talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--Vaccine Officials Contradict Azar On When It Will Be Available To Wider Public

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has been offering a rosy timeframe for when the COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available , but other officials working on the Pentagon-led effort to speed the virus to the public are now presenting a less optimistic forecast .
In remarks Thursday , officials from the Trump administration ’ s Operation Warp Speed projected that the COVID-19 vaccine would not begin to be widely available until late spring or summer .
The remarks by officials involved in the distribution effort came on a call hosted by the Association for Health Care Resource & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a vaccine program manager at Operation Warp Speed , said on the call that “ we want to make enough vaccine doses so that everybody who wants a vaccine in the United States can get a vaccine by this summer.
” “ When vaccine becomes more plentiful in spring and summer , what you ’ re gon na see is more tiered groups opening up , ” Suarez said at another point on the call , referring to the groups of people who the CDC has given priority to receive the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their work or unique vulnerability to the virus .
Suarez ’ s remarks suggest that widespread availability of the vaccine ay not come until deeper into the summer .
Secretary Azar offered a decidedly more optimistic view on Monday , projecting widespread availability of the COVID vaccine weeks into the term of the Biden administration .
“ I think we could be seeing that [ vaccination of the general public ] by late February going into March , ” Azar told NBC on Monday .
“ It really , again , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s governors , but with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine , we ’ ll have , as I said , as many as 100 [ million ] shots in arms by the end of February.
” He added that by that time period , the COVID-19 vaccine would be as available as the seasonal flu shot .
“ Late February , in the March time period , I think you ’ ll start seeing [ it ] much more like a flu vaccination campaign , ” Azar said .
When asked about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and those of the Operation Warp Speed officials on the webinar , an HHS spokesperson told TPM that “ Secretary Azar and OWS leaders have consistently stated that vaccines could become widely available , depending on the state , as early as late first quarter , with enough vaccines available for all Americans who want them by June.
” But on a call with co-panelists from vaccine distributor McKesson and BARDA , the HHS office responsible for developing medical countermeasures to emerging threats , Operation Warp Speed officials were significantly less sanguine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ B and C , and we migrate into tiers two and three , you ’ re going to see a lot more people have access to this vaccine , ” Suarez said .
The distribution effort is currently at phase 1A , meaning that only medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities are eligible to receive the shot .
That portion of the effort is being federally run , and focuses on populations that stay in one place .
But as the distribution effort continues , states will have significant leeway to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How fast the states go through the categories of people prioritized to receive the shot will depend on how much vaccine is available and how quickly they can vaccinate .
“ We want it to be that , let ’ s say by the summertime , that if someone who didn ’ t want to get it , and now you ’ ve changed your mind , and you want to walk into Walgreens or CVS , we want that to be available , ” Suarez added .
Also speaking on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Army ’ s senior executive service , who is deputy chief of supply , production , and distribution at Operation Warp Speed .
Whicker offered a view of availability that hewed slightly closer to Azar ’ s remarks , but still suggested that the secretary was being optimistic in his assessment .
She said that Pfizer and Moderna would begin supplying 20 million doses per month , each , coming out to 20 million Americans vaccinated each month at two-shot doses with maximally efficient distribution .
“ By the time you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or two , and then move on to long term care facilities , it , as you ’ ve probably seen on TV , we ’ re anticipating end of March , early end of spring , vaccines being more plentiful for all of America , ” Whicker said .

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has been offering a rosy timeframe for when the COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available, but other officials working on the Pentagon-led effort to speed the virus to the public are now presenting a less optimistic forecast.
In remarks Thursday, officials from the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed projected that the COVID-19 vaccine would not begin to be widely available until late spring or summer.
The remarks by officials involved in the distribution effort came on a call hosted by the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management.
Army Col. Victor Suarez, a vaccine program manager at Operation Warp Speed, said on the call that “we want to make enough vaccine doses so that everybody who wants a vaccine in the United States can get a vaccine by this summer.”
“When vaccine becomes more plentiful in spring and summer, what you’re gonna see is more tiered groups opening up,” Suarez said at another point on the call, referring to the groups of people who the CDC has given priority to receive the vaccine, either due to the essential nature of their work or unique vulnerability to the virus.
Suarez’s remarks suggest that widespread availability of the vaccine ay not come until deeper into the summer.
Secretary Azar offered a decidedly more optimistic view on Monday, projecting widespread availability of the COVID vaccine weeks into the term of the Biden administration.
“I think we could be seeing that [vaccination of the general public] by late February going into March,” Azar told NBC on Monday. “It really, again, is going to be up to our nation’s governors, but with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine, we’ll have, as I said, as many as 100 [million] shots in arms by the end of February.”
He added that by that time period, the COVID-19 vaccine would be as available as the seasonal flu shot.
“Late February, in the March time period, I think you’ll start seeing [it] much more like a flu vaccination campaign,” Azar said.
When asked about the discrepancy between Azar’s remarks and those of the Operation Warp Speed officials on the webinar, an HHS spokesperson told TPM that “Secretary Azar and OWS leaders have consistently stated that vaccines could become widely available, depending on the state, as early as late first quarter, with enough vaccines available for all Americans who want them by June.”
But on a call with co-panelists from vaccine distributor McKesson and BARDA, the HHS office responsible for developing medical countermeasures to emerging threats, Operation Warp Speed officials were significantly less sanguine.
“Once we clear tier 1A, B and C, and we migrate into tiers two and three, you’re going to see a lot more people have access to this vaccine,” Suarez said.
The distribution effort is currently at phase 1A, meaning that only medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities are eligible to receive the shot.
That portion of the effort is being federally run, and focuses on populations that stay in one place. But as the distribution effort continues, states will have significant leeway to decide who gets vaccinated in what order.
How fast the states go through the categories of people prioritized to receive the shot will depend on how much vaccine is available and how quickly they can vaccinate.
“We want it to be that, let’s say by the summertime, that if someone who didn’t want to get it, and now you’ve changed your mind, and you want to walk into Walgreens or CVS, we want that to be available,” Suarez added.
Also speaking on the call was Marion Whicker, a member of the Army’s senior executive service, who is deputy chief of supply, production, and distribution at Operation Warp Speed.
Whicker offered a view of availability that hewed slightly closer to Azar’s remarks, but still suggested that the secretary was being optimistic in his assessment.
She said that Pfizer and Moderna would begin supplying 20 million doses per month, each, coming out to 20 million Americans vaccinated each month at two-shot doses with maximally efficient distribution.
“By the time you get medical professionals in the first month or two, and then move on to long term care facilities, it, as you’ve probably seen on TV, we’re anticipating end of March, early end of spring, vaccines being more plentiful for all of America,” Whicker said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--COVID Testing Czar Blasts GOPer For Dismissing COVID As ‘Phony Pandemic’

Adm. Brett Giroir , the Trump administration ’ s COVID-19 testing czar , did not take Rep.-elect Bob Good ’ s ( R-VA ) remarks downplaying the severity of surging cases of COVID-19 nationwide as a “ phony pandemic ” lightly during an interview on CNN Wednesday .
During a Trump rally Saturday in Freedom Plaza in Washington , D.C. , Good ranted against coronavirus-related restrictions and dismissed the COVID-19 pandemic as “ phony ” amid record-breaking COVID-19 infection rates and fatalities across the country .
“ This looks like a group of people that gets that this is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of pro-Trump demonstrators on Saturday .
“ It ’ s a serious virus , but it ’ s a virus .
It ’ s not a pandemic.
” Good doubled down on his grievances over COVID-19-related restrictions by dismissing the pandemic as a “ hoax ” and brushing off the more than 300,000 COVID-19 fatalities in the country by saying the deaths constitute less than 1 percent of the population in a series of tweets posted the day after .
Giroir issued a stern rebuke of Good ’ s nonsensical remarks during an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing up that he does not personally know Good , Giroir matter-of-factly told CNN that “ of course it ’ s a pandemic ” before going onto take aim at Good ’ s “ phony ” assertion .
“ There ’ s a definition of a pandemic and that is a virus that is raging across the world and this clearly is doing that and it has done that , ” Giroir said .
“ We have hundreds of thousands of dead Americans , we have millions of people around the world — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not fake .
It is serious .
We are still in a dangerous and critical time.
” Giroir also stressed that despite how COVID-19 vaccines will eventually help the country “ put the nail in the coffin of this virus , ” he warned against the public letting its guard down on mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 just because vaccines are on the way .
“ But until then , we have to take it with utmost seriousness because , again , tens of thousands of Americans can either live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect them until the vaccine gets widespread so it ’ s real , it ’ s serious , ” Giroir said .
“ It ’ s what I live , breathe , think , dream every single day and all of us in America need to be that focused in order to save lives.
” When CNN anchor John Berman pointed out that Good will enter Congress next month , Giroir replied that he “ will be happy to supply him technical assistance .
”

Adm. Brett Giroir, the Trump administration’s COVID-19 testing czar, did not take Rep.-elect Bob Good’s (R-VA) remarks downplaying the severity of surging cases of COVID-19 nationwide as a “phony pandemic” lightly during an interview on CNN Wednesday.
During a Trump rally Saturday in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., Good ranted against coronavirus-related restrictions and dismissed the COVID-19 pandemic as “phony” amid record-breaking COVID-19 infection rates and fatalities across the country.
“This looks like a group of people that gets that this is a phony pandemic,” Good told thousands of pro-Trump demonstrators on Saturday. “It’s a serious virus, but it’s a virus. It’s not a pandemic.”
Good doubled down on his grievances over COVID-19-related restrictions by dismissing the pandemic as a “hoax” and brushing off the more than 300,000 COVID-19 fatalities in the country by saying the deaths constitute less than 1 percent of the population in a series of tweets posted the day after.
We have got to stop the insanity, and stop accepting the hoax that says forcing people to wear a mask, forcing businesses to close, prohibiting worship services, and keeping kids out of school will make a significant difference in whether or not we will die from this virus. — Bob Good for Congress (@GoodForCongress) December 13, 2020
After nearly a year roughly 5% of Americans have been confirmed as contracting the virus including many who experience no symptoms. Less than 1/10th of 1 % of Americans have been reported as having died from the virus: 99.9% have survived year 1 & vaccine soon to be available. — Bob Good for Congress (@GoodForCongress) December 13, 2020
Giroir issued a stern rebuke of Good’s nonsensical remarks during an interview on CNN Wednesday morning.
After bringing up that he does not personally know Good, Giroir matter-of-factly told CNN that “of course it’s a pandemic” before going onto take aim at Good’s “phony” assertion.
“There’s a definition of a pandemic and that is a virus that is raging across the world and this clearly is doing that and it has done that,” Giroir said. “We have hundreds of thousands of dead Americans, we have millions of people around the world — this is not phony, this is not fake. It is serious. We are still in a dangerous and critical time.”
Giroir also stressed that despite how COVID-19 vaccines will eventually help the country “put the nail in the coffin of this virus,” he warned against the public letting its guard down on mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 just because vaccines are on the way.
“But until then, we have to take it with utmost seriousness because, again, tens of thousands of Americans can either live or die depending on what we do to protect them until the vaccine gets widespread so it’s real, it’s serious,” Giroir said. “It’s what I live, breathe, think, dream every single day and all of us in America need to be that focused in order to save lives.”
When CNN anchor John Berman pointed out that Good will enter Congress next month, Giroir replied that he “will be happy to supply him technical assistance.”
Watch Giroir’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--Claiming Fraud And ‘Stolen’ Election, Senate GOPers Continue To Do Trump’s Dirty Work

Republican senators on Wednesday continued to spew nonsense about the 2020 election , advancing an effort to sow doubt in the election ’ s results even after a majority of members of the Electoral College formally cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden .
Between “ just asking questions ” rhetorical games and outright falsehoods about the election results , the senators bolstered President Donald Trump ’ s effort to assert that widespread voter fraud had delivered the presidency for Biden .
They were aided by several witnesses who claimed the same , including Jesse Binnall , the Trump campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results in Nevada , and Ken Starr , the Fox News contributor and former independent counsel and Trump impeachment lawyer .
Near the end of the hearing , Trump praised Sen. Ron Johnson ( R-WI ) , chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , and said Nevada ’ s results should be overturned based on the hearing alone .
For his part , Johnson put on an exemplary display of passive voice .
“ Lax enforcement , denying effective bipartisan observation of the complete election process , and failure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has led to heightened suspicion , ” the chairman said in his opening remarks .
“ The fact that the last two presidential elections have not been accepted as legitimate by large percentages of the American public is a serious problem that threatens our republic , ” he added later .
Left unsaid : The President and his Republican allies in Congress and elsewhere have lied for months about widespread voter fraud , cannibalizing Americans ’ faith in the democratic process .
They continued to do so Wednesday .
Sen. Rand Paul ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that “ the courts have not said there wasn ’ t fraud .
The courts just simply didn ’ t rule on or hear from the fraud.
” In fact , numerous courts have rejected Trump and his allies ’ claims on the merits , not just on procedural grounds as Paul asserted .
Often , though , Trump ’ s own legal team claimed widespread fraud in press conferences only to inform judges that they weren ’ t making those claims in court , instead focusing on procedural fights .
Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department had not seen evidence of fraud affecting the outcome of the election .
“ The fraud happened .
The election in many ways was stolen , and the only way it ’ ll be fixed is by , in the future , reinforcing the laws , ” he said .
Democrats and their witnesses , including former DHS cybersecurity official Chris Krebs , who was fired by the President in a tweet for not supporting his assertions of a rigged election , tried at times to combat the Republican claims .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the committee ’ s ranking member , Sen. Gary Peters ( D-MI ) said in his opening remarks .
“ But there ’ s a difference between a clerk making an error that gets caught and corrected during routine audits and calling the entire election fraudulent or stolen when there is no evidence , just because you do not like the outcome.
” “ We ’ re past the point where we need to be having conversations about the outcome of this election , ” Krebs said later , pointing to the electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assaults on democracy and the outcome of this election that only serves to undermine confidence in the process is ultimately corrosive to the institutions that support elections.
” Later , he took aim at false information — like that in one group ’ s report on Antrim County , Michigan — about voting machines .
“ I ’ m seeing these reports that are factually inaccurate continue to be promoted , ” Krebs said , adding : “ We have to stop this , it ’ s undermining confidence in democracy.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson accused Peters of spreading Russian disinformation and lying about him .
But the disinformation about the 2020 election , at least by Wednesday ’ s hearing , was baked in : Senators didn ’ t have to claim outright theft or widespread fraud in order to push Trump ’ s narrative .
Rather , they quoted supposed constituents doing the same .
“ In Florida , we have a lot of people that moved from South America , ” Sen. Rick Scott ( R-FL ) said .
“ A lot of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this different than what Maduro is doing ?
” Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) , when it came time for his diatribe , recounted a meeting Tuesday with 30 constituents : “ Every one of them told me that they felt they had been disenfranchised , that their votes didn ’ t matter , that the election had been rigged , ” he said .
“ Seventy-four million Americans are not going to shut up , ” Hawley added , voice rising for dramatic effect .
“ And telling them that their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other concerns don ’ t matter and they should just be quiet , is not a recipe for success in this country .
”

During a hearing Wednesday, Republican senators continued to spew nonsense about the 2020 election, advancing an effort to sow doubt in the election’s results even after a majority of members of the Electoral College formally cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
Between “just asking questions” rhetorical games and outright falsehoods about the election results, the senators bolstered President Donald Trump’s effort to assert that widespread voter fraud had delivered the presidency for Biden.
They were aided by several witnesses who claimed the same, including Jesse Binnall, the Trump campaign attorney who unsuccessfully sought to overturn the results in Nevada, and Ken Starr, the Fox News contributor and former independent counsel and Trump impeachment lawyer.
Near the end of the hearing, Trump praised Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and said Nevada’s results should be overturned based on the hearing alone.
Senate Hearings going on LIVE @OANN, as to the Fraudulent 2020 Election that just took place. @SenRonJohnson doing an excellent job. Nevada must be flipped based on testimony! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2020
For his part, Johnson put on an exemplary display of passive voice.
“Lax enforcement, denying effective bipartisan observation of the complete election process, and failure to be fully transparent or conduct reasonable audits has led to heightened suspicion,” the chairman said in his opening remarks.
“The fact that the last two presidential elections have not been accepted as legitimate by large percentages of the American public is a serious problem that threatens our republic,” he added later.
Left unsaid: The President and his Republican allies in Congress and elsewhere have lied for months about widespread voter fraud, cannibalizing Americans’ faith in the democratic process. They continued to do so Wednesday.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), for example, falsely said that “the courts have not said there wasn’t fraud. The courts just simply didn’t rule on or hear from the fraud.”
In fact, numerous courts have rejected Trump and his allies’ claims on the merits, not just on procedural grounds as Paul asserted. Often, though, Trump’s own legal team claimed widespread fraud in press conferences only to inform judges that they weren’t making those claims in court, instead focusing on procedural fights. Attorney General Bill Barr also said the Justice Department had not seen evidence of fraud affecting the outcome of the election.
That didn’t stop Paul.
“The fraud happened. The election in many ways was stolen, and the only way it’ll be fixed is by, in the future, reinforcing the laws,” he said.
“The election in many ways was stolen,” Rand Paul lies, citing no evidence pic.twitter.com/G4m7mU7qRV — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 16, 2020
Democrats and their witnesses, including former DHS cybersecurity official Chris Krebs, who was fired by the President in a tweet for not supporting his assertions of a rigged election, tried at times to combat the Republican claims.
“Mistakes do happen in elections,” the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) said in his opening remarks. “But there’s a difference between a clerk making an error that gets caught and corrected during routine audits and calling the entire election fraudulent or stolen when there is no evidence, just because you do not like the outcome.”
“We’re past the point where we need to be having conversations about the outcome of this election,” Krebs said later, pointing to the electoral college vote for Biden. “Continued assaults on democracy and the outcome of this election that only serves to undermine confidence in the process is ultimately corrosive to the institutions that support elections.”
Later, he took aim at false information — like that in one group’s report on Antrim County, Michigan — about voting machines.
“I’m seeing these reports that are factually inaccurate continue to be promoted,” Krebs said, adding: “We have to stop this, it’s undermining confidence in democracy.”
The hearing blew up at one point when Johnson accused Peters of spreading Russian disinformation and lying about him.
A very heated moment between Ron Johnson and Gary Peters pic.twitter.com/e1zuGb9Kbr — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 16, 2020
But the disinformation about the 2020 election, at least by Wednesday’s hearing, was baked in: Senators didn’t have to claim outright theft or widespread fraud in order to push Trump’s narrative. Rather, they quoted supposed constituents doing the same.
“In Florida, we have a lot of people that moved from South America,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said. “A lot of them said to me, ‘How is this different than what Maduro is doing?”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), when it came time for his diatribe, recounted a meeting Tuesday with 30 constituents: “Every one of them told me that they felt they had been disenfranchised, that their votes didn’t matter, that the election had been rigged,” he said.
“Seventy-four million Americans are not going to shut up,” Hawley added, voice rising for dramatic effect. “And telling them that their views don’t matter, and other concerns don’t matter and they should just be quiet, is not a recipe for success in this country.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--Emails Show Trump Appointee Pushing For Herd Immunity Through Mass COVID Infections

Paul Alexander , a Trump appointee , urged senior officials to let “ infants , kids , teens , young people , young adults , middle aged [ people ] ” get infected with COVID-19 to create “ herd immunity , ” according to emails obtained by the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus .
The revelation comes on the heels of the discovery by the subcommittee that CDC Director Robert Redfield allegedly directed his underlings to delete another Alexander email warning the CDC to keep quiet about COVID-19 spread among children because it was damaging to the administration .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who served as a senior adviser to HHS Secretary Alex Azar , urged Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs Michael Caputo , Food and Drug Administrator Stephen Hahn and Redfield to allow mass infections .
Alexander was a top deputy to Caputo , the longtime Trump hype man and HHS official , and both men left the department in mid-September .
In a series of emails to Caputo and other HHS officials , he advocates “ locking granny down ” but letting young people roam free and get infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be best if we open up and flood the zone and let kids and young folk get infected as we acutely lock down the elderly and at risk folk , ” he wrote .
In another set of emails to the HHS group , Alexander acknowledges the catastrophe that could develop if his herd immunization plan went sideways .
“ Only if the young who are getting infected with the increased testing and relaxed controls now…if they show serious illness needing ICU and oxygen , and die , then we know this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , adding “ god forbid this ever happens.
” In another email to Redfield , Alexander speculated that it was wrong to send college kids home — better to have them stay at school and get infected than bring it home to their older relatives .
Alexander also displayed his propensity to suppress information from the CDC that would be politically damaging to the Trump administration .
In an email to HHS and CDC officials , Alexander fretted about the political ramifications of a CDC statement about the pandemic ’ s disproportionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the communication is left with just the statement that minority groups are at higher risk then on its face this is very accurate , however , in this election cycle that is the kind of statement coming from CDC that the media and Democrat antagonists will use against the president , ” he wrote in late May .
He added that that message lacked the context that minority communities are actually suffering more because of “ decades of Democrat neglect.
” He also repeatedly took aim at scientists including Dr. Anthony Fauci , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ stop Fauci from talking…he is confusing people.
” In a different email , he broadened that attack to all “ left scientists.
” “ The media and left have help [ sic ] COVID proliferate , ” he wrote .
“ They want to destroy the nation and people ’ s lives just to make the President look bad…saving lives is not their aim…winning at all costs.
” HHS maintains that Alexander , who left his post in mid-September , did not meaningfully affect how the department addressed the pandemic .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy , ” an HHS spokesperson told TPM .
“ Dr .
Paul Alexander previously served as a temporary Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and is no longer employed at the Department.
” The coronavirus subcommittee obtained the new documents as part of their investigation into political interference at the CDC by HHS officials .
The last revelation , that Redfield called for Alexander ’ s email to be deleted , prompted HHS to cancel a series of planned interviews after months of declining to turn over documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the subcommittee .
“ The documents obtained by the Select Subcommittee show a pernicious pattern of political interference by Administration officials , ” wrote chairman Jim Clyburn ( D-SC ) in a Wednesday statement .
“ As the virus spread through the country , these officials callously wrote , ‘ who cares ’ and ‘ we want them infected.
’ ” Clyburn continued that the new documents only reinforced the need for HHS to release documents and witnesses to his committee .
“ Unless the Administration abandons this flagrant obstruction , I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he warned .

Paul Alexander, a Trump appointee, urged senior officials to let “infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, middle aged [people]” get infected with COVID-19 to create “herd immunity,” according to emails obtained by the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus.
The revelation comes on the heels of the discovery by the subcommittee that CDC Director Robert Redfield allegedly directed his underlings to delete another Alexander email warning the CDC to keep quiet about COVID-19 spread among children because it was damaging to the administration.
In the new tranche of emails, Alexander, who served as a senior adviser to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, urged Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs Michael Caputo, Food and Drug Administrator Stephen Hahn and Redfield to allow mass infections.
Alexander was a top deputy to Caputo, the longtime Trump hype man and HHS official, and both men left the department in mid-September.
In a series of emails to Caputo and other HHS officials, he advocates “locking granny down” but letting young people roam free and get infected.
“It may be that it will be best if we open up and flood the zone and let kids and young folk get infected as we acutely lock down the elderly and at risk folk,” he wrote.
In another set of emails to the HHS group, Alexander acknowledges the catastrophe that could develop if his herd immunization plan went sideways.
“Only if the young who are getting infected with the increased testing and relaxed controls now…if they show serious illness needing ICU and oxygen, and die, then we know this virus has mutated lethally,” he said, adding “god forbid this ever happens.”
In another email to Redfield, Alexander speculated that it was wrong to send college kids home — better to have them stay at school and get infected than bring it home to their older relatives.
Alexander also displayed his propensity to suppress information from the CDC that would be politically damaging to the Trump administration.
In an email to HHS and CDC officials, Alexander fretted about the political ramifications of a CDC statement about the pandemic’s disproportionate damage to minority communities.
“If the communication is left with just the statement that minority groups are at higher risk then on its face this is very accurate, however, in this election cycle that is the kind of statement coming from CDC that the media and Democrat antagonists will use against the president,” he wrote in late May. He added that that message lacked the context that minority communities are actually suffering more because of “decades of Democrat neglect.”
He also repeatedly took aim at scientists including Dr. Anthony Fauci, at one point saying that someone should “stop Fauci from talking…he is confusing people.”
In a different email, he broadened that attack to all “left scientists.”
“The media and left have help [sic] COVID proliferate,” he wrote. “They want to destroy the nation and people’s lives just to make the President look bad…saving lives is not their aim…winning at all costs.”
HHS maintains that Alexander, who left his post in mid-September, did not meaningfully affect how the department addressed the pandemic.
“His emails absolutely did not shape department strategy,” an HHS spokesperson told TPM. “Dr. Paul Alexander previously served as a temporary Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and is no longer employed at the Department.”
The coronavirus subcommittee obtained the new documents as part of their investigation into political interference at the CDC by HHS officials. The last revelation, that Redfield called for Alexander’s email to be deleted, prompted HHS to cancel a series of planned interviews after months of declining to turn over documents and make personnel available, according to the subcommittee.
“The documents obtained by the Select Subcommittee show a pernicious pattern of political interference by Administration officials,” wrote chairman Jim Clyburn (D-SC) in a Wednesday statement. “As the virus spread through the country, these officials callously wrote, ‘who cares’ and ‘we want them infected.’”
Clyburn continued that the new documents only reinforced the need for HHS to release documents and witnesses to his committee.
“Unless the Administration abandons this flagrant obstruction, I will be forced to start issuing subpoenas,” he warned.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--MLB Reclassifies Negro Leagues As Major League

NEW YORK ( AP ) — Willie Mays will add some hits to his record , Monte Irvin ’ s big league batting average should climb over .300 and Satchel Paige may add nearly 150 victories to his total .
Josh Gibson , the greatest of all Negro League sluggers , might just wind up with a major league record , too .
The statistics and records of greats like Gibson , Paige and roughly 3,400 other players are set to join Major League Baseball ’ s books after MLB announced Wednesday it is reclassifying the Negro Leagues as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ correcting a longtime oversight in the game ’ s history ” by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial of its founding .
The Negro Leagues consisted of seven leagues , and MLB will include records from those circuits between 1920-48 .
The Negro Leagues began to dissolve one year after Jackie Robinson became MLB ’ s first Black player with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 .
Those leagues were excluded in 1969 when the Special Committee on Baseball Records identified six official “ major leagues ” dating to 1876 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Committee ’ s 1969 omission of the Negro Leagues from consideration was clearly an error that demands today ’ s designation , ” the league said in a statement .
The league will work with the Elias Sports Bureau to review Negro Leagues statistics and records and figure out how to incorporate them into MLB ’ s history .
There was no standard method of record keeping for the Negro Leagues , but there are enough box scores to stich together some of its statistical past .
For instance , Mays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his 1948 season with the Alabama Black Barons .
Irvin , a teammate of Mays ’ with the New York Giants , could see his career average climb from .293 to .304 if numbers listed at Baseball-Reference from his nine Negro League seasons are accurate .
And Paige , who currently is credited with 28 major league wins , should add at least 146 to his total .
While some have estimated Gibson slugged over 800 homers during 16 Negro League seasons , it ’ s unlikely that enough records exist for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ career record at 762 .
Depending on what Elias and MLB rule , though , Gibson could wind up with another notable record .
His .441 batting average in 1943 would be the best season mark ever , edging Hugh Duffy ’ s .440 from 1894 .
Gibson ’ s line came in fewer than 80 games , however , far short of the modern standard of 162 .
“ The perceived deficiencies of the Negro Leagues ’ structure and scheduling were born of MLB ’ s exclusionary practices , and denying them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty , much like that exacted of Hall of Fame candidates prior to Satchel Paige ’ s induction in 1971 , ” baseball historian John Thorn said .
“ Granting MLB status to the Negro Leagues a century after their founding is profoundly gratifying.
” MLB said it considered input from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , the Negro League Researchers and Authors Group and studies by other baseball authors and researchers .
“ All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice , ” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement .
“ We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong : as Major Leaguers within the official historical record .
”

NEW YORK (AP) — Willie Mays will add some hits to his record, Monte Irvin’s big league batting average should climb over .300 and Satchel Paige may add nearly 150 victories to his total.
Josh Gibson, the greatest of all Negro League sluggers, might just wind up with a major league record, too.
The statistics and records of greats like Gibson, Paige and roughly 3,400 other players are set to join Major League Baseball’s books after MLB announced Wednesday it is reclassifying the Negro Leagues as a major league.
MLB said Wednesday it was “correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history” by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial of its founding. The Negro Leagues consisted of seven leagues, and MLB will include records from those circuits between 1920-48. The Negro Leagues began to dissolve one year after Jackie Robinson became MLB’s first Black player with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
Those leagues were excluded in 1969 when the Special Committee on Baseball Records identified six official “major leagues” dating to 1876.
“It is MLB’s view that the Committee’s 1969 omission of the Negro Leagues from consideration was clearly an error that demands today’s designation,” the league said in a statement.
The league will work with the Elias Sports Bureau to review Negro Leagues statistics and records and figure out how to incorporate them into MLB’s history. There was no standard method of record keeping for the Negro Leagues, but there are enough box scores to stich together some of its statistical past.
For instance, Mays could be credited with 16 hits from his 1948 season with the Alabama Black Barons. Irvin, a teammate of Mays’ with the New York Giants, could see his career average climb from .293 to .304 if numbers listed at Baseball-Reference from his nine Negro League seasons are accurate. And Paige, who currently is credited with 28 major league wins, should add at least 146 to his total.
While some have estimated Gibson slugged over 800 homers during 16 Negro League seasons, it’s unlikely that enough records exist for him to officially pass Barry Bonds for the career record at 762.
Depending on what Elias and MLB rule, though, Gibson could wind up with another notable record. His .441 batting average in 1943 would be the best season mark ever, edging Hugh Duffy’s .440 from 1894. Gibson’s line came in fewer than 80 games, however, far short of the modern standard of 162.
“The perceived deficiencies of the Negro Leagues’ structure and scheduling were born of MLB’s exclusionary practices, and denying them major league status has been a double penalty, much like that exacted of Hall of Fame candidates prior to Satchel Paige’s induction in 1971,” baseball historian John Thorn said. “Granting MLB status to the Negro Leagues a century after their founding is profoundly gratifying.”
MLB said it considered input from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Negro League Researchers and Authors Group and studies by other baseball authors and researchers.
“All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of our game’s best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--TX Doctor Says Half Of Nurses In His Unit Won’t Get Vaccine For ‘Politically Motivated’ Reasons

A critical care doctor in Houston has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit won ’ t get the coronavirus vaccine for political reasons , even as medical facilities bend under the pressure of record-high hospitalizations as coronavirus cases surge across the country .
Dr. Joseph Varon , chief of the United Memorial Medical Center ’ s critical care unit , learned that staff at his hospital would be among the first in line to be offered Pfizer ’ s coronavirus vaccine , which received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to get it .
“ I had a friendly argument with more than 50 percent of my nurses in my unit telling me that they would not get the vaccine , ” Varon told NPR in an interview published Wednesday .
He said that while some staff were elated about news of early access to the vaccine , he has concerns about colleagues who have said they have no plans to get vaccinated even though they are among the groups most at risk for contracting the virus as they treat COVID-19 patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , like I have said before , coronavirus has become a political toy , ” Varon told NPR .
“ Most of the reasons why most of my people don ’ t want to get the vaccine are politically motivated.
” The on-the-ground comments from a health care worker come as President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would not rush to get the COVID-19 vaccine in spite of encouragement from Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases , who has been pointed in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden get early doses of the vaccine to protect against coronavirus .
The vaccination of the political figures would also likely help to rebuild public confidence in a vaccine that had been politicized for months , especially by Trump himself , ahead of November ’ s general election .
Fauci , who has for months pledged that he would get a vaccine to as soon as one becomes available to him to attest to its safety , has also expressed concerns that people will decline to vaccinate against coronavirus , making it more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now killed more than 300,000 people in the United States .
“ My primary biggest fear is that a substantial proportion of the people will be hesitant to get vaccinated , ” Fauci told the Daily Beast in a recent interview .
Fauci ’ s warning comes as the Trump campaign scrambles to secure more doses of Pfizer ’ s vaccine , after rejecting earlier offers .
The nation so far has only managed to lock in enough doses of two COVID-19 shots to vaccinate just under half of the U.S. population .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 75 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated before people can start moving about freely again .
The arrival of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine heralds the first blush of hope for the nation to emerge from a pandemic which has crippled much of public life .
But if Varon ’ s unit of health-care workers are any indication it will likely be some time before enough Americans get vaccinated to build up enough immunity in the population for some return to normalcy .
Varon told NPR that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more months , and probably even years before everybody gets vaccinated .
”

A critical care doctor in Houston has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit won’t get the coronavirus vaccine for political reasons, even as medical facilities bend under the pressure of record-high hospitalizations as coronavirus cases surge across the country.
Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of the United Memorial Medical Center’s critical care unit, learned that staff at his hospital would be among the first in line to be offered Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, which received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration last week, but many won’t be stepping up to get it.
“I had a friendly argument with more than 50 percent of my nurses in my unit telling me that they would not get the vaccine,” Varon told NPR in an interview published Wednesday.
He said that while some staff were elated about news of early access to the vaccine, he has concerns about colleagues who have said they have no plans to get vaccinated even though they are among the groups most at risk for contracting the virus as they treat COVID-19 patients.
“At the end of the day, like I have said before, coronavirus has become a political toy,” Varon told NPR. “Most of the reasons why most of my people don’t want to get the vaccine are politically motivated.”
The on-the-ground comments from a health care worker come as President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would not rush to get the COVID-19 vaccine in spite of encouragement from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has been pointed in his recommendation that both Trump and President-elect Joe Biden get early doses of the vaccine to protect against coronavirus.
The vaccination of the political figures would also likely help to rebuild public confidence in a vaccine that had been politicized for months, especially by Trump himself, ahead of November’s general election.
Fauci, who has for months pledged that he would get a vaccine to as soon as one becomes available to him to attest to its safety, has also expressed concerns that people will decline to vaccinate against coronavirus, making it more difficult to combat a pandemic that has now killed more than 300,000 people in the United States.
“My primary biggest fear is that a substantial proportion of the people will be hesitant to get vaccinated,” Fauci told the Daily Beast in a recent interview.
Fauci’s warning comes as the Trump campaign scrambles to secure more doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, after rejecting earlier offers. The nation so far has only managed to lock in enough doses of two COVID-19 shots to vaccinate just under half of the U.S. population.
Public health officials have estimated that 70 to 75 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated before people can start moving about freely again.
The arrival of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine heralds the first blush of hope for the nation to emerge from a pandemic which has crippled much of public life.
But if Varon’s unit of health-care workers are any indication it will likely be some time before enough Americans get vaccinated to build up enough immunity in the population for some return to normalcy.
Varon told NPR that he anticipated it would “be months, and more months, and probably even years before everybody gets vaccinated.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--Ex-CDC Staffers Say Conway, Ivanka Were Part Of WH Effort To Meddle In Agency’s Messaging

As the country reels from surging numbers of COVID-19 cases , former Trump appointees who served key roles in the CDC detailed their experiences with Trump administration officials meddling in the agency ’ s public messaging in interviews with the New York Times published Wednesday .
Installed in the CDC in 2018 , Kyle McGowan , a former chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and his deputy , Amanda Campbell , expressed their disillusionment after witnessing the White House undercut the agency ’ s voice and its repeated meddling into the CDC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 pandemic .
McGowan and Campbell , who left the CDC in August and opened a health policy consulting firm after their departure , also outlined to the Times their concerns that the agency will take years to rebuild its credibility after the Trump administration largely sidelined it in favor of messaging in line with President Trump ’ s , downplaying the severity of the pandemic .
The former CDC staffers told the Times that the White House insisted on reviewing and tamping down the agency ’ s closely guarded COVID-19 guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its latest research efforts as well a scientific consensus on the spread of the novel coronavirus .
According to the Times , the CDC ’ s documents were vetted not only by the White House ’ s coronavirus task force but by what felt to the agency ’ s employees like an “ endless loop of political appointees across Washington.
” McGowan and Campbell told the Times that their duties often involved mediating between CDC director Robert Redfield and agency scientists whenever the White House ’ s demands would arrive .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving edits from White House budget director Russell Vought and senior counselor Kellyanne Conway regarding guidance on choirs and communion in faith communities .
The former CDC officials told the NYT that Ivanka Trump , the President ’ s daughter and aide , would offer suggestions as well on schools — which her father vehemently pushed to reopen .
“ Every time that the science clashed with the messaging , messaging won , ” McGowan told the Times .
Both McGowan and Campbell recounted absurd episodes of meddling from the Trump administration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spring that the CDC take down its app that allowed Americans to screen themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 .
The demand came after the Trump administration developed a similar tool with Apple .
Campbell , who told the Times that at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic she was confident the agency had the best scientists in the world — “ just like we had in the past ” — was frustrated by the Trump administration ’ s political meddling that undercut scientists .

As the country reels from surging numbers of COVID-19 cases, former Trump appointees who served key roles in the CDC detailed their experiences with Trump administration officials meddling in the agency’s public messaging in interviews with the New York Times published Wednesday.
Installed in the CDC in 2018, Kyle McGowan, a former chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his deputy, Amanda Campbell, expressed their disillusionment after witnessing the White House undercut the agency’s voice and its repeated meddling into the CDC’s messaging to the public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McGowan and Campbell, who left the CDC in August and opened a health policy consulting firm after their departure, also outlined to the Times their concerns that the agency will take years to rebuild its credibility after the Trump administration largely sidelined it in favor of messaging in line with President Trump’s, downplaying the severity of the pandemic.
The former CDC staffers told the Times that the White House insisted on reviewing and tamping down the agency’s closely guarded COVID-19 guidance documents, which publicly address findings on its latest research efforts as well a scientific consensus on the spread of the novel coronavirus.
According to the Times, the CDC’s documents were vetted not only by the White House’s coronavirus task force but by what felt to the agency’s employees like an “endless loop of political appointees across Washington.”
McGowan and Campbell told the Times that their duties often involved mediating between CDC director Robert Redfield and agency scientists whenever the White House’s demands would arrive.
According to the Times, McGowan and Campbell recalled receiving edits from White House budget director Russell Vought and senior counselor Kellyanne Conway regarding guidance on choirs and communion in faith communities. The former CDC officials told the NYT that Ivanka Trump, the President’s daughter and aide, would offer suggestions as well on schools — which her father vehemently pushed to reopen.
“Every time that the science clashed with the messaging, messaging won,” McGowan told the Times.
Both McGowan and Campbell recounted absurd episodes of meddling from the Trump administration, which included White House officials demanding last spring that the CDC take down its app that allowed Americans to screen themselves for symptoms of COVID-19. The demand came after the Trump administration developed a similar tool with Apple.
Campbell, who told the Times that at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic she was confident the agency had the best scientists in the world — “just like we had in the past” — was frustrated by the Trump administration’s political meddling that undercut scientists.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-16--Radio Host Gets Dragged Over Suggestion To Build Robert E. Lee Statues To Own The Libs

Let ’ s stick it to the Woke Left by building more icons glorifying white supremacists who fought for slavery @ @ @ @ @ ’ em !
Jesse Kelly , a conservative radio host and two-time failed congressional candidate @ @ @ @ @ proposal on Tuesday night .
“ Let me help out the Right here real quick @ @ @ @ @ proposes that you tear down a Robert E. Lee statue , you immediately build ten @ @ @ @ @ , ” Kelly tweeted .
“ Not cause you love him or hate him .
@ @ @ @ @ how you deal with the Leftist scourge.
” That particularly inventive suggestion in conservatives ’ @ @ @ @ @ to remove Confederate monuments was immediately met with derision .

Let’s stick it to the Woke Left by building more icons glorifying white supremacists who fought for slavery. That’ll show ’em!
Jesse Kelly, a conservative radio host and two-time failed congressional candidate, put forth the bold proposal on Tuesday night.
“Let me help out the Right here real quick: The next time someone proposes that you tear down a Robert E. Lee statue, you immediately build ten more Robert E. Lee statues,” Kelly tweeted. “Not cause you love him or hate him. But because that’s how you deal with the Leftist scourge.”
That particularly inventive suggestion in conservatives’ culture war against the push to remove Confederate monuments was immediately met with derision.
Interestingly enough, there was a spike in confederate monuments being built out of spite during the civil rights movement, as well. — Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) December 16, 2020
"Building statues to traitors who slaughtered American soldiers and tried to shatter the U.S…. all to own the libs" really does describe much of Confederate hagiography over the past century. https://t.co/Qq4WOtMzZ6 — Casey Michel ?? (@cjcmichel) December 16, 2020
siri, show me an example of ressentiment https://t.co/bxuNjmyYH5 — ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper) December 16, 2020
why would you build more statues of a terrible person
surely we want fewer statues of bad people https://t.co/MjO5rKmoQi — Nathan J Robinson (@NathanJRobinson) December 16, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Report: Pence Plans To Skip Town After Reaffirming Trump’s Loss In January

Vice President Mike Pence has tentative plans to skip town after overseeing the reaffirmation of President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory by Congress in January , Politico reported early Thursday .
As vice president , Pence is expected to partake in a joint session of Congress in early January that formalizes Biden ’ s victory after the Electoral College officially elected him on Monday .
But the typically routine American democratic tradition is likely to elicit the fury of some of President Donald Trump ’ s most ardent supporters amid a barrage of ongoing falsehoods that the election was stolen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the planning told Politico that the vice president was considering a weeklong trip overseas that departed on Jan. 6 , the same day that he expected to appear at the joint congressional session .
News of the well-timed trip comes after a handful of House Republicans signaled a desire to object to the results , but would need a senator to sign on to do so .
On Tuesday , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( KY ) privately asked his caucus not to do that , saying it would be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have to take , two sources familiar with the meeting told the Associated Press .
Politico said that a U.S. government document showed an itinerary for trips that included Bahrain , Israel and Poland , with the potential for even more stops to be added to that schedule .
According to the publication , a team of Pence aides and other U.S. officials made departures earlier this week to prepare for Pence ’ s anticipated trip which would be his first journey abroad since visiting Rome and Jerusalem before the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
The trip is part of an effort to reinforce a glossy image of the Trump administration brokering peace in the Middle East by helping to establish diplomatic agreements between Israel and some Arab countries in the region .
But the timing of the visit appears to be more calculated — helping Pence to establish distance from Trump amid his election loss just hours after Congress affirms Biden ’ s win .
“ I suspect the timing is anything but coincidental , ” one Pence ally told Politico of the vice president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior administration official rebuffed any suggestion that the trip was strategic , saying Pence ’ s travels haven ’ t been confirmed and that its timing was proposed for early January because it was his first availability after the holidays and his other obligations .

Vice President Mike Pence has tentative plans to skip town after overseeing the reaffirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory by Congress in January, Politico reported early Thursday.
As vice president, Pence is expected to partake in a joint session of Congress in early January that formalizes Biden’s victory after the Electoral College officially elected him on Monday. But the typically routine American democratic tradition is likely to elicit the fury of some of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters amid a barrage of ongoing falsehoods that the election was stolen from him.
Three U.S. officials familiar with the planning told Politico that the vice president was considering a weeklong trip overseas that departed on Jan. 6, the same day that he expected to appear at the joint congressional session.
News of the well-timed trip comes after a handful of House Republicans signaled a desire to object to the results, but would need a senator to sign on to do so.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) privately asked his caucus not to do that, saying it would be a “terrible vote” for the Senate to have to take, two sources familiar with the meeting told the Associated Press.
Politico said that a U.S. government document showed an itinerary for trips that included Bahrain, Israel and Poland, with the potential for even more stops to be added to that schedule. According to the publication, a team of Pence aides and other U.S. officials made departures earlier this week to prepare for Pence’s anticipated trip which would be his first journey abroad since visiting Rome and Jerusalem before the coronavirus pandemic gained footing in the United States last January.
The trip is part of an effort to reinforce a glossy image of the Trump administration brokering peace in the Middle East by helping to establish diplomatic agreements between Israel and some Arab countries in the region.
But the timing of the visit appears to be more calculated — helping Pence to establish distance from Trump amid his election loss just hours after Congress affirms Biden’s win.
“I suspect the timing is anything but coincidental,” one Pence ally told Politico of the vice president’s tentative travel plans.
A senior administration official rebuffed any suggestion that the trip was strategic, saying Pence’s travels haven’t been confirmed and that its timing was proposed for early January because it was his first availability after the holidays and his other obligations.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--French President Macron Tests Positive For COVID-19

PARIS ( AP ) — French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19 , the presidential Elysee Palace announced on Thursday .
It said the president took a test “ as soon as the first symptoms appeared.
” The brief statement did not say what symptoms Macron experienced .
It said he would isolate himself for seven days .
“ He will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance , ” it added .
It was not immediately clear what contact tracing efforts were in progress .
Macron attended a European Union summit at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he notably had a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel .
He met Wednesday with the prime minister of Portugal .
There was no immediate comment from Portuguese officials .
Macron on Wednesday also held the government ’ s weekly Cabinet meeting in the presence of Prime Minister Jean Castex and other ministers .
Castex ’ s office said that the prime minister is also self-isolating for seven days .
The French presidency confirmed that Macron ’ s trip to Lebanon scheduled for next week is being canceled .
Macron and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sticking to strict sanitary protocols during the pandemic , including not shaking hands , wearing a mask and keeping distance from other people .
Macron is following French health authorities ’ recommendations that since September have reduced the self-isolation time from 14 days to seven .
Authorities said at the time that this is the period when there is the greatest risk of contagion and that reducing it allows better enforcement of the measure .
French health authorities argued this week that the 14-day quarantine was not well-respected by many in the country @ @ @ @ @ @

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19, the presidential Elysee Palace announced on Thursday.
It said the president took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared.” The brief statement did not say what symptoms Macron experienced.
It said he would isolate himself for seven days. “He will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance,” it added.
It was not immediately clear what contact tracing efforts were in progress. Macron attended a European Union summit at the end of last week, where he notably had a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He met Wednesday with the prime minister of Portugal. There was no immediate comment from Portuguese officials.
Macron on Wednesday also held the government’s weekly Cabinet meeting in the presence of Prime Minister Jean Castex and other ministers. Castex’s office said that the prime minister is also self-isolating for seven days.
The French presidency confirmed that Macron’s trip to Lebanon scheduled for next week is being canceled.
Macron and other government officials repeatedly say that they are sticking to strict sanitary protocols during the pandemic, including not shaking hands, wearing a mask and keeping distance from other people.
Macron is following French health authorities’ recommendations that since September have reduced the self-isolation time from 14 days to seven. Authorities said at the time that this is the period when there is the greatest risk of contagion and that reducing it allows better enforcement of the measure.
French health authorities argued this week that the 14-day quarantine was not well-respected by many in the country who considered it too long.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Peter Navarro Puts Out ‘Immaculate Deception’ Report Rehashing Debunked Trump Complaints

The President ’ s top trade adviser circulated a report Thursday detailing all the ways that , in fact , the 2020 election was stolen on Joe Biden ’ s behalf .
Peter Navarro , who infamously invented and quoted the fake expert “ Ron Vara ” in several of his books , provided a similarly colorful analysis of the supposed “ irregularities ” he said plagued the 2020 race — starting “ at the stroke of midnight ” on Election Day .
He also repeated obvious mistakes that have been pointed out by judges and national media outlets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Navarro ’ s “ Immaculate Deception ” report is , by its own admission , just a re-hashing of lawsuits and press conference fodder that judges across the country have laughed out of court .
Discussing the impact of “ fake ballot manufacturing , ” for example , Navarro said one of the most “ disturbing ” examples of the practice came from a contract truck driver for the U.S .
Postal Service , who claimed to have transported thousands of ballots from New York to Pennsylvania in October .
Left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ghost hunter and has a lengthy criminal record , and the suit in which his claims were cited was summarily rejected because it was filed more than a month after Election Day .
Navarro went on to cite security camera footage of elections workers moving around boxes of ballots in Atlanta , which pro-Trump theorists claimed was actually a “ smoking gun ” of fraud… somehow .
The video clip made it to Fox News and the President ’ s legal team ’ s court filings , despite showing the normal processing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections officials have insisted the video shows nothing unusual , but then pivoted back to “ just-asking-questions ” mode : The video tape itself , he wrote , “ has contributed to the current climate of skepticism surrounding the fairness and integrity of the election.
” Elsewhere , Navarro played a shell game to hide the fact that there was no evidence to support his claims .
For example , he recited one example of shady “ ballot harvesting ” as such : “ 25,000 ballots were requested from nursing home residents in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sourced the claim to an article that quoted Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , who asserted in a Nov. 10 interview that “ potentially ” 25,000 nursing home residents had requested ballots at one time .
Not only is that not a crime in itself , but as the conservative Washington Examiner noted in the article Navarro cited , “ Graham did not present any evidence.
” Later , Navarro cited “ critics ” who alleged that the voting machine company Dominion may have “ roots ” traceable to the dead Venezuelan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he cited an article pushing the so-called “ Hammer and Scorecard ” conspiracy theory , which holds among other things that a supercomputer was used to rig the election : “ Deep State CIA operators used it in the 2020 elections , ” the article Navarro cited claimed , referring to the dubious supercomputer .
A paragraph later , Navarro misleadingly asserted that an independent consultant had found that the Dominion voting machines in Antrim County , Michigan , had “ an astonishing error rate of 68 percent.
” The 68 % number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot tabulation errors but rather vaguely-defined “ configuration errors.
” The consultant , Russ Ramsland , had no access to ballots .
That error rate violated the guidelines established by the “ Federal Election Committee , ” Navarro claimed — even though no such body exists .
The closest thing , the Federal Election Commission , is a campaign finance regulator .
Despite the luxury of time and hindsight , Navarro even made some of the same mistakes as previous “ election irregularities ” evangelists .
For example , Navarro noted that according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 47 precincts in Wayne County , Michigan displayed greater than 100 % voter turnout .
He failed to mention that not only were Ramsland ’ s numbers wrong , so was his geography : The precincts listed in the affidavit Navarro cited are in Minnesota , not Michigan — an embarrassing error that ’ s been part of the public record for nearly a month .
And so on and so on , for 30 pages , not including endnotes .
Navarro ’ s report does not offer any new information in Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it compiles a compendium of cranks upset at the President ’ s loss , frantically searching for acceptable answers .
What remains unclear is where exactly Navarro found the time to piece together his report .
After all , he ’ s the President ’ s top trade adviser in the middle of a global pandemic and economic crisis , and the Office of Special Counsel recently concluded that he ’ d repeatedly violated the Hatch Act , the law prohibiting the use of government positions for political ends .
But the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concludes , in part : “ If these election irregularities are not fully investigated prior to Inauguration Day and thereby effectively allowed to stand , this nation runs the very real risk of never being able to have a fair presidential election again .
”

The President’s top trade adviser circulated a report Thursday detailing all the ways that, in fact, the 2020 election was stolen on Joe Biden’s behalf.
Peter Navarro, who infamously invented and quoted the fake expert “Ron Vara” in several of his books, provided a similarly colorful analysis of the supposed “irregularities” he said plagued the 2020 race — starting “at the stroke of midnight” on Election Day.
He also repeated obvious mistakes that have been pointed out by judges and national media outlets, such as mixing up Michigan and Minnesota.
But Navarro’s “Immaculate Deception” report is, by its own admission, just a re-hashing of lawsuits and press conference fodder that judges across the country have laughed out of court.
Discussing the impact of “fake ballot manufacturing,” for example, Navarro said one of the most “disturbing” instances of the practice came from a contract truck driver for the U.S. Postal Service, who claimed to have transported thousands of ballots from New York to Pennsylvania in October.
Left unmentioned: the same man moonlights as a ghost hunter and has a lengthy criminal record, and the suit in which his claims were cited was summarily rejected because it was filed more than a month after Election Day.
Navarro went on to cite security camera footage of elections workers moving around boxes of ballots in Atlanta, which pro-Trump theorists claimed was actually a “smoking gun” of fraud… somehow. The video clip made it to Fox News and the President’s legal team’s court filings, despite showing the normal processing of votes.
Navarro acknowledged that Republican elections officials have insisted the video shows nothing unusual, but then pivoted back to “just-asking-questions” mode: The video tape itself, he wrote, “has contributed to the current climate of skepticism surrounding the fairness and integrity of the election.”
Elsewhere, Navarro played a shell game to hide the fact that there was no evidence to support his claims.
For example, he described one episode of shady “ballot harvesting” as such: “25,000 ballots were requested from nursing home residents in Pennsylvania at the same time.”
He sourced the claim to an article that quoted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who asserted in a Nov. 10 interview that “potentially” 25,000 nursing home residents had requested ballots at one time. Not only is that not a crime in itself, but as the conservative Washington Examiner noted in the article Navarro cited, “Graham did not present any evidence.”
Later, Navarro cited “critics” who alleged that the voting machine company Dominion may have “roots” traceable to the dead Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. As evidence, he cited an article pushing the so-called “Hammer and Scorecard” conspiracy theory, which holds among other things that a supercomputer was used to rig the election: “Deep State CIA operators used it in the 2020 elections,” the article Navarro cited claimed, referring to the dubious supercomputer.
A paragraph later, Navarro misleadingly asserted that an independent consultant had found that the Dominion voting machines in Antrim County, Michigan, had “an astonishing error rate of 68 percent.” The 68% number in the report did not refer to ballot tabulation errors but rather vaguely-defined “configuration errors.” The consultant, Russ Ramsland, had no access to ballots.
That error rate violated the guidelines established by the “Federal Election Committee,” Navarro claimed — even though no such body exists. The closest thing, the Federal Election Commission, is a campaign finance regulator.
Despite the luxury of time and hindsight, Navarro even made some of the same mistakes as previous “election irregularities” evangelists. For example, Navarro noted that according to Ramsland, 25 out of the 47 precincts in Wayne County, Michigan displayed greater than 100% voter turnout.
He failed to mention that not only were Ramsland’s numbers wrong, so was his geography: The precincts listed in the affidavit Navarro cited are in Minnesota, not Michigan — an embarrassing error that’s been part of the public record for nearly a month.
And so on and so on, for 30 pages, not including endnotes. Navarro’s report does not offer any new information in Trump’s favor, so much as it compiles a compendium of cranks upset at the President’s loss, frantically searching for acceptable answers.
What remains unclear is where exactly Navarro found the time to piece together his report. After all, he’s the President’s top trade adviser in the middle of a global pandemic and economic crisis, and the Office of Special Counsel recently concluded that he’d repeatedly violated the Hatch Act, the law prohibiting the use of government positions for political ends.
But the report is nothing if not political. It concludes, in part: “If these election irregularities are not fully investigated prior to Inauguration Day and thereby effectively allowed to stand, this nation runs the very real risk of never being able to have a fair presidential election again.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Biden Taps Rep Haaland To Be First Native American Interior Secretary

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

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


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Biden Aide Caves After Trump GOP Pretends To Be Offended Over Curse Word

Jen O ’ Malley Dillon , President-elect Joe Biden ’ s incoming White House deputy chief of staff , expressed regret over her explicit remarks about Republicans that GOP lawmakers pretended to be shocked and offended over .
In an interview with Glamour published Tuesday , O ’ Malley Dillon took aim at Republicans , who she sees as having brushed off Biden ’ s push for unity by impeding Democrats in virtually every way possible .
“ In the primary , people would mock him , like , ‘ You think you can work with Republicans ?
’ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a bunch of fuckers .
Mitch McConnell is terrible , ” O ’ Malley Dillon told Glamour .
“ But this sense that you couldn ’ t wish for that , you couldn ’ t wish for this bipartisan ideal ?
He rejected that.
” Conservatives swiftly clutched their pearls as they blasted the top Biden aide for airing her explicit description of Republicans as they conveniently ignored President Trump ’ s numerous episodes of issuing derogatory comments toward people and groups who won ’ t do his bidding .
Rubio waded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was swiftly met with backlash because , for one thing , the Florida senator once implied that Trump had a small penis .
Talk about decorum .
A day after she made headlines for her explicit description of Republicans , O ’ Malley appeared to cave following conservatives ’ faux backlash during a virtual conversation with veteran Democratic operatives Stephanie Cutter and Teddy Goff .
“ I used some words that I probably could have chosen better , ” Jen O ’ Malley Dillon said , according to Politico .
O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ really making ” in her interview with Glamour is “ incredibly important.
” “ And that really is about the President-elect and why he was supported by over 81 million people , and what they were looking for , ” O ’ Malley Dillon said , according to Politico .
According to Politico , O ’ Malley Dillon also stressed Biden ’ s “ belief that we can get things done , and we can get them done if we come together .
”

Jen O’Malley Dillon, President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming White House deputy chief of staff, expressed regret over her explicit remarks about Republicans that GOP lawmakers pretended to be shocked and offended over.
In an interview with Glamour published Tuesday, O’Malley Dillon took aim at Republicans, who she sees as having brushed off Biden’s push for unity by impeding Democrats in virtually every way possible.
“In the primary, people would mock him, like, ‘You think you can work with Republicans?’ I’m not saying they’re not a bunch of fuckers. Mitch McConnell is terrible,” O’Malley Dillon told Glamour. “But this sense that you couldn’t wish for that, you couldn’t wish for this bipartisan ideal? He rejected that.”
Conservatives swiftly clutched their pearls as they blasted the top Biden aide for airing her explicit description of Republicans as they conveniently ignored President Trump’s numerous episodes of issuing derogatory comments toward people and groups who won’t do his bidding. Rubio waded into the matter on Wednesday evening, and was swiftly met with backlash because, for one thing, the Florida senator once implied that Trump had a small penis. Talk about decorum.
A day after she made headlines for her explicit description of Republicans, O’Malley appeared to cave following conservatives’ faux backlash during a virtual conversation with veteran Democratic operatives Stephanie Cutter and Teddy Goff.
“I used some words that I probably could have chosen better,” Jen O’Malley Dillon said, according to Politico.
O’Malley insisted that the point she was “really making” in her interview with Glamour is “incredibly important.”
“And that really is about the President-elect and why he was supported by over 81 million people, and what they were looking for,” O’Malley Dillon said, according to Politico.
According to Politico, O’Malley Dillon also stressed Biden’s “belief that we can get things done, and we can get them done if we come together.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Tuberville Suggests He May Be Readying Electoral College Challenge

Senator-Elect Tommy Tuberville ( R-AL ) suggested that he may be planning to challenge the Electoral College count when Congress convenes next month , against the wishes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) .
“ You see what ’ s coming , ” Tuberville said , according to a shaky phone video shared by activist Lauren Windsor on Thursday .
“ You ’ ve been reading about it in the House .
We ’ re going to have to do it in the Senate.
” He made the comment while stumping in Georgia this week for Sens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Perdue ( R-GA ) .
He did not offer any further specification , leaving it unclear if he intends to vote against the count himself .
His campaign did not respond to TPM ’ s questions .
McConnell implored his caucus not to vote against the count on a conference call last week , warning that it would force the rest of the Republicans into the awkward position of having to cast a vote that will anger President Donald Trump .
Many Republican senators have publicly dismissed the idea of voting against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) is planning to challenge the vote count in the House .
In order for the presiding officer to hear the challenge , at least one representative and one senator have to sign it .
Then both chambers would go into a special session .
For the challenge to be successful , both chambers would have to approve it by a simple majority .
As that will certainly not happen in the majority-Democrat House , any challenge would be symbolic at most .
Still , defying McConnell would be bold move for Tuberville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ ll be sworn in on January 3 after defeating Sen. Doug Jones ( D-AL ) in November .

Senator-Elect Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) suggested that he may be planning to challenge the Electoral College count when Congress convenes next month, against the wishes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
“You see what’s coming,” Tuberville said, according to a shaky phone video shared by activist Lauren Windsor on Thursday. “You’ve been reading about it in the House. We’re going to have to do it in the Senate.”
BREAKING: Defying McConnell, Sen-elect Tuberville suggests he will challenge Electoral College, while stumping in Georgia pic.twitter.com/1z5wJ2ajVP — Lauren Windsor (@lawindsor) December 17, 2020
He made the comment while stumping in Georgia this week for Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA).
He did not offer any further specification, leaving it unclear if he intends to vote against the count himself. His campaign did not respond to TPM’s questions.
McConnell implored his caucus not to vote against the count on a conference call last week, warning that it would force the rest of the Republicans into the awkward position of having to cast a vote that will anger President Donald Trump. Many Republican senators have publicly dismissed the idea of voting against it.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) is planning to challenge the vote count in the House.
In order for the presiding officer to hear the challenge, at least one representative and one senator have to sign it. Then both chambers would go into a special session. For the challenge to be successful, both chambers would have to approve it by a simple majority. As that will certainly not happen in the majority-Democrat House, any challenge would be symbolic at most.
Still, defying McConnell would be bold move for Tuberville to make right out the gate. He’ll be sworn in on January 3 after defeating Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) in November.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Cheers! Twitter Rejoices In Outgoing Rep Cracking Open Beer In Farewell Speech

Can you blame outgoing Rep. Joe Cunningham ( D-SC ) for capping off his time in Congress in the most @ @ @ @ @ hell of a year ?
In his farewell speech to Congress on Thursday , Cunningham @ @ @ @ @ for Internet fodder as he cracked open a beer in the hopes of bipartisanship as @ @ @ @ @ 2020 behind .
“ For the betterment of this country , we have to come @ @ @ @ @ sit down and listen to one another , and maybe even have a beer , @ @ @ @ @ grabbing a beer can from an inside pocket of his jacket and cracking it open @ @ @ @ @ glass to my colleagues , both Democrats and Republicans .
I yield back .
” @ @ @ @ @ his beer can , and wore a mask during his grand finale .
Cunningham reportedly @ @ @ @ @ six-pack , but was denied from doing so .
Twitter users raised their glass to @ @ @ @ @

Hold my beer, 2020.
Can you blame outgoing Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) for capping off his time in Congress in the most 2020 way possible after a hell of a year?
In his farewell speech to Congress on Thursday, Cunningham’s sign-off proved ripe for Internet fodder as he cracked open a beer in the hopes of bipartisanship as we inch closer to leaving 2020 behind.
“For the betterment of this country, we have to come together, we have to sit down and listen to one another, and maybe even have a beer,” Cunningham said, before grabbing a beer can from an inside pocket of his jacket and cracking it open. “I raise this glass to my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans. I yield back. ”
Cunningham take a sip from his beer can, and wore a mask during his grand finale.
Cunningham reportedly tried to bring in a six-pack, but was denied from doing so.
Twitter users raised their glass to Cunningham in short order:
You can take the man out of South Carolina, but you can never take South Carolina out of the man. https://t.co/lLWpkhdJyM — Zinny Simpson (@Zin_City) December 17, 2020
not all heroes https://t.co/vela7Noe0u — Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) December 17, 2020
This is the most South Carolina thing I’ve seen in a while. https://t.co/0SGZ1Ue5A7 — Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) December 17, 2020
mentally i’m here https://t.co/lR13Raxmwz — megan mckinley, complex human person (@meganmckinley23) December 17, 2020
Only flaw in the advance: he wasn't wearing croakies https://t.co/gFNvaSAwDl — Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) December 17, 2020
We've had vaping (Duncan Hunter), air horn blasting (Joe Cunningham), and now beer (Cunningham again) in the last few Congresses. https://t.co/9HVXVmnPaG — John Lovett (@jlove1982) December 17, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-17--Biden Will Nominate Michael Regan To Run EPA Amid Growing Climate Crisis

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality chief Michael Regan as the next Environmental Protection Agency , according to multiple reports .
While the decision has not been formally announced , if confirmed , Regan would be the first Black man to run the increasingly vital agency which will be tasked with combating growing threats posed by climate change .
Among those also considered for the role included California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and Richard Revesz of New York University Law School , according to the Washington Post .
Biden has vowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first time a global climate envoy with a seat on the National Security Council , when he tapped former Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry for the job last month .
In his campaign platform , Biden said he would embrace green energy and enforce bold climate policies after President Donald Trump ’ s administration has bulldozed more than 130 environmental protections and regulations .
Career department employees have battled for the past four years with Trump ’ s political appointees on efforts to undo environmental safeguards , among them fuel-efficiency standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new oil and gas wells .
Trump ’ s first EPA administrator , Scott Pruitt , was plagued by numerous scandals during his tenure .
Pruitt took an ax to a long list of government regulations .
Regan has served as the top environmental official in North Carolina since early 2017 and paved the way for a multibillion-dollar settlement over a coal ash cleanup with Duke Energy .
Regan , a Democrat , has also fostered bipartisan partnerships in work with the state ’ s Republican-controlled legislature — a boon for the President-elect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over political division .
Regan , 44 , won over fierce competition for the nomination , beating out environmental regulators and experts with decades more experience , in an apparent effort by Biden to focus on building from fresh talent among a younger generation of political leaders .
While campaigning earlier this year Biden referred to himself as a “ bridge , ” to a generation of leaders who are “ the future of this country.
” Biden made a similar decision opting for a younger nominee for transportation secretary when earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 38-year-old former South Bend , Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg for the role .

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality chief Michael Regan as the next Environmental Protection Agency, according to multiple reports.
While the decision has not been formally announced, if confirmed, Regan would be the first Black man to run the increasingly vital agency which will be tasked with combating growing threats posed by climate change.
Among those also considered for the role included California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and Richard Revesz of New York University Law School, according to the Washington Post.
Biden has vowed to prioritize environmental issues, naming for the first time a global climate envoy with a seat on the National Security Council, when he tapped former Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry for the job last month.
In his campaign platform, Biden said he would embrace green energy and enforce bold climate policies after President Donald Trump’s administration has bulldozed more than 130 environmental protections and regulations.
Career department employees have battled for the past four years with Trump’s political appointees on efforts to undo environmental safeguards, among them fuel-efficiency standard and Obama-era limits on methane released from new oil and gas wells.
Trump’s first EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, was plagued by numerous scandals during his tenure. Pruitt took an ax to a long list of government regulations.
Regan has served as the top environmental official in North Carolina since early 2017 and paved the way for a multibillion-dollar settlement over a coal ash cleanup with Duke Energy. Regan, a Democrat, has also fostered bipartisan partnerships in work with the state’s Republican-controlled legislature — a boon for the President-elect’s campaign message to establish unity over political division.
Regan, 44, won over fierce competition for the nomination, beating out environmental regulators and experts with decades more experience, in an apparent effort by Biden to focus on building from fresh talent among a younger generation of political leaders.
While campaigning earlier this year Biden referred to himself as a “bridge,” to a generation of leaders who are “the future of this country.”
Biden made a similar decision opting for a younger nominee for transportation secretary when earlier this week reports revealed his plans to tap the 38-year-old former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg for the role.