about the process that you have to go through to get to releasable . ''

A top-ranking federal government official has issued a statement of apology to address the confusion and "miscommunication" surrounding the distribution and allocation of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine following several states reporting significant decreases in the number of doses they were set to receive.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, Army Gen. Gustave Perna, who oversees all logistical operations for Operation Warp Speed, released a statement about the debacle suggesting that he initially released a "forecasted" number of doses for planning purposes as opposed to the actual number. Describing the ordeal as a "planning error," Perna accepted full responsibility for what occurred.
"I accept responsibility for the miscommunication," Perna said. "So to the governors and the governor's staffs; please accept my personal apology. If this was disruptive in your decision making and in your conversations with the people of your great state, I will work hard to correct this."
According to documentation obtained by The Hill, the U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals released a memo to governors confirming that Pfizer "should have on-hand more than 7 million doses for the U.S. vaccination effort." The publication also offered a brief breakdown on the allocation of the doses ready for distribution.
Those doses include the 2.9 million that will be sent as a second dose in three weeks, the 500,000 in reserve, and 4 million doses allocated for next week, divided in half, with 2 million held by Pfizer as a second dose.
Perna also confirmed that report saying, ""All of these doses are spoken for. If Pfizer has more releasable doses available, we will add them to allocations for distribution."
While Perna refrained from offering any specific details about what caused this week's issues with the rollout of the vaccine, he did insist the government nor drug manufacturer are to blame.
"There is a delay between what is available and what is releasable, because we're talking about hundreds of thousands and millions of doses, that we want to make sure are right," Perna said.
He added, "To this date to the best of my knowledge, there have been zero problems with the Pfizer vaccines, going from manufactured to releasable, it is just about the process that you have to go through to get to releasable."


alternet--2020-12-19--Here's how Trump aims to downplay Russian-linked cyberattack on the US

President Donald Trump responded to Russia 's cyberattack on various departments within the United States government and private companies around the country by downplaying the entire incident .
On Saturday , Dec. 19 , Trump shared a series of tweets slamming the reports circulating about the attack .
Instead of holding Russia accountable for the attack , Trump fired off at the media as he insisted the reports have fabricated .
`` The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality .
I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added , `` Russia , Russia , Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is , for mostly financial reasons , petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China ( it may ! )
.
There could also have been a hit on our ridiculous voting machines during the election , which is now obvious that I won big , making it an even more corrupted embarrassment for the USA . ''
Trump 's remarks came less than one full day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks .
During an appearance on `` The Mark Levin Show , '' Pompeo admitted that there is a clear indication that Russia is to blame .
`` This was a very significant effort , and I think it 's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity , '' Pompeo said .
`` I ca n't say much more as we 're still unpacking precisely what it is , and I 'm sure some of it will remain classified . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozen federal agencies , including the Department of Homeland Security 's cyber arm and the Departments of Agriculture , Commerce , Energy , and State , were included in the cyberattack .
However , investigators have yet to determine whether or not any sensitive data was accessed during the hack .
Pompeo said , `` Suffice it to say , there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of US government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump responded to Russia's cyberattack on various departments within the United States government and private companies around the country by downplaying the entire incident.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, Trump shared a series of tweets slamming the reports circulating about the attack. Instead of holding Russia accountable for the attack, Trump fired off at the media as he insisted the reports have fabricated.
"The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control," Trump said in a tweet.
He added, "Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!). There could also have been a hit on our ridiculous voting machines during the election, which is now obvious that I won big, making it an even more corrupted embarrassment for the USA."
Trump's remarks came less than one full day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo even admitted that Russia was behind the attacks. During an appearance on "The Mark Levin Show," Pompeo admitted that there is a clear indication that Russia is to blame.
"This was a very significant effort, and I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity," Pompeo said. "I can't say much more as we're still unpacking precisely what it is, and I'm sure some of it will remain classified."
According to CNN, nearly half a dozen federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security's cyber arm and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and State, were included in the cyberattack. However, investigators have yet to determine whether or not any sensitive data was accessed during the hack.
Pompeo said, "Suffice it to say, there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of US government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well."


alternet--2020-12-19--Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been reduced to selling cigars and coins on YouTube

Rudy Giuliani , the personal attorney of Donald Trump , has repeatedly and thoroughly discredited himself by pushing far-fetched lies about how President-elect Joe Biden allegedly stole the election .
But just when you thought he could n't get any lower , he 's now on YouTube selling cigars and gold coins on his personal YouTube channel .
As Giuliani 's 473,000+ subscribers on YouTube channel already know , the former New York mayor releases a weekly show of conservative spin .
The most recent installment claims that former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was colluding with Ukraine to benefit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrupt criminals and so on and so forth .
But the true highlights ( ? )
of his program are the commercials featuring him hawking commemorative coins and smokes .
Here 's a taste .
`` If you want a good cigar , go to a good cigar shop .
If you want the best , go to Famous Smoke shop , '' he begins .
`` Let Famous Smoke deliver your favorite cigars right to your doorstep at America 's lowest price ... .
From affordable everyday smokes to high-end luxury cigars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His coin advertisement is a bit more groan-worthy : '' I accomplished a lot in 2020 , exposing the truth , establishing the relationship with you , working tirelessly for America .
And I came to know the work and value of the people at American Hartford gold .
You see , you buy gold , not only for what you know .
But you buy gold for what you do n't know , '' he says .
`` Give them a call and tell them , Ruby sent you .
And be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And if you call them right now , they will give you up to $ 1,500 of free silver on your first order .
Folks , these are uncertain times .
The one thing you can count on , to protect what you have worked so hard for , is physical gold and silver . ''
While it 's hardly shocking for celebrities to appear in commercials for extra money , it 's rare if not completely unprecedented that the president 's own lawyer should push smokes and coins in their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you simply must , you can watch Giuliani 's coin advertisement in the video below from 10:56 to 12:29 .
The cigar ad runs from 21:50 to 23:20 .

Rudy Giuliani, the personal attorney of Donald Trump, has repeatedly and thoroughly discredited himself by pushing far-fetched lies about how President-elect Joe Biden allegedly stole the election. But just when you thought he couldn't get any lower, he's now on YouTube selling cigars and gold coins on his personal YouTube channel.
As Giuliani's 473,000+ subscribers on YouTube channel already know, the former New York mayor releases a weekly show of conservative spin. The most recent installment claims that former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was colluding with Ukraine to benefit Biden, and the Democrats are all corrupt criminals and so on and so forth.
But the true highlights(?) of his program are the commercials featuring him hawking commemorative coins and smokes. Here's a taste.
https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1339614011302825984
"If you want a good cigar, go to a good cigar shop. If you want the best, go to Famous Smoke shop," he begins. "Let Famous Smoke deliver your favorite cigars right to your doorstep at America's lowest price.... From affordable everyday smokes to high-end luxury cigars for your next special occasion."
His coin advertisement is a bit more groan-worthy:
"I accomplished a lot in 2020, exposing the truth, establishing the relationship with you, working tirelessly for America. And I came to know the work and value of the people at American Hartford gold. You see, you buy gold, not only for what you know. But you buy gold for what you don't know," he says. "Give them a call and tell them, Ruby sent you. And be sure to ask them what I bought. And if you call them right now, they will give you up to $1,500 of free silver on your first order. Folks, these are uncertain times. The one thing you can count on, to protect what you have worked so hard for, is physical gold and silver."
While it's hardly shocking for celebrities to appear in commercials for extra money, it's rare if not completely unprecedented that the president's own lawyer should push smokes and coins in their own self-published show of conspiracy theories.
If you simply must, you can watch Giuliani's coin advertisement in the video below from 10:56 to 12:29. The cigar ad runs from 21:50 to 23:20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ggxtLZCe8Y


alternet--2020-12-19--Experts express concern about mysterious shortage of promised COVID-19 vaccine doses

Pfizer began distributing its COVID-19 vaccine this week but the so-called `` light at the end of the tunnel '' already appears to have somewhat of a short circuit .
In just the first round of vaccine distribution , several states are already reporting that the federal government has drastically decreased its vaccine allocations .
Now health experts are raising questions about the mysterious decrease in vaccine doses .
According to Talking Points Memo , states across the country have reported declines in vaccine allocation while Pfizer reportedly has `` millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any shipment instructions for additional doses . ''
Many health experts have weighed in with their concerns and reactions to the confusion surrounding COVID-19 vaccine distribution and allocation noting a wide range of reasons that may be contributing to the mysterious stall .
Claire Hannan , executive director of the Association for Immunization Action Coalition , also highlighted the number of issues states could run into while trying to plan for distribution if there is no way to accurately determine the number of doses each state will receive .
`` It 's very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have any idea what you 're getting , or you have an idea that 's off , '' Hannan said .
As previously reported by Alternet , a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals pushed back against criticism of Operation Warp Speed 's distribution plans insisting `` allocation numbers locked in with states have not been changed or adjusted . ''
He also claimed the private-public sector initiative provides allocation reports one week in advance .
However , Hannan argues a different perspective insisting the Trump administration has been `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number to the final amount in the shipment queue hours before doses arrive . ''
`` Mathematically , there are more doses that need to be accounted for , '' Hannan said .
`` I think it 's really tough to then hear HHS come out and say that 's incorrect , that their allocations were n't cut , '' Hannan said .
`` And then hear them say that that 's a planning estimate , and do n't count on it until it 's actually in the queue to order . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , if we wait until something is in the queue to order , then there 's no planning at all .
The latest development is quite baffling for public health experts who are now wondering where the doses have gone .
Bruce Y. Lee , a health policy professor at City University of New York ( CUNY ) who was involved in the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine , also criticized the lack of coordination with vaccine distribution .
`` When vaccines get produced and they remain in the warehouse , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chain , '' Lee said .
`` That it was not coordinated . ''
He added , `` You ca n't have it both ways : if you 're going to coordinate when people come back for the second shot from the national level , then you need to decide how you 're going to distribute from the national level . ''

Pfizer began distributing its COVID-19 vaccine this week but the so-called "light at the end of the tunnel" already appears to have somewhat of a short circuit. In just the first round of vaccine distribution, several states are already reporting that the federal government has drastically decreased its vaccine allocations. Now health experts are raising questions about the mysterious decrease in vaccine doses.
According to Talking Points Memo, states across the country have reported declines in vaccine allocation while Pfizer reportedly has "millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses."
Many health experts have weighed in with their concerns and reactions to the confusion surrounding COVID-19 vaccine distribution and allocation noting a wide range of reasons that may be contributing to the mysterious stall. Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association for Immunization Action Coalition, also highlighted the number of issues states could run into while trying to plan for distribution if there is no way to accurately determine the number of doses each state will receive.
"It's very difficult to plan when you don't have any idea what you're getting, or you have an idea that's off," Hannan said.
As previously reported by Alternet, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals pushed back against criticism of Operation Warp Speed's distribution plans insisting "allocation numbers locked in with states have not been changed or adjusted." He also claimed the private-public sector initiative provides allocation reports one week in advance.
However, Hannan argues a different perspective insisting the Trump administration has been "defining down the "official" allocation number to the final amount in the shipment queue hours before doses arrive."
"Mathematically, there are more doses that need to be accounted for," Hannan said.
"I think it's really tough to then hear HHS come out and say that's incorrect, that their allocations weren't cut," Hannan said. "And then hear them say that that's a planning estimate, and don't count on it until it's actually in the queue to order."
She added, "If we do that, if we wait until something is in the queue to order, then there's no planning at all.
The latest development is quite baffling for public health experts who are now wondering where the doses have gone. Bruce Y. Lee, a health policy professor at City University of New York (CUNY) who was involved in the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine, also criticized the lack of coordination with vaccine distribution.
"When vaccines get produced and they remain in the warehouse, that means something went wrong with the supply chain," Lee said. "That it was not coordinated."
He added, "You can't have it both ways: if you're going to coordinate when people come back for the second shot from the national level, then you need to decide how you're going to distribute from the national level."


alternet--2020-12-19--Gov. Kemp posts photo from White House's maskless Christmas party days after being attacked by Trump

Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp ( R ) has been a target of opposition for President Donald Trump , his allies , and Republican leaders but apparently , that did not stop him from attending the White House Christmas party on Friday evening .
In fact , the embattled governor confirmed his attendance by sharing photos of him and his daughter , Lucy Kemp , at the event via Twitter .
With the photos , Kemp tweeted , `` Lucy and I had a great time at the @ WhiteHouse Christmas Party today .
Merry Christmas , everyone ! ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ photos to catch the attention of Trump campaign advisors and Republicans who are not too fond of Kemp at the moment .
Jenna Ellis , a senior legal advisor of the Trump campaign , expressed outrage over Kemp 's attendance while Blair Brandt , co-chair of the Trump Finance Committee , wondered how the Georgia governor was allowed to attend .
Kemp 's attendance at the White House Christmas party came just hours after he and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ( R ) were publicly lambasted by Trump on Twitter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted , `` Governor [ Brian Kemp ] of Georgia still has not called a Special Session .
So easy to do , why is he not doing it ?
It will give us the State .
MUST ACT NOW ! ''
Trump added , `` The Secretary of State and Governor of Georgia , both so-called `` Republicans '' , are n't allowing Fulton County to go through the vital Voter Signature Verification process .
Also , they are not allowing Republican `` watchers '' to be present and verify !
[ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly a week since the Electoral College confirmed President-elect Joe Biden 's win and , as of Saturday , Dec. 19 , Trump is still alleging widespread voter fraud .
However , his campaign legal team has failed to prove that his arguments have any merit .
More than 50 post-election lawsuits have been dismissed from courts across the United States .

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has been a target of opposition for President Donald Trump, his allies, and Republican leaders but apparently, that did not stop him from attending the White House Christmas party on Friday evening. In fact, the embattled governor confirmed his attendance by sharing photos of him and his daughter, Lucy Kemp, at the event via Twitter.
With the photos, Kemp tweeted, "Lucy and I had a great time at the @WhiteHouse Christmas Party today. Merry Christmas, everyone!"
It did not take long for the photos to catch the attention of Trump campaign advisors and Republicans who are not too fond of Kemp at the moment. Jenna Ellis, a senior legal advisor of the Trump campaign, expressed outrage over Kemp's attendance while Blair Brandt, co-chair of the Trump Finance Committee, wondered how the Georgia governor was allowed to attend.
Kemp's attendance at the White House Christmas party came just hours after he and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) were publicly lambasted by Trump on Twitter. On Friday, Dec. 18, Trump tweeted, "Governor [Brian Kemp] of Georgia still has not called a Special Session. So easy to do, why is he not doing it? It will give us the State. MUST ACT NOW!"
Trump added, "The Secretary of State and Governor of Georgia, both so-called "Republicans", aren't allowing Fulton County to go through the vital Voter Signature Verification process. Also, they are not allowing Republican "watchers" to be present and verify! [Brian Kemp]"
It has been nearly a week since the Electoral College confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's win and, as of Saturday, Dec. 19, Trump is still alleging widespread voter fraud. However, his campaign legal team has failed to prove that his arguments have any merit. More than 50 post-election lawsuits have been dismissed from courts across the United States.


alternet--2020-12-19--A complete mess: States push back against Pence's claims of strong vaccine rollout

Vice President Mike Pence has insisted that the Pfizer vaccine rollout would be a seamless process that will be `` out of the gate strong . ''
However , state and local officials have made it clear that this is not the case .
As the coronavirus continues to plague states across the country , state and local officials were faced with confusion as they worked to figure out why they would be receiving `` significantly '' fewer doses of the COVID vaccine than initially expected , according to The Daily Beast .
For the last several months , states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coordinate individual plans for vaccine distribution .
Although Operation Warp Speed —which is a public-private partnership to expedite the vaccine rollout— has lauded the administration 's distribution efforts as a breakthrough achievement , it appears the rollout is more turbulent that smooth and seamless .
It has been reported that state officials in several states , including Iowa , Kansas , Maryland , Michigan , Missouri , Nebraska , Georgia , and Washington State , have received up to 30 % fewer doses of the vaccine than the quantity they were previously promised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pfizer vaccine doses , the White House Coronavirus Task Force had not met to discuss resolutions for the problem , as of Friday .
When state officials contacted the federal government for guidance on the issue , no definitive answers were provided , which has only led to more confusion on how to proceed .
During a conference call with governors earlier this week , U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals ( HHS ) Secretary Alex Azar also expressed concern about the importance of adhering to shipping and distribution timelines Since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrated within 21 days of the first dose , delayed shipments , inaccurate quantities , and flawed timelines could open the door for an array of problems that could potentially arise in the very near future .
`` It 's a bit more of a complex math problem than simply saying , 'Go ahead and put 40 million doses out in December instead of 20 million , ' '' Azar explained .
On that call , Gov .
Roy Cooper ( D-N.C. ) also expressed the importance of states receiving accurate vaccine allocation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about vaccine distribution , a spokesperson for HHS defended Operation Warp Speed claiming the allocation concerns were incorrect due to shipments currently in progress .
`` Reports that jurisdictions ' allocations are being reduced are incorrect .
As was done with the initial shipments of Pfizer vaccine , jurisdictions will receive vaccine at different sites over several days , '' a spokesperson for HHS said .
`` Operation Warp Speed allocation numbers locked in with states have not been changed or adjusted . ''

Vice President Mike Pence has insisted that the Pfizer vaccine rollout would be a seamless process that will be "out of the gate strong." However, state and local officials have made it clear that this is not the case.
As the coronavirus continues to plague states across the country, state and local officials were faced with confusion as they worked to figure out why they would be receiving "significantly" fewer doses of the COVID vaccine than initially expected, according to The Daily Beast.
For the last several months, states have worked with the federal government to coordinate individual plans for vaccine distribution. Although Operation Warp Speed —which is a public-private partnership to expedite the vaccine rollout— has lauded the administration's distribution efforts as a breakthrough achievement, it appears the rollout is more turbulent that smooth and seamless.
It has been reported that state officials in several states, including Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Georgia, and Washington State, have received up to 30% fewer doses of the vaccine than the quantity they were previously promised.
Despite concerns about the limited number of Pfizer vaccine doses, the White House Coronavirus Task Force had not met to discuss resolutions for the problem, as of Friday. When state officials contacted the federal government for guidance on the issue, no definitive answers were provided, which has only led to more confusion on how to proceed.
During a conference call with governors earlier this week, U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar also expressed concern about the importance of adhering to shipping and distribution timelines Since the second dose of the vaccine must be administrated within 21 days of the first dose, delayed shipments, inaccurate quantities, and flawed timelines could open the door for an array of problems that could potentially arise in the very near future.
"It's a bit more of a complex math problem than simply saying, 'Go ahead and put 40 million doses out in December instead of 20 million,'" Azar explained.
On that call, Gov. Roy Cooper (D-N.C.) also expressed the importance of states receiving accurate vaccine allocation numbers each week. Despite growing concerns about vaccine distribution, a spokesperson for HHS defended Operation Warp Speed claiming the allocation concerns were incorrect due to shipments currently in progress.
"Reports that jurisdictions' allocations are being reduced are incorrect. As was done with the initial shipments of Pfizer vaccine, jurisdictions will receive vaccine at different sites over several days," a spokesperson for HHS said. "Operation Warp Speed allocation numbers locked in with states have not been changed or adjusted."