talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--AZ GOP Cites ‘Copyright Concerns’ After Deleting Incendiary Rambo Tweet

The Arizona Republican Party on Tuesday said that it took down its incendiary tweet boosting President Trump ’ s long-shot efforts to challenge President-elect Joe Biden ’ s legitimate victory in the battleground state due to “ copyright concerns.
” The now-deleted tweet , which featured a clip from the film “ Rambo , ” was taken down following backlash for appearing to encourage violence .
In a tweet posted Tuesday morning , the party retweeted a post from a pro-Trump “ Stop the Steal ” organizer declaring : “ I am willing to give my life for this fight.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” the Arizona GOP ’ s account quote-tweeted .
About an hour later , the party posted a clip from the action movie “ Rambo ” in a now-deleted tweet .
In the clip , Rambo threatens to shoot another character in the face with an arrow .
The tweet also quoted Rambo ’ s line in the clip : “ This is what we do , who we are .
Live for nothing , or die for something.
” The tweet nodding to “ Rambo ” was swiftly torched by Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-AZ ) , for appearing to encourage violence to push for Trump ’ s virtually nonexistent chances of a second term .
In an email to the Phoenix New Times on Tuesday , Arizona GOP communications director Zachery Henry bypassed the backlash over the now-deleted tweet by saying that it was taken down “ due to concerns about copyright and fair use law.
” “ The Republican Party of Arizona condemns all forms of violence in the strongest terms .
Fictional movie scenes should be weighed in their proper context , ” Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email .
“ However , due to concerns about copyright and fair use law , this clip has been removed.
” The Arizona GOP ’ s incendiary tweet was posted amid Trump ’ s refusal to concede and his legal battles in battleground states contesting President-elect Joe Biden ’ s legitimate victory proving fruitless .
Last week , Trump went after Arizona Gov .
Doug Ducey ( R ) for certifying the battleground state ’ s election results , which prompted the Republican governor to debunk the sitting president ’ s unsubstantiated claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rudy Giuliani , who headed up Trump ’ s efforts to overturn election results , held both a hearing and a meeting mask-free with Republicans in Arizona just days before Trump announced that the former New York City mayor tested positive COVID-19 on Sunday .
Hours after Trump announced Giuliani ’ s COVID-19 diagnosis , the entire state legislature decided to shut down this week .

The Arizona Republican Party on Tuesday said that it took down its incendiary tweet boosting President Trump’s long-shot efforts to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s legitimate victory in the battleground state due to “copyright concerns.”
The now-deleted tweet, which featured a clip from the film “Rambo,” was taken down following backlash for appearing to encourage violence.
In a tweet posted Tuesday morning, the party retweeted a post from a pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” organizer declaring: “I am willing to give my life for this fight.”
“He is. Are you?” the Arizona GOP’s account quote-tweeted.
He is. Are you? https://t.co/OY8qxNMPxm — Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) December 8, 2020
About an hour later, the party posted a clip from the action movie “Rambo” in a now-deleted tweet. In the clip, Rambo threatens to shoot another character in the face with an arrow.
The tweet also quoted Rambo’s line in the clip: “This is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing, or die for something.”
The tweet nodding to “Rambo” was swiftly torched by Twitter users, including Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), for appearing to encourage violence to push for Trump’s virtually nonexistent chances of a second term.
WTF is wrong with you? You are calling for violence against fellow Americans over conspiracy theories? You will never understand the seriousness of taking a life or laying do one’s life. Don’t joke about this. https://t.co/7mrJWaCJM3 — Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) December 8, 2020
In an email to the Phoenix New Times on Tuesday, Arizona GOP communications director Zachery Henry bypassed the backlash over the now-deleted tweet by saying that it was taken down “due to concerns about copyright and fair use law.”
“The Republican Party of Arizona condemns all forms of violence in the strongest terms. Fictional movie scenes should be weighed in their proper context,” Henry told the Phoenix New Times in an email. “However, due to concerns about copyright and fair use law, this clip has been removed.”
The Arizona GOP’s incendiary tweet was posted amid Trump’s refusal to concede and his legal battles in battleground states contesting President-elect Joe Biden’s legitimate victory proving fruitless.
Last week, Trump went after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) for certifying the battleground state’s election results, which prompted the Republican governor to debunk the sitting president’s unsubstantiated claims on widespread voter fraud.
Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who headed up Trump’s efforts to overturn election results, held both a hearing and a meeting mask-free with Republicans in Arizona just days before Trump announced that the former New York City mayor tested positive COVID-19 on Sunday.
Hours after Trump announced Giuliani’s COVID-19 diagnosis, the entire state legislature decided to shut down this week.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--How A Lawyer For Eastern European Oligarchs Fueled The Fever Dream Of An Election Reversal

Bruce Marks has a story to tell .
He ’ s been a consultant this year on President Trump ’ s futile and ham-handed bid to overturn the results of the election in Pennsylvania .
But Marks , a 63-year old attorney to oligarchs in the former Soviet space and a one-time Pennsylvania state senator , says that he got there by a weird and circuitous path , one that involved Don McGahn , a stolen election , and Trump himself on a helicopter .
Marks represents Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky , and , through his firm Marks & Sokolov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moneyed interests in Ukraine , Russia , and Kazakhstan — so far as they have business to settle in the U.S. FEC records show that the Trump campaign paid $ 161,841 to Marks ’ firm in the 2020 campaign .
But what drew the Trump campaign to Marks and Marks to the Trump campaign wasn ’ t his familiarity with the rough-and-tumble world of post-Soviet business .
Rather , it was a bizarre 1994 episode of electoral fraud that led to a unique episode in the annals of American political history : the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already-certified election .
The 1994 absentee ballot fraud scheme bears no resemblance to anything that happened in the 2020 election , but the outcome of the case bears a striking resemblance to what the Trump campaign sought to achieve in federal court : a federal judiciary willing to overturn the results of an already-certified election .
The story reads like a vivid fever dream of Dem-heavy , big city corruption .
Marks ran for state senator as a Republican in 1993 after , Marks told TPM , leading “ the legal fight against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a special election , a low-turnout affair with a high-stakes twist : control of the state Senate , long held by the Democratic party , would hinge on the result .
Local Democrats nominated William Stinson , a bar owner and former Philadelphia assistant deputy mayor , who Marks described as “ a party hack ward leader.
” “ They came up with a scheme to steal the election with absentee ballots , ” Marks told TPM .
According to a subsequent ruling from a federal district judge , that “ scheme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absentee ballots in favor of Marks ’ opponent , allegedly abetted by campaign volunteers .
Two election commissioners later admitted under oath to being aware of the fraud , and a federal court found that the election had been stolen .
Marks told TPM that he had gotten a tip from a local city councilman a few weeks before the election to “ watch out ” for the issue , which led him to begin checking for fraud .
What resulted was a once-in-a-blue-moon case that was buttressed in part by extensive investigative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key component , among many , missing from the bogus 2020 claims .
Elections officials gave the paper access to 1,757 absentee votes cast in the election , Marc Duvoisin , a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter who covered the scandal , told TPM .
Reporters tracked down and interviewed more than 1,500 of the voters — an effort that Duvoisin said involved the paper ’ s entire metro desk .
Eventually , the Inquirer concluded that 540 of the absentee votes had been contaminated .
Voters were called in to testify about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Duvoisin , now the editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Express-News , emphasized that the case bore little resemblance to 2020 , in part because absentee voting is much more widely accepted and because the Trump campaign , unlike Marks in 1994 , was unable to substantiate any of its claims and has been roundly rejected by the courts .
In February 1994 , a federal court validated Marks ’ claims , overturning the results of the election post-certification .
An appeals court partly upheld the ruling , after ordering the lower court to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until it found that the margin of absentee ballots tampered with likely exceeded the difference by which Marks initially lost .
Marks was seated in the middle of the term , giving Republicans control of the Pennsylvania state Senate .
“ That ’ s being cited in a lot of these pleadings , ” Duvoisin told TPM , referring to a federal judge overturning the result in 1994 .
“ The court can do that , but the difference in the Marks case was that there was an abundance of testimony in court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Marks invited Trump to a 1994 fundraiser for his re-election .
Trump , Marks said , arrived on a black helicopter , with “ Trump ” emblazoned on both sides .
“ When it landed , it almost took the tents down , ” said Marks , who recalled being awestruck by his appearance .
“ Before [ Trump ] went to speak , we got to talking and he asked me what happened in my election , ” Marks said .
“ I told him bad things happen in Philadelphia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that there were officials who were knowingly participating in the fraud.
” Trump tweeted about it last month , quoting a tweet that cited the New York Times ’ coverage of Marks ’ race .
“ I guess he took notice of it , ” Marks deadpanned .
Marks ’ comments come as the sun sets on President Trump ’ s attempts to overturn the election via the courts .
Tuesday marks the “ safe harbor ” deadline by which all state results are certified .
The attorney said that he fell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics , seeing the future President at a few fundraisers here and there but focusing instead on opening an office in Russia for his law firm .
In fact , Marks recalled , it wasn ’ t until a real estate conference in Moscow that he reconnected with the Trump family .
“ Don Jr. was speaking at a real estate event that we were sponsoring in Moscow , ” Marks said .
“ So I interacted with him , explained who I was .
It ’ s a small world .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he went to Penn , his dad went to Penn , I told him how his dad helped me.
” But it wasn ’ t Marks ’ connections to the Trumps that led to the President ’ s campaign becoming a client .
Instead , Marks said , it was Don McGahn .
The 1994 case attracted a lot of attention in GOP circles .
Among those who took notice was McGahn , then a law student at Widener University , who came to help , Marks said .
In 2016 , McGahn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign on a Pennsylvania lawsuit brought by the state Democratic party .
In 2020 , Marks , faced with claims he saw as solid , took Trump ’ s campaign on as a client once again .
Correction : this article has been updated to reflect that Marks was a consultant , not a litigator for the Trump campaign .

Bruce Marks has a story to tell.
He’s been a consultant this year on President Trump’s futile and ham-handed bid to overturn the results of the election in Pennsylvania.
But Marks, a 63-year old attorney to oligarchs in the former Soviet space and a one-time Pennsylvania state senator, says that he got there by a weird and circuitous path, one that involved Don McGahn, a stolen election, and Trump himself on a helicopter.
Marks represents Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, and, through his firm Marks & Sokolov, has made a career of representing moneyed interests in Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan — so far as they have business to settle in the U.S.
FEC records show that the Trump campaign paid $161,841 to Marks’ firm in the 2020 campaign.
But what drew the Trump campaign to Marks and Marks to the Trump campaign wasn’t his familiarity with the rough-and-tumble world of post-Soviet business.
Rather, it was a bizarre 1994 episode of electoral fraud that led to a unique episode in the annals of American political history: the federal judiciary overturning the results of an already-certified election.
The 1994 absentee ballot fraud scheme bears no resemblance to anything that happened in the 2020 election, but the outcome of the case bears a striking resemblance to what the Trump campaign sought to achieve in federal court: a federal judiciary willing to overturn the results of an already-certified election.
The story reads like a vivid fever dream of Dem-heavy, big city corruption.
Marks ran for state senator as a Republican in 1993 after, Marks told TPM, leading “the legal fight against forced busing in Northeast Philadelphia.”
It was a special election, a low-turnout affair with a high-stakes twist: control of the state Senate, long held by the Democratic party, would hinge on the result.
Local Democrats nominated William Stinson, a bar owner and former Philadelphia assistant deputy mayor, who Marks described as “a party hack ward leader.”
“They came up with a scheme to steal the election with absentee ballots,” Marks told TPM.
According to a subsequent ruling from a federal district judge, that “scheme” involved hundreds of residents submitting fraudulent absentee ballots in favor of Marks’ opponent, allegedly abetted by campaign volunteers.
Two election commissioners later admitted under oath to being aware of the fraud, and a federal court found that the election had been stolen.
Marks told TPM that he had gotten a tip from a local city councilman a few weeks before the election to “watch out” for the issue, which led him to begin checking for fraud.
What resulted was a once-in-a-blue-moon case that was buttressed in part by extensive investigative reporting from the Philadelphia Inquirer — a key component, among many, missing from the bogus 2020 claims.
Elections officials gave the paper access to 1,757 absentee votes cast in the election, Marc Duvoisin, a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter who covered the scandal, told TPM.
Reporters tracked down and interviewed more than 1,500 of the voters — an effort that Duvoisin said involved the paper’s entire metro desk.
Eventually, the Inquirer concluded that 540 of the absentee votes had been contaminated. Voters were called in to testify about what had happened during federal court hearings.
Duvoisin, now the editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Express-News, emphasized that the case bore little resemblance to 2020, in part because absentee voting is much more widely accepted and because the Trump campaign, unlike Marks in 1994, was unable to substantiate any of its claims and has been roundly rejected by the courts.
In February 1994, a federal court validated Marks’ claims, overturning the results of the election post-certification. An appeals court partly upheld the ruling, after ordering the lower court to delay Marks’ certification as the winner until it found that the margin of absentee ballots tampered with likely exceeded the difference by which Marks initially lost.
Marks was seated in the middle of the term, giving Republicans control of the Pennsylvania state Senate.
“That’s being cited in a lot of these pleadings,” Duvoisin told TPM, referring to a federal judge overturning the result in 1994. “The court can do that, but the difference in the Marks case was that there was an abundance of testimony in court by voters.”
After Marks’ victory, Marks invited Trump to a 1994 fundraiser for his re-election.
Trump, Marks said, arrived on a black helicopter, with “Trump” emblazoned on both sides.
“When it landed, it almost took the tents down,” said Marks, who recalled being awestruck by his appearance.
“Before [Trump] went to speak, we got to talking and he asked me what happened in my election,” Marks said. “I told him bad things happen in Philadelphia, how we fought the corrupt Democrat machine, that there were officials who were knowingly participating in the fraud.”
Trump tweeted about it last month, quoting a tweet that cited the New York Times’ coverage of Marks’ race.
Wow. This is exactly what happened to us. Great courage by judge! https://t.co/p86FXdcBl2 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2020
“I guess he took notice of it,” Marks deadpanned.
Marks’ comments come as the sun sets on President Trump’s attempts to overturn the election via the courts. Tuesday marks the “safe harbor” deadline by which all state results are certified.
The attorney said that he fell out of touch with Trump after leaving politics, seeing the future President at a few fundraisers here and there but focusing instead on opening an office in Russia for his law firm.
In fact, Marks recalled, it wasn’t until a real estate conference in Moscow that he reconnected with the Trump family.
“Don Jr. was speaking at a real estate event that we were sponsoring in Moscow,” Marks said. “So I interacted with him, explained who I was. It’s a small world. I told him I went to Penn, he went to Penn, his dad went to Penn, I told him how his dad helped me.”
But it wasn’t Marks’ connections to the Trumps that led to the President’s campaign becoming a client. Instead, Marks said, it was Don McGahn.
The 1994 case attracted a lot of attention in GOP circles. Among those who took notice was McGahn, then a law student at Widener University, who came to help, Marks said.
In 2016, McGahn would ask Marks to help the Trump campaign on a Pennsylvania lawsuit brought by the state Democratic party. In 2020, Marks, faced with claims he saw as solid, took Trump’s campaign on as a client once again.
Correction: this article has been updated to reflect that Marks was a consultant, not a litigator for the Trump campaign.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--Judge Takes Parting Shot At DOJ While Dismissing Case Against Pardoned Flynn

Following President Trump ’ s controversial pardon , U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan dismissed the pending criminal case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn , bringing to a close one of the most dramatic episodes in the Russia investigation and subsequent interference at the Justice Department to undercut it .
In an order Tuesday , Sullivan said he was granting the motion to dismiss the case as moot due to last month ’ s pardon .
The order was accompanied by a 43-page opinion ( below ) .
“ Because the law recognizes the President ’ s political power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dismiss this case as moot , ” Sullivan said .
Quoting another court case , however , Sullivan said that , “ pardon ’ does not , standing alone , render [ Mr. Flynn ] innocent of the alleged violation.
’ ” Trump ’ s pardon came after the Justice Department spent months trying to get the case dismissed on the grounds that it no longer believed Flynn ’ s prosecution was warranted .
Sullivan ’ s efforts to probe the reasons for the Justice Department ’ s sudden and highly unusual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request to drop the case — prompted a protracted court battle over the limits of executive and judicial power under the Constitution .
Flynn pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation to making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials .
Much of the Sullivan ’ s written opinion explores his thinking about the Justice Department ’ s shocking May request to drop the case .
The Justice Department reversal came after it had long defended the Flynn prosecution , even as Flynn himself tried to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sullivan writes that the reasons DOJ gave at the time for wanting the case dropped were “ pretextual , particularly in view of the surrounding circumstances.
” The two main rationales the Justice Department gave to explain the dismissal “ were dubious to say the least , arguably overcoming the strong presumption of regularity that usually attaches to prosecutorial decisions , ” Sullivan writes .
The argument that the Justice Department made about Flynn ’ s lies to the FBI not being material to the investigation was a “ perplexing ” argument , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ odds with previous claims the government made in the case .
The Justice Department could not “ direct the Court ’ s attention to any other case in which it has advanced this highly-constrained interpretation of materiality as applied to a false statements case , ” Sullivan writes .
Sullivan , addressing the second rationale the Justice Department provided , questions its suggestions that the government was no longer confident that Flynn willingly lied .
Sullivan also questions the the argument the Justice Department made when supporting Flynn ’ s bid to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s handling of the matter .
The position that the DOJ took at one of those hearings , that the court would have no discretion to deny a dismissal request in the event that it was undisputed that the attorney general received a bribe for the dismissal , was “ remarkable , ” Sullivan writes .
Nevertheless , Sullivan says that the question of whether he would have granted the May dismissal request was a “ close ” one.
” However , in view of the President ’ s decision to pardon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acceptance of the pardon , and for the reasons stated in the following section , the appropriate resolution is to deny as moot the government ’ s motion to dismiss , ” he writes .

Following President Trump’s controversial pardon, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan dismissed the pending criminal case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, bringing to a close one of the most dramatic episodes in the Russia investigation and subsequent interference at the Justice Department to undercut it.
In an order Tuesday, Sullivan said he was granting the motion to dismiss the case as moot due to last month’s pardon. The order was accompanied by a 43-page opinion (below).
“Because the law recognizes the President’s political power to pardon, the appropriate course is to dismiss this case as moot,” Sullivan said. Quoting another court case, however, Sullivan said that, “pardon ’does not, standing alone, render [Mr. Flynn] innocent of the alleged violation.’”
Trump’s pardon came after the Justice Department spent months trying to get the case dismissed on the grounds that it no longer believed Flynn’s prosecution was warranted.
Sullivan’s efforts to probe the reasons for the Justice Department’s sudden and highly unusual reversal — rather than immediately grant its request to drop the case — prompted a protracted court battle over the limits of executive and judicial power under the Constitution.
Flynn pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation to making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials.
Much of the Sullivan’s written opinion explores his thinking about the Justice Department’s shocking May request to drop the case. The Justice Department reversal came after it had long defended the Flynn prosecution, even as Flynn himself tried to walk away from his guilty pleas. Sullivan writes that the reasons DOJ gave at the time for wanting the case dropped were “pretextual, particularly in view of the surrounding circumstances.”
The two main rationales the Justice Department gave to explain the dismissal “were dubious to say the least, arguably overcoming the strong presumption of regularity that usually attaches to prosecutorial decisions,” Sullivan writes.
The argument that the Justice Department made about Flynn’s lies to the FBI not being material to the investigation was a “perplexing” argument, Sullivan writes, as it was at odds with previous claims the government made in the case. The Justice Department could not “direct the Court’s attention to any other case in which it has advanced this highly-constrained interpretation of materiality as applied to a false statements case,” Sullivan writes.
Sullivan, addressing the second rationale the Justice Department provided, questions its suggestions that the government was no longer confident that Flynn willingly lied.
Sullivan also questions the the argument the Justice Department made when supporting Flynn’s bid to get an appeals court to intervene in Sullivan’s handling of the matter.
The position that the DOJ took at one of those hearings, that the court would have no discretion to deny a dismissal request in the event that it was undisputed that the attorney general received a bribe for the dismissal, was “remarkable,” Sullivan writes.
Nevertheless, Sullivan says that the question of whether he would have granted the May dismissal request was a “close” one.” However, in view of the President’s decision to pardon Mr. Flynn, Mr. Flynn’s acceptance of the pardon, and for the reasons stated in the following section, the appropriate resolution is to deny as moot the government’s motion to dismiss,” he writes.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--Total Breakdown: There’s Still No Money For Mass COVID Vaccinations

As public health chief for the county of 530,000 , it ’ s Iulia Vann ’ s job to fight it with any tool she has .
The most effective option — a COVID-19 vaccine — is about to come online .
But for Vann and many others in her position around the country , the question of how to get the shot into the arms of 330 million Americans remains unaddressed .
Congress has yet to appropriate any money for vaccine distribution .
While the federal government has spent billions of dollars developing vaccines to prevent COVID-19 , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the purpose of conducting the inoculation campaign itself .
Guilford County , which received $ 94 million in CARES Act funding that expires Dec. 31 , expects to scrape together $ 1.2 million for public health in 2021 .
“ We ’ re trying to get it done , but it ’ s going to be hard , ” Vann told TPM .
“ It ’ s disheartening to see that we don ’ t have that support to do our work without having to worry.
” In many cases , TPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a similar place to Guilford County ’ s : they ’ ve spent months focused on fighting the pandemic , but have only just begun to plan for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine en masse .
As they turn to that task , they face little help from the federal government ; as the months have gone by , Congress has been unable to reach a deal on money for vaccine distribution .
Already burdened by limited budgets and what CDC Director Robert Redfield described as the “ the most difficult ” months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , local departments could face delays in getting the life-saving shot out to their populations absent federal support as they lack cash to hire vaccinators , spread the word about how to get the vaccine and ensure that people show up for both shots of the two-dose inoculation .
The Department of Health and Humans Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have doled out around $ 340 million to the states in funding for vaccine distribution .
But that falls far short of the $ 8.4 billion that state officials say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s going to show itself in a slower response , potentially missing the folks who are oftentimes missed when it comes to efforts like this , ” Adriane Casalotti , chief of government relations at the National Association of City and County Health Officials , told TPM .
Congress passed the CARES Act in March , which granted billions of dollars in funds for local governments around the country to fight COVID-19 with an expiration date of Dec. 31 .
The money was not targeted specifically at public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money to their public health departments .
Since then , the Trump administration has developed plans to vaccinate the initial categories of recipients — health care workers and nursing home residents — through distribution to hospitals and via a public-private partnership with pharmacies for long-term care .
But the question of who will vaccinate the rest — the vast majority — of the population falls to the states and their constituent local public health departments .
The hard-hit state of Wisconsin is slated to receive 65,000 doses of the vaccine in the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said Monday that she anticipates the first doses will be given out before the end of December .
It ’ ll take a “ number of months ” to vaccinate everyone in Wisconsin , Van Dijk said — and the state still needs to find the money to do it .
The state will need at least $ 12 million for vaccine distribution , according to Gov .
Tony Evers ( D ) , part of an additional $ 466 million to fight virus .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week that he ’ d sent letters to the Wisconsin congressional delegation and HHS begging for more federal funding .
At the same press conference , Health Services Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm said that the state was also looking into alternative revenue streams , to create some kind of safety net should Congress fail to act again .
She mentioned a $ 2 million grant from the CDC for which the state is currently applying .
“ At the end of the day , the federal government needs to step up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health departments nationwide are already cash-strapped heading into 2021 , in part because CARES Act funding expires Dec. 31 .
They don ’ t have enough money on their own to fund their anti-COVID operations , which already far exceed the cost of their normal operations .
At the same time , they ’ re being asked to plan to distribute a COVID vaccine without any additional funding , putting additional strain on resources that are already woefully insufficient .
Jeff Duchin , public health chief for King County , Washington , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county had enough money to fund a little more than a month of operations in 2021 — and that doesn ’ t including vaccine planning .
He referred to Operation Warp Speed , the Trump administration ’ s effort to accelerate vaccine development , as “ operation status quo with respect to providing the federal funding needed for state and local health departments to actually get the vaccine to the population.
” That means that in many cases , even as the vaccine becomes available , plans for how to distribute it remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s vaccine distribution plan does name local public health departments as part of the coordination and distribution effort , some Wisconsin counties told TPM they were awaiting clarity from the state on how distribution would work .
“ Although we expect to be involved in vaccine distribution , the state health department ’ s plan does not at this time include a public health role , ” said Sarah Mattes , communications supervisor for Public Health Madison & Dane County , home to Madison .
Waukesha County near Milwaukee , the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preparing to serve as a “ community partner ” in the vaccine distribution process , a county spokesperson told TPM .
“ It is likely that federal aid would fund staffing to help coordinate vaccination efforts at the local level , ” Waukesha County Health and Human Services spokesperson Linda Wickstrom said , adding that plans had not yet been developed for the county to know where else future federal funding would be needed .
Pamela Brown , public health chief for Lenoir County , North Carolina , told TPM last week that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan , complete with requests for supplies .
But , she said , the planning for distribution is coming amid a surge of cases in the area .
“ When we have a spike of cases , I don ’ t get a spike in staff , ” Brown said .
But the problems with lack of funding will likely become more acute as the vaccine itself becomes more widely available .
Vann , the Guilford County health department leader , said that it would be extremely difficult for her office to train @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area en masse .
She would like to hire vaccinators , but the end of CARES Act funds on Dec. 31 and lack of new money made the task nearly impossible .
“ We don ’ t have the funds to support additional staff or overtime for our team members , who are working 80 hours per week , ” Vann said .
“ That really affects the entire process.
” She added that while the county planned on opening vaccination sites , it wasn ’ t yet clear where the money would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ll have to shift things around in our own regular operations , ” Vann said .
“ The bottom line is that we will find ways to do it — but it ’ s just going to be really difficult , and I don ’ t want to lose my team because we ’ re trying so hard.
” Casalotti , the NACCHO official , told TPM that even if Congress were to fund the effort tomorrow , it could take weeks for the money to arrive due to red tape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how to move federal funds to the country ’ s disparate 3,000 public health departments .
“ So much of this response has been in crisis mode , asking how to fund what should have already been going on , how do we put out fires , ” Casalotti said .
“ We ’ ve been asking for months and months now to make these investments as one area where we wouldn ’ t have to put out a fire after it started .
But we ’ re now at a place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This story has been updated .

Guilford County, North Carolina’s positivity rate is ticking up.
As public health chief for the county of 530,000, it’s Iulia Vann’s job to fight it with any tool she has.
The most effective option — a COVID-19 vaccine — is about to come online. But for Vann and many others in her position around the country, the question of how to get the shot into the arms of 330 million Americans remains unaddressed.
Congress has yet to appropriate any money for vaccine distribution. While the federal government has spent billions of dollars developing vaccines to prevent COVID-19, not a single federal dollar has been passed for the purpose of conducting the inoculation campaign itself.
Guilford County, which received $94 million in CARES Act funding that expires Dec. 31, expects to scrape together $1.2 million for public health in 2021.
“We’re trying to get it done, but it’s going to be hard,” Vann told TPM. “It’s disheartening to see that we don’t have that support to do our work without having to worry.”
In many cases, TPM found, local public health departments are in a similar place to Guilford County’s: they’ve spent months focused on fighting the pandemic, but have only just begun to plan for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine en masse. As they turn to that task, they face little help from the federal government; as the months have gone by, Congress has been unable to reach a deal on money for vaccine distribution.
Already burdened by limited budgets and what CDC Director Robert Redfield described as the “the most difficult” months in the history of U.S. public health, local departments could face delays in getting the life-saving shot out to their populations absent federal support as they lack cash to hire vaccinators, spread the word about how to get the vaccine and ensure that people show up for both shots of the two-dose inoculation.
The Department of Health and Humans Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have doled out around $340 million to the states in funding for vaccine distribution. But that falls far short of the $8.4 billion that state officials say is needed to effectively deploy the vaccine.
“It’s going to show itself in a slower response, potentially missing the folks who are oftentimes missed when it comes to efforts like this,” Adriane Casalotti, chief of government relations at the National Association of City and County Health Officials, told TPM.
Problems in the states
Congress passed the CARES Act in March, which granted billions of dollars in funds for local governments around the country to fight COVID-19 with an expiration date of Dec. 31.
The money was not targeted specifically at public health, though many local governments allocated the money to their public health departments.
Since then, the Trump administration has developed plans to vaccinate the initial categories of recipients — health care workers and nursing home residents — through distribution to hospitals and via a public-private partnership with pharmacies for long-term care.
But the question of who will vaccinate the rest — the vast majority — of the population falls to the states and their constituent local public health departments.
The hard-hit state of Wisconsin is slated to receive 65,000 doses of the vaccine in the next two weeks, and Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said Monday that she anticipates the first doses will be given out before the end of December. It’ll take a “number of months” to vaccinate everyone in Wisconsin, Van Dijk said — and the state still needs to find the money to do it.
The state will need at least $12 million for vaccine distribution, according to Gov. Tony Evers (D), part of an additional $466 million to fight virus. A weary Evers said during a press conference last week that he’d sent letters to the Wisconsin congressional delegation and HHS begging for more federal funding.
At the same press conference, Health Services Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm said that the state was also looking into alternative revenue streams, to create some kind of safety net should Congress fail to act again. She mentioned a $2 million grant from the CDC for which the state is currently applying.
“At the end of the day, the federal government needs to step up to the plate,” Evers sighed.
Early-stage planning
Public health departments nationwide are already cash-strapped heading into 2021, in part because CARES Act funding expires Dec. 31. They don’t have enough money on their own to fund their anti-COVID operations, which already far exceed the cost of their normal operations. At the same time, they’re being asked to plan to distribute a COVID vaccine without any additional funding, putting additional strain on resources that are already woefully insufficient.
Jeff Duchin, public health chief for King County, Washington, where Seattle is located, said that his county had enough money to fund a little more than a month of operations in 2021 — and that doesn’t including vaccine planning.
He referred to Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s effort to accelerate vaccine development, as “operation status quo with respect to providing the federal funding needed for state and local health departments to actually get the vaccine to the population.”
That means that in many cases, even as the vaccine becomes available, plans for how to distribute it remain in their early stages. Though Wisconsin’s vaccine distribution plan does name local public health departments as part of the coordination and distribution effort, some Wisconsin counties told TPM they were awaiting clarity from the state on how distribution would work.
“Although we expect to be involved in vaccine distribution, the state health department’s plan does not at this time include a public health role,” said Sarah Mattes, communications supervisor for Public Health Madison & Dane County, home to Madison.
Waukesha County near Milwaukee, the state’s third most populous, is preparing to serve as a “community partner” in the vaccine distribution process, a county spokesperson told TPM.
“It is likely that federal aid would fund staffing to help coordinate vaccination efforts at the local level,” Waukesha County Health and Human Services spokesperson Linda Wickstrom said, adding that plans had not yet been developed for the county to know where else future federal funding would be needed.
Hard trade offs
Pamela Brown, public health chief for Lenoir County, North Carolina, told TPM last week that her office had begun developing its vaccination plan, complete with requests for supplies. But, she said, the planning for distribution is coming amid a surge of cases in the area.
“When we have a spike of cases, I don’t get a spike in staff,” Brown said.
But the problems with lack of funding will likely become more acute as the vaccine itself becomes more widely available.
Vann, the Guilford County health department leader, said that it would be extremely difficult for her office to train and hire new staff to vaccinate the area en masse. She would like to hire vaccinators, but the end of CARES Act funds on Dec. 31 and lack of new money made the task nearly impossible.
“We don’t have the funds to support additional staff or overtime for our team members, who are working 80 hours per week,” Vann said. “That really affects the entire process.”
She added that while the county planned on opening vaccination sites, it wasn’t yet clear where the money would come from to operate them.
“We’ll have to shift things around in our own regular operations,” Vann said. “The bottom line is that we will find ways to do it — but it’s just going to be really difficult, and I don’t want to lose my team because we’re trying so hard.”
Casalotti, the NACCHO official, told TPM that even if Congress were to fund the effort tomorrow, it could take weeks for the money to arrive due to red tape and the lack of a clear mechanism on how to move federal funds to the country’s disparate 3,000 public health departments.
“So much of this response has been in crisis mode, asking how to fund what should have already been going on, how do we put out fires,” Casalotti said. “We’ve been asking for months and months now to make these investments as one area where we wouldn’t have to put out a fire after it started. But we’re now at a place where it’s past time.”
This story has been updated.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--Report: Doug Jones Is Top Contender For Attorney General In Biden Administration

President-elect Joe Biden is strongly considering tapping outgoing Alabama Sen. Doug Jones ( D ) to serve as Attorney General in his incoming administration , NBC News reported on Tuesday .
The news comes after earlier reports that Judge Merrick Garland , a former Obama nominee for the Supreme Court , was discussed as a potential pick for the top Justice Department job .
While vowing to ensure an apolitical Justice Department , Biden has also pledged to boost funding to the Justice Department ’ s Civil Rights Division amid wider efforts to address issues of racial injustice — an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. attorney in Alabama .
Years after the 1963 Baptist church bombing that killed four Black girls , Jones brought charges against two more Ku Klux Klan members in an effort that further energized the civil rights movement .
Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is also among the leading candidates for the role .
Yates was fired by Trump less than two weeks after he became president , for refusing to back his travel ban on visitors from Muslim majority countries .
She also vouched for Biden at the Democratic National Convention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don Verrilli suggested at a virtual event last month at the Brennan Center for Justice that Biden ’ s attorney general pick , when confirmed , will be tasked not only with rebuilding public trust but also rebuilding confidence in the agency from the inside after “ President Trump took a sledgehammer to the integrity of the Department of Justice.
” “ I think we have to not only rebuild the public ’ s confidence in the Department of Justice as an institution , we have to rebuild the sense of confidence and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been so terribly , terribly damaged over the last three and a half years , ” Verrilli said .

President-elect Joe Biden is strongly considering tapping outgoing Alabama Sen. Doug Jones (D) to serve as Attorney General in his incoming administration, NBC News reported on Tuesday.
NBC News' Kristen Welker reported on Tuesday that Doug Jones is "right now the leading choice" as pick for Attorney General in the incoming Biden administration. pic.twitter.com/KZq448kIzi — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 8, 2020
The news comes after earlier reports that Judge Merrick Garland, a former Obama nominee for the Supreme Court, was discussed as a potential pick for the top Justice Department job.
While vowing to ensure an apolitical Justice Department, Biden has also pledged to boost funding to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division amid wider efforts to address issues of racial injustice — an effort championed by Jones while serving as U.S. attorney in Alabama. Years after the 1963 Baptist church bombing that killed four Black girls, Jones brought charges against two more Ku Klux Klan members in an effort that further energized the civil rights movement.
Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is also among the leading candidates for the role. Yates was fired by Trump less than two weeks after he became president, for refusing to back his travel ban on visitors from Muslim majority countries. She and Jones also both vouched for Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Former Obama-era Solicitor General Don Verrilli suggested at a virtual event last month at the Brennan Center for Justice that Biden’s attorney general pick, when confirmed, will be tasked not only with rebuilding public trust but also rebuilding confidence in the agency from the inside after “President Trump took a sledgehammer to the integrity of the Department of Justice.”
“I think we have to not only rebuild the public’s confidence in the Department of Justice as an institution, we have to rebuild the sense of confidence and integrity on the inside, because it’s been so terribly, terribly damaged over the last three and a half years,” Verrilli said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--Toomey Calls Latest Trump Gambit In PA ‘Completely Unacceptable’

Sen. Pat Toomey ( R-PA ) on Tuesday called out President Trump for his “ completely unacceptable ” attempt at persuading state lawmakers to overturn Pennsylvania ’ s election results that handed President-elect Joe Biden a win in the battleground state .
Toomey ’ s condemnation of Trump comes amid the sitting president ’ s refusal to concede and most congressional Republicans refusing to recognize Biden as President-elect as they egg on Trump ’ s flailing legal battles contesting the legitimacy of the election process .
In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday , Toomey said that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Biden in a phone call last week as he congratulated the President-elect and discussed some areas where they might be able to cooperate , such as on international trade .
Toomey , who is not seeking re-election in 2022 , condemned Trump in light of the Washington Post ’ s report that the President called the Republican speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives , Bryan Cutler , twice as part of his flailing attempts to overturn election results .
According to the Post , Cutler told Trump the state legislature does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s chosen slate of electors .
However , Cutler was among several dozen GOP state lawmakers who urged Pennsylvania ’ s congressional delegation to object to the state ’ s electoral slate when Congress formally accepts the results in early January .
Toomey told the Inquirer that moves by Trump and some Republicans endanger the public ’ s trust in the legitimacy of the election process .
Toomey cited Attorney General Bill Barr and numerous judges who couldn ’ t find evidence of Trump ’ s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fingers at Democrats by arguing that the way Trump has been “ treated for the last four years by the left and the press ” also factors into people losing confidence in the election process .
“ It ’ s also important to point out that this isn ’ t the only thing that has undermined people ’ s confidence in our government and our electoral system , ” Toomey told the Inquirer .
“ A lot of Republicans across the commonwealth and across the country are sympathetic to some of the allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve witnessed the way he ’ s been treated for the last four years by the left and the press.
” Toomey went on to reiterate that the sitting president ’ s unfounded election fraud allegations have not been proven in court .
“ So in my view the outcome of the election is clear and that is that Joe Biden won the election , ” Toomey told the Inquirer .
“ But I understand why people are upset and why they are inclined to listen to these allegations that have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations waged by Trump are “ all very very unhelpful to people ’ s confidence in our government .
”

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) on Tuesday called out President Trump for his “completely unacceptable” attempt at persuading state lawmakers to overturn Pennsylvania’s election results that handed President-elect Joe Biden a win in the battleground state.
Toomey’s condemnation of Trump comes amid the sitting president’s refusal to concede and most congressional Republicans refusing to recognize Biden as President-elect as they egg on Trump’s flailing legal battles contesting the legitimacy of the election process.
In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday, Toomey said that he “had a very pleasant conversation” with Biden in a phone call last week as he congratulated the President-elect and discussed some areas where they might be able to cooperate, such as on international trade.
Toomey, who is not seeking re-election in 2022, condemned Trump in light of the Washington Post’s report that the President called the Republican speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Bryan Cutler, twice as part of his flailing attempts to overturn election results.
According to the Post, Cutler told Trump the state legislature does not have the authority to overturn Pennsylvania’s chosen slate of electors. However, Cutler was among several dozen GOP state lawmakers who urged Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to object to the state’s electoral slate when Congress formally accepts the results in early January.
Toomey told the Inquirer that moves by Trump and some Republicans endanger the public’s trust in the legitimacy of the election process. Toomey cited Attorney General Bill Barr and numerous judges who couldn’t find evidence of Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud.
Toomey, however, also pointed fingers at Democrats by arguing that the way Trump has been “treated for the last four years by the left and the press” also factors into people losing confidence in the election process.
“It’s also important to point out that this isn’t the only thing that has undermined people’s confidence in our government and our electoral system,” Toomey told the Inquirer. “A lot of Republicans across the commonwealth and across the country are sympathetic to some of the allegations being made by the president because they’ve witnessed the way he’s been treated for the last four years by the left and the press.”
Toomey went on to reiterate that the sitting president’s unfounded election fraud allegations have not been proven in court.
“So in my view the outcome of the election is clear and that is that Joe Biden won the election,” Toomey told the Inquirer. “But I understand why people are upset and why they are inclined to listen to these allegations that have not been substantiated.”
Toomey added the baseless allegations waged by Trump are “all very very unhelpful to people’s confidence in our government.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-08--Trump Campaign Lawyer Tests Positive For COVID After Attending WH Party

Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis , Rudy Giuliani ’ s fellow crony in the President ’ s unsuccessful war against the election , has tested positive for COVID-19 , according to Axios , ABC News , and Bloomberg News .
Ellis attended a White House Christmas party for senior staff as trade adviser Peter Navarro ’ s guest on Friday , where she reportedly was not seen wearing a mask .
She also spent last week traveling with Giuliani , who confirmed on Sunday that he had tested positive for the virus and is currently hospitalized , on their absurd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let President Donald Trump steal electors from President-elect Joe Biden .
Neither of the attorneys wore masks during their stops , which saw both of them freely peddle bunk conspiracy theories about election fraud , and Arizona ’ s state legislature is closed for the week thanks to Giuliani ’ s diagnosis .
An angry senior official told Axios that Ellis “ had the nerve to show up at the senior staff Christmas party knowing everyone was furious with her for constantly stirring Trump up with nonsense.
” The Trump campaign did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment .

Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis, Rudy Giuliani’s fellow crony in the President’s unsuccessful war against the election, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Axios, ABC News, and Bloomberg News.
Ellis attended a White House Christmas party for senior staff as trade adviser Peter Navarro’s guest on Friday, where she reportedly was not seen wearing a mask.
She also spent last week traveling with Giuliani, who confirmed on Sunday that he had tested positive for the virus and is currently hospitalized, on their absurd tour to convince Republican state lawmakers to let President Donald Trump steal electors from President-elect Joe Biden. Neither of the attorneys wore masks during their stops, which saw both of them freely peddle bunk conspiracy theories about election fraud, and Arizona’s state legislature is closed for the week thanks to Giuliani’s diagnosis.
An angry senior official told Axios that Ellis “had the nerve to show up at the senior staff Christmas party knowing everyone was furious with her for constantly stirring Trump up with nonsense.”
The Trump campaign did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--PA GOP Leader: My House Would Get ‘Bombed’ If I Didn’t Want To Help Trump Overturn Election

Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward ( R ) laid out in stark terms the pressure she and other Republicans are experiencing from their base to boost President Donald Trump ’ s corrupt war against the 2020 election results .
In an interview with the New York Times published on Wednesday , Ward described the backlash that she would ’ ve been dealt if she openly stated that she didn ’ t want to sign her fellow Republican colleagues ’ letter last week requesting that federal Pennsylvania lawmakers invalidate the state ’ s Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you , ‘ I don ’ t want to do it , ’ I ’ d get my house bombed tonight , ” Ward said .
The Republican leader told the Times that she did not join the other 64 Pennsylvania Republicans who signed the letter because she did not see it before it was sent last Friday .
Ward also said that Trump had called her to claim her state ’ s voting process had been plagued by voter fraud ( no such voter fraud has been proven to exist , contrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar to how the President called Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler ( R ) twice last week to get the state ’ s majority-GOP legislature to send pro-Trump electors instead of the electors Biden won .
Cutler rejected Trump ’ s push but signed the letter to Congress .

Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R) laid out in stark terms the pressure she and other Republicans are experiencing from their base to boost President Donald Trump’s corrupt war against the 2020 election results.
In an interview with the New York Times published on Wednesday, Ward described the backlash that she would’ve been dealt if she openly stated that she didn’t want to sign her fellow Republican colleagues’ letter last week requesting that federal Pennsylvania lawmakers invalidate the state’s Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
“If I would say to you, ‘I don’t want to do it,’ I’d get my house bombed tonight,” Ward said.
The Republican leader told the Times that she did not join the other 64 Pennsylvania Republicans who signed the letter because she did not see it before it was sent last Friday.
Ward also said that Trump had called her to claim her state’s voting process had been plagued by voter fraud (no such voter fraud has been proven to exist, contrary to Trumpland’s claims), similar to how the President called Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R) twice last week to get the state’s majority-GOP legislature to send pro-Trump electors instead of the electors Biden won. Cutler rejected Trump’s push but signed the letter to Congress.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--Nevada Supreme Court Rejects Trump Campaign Effort To Overturn Election Results

The Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled to reject an appeal late Tuesday from President Donald Trump ’ s campaign to overturn the election results in the state , dealing another blow to the one-term president ’ s efforts to undermine the integrity of the vote in one of the battleground states that he lost in last month ’ s election .
Trump and his allies have now lost dozens of court cases , failing many times over to demonstrate any evidence of voter fraud that they have claimed tainted the Nov. 3 election that delivered a win to President-elect Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week by a district court in Nevada that ruled the Trump campaign had not backed up its claim that voting machines had malfunctioned and that results for the presidential race in the state which Biden won by a margin of more than 33,500 votes , had been manipulated .
“ We also are not convinced that the district court erred in applying a burden of proof by clear and convincing evidence , as supported by the cases cited in the district court ’ s order , ” the Nevada Supreme Court wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Tuesday marked what ’ s known as the safe harbor deadline for states to resolve disputes arising from the election , per Reuters .
Congress will consider a state ’ s election result to be “ conclusive ” if it is finalized by that date under U.S. law .
In a pressure campaign that has had little success in court but has still raked in millions in fundraising , Trump reportedly also made multiple calls earlier this week pleading with Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler ( R ) to inquire about overturning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keystone State in yet another fruitless effort to hijack the election results and hand him an illegitimate win .
Nevada ’ s Republican Party on Tuesday said it was “ extremely disappointed ” by the court ’ s decision to bat down Trump ’ s false fraud claims .
“ We were not afforded an opportunity to write our brief or argue the case in front of the Court , ” Nevada ’ s GOP wrote in a statement .
“ Full denial of legitimate due process and appellate rights is truly unprecedented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follows an earlier one by the GOP in Arizona who posted several inflammatory tweets — suggesting a willingness to fight to the death in efforts to overturn the election in another battleground state lost by Trump last month .

The Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled to reject an appeal late Tuesday from President Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the election results in the state, dealing another blow to the one-term president’s efforts to undermine the integrity of the vote in one of the battleground states that he lost in last month’s election.
Trump and his allies have now lost dozens of court cases, failing many times over to demonstrate any evidence of voter fraud that they have claimed tainted the Nov. 3 election that delivered a win to President-elect Joe Biden.
The decision affirms one made last week by a district court in Nevada that ruled the Trump campaign had not backed up its claim that voting machines had malfunctioned and that results for the presidential race in the state which Biden won by a margin of more than 33,500 votes, had been manipulated.
“We also are not convinced that the district court erred in applying a burden of proof by clear and convincing evidence, as supported by the cases cited in the district court’s order,” the Nevada Supreme Court wrote in its judgement.
The news comes as Tuesday marked what’s known as the safe harbor deadline for states to resolve disputes arising from the election, per Reuters. Congress will consider a state’s election result to be “conclusive” if it is finalized by that date under U.S. law.
The ruling in Nevada followed yet another fruitless effort to hijack the election results and hand Trump an illegitimate win when the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute attempt to overturn election results in Pennsylvania.
Nevada’s Republican Party on Tuesday said it was “extremely disappointed” by the court’s decision to bat down Trump’s false fraud claims.
“We were not afforded an opportunity to write our brief or argue the case in front of the Court,” Nevada’s GOP wrote in a statement. “Full denial of legitimate due process and appellate rights is truly unprecedented, shocking and extraordinary.”
The statement follows an earlier one by the GOP in Arizona who posted several inflammatory tweets earlier in the day that suggested a willingness by some Trump supporters to fight to the death in efforts to overturn the election in another battleground state lost by Trump last month.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--Idaho Anti-Maskers Delay Local Vote On COVID Measures By Swarming Home Of Health Official

The home of a county commissioner in Idaho was surrounded by anti-mask demonstrators on Tuesday night , forcing Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo to abruptly leave a virtual public health meeting and the meeting to be cancelled 15 minutes after it started , by the recommendation of local officials as protesters swarmed outside the Central District Health office .
According to the Idaho Statesmen , Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee asked the CDH board to quickly adjourn a meeting where a vote on a public health order aimed at combatting the spread of coronavirus was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns amid demonstrations against the pack of measures .
Hundreds of demonstrators protested the order , which among other restrictions , would have limited gathering to fewer than 10 people and required face masks be worn in public and private around non-household members when social distancing is not possible .
The news comes as more than 111,800 coronavirus cases and at least 1,055 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the state as infections continue to multiply .
According to the Statesmen , Lachiondo , in tears , told the board members upon her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone as demonstrators banged outside of her door .
Another board member said protesters had swarmed outside of his house as well .
Dr. Ted Epperly , told the Statesman that roughly 15 people were gathered outside of his home , “ beating garbage cans and flashing strobe lights through my windows .
Two came up and knocked on my door during the meeting.
” Boise police took custody of at least one protester for trespassing , according to a police statement .
“ This has gone too far , ” per the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a Boise City Council meeting with regard to the anti-mask demonstrations .
“ We ’ re at a point now that we need to remind ourselves this is not who we are.
” According to the Washington Post , the protests on Friday and Tuesday were organized by a network of right-wing activists called People ’ s Rights — founded by anti-masker and anti-government activist Ammon Bundy .
The abrupt conclusion to Tuesday ’ s virtual meeting followed a tense meeting last week that delayed voting on the measures after it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force their way into the CDH building .
A vote on the measures has now been postponed to an unspecified date .
Gov .
Brad Little ( R ) condemned the protesters ’ appearance at a public official ’ s private residence in a statement on Tuesday .
“ It is nothing more than a bullying tactic that seeks to silence .
Our right to free speech should not be used to intimidate and scare others , ” he wrote .
“ There is no place for this behavior in Idaho .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get through the pandemic together , stronger.
” The Boise mayor similarly urged an end to threats of violence and intimidation .
“ No child should be frightened by a mob of protesters , ” McLean said in a statement Tuesday , “ No local official should fear violence for their public service .
”

The home of a county commissioner in Idaho was surrounded by anti-mask demonstrators on Tuesday night, forcing Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo to abruptly leave a virtual public health meeting and the meeting to be cancelled 15 minutes after it started, by the recommendation of local officials as protesters swarmed outside the Central District Health office.
According to the Idaho Statesmen, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee asked the CDH board to quickly adjourn a meeting where a vote on a public health order aimed at combatting the spread of coronavirus was scheduled to take place due to safety concerns amid demonstrations against the pack of measures.
Hundreds of demonstrators protested the order, which among other restrictions, would have limited gathering to fewer than 10 people and required face masks be worn in public and private around non-household members when social distancing is not possible.
The news comes as more than 111,800 coronavirus cases and at least 1,055 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the state as infections continue to multiply.
According to the Statesmen, Lachiondo, in tears, told the board members upon her sudden departure that her son was home alone as demonstrators banged outside of her door.
Another board member said protesters had swarmed outside of his house as well. Dr. Ted Epperly, told the Statesman that roughly 15 people were gathered outside of his home, “beating garbage cans and flashing strobe lights through my windows. Two came up and knocked on my door during the meeting.”
Boise police took custody of at least one protester for trespassing, according to a police statement.
“This has gone too far,” per the Statesmen, McLean said later on Tuesday at a Boise City Council meeting with regard to the anti-mask demonstrations. “We’re at a point now that we need to remind ourselves this is not who we are.”
According to the Washington Post, the protests on Friday and Tuesday were organized by a network of right-wing activists called People’s Rights — founded by anti-masker and anti-government activist Ammon Bundy.
The abrupt conclusion to Tuesday’s virtual meeting followed a tense meeting last week that delayed voting on the measures after it was interrupted by anti-mask demonstrators who attempted to force their way into the CDH building. A vote on the measures has now been postponed to an unspecified date.
Gov. Brad Little (R) condemned the protesters’ appearance at a public official’s private residence in a statement on Tuesday.
“It is nothing more than a bullying tactic that seeks to silence. Our right to free speech should not be used to intimidate and scare others,” he wrote. “There is no place for this behavior in Idaho. I urge calm among Idahoans so we can get through the pandemic together, stronger.”
The Boise mayor similarly urged an end to threats of violence and intimidation.
“No child should be frightened by a mob of protesters,” McLean said in a statement Tuesday, “No local official should fear violence for their public service.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--Biden Picks Tom Vilsack To Return To Role As Agriculture Secretary

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — President-elect Joe Biden made two key domestic policy picks Tuesday , selecting former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role along with Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary in his administration , according to five people familiar with the decisions .
The picks highlighted Biden ’ s delicate balancing act as he builds out his Cabinet , seeking to diversify his picks and reward the coalitions that helped elect him while also following his instincts to surround himself with close allies who served in the Obama administration .
Vilsack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration and served two terms as Iowa governor .
Their intended nominations were confirmed to The Associated Press by five people familiar with one or both of the decisions who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the president-elect ’ s announcement .
Vilsack was selected in part because of the heightened hunger crisis facing the nation and the need to ensure someone was ready to run the department on day one , according to those briefed on the decision .
Biden ’ s relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an early supporter of Biden ’ s first campaign for president in 1988 while Vilsack was the mayor of Mount Pleasant , Iowa .
He endorsed Biden a year before the 2020 election and campaigned tirelessly for him in Iowa , the nation ’ s first caucus state .
Biden adopted aspects of Vilsack ’ s rural policy agenda as Democrats look to make up ground they ’ ve lost to Republicans in rural areas over the past decade .
Vilsack entered politics in large part because of tragedy , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a city council meeting in 1986 .
Vilsack , then a young lawyer , had grown up in Pittsburgh and moved with his wife , Christie , to her Iowa hometown .
He was recruited to seek the mayor ’ s office , then served two terms in the Iowa Senate before being the first Democrat to win the governorship in 30 years .
After two terms , Vilsack ran a 10-week campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination before withdrawing and throwing his support to Hillary Clinton , even as Biden remained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finalist for Clinton ’ s running mate that year .
Politico first reported the news of Fudge ’ s selection , while Axios was first to report Vilsack as agriculture secretary .
___ Lemire reported from Wilmington , Del .
Associated Press writers Alan Fram in Washington , Kat Stafford in Detroit , Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines , Iowa , and Michael Casey in Concord , N.H. , contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden made two key domestic policy picks Tuesday, selecting former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role along with Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary in his administration, according to five people familiar with the decisions.
The picks highlighted Biden’s delicate balancing act as he builds out his Cabinet, seeking to diversify his picks and reward the coalitions that helped elect him while also following his instincts to surround himself with close allies who served in the Obama administration.
Vilsack spent eight years as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration and served two terms as Iowa governor.
Their intended nominations were confirmed to The Associated Press by five people familiar with one or both of the decisions who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the president-elect’s announcement.
Vilsack was selected in part because of the heightened hunger crisis facing the nation and the need to ensure someone was ready to run the department on day one, according to those briefed on the decision.
Biden’s relationship with Vilsack goes back decades. He was an early supporter of Biden’s first campaign for president in 1988 while Vilsack was the mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He endorsed Biden a year before the 2020 election and campaigned tirelessly for him in Iowa, the nation’s first caucus state. Biden adopted aspects of Vilsack’s rural policy agenda as Democrats look to make up ground they’ve lost to Republicans in rural areas over the past decade.
Vilsack entered politics in large part because of tragedy, when the mayor of Mount Pleasant was gunned down at a city council meeting in 1986. Vilsack, then a young lawyer, had grown up in Pittsburgh and moved with his wife, Christie, to her Iowa hometown. He was recruited to seek the mayor’s office, then served two terms in the Iowa Senate before being the first Democrat to win the governorship in 30 years.
After two terms, Vilsack ran a 10-week campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination before withdrawing and throwing his support to Hillary Clinton, even as Biden remained among the field. Vilsack was a finalist for Clinton’s running mate that year.
Politico first reported the news of Fudge’s selection, while Axios was first to report Vilsack as agriculture secretary.
___
Lemire reported from Wilmington, Del. Associated Press writers Alan Fram in Washington, Kat Stafford in Detroit, Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, and Michael Casey in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--Report: Biden Considering Buttigieg For China Ambassador Spot

President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly eyeing ex-fellow Democratic primary candidate Pete Buttigieg as his pick for ambassador to China .
@ @ @ @ @ that the former South Bend , Indiana mayor is a contender for that role .
@ @ @ @ @ being considered to head the Transportation or Commerce departments , or some another leadership position @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic primaries , Buttigieg dropped out of the race two days before Super Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ pave the way for the former vice president ’ s sweeping victory .

President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly eyeing ex-fellow Democratic primary candidate Pete Buttigieg as his pick for ambassador to China.
Axios reported on Tuesday night that the former South Bend, Indiana mayor is a contender for that role. He’s also reportedly being considered to head the Transportation or Commerce departments, or some another leadership position in domestic affairs.
During the Democratic primaries, Buttigieg dropped out of the race two days before Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden, helping pave the way for the former vice president’s sweeping victory.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--CNN’s Tapper Blasts Trump’s ‘Clownish Coup Attempt’ At Overturning Election Results

CNN anchor Jake Tapper excoriated President Trump and some Republicans for their “ clownish coup attempt ” at delegitimizing the election process as the sitting president ’ s flailing legal battles contesting the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory have proven fruitless .
On Wednesday , the Trump campaign , as well 17 red states , formally indicated their support of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’ s lawsuit , which seeks to reverse Trump ’ s defeat in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Wisconsin and Michigan .
Paxton alleges that because those states adjusted their election practices for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislatures , the legislatures — all Republican — should be allowed to appoint their own electors to the Electoral College .
In addition to Trump announcing his support for Paxton ’ s lawsuit , Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt , a Republican , filed an amicus brief in support of the Texas lawsuit challenging election results in battleground states .
On Wednesday afternoon , Tapper torched Trump and those in his “ ride-or-die brigade in Congress ” for urging their Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill to also join the amicus brief .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have discussed this lawsuit on the show before , and it ’ s not taken seriously by any credible legal experts on the left or the right , ” Tapper said .
Tapper went on to dismiss Texas ’ lawsuit as “ full of nonsense and conspiracy theories ” as he slammed the Republican Party , which he argued is at a point where “ if you cross the President , you actually fear for your life.
” Tapper later referenced Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward ( R ) saying she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if she defied Trump .
Piggybacking off of CNN political reporter Gloria Borger ’ s remarks decrying Trump ’ s concerted attempts at pressuring state lawmakers and officials to intervene on his behalf in order to overturn election results , which she described as “ election tampering , ” Tapper didn ’ t mince words as he aired his grievances over Republicans ’ push for Trump ’ s virtually nonexistent chances of a second term .
“ It is a clownish , and it will be a failed attempt , at a coup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ But it is absolutely disgraceful .
There ’ s really no other word for it other than that .
”

CNN anchor Jake Tapper excoriated President Trump and some Republicans for their “clownish coup attempt” at delegitimizing the election process as the sitting president’s flailing legal battles contesting the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory have proven fruitless.
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign, as well 17 red states, formally indicated their support of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit, which seeks to reverse Trump’s defeat in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan. Paxton alleges that because those states adjusted their election practices for the pandemic without explicit approval from their legislatures, the legislatures — all Republican — should be allowed to appoint their own electors to the Electoral College.
In addition to Trump announcing his support for Paxton’s lawsuit, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, filed an amicus brief in support of the Texas lawsuit challenging election results in battleground states.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tapper torched Trump and those in his “ride-or-die brigade in Congress” for urging their Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill to also join the amicus brief.
“We have to point out, we have discussed this lawsuit on the show before, and it’s not taken seriously by any credible legal experts on the left or the right,” Tapper said.
Tapper went on to dismiss Texas’ lawsuit as “full of nonsense and conspiracy theories” as he slammed the Republican Party, which he argued is at a point where “if you cross the President, you actually fear for your life.”
Tapper later referenced Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R) saying she’d get her “house bombed” if she defied Trump.
Piggybacking off of CNN political reporter Gloria Borger’s remarks decrying Trump’s concerted attempts at pressuring state lawmakers and officials to intervene on his behalf in order to overturn election results, which she described as “election tampering,” Tapper didn’t mince words as he aired his grievances over Republicans’ push for Trump’s virtually nonexistent chances of a second term.
“It is a clownish, and it will be a failed attempt, at a coup, a non-violent coup,” Tapper said. “But it is absolutely disgraceful. There’s really no other word for it other than that.”
Watch Tapper’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--AZ GOP Chair Says Trump Called Her Up After Court Smacked Down Election Challenge

Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward on Wednesday gleefully touted that President Trump called her up that morning asking her for an “ update ” on her party ’ s efforts to challenge the state ’ s election results .
The presidential call came a day after the state ’ s Supreme Court swatted down her challenge to void President-elect Joe Biden ’ s win .
Ward sought to have a judge in Maricopa County Superior Court void Biden ’ s 10,457-vote win in Arizona .
In her claim , Ward challenged the signature verification process used by Maricopa County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the duplication process election officials used to count ballots that tabulation machines couldn ’ t read .
Superior Court Judge Randall Warner said that Ward ’ s team failed to produce evidence of ballot fraud .
After Ward appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court , Chief Justice Robert Brutinel agreed with Warner in an order issued Tuesday .
Brutinel wrote that Ward ’ s challenge failed to “ present any evidence of ‘ misconduct , ’ ‘ illegal votes ’ or that the Biden Electors ‘ did not in fact receive the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let alone establish any degree of fraud or a sufficient error rate that would undermine the certainty of the election results.
” In a statement issued later Tuesday night , Ward called the decision “ disappointing ” and “ not what those who value and recognize the importance of election transparency and integrity were seeking.
” On Wednesday morning , Ward said in a video posted to the Arizona GOP ’ s Twitter account — which came under fire for a now-deleted tweet featuring a clip from the film “ Rambo ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s long-shot efforts of a second term — that Trump called her up asking for an “ update ” on his fruitless efforts to overturn election results in the battleground state .
In the video recalling what she and Trump supposedly discussed , Ward slammed Democrats by nonsensically accusing them of “ celebrating with glee that there isn ’ t any transparency with our elections ” before lamenting the Arizona Supreme Court ’ s rejection of the state ’ s GOP efforts to overturn election results .
“ Well the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ward said .
“ As you know , the COVID restrictions made it very difficult for our observers to actually meaningfully observe the duplication process , the signature verification process , the digital adjudication process — all of those things which our case has been about .
But we found some abnormalities and we need to look for more.
” Ward aired more unsubstantiated claims of “ abnormalities ” and high volumes of signature rejections as she teased the possibility of taking the state GOP ’ s election result challenges all the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do know that it was going to be very difficult for our recorders to actually appropriately vet those people to make sure that they were legally qualified to cast a vote in our election , ” Ward said .
“ So there ’ s still a lot of things out there , folks .
This is far from over .
We ’ re preparing about what to do next : are we going to go to the Supreme Court of the United States ?
Maybe .
I ’ ll let you know tomorrow @ @

Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward on Wednesday gleefully touted that President Trump called her up that morning asking her for an “update” on her party’s efforts to challenge the state’s election results. The presidential call came a day after the state’s Supreme Court swatted down her challenge to void President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Ward sought to have a judge in Maricopa County Superior Court void Biden’s 10,457-vote win in Arizona. In her claim, Ward challenged the signature verification process used by Maricopa County to authenticate mail-in ballots, as well as the duplication process election officials used to count ballots that tabulation machines couldn’t read.
Superior Court Judge Randall Warner said that Ward’s team failed to produce evidence of ballot fraud.
After Ward appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court, Chief Justice Robert Brutinel agreed with Warner in an order issued Tuesday.
Brutinel wrote that Ward’s challenge failed to “present any evidence of ‘misconduct,’ ‘illegal votes’ or that the Biden Electors ‘did not in fact receive the highest number of votes for office — let alone establish any degree of fraud or a sufficient error rate that would undermine the certainty of the election results.”
In a statement issued later Tuesday night, Ward called the decision “disappointing” and “not what those who value and recognize the importance of election transparency and integrity were seeking.”
On Wednesday morning, Ward said in a video posted to the Arizona GOP’s Twitter account — which came under fire for a now-deleted tweet featuring a clip from the film “Rambo” that appeared to encourage violence as it boosted Trump’s long-shot efforts of a second term — that Trump called her up asking for an “update” on his fruitless efforts to overturn election results in the battleground state.
In the video recalling what she and Trump supposedly discussed, Ward slammed Democrats by nonsensically accusing them of “celebrating with glee that there isn’t any transparency with our elections” before lamenting the Arizona Supreme Court’s rejection of the state’s GOP efforts to overturn election results.
“Well the case is about finding more evidence,” Ward said. “As you know, the COVID restrictions made it very difficult for our observers to actually meaningfully observe the duplication process, the signature verification process, the digital adjudication process — all of those things which our case has been about. But we found some abnormalities and we need to look for more.”
Ward aired more unsubstantiated claims of “abnormalities” and high volumes of signature rejections as she teased the possibility of taking the state GOP’s election result challenges all the way to the Supreme Court.
“We do know that it was going to be very difficult for our recorders to actually appropriately vet those people to make sure that they were legally qualified to cast a vote in our election,” Ward said. “So there’s still a lot of things out there, folks. This is far from over. We’re preparing about what to do next: are we going to go to the Supreme Court of the United States? Maybe. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--Trump Camp, 17 Red State AGs Formally Get Behind Texas’ SCOTUS #Overturn Lawsuit

The absolutely absurd nature of Texas ’ request that the Supreme Court reverse the election results in four battleground states has not stopped the Trump campaign or more than a dozen other Republican state attorneys general from supporting the gambit .
On Wednesday , the campaign , as well 17 red states , formally indicated their support of the lawsuit , which seeks to reverse President Trump ’ s defeat in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Wisconsin and Michigan .
Texas claims that because those states adjusted their election practices for the pandemic without explicit approval from their legislatures , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to appoint their own electors to the Electoral College .
The Trump campaign filed on Wednesday a request with the Supreme Court to intervene in the case .
Among the pieces of evidence the campaign cites to suggest the election was suspect is the claim that no other candidate before Trump had won Florida and Ohio while still losing the election .
( In fact , John Kennedy won the 1960 election despite Richard Nixon winning those two states . )
The lead attorney on the filing , Chapman University School of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far-right lawyer who earlier this year argued that Kamala Harris , as the daughter of immigrants , may not be eligible to be vice president .
The 17 red states , meanwhile , filed a so-called “ friend of the court ” ( or “ amicus ” ) brief that floated several previously debunked claims about mail-in voting .
Ironically , election officials in many of the amici states made similar adjustments to voting that the GOP attorneys general now say warrant the tossing of the results in the four states that Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporting Texas are from Missouri , Alabama , Arkansas , Florida , Indiana , Kansas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Montana , Nebraska , North Dakota , Oklahoma , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , Utah , and West Virginia .
In a season of post-election lawsuits of escalating silliness in their claims , Texas ’ complaint stands out .
It includes conspiracy theories of election officials supposedly using suitcases to smuggle in extra ballots , while making bizarre claims of voting machine tampering that have already been dismissed by Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other security experts throughout the election community .
The Supreme Court has the authority to adjudicate certain legal disputes between states , but Texas will need to get the court ’ s permission to actually file the lawsuit , and it has also requested that if the court does review the complaint , it do so in expedited manner .
Trump ’ s supporters have put much of their hope on the Texas case now that the Supreme Court has rejected a bid by Pennsylvania Republicans to reverse the election results there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas lawsuit the “ big one ” as he tweeted about his plans to intervene in it .
The court has asked the four battleground states to respond by 3 p.m. Thursday to Texas ’ various request .

The absolutely absurd nature of Texas’ request that the Supreme Court reverse the election results in four battleground states has not stopped the Trump campaign or more than a dozen other Republican state attorneys general from supporting the gambit.
On Wednesday, the campaign, as well 17 red states, formally indicated their support of the lawsuit, which seeks to reverse President Trump’s defeat in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan. Texas claims that because those states adjusted their election practices for the pandemic without explicit approval from their legislatures, the legislatures — all Republican — should be allowed to appoint their own electors to the Electoral College.
The Trump campaign filed on Wednesday a request with the Supreme Court to intervene in the case. Among the pieces of evidence the campaign cites to suggest the election was suspect is the claim that no other candidate before Trump had won Florida and Ohio while still losing the election. (In fact, John Kennedy won the 1960 election despite Richard Nixon winning those two states.)
The lead attorney on the filing, Chapman University School of Law professor John Eastman, is a far-right lawyer who earlier this year argued that Kamala Harris, as the daughter of immigrants, may not be eligible to be vice president.
The 17 red states, meanwhile, filed a so-called “friend of the court” (or “amicus”) brief that floated several previously debunked claims about mail-in voting. Ironically, election officials in many of the amici states made similar adjustments to voting that the GOP attorneys general now say warrant the tossing of the results in the four states that Texas is targeting.
The state attorneys general supporting Texas are from Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.
In a season of post-election lawsuits of escalating silliness in their claims, Texas’ complaint stands out. It includes conspiracy theories of election officials supposedly using suitcases to smuggle in extra ballots, while making bizarre claims of voting machine tampering that have already been dismissed by Department of Homeland Security’s cyber arm and other security experts throughout the election community.
The Supreme Court has the authority to adjudicate certain legal disputes between states, but Texas will need to get the court’s permission to actually file the lawsuit, and it has also requested that if the court does review the complaint, it do so in expedited manner.
Trump’s supporters have put much of their hope on the Texas case now that the Supreme Court has rejected a bid by Pennsylvania Republicans to reverse the election results there.
Trump on Wednesday morning called the Texas lawsuit the “big one” as he tweeted about his plans to intervene in it.
The court has asked the four battleground states to respond by 3 p.m. Thursday to Texas’ various request.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-09--Pentagon Nom Respects Civil-Military Divide! Biden Says, Arguing For Civil-Military Waiver

President-elect Joe Biden argued Wednesday that his pick for secretary of Defense , Lloyd Austin , deserves a waiver to serve in that role despite recently leaving the military .
Austin should be able to skip over the rule regarding civilian leadership of the military precisely because he respects the civil-military divide so much , Biden said .
“ The civilian-military dynamic has been under great stress the past four years , and I know that Secretary-designee Austin is going to work tirelessly to get it back on track , ” Biden said .
“ I ’ ve personally worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
“ I ’ ve seen him lead American fighting forces on the field of battle .
I ’ ve also watched him faithfully carry out the orders of the civilian leadership of this nation.
” Biden was making the case that Congress should waive the requirement that military officers “ cool off ” for seven years after retirement before serving as secretary of defense .
Austin , who would be America ’ s first Black Defense secretary , retired in April 2016 — nine months before President Donald Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , got his own waiver to circumvent the cooling-off period .
Before Mattis , the only such waiver in American history was granted by Congress to George Marshall in 1950 .
For his part , Austin said he recognized that “ being a member of the President ’ s Cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsivities from a career in uniform , ” and that he looked forward to “ surrounding myself with experienced , capable civilian appointees and career civil servants who will enable healthy civil-military relations grounded in meaningful civilian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sway members of the President-elect ’ s own party who voted against a waiver for Mattis four years ago .
“ I believe that a waiver of the seven-year rule would contravene the basic principle that there should be civilian control of a nonpolitical military , ” Sen. Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT ) , who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee , said of Austin .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) also said she ’ d vote against a waiver for Austin , and Sen. John Tester ( D-MT ) said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A majority of Senate Democrats supported Mattis ’ waiver , and while House Democrats were less supportive , the waiver still passed that body with near-universal GOP support .
Democrats who opposed Mattis ’ waiver , or spoke of it as a one-off exception , will need to “ twist themselves into pretzels ” to ignore the same concerns for Austin , as The Washington Post put it .
Some have begun their stretching routines : Sen. Jack Reed ( D-RI ) , the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law should happen no more than once in a generation ” and that he wouldn ’ t do it again .
On Tuesday , Reed changed his tune slightly .
“ I feel , in all fairness , you have to give the opportunity to the nominee to explain himself or herself , ” he said .
Rosa Brooks , a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a former Pentagon staffer , argued that while debates about civil-military relations are often overly formalistic , “ I also think that Democrats should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of Trump ignoring laws and demanding exceptions to laws , it ’ s far more important now than in the past for Dems to show respect for even the more formalistic rules , ” she said .
Biden on Wednesday emphasized that Austin , if confirmed , would have the support of a strong civilian staff who would ensure that Defense Department policies “ are accountable to the American people.
” “ He ’ ll be bolstered by a strong and empowered civilian sector and senior officers , ” Biden said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I should say .
”

President-elect Joe Biden argued Wednesday that his pick for secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, deserves a waiver to serve in that role despite recently leaving the military.
Austin should be able to skip over the rule regarding civilian leadership of the military precisely because he respects the civil-military divide so much, Biden said.
“The civilian-military dynamic has been under great stress the past four years, and I know that Secretary-designee Austin is going to work tirelessly to get it back on track,” Biden said.
“I’ve personally worked with this man,” the President-elect added. “I’ve seen him lead American fighting forces on the field of battle. I’ve also watched him faithfully carry out the orders of the civilian leadership of this nation.”
Biden was making the case that Congress should waive the requirement that military officers “cool off” for seven years after retirement before serving as secretary of defense.
Austin, who would be America’s first Black Defense secretary, retired in April 2016 — nine months before President Donald Trump’s first secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, got his own waiver to circumvent the cooling-off period.
Before Mattis, the only such waiver in American history was granted by Congress to George Marshall in 1950.
For his part, Austin said he recognized that “being a member of the President’s Cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsivities from a career in uniform,” and that he looked forward to “surrounding myself with experienced, capable civilian appointees and career civil servants who will enable healthy civil-military relations grounded in meaningful civilian oversight.”
It unclear whether that will sway members of the President-elect’s own party who voted against a waiver for Mattis four years ago.
“I believe that a waiver of the seven-year rule would contravene the basic principle that there should be civilian control of a nonpolitical military,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of Austin.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) also said she’d vote against a waiver for Austin, and Sen. John Tester (D-MT) said he would likely vote against one.
A majority of Senate Democrats supported Mattis’ waiver, and while House Democrats were less supportive, the waiver still passed that body with near-universal GOP support.
Democrats who opposed Mattis’ waiver, or spoke of it as a one-off exception, will need to “twist themselves into pretzels” to ignore the same concerns for Austin, as The Washington Post put it.
Some have begun their stretching routines: Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in 2017 that “waiving the law should happen no more than once in a generation” and that he wouldn’t do it again.
On Tuesday, Reed changed his tune slightly. “I feel, in all fairness, you have to give the opportunity to the nominee to explain himself or herself,” he said.
Rosa Brooks, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a former Pentagon staffer, argued that while debates about civil-military relations are often overly formalistic, “I also think that Democrats should be better than Trump.”
“After 4 years of Trump ignoring laws and demanding exceptions to laws, it’s far more important now than in the past for Dems to show respect for even the more formalistic rules,” she said.
Biden on Wednesday emphasized that Austin, if confirmed, would have the support of a strong civilian staff who would ensure that Defense Department policies “are accountable to the American people.”
“He’ll be bolstered by a strong and empowered civilian sector and senior officers,” Biden said, before correcting himself: “Senior officials, I should say.”