talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--House Votes To Override Trump’s Defense Bill Veto

The House of Representatives on Monday voted to override President Donald Trump ’ s veto of the sweeping defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act , CNN reported late Monday .
The vote , 322-87 , was a largely bipartisan response to a move by Trump to reject legislation which routinely sets policies and priorities for military services each year .
The vote revealed a shift in loyalty from a president who — in an effort to inflate his continued influence amid waning days in office — warned in recent weeks that those who refuse to support his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tough reelection bids in 2022 .
The bill will now face the Senate whose members are set to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) already indicated in an interview with Politico on Monday that he intends to delay the Senate vote unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) , brings a vote on $ 2,000 stimulus checks to the floor .
The filibuster by Sanders could postpone a final vote on the override to Friday , CNN noted .
The $ 740 billion bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raises for soldiers and improved equipment , as well as limits to how much money Trump can move around for his border wall .
In a seeming effort to prop up aspects of the country ’ s racist legacy , Trump has opposed aspects of the bill that would rename military bases named after Confederate figures , saying that military facilities should continue to bear the names of Confederate Gens .
Robert E. Lee , Braxton Bragg and others .
Amid his effort to veto , Trump also condemned a refusal by Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shields them from liability for what is posted on their websites by them or third parties , complaining that social media companies are biased against conservatives .

The House of Representatives on Monday voted to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the sweeping defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, CNN reported late Monday.
The vote, 322-87, was a largely bipartisan response to a move by Trump to reject legislation which routinely sets policies and priorities for military services each year.
The vote revealed a shift in loyalty from a president who — in an effort to inflate his continued influence amid waning days in office — warned in recent weeks that those who refuse to support his efforts to overturn election results will face tough reelection bids in 2022.
The bill will now face the Senate whose members are set to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) already indicated in an interview with Politico on Monday that he intends to delay the Senate vote unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), brings a vote on $2,000 stimulus checks to the floor. The filibuster by Sanders could postpone a final vote on the override to Friday, CNN noted.
The $740 billion bill includes, among other provisions, pay raises for soldiers and improved equipment, as well as limits to how much money Trump can move around for his border wall.
In a seeming effort to prop up aspects of the country’s racist legacy, Trump has opposed aspects of the bill that would rename military bases named after Confederate figures, saying that military facilities should continue to bear the names of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee, Braxton Bragg and others.
Amid his effort to veto, Trump also condemned a refusal by Democrats to lift protections for tech companies that shields them from liability for what is posted on their websites by them or third parties, complaining that social media companies are biased against conservatives.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--Trump: Vaccine Distribution Is The States’ Problem, Not Mine!

It ’ s up to the states to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine , President Trump tweeted Tuesday , responding to mounting criticism of his administration ’ s failure to plan for distributing the vaccine beyond simply delivering it to the states .
“ It is up to the States to distribute the vaccines once brought to the designated areas by the Federal Government , ” Trump wrote .
“ We have not only developed the vaccines , including putting up money to move the process along quickly , but gotten them to the states.
” Trump ’ s comments echo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the distribution effort .
That effort received virtually no federal funding — $ 6 million from HHS per state — until Sunday , when President Trump signed legislation devoting at least $ 4.5 billion to help states distribute the vaccine to American citizens .
Meanwhile , Operation Warp Speed is set to miss its first goal — 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of the year .
According to an estimate from NBC news , only around 2 million Americans have received the first shot in the two-course regime as of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been clamoring for funding to distribute the vaccine for months .
Meanwhile , experts say that the distribution effort is currently at the simplest phase , sending shots out to the relatively static populations that work or reside in long term care facilities or those medical workers who are fighting the virus .
Trump officials , apart from suggesting that the states are to blame for the slow rollout , have said that vaccines will be widely available one month into Biden ’ s administration , a forecast contradicted by officials working on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration ’ s failure to plan .

It’s up to the states to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, President Trump tweeted Tuesday, responding to mounting criticism of his administration’s failure to plan for distributing the vaccine beyond simply delivering it to the states.
“It is up to the States to distribute the vaccines once brought to the designated areas by the Federal Government,” Trump wrote. “We have not only developed the vaccines, including putting up money to move the process along quickly, but gotten them to the states.”
It is up to the States to distribute the vaccines once brought to the designated areas by the Federal Government. We have not only developed the vaccines, including putting up money to move the process along quickly, but gotten them to the states. Biden failed with Swine Flu! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2020
Trump’s comments echo the response of administration officials to criticism of the distribution effort.
That effort received virtually no federal funding — $6 million from HHS per state — until Sunday, when President Trump signed legislation devoting at least $4.5 billion to help states distribute the vaccine to American citizens.
Meanwhile, Operation Warp Speed is set to miss its first goal — 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of the year. According to an estimate from NBC news, only around 2 million Americans have received the first shot in the two-course regime as of Tuesday.
State and local officials have been clamoring for funding to distribute the vaccine for months. Meanwhile, experts say that the distribution effort is currently at the simplest phase, sending shots out to the relatively static populations that work or reside in long term care facilities or those medical workers who are fighting the virus.
Trump officials, apart from suggesting that the states are to blame for the slow rollout, have said that vaccines will be widely available one month into Biden’s administration, a forecast contradicted by officials working on the distribution effort and which could obscure the Trump administration’s failure to plan.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--McConnell Appears To Prepare Poison Pill On $2K Checks In Bid To Let GA Sens Off Hook

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) on Tuesday appeared to be preparing a poison pill to doom the chances of increasing COVID-19 stimulus checks to $ 2,000 .
Though a handful of Republicans announced their support for increasing the check amount after President Donald Trump insisted the existing $ 600 figure was too small , several more would need to join Democrats to get the extra cash over the finish line .
McConnell is reportedly especially sensitive to the runoff election next week — in which Sens .
David Perdue ( R-GA ) and Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D ) and Jon Ossoff ( D ) — that will determine the partisan balance of the Senate .
After weeks of attacks from Warnock and Ossoff for not getting behind the effort to give Americans more money , both Republican senators on Tuesday announced that they would support the increase to $ 2,000 checks .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) has insisted that the checks get a Senate vote before the vote to override Trump ’ s veto of the annual defense package , leaving Republicans a tough choice : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stick with their ideological guns , reject the cash , and risk ticking off Trump and his base of voters in Georgia .
So McConnell on Tuesday appeared to be positioning those senators and others for a painless way out : In addition to scheduling a vote on the House-passed measure to increase check amounts to $ 2,000 , he also scheduled a vote on another measure — one that included both the $ 2,000 figure and other pet projects of Trump ’ s .
In addition to larger checks , the McConnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Decency Act and amplifies Trump ’ s delusional claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent .
Trump ’ s grudge against Section 230 — which generally protects websites from liability for what their users post — was one of the reasons he said he vetoed the annual defense spending bill , which did not include a repeal as Trump demanded .
Democrats largely don ’ t support repealing Section 230 , nor are they likely to support the so-called “ 2020 Bipartisan Advisory Committee ” that McConnell ’ s package would establish .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ package published by The Washington Post , the committee would study “ the scope of any improper and fraudulent votes that were cast in the election , ” among other things .
If McConnell offers Republican senators an opportunity to support all of these measures at once — Section 230 repeal , a voter fraud committee and $ 2,000 checks — he may be able to avoid spending the extra relief money while also avoiding Trump ’ s wrath : Republicans like Loeffler and Perdue can vote for the package deal with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually pass into law , while still claiming to have supported $ 2,000 checks .
In a statement , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) said the McConnell package deal “ will not pass the House and can not become law — any move like this by Sen. McConnell would a blatant attempt to deprive Americans of a $ 2,000 survival check.
” “ Will Senate Republicans go along with Sen. McConnell ’ s cynical gambit or will they push him to give a vote on the standalone House-passed CASH Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signaled earlier Tuesday that he would concoct a package deal , referring to the $ 2,000 checks , Section 230 repeal and “ the sanctity of America ’ s ballots ” as “ three important subjects the President has linked together.
” “ This week the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus , ” he said .
This post has been updated .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday appeared to be preparing a poison pill to doom the chances of increasing COVID-19 stimulus checks to $2,000.
Though a handful of Republicans announced their support for increasing the check amount after President Donald Trump insisted the existing $600 figure was too small, several more would need to join Democrats to get the extra cash over the finish line.
McConnell is reportedly especially sensitive to the runoff election next week — in which Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) will face off against Raphael Warnock (D) and Jon Ossoff (D) — that will determine the partisan balance of the Senate.
After weeks of attacks from Warnock and Ossoff for not getting behind the effort to give Americans more money, both Republican senators on Tuesday announced that they would support the increase to $2,000 checks.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has insisted that the checks get a Senate vote before the vote to override Trump’s veto of the annual defense package, leaving Republicans a tough choice: Approve the additional relief money, or stick with their ideological guns, reject the cash, and risk ticking off Trump and his base of voters in Georgia.
So McConnell on Tuesday appeared to be positioning those senators and others for a painless way out: In addition to the House-passed measure to increase check amounts to $2,000, he introduced another measure — one that included both the $2,000 figure and other pet projects of Trump’s. On top of the larger checks, the McConnell package repeals Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and amplifies Trump’s delusional claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Trump’s grudge against Section 230 — which generally protects websites from liability for what their users post — was one of the reasons he said he vetoed the annual defense spending bill, which did not include a repeal as Trump demanded.
Democrats largely don’t support repealing Section 230, nor are they likely to support the so-called “2020 Bipartisan Advisory Committee” that McConnell’s package would establish. According to a text of the McConnell package published by The Washington Post, the committee would study “the scope of any improper and fraudulent votes that were cast in the election,” among other things.
If McConnell offers Republican senators an opportunity to support all of these measures at once — Section 230 repeal, a voter fraud committee and $2,000 checks — he may be able to avoid spending the extra relief money while also avoiding Trump’s wrath: Republicans like Loeffler and Perdue can vote for the package deal with the near-certain assurance that it won’t actually pass into law, while still claiming to have supported $2,000 checks.
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the McConnell package deal “will not pass the House and cannot become law — any move like this by Sen. McConnell would a blatant attempt to deprive Americans of a $2,000 survival check.”
“Will Senate Republicans go along with Sen. McConnell’s cynical gambit or will they push him to give a vote on the standalone House-passed CASH Act?” Schumer wondered aloud.
McConnell signaled earlier Tuesday that he would concoct a package deal, referring to the $2,000 checks, Section 230 repeal and “the sanctity of America’s ballots” as “three important subjects the President has linked together.”
“This week the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus,” he said.
This post has been updated.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--Biden Rips Trump Admin For ‘Falling Behind’ On Vaccine Rollout Amid COVID Surge

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday took aim at the Trump administration for “ falling behind ” on vaccine distribution as the country reels from more than 330,000 deaths from COVID-19 thus far .
In remarks delivered in Wilmington , Delaware , Biden first pushed back on the notion that he was being “ too alarmist ” for previously warning that the country would hit 400,000 deaths before the end of Trump ’ s term next month .
The President-elect recalled issuing the stern warning in September when the country passed the “ grim milestone ” of 200,000 fatalities amid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being too alarmist and negative , but as I said all along , I ’ ll tell you like it is when it comes to COVID , and the reality is it looks like we ’ re going to hit that grim milestone , ” Biden said .
“ We ’ ve just crossed 330,000 deaths in America .
We ’ re averaging daily death rates of nearly 2,200 people which means we ’ ll lose tens of thousands of more lives in the months to come.
” Biden said that the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given it will take time for his incoming administration ’ s COVID-19 response plan to begin producing “ visible progress.
” The President-elect then ripped into the Trump administration for “ falling behind ” on its vaccine distribution plan .
Biden added that he plans to “ move heaven and Earth ” by enacting the Defense Production Act when he ’ s sworn in to accelerate vaccine production as well as PPE .
Biden said that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris plan to “ launch a massive public education campaign to increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are free of charge .
Biden also congratulated Congress on passing the COVID relief bill and President Trump ’ s signing of it , but stressed that “ it ’ s a down payment ” that will “ pay for some but not all of what we need to fix the COVID response.
” Biden went on to urge Trump to “ unambiguously promote mask wearing , ” citing former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie ’ s ( R ) promotion of the mitigation measure , and to “ clearly and unambiguously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once it ’ s available.
” “ I took it to instill public confidence in the vaccine .
President-Elect Harris took hers today for the same reason , ” Biden said .
“ And when the President ’ s doctors recommend it , President Trump should take it and instill the same degree of confidence.
” The comments come weeks into a distribution effort that has missed its first target : 20 million vaccinated by the end of the month .
Instead of that goal , heralded by Health and Human Services Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration will likely distribute around 16 million COVID vaccine doses before New Years .
The first week of the distribution effort saw states express shock as Operation Warp Speed , the Trump administration ’ s vaccine production effort , told them that they would receive fewer doses than initially expected .
Though administration officials eventually apologized for the “ miscommunication , ” vaccine manufacturer Pfizer issued a statement that week saying that it had “ millions of doses ” sitting in its warehouse , waiting for instructions on distribution .
At the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine would reach the states began to falter , Trump officials have offered projections of widespread availability of the vaccine that are wildly unrealistic .
Azar said this month that the vaccine would be as available as the flu shot by February or March , weeks into Biden ’ s tenure .
Throughout all of this , Trump administration officials have put the onus on the states to distribute the vaccine for the last mile — taking it from federal hands into people ’ s arms .
But Congress only passed legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that effort , suggesting that it could be weeks or months until states can take the funds and build infrastructure to distribute the shot .

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday took aim at the Trump administration for “falling behind” on vaccine distribution as the country reels from more than 330,000 deaths from COVID-19 thus far.
In remarks delivered in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden first pushed back on the notion that he was being “too alarmist” for previously warning that the country would hit 400,000 deaths before the end of Trump’s term next month. The President-elect recalled issuing the stern warning in September when the country passed the “grim milestone” of 200,000 fatalities amid the pandemic.
“Critics said I was being too alarmist and negative, but as I said all along, I’ll tell you like it is when it comes to COVID, and the reality is it looks like we’re going to hit that grim milestone,” Biden said. “We’ve just crossed 330,000 deaths in America. We’re averaging daily death rates of nearly 2,200 people which means we’ll lose tens of thousands of more lives in the months to come.”
Biden said that the country might not see improvement until March, given it will take time for his incoming administration’s COVID-19 response plan to begin producing “visible progress.”
The President-elect then ripped into the Trump administration for “falling behind” on its vaccine distribution plan. Biden added that he plans to “move heaven and Earth” by enacting the Defense Production Act when he’s sworn in to accelerate vaccine production as well as PPE.
Biden said that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris plan to “launch a massive public education campaign to increase vaccine acceptance” and ensure that vaccinations are free of charge.
Biden also congratulated Congress on passing the COVID relief bill and President Trump’s signing of it, but stressed that “it’s a down payment” that will “pay for some but not all of what we need to fix the COVID response.”
Biden went on to urge Trump to “unambiguously promote mask wearing,” citing former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) promotion of the mitigation measure, and to “clearly and unambiguously urge all Americans to take the vaccine once it’s available.”
“I took it to instill public confidence in the vaccine. President-Elect Harris took hers today for the same reason,” Biden said. “And when the President’s doctors recommend it, President Trump should take it and instill the same degree of confidence.”
The comments come weeks into a distribution effort that has missed its first target: 20 million vaccinated by the end of the month.
Instead of that goal, heralded by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and others, the Trump administration will likely distribute around 16 million COVID vaccine doses before New Years.
The first week of the distribution effort saw states express shock as Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine production effort, told them that they would receive fewer doses than initially expected. Though administration officials eventually apologized for the “miscommunication,” vaccine manufacturer Pfizer issued a statement that week saying that it had “millions of doses” sitting in its warehouse, waiting for instructions on distribution.
At the same time as estimates of how much of the vaccine would reach the states began to falter, Trump officials have offered projections of widespread availability of the vaccine that are wildly unrealistic. Azar said this month that the vaccine would be as available as the flu shot by February or March, weeks into Biden’s tenure.
Throughout all of this, Trump administration officials have put the onus on the states to distribute the vaccine for the last mile — taking it from federal hands into people’s arms. But Congress only passed legislation days ago appropriating billions of dollars for that effort, suggesting that it could be weeks or months until states can take the funds and build infrastructure to distribute the shot.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--House Minorities Hold Oversight Powers, D.C. Circuit Says

Lawmakers in House minorities can issue demands for records from the executive branch , a federal appeals panel held Tuesday .
In an 2-1 ruling first noticed by Politico , the D.C. circuit upheld a demand issued by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in 2017 for documents relating to President Trump ’ s downtown D.C. hotel .
The decision — issued by Judge Patricia Millett — goes to an arcane 1920s law which created the seven-member rule .
That statute authorizes any seven members of the House Oversight Committee , regardless of party affiliation , to go to any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records .
In 2017 , Democrats on the House Oversight Committee did just that , demanding information from the General Services Administration about President Trump ’ s lease agreement for his D.C. hotel .
GSA eventually rejected the requests , before House Democrats went to court to enforce the demand .
The ruling by Millett , an Obama appointtee , upholds the minority ’ s limited authority to issue these investigative demands , and comes as Joe Biden prepares to take office next month .
It also illustrates the slow churn that congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an investigation must be litigated in the federal judiciary .
After securing a majority in the House in 2018 , Democrats launched broadsides of subpoenas to executive agencies and various third-party custodians of President Trump ’ s financial records .
Trump and the GOP chose to litigate those requests that focused on the President ’ s personal finances ; the outcome of those cases remain pending .

Lawmakers in House minorities can issue demands for records from the executive branch, a federal appeals panel held Tuesday.
In an 2-1 ruling first noticed by Politico, the D.C. circuit upheld a demand issued by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in 2017 for documents relating to President Trump’s downtown D.C. hotel.
The decision — issued by Judge Patricia Millett — goes to an arcane 1920s law which created the seven-member rule. That statute authorizes any seven members of the House Oversight Committee, regardless of party affiliation, to go to any part of the executive branch and demand records.
In 2017, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee did just that, demanding information from the General Services Administration about President Trump’s lease agreement for his D.C. hotel.
GSA eventually rejected the requests, before House Democrats went to court to enforce the demand.
The ruling by Millett, an Obama appointtee, upholds the minority’s limited authority to issue these investigative demands, and comes as Joe Biden prepares to take office next month.
It also illustrates the slow churn that congressional investigations can experience when every step in an investigation must be litigated in the federal judiciary. After securing a majority in the House in 2018, Democrats launched broadsides of subpoenas to executive agencies and various third-party custodians of President Trump’s financial records.
Trump and the GOP chose to litigate those requests that focused on the President’s personal finances; the outcome of those cases remain pending.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--Navarro Dives Headfirst Into Trump Fraud Delusion, Calls For Postponement Of GA Runoff

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Tuesday suggested that the Senate runoffs in Georgia should be postponed in an apparent effort to reinforce false claims about voter fraud in the state after last month ’ s election delivered a win to Democrat Joe Biden .
Navarro ’ s call to postpone the runoffs amid baseless claims of voter fraud was in reference to a recently published report by John Lott , a researcher who has done work for the National Rifle Association and whose studies on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants were debunked by the Cato Institute .
Lott @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in two critical battleground states lost by Trump to point at “ an unusual drop ” in Trump ’ s share of absentee ballots .
He claims that the drop in the Peach State ’ s Fulton County alone would account for 11,350 votes .
Biden won Georgia by 12,760 votes .
Lott suggests that in precincts with alleged fraud there was a depression in the proportion of absentee ballots for Trump , a development he deems “ suspicious ” despite Trump ’ s continuous railing against mail-in voting and his attempts before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lott has also previously baselessly argued that there is little evidence of widespread voter discrimination against Black people using Florida as a case study .
That is , of course , not true .
Navarro , a Trump loyalist , told Fox News last week that he liked the idea of postponing the runoff elections scheduled to take place on Jan 5 .
“ Georgia — when I look at that , that is a cesspool of election irregularities , ” Navarro said last Sunday , as early voting had already begun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the first time Navarro has propelled Trump ’ s baseless voter fraud conspiracy theories .
Earlier this month the trade adviser circulated a so-called “ Immaculate Deception ” report laced with references to Trump-friendly publications like the Epoch Times and laden with conspiracy theories that pointed at election fraud that he said bagged a win for President-elect Biden .
Navarro ’ s wildly inaccurate report is perhaps unsurprisingly also cited repeatedly by Lott .
Both reports are likely designed to prop up unfounded suspicion surrounding the election by lining up a hodge-podge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many of the claims in the reports have been repeatedly touted by Trump despite being debunked by election security officials and a Justice Department whose former top official , Bill Barr , was fired by Trump weeks after he told the Associated Press in an interview that there was not evidence of widespread fraud that would overturn the results of last month ’ s election .

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Tuesday suggested that the Senate runoffs in Georgia should be postponed in an apparent effort to reinforce false claims about voter fraud in the state after last month’s election delivered a win to Democrat Joe Biden.
Hot off press, new Lott study estimates 11,350 absentee votes lost to @potus Trump in Georgia. Another 289,000 "excess (fraudulent) votes" across GA, AZ, MI, NV, PA, WI. As promised this a.m. on Bannon's War Room. Postpone GA Cesspool election!! https://t.co/geqEhnKqCR — Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) December 29, 2020
Navarro’s call to postpone the runoffs amid baseless claims of voter fraud was in reference to a recently published report by John Lott, a researcher who has done work for the National Rifle Association and whose studies on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants were debunked by the Cato Institute. Lott’s paper used data from counties in two critical battleground states lost by Trump to point at “an unusual drop” in Trump’s share of absentee ballots. He claims that the drop in the Peach State’s Fulton County alone would account for 11,350 votes. Biden won Georgia by 12,760 votes.
Lott suggests that in precincts with alleged fraud there was a depression in the proportion of absentee ballots for Trump, a development he deems “suspicious” despite Trump’s continuous railing against mail-in voting and his attempts before the election to suppress voting by mail.
Lott has also previously baselessly argued that there is little evidence of widespread voter discrimination against Black people using Florida as a case study. That is, of course, not true.
Navarro, a Trump loyalist, told Fox News last week that he liked the idea of postponing the runoff elections scheduled to take place on Jan 5.
“Georgia — when I look at that, that is a cesspool of election irregularities,” Navarro said last Sunday, as early voting had already begun in the state.
It’s not the first time Navarro has propelled Trump’s baseless voter fraud conspiracy theories. Earlier this month the trade adviser circulated a so-called “Immaculate Deception” report laced with references to Trump-friendly publications like the Epoch Times and laden with conspiracy theories that pointed at election fraud that he said bagged a win for President-elect Biden. Navarro’s wildly inaccurate report is perhaps unsurprisingly also cited repeatedly by Lott.
Both reports are likely designed to prop up unfounded suspicion surrounding the election by lining up a hodge-podge of false claims about various votes. Many of the claims in the reports have been repeatedly touted by Trump despite being debunked by election security officials and a Justice Department whose former top official, Bill Barr, was fired by Trump weeks after he told the Associated Press in an interview that there was not evidence of widespread fraud that would overturn the results of last month’s election.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--McConnell Blocks Senate Dems’ Trump-Backed First Attempt To Up Relief Checks To $2K

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) on Tuesday blocked Senate Democrats ’ initial attempt to increase direct COVID relief payments to $ 2,000 , a day after the House voted to boost cash deposits from $ 600 to $ 2,000 .
McConnell ’ s objection to considering the House bill that would increase COVID relief payments comes as President Trump and some Senate Republicans — which include Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) , who are both up for re-election in the Georgia runoff elections next month that will determine the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support behind the bill .
In a Senate floor speech , McConnell said he planned to set up a Wednesday vote on the veto override as he outlined three priorities shared by Trump when signing the COVID relief and government spending bill into law Sunday : larger direct payments , Section 230 legal liability protections for internet platforms and unsubstantiated claims about widespread election fraud .
“ Those are the three important subjects the President has linked together , ” McConnell said .
“ This week the Senate will begin a process to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following McConnnell ’ s speech , Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer ( D-NY ) requested that the Senate take up the House-passed bill .
“ There ’ s a major difference in saying you support $ 2,000 checks and fighting to put them into law , ” Schumer said .
“ The House bill is the only way to deliver these stimulus checks before the end of session .
Will Senate Republicans stand against the House of Representatives , the Democratic majority in the Senate , and the President of their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from going out the door ?
”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday blocked Senate Democrats’ initial attempt to increase direct COVID relief payments to $2,000, a day after the House voted to boost cash deposits from $600 to $2,000.
McConnell’s objection to considering the House bill that would increase COVID relief payments comes as President Trump and some Senate Republicans — which include Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA), who are both up for re-election in the Georgia runoff elections next month that will determine the balance of the Senate — throwing their support behind the bill.
In a Senate floor speech, McConnell said he planned to set up a Wednesday vote on the veto override as he outlined three priorities shared by Trump when signing the COVID relief and government spending bill into law Sunday: larger direct payments, Section 230 legal liability protections for internet platforms and unsubstantiated claims about widespread election fraud.
“Those are the three important subjects the President has linked together,” McConnell said. “This week the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus.”
Following McConnnell’s speech, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) requested that the Senate take up the House-passed bill.
“There’s a major difference in saying you support $2,000 checks and fighting to put them into law,” Schumer said. “The House bill is the only way to deliver these stimulus checks before the end of session. Will Senate Republicans stand against the House of Representatives, the Democratic majority in the Senate, and the President of their own party to prevent these $2,000 checks from going out the door?”
McConnell swiftly objected to Schumer’s request without comment.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--Judge Blocks Conservative Group’s Residency Challenges To 4,000 Georgia Voters

COLUMBUS , Ga. ( AP ) — A federal judge ordered local election officials in Georgia to allow voting by more than 4,000 people whose eligibility was being challenged ahead of next week ’ s runoff elections for the U.S. Senate .
U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner blocked election boards in Ben Hill County and Muscogee County , which includes Columbus , from forcing large numbers of voters to prove their residency before casting ballots in the runoffs .
The judge ruled that denying so many voters access to the ballot so close to an election would likely violate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler both face runoff elections next Tuesday .
If both lose to Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock , Democrats will take control of the Senate .
Challenges against roughly 4,000 voters in Muscogee County and more than 150 voters in Ben Hill County were part of an effort by the Texas-based conservative group True The Vote to coordinate challenges statewide under a Georgia law that allows any registered voter to challenge the eligibility of any other voter within the same county .
The group said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges in each of Georgia ’ s 159 counties against more than 364,000 voters whose residency was being questioned based on change of address data obtained from the U.S .
Postal Service .
It ’ s up to local election boards to determine whether the challenges have merit .
Several , including in Fulton and Cobb counties in metro Atlanta , have rejected them .
Because election officials in Muscogee and Ben Hill counties had determined the challenges had probable cause , anyone on the challenged list attempting to vote would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would anyone challenged who mailed an absentee ballot .
The judge ’ s order blocks the counties from impeding voting by anyone who was challenged , saying federal law prohibits “ systemic ” removal of voters from the rolls within 90 days of an election .
Attorneys for the county election boards had asked Gardner to recuse herself in the case .
The judge is the sister of Stacey Abrams , Georgia ’ s Democratic nominee for governor in 2018 and founder of the voting rights group Fair Fight .

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — A federal judge ordered local election officials in Georgia to allow voting by more than 4,000 people whose eligibility was being challenged ahead of next week’s runoff elections for the U.S. Senate.
U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner blocked election boards in Ben Hill County and Muscogee County, which includes Columbus, from forcing large numbers of voters to prove their residency before casting ballots in the runoffs. The judge ruled that denying so many voters access to the ballot so close to an election would likely violate the National Voter Registration Act.
Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler both face runoff elections next Tuesday. If both lose to Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Democrats will take control of the Senate.
Challenges against roughly 4,000 voters in Muscogee County and more than 150 voters in Ben Hill County were part of an effort by the Texas-based conservative group True The Vote to coordinate challenges statewide under a Georgia law that allows any registered voter to challenge the eligibility of any other voter within the same county.
The group said on Dec. 18 that it was bringing challenges in each of Georgia’s 159 counties against more than 364,000 voters whose residency was being questioned based on change of address data obtained from the U.S. Postal Service.
It’s up to local election boards to determine whether the challenges have merit. Several, including in Fulton and Cobb counties in metro Atlanta, have rejected them.
Because election officials in Muscogee and Ben Hill counties had determined the challenges had probable cause, anyone on the challenged list attempting to vote would have been required to prove their eligibility — as would anyone challenged who mailed an absentee ballot.
The judge’s order blocks the counties from impeding voting by anyone who was challenged, saying federal law prohibits “systemic” removal of voters from the rolls within 90 days of an election.
Attorneys for the county election boards had asked Gardner to recuse herself in the case. The judge is the sister of Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2018 and founder of the voting rights group Fair Fight.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--Trump Admin Continues To Stonewall On Census Apportionment Data

With the Census Bureau days away from likely missing a year-end deadline for turning in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats , President Donald Trump ’ s administration still hasn ’ t turned over documents showing how it ’ s crunching the data on a shortened schedule , according to a coalition of cities and civil rights groups .
Attorneys for cities and civil rights groups that sued the Trump administration over shortening the schedule for the 2020 census said in court papers last week that Department of Justice attorneys have resisted turning over requested documents “ at every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do so by this Court.
” The lawsuit in federal court in San Jose , California , was originally brought by the coalition to stop the census from ending early out of concerns that a shortened head count would cause minority communities to be undercounted .
The coalition of municipalities and advocacy groups is seeking the documents to help assess how complete and accurate the nation ’ s once-a-decade head count was .
By working toward a year-end deadline , the Census Bureau was giving its statistician only half the time originally planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that critics say is too short to do an adequate job , especially given hurdles created by the pandemic .
The census helps determine how many congressional seats each state gets in a process known as apportionment , as well as the distribution of $ 1.5 trillion in federal spending .
Trump administration attorneys said in court papers that they ’ ve already turned over large numbers of documents , and the ones they haven ’ t are not releasable .
Releasing them would hinder frank discussions during decision-making if participants feared public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Department of Justice lawyers representing the Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce , which oversees the statistical agency .
“ This lack of candor would seriously impair DOC ’ s and the Census Bureau ’ s ability to foster the forthright , internal discussions necessary for efficient and proper Executive Branch decision-making related to the Census or on any other matter , ” said Megan Heller , a Department of Commerce attorney , in court papers .
The fight over information about how the Census Bureau is analyzing the numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twist in a lawsuit that already has made one trip to the Supreme Court .
The high court ’ s decision in the lawsuit two months ago allowed the Trump administration to end field operations for the head count in mid-October , two weeks earlier than previously planned .
The coalition says the count was shortened by the Commerce Department so that census data-crunching happened while Trump was still in office in order that his administration can enforce his order to exclude people in the country illegally from the numbers used for determining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An influential GOP adviser had advocated doing this in order to advantage Republicans and non-Hispanic whites .
The Supreme Court two weeks ago dismissed a challenge to Trump ’ s order in a separate lawsuit from New York , saying it was premature .
On Monday , the Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of two other lawsuits , and overturned their decisions , in California and Maryland where judges had blocked Trump ’ s order .
The Supreme Court ’ s decision is allowing the plan to move forward , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent weeks that put Thursday ’ s deadline in jeopardy .
If the Census Bureau is unable to turn in the apportionment numbers before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20 , it could be a blow to the efforts to exclude people in the country illegal from the apportionment count since the new president is unlikely to pursue it .
When asked this week whether it would meet Thursday ’ s deadline , the Census Bureau referred to a website that said , “ The Census Bureau is working hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver complete and accurate state population counts as close to the December 31 , 2020 , statutory deadline as possible .
”

With the Census Bureau days away from likely missing a year-end deadline for turning in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, President Donald Trump’s administration still hasn’t turned over documents showing how it’s crunching the data on a shortened schedule, according to a coalition of cities and civil rights groups.
Attorneys for cities and civil rights groups that sued the Trump administration over shortening the schedule for the 2020 census said in court papers last week that Department of Justice attorneys have resisted turning over requested documents “at every turn — even when specifically ordered to do so by this Court.”
The lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, California, was originally brought by the coalition to stop the census from ending early out of concerns that a shortened head count would cause minority communities to be undercounted.
The coalition of municipalities and advocacy groups is seeking the documents to help assess how complete and accurate the nation’s once-a-decade head count was. By working toward a year-end deadline, the Census Bureau was giving its statistician only half the time originally planned for crunching the numbers — a timeframe that critics say is too short to do an adequate job, especially given hurdles created by the pandemic.
The census helps determine how many congressional seats each state gets in a process known as apportionment, as well as the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending.
Trump administration attorneys said in court papers that they’ve already turned over large numbers of documents, and the ones they haven’t are not releasable. Releasing them would hinder frank discussions during decision-making if participants feared public disclosure and may violate attorney-client privilege, according to Department of Justice lawyers representing the Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce, which oversees the statistical agency.
“This lack of candor would seriously impair DOC’s and the Census Bureau’s ability to foster the forthright, internal discussions necessary for efficient and proper Executive Branch decision-making related to the Census or on any other matter,” said Megan Heller, a Department of Commerce attorney, in court papers.
The fight over information about how the Census Bureau is analyzing the numbers under a compressed schedule is the latest twist in a lawsuit that already has made one trip to the Supreme Court. The high court’s decision in the lawsuit two months ago allowed the Trump administration to end field operations for the head count in mid-October, two weeks earlier than previously planned.
The coalition says the count was shortened by the Commerce Department so that census data-crunching happened while Trump was still in office in order that his administration can enforce his order to exclude people in the country illegally from the numbers used for determining how many congressional seats each state gets. An influential GOP adviser had advocated doing this in order to advantage Republicans and non-Hispanic whites.
The Supreme Court two weeks ago dismissed a challenge to Trump’s order in a separate lawsuit from New York, saying it was premature. On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of two other lawsuits, and overturned their decisions, in California and Maryland where judges had blocked Trump’s order.
The Supreme Court’s decision is allowing the plan to move forward, but the Census Bureau has admitted discovering data irregularities in recent weeks that put Thursday’s deadline in jeopardy.
If the Census Bureau is unable to turn in the apportionment numbers before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20, it could be a blow to the efforts to exclude people in the country illegal from the apportionment count since the new president is unlikely to pursue it.
When asked this week whether it would meet Thursday’s deadline, the Census Bureau referred to a website that said, “The Census Bureau is working hard to process the data in order to deliver complete and accurate state population counts as close to the December 31, 2020, statutory deadline as possible.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-29--Under Election Pressure, Loeffler And Perdue Back Trump and Dems’ Push For $2,000 Checks

Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) on Tuesday indicated they would support President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats ’ push to increase COVID-19 relief checks to $ 2,000 dollars .
But it ’ s still not clear whether the measure , an increase from the $ 600 checks President Donald Trump signed into law over the weekend , has the support necessary to pass the Republican-controlled Senate .
While the extra $ 1,400 remains in limbo , Trump had put the two Georgia Republicans , who are competing in a runoff election next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after-the-fact call for bigger relief checks .
Asked directly by Fox News ’ Will Cain Tuesday morning whether she would support Trump ’ s call to increase the checks to $ 2,000 , Loeffler answered in the affirmative … sort of .
“ I ’ ve stood by the President 100 percent of the time , I ’ m proud to do that , ” Loeffler said .
“ And I ’ ve said , absolutely , we need to get relief to Americans now , and I will support that.
” She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delay in getting aid to Americans , but that distorts the legislative history .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) reportedly only acceded to $ 600 per-person checks in the funding package because of the runoff in Georgia .
Loeffler and Perdue will face Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff next week .
Both Democrats have pushed for the $ 2,000 checks and called out their Republican opponents for not doing so .
Perdue , a couple hours after Loeffler ’ s appearance , added his own support in a tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes later .
Before Trump signed the stimulus bill , Loeffler squirmed when asked if she would support an increase to $ 2,000 checks , only saying she would consider it “ if it repurposes wasteful spending for that.
” And Perdue had kept quiet on the increase .
Multiple outlets reported that he pleaded with Trump on Christmas to sign the stimulus bil .
The Georgia Republican had already cut ads bragging about the deal featuring $ 600 checks — before Trump criticized it as a failure .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insist on a vote on the $ 2,000 checks before another vote to override the President ’ s veto on the annual defense funding package .
But passing the increase to $ 2,000 isn ’ t as simple as a majority vote : Sixty senators would be needed to overcome a filibuster on the legislation — which passed the House with two-thirds support Monday — and so far , that ’ s not the case .
According to CNN ’ s count , only four Republicans support the increased checks — including Sens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) in addition to Loeffler and Perdue — out of 12 total Republicans that would need to join a united Democratic caucus .
McConnell could also combine a vote on the increased checks with a less palatable measure , like repealing Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act — a pet peeve of Trump ’ s that protects web operators from liability for what users post .
Republicans senators will have to weigh whether they want to vote against a lame-duck President — albeit a popular one among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the larger stimulus checks they ’ ve long opposed .

Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) on Tuesday indicated they would support President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats’ push to increase COVID-19 relief checks to $2,000 dollars.
But it’s still not clear whether the measure, an increase from the $600 checks President Donald Trump signed into law over the weekend, has the support necessary to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.
While the extra $1,400 remains in limbo, Trump had put the two Georgia Republicans, who are competing in a runoff election next week, in a pinch with his after-the-fact call for bigger relief checks.
Asked directly by Fox News’ Will Cain Tuesday morning whether she would support Trump’s call to increase the checks to $2,000, Loeffler answered in the affirmative … sort of.
“I’ve stood by the President 100 percent of the time, I’m proud to do that,” Loeffler said. “And I’ve said, absolutely, we need to get relief to Americans now, and I will support that.”
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) seems to indicate she'll support increasing relief checks to $2,000: "I will support that." pic.twitter.com/HXekkGmeuo — Matt Shuham (@mattshuham) December 29, 2020
She went on to blame Democrats for the delay in getting aid to Americans, but that distorts the legislative history.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reportedly only acceded to $600 per-person checks in the funding package because of the runoff in Georgia.
Loeffler and Perdue will face Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff next week. Both Democrats have pushed for the $2,000 checks and called out their Republican opponents for not doing so.
Perdue, a couple hours after Loeffler’s appearance, added his own support in a tweet.
President @realdonaldtrump is right — I support this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people. https://t.co/Al3USM7zPr — David Perdue (@Perduesenate) December 29, 2020
Loeffler echoed the sentiment a few minutes later.
I agree with @realDonaldTrump — we need to deliver $2,000 direct relief checks to the American people. — Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) December 29, 2020
Before Trump signed the stimulus bill, Loeffler squirmed when asked if she would support an increase to $2,000 checks, only saying she would consider it “if it repurposes wasteful spending for that.”
And Perdue had kept quiet on the increase. Multiple outlets reported that he pleaded with Trump on Christmas to sign the stimulus bil. The Georgia Republican had already cut ads bragging about the deal featuring $600 checks — before Trump criticized it as a failure.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has said he’ll insist on a vote on the $2,000 checks before another vote to override the President’s veto on the annual defense funding package.
But passing the increase to $2,000 isn’t as simple as a majority vote: Sixty senators would be needed to overcome a filibuster on the legislation — which passed the House with two-thirds support Monday — and so far, that’s not the case.
According to CNN’s count, only four Republicans support the increased checks — including Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) in addition to Loeffler and Perdue — out of 12 total Republicans that would need to join a united Democratic caucus.
So on board with $2,000 checks from the Senate GOP to this point:
– @marcorubio
– @HawleyMO
– @Perduesenate
– @KLoeffler 12 Rs would need to join Ds to pass. Now how, exactly, any $2k legislation comes to the floor (or if it does at all), remains an open question https://t.co/mJy3bvUmxN — Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) December 29, 2020
McConnell could also combine a vote on the increased checks with a less palatable measure, like repealing Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act — a pet peeve of Trump’s that protects web operators from liability for what users post.
Republicans senators will have to weigh whether they want to vote against a lame-duck President — albeit a popular one among their Republican base — or vote for the larger stimulus checks they’ve long opposed.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--LA Congressman-Elect Dies From COVID Days Before Swearing In

Representative-elect Luke Letlow ( R-LA ) died on Tuesday due to complications from COVID-19 , a spokesman said .
The 41-year-old congressman was just days away from taking office on Sunday after being elected to Louisiana ’ s fifth congressional district this month after a runoff against another Republican .
The news comes less than two weeks after Letlow announced he had tested positive for coronavirus on Dec. 18 and that he would be isolating at home .
A day after that announcement , he was hospitalized and later transferred to the Ochsner L.S.U .
Health medical center in Shreveport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in intensive car and later passed away , a representative for Letlow , Andrew Bautsch , said .
According to Bautsch , the representative-elect had been receiving the antiviral drug remdesivir and steroids to treat the illness .
When asked if Letlow had any underlying conditions that would increase his risk of death due to the virus , Dr. G.E .
Ghali , a doctor at the Shreveport hospital , told a reporter from The Advocate that Letlow had none .
“ Tonight , the United States House of Representatives sadly mourns the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi tweeted .
“ Congressman-elect Letlow was a ninth-generation Louisianian who fought passionately for his point of view and dedicated his life to public service.
” Before running for Congress , Letlow had worked in the administration of former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal , who said in a tweet on Tuesday evening that he first met Letlow when the congressman-elect was still in college and spent “ countless hours with him in his truck driving the back roads of Louisiana.
” “ His passion for service has been a constant throughout his life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
John Bel Edwards ( D ) added to the wave of tweeted condolences at the news of Letlow ’ s death on Tuesday evening saying that “ COVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon .
I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a U.S. Representative , but I am even more devastated for his loving family.
” Letlow is survived by his wife , Julia , and their two children , Jeremiah and Jacqueline .

Representative-elect Luke Letlow (R-LA) died on Tuesday due to complications from COVID-19, a spokesman said.
The 41-year-old congressman was just days away from taking office on Sunday after being elected to Louisiana’s fifth congressional district this month after a runoff against another Republican.
The news comes less than two weeks after Letlow announced he had tested positive for coronavirus on Dec. 18 and that he would be isolating at home.
A day after that announcement, he was hospitalized and later transferred to the Ochsner L.S.U. Health medical center in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he was placed in intensive care and later passed away, a representative for Letlow, Andrew Bautsch, said.
According to Bautsch, the representative-elect had been receiving the antiviral drug remdesivir and steroids to treat the illness.
When asked if Letlow had any underlying conditions that would increase his risk of death due to the virus, Dr. G.E. Ghali, a doctor at the Shreveport hospital, told a reporter from The Advocate that Letlow had none.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) issued a statement mourning Letlow’s passing.
“Tonight, the United States House of Representatives sadly mourns the passing of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow,” Pelosi tweeted. “Congressman-elect Letlow was a ninth-generation Louisianian who fought passionately for his point of view and dedicated his life to public service.”
Before running for Congress, Letlow had worked in the administration of former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who said in a tweet on Tuesday evening that he first met Letlow when the congressman-elect was still in college and spent “countless hours with him in his truck driving the back roads of Louisiana.”
“His passion for service has been a constant throughout his life,” Jindal wrote.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) added to the wave of tweeted condolences at the news of Letlow’s death on Tuesday evening saying that “COVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon. I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a U.S. Representative, but I am even more devastated for his loving family.”
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia, and their two children, Jeremiah and Jacqueline.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--Graham Signals Support For $2,000 Relief Checks….With Caveats

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) said on Tuesday night that he backs President Donald Trump ’ s push for $ 2,000 direct payments for COVID-19 relief , but the senator tied his support to repealing Section 230 and whether the GOP keeps control of the Senate after the Georgia runoffs .
Graham told Fox News that though the payments would be “ expensive ” and are “ not the most efficient way to get aid to people who are suffering , ” he agreed with Trump that the $ 600 relief checks in the newly passed COVID-19 stimulus package @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then mentioned Trump ’ s demand to repeal Section 230 , a provision in the Communications Decency Act that protects social media platforms like Twitter from punishment over content posted by their users .
The President and his GOP allies have repeatedly claimed that Section 230 targets conservatives .
“ The President has dug in .
He wants a vote on a $ 2,000 payment .
I support that , ” the GOP senator said .
“ And he wants to repeal Section 230 to keep Big Tech from running the country and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those , and I think we ’ re going to get a vote in the Senate if we control the Senate.
” However , Graham added , “ If we lose Georgia , we ’ re never going to get a vote on repealing Section 230.
” “ They ’ re going to send another bill over that ’ s going to make this bill look cheap , ” the senator said , presumably referring to Democrats .
After Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure to do so ahead of the runoffs next week , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) crafted a package that seemingly attempts to torpedo the potential payment increases by tying them to Trump ’ s desired rollback of Section 230 and a committee to investigate the nonexistent voter fraud that the President falsely claims led to his defeat .

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday night that he backs President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000 direct payments for COVID-19 relief, but the senator tied his support to repealing Section 230 and whether the GOP keeps control of the Senate after the Georgia runoffs.
Graham told Fox News that though the payments would be “expensive” and are “not the most efficient way to get aid to people who are suffering,” he agreed with Trump that the $600 relief checks in the newly passed COVID-19 stimulus package were “not enough.”
The senator then mentioned Trump’s demand to repeal Section 230, a provision in the Communications Decency Act that protects social media platforms like Twitter from punishment over content posted by their users. The President and his GOP allies have repeatedly claimed that Section 230 targets conservatives.
“The President has dug in. He wants a vote on a $2,000 payment. I support that,” the GOP senator said. “And he wants to repeal Section 230 to keep Big Tech from running the country and censoring conservatives. I support both of those, and I think we’re going to get a vote in the Senate if we control the Senate.”
However, Graham added, “If we lose Georgia, we’re never going to get a vote on repealing Section 230.”
“They’re going to send another bill over that’s going to make this bill look cheap,” the senator said, presumably referring to Democrats.
After Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) expressed support for $2,000 relief checks amid pressure to do so ahead of the runoffs next week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) crafted a package that seemingly attempts to torpedo the potential payment increases by tying them to Trump’s desired rollback of Section 230 and a committee to investigate the nonexistent voter fraud that the President falsely claims led to his defeat.
Watch Graham below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--Despite Some GOP Lip Service, McConnell Says $2K Check Vote Has ‘No Realistic Path’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) on Wednesday announced that there was “ no realistic path to quickly pass ” $ 2,000 per-person stimulus checks , seemingly dooming the effort .
The lip service from President Donald Trump and a few key Republicans about supporting the checks in recent days appeared to be just that .
McConnell spent months battling even the smaller $ 600 checks that were eventually signed into law a few days ago , and he was unphased Wednesday by arguments for more .
“ The Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Democrats ’ rich friends who don ’ t need the help , ” McConnell said .
Democrats have loudly supported increasing the existing stimulus check amount to $ 2,000 per person , after Trump himself said the smaller amount was unacceptable as he signed it into law .
And Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) , who are currently battling for next week ’ s runoff election in Georgia to determine the partisan balance of the Senate , sheepishly said Tuesday that they supported larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump in the process .
The House 0f Representatives on Monday approved a clean bill on standalone $ 2,000 checks .
And the Senate could quickly take up a vote on the measure .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) , responding to McConnell ’ s remarks , said “ there is no other game in town ” aside from the House bill .
Instead , according to McConnell , the checks proposal will be bundled together with a couple poison pills that Democrats say make the whole thing unpalatable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 2020 election and the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , which shields websites from liability for what their users post .
TPM ’ s emails to spokespeople for the Perdue , Loeffler and Trump — asking if they would pressure McConnell to hold a vote on the standalone $ 2,000 — went unanswered Wednesday .
Trump has tweeted , sure , but he hasn ’ t exactly called for McConnell to hold a clean vote on the matter .
After McConnell ’ s remarks panning the standalone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempted to call for a vote on the measure .
One by one , Republican senators shot the attempts down .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) , who ’ s insisted he ’ ll object to a vote to override Trump ’ s veto of the annual defense spending bill until he gets a vote on $ 2,000 checks , called out Republicans for refusing to stand up and be counted .
“ What the American people want now is an up-or-down vote , ” Sanders said .
“ All that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a United States senator , to have the vote , ” he continued .
“ And again , I ask you : What is your problem with members of the United States Senate — including a number of Republicans who have already indicated they would like to vote for this — what ’ s your problem with bringing that up as a single standalone bill ?
”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday announced that there was “no realistic path to quickly pass” $2,000 per-person stimulus checks, seemingly dooming the effort.
The lip service from President Donald Trump and a few key Republicans about supporting the checks in recent days appeared to be just that.
McConnell spent months battling even the smaller $600 checks that were eventually signed into law a few days ago, and he was unphased Wednesday by arguments for more.
“The Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of Democrats’ rich friends who don’t need the help,” McConnell said.
Democrats have loudly supported increasing the existing stimulus check amount to $2,000 per person, after Trump himself said the smaller amount was unacceptable as he signed it into law.
And Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA), who are currently battling for next week’s runoff election in Georgia to determine the partisan balance of the Senate, sheepishly said Tuesday that they supported larger checks, too — emphasizing their support for Trump in the process.
The House 0f Representatives on Monday approved a clean bill on standalone $2,000 checks.
And the Senate could quickly take up a vote on the measure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), responding to McConnell’s remarks, said “there is no other game in town” aside from the House bill.
Instead, according to McConnell, the checks proposal will be bundled together with a couple poison pills that Democrats say make the whole thing unpalatable: A commission to examine voter fraud in the 2020 election and the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields websites from liability for what their users post.
TPM’s emails to spokespeople for the Perdue, Loeffler and Trump — asking if they would pressure McConnell to hold a vote on the standalone $2,000 — went unanswered Wednesday.
Trump has tweeted, sure, but he hasn’t exactly called for McConnell to hold a clean vote on the matter.
$2000 ASAP! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2020
After McConnell’s remarks panning the standalone $2,000 checks legislation, several Democrats attempted to call for a vote on the measure. One by one, Republican senators shot the attempts down.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who’s insisted he’ll object to a vote to override Trump’s veto of the annual defense spending bill until he gets a vote on $2,000 checks, called out Republicans for refusing to stand up and be counted.
“What the American people want now is an up-or-down vote,” Sanders said.
“All that I am asking for is the right, as a United States senator, to have the vote,” he continued. “And again, I ask you: What is your problem with members of the United States Senate — including a number of Republicans who have already indicated they would like to vote for this — what’s your problem with bringing that up as a single standalone bill?”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--California Announces First Case Of COVID Variant

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) — California Gov .
Gavin Newsom has announced the first known case of the new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus in the nation ’ s most populated state , following the first reported U.S. case in Colorado .
Newsom said he had just learned of the finding in a Southern California infection Wednesday .
He announced it during an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s leading infectious-disease expert .
“ I don ’ t think Californians should think that this is odd ; it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Newsom did not provide any other details about the person who was infected with the mutated version of the virus .
The Colorado and California cases have triggered a host of questions about how the variant circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now , with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States .
The confirmed case in Colorado is a National Guardsman in his 20s who hadn ’ t been traveling , officials said .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his home near Denver , while another Guard member has a suspected case .
They had been sent last week to a nursing home struggling with an outbreak .
The case in California comes as the state ins consumed by a growing pandemic crisis , including record deaths .
Hospitals are increasingly stretched by soaring infections that are expected to grow in coming weeks .
Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley have what is considered no intensive care capacity to treat patients suffering from the coronavirus .
And state health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Year ’ s Eve .
But hope is on the horizon as vaccines roll out .
The statewide transmission rate has fallen to the point where one infected person is in turn infecting just one other individual , a development that Newsom called encouraging while warning that rates in central and Southern California remain much higher and the trend could reverse from holiday gatherings .
Associated Press reporters John Antczak in Los Angeles and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this story .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced the first known case of the new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus in the nation’s most populated state, following the first reported U.S. case in Colorado.
Newsom said he had just learned of the finding in a Southern California infection Wednesday. He announced it during an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious-disease expert.
“I don’t think Californians should think that this is odd; it’s to be expected,” Fauci said.
Newsom did not provide any other details about the person who was infected with the mutated version of the virus.
The Colorado and California cases have triggered a host of questions about how the variant circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.
The confirmed case in Colorado is a National Guardsman in his 20s who hadn’t been traveling, officials said. He has mild symptoms and is isolating at his home near Denver, while another Guard member has a suspected case. They had been sent last week to a nursing home struggling with an outbreak.
The case in California comes as the state ins consumed by a growing pandemic crisis, including record deaths.
Hospitals are increasingly stretched by soaring infections that are expected to grow in coming weeks. Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley have what is considered no intensive care capacity to treat patients suffering from the coronavirus. And state health officials remain worried about gatherings tied to New Year’s Eve.
But hope is on the horizon as vaccines roll out.
The statewide transmission rate has fallen to the point where one infected person is in turn infecting just one other individual, a development that Newsom called encouraging while warning that rates in central and Southern California remain much higher and the trend could reverse from holiday gatherings.
____
Associated Press reporters John Antczak in Los Angeles and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this story.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--GOP Gov Cancels Inaugural Ceremony Over Armed Protesters Outside His Home

New Hampshire Gov .
Chris Sununu ( R ) on Wednesday announced that he is canceling his outdoor inauguration ceremony next month , citing “ ongoing public safety concerns ” over armed protesters who have gathered outside his home in recent weeks following a mask order he issued last month .
In a series of tweets Wednesday , Sununu said that armed protesters outside his home have become “ more aggressive ” as they targeted his family .
Sununu argued that the outdoor inaugural ceremony originally scheduled next month would “ simply bring too much risk.
” Sununu added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that there will be a small swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 7 attended by leaders of both houses of the Legislature .
All other members will virtually attend .
Sununu will deliver his inaugural address in the evening .
Two days after Sununu issued his order last month requiring masks to be worn in public spaces in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 , protesters began gathering outside the New Hampshire governor ’ s home .
Protests outside of Sununu ’ s home continued in recent weeks .
On Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested one of them under a new anti-picketing ordinance passed by the selectboard in Newfields , the town of the governor ’ s home , which Sununu ’ s brother sits on , the AP reported .
Sununu ’ s spokesperson , Benjamin Vihstadt , denied in a statement that Sununu was involved in the ordinance or in its involvement .

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Wednesday announced that he is canceling his outdoor inauguration ceremony next month, citing “ongoing public safety concerns” over armed protesters who have gathered outside his home in recent weeks following a mask order he issued last month.
In a series of tweets Wednesday, Sununu said that armed protesters outside his home have become “more aggressive” as they targeted his family. Sununu argued that the outdoor inaugural ceremony originally scheduled next month would “simply bring too much risk.”
For weeks, armed protesters have increasingly become more aggressive, targeting my family, protesting outside my private residence, and trespassing on my property — an outdoor public ceremony simply brings too much risk. 2/ — Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) December 30, 2020
Sununu added that the decision wasn’t made lightly and that there will be a small swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 7 attended by leaders of both houses of the Legislature. All other members will virtually attend. Sununu will deliver his inaugural address in the evening.
In consultation with Attorney General MacDonald, Senate President Morse & acting-Speaker Packard, I and the Executive Council will be sworn-in during a small ceremony attended by leaders of both houses of the legislature, and virtually attended by all other members, on 1/7/21. 4/ — Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) December 30, 2020
Two days after Sununu issued his order last month requiring masks to be worn in public spaces in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, protesters began gathering outside the New Hampshire governor’s home.
Protests outside of Sununu’s home continued in recent weeks. On Monday, police issued summonses to nine people and arrested one of them under a new anti-picketing ordinance passed by the selectboard in Newfields, the town of the governor’s home, which Sununu’s brother sits on, the AP reported.
Sununu’s spokesperson, Benjamin Vihstadt, denied in a statement that Sununu was involved in the ordinance or in its involvement.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--Census Will Miss Deadline For Apportionment Data, Potentially Scuttling GOP Power Grab

The Census Bureau plans to announce it will miss a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats , a delay that could undermine President Donald Trump ’ s efforts to exclude people in the country illegally from the count if the figures aren ’ t turned in before President-elect Joe Biden takes office .
It will be the first time that the Dec. 31 target date is missed since the deadline was implemented more than four decades ago by Congress .
A census official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday .
Internal documents obtained earlier this month by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform show that Census Bureau officials don ’ t see the apportionment numbers being ready until days after Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20 .
Once in office , Biden could rescind Trump ’ s presidential memorandum directing the Census Bureau to exclude people in the country illegally from numbers used for divvying up congressional seats among the states .
An influential GOP adviser had advocated excluding them from the apportionment process in order to advantage Republicans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the census bureau needs more time to ensure the accuracy of census numbers for all states , ” said Terri Ann Lowenthal , a former congressional staffer who specializes in census issues .
Under the law , the Commerce Department must hand in to the president the population figures from the 2020 census that determine how many seats in Congress each state gets by the end of the year .
The president then is required to send the numbers to Congress in early January .
The Commerce Department oversees the Census Bureau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of every U.S. resident .
Besides deciding how many House seats each state gets , the census is used for determining how $ 1.5 trillion in federal funding is distributed each year .
Trump ’ s July order on apportionment was challenged in more than a half dozen lawsuits around the U.S. , but the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that any challenge was premature , allowing the plan to move forward .
The Census Bureau hasn ’ t publicly revealed how it plans to determine who is in the country illegally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a citizenship question from being added to the census questionnaire .
After the pandemic caused the Census Bureau to suspend field operation in the spring , as well as caused hiring shortages , the statistical agency asked Congress for extensions , including one that would push the deadline for handing in the apportionment numbers from the end of the year to next spring .
At the time , Trump said , “ This is called an act of God .
This is called a situation that has to be .
They have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic-controlled House but didn ’ t go anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate after Trump issued his order .
A coalition of municipalities and advocacy groups sued the Trump administration after it changed the schedule once again to shorten census field operations by a month and return to the Dec. 31 deadline for handing in the apportionment numbers .
The plaintiffs argued the count was shortened by the Commerce Department so that census data-crunching happened while Trump was still in office , and they said it would cause minorities to be undercounted .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and data processing would jeopardize the count ’ s accuracy and completeness .
Bureau statisticians have been given only half the time originally planned to crunch the numbers .
Having a deadline for turning in the apportionment numbers is less than a century old — a byproduct of a Republican-controlled Congress ’ refusal to reapportion after the 1920 census , out of fears it would shift political power from rural areas to cities where immigrants and others had settled .
For the first 14 censuses of the nation ’ s 24 head counts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Margo Anderson , a historian at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee .
“ It has not been a very controversial issue until this year , the year of a pandemic and the Trump administration flip-flopping on its goals and its efforts to take the undocumented out of the apportionment count , ” Anderson said .
“ They are still trying to wrestle the numbers into something that looks right .
”

The Census Bureau plans to announce it will miss a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, a delay that could undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to exclude people in the country illegally from the count if the figures aren’t turned in before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
It will be the first time that the Dec. 31 target date is missed since the deadline was implemented more than four decades ago by Congress. A census official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed the delay to the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Internal documents obtained earlier this month by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform show that Census Bureau officials don’t see the apportionment numbers being ready until days after Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Once in office, Biden could rescind Trump’s presidential memorandum directing the Census Bureau to exclude people in the country illegally from numbers used for divvying up congressional seats among the states. An influential GOP adviser had advocated excluding them from the apportionment process in order to advantage Republicans and non-Hispanic whites.
“The delay suggests that the census bureau needs more time to ensure the accuracy of census numbers for all states,” said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former congressional staffer who specializes in census issues.
Under the law, the Commerce Department must hand in to the president the population figures from the 2020 census that determine how many seats in Congress each state gets by the end of the year. The president then is required to send the numbers to Congress in early January. The Commerce Department oversees the Census Bureau, which conducts the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident.
Besides deciding how many House seats each state gets, the census is used for determining how $1.5 trillion in federal funding is distributed each year.
Trump’s July order on apportionment was challenged in more than a half dozen lawsuits around the U.S., but the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that any challenge was premature, allowing the plan to move forward. The Census Bureau hasn’t publicly revealed how it plans to determine who is in the country illegally since the Supreme Court last year prohibited a citizenship question from being added to the census questionnaire.
After the pandemic caused the Census Bureau to suspend field operation in the spring, as well as caused hiring shortages, the statistical agency asked Congress for extensions, including one that would push the deadline for handing in the apportionment numbers from the end of the year to next spring.
At the time, Trump said, “This is called an act of God. This is called a situation that has to be. They have to give it.”
The request passed the Democratic-controlled House but didn’t go anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate after Trump issued his order.
A coalition of municipalities and advocacy groups sued the Trump administration after it changed the schedule once again to shorten census field operations by a month and return to the Dec. 31 deadline for handing in the apportionment numbers. The plaintiffs argued the count was shortened by the Commerce Department so that census data-crunching happened while Trump was still in office, and they said it would cause minorities to be undercounted.
They also worried that the shortened field operations and data processing would jeopardize the count’s accuracy and completeness. Bureau statisticians have been given only half the time originally planned to crunch the numbers.
Having a deadline for turning in the apportionment numbers is less than a century old — a byproduct of a Republican-controlled Congress’ refusal to reapportion after the 1920 census, out of fears it would shift political power from rural areas to cities where immigrants and others had settled. For the first 14 censuses of the nation’s 24 head counts, the U.S. managed without a deadline, said Margo Anderson, a historian at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“It has not been a very controversial issue until this year, the year of a pandemic and the Trump administration flip-flopping on its goals and its efforts to take the undocumented out of the apportionment count,” Anderson said. “They are still trying to wrestle the numbers into something that looks right.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--Fourteen Million: Trump Admin Releases Final 2020 Vaccine Distribution Total

It ’ s official : the Trump administration will deliver 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the states by the end of the year .
That ’ s at least six million fewer doses than what officials had promised , meaning that Operation Warp Speed will miss its first distribution goal .
“ That number is lower than what we hoped for , ” Operation Warp Speed CEO Moncef Slaoui told reporters on a Wednesday call with the effort ’ s chief operating officer , Gen. Gustave Perna .
The number of doses that have been injected into people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting delays , the official said , though the CDC ’ s current estimate it 2.1 million .
On the call , Perna and Slaoui both backed off Operation Warp Speed ’ s previous estimate that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of December .
Rather , they ’ re claiming that , after a shipment scheduled to be allocated tomorrow , 20 million doses will have been shipped by the first week of January .
The explanation elides a key difference between Trump administration ’ s officials earlier statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the end of the month .
HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in November that the Trump administration would distribute 40 million doses for 20 million full-course vaccinations in the month of December ; Operation Warp Speed officials have said that an additional 20 million doses are waiting in storage for the second dose .
But Perna confirmed on Wednesday that , as of this month , only 14 million doses will have been distributed to the states , with far fewer actually injected .
That ’ s a stark difference from what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago , and highlights the extent to which predictable problems in state-level distribution have hampered the effort to get out the vaccine .
Now that the distribution effort has run into difficulties , officials from the President on down have taken to blaming state and local officials who are responsible for getting the shots into people ’ s arms , and who have received a minimal amount of funding to orchestrate the effort .
Adm. Brett Giroir , Assistant Secretary for Health , told MSNBC on Tuesday that it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines in arms like it always is , every year — 170 million flu shots — that ’ s done at the local level.
” “ The federal government doesn ’ t invade Texas or Montana and provide shots to people , ” he added .
In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine , the federal government only began to provide significant funding for the effort this week , after Congress passed $ 8 billion to help state and local health departments administer the shot .
Experts said that the distribution issues will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines will be widely available .
In response to a question of whether the problems would extend widespread availability of vaccines past the April timeframe that some officials have said is reasonable , Slaoui replied by saying that the country would have a large quantity of vaccine doses available by that time .
“ Our plans continue to be the same , ” Slaoui said , without addressing the distribution side of the question .
He added separately that Operation Warp Speed was open to any and all feedback .
“ We would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy to participate and improve the administration of the vaccine to come to the table , put your sleeves up , and come to us with specific idea , ” he said , adding that “ any input needs to be specific and actionable .
”

It’s official: the Trump administration will deliver 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the states by the end of the year.
That’s at least six million fewer doses than what officials had promised, meaning that Operation Warp Speed will miss its first distribution goal.
“That number is lower than what we hoped for,” Operation Warp Speed CEO Moncef Slaoui told reporters on a Wednesday call with the effort’s chief operating officer, Gen. Gustave Perna.
The number of doses that have been injected into people’s arms remains unclear due to reporting delays, the official said, though the CDC’s current estimate it 2.1 million.
On the call, Perna and Slaoui both backed off Operation Warp Speed’s previous estimate that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of December. Rather, they’re claiming that, after a shipment scheduled to be allocated tomorrow, 20 million doses will have been shipped by the first week of January.
The explanation elides a key difference between Trump administration’s officials earlier statements: that 20 million would be vaccinated by the end of the month.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in November that the Trump administration would distribute 40 million doses for 20 million full-course vaccinations in the month of December; Operation Warp Speed officials have said that an additional 20 million doses are waiting in storage for the second dose.
But Perna confirmed on Wednesday that, as of this month, only 14 million doses will have been distributed to the states, with far fewer actually injected. That’s a stark difference from what top Trump administration officials were claiming only weeks ago, and highlights the extent to which predictable problems in state-level distribution have hampered the effort to get out the vaccine.
Now that the distribution effort has run into difficulties, officials from the President on down have taken to blaming state and local officials who are responsible for getting the shots into people’s arms, and who have received a minimal amount of funding to orchestrate the effort.
Adm. Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health, told MSNBC on Tuesday that it’s a state and local responsibility “to get vaccines in arms like it always is, every year — 170 million flu shots — that’s done at the local level.”
“The federal government doesn’t invade Texas or Montana and provide shots to people,” he added.
In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, the federal government only began to provide significant funding for the effort this week, after Congress passed $8 billion to help state and local health departments administer the shot.
Experts said that the distribution issues will likely lengthen the timeline by which the vaccines will be widely available.
In response to a question of whether the problems would extend widespread availability of vaccines past the April timeframe that some officials have said is reasonable, Slaoui replied by saying that the country would have a large quantity of vaccine doses available by that time.
“Our plans continue to be the same,” Slaoui said, without addressing the distribution side of the question.
He added separately that Operation Warp Speed was open to any and all feedback.
“We would like to invite anybody that has the energy to participate and improve the administration of the vaccine to come to the table, put your sleeves up, and come to us with specific idea,” he said, adding that “any input needs to be specific and actionable.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--Loeffler Suggests She May Contest Trump’s Electoral College Loss

Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) on Wednesday signaled that she was open to objecting to the certification of Joe Biden ’ s victory in the 2020 presidential election .
If Loeffler were to object , she would join Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) and others in the House who intend to challenge the official count , forcing a vote on whether or not to accept the election ’ s results .
“ Everything ’ s on the table right now , ” Loeffler said , asked about challenging the electoral college count .
The New York Times ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That vote is Jan. 6 , and I ’ m going to continue to fight for this President because he fought for us , ” the senator added .
“ He put America first .
But I need to win on Jan. 5 in order to be there on Jan. 6.
” Loeffler and fellow Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue ( R ) have eagerly courted Trump ’ s support for their runoff election on Jan. 5 against Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff , the results of which will determine the partisan balance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the last official step in the presidential electoral process before Joe Biden ’ s inauguration as President .
Given that there are Republicans in both chambers of Congress who intend to object to the electoral college votes in at least one state , members will be forced to vote on their objections .
Still , there ’ s no indication that any of the objections members intend to raise have the support necessary to change the outcome of the election in any state .

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) on Wednesday signaled that she was open to objecting to the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
If Loeffler were to object, she would join Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and others in the House who intend to challenge the official count, forcing a vote on whether or not to accept the election’s results.
“Everything’s on the table right now,” Loeffler said, asked about challenging the electoral college count. The New York Times’ Astead Herndon reported her remarks.
“That vote is Jan. 6, and I’m going to continue to fight for this President because he fought for us,” the senator added. “He put America first. But I need to win on Jan. 5 in order to be there on Jan. 6.”
Loeffler and fellow Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue (R) have eagerly courted Trump’s support for their runoff election on Jan. 5 against Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, the results of which will determine the partisan balance in the Senate.
The congressional certification is the last official step in the presidential electoral process before Joe Biden’s inauguration as President.
Given that there are Republicans in both chambers of Congress who intend to object to the electoral college votes in at least one state, members will be forced to vote on their objections. Still, there’s no indication that any of the objections members intend to raise have the support necessary to change the outcome of the election in any state.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-30--Walmart Joined The Resistance … For A Moment With Now-Deleted Tweet Calling Out Hawley

For a few precious minutes in the waning weeks of President Trump ’ s presidency , Walmart appeared to hit back at Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) in a now-deleted tweet on Wednesday , shortly after the Republican senator declared that his loyalty to Trump with his plans to object Congress ’ certification of the Electoral College results next week .
Hawley , who is expected to campaign for president in 2024 , posted a tweet on Wednesday boosting Trump ’ s bogus claims of widespread election fraud as the Republican senator announced his vote against the certification cementing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the joint session next week .
“ At the very least , Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections , ” Hawley said .
“ But Congress has so far failed to act.
” Minutes later , Walmart ’ s official Twitter account hit back at Hawley ’ s gambit , which is a long shot effort at preventing Congress from officially cementing Biden ’ s victory , by replying : “ Go ahead .
Get your 2 hour debate .
# soreloser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into # resistance Twitter was short-lived when the brow-raising reply to Hawley was deleted .
In a statement shared with TPM on Wednesday , Walmart Corporate Communications confirmed that the tweet was “ mistakenly ” posted by a member of its social media team who “ intended to publish this comment to their personal account.
” Walmart confirmed that the tweet was taken down as it expressed its regrets over its messaging .
“ We have removed the post and have no intention of commenting on the subject of certifying the electoral college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apologize to Senator Hawley for this error and any confusion about our position.
” However , Hawley appeared to not have gotten Walmart ’ s memo minutes after the company shared its statement with TPM apologizing to Hawley .

For a few precious minutes in the waning weeks of President Trump’s presidency, Walmart appeared to hit back at Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) in a now-deleted tweet on Wednesday, shortly after the Republican senator declared that his loyalty to Trump with his plans to object Congress’ certification of the Electoral College results next week.
Hawley, who is expected to campaign for president in 2024, posted a tweet on Wednesday boosting Trump’s bogus claims of widespread election fraud as the Republican senator announced his vote against the certification cementing President-elect Joe Biden’s presidency during the joint session next week.
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections,” Hawley said. “But Congress has so far failed to act.”
Minutes later, Walmart’s official Twitter account hit back at Hawley’s gambit, which is a long shot effort at preventing Congress from officially cementing Biden’s victory, by replying: “Go ahead. Get your 2 hour debate. #soreloser”
Walmart’s stint of wading into #resistance Twitter was short-lived when the brow-raising reply to Hawley was deleted.
In a statement shared with TPM on Wednesday, Walmart Corporate Communications confirmed that the tweet was “mistakenly” posted by a member of its social media team who “intended to publish this comment to their personal account.”
Walmart confirmed that the tweet was taken down as it expressed its regrets over its messaging.
“We have removed the post and have no intention of commenting on the subject of certifying the electoral college,” Walmart said. “We apologize to Senator Hawley for this error and any confusion about our position.”
However, Hawley appeared to not have gotten Walmart’s memo minutes after the company shared its statement with TPM apologizing to Hawley.