hotair--2020-12-23--Trouble: Kelly Loeffler dodges when asked if she'll support Trump's demand for $2,000 stimulus check

Trouble: Kelly Loeffler dodges when asked if she'll support Trump's demand for $2,000 stimulus checks

Let me suggest to you that it ’ s an open question at the moment whether the president really wants Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue to win their Senate races next month .
Yes , I know he went down there to campaign for them not long ago .
And yes , I know he said he ’ ll be back on January 4 , the night before the runoffs , to campaign for them again .
But don ’ t be so sure : He ’ s already canceled one trip to Georgia recently in a fit of pique @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he held for Loeffler and Perdue several weeks ago came at a point in the post-election process when he still had various conceivable paths open to him to overturn the election .
( I mean , not really , but in his mind he did . )
His court challenges were proceeding .
He was twisting the arms of state legislators to invalidate their election results .
The electoral college hadn ’ t met yet .
SCOTUS hadn ’ t considered the Texas lawsuit yet .
He still had hope , however foolishly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And therefore naturally he ’ d want a Republican majority in the Senate to advance his agenda .
Things are different now .
SCOTUS has ruled .
The electoral college has met .
The court challenges and arm-twisting have fallen off .
Mitch McConnell has recognized Biden as the president-elect and John Thune has said there ’ s no hope of Congress undoing the election results on January 6 .
Reality seems to have set in for the president — to some degree .
He may not have reached the point of full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reached the point of , “ Wait , I ’ m probably not going to pull this off , am I ?
” In which case , what reason does he have to want Loeffler and Perdue to win ?
If he ’ s now declared war on the GOP and is looking to punish McConnell and Thune for their “ disloyalty , ” why would he want Republicans to win the Georgia Senate runoffs and hand McConnell a majority ?
Why wouldn ’ t he want to see them both lose so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Better for Trump to boycott the race and sulk .
If Loeffler and Perdue lose , he can point to the outcome and say , “ See what happens without me , when my fans get demoralized ?
” If they win , he can say , “ It ’ s all thanks to the rally I held there on December 5.
” Bear all of that in mind as you consider the predicament in which he ’ s left Loeffler and Perdue .
What do they do now that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tent by demanding $ 2,000 checks *after* the COVID relief package has already passed ?
Do they stick with McConnell and Senate Republicans by insisting that $ 600 is plenty , potentially pissing off Trump and his fans ?
Or do they show loyalty by joining his demand for bigger checks , irritating fiscal conservatives who have been using this negotiation to try to draw a line in the sand on spending before Biden is sworn in ?
All of which is a fancy way of saying that we really do have two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the McConnell party ( for lack of a better term ) , and every Republican in the Senate will be forced to say which one they ’ re part of .
Most get to wait until January 6 before declaring themselves .
Loeffler ’ s on the ballot on the 5th , though , and doesn ’ t get that luxury .
She was asked today whether she ’ s with Trump on $ 2,000 checks or not .
Er , ahm , I ’ ll get back to you , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-answer she could have given under the circumstances , with a nod to both Trump and fiscal hawks .
But it raises the question of why she voted for the bill in the first place .
If she wanted bigger checks and less wasteful spending , she could have crusaded on that point .
Raphael Warnock might well ask , “ If she cares about American families , why wasn ’ t she pushing for bigger checks and less pork all along ?
” And in fact he is asking that : Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision to start negotiating — publicly — against his own party last night after they ’ d just wrapped a months-long negotiation with Democrats , but no one more so than Perdue and Loeffler .
McConnell explicitly told his caucus last week that it was important to make a deal on COVID relief because failing to do so could wreck their chances of winning in Georgia and holding the majority .
What do they do now to keep all sides of their coalition happy less than two weeks out from Election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and driven a wedge ?
“ Only Trump could take a final big win for his administration and in a fit of illogical madness disown any credit he ’ ll ever get for it , ” said one senior GOP official to WaPo .
“ To the extent that Trump ’ s bizarre ramblings contribute to any negative feelings for Republicans , Perdue and Loeffler are the ones who will ultimately pay the price.
” And it ’ s not just the COVID relief bill that Trump has blown up .
He detonated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , another bit of spite that leaves Loeffler and Perdue with no easy choices : Oh well .
It ’ s not like there are lots of military families in Georgia .
But wait .
It gets weirder : Why the hell would they run ads in states where the results have already been certified and the electoral votes have already been cast ?
Why not run ads for Loeffler and Perdue instead ?
“ Why should people go out and vote for Loeffler and Perdue if they believe the election is rigged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing of the new “ stop the steal ” ads .
The last thing Trump and his campaign should want Georgia Republicans thinking as they weigh whether to bother voting on January 5 is that the system is trash and their votes might not actually be counted .
It makes no sense for them to run those ads — if their goal is to see the two Republican candidates elected .
But what if it isn ’ t ?
What if my theory is correct that , for his own selfish and vindictive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best and opposed at worst to seeing Loeffler and Perdue win ?
The House GOP held a conference call today that ended up leaking to reporters , with one Republican heard to say that Trump had thrown them under the bus .
That turned out to be Don Bacon of Nebraska .
Bacon has since owned up to it and doubtless speaks for many , many , many of his colleagues in this statement : The president was updated every step of the way on Mnuchin ’ s $ 600 check negotiations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of the spending items he complained about in his video statement last night .
Ultimately , Bacon ’ s asking the same question every other Republican in Washington is asking : Why .
Didn ’ t .
Trump .
Object .
Sooner ?
But we all know the answer .
He didn ’ t object sooner because he ’ s fine with the $ 600 checks and fine with the other spending on the merits .
He became un-fine only after McConnell and Thune gave up on his effort to overturn the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just his way of screwing them and the rest of the party .
If that means Perdue and Loeffler go down as collateral damage , whatever .
Serves Mitch right for not joining the coup attempt .
Erick Erickson published a post this morning claiming that he ’ s heard from private pollsters that GOP turnout is shaping up to be *big* on January 5 .
That ’ s probably true : It ’ s anyone ’ s guess how much the day-to-day drama that we political junkies obsess over filters through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as much attention to politics .
But if the COVID relief package blows up and Trump and the Senate GOP end up at each other ’ s throats to a degree that even casual political observers can ’ t ignore , the effect on turnout is totally unpredictable .
The last 24 hours aren ’ t what Loeffler and Perdue wanted and they ’ re certainly not what McConnell wanted .
But they are what Trump wanted .

Let me suggest to you that it’s an open question at the moment whether the president really wants Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue to win their Senate races next month.
Yes, I know he went down there to campaign for them not long ago. And yes, I know he said he’ll be back on January 4, the night before the runoffs, to campaign for them again. But don’t be so sure: He’s already canceled one trip to Georgia recently in a fit of pique towards Brian Kemp. And the event he held for Loeffler and Perdue several weeks ago came at a point in the post-election process when he still had various conceivable paths open to him to overturn the election. (I mean, not really, but in his mind he did.) His court challenges were proceeding. He was twisting the arms of state legislators to invalidate their election results. The electoral college hadn’t met yet. SCOTUS hadn’t considered the Texas lawsuit yet.
He still had hope, however foolishly, of winning a second term. And therefore naturally he’d want a Republican majority in the Senate to advance his agenda.
Things are different now. SCOTUS has ruled. The electoral college has met. The court challenges and arm-twisting have fallen off. Mitch McConnell has recognized Biden as the president-elect and John Thune has said there’s no hope of Congress undoing the election results on January 6. Reality seems to have set in for the president — to some degree. He may not have reached the point of full acceptance yet but he’s certainly reached the point of, “Wait, I’m probably not going to pull this off, am I?”
In which case, what reason does he have to want Loeffler and Perdue to win? If he’s now declared war on the GOP and is looking to punish McConnell and Thune for their “disloyalty,” why would he want Republicans to win the Georgia Senate runoffs and hand McConnell a majority? Why wouldn’t he want to see them both lose so that McConnell is relegated to minority leader?
2/ “… When it comes to venting rage and seeking revenge vs. millions losing unemployment the day after Christmas and millions losing apartments and millions of small businesses going under, there is no contest: his ego always comes first.” — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 23, 2020
Better for Trump to boycott the race and sulk. If Loeffler and Perdue lose, he can point to the outcome and say, “See what happens without me, when my fans get demoralized?” If they win, he can say, “It’s all thanks to the rally I held there on December 5.”
Bear all of that in mind as you consider the predicament in which he’s left Loeffler and Perdue. What do they do now that the president’s rolled a grenade into the tent by demanding $2,000 checks *after* the COVID relief package has already passed? Do they stick with McConnell and Senate Republicans by insisting that $600 is plenty, potentially pissing off Trump and his fans? Or do they show loyalty by joining his demand for bigger checks, irritating fiscal conservatives who have been using this negotiation to try to draw a line in the sand on spending before Biden is sworn in? All of which is a fancy way of saying that we really do have two parties now, the Trump party and the McConnell party (for lack of a better term), and every Republican in the Senate will be forced to say which one they’re part of. Most get to wait until January 6 before declaring themselves. Loeffler’s on the ballot on the 5th, though, and doesn’t get that luxury.
She was asked today whether she’s with Trump on $2,000 checks or not. Er, ahm, I’ll get back to you, she said:
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) said Wednesday she’d consider supporting legislation on direct payments of $2,000 if it shifted money from “wasteful spending” toward that purpose. “I’ll certainly look at supporting it if it repurposes wasteful spending toward that,” she said at a campaign event… Loeffler voted for the bill, which passed with large, bipartisan support. It’s unclear what will happen next with the bill.
That’s probably the best non-answer she could have given under the circumstances, with a nod to both Trump and fiscal hawks. But it raises the question of why she voted for the bill in the first place. If she wanted bigger checks and less wasteful spending, she could have crusaded on that point. Raphael Warnock might well ask, “If she cares about American families, why wasn’t she pushing for bigger checks and less pork all along?”
And in fact he is asking that:
This sounds like a no from billionaire Senator Loeffler. Georgia families can't wait. $2,000 checks should be passed now. https://t.co/zFG8JXhTnj — Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) December 23, 2020
Every Republican in Congress was boned by Trump’s decision to start negotiating — publicly — against his own party last night after they’d just wrapped a months-long negotiation with Democrats, but no one more so than Perdue and Loeffler. McConnell explicitly told his caucus last week that it was important to make a deal on COVID relief because failing to do so could wreck their chances of winning in Georgia and holding the majority. What do they do now to keep all sides of their coalition happy less than two weeks out from Election Day after the president’s gone and driven a wedge?
Official at FreedomWorks, the conservative group, on POTUS' push for $2K in checks: "Trump is surrendering the argument on universal basic income … You are not better than AOC right now"https://t.co/sM5FZq6DXo — Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) December 23, 2020
“Only Trump could take a final big win for his administration and in a fit of illogical madness disown any credit he’ll ever get for it,” said one senior GOP official to WaPo. “To the extent that Trump’s bizarre ramblings contribute to any negative feelings for Republicans, Perdue and Loeffler are the ones who will ultimately pay the price.” And it’s not just the COVID relief bill that Trump has blown up. He detonated the defense spending bill too this afternoon, another bit of spite that leaves Loeffler and Perdue with no easy choices:
The president just vetoed a defense bill that included a major, long overdue pay raise for our men and women in uniform. Kelly Loeffler needs to say today that she will override his veto and support this pay raise for our troops. https://t.co/a2aTmGV1mY — Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) December 23, 2020
Oh well. It’s not like there are lots of military families in Georgia.
But wait. It gets weirder:
Trump campaign is going on radio in GA with a substantial buy with an ad talking about its allegations of election fraud, per a buyer and a campaign adviser. Also in MI and AZ and Wisc, as well as on OAN and Newsmax — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 23, 2020
Why the hell would they run ads in states where the results have already been certified and the electoral votes have already been cast? Why not run ads for Loeffler and Perdue instead? “Why should people go out and vote for Loeffler and Perdue if they believe the election is rigged?” asked reporter Yashar Ali, hearing of the new “stop the steal” ads. The last thing Trump and his campaign should want Georgia Republicans thinking as they weigh whether to bother voting on January 5 is that the system is trash and their votes might not actually be counted. It makes no sense for them to run those ads — if their goal is to see the two Republican candidates elected.
But what if it isn’t? What if my theory is correct that, for his own selfish and vindictive reasons, Trump is now indifferent at best and opposed at worst to seeing Loeffler and Perdue win?
The House GOP held a conference call today that ended up leaking to reporters, with one Republican heard to say that Trump had thrown them under the bus. That turned out to be Don Bacon of Nebraska. Bacon has since owned up to it and doubtless speaks for many, many, many of his colleagues in this statement:
Stmt from Rep. Bacon, when asked about these comments > "I stand by what I said. The President’s Secretary of Treasury helped negotiate this bill and encouraged us to support it. Furthermore, the President was updated on this bill every step of the way by GOP Leadership…" https://t.co/1eCwbsHDtG pic.twitter.com/YvTfNeacSB — Emily Cochrane (@ESCochrane) December 23, 2020
The president was updated every step of the way on Mnuchin’s $600 check negotiations and the president’s own budget contained many of the spending items he complained about in his video statement last night. Ultimately, Bacon’s asking the same question every other Republican in Washington is asking: Why. Didn’t. Trump. Object. Sooner?
But we all know the answer. He didn’t object sooner because he’s fine with the $600 checks and fine with the other spending on the merits. He became un-fine only after McConnell and Thune gave up on his effort to overturn the election. The $2,000 check demand is just his way of screwing them and the rest of the party. If that means Perdue and Loeffler go down as collateral damage, whatever. Serves Mitch right for not joining the coup attempt.
Erick Erickson published a post this morning claiming that he’s heard from private pollsters that GOP turnout is shaping up to be *big* on January 5. That’s probably true: It’s anyone’s guess how much the day-to-day drama that we political junkies obsess over filters through to people who don’t pay as much attention to politics. But if the COVID relief package blows up and Trump and the Senate GOP end up at each other’s throats to a degree that even casual political observers can’t ignore, the effect on turnout is totally unpredictable. The last 24 hours aren’t what Loeffler and Perdue wanted and they’re certainly not what McConnell wanted. But they are what Trump wanted.


hotair--2020-12-23--Physicists: Our galaxy is probably a graveyard of failed alien civilizations

Make up our minds for us already , would ya , doc ?
Some physicists out at Caltech have jumped into the game of trying to determine if there ’ s other intelligent life in the galaxy or we ’ re stuck here by ourselves .
It ’ s a question humanity has been grappling with for ages , but if we ’ re being honest , everyone is just guessing .
Until we have some definitive data , guessing is just about all we can do .
But what did this particular group of eggheads come up with ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ complicated .
They clearly have no problem with the idea of multiple lifeforms arising on other worlds and even reaching the point of being technologically advanced .
In fact , they think it ’ s happened quite a bit .
But the reason we ’ re not detecting any of them is that the advanced civilizations that came before us eventually wiped themselves out .
So the Milky Way is very likely a graveyard of failed alien civilizations .
( The Debrief ) New research conducted by three Caltech physicists and one high-schooler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be full of self-annihilated extraterrestrial civilizations .
These findings are reportedly a more up-to-date analysis of the Drake equation—a probabilistic argument intended to stimulate debate about the number of intelligent alien civilizations within our galaxy .
The researchers propose that the Milky Way is a graveyard of former civilizations that destroyed themselves upon reaching a certain technological level .
Though an intriguing idea , scientists who spoke to The Debrief expressed skepticism concerning the study ’ s conclusions .
This is at least a different spin on the question than some we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of scientists recently proposed their own theory , concluding that our galaxy is probably crawling with life , some of it technologically advanced .
Then there was that article from the Astrophysical Journal in which another group of scientists predicted that there are 36 alien intelligences in the Milky Way capable of interstellar communication .
( That ’ s an oddly specific number . )
As I said above , everyone is just guessing .
But the important concept I took away from this report today is the idea of unavoidable self-annihilation by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a theory that ’ s been around for a long time and I ’ ll confess to having wondered if it might not be all that far-fetched .
Plenty of people have plausibly argued that humanity is continually developing a series of “ existential tripwires , ” one of which will eventually take us out of the game permanently .
The supposedly less intelligent animals and plants on our planet lived in what was always a “ renewable ” culture .
The plants grew from the soil .
Some animals ate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plant-eating animals .
They all eventually died and decayed .
Their remains went to renew the soil .
You get the drift .
But when one group of monkeys became too clever and started using technology , we began burning up other types of resources that don ’ t renew themselves .
We can eventually burn all of the oil that ’ s in the ground .
Our more advanced technology relies heavily on certain rare-earth metals and elements , and they have the word “ rare ” in the title for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that science to become so dependent on our advanced technology that we couldn ’ t feed one-fifth of the people on the planet if it all collapsed tomorrow .
Add in the possibility of a really massive war or someone unleashing a true superplague or an army of artificially intelligent nanobots and there ’ s no end to the list of ways we could drive ourselves to extinction in a fairly short period of time .
So if we can conceive of it happening here , does it follow that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the galaxy ?
I ’ m not so sure about that , but it ’ s a simultaneously creepy and fascinating question to ponder .

Make up our minds for us already, would ya, doc? Some physicists out at Caltech have jumped into the game of trying to determine if there’s other intelligent life in the galaxy or we’re stuck here by ourselves. It’s a question humanity has been grappling with for ages, but if we’re being honest, everyone is just guessing. Until we have some definitive data, guessing is just about all we can do. But what did this particular group of eggheads come up with?
Well, it’s a little complicated. They clearly have no problem with the idea of multiple lifeforms arising on other worlds and even reaching the point of being technologically advanced. In fact, they think it’s happened quite a bit. But the reason we’re not detecting any of them is that the advanced civilizations that came before us eventually wiped themselves out. So the Milky Way is very likely a graveyard of failed alien civilizations. (The Debrief)
New research conducted by three Caltech physicists and one high-schooler suggests that the Milky Way galaxy may be full of self-annihilated extraterrestrial civilizations. These findings are reportedly a more up-to-date analysis of the Drake equation—a probabilistic argument intended to stimulate debate about the number of intelligent alien civilizations within our galaxy. The researchers propose that the Milky Way is a graveyard of former civilizations that destroyed themselves upon reaching a certain technological level. Though an intriguing idea, scientists who spoke to The Debrief expressed skepticism concerning the study’s conclusions.
This is at least a different spin on the question than some we’ve heard before. A different group of scientists recently proposed their own theory, concluding that our galaxy is probably crawling with life, some of it technologically advanced. Then there was that article from the Astrophysical Journal in which another group of scientists predicted that there are 36 alien intelligences in the Milky Way capable of interstellar communication. (That’s an oddly specific number.)
As I said above, everyone is just guessing. But the important concept I took away from this report today is the idea of unavoidable self-annihilation by intelligent species, including humans. It’s a theory that’s been around for a long time and I’ll confess to having wondered if it might not be all that far-fetched. Plenty of people have plausibly argued that humanity is continually developing a series of “existential tripwires,” one of which will eventually take us out of the game permanently.
The supposedly less intelligent animals and plants on our planet lived in what was always a “renewable” culture. The plants grew from the soil. Some animals ate the plants. Other animals ate the plant-eating animals. They all eventually died and decayed. Their remains went to renew the soil. You get the drift.
But when one group of monkeys became too clever and started using technology, we began burning up other types of resources that don’t renew themselves. We can eventually burn all of the oil that’s in the ground. Our more advanced technology relies heavily on certain rare-earth metals and elements, and they have the word “rare” in the title for a reason. We’ve used all of that science to become so dependent on our advanced technology that we couldn’t feed one-fifth of the people on the planet if it all collapsed tomorrow. Add in the possibility of a really massive war or someone unleashing a true superplague or an army of artificially intelligent nanobots and there’s no end to the list of ways we could drive ourselves to extinction in a fairly short period of time.
So if we can conceive of it happening here, does it follow that it would eventually happen to any advanced intelligence anywhere in the galaxy? I’m not so sure about that, but it’s a simultaneously creepy and fascinating question to ponder.


hotair--2020-12-23--New strain causes UK to break single-day record for new COVID cases (and it's probably already here)

The United Kingdom has topped its own record for new COVID cases two days in row .
Today there were 39,237 new cases with nearly a quarter million new cases in just the past week .
The worst hit areas are east of London where a newly identified strain of the virus is spreading rapidly .
A pre-print study ( meaning it has not been peer-reviewed ) published today agrees with previous estimates that the new strain is significantly more transmissible .
One of the authors highlighted some of the findings on Twitter : As Allahpundit pointed out Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines are still going to be effective against this new stain .
The bad news is that because it seems to spread more easily , we ’ ll probably have less time to get people vaccinated before the sheer number of cases overwhelms hospitals .
If you assume about 12 % of everyone who gets sick will wind up in the hospital then a surge in illnesses can create a problem for the health system as a whole even if the individuals getting it aren ’ t any sicker than before .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jury is still out on that one .
The NY Times notes that some evidence from South Africa points to the possibility that this strain could lead to more severe symptoms : So it ’ s too early to say the new strain is more severe but it ’ s also not out of the realm of possibility that it is .
The other bad news is that there ’ s some data indicating the new strain is more transmissible in children .
Professor Neil Ferguson , from Imperial College London , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the southeast showed the new variant had a statistically significant higher rate of infection among children than other strains… “ During the lockdown in England , we saw a general shift in the age distribution of the virus towards children , and that was true in the variant and non-variant and that is what we would expect , given that we had locked down which reduced adult contacts but schools were still open .
“ But what we ’ ve seen over the course of a five- or six-week period is consistently the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ variant in under-15s was statistically significantly higher than the non-variant virus.
” Again , this doesn ’ t mean the new strain is targeting children or is worse for children than adults .
But the original strain wasn ’ t very good at infecting children .
This new strain seems to be closing that gap somewhat , making it more of an equal opportunity threat to everyone .
Again , children are still much less likely to become seriously ill than older adults but this could be another way in which the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if further study bears that out , then it could have an impact on decisions about opening schools in the spring .
Until recently , evidence suggested that keeping schools open , especially for young children , didn ’ t contribute substantially to the spread of the virus .
But if the new strain takes over in the next month or so , lots of people may want to reconsider that consensus .
The new strain has already spread to “ Denmark , Australia , Italy and the Netherlands ” and though it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. the CDC warned yesterday that it ’ s probably already here .
This has apparently been spreading in the UK since September so there has been plenty of time for it to make it ’ s way to the U.S .

The United Kingdom has topped its own record for new COVID cases two days in row. Today there were 39,237 new cases with nearly a quarter million new cases in just the past week. The worst hit areas are east of London where a newly identified strain of the virus is spreading rapidly.
A pre-print study (meaning it has not been peer-reviewed) published today agrees with previous estimates that the new strain is significantly more transmissible. One of the authors highlighted some of the findings on Twitter:
We fitted a mathematical model to the growth of VOC 202012/01 in these three regions of England. If current trends continue, the new variant could represent 90% of cases by mid-January. NOT PEER REVIEWED 2/9 pic.twitter.com/ONOWiw3T4s — Nick Davies (@_nickdavies) December 23, 2020
NB: Our analysis of hospitalisations and deaths is purely associational — we do not have data yet on actual outcomes of patients with this new variant. Further work is needed to clarify this evidence. NOT PEER REVIEWED 4/9 — Nick Davies (@_nickdavies) December 23, 2020
Without effective control policies, rapid surges are predicted and the burden in the first six months of 2021 may be greater than what was seen in 2020. NOT PEER REVIEWED 6/9 — Nick Davies (@_nickdavies) December 23, 2020
As Allahpundit pointed out Monday, the good news is that our existing vaccines are still going to be effective against this new stain. The bad news is that because it seems to spread more easily, we’ll probably have less time to get people vaccinated before the sheer number of cases overwhelms hospitals. If you assume about 12% of everyone who gets sick will wind up in the hospital then a surge in illnesses can create a problem for the health system as a whole even if the individuals getting it aren’t any sicker than before.
But are they sicker than before? The jury is still out on that one. The NY Times notes that some evidence from South Africa points to the possibility that this strain could lead to more severe symptoms:
In South Africa, another lineage of the coronavirus has gained one particular mutation that is also found in B.1.1.7. This variant is spreading quickly through coastal areas of South Africa. And in preliminary studies, doctors there have found that people infected with this variant carry a heightened viral load — a higher concentration of the virus in their upper respiratory tract. In many viral diseases, this is associated with more severe symptoms.
So it’s too early to say the new strain is more severe but it’s also not out of the realm of possibility that it is. The other bad news is that there’s some data indicating the new strain is more transmissible in children.
Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, said on Monday that data on infections across the southeast showed the new variant had a statistically significant higher rate of infection among children than other strains… “During the lockdown in England, we saw a general shift in the age distribution of the virus towards children, and that was true in the variant and non-variant and that is what we would expect, given that we had locked down which reduced adult contacts but schools were still open. “But what we’ve seen over the course of a five- or six-week period is consistently the proportion of pillar two cases for the variant in under-15s was statistically significantly higher than the non-variant virus.”
Again, this doesn’t mean the new strain is targeting children or is worse for children than adults. But the original strain wasn’t very good at infecting children. This new strain seems to be closing that gap somewhat, making it more of an equal opportunity threat to everyone. Again, children are still much less likely to become seriously ill than older adults but this could be another way in which the new strain is spreading more quickly.
And if further study bears that out, then it could have an impact on decisions about opening schools in the spring. Until recently, evidence suggested that keeping schools open, especially for young children, didn’t contribute substantially to the spread of the virus. But if the new strain takes over in the next month or so, lots of people may want to reconsider that consensus.
The new strain has already spread to “Denmark, Australia, Italy and the Netherlands” and though it hasn’t been identified here in the U.S. the CDC warned yesterday that it’s probably already here.
“Ongoing travel between the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the high prevalence of this variant among current UK infections, increase the likelihood of importation,” the CDC said in a statement. “Given the small fraction of US infections that have been sequenced, the variant could already be in the United States without having been detected.”
This has apparently been spreading in the UK since September so there has been plenty of time for it to make it’s way to the U.S.


hotair--2020-12-23--San Francisco mayor: Newsom's Senate pick "a real blow to the African-American community" and to "wo

San Francisco mayor: Newsom's Senate pick "a real blow to the African-American community" and to "women in general"

Gavin Newsom had to know this was coming , right ?
For most governors , an opportunity to appoint a replacement to the US Senate is a political boon .
As Rod Blagojevich once declared , it ’ s “ a f*****g valuable thing.
” In California , however , it has become an albatross to Newsom , who had to decide which identity groups he would anger with his choice to replace VP-elect Kamala Harris .
Newsom chose Alex Padilla and promoted his longtime ally as California ’ s first Latino member of the upper chamber .
It didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backlash over the snubbing of both blacks and women , including this from San Francisco mayor London Breed ( via Townhall and Mediaite ) : “ What was your initial reaction to the governor appointing Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris ’ US Senate seat ?
” asked Stephanie Sierra of ABC7 , adding “ How do you feel about the fact that there are no Black women represented in the US Senate ?
Was this a missed opportunity ?
” “ I think that there was a lot of pride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vice president , the nomination for the party , and is now our vice president-elect for the country , and especially with that pride came , I believe , another opportunity , with her seat , to ensure as she continues to say , that even though you may be the first , make sure you ’ re not the last , ” Mayor Breed said .
“ And the sad reality is she was the only African-American woman in the Senate at this time , ” Breed continued .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country , of the challenges that exist for African Americans , especially African-American women in the Senate , definitely this is a real blow to the African-American community , to African-American women , to women in general , and I think it ’ s really challenging to put it in words.
” “ But it was definitely a surprise and it ’ s an unfortunate situation as we are trying to move this country forward and making sure that Black lives truly matter , and that African-Americans have a seat at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what was done in this race on a national level .
Definitely is unfortunate , ” Mayor Breed said .
Apparently this did not go unnoticed by leadership among California Democrats .
A few hours later , Tommy Christopher notes , Breed tried to walk this back a bit by hailing the “ historic ” nature of Padilla ’ s appointment : Maybe this means Newsom won ’ t have as much trouble over this as we might have thought , but … I wouldn ’ t bet that way .
Democrats have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focus , perhaps in part because those priorities failed in their presidential primaries in the end .
Despite all of the demands for a nominee who reflected the diversity within the party , Democrats ended up nominating an old white man who ’ s been in Washington since gas sold for 25 cents a gallon .
They ’ re fortunate in that Biden might have been the only candidate who could have beaten Trump , as the down-ballot results showed the electorate very much in center-right mode .
However , it seems to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including from Biden himself in making his Cabinet appointments .
That eventually will lead to competing demands for narrow resources and spoils , which Newsom ’ s conundrum this week demonstrates .
It won ’ t be the last time a Democrat governor has to choose winners between demographics , and it will only get uglier from here on out .

Gavin Newsom had to know this was coming, right? For most governors, an opportunity to appoint a replacement to the US Senate is a political boon. As Rod Blagojevich once declared, it’s “a f*****g valuable thing.” In California, however, it has become an albatross to Newsom, who had to decide which identity groups he would anger with his choice to replace VP-elect Kamala Harris.
Newsom chose Alex Padilla and promoted his longtime ally as California’s first Latino member of the upper chamber. It didn’t take long for the inevitable backlash over the snubbing of both blacks and women, including this from San Francisco mayor London Breed (via Townhall and Mediaite):
“What was your initial reaction to the governor appointing Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ US Senate seat?” asked Stephanie Sierra of ABC7, adding “How do you feel about the fact that there are no Black women represented in the US Senate? Was this a missed opportunity?” “I think that there was a lot of pride when not only Kamala was selected as the vice president, the nomination for the party, and is now our vice president-elect for the country, and especially with that pride came, I believe, another opportunity, with her seat, to ensure as she continues to say, that even though you may be the first, make sure you’re not the last,” Mayor Breed said. “And the sad reality is she was the only African-American woman in the Senate at this time,” Breed continued. “And when you think about the history of this country, of the challenges that exist for African Americans, especially African-American women in the Senate, definitely this is a real blow to the African-American community, to African-American women, to women in general, and I think it’s really challenging to put it in words.” “But it was definitely a surprise and it’s an unfortunate situation as we are trying to move this country forward and making sure that Black lives truly matter, and that African-Americans have a seat at the table, especially African-American women, after what was done in this race on a national level. Definitely is unfortunate,” Mayor Breed said.
Apparently this did not go unnoticed by leadership among California Democrats. A few hours later, Tommy Christopher notes, Breed tried to walk this back a bit by hailing the “historic” nature of Padilla’s appointment:
This is a historic day in California, esp for the Latino community. Congratulations @AlexPadilla4CA on your appointment to the Senate. We have a lot of work to do to advance the rights of immigrants & people of color in this country & I know you will be leading that fight in DC. — London Breed (@LondonBreed) December 23, 2020
Maybe this means Newsom won’t have as much trouble over this as we might have thought, but … I wouldn’t bet that way. Democrats have made identity politics even more of a focus, perhaps in part because those priorities failed in their presidential primaries in the end. Despite all of the demands for a nominee who reflected the diversity within the party, Democrats ended up nominating an old white man who’s been in Washington since gas sold for 25 cents a gallon.
They’re fortunate in that Biden might have been the only candidate who could have beaten Trump, as the down-ballot results showed the electorate very much in center-right mode. However, it seems to have amplified the need for performative diversity, including from Biden himself in making his Cabinet appointments. That eventually will lead to competing demands for narrow resources and spoils, which Newsom’s conundrum this week demonstrates. It won’t be the last time a Democrat governor has to choose winners between demographics, and it will only get uglier from here on out.


hotair--2020-12-23--<span class='red'>Trump makes good on threat, defunds the military by vetoing defense spending bill<

Today was the 10th business day since Congress sent him the bill , meaning that he either had to follow through on his threat to nuke it or do nothing and let it quietly become law via a “ pocket veto.
” Yesterday Jazz speculated that Trump might back down , reasoning that the president doesn ’ t like to be thought of as a “ loser ” and would resent seeing his veto overridden by Congress , as will almost certainly happen here .
Trump might be willing to defund the military in a go-nowhere bid to repeal Section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bases but serious legislators aren ’ t , so why bother ?
Jazz made a good point .
But what I think he overlooked is the fact that Trump ’ s behavior is now driven mainly by spite , particularly spite towards Republican leaders who won ’ t back him up on his last-ditch attempts to remain in power .
That ’ s why he blew up the stimulus bill last night , I suspect : He probably won ’ t get his way but his demands will make life harder for Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s good enough for him at this point .
Senate Republicans can override his veto of the defense bill but they can ’ t do it without pissing off some MAGA fans whose votes they need in their next election .
He wants a civil war within the party to punish the establishment for abandoning him .
So he ’ s going to do what he can to make it happen .
“ War criminals get pardons , the military gets defunded .
Merry Christmas , ” said a Twitter pal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maggie Haberman mused that defunding the military is an odd thing to do at a moment when cronies like Mike Flynn are whispering to the president that he should enlist the military to overturn the election .
The override votes are scheduled for next week : The House passed the defense bill 335-78 while the Senate passed it 84-13 , in both cases far beyond the margins they ’ d need for a two-thirds override supermajority .
The question is whether Trump ’ s anxiety-driven attempts to turn everything into a loyalty test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might cause a meaningful number of House Republicans to switch their votes on the override for fear of angering him .
I can see it both ways .
If you ’ re an R from a deep-red district and you know that he ’ s in civil-war mode , compiling an enemies list to which more names are being added day by day , maybe you think , “ I ’ d better back him up here and uphold his veto.
” Remember that Kevin McCarthy , the leader of the House caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll oppose an override attempt even though he voted for the bill .
( Liz Cheney has said otherwise . )
There ’ s no guarantee that the override will happen , which means it may be another month until Sleepy Joe is sworn in and signs the bill instead .
Imagine Trump handing Biden a slam-dunk opportunity to ingratiate himself to the Pentagon on day one by okaying funding that Trump refused to approve .
Still , the override will *probably* happen .
Fully 46 House Republicans or 18 Senate Republicans who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ switch in order to uphold Trump ’ s veto .
That ’ s a lot , and if there ’ s any issue on which GOPers might feel a higher calling than Trump ’ s approval , it ’ s funding the troops .
Besides , Republicans might reason that there are so many other opportunities coming up for them to prove their “ loyalty ” that they can afford to ignore the president on this particular test .
If you ’ re a House member who ’ s planning to vote to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 , that ’ s likely enough to earn his good favor even if you override his veto on the defense bill .
Same goes for the COVID stimulus package that Trump kinda sorta threatened to veto last night .
If you ’ re with him on that , maybe it ’ s okay to not be with him on this .
Is he serious about vetoing the COVID bill , though ?
Don ’ t be so sure : I ’ m not sure what McCarthy means by “ keeping parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The bill already passed .
If Trump vetoes it , or if Congress ’ s session expires before he makes a decision , is McCarthy suggesting that they ’ ll start over from scratch on negotiations in January ?
Because that ’ ll mean many more weeks — or months — of Americans having to wait for relief which they thought was finally in hand until Trump snatched it away last night .
New negotiations may be unavoidable if either the stimulus bill or the defense bill ( or both ! )
ends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Congress in January .
Disgruntled members from both parties are destined to make new demands once the process has been reopened .
Here ’ s Lindsey Graham demonstrating what I mean this morning now that the stimulus is in limbo : You can tell that ’ s an empty pander because Graham surely knows that Pelosi would never give Trump the satisfaction of reforming Section 230 on his watch .
Just as POTUS ’ s eleventh-hour demand for bigger stimulus checks makes more sense as a show of spite towards “ disloyal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal ( otherwise why didn ’ t he demand it in October ? )
, his interest in repealing Section 230 has nothing to do with national security or bias against conservatives and everything to do with him feeling personally wronged by Twitter .
There ’ s no way Pelosi ’ s going to upend the Internet as we know it with less than 30 days left in Trump ’ s term just to help him get revenge on Jack Dorsey for blocking the Hunter Biden story before the election .
Maybe McCarthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If the president will agree to sign the COVID relief bill , McCarthy will try to round up House Republicans to block the override of Trump ’ s veto on the defense bill .
It makes zero sense politically that Trump should want to end his term by sticking it to the military but it ’ ll give him an empty “ victory ” to show his fans as evidence that he “ fought ” for Section 230 repeal and keeping Confederate names on military bases .
( “ The leader of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best day since Chickamauga , ” says David French . )
Besides , McCarthy knows that the defense bill will pass once Biden ’ s sworn in .
Hopefully the military can make it an extra few weeks without funding until then .
Exit quotation from a Republican staffer , speaking to Politico about the last 24 hours : “ Complete clusterf***.
” Update : Ah , an interesting point by AOC .
Trump ’ s veto of the defense bill is actually handing Democrats an excuse to meet and add $ 2,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
Now McConnell ’ s screwed on both bills .

Today was the 10th business day since Congress sent him the bill, meaning that he either had to follow through on his threat to nuke it or do nothing and let it quietly become law via a “pocket veto.” Yesterday Jazz speculated that Trump might back down, reasoning that the president doesn’t like to be thought of as a “loser” and would resent seeing his veto overridden by Congress, as will almost certainly happen here. Trump might be willing to defund the military in a go-nowhere bid to repeal Section 230 and preserve Confederate names for military bases but serious legislators aren’t, so why bother?
Jazz made a good point. But what I think he overlooked is the fact that Trump’s behavior is now driven mainly by spite, particularly spite towards Republican leaders who won’t back him up on his last-ditch attempts to remain in power. That’s why he blew up the stimulus bill last night, I suspect: He probably won’t get his way but his demands will make life harder for Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP, and that’s good enough for him at this point. Senate Republicans can override his veto of the defense bill but they can’t do it without pissing off some MAGA fans whose votes they need in their next election.
He wants a civil war within the party to punish the establishment for abandoning him. So he’s going to do what he can to make it happen.
🚨🚨🚨 INBOX: @realDonaldTrump has vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act because it removes names of confederate generals from US bases and does not repeal Section 230. It passed with veto-proof majorities, setting up a humiliating override vote next week. pic.twitter.com/dYbBH7dD2v — Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) December 23, 2020
“War criminals get pardons, the military gets defunded. Merry Christmas,” said a Twitter pal after the news broke. NYT reporter Maggie Haberman mused that defunding the military is an odd thing to do at a moment when cronies like Mike Flynn are whispering to the president that he should enlist the military to overturn the election.
The override votes are scheduled for next week:
If the Senate has to jump through procedural hoops to get to a final vote on the veto override, it’s possible the final vote could be on the morning of Jan. 3, the last day of the 116th Congress — Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 22, 2020
The House passed the defense bill 335-78 while the Senate passed it 84-13, in both cases far beyond the margins they’d need for a two-thirds override supermajority. The question is whether Trump’s anxiety-driven attempts to turn everything into a loyalty test in the final weeks of his presidency might cause a meaningful number of House Republicans to switch their votes on the override for fear of angering him. I can see it both ways. If you’re an R from a deep-red district and you know that he’s in civil-war mode, compiling an enemies list to which more names are being added day by day, maybe you think, “I’d better back him up here and uphold his veto.” Remember that Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the House caucus, has already said that he’ll oppose an override attempt even though he voted for the bill. (Liz Cheney has said otherwise.) There’s no guarantee that the override will happen, which means it may be another month until Sleepy Joe is sworn in and signs the bill instead.
Imagine Trump handing Biden a slam-dunk opportunity to ingratiate himself to the Pentagon on day one by okaying funding that Trump refused to approve.
Still, the override will *probably* happen. Fully 46 House Republicans or 18 Senate Republicans who supported the bill initially will need to switch in order to uphold Trump’s veto. That’s a lot, and if there’s any issue on which GOPers might feel a higher calling than Trump’s approval, it’s funding the troops. Besides, Republicans might reason that there are so many other opportunities coming up for them to prove their “loyalty” that they can afford to ignore the president on this particular test. If you’re a House member who’s planning to vote to reject the electoral college results on January 6, that’s likely enough to earn his good favor even if you override his veto on the defense bill. Same goes for the COVID stimulus package that Trump kinda sorta threatened to veto last night. If you’re with him on that, maybe it’s okay to not be with him on this.
Is he serious about vetoing the COVID bill, though? Don’t be so sure:
McCarthy, per person on the call, said that Rs need to address the president's concerns and keep parts of the bill they think are good, but that POTUS hasn't committed either way. — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 23, 2020
This was followed by someone on the call saying Trump threw House GOP under the bus. — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 23, 2020
I’m not sure what McCarthy means by “keeping parts of the bill they think are good.” The bill already passed. If Trump vetoes it, or if Congress’s session expires before he makes a decision, is McCarthy suggesting that they’ll start over from scratch on negotiations in January? Because that’ll mean many more weeks — or months — of Americans having to wait for relief which they thought was finally in hand until Trump snatched it away last night.
New negotiations may be unavoidable if either the stimulus bill or the defense bill (or both!) ends up expiring and being reintroduced by the new Congress in January. Disgruntled members from both parties are destined to make new demands once the process has been reopened. Here’s Lindsey Graham demonstrating what I mean this morning now that the stimulus is in limbo:
House’s refusal to wind down Section 230 for Big Tech shows they care more about Big Tech than working Americans. Will @SpeakerPelosi refuse to allow a vote to repeal Section 230 because Democrats are in Big Tech’s pocket? — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2020
You can tell that’s an empty pander because Graham surely knows that Pelosi would never give Trump the satisfaction of reforming Section 230 on his watch. Just as POTUS’s eleventh-hour demand for bigger stimulus checks makes more sense as a show of spite towards “disloyal” Republican than as a heartfelt policy proposal (otherwise why didn’t he demand it in October?), his interest in repealing Section 230 has nothing to do with national security or bias against conservatives and everything to do with him feeling personally wronged by Twitter. There’s no way Pelosi’s going to upend the Internet as we know it with less than 30 days left in Trump’s term just to help him get revenge on Jack Dorsey for blocking the Hunter Biden story before the election.
Maybe McCarthy will make a deal with Trump. If the president will agree to sign the COVID relief bill, McCarthy will try to round up House Republicans to block the override of Trump’s veto on the defense bill. It makes zero sense politically that Trump should want to end his term by sticking it to the military but it’ll give him an empty “victory” to show his fans as evidence that he “fought” for Section 230 repeal and keeping Confederate names on military bases. (“The leader of the Party of Lincoln gives Braxton Bragg his best day since Chickamauga,” says David French.) Besides, McCarthy knows that the defense bill will pass once Biden’s sworn in. Hopefully the military can make it an extra few weeks without funding until then. Exit quotation from a Republican staffer, speaking to Politico about the last 24 hours: “Complete clusterf***.”
Update: Ah, an interesting point by AOC. Trump’s veto of the defense bill is actually handing Democrats an excuse to meet and add $2,000 checks to the COVID relief package next week. Now McConnell’s screwed on both bills.


hotair--2020-12-23--Dominion warns Giuliani, White House that defamation litigation is "imminent"

I keep reading stories about Dominion or Smartmatic sending demand letters to their accusers and thinking , “ This can ’ t possibly work.
” Not because the companies haven ’ t been smeared but because it ’ s almost literally unimaginable in 2020 that a political actor would face meaningful consequences for smearing someone .
This is the age of social media !
We elected Trump , for God ’ s sake .
America doesn ’ t “ do ” defamation anymore .
You can tell any falsehood about a political enemy in a moment of anger and expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are serious consequences for them .
We should all get out of that mindset , though .
It ’ s pernicious , and it ’ s also not true .
Dominion has retained a well-known defamation lawyer in Tom Clare , who won a million-dollar jury verdict connected to the Rolling Stone UVA frat-rape hoax .
The company has presumably lost lots of business due to the claims circulating about vote-rigging , and even if it hasn ’ t , it ’ s destined to do so if it doesn ’ t act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until it becomes prohibitively expensive to push them .
No appeal to decency will convince a conspiracy theorist to relent .
This can possibly work , in other words .
The companies have every moral and financial reason to try .
And it should go without saying that if they ’ re willing to submit to discovery against the likes of Sidney Powell and various media outlets , they ’ re completely certain that there was no election chicanery involving their software .
Dominion and Smartmatic wouldn ’ t expose themselves this way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The companies ’ pursuit of their accusers is destined to be one of the most engrossing legal/political dramas of 2021 .
Especially since that pursuit now reportedly involves the Trump White House and the president ’ s personal lawyer , Rudy .
Through two well-known defamation attorneys , Dominion Voting Systems sent letters to [ White House counsel Pat ] Cipollone and Giuliani Tuesday , demanding Giuliani stop making “ defamatory claims against Dominion ” and ensure there is “ no confusion about your obligation to preserve and retain all documents relating to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company.
” The attorneys told Cipollone their preservation request is vast and includes conversations White House officials had with attorneys like Giuliani or Sidney Powell regarding Dominion… Dominion is being represented by Tom Clare and Megan Meier from Clare Locke LLP , a law firm that specializes in defamation cases .
In the letter to Giuliani , which was shown to CNN , the attorneys caution Giuliani that “ litigation regarding these issues is imminent.
” … The letter to Cipollone similarly says that any communications between Trump and any White House employee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wood must also be retained .
Powell ’ s exposure in particular , I think , is why Giuliani has stressed in interviews lately that she ’ s not part of Trump ’ s legal team .
Her accusations are so wild that reportedly even MAGA diehard Lou Dobbs “ has raised questions about Powell ’ s claims to others.
” Rudy ’ s problem is that she was part of the team when she made claims about Dominion during the famous press conference on November 19 .
And she ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past week , meeting at least once with Trump himself allegedly to discuss how to use executive power to seize voting machines for inspection or even about a “ special counsel ” appointment to investigate voter fraud .
In fact , offhand I ’ m not sure why Dominion couldn ’ t call Donald Trump himself to the stand on January 21 or thereafter to answer questions about his conversations with Powell regarding Dominion .
Once Powell left his legal team , their chats were no longer covered by attorney-client privilege .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his administration , there ’ s no executive privilege that would shield their discussions .
No wonder people like Cipollone don ’ t want her meeting with Trump .
There ’ s a *lot* of election-related litigation in the works right now and I don ’ t mean litigation by Rudy and Jenna Ellis aimed at overturning state voting results .
Dominion has already sent demand letters to Powell and to Trump ’ s campaign , prompting a memo from the campaign ’ s top lawyer to staff to preserve all documents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go into hiding due to threats against him and is now also suing the Trump campaign and various media figures over the accusations made against him .
Michigan ’ s attorney general is seeking professional sanctions against Trump ’ s lawyers and Powell for filing dubious election lawsuits .
And a judge in Delaware is considering whether to bar Lin Wood from representing Carter Page in a defamation suit there because his conduct in cases in Wisconsin and Georgia may violate Delaware ’ s code of professional conduct .
You already know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about their potential exposure to defamation suits by Dominion and Smartmatic , but here ’ s a vivid illustration from a few days ago : If Rudy ’ s telling the truth about that , I assume it means that Fox is now so nervous about him potentially lapsing into casual slander live on the air that they won ’ t run the risk of having him on .
This clip from Newsmax also made the rounds on Monday after Trump ally Mike Lindell started to ramble about Dominion and quickly got cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The biggest problem for Clare and Dominion right now may be how to prioritize all of the lawsuits they ’ re working on .
Presumably demands for a settlement will be made of some or all of the defendants , but not all of them will comply .
Maybe the Trump campaign would agree to pay an undisclosed amount just to put this behind them but Powell surely never will .
Her entire currency on the right is due to her willingness to “ fight ” in outlandish ways .
I think she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than retract anything she ’ s said .
Imagine the many feverish tweets about the “ judicial deep state ” if she ends up having to pay the piper .
Exit quotation : “ For the moment , Mr. Trump has told advisers he ’ s willing to stop listening to Sidney Powell , the lawyer who has appealed to him by peddling a conspiracy theory about the election… ”

I keep reading stories about Dominion or Smartmatic sending demand letters to their accusers and thinking, “This can’t possibly work.” Not because the companies haven’t been smeared but because it’s almost literally unimaginable in 2020 that a political actor would face meaningful consequences for smearing someone. This is the age of social media! We elected Trump, for God’s sake. America doesn’t “do” defamation anymore. You can tell any falsehood about a political enemy in a moment of anger and expect no consequences for yourself even if there are serious consequences for them.
We should all get out of that mindset, though. It’s pernicious, and it’s also not true. Dominion has retained a well-known defamation lawyer in Tom Clare, who won a million-dollar jury verdict connected to the Rolling Stone UVA frat-rape hoax. The company has presumably lost lots of business due to the claims circulating about vote-rigging, and even if it hasn’t, it’s destined to do so if it doesn’t act. The smears won’t stop until it becomes prohibitively expensive to push them. No appeal to decency will convince a conspiracy theorist to relent.
This can possibly work, in other words. The companies have every moral and financial reason to try. And it should go without saying that if they’re willing to submit to discovery against the likes of Sidney Powell and various media outlets, they’re completely certain that there was no election chicanery involving their software. Dominion and Smartmatic wouldn’t expose themselves this way if they had anything to hide.
The companies’ pursuit of their accusers is destined to be one of the most engrossing legal/political dramas of 2021. Especially since that pursuit now reportedly involves the Trump White House and the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy.
Through two well-known defamation attorneys, Dominion Voting Systems sent letters to [White House counsel Pat] Cipollone and Giuliani Tuesday, demanding Giuliani stop making “defamatory claims against Dominion” and ensure there is “no confusion about your obligation to preserve and retain all documents relating to Dominion and your smear campaign against the company.” The attorneys told Cipollone their preservation request is vast and includes conversations White House officials had with attorneys like Giuliani or Sidney Powell regarding Dominion… Dominion is being represented by Tom Clare and Megan Meier from Clare Locke LLP, a law firm that specializes in defamation cases. In the letter to Giuliani, which was shown to CNN, the attorneys caution Giuliani that “litigation regarding these issues is imminent.”… The letter to Cipollone similarly says that any communications between Trump and any White House employee with Powell, Giuliani, Ellis or Wood must also be retained.
Powell’s exposure in particular, I think, is why Giuliani has stressed in interviews lately that she’s not part of Trump’s legal team. Her accusations are so wild that reportedly even MAGA diehard Lou Dobbs “has raised questions about Powell’s claims to others.” Rudy’s problem is that she was part of the team when she made claims about Dominion during the famous press conference on November 19. And she’s been at the White House repeatedly over the past week, meeting at least once with Trump himself allegedly to discuss how to use executive power to seize voting machines for inspection or even about a “special counsel” appointment to investigate voter fraud.
In fact, offhand I’m not sure why Dominion couldn’t call Donald Trump himself to the stand on January 21 or thereafter to answer questions about his conversations with Powell regarding Dominion. Once Powell left his legal team, their chats were no longer covered by attorney-client privilege. And since she’s never worked for his administration, there’s no executive privilege that would shield their discussions. No wonder people like Cipollone don’t want her meeting with Trump.
There’s a *lot* of election-related litigation in the works right now and I don’t mean litigation by Rudy and Jenna Ellis aimed at overturning state voting results. Dominion has already sent demand letters to Powell and to Trump’s campaign, prompting a memo from the campaign’s top lawyer to staff to preserve all documents. Dominion’s security director has had to go into hiding due to threats against him and is now also suing the Trump campaign and various media figures over the accusations made against him. Michigan’s attorney general is seeking professional sanctions against Trump’s lawyers and Powell for filing dubious election lawsuits. And a judge in Delaware is considering whether to bar Lin Wood from representing Carter Page in a defamation suit there because his conduct in cases in Wisconsin and Georgia may violate Delaware’s code of professional conduct.
You already know how spooked Fox News and Newsmax are about their potential exposure to defamation suits by Dominion and Smartmatic, but here’s a vivid illustration from a few days ago:
Rudy Giuliani tells Sean Spicer on Newsmax that Fox News won’t book him anymore because “if I say the word ‘fraud,’ I’m thrown off the network.” pic.twitter.com/mhfnAurvLp — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 21, 2020
If Rudy’s telling the truth about that, I assume it means that Fox is now so nervous about him potentially lapsing into casual slander live on the air that they won’t run the risk of having him on. This clip from Newsmax also made the rounds on Monday after Trump ally Mike Lindell started to ramble about Dominion and quickly got cut off by guest host Seb Gorka:
Host Seb Gorka cuts MyPillow guy Mike Lindell short after Lindell starts to push conspiracy theories about voting machines. (Under legal duress, Newsmax just had to run segments debunking its own lies about voting machines.) pic.twitter.com/smSo6aBbeB — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 22, 2020
The biggest problem for Clare and Dominion right now may be how to prioritize all of the lawsuits they’re working on. Presumably demands for a settlement will be made of some or all of the defendants, but not all of them will comply. Maybe the Trump campaign would agree to pay an undisclosed amount just to put this behind them but Powell surely never will. Her entire currency on the right is due to her willingness to “fight” in outlandish ways. I think she’d rather lose a mega-bucks judgment than retract anything she’s said. Imagine the many feverish tweets about the “judicial deep state” if she ends up having to pay the piper.
Exit quotation: “For the moment, Mr. Trump has told advisers he’s willing to stop listening to Sidney Powell, the lawyer who has appealed to him by peddling a conspiracy theory about the election…”


hotair--2020-12-23--Portland police resigning for jobs elsewhere making less money and it's not hard to see why

Portland police officers are resigning from the force in unusually high numbers in the middle of their careers .
Many are seeking jobs in other cities where they will be paid less money and also lose some of their time toward retirement .
According to the Portland Tribune , it ’ s unusual for the number of resignations to exceed the number of retirements but that ’ s what ’ s happening right now .
Based on requests from police departments seeking particular officers ’ personnel records , “ we have around 25 people that may be in the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places , ” said Assistant Chief Michael Frome , who oversees the bureau ’ s Human Resources Department .
“ This is unprecedented , ” he said .
“ We really have not seen this many people leaving at this stage in their career.
” … One long-time cop told the Portland Tribune , “ Good people are leaving .
Really good cops .
And a lot of them have very racially diverse backgrounds.
” … So why are people leaving ?
Frome said it ’ s a mix of reasons .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family .
“ Other ones say ‘ I just don ’ t like working in Portland anymore , because the job just doesn ’ t make me happy , ’ ” Frome said .
“ You get some ( who ) throw shade and say , ‘ the City Council has created this horrible place for us.
’ But you don ’ t see that from everybody.
” Maybe not every resigning officer is spelling it out in their exit interview but I don ’ t think there ’ s any doubt why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nightly protests featuring constant abuse and violence toward police .
Assistant Chief Frome admitted as much : “ For a lot of these people that are choosing to go somewhere else , they spent a lot of months this last summer constantly being yelled at to ‘ Quit your job , quit your job.
’ That cumulative toll on our officers , it builds up.
” So of course officers who have a choice would rather take a lower salary and a job where they aren ’ t going to be attacked or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to put up with that crap .
On top of the harassment , there ’ s also the hostility and hypocrisy of city leaders like Jo Ann Hardesty , who has been eager to defund the police but still called 911 and demanded police respond after she had a silly argument with a Lyft driver .
There ’ s also the vacillating response from Mayor Ted Wheeler .
Earlier this month a mob pushed police out of a neighborhood and then set up barricades and spike strips and stockpiled Molotov cocktails in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talked tough and gave police the go ahead to move out the destructive activists but within a few days Wheeler reversed course and apologized for his harsh language .
That shouldn ’ t have come as much of a surprise .
After all , the same mob pushed Wheeler out of his own home with no real repercussions .
If he won ’ t stand up for himself , why would he stand up for anyone else ?
About the only thing the mob in the street can still be criticized for at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headquarters .
Everything else is fair game and the local reporters will usually side with the activists without even verifying their claims .
And even supposedly serious reporters will do their best not to show anyone ’ s face so that no one can be held accountable for arson or vandalism .
With the entire city failing to back them up , why would anyone want to be a cop in Portland ?

Portland police officers are resigning from the force in unusually high numbers in the middle of their careers. Many are seeking jobs in other cities where they will be paid less money and also lose some of their time toward retirement. According to the Portland Tribune, it’s unusual for the number of resignations to exceed the number of retirements but that’s what’s happening right now.
Based on requests from police departments seeking particular officers’ personnel records, “we have around 25 people that may be in the process of trying to get hired in other places,” said Assistant Chief Michael Frome, who oversees the bureau’s Human Resources Department. “This is unprecedented,” he said. “We really have not seen this many people leaving at this stage in their career.”… One long-time cop told the Portland Tribune, “Good people are leaving. Really good cops. And a lot of them have very racially diverse backgrounds.”… So why are people leaving? Frome said it’s a mix of reasons. One officer cited a desire to be near family. “Other ones say ‘I just don’t like working in Portland anymore, because the job just doesn’t make me happy,’” Frome said. “You get some (who) throw shade and say, ‘the City Council has created this horrible place for us.’ But you don’t see that from everybody.”
Maybe not every resigning officer is spelling it out in their exit interview but I don’t think there’s any doubt why officers are worn out after months of nightly protests featuring constant abuse and violence toward police. Assistant Chief Frome admitted as much: “For a lot of these people that are choosing to go somewhere else, they spent a lot of months this last summer constantly being yelled at to ‘Quit your job, quit your job.’ That cumulative toll on our officers, it builds up.”
So of course officers who have a choice would rather take a lower salary and a job where they aren’t going to be attacked or harassed every night over one where they have to put up with that crap.
On top of the harassment, there’s also the hostility and hypocrisy of city leaders like Jo Ann Hardesty, who has been eager to defund the police but still called 911 and demanded police respond after she had a silly argument with a Lyft driver.
There’s also the vacillating response from Mayor Ted Wheeler. Earlier this month a mob pushed police out of a neighborhood and then set up barricades and spike strips and stockpiled Molotov cocktails in case they returned. Mayor Wheeler initially talked tough and gave police the go ahead to move out the destructive activists but within a few days Wheeler reversed course and apologized for his harsh language. That shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. After all, the same mob pushed Wheeler out of his own home with no real repercussions. If he won’t stand up for himself, why would he stand up for anyone else?
About the only thing the mob in the street can still be criticized for at this point is attacking a Democratic Party headquarters. Everything else is fair game and the local reporters will usually side with the activists without even verifying their claims. And even supposedly serious reporters will do their best not to show anyone’s face so that no one can be held accountable for arson or vandalism.
With the entire city failing to back them up, why would anyone want to be a cop in Portland?


hotair--2020-12-23--“Unfortunate and unacceptable.” Baltimore's new mayor inherits massive murder problem

When former Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott took over as the Mayor of Charm City last month , he must have been aware that he was walking into a figurative buzzsaw .
He had run his campaign on a platform of eliminating corruption in Baltimore and getting the city ’ s spiraling murder rate under control .
Those are noble sentiments , but each of those tasks would obviously make cleaning out King Augeas ’ stables look like a walk in the park by comparison .
Still , he ’ s settled into his new role and begun issuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets of Baltimore .
Unfortunately , somebody didn ’ t give the city ’ s gangs the memo because they ’ ve continued merrily mowing people down straight into the Christmas season .
Five people were murdered over this past weekend , with multiple other shooting victims injured .
Four more people , two women and two men , were killed on Monday .
The city ’ s death toll now stands at almost 330 , marking five years in a row where Baltimore was unable to keep the murder toll below 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the latest round of killings with what sounded like weary disappointment in some of his citizens .
“ The significance of what we have to do in our city , focusing again on the folks committing the violence and violent repeat offenders in these small groups , focusing again on guns that are coming into our city , but also focusing on our ability to deal with addiction and all the other things that are helping to drive violence in the city.
” ” We are working constantly through having smart deployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need to be , based on patterns and trends of crimes , ” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a news conference Monday .
The Mayor and the Police Chief went on to say that they are doing what they can along those lines , but “ we need help from the community.
” This all sounds well and good , but the fact is that I ’ ve been following and covering the gang violence situation in Baltimore for nearly a decade now and we ’ ve heard almost identical statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At least when they weren ’ t busy being hauled off to jail on corruption charges . )
Every recent mayor has talked about being “ smarter ” about where they deploy the police , getting guns off the street , and identifying the repeat shooters .
But nobody before Scott has managed the trick and it ’ s unclear how his plans are any different .
As for getting “ help from the community , ” all I can say is good luck with that .
We hear constantly from church groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crime rates .
But Baltimore literally could have authored the phrase “ snitches get stitches.
” Plenty of members of the Baltimore PD who are willing to be honest about it have admitted that the gangs in Baltimore control significant sections of turf .
There are parts of the city where the cops won ’ t even get out of their cars unless they ’ re answering an emergency call and they have their guns drawn .
The residents of those neighborhoods would no doubt love to be rid of the gangs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen talking to “ the five-oh ” can result in a rapid trip to the hospital , if not the cemetery .
Asking the community to buy into the need to identify and eliminate the shooters is a daunting task .
But this is the reality that Brandon Scott is facing .
I ’ m not trying to sound too harsh here , but he asked for this job and now he has it .
It ’ s time to do the job .
The first responsibility of the chief executive is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scott can ’ t do that then he will be a failure just as the four mayors before him were .
Eliminating drug addiction in the city would go a long way toward reducing the power of the gangs , but that ’ s a puzzle that nobody has been able to solve .
As far as eliminating corruption in Baltimore , that ’ s another challenge that Scott appears to have no plan for .
He ’ s already abandoned his plan to reduce the power of the Mayor ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not exactly sweeping up the old guard with a new broom , either .
Unless and until there are new faces replacing the same old power brokers that have controlled Baltimore for generations , it ’ s difficult to see how anything is going to change just because there ’ s a new mayor in town .

When former Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott took over as the Mayor of Charm City last month, he must have been aware that he was walking into a figurative buzzsaw. He had run his campaign on a platform of eliminating corruption in Baltimore and getting the city’s spiraling murder rate under control. Those are noble sentiments, but each of those tasks would obviously make cleaning out King Augeas’ stables look like a walk in the park by comparison. Still, he’s settled into his new role and begun issuing directives aimed at improving life on the streets of Baltimore. Unfortunately, somebody didn’t give the city’s gangs the memo because they’ve continued merrily mowing people down straight into the Christmas season.
Five people were murdered over this past weekend, with multiple other shooting victims injured. Four more people, two women and two men, were killed on Monday. The city’s death toll now stands at almost 330, marking five years in a row where Baltimore was unable to keep the murder toll below 300. Mayor Scott reacted to the news of the latest round of killings with what sounded like weary disappointment in some of his citizens.
Mayor Brandon Scott called the killings “unfortunate and unacceptable.” “The significance of what we have to do in our city, focusing again on the folks committing the violence and violent repeat offenders in these small groups, focusing again on guns that are coming into our city, but also focusing on our ability to deal with addiction and all the other things that are helping to drive violence in the city.” ”We are working constantly through having smart deployment strategies, putting officers where we know they need to be, based on patterns and trends of crimes,” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a news conference Monday.
The Mayor and the Police Chief went on to say that they are doing what they can along those lines, but “we need help from the community.”
This all sounds well and good, but the fact is that I’ve been following and covering the gang violence situation in Baltimore for nearly a decade now and we’ve heard almost identical statements from Scott’s predecessors. (At least when they weren’t busy being hauled off to jail on corruption charges.) Every recent mayor has talked about being “smarter” about where they deploy the police, getting guns off the street, and identifying the repeat shooters. But nobody before Scott has managed the trick and it’s unclear how his plans are any different.
As for getting “help from the community,” all I can say is good luck with that. We hear constantly from church groups and community organizations who are outraged about the crime rates. But Baltimore literally could have authored the phrase “snitches get stitches.” Plenty of members of the Baltimore PD who are willing to be honest about it have admitted that the gangs in Baltimore control significant sections of turf. There are parts of the city where the cops won’t even get out of their cars unless they’re answering an emergency call and they have their guns drawn.
The residents of those neighborhoods would no doubt love to be rid of the gangs. But they also know that being seen talking to “the five-oh” can result in a rapid trip to the hospital, if not the cemetery. Asking the community to buy into the need to identify and eliminate the shooters is a daunting task.
But this is the reality that Brandon Scott is facing. I’m not trying to sound too harsh here, but he asked for this job and now he has it. It’s time to do the job. The first responsibility of the chief executive is to keep his citizens safe and if Brandon Scott can’t do that then he will be a failure just as the four mayors before him were. Eliminating drug addiction in the city would go a long way toward reducing the power of the gangs, but that’s a puzzle that nobody has been able to solve.
As far as eliminating corruption in Baltimore, that’s another challenge that Scott appears to have no plan for. He’s already abandoned his plan to reduce the power of the Mayor’s office over budget control. He’s not exactly sweeping up the old guard with a new broom, either. Unless and until there are new faces replacing the same old power brokers that have controlled Baltimore for generations, it’s difficult to see how anything is going to change just because there’s a new mayor in town.


hotair--2020-12-23--DACA backers ask federal judge for reprieve: Can't we just wait until Joe Biden is president?

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen heard arguments on Tuesday in a Texas lawsuit that questions the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program .
Both sides in the lawsuit asked for a hearing before the judge in Houston instead of holding a trial .
Texas joined eight other states to argue that President Obama went around Congress ’ authority on immigration laws when he created DACA in 2012 .
We remember that even Obama himself admitted he had no constitutional authority to put DACA into place but he went ahead and did it anyway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year he was running for re-election and there were Hispanic votes to pander for , you know .
Obama presented his case for DACA because the children brought here by parents breaking the immigration laws of the United States were innocents in the act .
Their protections are limited and must be renewed every two years .
It should be noted that Judge Hanen is a George W. Bush appointee who blocked President Barack Obama ’ s effort to expand DACA in 2015 .
At the time he cited that one legal flaw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publication and comment process for major new regulations .
Obama just acted alone with a sweep of his pen .
The Texas Attorney General ’ s Office is taking the lead in this case .
DACA recipients are represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund , and the New Jersey Attorney General ’ s Office .
The attorneys for the DACA recipients say that Texas and the eight other states – Alabama , Arkansas , Kansas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Nebraska , South Carolina , and West Virginia – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program was unlawful at its inception and it continues to be unlawful today , ” Todd Disher , a lawyer with the Texas Attorney General ’ s Office , told Judge Hanen .
Disher went on to press the judge to order the policy nullified .
“ There is no additional reason now to delay , ” Disher said .
“ There is simply no reason to leave an unlawful program in place.
” Disher ’ s request of the judge came with a twist .
He said there is no need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is thinking about the problems of immigration policy in the United States can not take seriously any proposal that calls for immediate actions to deal with the messes we find ourselves in .
Even Status Quo Joe had to admit that he will not be able to magically reverse all of the Trump administration ’ s immigration policies “ on day one ” as he claimed on the campaign trail .
Ironically , he told the press that yesterday , the same day the lawyers were in federal court in Houston arguing about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit as a red state versus blue state battle .
The lawyers for the DACA recipients want a pause until the Biden administration is in place .
They know that Biden intends to implement open border policies .
Attorneys for the DACA recipients think a better solution if the program is dismantled , would be to give it to the Department of Homeland Security and let them put together a new or different program .
A Justice Department lawyer asked for an orderly shutdown of DACA .
Justice Department lawyer John Coghlan didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday , but urged the judge to allow for an orderly shutdown of DACA if it is ruled illegal .
“ DHS will need flexibility and time to wind the program down if it is determined to be unlawful , ” he said .
While Hanen sounded doubtful about the legality of DACA , he also recognized that determining the future of the program is more complicated than the situation he faced in 2015 when he halted the related Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program before it kicked in .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the judge said .
This lawsuit is from a 2018 lawsuit brought against the federal government , a separate lawsuit from the one the Supreme Court tossed out in June which was filed by the Trump administration over DACA ’ s legality .
The red states argue that they are stuck with the financial burdens that illegal immigration bring .
Texas has the largest number of DACA recipients after California .
An interesting point made by the DACA recipients attorneys is that even though the program may be ruled illegal , the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove all of those here illegally .
They said the quiet part out loud , which I think shows how emboldened they feel by the incoming administration .
The defendants ’ attorneys on Tuesday argued that the states failed to show DACA caused injury , especially because costs associated with services to immigrants can ’ t always be attributed to the program , they said .
Ending DACA , they said , doesn ’ t mean that all immigrants will leave or be deported .
“ We know from history that the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove all of individuals , so they ’ re not going to , ” said Douglas Hallward-Driemeier , an attorney working alongside MALDEF .
The judge has not issued a ruling as I write this Wednesday morning .

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen heard arguments on Tuesday in a Texas lawsuit that questions the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Both sides in the lawsuit asked for a hearing before the judge in Houston instead of holding a trial.
Texas joined eight other states to argue that President Obama went around Congress’ authority on immigration laws when he created DACA in 2012. We remember that even Obama himself admitted he had no constitutional authority to put DACA into place but he went ahead and did it anyway. After all, 2012 was the year he was running for re-election and there were Hispanic votes to pander for, you know. Obama presented his case for DACA because the children brought here by parents breaking the immigration laws of the United States were innocents in the act. Their protections are limited and must be renewed every two years.
It should be noted that Judge Hanen is a George W. Bush appointee who blocked President Barack Obama’s effort to expand DACA in 2015. At the time he cited that one legal flaw was it did not go through the publication and comment process for major new regulations. Obama just acted alone with a sweep of his pen.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office is taking the lead in this case. DACA recipients are represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. The attorneys for the DACA recipients say that Texas and the eight other states – Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, and West Virginia – lack standing to sue. “This program was unlawful at its inception and it continues to be unlawful today,” Todd Disher, a lawyer with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, told Judge Hanen. Disher went on to press the judge to order the policy nullified. “There is no additional reason now to delay,” Disher said. “There is simply no reason to leave an unlawful program in place.” Disher’s request of the judge came with a twist. He said there is no need to immediately dismantle DACA.
Disher said one option would be to give the program two years to wind down — a similar approach to what the Trump administration sought to do before the Supreme Court said officials carrying out Trump’s directive didn’t adequately account for the interests of the roughly 600,000 people with DACA status, as well as their families, employers and schools.
Any person who is thinking about the problems of immigration policy in the United States cannot take seriously any proposal that calls for immediate actions to deal with the messes we find ourselves in. Even Status Quo Joe had to admit that he will not be able to magically reverse all of the Trump administration’s immigration policies “on day one” as he claimed on the campaign trail. Ironically, he told the press that yesterday, the same day the lawyers were in federal court in Houston arguing about DACA.
The press is painting this lawsuit as a red state versus blue state battle. The lawyers for the DACA recipients want a pause until the Biden administration is in place. They know that Biden intends to implement open border policies.
“Given … the ongoing federal transition we think this court can expect further changes to that framework soon,” New Jersey State Solicitor Jeremy Feigenbaum said during a three-hour-plus court hearing in Houston. “Policies can be a bit of a moving target during [a] transition.” Feigenbaum said the new administration couldn’t turn back time but could clarify “confusion” about the program in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt in 2017 to initiate a phase-out of DACA.
Attorneys for the DACA recipients think a better solution if the program is dismantled, would be to give it to the Department of Homeland Security and let them put together a new or different program. A Justice Department lawyer asked for an orderly shutdown of DACA.
Justice Department lawyer John Coghlan didn’t enter the fray much on Tuesday, but urged the judge to allow for an orderly shutdown of DACA if it is ruled illegal. “DHS will need flexibility and time to wind the program down if it is determined to be unlawful,” he said. While Hanen sounded doubtful about the legality of DACA, he also recognized that determining the future of the program is more complicated than the situation he faced in 2015 when he halted the related Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program before it kicked in. “This is a completely different situation,” the judge said.
This lawsuit is from a 2018 lawsuit brought against the federal government, a separate lawsuit from the one the Supreme Court tossed out in June which was filed by the Trump administration over DACA’s legality. The red states argue that they are stuck with the financial burdens that illegal immigration bring. Texas has the largest number of DACA recipients after California. An interesting point made by the DACA recipients attorneys is that even though the program may be ruled illegal, the federal government won’t be able to remove all of those here illegally. They said the quiet part out loud, which I think shows how emboldened they feel by the incoming administration.
The defendants’ attorneys on Tuesday argued that the states failed to show DACA caused injury, especially because costs associated with services to immigrants can’t always be attributed to the program, they said. Ending DACA, they said, doesn’t mean that all immigrants will leave or be deported. “We know from history that the federal government does not have the resources to remove all of individuals, so they’re not going to,” said Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, an attorney working alongside MALDEF.
The judge has not issued a ruling as I write this Wednesday morning.