msnbc--2020-11-10--A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown

As Twitter labeled tweet after tweet from President Donald Trump in recent days , some conservatives decided they 'd had enough .
`` TRUMP NEEDS TO GET ACTIVE ON PARLER , THEY WONT CENSOR HIM THERE , '' one user wrote .
“ So long Twitter friends~exiting all big techs & switching to PARLER !
” wrote another .
And there were plenty more .
Distrust of the major social media platforms among some Trump supporters came to a boil around the election as Twitter and Facebook — already the target of complaints about liberal bias — began to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More than a few Republican politicians echoed the sentiments .
And so , many of them joined Parler , a Twitter-like social media platform that has for two years been a minor destination for conservative politicians and media figures .
Like other social media apps , Parler has a feed of posts to scroll through .
Posts can be up to 1,000 characters and can include links and photos .
Users can follow one another , as well as explore a “ discovery news ” tab that , on Tuesday , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its community guidelines fit onto a few pages and address the most basic content problems : criminal activity and spam .
Now , Parler is surging .
It sits atop the charts of app stores , boosted in large part by Trump supporters who agree with his decision to continue fighting the results of the election — in the courts , and on the internet .
Twitter declined to comment on the growth at Parler .
And while Parler is far from the first social media platform to cater to users who feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and disinformation have gone too far , its embrace by prominent conservatives and its sudden influx hint at a once informal online dynamic that has recently become more official : the blue internet and the red internet .
“ In the same way that Fox News found there was a market for journalism with a particular political view , Parler may find that there ’ s particular value for where it is right now , ” Josh Pasek , an associate professor of political communication at the University of Michigan , said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ boasted about growth , the emergence of an alternate platform like Parler comes at what might be considered an opportune time for the platforms it 's meant to replace .
Antitrust enforcers have been scrutinizing Facebook ’ s dominance and whether it has been stifling competition in social media , while lawmakers and the Federal Communications Commission are considering revisions to the legal shield tech companies enjoy from many lawsuits including for defamation .
Parler has been No .
1 over the past few days on the app stores of both Apple and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ app , let alone one that ’ s trying to compete with social media ’ s established companies .
MeWe , another upstart social media app , was also ranked highly on both app stores in recent days .
Parler , based in Nevada , said Tuesday that the number of users had nearly doubled in the past week , from 4.5 million to 8 million .
It said the number of active users has grown from 500,000 two weeks ago to more than 4 million .
That ’ s a rapid rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter and Facebook in absolute numbers .
Twitter has 187 million daily users while Facebook has 1.8 billion .
On the app , users have noted that Parler is slow and keeps crashing , and Parler CEO John Matze has been reassuring them they ’ ll be able to scale up .
Twitter had similar issues when it first started , with its infamous `` fail whale '' now a part of internet lore .
“ We are prepared for this mostly , however not everything is predictable , ” Matze replied to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ success comes as most social media companies have steadily beefed up their speech policies .
Not only Facebook and Twitter but also other sites such as YouTube , Reddit , Pinterest and TikTok have stepped up enforcement of their rulebooks this year to try to stem content that would cause interference in the election or promote conspiracy theories .
Reddit , once a bastion of the anything-goes internet , banned hundreds of subgroups in June for hate speech , including a popular pro-Trump one .
And while some fringe message boards and services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , few have amassed the kind of user base that Parler now boasts , complete with many powerful Republicans who turned what they called internet censorship by social media companies into a mainstream political issue .
It offers an unabashedly conservative tilt , recommending that new users follow Fox News host Sean Hannity and Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas .
And it ’ s getting a boost from conservative celebrities including the actor Scott Baio , who on Monday urged his Twitter followers to switch to the startup .
Other users include people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as David Duke , the white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard .
Last week , an Arkansas police chief resigned after he used Parler to threaten death to Democrats .
“ They are growing because Facebook and Twitter are finally getting their act together a little bit , ” said Hany Farid , a professor and computer scientist at the University of California , Berkeley , who studies extremism online .
The difference in how Parler handles its platform is most pressing around the spread of false claims of election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to spread on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter , the results of the presidential election are clear : Democrat Joe Biden is the projected winner and president-elect .
The companies have said so directly based on authoritative news sources , and any post claiming otherwise is at risk of being fact-checked .
But on Parler , influential users have regularly posted unfounded claims about Biden stealing votes , attracting legions of new , conservative users who aren ’ t happy with how established apps have given weight to traditional news outlets the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the app ’ s hands-off approach to post-election disputes over ballots , pledging that unlike Facebook and Twitter , he would not try to assess baseless statements from Trump or his supporters that he defeated Biden .
“ Anybody that ’ s fact-checking any statement about whether or not a president or presidential candidate has won any state right now is speaking prematurely , ” Matze told the news outlet Cheddar in an interview Monday .
“ We believe in people and their ability to solve these things on their own without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Jeffrey Wernick , Parler ’ s chief operating officer , said Tuesday that the app was benefiting from the way users have been treated by competitors such as Twitter and Facebook .
He said people had been turned off by Facebook ’ s mishandling of personal data and use of algorithms to manipulate people , and by Twitter ’ s opaque process for enforcing rules .
“ Our growth is not attributable to any one person or group , but rather to Parler ’ s efforts to earn our community ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and being transparent about the way in which their content is handled on our platform , ” Wernick said in a statement .
Trump isn ’ t on Parler yet , sticking instead with Twitter where he has more than 88 million followers .
Trump ’ s re=election campaign has a Parler account with 2 million followers .
Parler is unusual as a tech startup in that it hasn ’ t received any public investment from known venture capital firms .
Matze said in a recent Parler post that the ownership structure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of close friends and employees , ” along with two additional investors : Dan Bongino , a conservative commentator who runs one of the most popular pages on Facebook , and Wernick , the chief operating officer .
Francesca Goerg , a spokesperson for Parler , said she had no additional information to share about Parler ’ s funding beyond Matze ’ s post .
Potential hurdles for the app abound , including whether it can maintain distribution .
Gab , an earlier go-to social network for the alt-right , lost its access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 after the two companies said it failed to take down hate speech on its service .
And Parler 's lax enforcement puts it at risk of becoming a premier haven for racists or others who threaten violence .
It 's also unclear how the company is making money given the lack of advertising or other known revenue .
The rules for the Google app store , for example , spell out that the company will remove apps that promote hate speech or that do not have “ robust , effective and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Likewise , Apple requires apps with user-generated content to include a method for filtering objectionable material .
Google and Apple each declined to comment on whether Parler was following the rules for their app stores .
That 's not to say that some experts think there is n't some upside to having services like Parler that offer a different experience .
Farid said it ’ s possible Parler members mixing in a smaller pool will reinforce one another ’ s radical views and push each other to be even more extreme , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening anyway on Facebook and Twitter because of how those sites ’ algorithms push certain content .
“ These guys were already living in their own little echo chamber , ” Farid said .
“ There ’ s a benefit to peeling off some of the most vitriolic , hateful , racist people into their own ecosystem , because I think it cleans up some of the most mainstream sites.
” Some conservatives , though , such as commentator Benny Johnson , have proclaimed they were switching from Twitter to Parler only to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pose another challenge , though it ’ s unclear if Parler would need additional cash anytime soon .
Corporate advertisers have typically had little interest in buying ads that could run adjacent to controversial material , and subscription models for social media apps haven ’ t worked out in the past .
Farid said that an app like Parler risks alienating vendors who provide basic business services , such as cybersecurity vendors or credit card processors , if it gets a reputation as a gathering place for white supremacists .
He noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used their clout before to hobble websites they thought were too risky .
“ Economic pressure can come in different ways from companies that believe these are problematic sites , ” he said .

As Twitter labeled tweet after tweet from President Donald Trump in recent days, some conservatives decided they'd had enough.
"TRUMP NEEDS TO GET ACTIVE ON PARLER, THEY WONT CENSOR HIM THERE," one user wrote.
"So long Twitter friends~exiting all big techs & switching to PARLER!" wrote another.
And there were plenty more. Distrust of the major social media platforms among some Trump supporters came to a boil around the election as Twitter and Facebook — already the targets of complaints about liberal bias — began to take swift and severe action on election-related misinformation. More than a few Republican politicians echoed the sentiments.
And so, many of them joined Parler, a Twitter-like social media platform that has for two years been a minor destination for conservative politicians and media figures. Like other social media apps, Parler has a feed of posts to scroll through. Posts can be up to 1,000 characters, and they can include links and photos. Users can follow one another, as well as explore a "discovery news" tab, which was dominated Tuesday by allegations of election fraud. Its community guidelines fit onto a few pages and address the most basic content problems: criminal activity and spam.
Now, Parler is surging. It sits atop the charts of app stores, boosted in large part by supporters who agree with Trump's decision to continue fighting the results of the election — in the courts and on the internet. Twitter declined to comment on the growth at Parler.
And while Parler is far from the first social media platform to cater to users who feel that policies regulating hate speech, harassment and disinformation have gone too far, its embrace by prominent conservatives and its sudden influx of users hint at a once informal online dynamic that has recently become more official: the blue internet and the red internet.
"In the same way that Fox News found there was a market for journalism with a particular political view, Parler may find that there's particular value for where it is right now," said Josh Pasek, an associate professor of political communication at the University of Michigan.
And while social media companies have traditionally boasted about growth, the emergence of an alternative platform like Parler comes at what might be considered an opportune time for the platforms it's meant to replace.
Antitrust enforcers have been scrutinizing Facebook's dominance and whether it has been stifling competition in social media, while lawmakers and the Federal Communications Commission are considering revisions to the legal shield tech companies enjoy from many lawsuits, including those for defamation.
Parler has been No. 1 over the past few days on the app stores of both Apple and Google, a rare accomplishment for any app, let alone one that's trying to compete with social media's established companies. MeWe, another upstart social media app, was also ranked highly on both app stores in recent days.
Parler, based in Nevada, said Tuesday that its number of users had nearly doubled in the past week, from 4.5 million to 8 million. It said the number of active users has grown from 500,000 two weeks ago to more than 4 million.
That's a rapid rate of growth, although Parler is far behind Twitter and Facebook in absolute numbers. Twitter has 187 million daily users, while Facebook has 1.8 billion.
On the app, users have noted that Parler is slow and keeps crashing, and CEO John Matze has been reassuring them that it will be able to scale up. Twitter had similar issues when it started, with its infamous "fail whale" now a part of internet lore.
"We are prepared for this mostly, however not everything is predictable," Matze replied to one user on Parler.
Most social media companies have steadily beefed up their speech policies. Not only Facebook and Twitter but also other sites, such as YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest and TikTok, have stepped up enforcement of their rules this year to try to stem content that would cause interference in the election or promote conspiracy theories. Reddit, once a bastion of the anything-goes internet, banned hundreds of subgroups in June for hate speech, including a popular pro-Trump forum.
And while some fringe message boards and services have sprung up to cater to conservatives, few have amassed the kind of user base Parler now boasts, complete with many powerful Republicans who turned what they called internet censorship by social media companies into a mainstream political issue. It offers an unabashedly conservative tilt, recommending that new users follow Fox News host Sean Hannity and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. And it's getting a boost from conservative celebrities, including the actor Scott Baio, who urged his Twitter followers Monday to switch to the startup.
Other users include people who have been banned from Twitter, such as David Duke, the white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard. Last week, an Arkansas police chief resigned after he used Parler to threaten death to Democrats.
"They are growing because Facebook and Twitter are finally getting their act together a little bit," said Hany Farid, a professor and computer scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies extremism online.
The difference in how Parler handles its platform is most pressing around the spread of false claims of election interference. While misinformation about the election continues to spread on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the results of the presidential election are clear: Democrat Joe Biden is the projected winner and president-elect. The companies have said so directly based on authoritative news sources, and any post claiming otherwise is at risk of being fact-checked.
But on Parler, influential users have regularly posted unfounded claims about Biden's stealing votes, attracting legions of new, conservative users who aren't happy with how established apps have given weight to traditional news outlets the past several weeks.
Matze has played up the app's hands-off approach to post-election disputes over ballots, pledging that unlike Facebook and Twitter, he wouldn't try to assess baseless statements from Trump or his supporters that he defeated Biden.
"Anybody that's fact-checking any statement about whether or not a president or presidential candidate has won any state right now is speaking prematurely," Matze told the news outlet Cheddar in an interview Monday.
"We believe in people and their ability to solve these things on their own without our heavy hand," he said.
Jeffrey Wernick, Parler's chief operating officer, said Tuesday that the app was benefiting from the way users have been treated by competitors. He said people had been turned off by Facebook's mishandling of personal data and its use of algorithms to manipulate people and by Twitter's opaque process for enforcing rules.
"Our growth is not attributable to any one person or group, but rather to Parler's efforts to earn our community's trust, both by protecting their privacy, and being transparent about the way in which their content is handled on our platform," Wernick said in a statement.
Trump isn't on Parler yet, sticking instead with Twitter, where he has more than 88 million followers. Trump's re-election campaign has a Parler account with 2 million followers.
Parler is unusual as a tech startup in that it hasn't received any public investment from known venture capital firms. Matze said in a recent Parler post that the ownership structure is "myself, a small group of close friends and employees," along with two additional investors: Dan Bongino, a conservative commentator who runs one of the most popular pages on Facebook, and Wernick, the chief operating officer.
Francesca Goerg, a spokesperson for Parler, said she had no additional information to share about Parler's funding beyond Matze's post.
Potential hurdles for the app abound, including whether it can maintain distribution. Gab, an earlier go-to social network for the alt-right, lost its access to the Apple and Google app stores in 2017 after the companies said it failed to take down hate speech on its service. And Parler's lax enforcement puts it at risk of becoming a premier haven for racists or others who threaten violence. It's also unclear how the company is making money given the lack of advertising or other known revenue.
The rules for the Google app store, for example, spell out that the company will remove apps that promote hate speech or don't have "robust, effective and ongoing" moderation of user-generated content. Likewise, Apple requires apps with user-generated content to include a method to filter objectionable material.
Google and Apple declined to comment on whether Parler was following the rules for their app stores.
That's not to say that some experts think there isn't some upside to having services like Parler that offer a different experience. Farid said it's possible that Parler members' mixing in a smaller pool will reinforce one another's radical views and push one another to be even more extreme, although he said much of that was already happening anyway on Facebook and Twitter because of how the sites' algorithms push certain content.
"These guys were already living in their own little echo chamber," Farid said. "There's a benefit to peeling off some of the most vitriolic, hateful, racist people into their own ecosystem, because I think it cleans up some of the most mainstream sites."
Some conservatives, however, such as the commentator Benny Johnson, have proclaimed that they were switching from Twitter to Parler, only to keep on tweeting.
Generating revenue could pose another challenge, although it's unclear whether Parler would need additional cash any time soon. Corporate advertisers have typically had little interest in buying ads that could run adjacent to controversial material, and subscription models for social media apps haven't worked out in the past.
Farid said an app like Parler risks alienating vendors who provide basic business services, such as cybersecurity vendors or credit card processors, if it gets a reputation as a gathering place for white supremacists. He noted that MasterCard, American Express and Visa have used their clout before to hobble websites they thought were too risky.
"Economic pressure can come in different ways from companies that believe these are problematic sites," he said.


msnbc--2020-11-11--Former CIA Director: Trump could reveal state secrets after leaving office

ER Doc : Covid vaccine will be a game changer if it 's really 90 % effective

John Brennan, former Director of the CIA, tells Lawrence O'Donnell that after leaving office, Donald Trump will take with him knowledge of classified intelligence that he could use to "advance his own personal, political or financial interests."Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--Neal Katyal: ‘Trump’s argument got nowhere’ in Supreme Court case to repeal ACA

Neal Katyal: ‘Trump’s argument got nowhere’ in Supreme Court case to repeal ACA
Neal Katyal, the former Acting Solicitor General, joins Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss “Trump’s failure” in the Supreme Court when two conservative Justices, John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh, signaled their openness to uphold the Affordable Care Act.Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--'Loser!': Trump's former lawyer Cohen hits 'crybaby' Trump after Biden win

Several days have passed since Biden was declared the President-Elect and Trump still refuses to concede and to help Biden’s team transition to the White House. Michael Cohen and MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson discuss Trump’s financial motivations for dragging out the inevitable and remaining in politics with MSNBC’s Ari Melber. Cohen also discusses his friendship with comedian Rosie O'Donnell and the time she visited him in prison.Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--Coup cosplay: Chris Hayes on Trump, GOP trying to pretend Biden didn’t win

Chris Hayes on Trump and the GOP trying to pretend Biden didn’t win: "At a certain point, if you are just trollingly pretending to be engaged in a coup, when do you cross over to actually trying for a coup?"Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--Biden calls Trump's refusal to concede an 'embarrassment'

President-elect Joe Biden, whose popular vote lead just crossed 5 million, is dismissing Trump's refusal to concede the election. Trump's government is so far blocking the Biden Team from access to the usual federal government tools provided to a winning candidate's transition team.Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--Biden transition team leader: Delay endangers U.S. national, homeland security

“This transition period, in general, always is a tenuous time,” says Biden transition team leader Chris Lu. “The 9/11 Commission found in 2000 that the delay in the Bush team getting their people into national security positions created a vulnerability.”Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--Covid-19 cases snowball as Trump administration fails to heed warnings

Laurie Garrett, health policy analyst, talks with Ali Velshi about the latest surge in Covid-19 cases and the strain the sheer number of sick people is already putting on U.S. health care resources.Nov. 11, 2020


msnbc--2020-11-11--Republicans are treating democracy like just another con job

Saturday 's wild cheers for President-elect Joe Biden quickly segued into nervous laughter from Democrats on Monday .
By Tuesday morning , one week after the election , it was becoming clear that most leading Republicans were supporting President Donald Trump 's refusal to concede .
The question that everyone was left trying to answer was : Why ?
Several theories are circulating , with some element of truth to all of them , making this the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell of terrible post-election outcomes .
Theory No .
1 : This is all about assuaging Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the process .
Trump has continued to tweet his claims that the vote was somehow rigged in multiple states — but we expected that of him .
Trump 's tweets are just meaningless noise in this context , without someone to translate them into action .
Efforts to back him up are hilariously lacking substance .
Unlike during the 2000 Bush-Gore election , according to CNN , the Republican National Committee is laying off staff members instead of funneling them into the supposed areas of contestation .
The lawsuits the campaign has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Arizona and Michigan .
Fundraising for the `` legal effort '' is full steam ahead , though — most of the money will go to retiring Trump campaign debts .
So sure , some officials are arguing , why not get in on the action ?
South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem has gone so far as to channel donations to `` help us bring it home for the president '' into her own re-election coffers .
That means that legally this may be going nowhere , but politically it looks like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all it 's worth , choosing to ignore the shortsightedness of their strategy .
That brings us to theory No .
2 : Republicans are dancing this line to keep their base agitated ahead of one or possibly two runoff races in Georgia in January , securing their hold on the Senate .
`` So long as the campaign is pursuing actual legal remedies , the voters will expect our politicians to hang in there , '' a GOP strategist told the Washington Examiner .
`` Trump 's never-back-down approach is about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters . ''
Washington Post reporter Robert Costa similarly tweeted that based on his conversations with Republicans over the weekend , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's focus was absolutely on the Jan. 5 Georgia race or races .
McConnell , the top GOP elected official who 'll definitely be in office after January , said on the Senate floor Monday that Trump is `` 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options .
Suffice it to say , a few legal inquiries from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the republic . ''
Despite his cavalier attitude , the constant agitation has Republicans taking aim at fellow Republicans who let facts get in the way of politics .
Both GOP Senate candidates in Georgia — incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , the former of whom is in a race still too close to call — signed on to a joint attack on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger .
The senators demanded that Raffensperger , also a Republican , resign over `` mismanagement '' of the election without any evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined . )
Their hit would be troubling enough without Trump 's playing a direct role , as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday : `` We 're told the president and his top allies pressured the two Republican senators to take this step , lest he tweet a negative word about them and risk divorcing them from his base ahead of the consequential runoff . ''
And so we segue to option three : For all the buffoonery and disinformation , this is a serious endeavor from the Republican Party to invalidate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ezra Klein , the founder of Vox.com , has been making that argument for days now , summing up his fears in an article headlined `` Trump is attempting a coup in plain sight . ''
The `` this is a real coup '' point of view gained traction Monday night when Attorney General William Barr issued a memo granting federal prosecutors the authority to `` pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities '' before election results were certified .
The instructions went against the Justice Department 's previous guidelines discouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certified , keeping law enforcement from potentially swaying the results .
Even though it was couched against `` fanciful or far-fetched claims , '' the memo was enough of a shift to prompt Richard Pilger , who was heading the election crimes division of the Justice Department 's Public Integrity Section , to leave his post .
`` Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications , '' he wrote , `` I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch . ''
Meanwhile , Emily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the General Services Administration , is in the spotlight for refusing to sign off on documents releasing resources , including millions of dollars in funding and office space , for the president-elect 's transition staff .
The White House has made sure that orders not to cooperate yet with the Biden team went out throughout the rest of the government , from the Pentagon to the U.S. Agency for International Development .
Biden has yet to begin receiving intelligence briefings for the same reason .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 's ( joking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration '' did n't do anything to calm the waters .
Neither did a new surge of `` acting '' appointments at the Defense Department , after Secretary Mike Esper was fired Monday .
Key positions , including Esper 's chief of staff and the top defense official for intelligence , have been filled with Trump loyalists — several of whom have previously twisted intelligence to benefit the president .
Now , the first two theories fit together hand in glove , but the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sinister than self-serving .
Philadelphia Inquirer opinion columnist Will Bunch did his best to synthesize them into one Grand Unified Theory in this tweet Monday evening : But here 's where I remain unconvinced : Do we know for sure that all of the players are on the same page ?
Is there an agreed-upon off-ramp if it 's just posturing ?
Ten Republican state attorneys general have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the voting rights case sitting before the court .
Are all of them also just playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans have been great at presenting bad faith arguments they know are n't true , as have Trump administration officials — state lawmakers , however , are more in the habit of getting high on their own supply , so to speak .
And given how central they are to the whole process , the way they move forward will have lasting effects .
Which leads me to theory No .
4 , which is my belief : Republicans think they 're taking advantage of the president 's claims while waiting for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become president .
Wisconsin 's and Michigan 's legislatures — both of which are controlled by Republicans — have ordered committees with subpoena power to investigate the election results .
And Pennsylvania 's Republican House speaker has called for an audit of all ballots , which are still being counted , before the race is certified and the state 's 20 electors are chosen .
Here 's where things get weird : Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , agreed Friday when Fox News host Sean Hannity suggested , like right-wing commentator Mark Levin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own set of electors .
State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman was quoted in The Atlantic as considering doing just that if the election is n't decided by the Dec. 8 deadline to name electors .
He backtracked in September , and the party now denies that it would ever consider such a thing .
But I can see a world where enough momentum gets built up that it becomes hard to stop the train .
So say Pennsylvania 's Legislature does pass a resolution naming a new slate of electors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Georgia 's legislators — those slates are challenged , and so the election reaches the Supreme Court after all .
As far as I can find , the Supreme Court has ruled on so-called faithless electors but never on the question of whether state legislatures can decide electors when elections ca n't be credibly decided .
And there 's a small , but nonzero , chance that a majority of the justices opt to say , `` Sure , that 's what the Constitution originally said . ''
Mass chaos ensues .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the little problem of what to do about the very agitated base once Jan. 5 is past and the Senate races are over .
What happens if these voters still refuse to believe that Biden should be sworn in as president ?
Is that when the GOP leadership decides it 's a good time to alienate the base ?
The question then remains : How much of this is shadowboxing for the benefit of a single man 's bruised ego ?
How much of it is an actual attempt to keep that man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selfishly harness his supporters ' rage ?
And how much is this just another Trumpworld scam ?
Is there even a real difference between these points anymore ?
And are they prepared for what will happen when they finally have to admit that Biden is going to be president ?
The Washington Post quoted an unnamed senior Republican official who showed just how the lines have blurred in their heads : '' What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time ?
No one seriously thinks the results will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's not like he 's plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20 .
He 's tweeting about filing some lawsuits , those lawsuits will fail , then he 'll tweet some more about how the election was stolen , and then he 'll leave . ''
And you know what ?
Sure .
If that 's your honest analysis of the situation , that 's your prerogative .
But it 's also honest to say that this is the GOP treating the results of the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 've been trying to suss out why the GOP establishment would debase itself to go along with a proven con man like Trump .
But it 's pretending now like this is all still a game , a grift against its base that I 'm not sure it can control .
So I really need Republicans to step up , quit playing dumb for once and act like what they 're doing actually has consequences .
I do n't think any of us will like the results if they do n't .

Saturday's wild cheers for President-elect Joe Biden quickly segued into nervous laughter from Democrats on Monday. By Tuesday morning, one week after the election, it was becoming clear that most leading Republicans were supporting President Donald Trump's refusal to concede. The question that everyone was left trying to answer was: Why?
Legally this may be going nowhere, but politically it looks like Republicans are going to milk the uncertainty for all it's worth.
Several theories are circulating, with some element of truth to all of them, making this the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell of terrible post-election outcomes.
Theory No. 1: This is all about assuaging Trump's ego and making a buck or two in the process.
Trump has continued to tweet his claims that the vote was somehow rigged in multiple states — but we expected that of him. Trump's tweets are just meaningless noise in this context, without someone to translate them into action.
Efforts to back him up are hilariously lacking substance. Unlike during the 2000 Bush-Gore election, according to CNN, the Republican National Committee is laying off staff members instead of funneling them into the supposed areas of contestation. The lawsuits the campaign has filed have become a comedy of errors in Arizona and Michigan.
Fundraising for the "legal effort" is full steam ahead, though — most of the money will go to retiring Trump campaign debts. So sure, some officials are arguing, why not get in on the action? South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has gone so far as to channel donations to "help us bring it home for the president" into her own re-election coffers.
That means that legally this may be going nowhere, but politically it looks like Republicans are going to milk the uncertainty for all it's worth, choosing to ignore the shortsightedness of their strategy.
That brings us to theory No. 2: Republicans are dancing this line to keep their base agitated ahead of one or possibly two runoff races in Georgia in January, securing their hold on the Senate.
"So long as the campaign is pursuing actual legal remedies, the voters will expect our politicians to hang in there," a GOP strategist told the Washington Examiner. "Trump's never-back-down approach is about 90% of his appeal for Republican voters."
Washington Post reporter Robert Costa similarly tweeted that based on his conversations with Republicans over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's focus was absolutely on the Jan. 5 Georgia race or races.
Based on my convos with Rs over wknd, most everything McConnell does from here on isn't about January 20th (inauguration day & working with Biden) but January 5th (the Georgia run-off elections). To win the latter, Rs believe the base must be stoked, esp in a fast-changing state. — Robert Costa (@costareports) November 9, 2020
McConnell, the top GOP elected official who'll definitely be in office after January, said on the Senate floor Monday that Trump is "100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options. Suffice it to say, a few legal inquiries from the president do not exactly spell the end of the republic."
Despite his cavalier attitude, the constant agitation has Republicans taking aim at fellow Republicans who let facts get in the way of politics. Both GOP Senate candidates in Georgia — incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the former of whom is in a race still too close to call — signed on to a joint attack on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The senators demanded that Raffensperger, also a Republican, resign over "mismanagement" of the election without any evidence for their broadside. (He politely declined.)
Their hit would be troubling enough without Trump's playing a direct role, as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday: "We're told the president and his top allies pressured the two Republican senators to take this step, lest he tweet a negative word about them and risk divorcing them from his base ahead of the consequential runoff."
And so we segue to option three: For all the buffoonery and disinformation, this is a serious endeavor from the Republican Party to invalidate the election and keep Trump in office.
Ezra Klein, the founder of Vox.com, has been making that argument for days now, summing up his fears in an article headlined "Trump is attempting a coup in plain sight."
The "this is a real coup" point of view gained traction Monday night when Attorney General William Barr issued a memo granting federal prosecutors the authority to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities" before election results were certified. The instructions went against the Justice Department's previous guidelines discouraging opening criminal investigations before election results are certified, keeping law enforcement from potentially swaying the results.
Even though it was couched against "fanciful or far-fetched claims," the memo was enough of a shift to prompt Richard Pilger, who was heading the election crimes division of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, to leave his post. "Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications," he wrote, "I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch."
Meanwhile, Emily Murphy, the once obscure head of the General Services Administration, is in the spotlight for refusing to sign off on documents releasing resources, including millions of dollars in funding and office space, for the president-elect's transition staff. The White House has made sure that orders not to cooperate yet with the Biden team went out throughout the rest of the government, from the Pentagon to the U.S. Agency for International Development. Biden has yet to begin receiving intelligence briefings for the same reason.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's (joking?) declaration that "there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration" didn't do anything to calm the waters.
.@SecPompeo: "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration."
Full video here: https://t.co/6Rou91HQxv pic.twitter.com/MU9Gp2QWnq — CSPAN (@cspan) November 10, 2020
Neither did a new surge of "acting" appointments at the Defense Department, after Secretary Mark Esper was fired Monday. Key positions, including Esper's chief of staff and the top defense official for intelligence, have been filled with Trump loyalists — several of whom have previously twisted intelligence to benefit the president.
Now, the first two theories fit together hand in glove, but the third is something of an outlier, more sinister than self-serving. Philadelphia Inquirer opinion columnist Will Bunch did his best to synthesize them into one Grand Unified Theory in this tweet Monday evening:
OK, here's what I think. McConnell meeting Barr today is a "tell." They need to whip up the QAnon crowd in GA and hold the Senate, while Trump can't concede because the campaign needs to keep raising money. So they're just going to f*** with democracy for a few more weeks — Will Bunch Sign Up For My Newsletter (@Will_Bunch) November 10, 2020
But here's where I remain unconvinced: Do we know for sure that all of the players are on the same page? Is there an agreed-upon off-ramp if it's just posturing? Ten Republican state attorneys general have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the voting rights case sitting before the court. Are all of them also just playing at the politics of this?
National Republicans have been great at presenting bad faith arguments they know aren't true, as have Trump administration officials — state lawmakers, however, are more in the habit of getting high on their own supply, so to speak. And given how central they are to the whole process, the way they move forward will have lasting effects.
Which leads me to theory No. 4, which is my belief: Republicans think they're taking advantage of the president's claims while waiting for this all to blow over and Biden to become president.
Wisconsin's and Michigan's legislatures — both of which are controlled by Republicans — have ordered committees with subpoena power to investigate the election results. And Pennsylvania's Republican House speaker has called for an audit of all ballots, which are still being counted, before the race is certified and the state's 20 electors are chosen.
Republicans have been great at presenting bad faith arguments they know aren't true.
Here's where things get weird: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., agreed Friday when Fox News host Sean Hannity suggested, like right-wing commentator Mark Levin, that Pennsylvania's Legislature consider seating its own set of electors. State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman was quoted in The Atlantic as considering doing just that if the election isn't decided by the Dec. 8 deadline to name electors. He backtracked in September, and the party now denies that it would ever consider such a thing.
But I can see a world where enough momentum gets built up that it becomes hard to stop the train. So say Pennsylvania's Legislature does pass a resolution naming a new slate of electors, prompting a similar move from Wisconsin's and Georgia's legislators — those slates are challenged, and so the election reaches the Supreme Court after all. As far as I can find, the Supreme Court has ruled on so-called faithless electors but never on the question of whether state legislatures can decide electors when elections can't be credibly decided. And there's a small, but nonzero, chance that a majority of the justices opt to say, "Sure, that's what the Constitution originally said." Mass chaos ensues.
Even without that scenario, there's the little problem of what to do about the very agitated base once Jan. 5 is past and the Senate races are over. What happens if these voters still refuse to believe that Biden should be sworn in as president? Is that when the GOP leadership decides it's a good time to alienate the base?
The question then remains: How much of this is shadowboxing for the benefit of a single man's bruised ego? How much of it is an actual attempt to keep that man in office — versus a way to selfishly harness his supporters' rage? And how much is this just another Trumpworld scam? Is there even a real difference between these points anymore? And are they prepared for what will happen when they finally have to admit that Biden is going to be president?
The Washington Post quoted an unnamed senior Republican official who showed just how the lines have blurred in their heads:
"What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change. He went golfing this weekend. It's not like he's plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He's tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he'll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he'll leave."
And you know what? Sure. If that's your honest analysis of the situation, that's your prerogative. But it's also honest to say that this is the GOP treating the results of the election as just another hustle. For years we've been trying to suss out why the GOP establishment would debase itself to go along with a proven con man like Trump. But it's pretending now like this is all still a game, a grift against its base that I'm not sure it can control. So I really need Republicans to step up, quit playing dumb for once and act like what they're doing actually has consequences. I don't think any of us will like the results if they don't.
CORRECTION (Nov. 12, 2020, 7:00 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the former defense secretary's given name. He is Mark Esper, not Mike.


msnbc--2020-11-11--Black voters decided this election. Here's why that offends the GOP.

Historically , voter fraud seems to be a consistent complaint when two things happen : when Republicans lose , and when Black people are the ones to defeat them .
The idea that Black , brown and Indigenous voters could deliver a decisive blow to the white supremacist political aspirations of the Trump administration is , in some ways , an offense to those who ’ ve spent their careers — and certainly this election cycle — ensuring that would be nearly impossible .
Digital disinformation targeting Black communities has been a central part of President Donald Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP suppression tactics , like gerrymandering , polling place closures and false mailers , continue to abound .
Gov .
Brian Kemp of Georgia continues to insist that fraud was the culprit for the state ’ s surprising flip from red to blue , assuming that tricks similar to those he leveraged when he ran his own election in 2018 would be successful .
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ’ s dismantling of a U.S .
Postal Service staffed by committed public servants in order to sway election results has been criminal .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally Republican troops and voters with dangerous rhetoric of election theft that threatens to , at the very least , upend even fragile faith in our electoral processes or , at most , amount to an oft-warned attempted coup .
The left is being told to extend an olive branch to a right spoiling for a fight .
But instead of telling us to hug the people who insist our voices are fraudulent , the Democratic Party should be doing everything it can to secure this election and the safety of the voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not confer legitimacy on the Republicans ’ behavior or on Trump ’ s attempts to undermine the rule of law — which he seems to support except for elections and his own taxes .
Such credibility is not something our frail democracy can afford to award him , and the marginalized communities who won this election can ’ t afford the violence that may accompany his worst tactics .
Instead of insisting on a moderate platform that still foolishly chases a “ white working-class vote ” it has not won in five decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winning the narrative battle for those universally beneficial policies that are popular when understood .
President-elect Joe Biden lost the state of Florida , but Floridian workers won a $ 15 minimum wage .
Once considered radical , grassroots organizers and activists did the hard work of showing everyday Floridians that this policy would add value to their communities .
Displaying true gratitude for the organizing apparatuses and the Black , brown , young and marginalized communities that saved this country from itself means that the party truly open up the tent and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in it .
Instead of publicly decrying the framing of the left ’ s policies , those leading an inclusive big tent should embrace the necessary change and get to work .
Tell the story to the American people of what it means to move money from institutions of policing that too often harm us , to institutions of mental health and social services that help us .
These concepts aren ’ t up to Republicans to frame on our behalf , and it ’ s past time we stop ceding that important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom , from the abolition of slavery to the suffrage of women to freedom from discrimination , has been unpopular at its outset and resisted at every turn .
But the time has come for us to learn the lessons of history and expand our political imaginations .
Uniting this country isn ’ t about calling family members who voted for Trump or pardoning the harm done to millions of Americans already suffering the deep effects of oppression .
True unity will come from an urgent policy agenda that makes the lives of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improving everyone ’ s well-being .
This is the way of the future .
It ’ s time we start walking in the right direction and refusing to let known liars stand in our way .
Still , no matter your perspective , one thing is clear : Black and marginalized voters overcame nearly insurmountable odds to defeat this administration and hand Democrats a historic victory .
Yes , the candidates were historic , but so was the sheer size of the national vote tally and the overperformance of the most suppressed voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no small task .
Black voters decided this election despite the suppression we face , and our outsize contribution must not erased by figures on either side of the aisle who are made uncomfortable by the demands that are absolutely to follow .

Historically, voter fraud seems to be a consistent complaint when two things happen: when Republicans lose, and when Black people are the ones to defeat them. The idea that Black, brown and Indigenous voters could deliver a decisive blow to the white supremacist political aspirations of the Trump administration is, in some ways, an offense to those who’ve spent their careers — and certainly this election cycle — ensuring that would be nearly impossible.
Historically, voter fraud seems to be a consistent complaint when two things happen: when Republicans lose, and when Black people are the ones to defeat them.
Digital disinformation targeting Black communities has been a central part of President Donald Trump’s strategy from the start. More traditional GOP suppression tactics, like gerrymandering, polling place closures and false mailers, continue to abound. Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia continues to insist that fraud was the culprit for the state’s surprising flip from red to blue, assuming that tricks similar to those he leveraged when he ran his own election in 2018 would be successful. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s dismantling of a U.S. Postal Service staffed by committed public servants in order to sway election results has been criminal. And of course, Trump himself continues to rally Republican troops and voters with dangerous rhetoric of election theft that threatens to, at the very least, upend even fragile faith in our electoral processes or, at most, amount to an oft-warned attempted coup.
The left is being told to extend an olive branch to a right spoiling for a fight. But instead of telling us to hug the people who insist our voices are fraudulent, the Democratic Party should be doing everything it can to secure this election and the safety of the voters who participated in it. We must not confer legitimacy on the Republicans’ behavior or on Trump’s attempts to undermine the rule of law — which he seems to support except for elections and his own taxes. Such credibility is not something our frail democracy can afford to award him, and the marginalized communities who won this election can’t afford the violence that may accompany his worst tactics.
Instead of insisting on a moderate platform that still foolishly chases a “white working-class vote” it has not won in five decades, the Democratic Party should focus on winning the narrative battle for those universally beneficial policies that are popular when understood. President-elect Joe Biden lost the state of Florida, but Floridian workers won a $15 minimum wage. Once considered radical, grassroots organizers and activists did the hard work of showing everyday Floridians that this policy would add value to their communities. Displaying true gratitude for the organizing apparatuses and the Black, brown, young and marginalized communities that saved this country from itself means that the party truly open up the tent and care for the needs of the people in it.
Every difficult concept of freedom, from the abolition of slavery to the suffrage of women to freedom from discrimination, has been unpopular at its outset and resisted at every turn.
Instead of publicly decrying the framing of the left’s policies, those leading an inclusive big tent should embrace the necessary change and get to work. Tell the story to the American people of what it means to move money from institutions of policing that too often harm us, to institutions of mental health and social services that help us. These concepts aren’t up to Republicans to frame on our behalf, and it’s past time we stop ceding that important narrative ground.
Every difficult concept of freedom, from the abolition of slavery to the suffrage of women to freedom from discrimination, has been unpopular at its outset and resisted at every turn. But the time has come for us to learn the lessons of history and expand our political imaginations. Uniting this country isn’t about calling family members who voted for Trump or pardoning the harm done to millions of Americans already suffering the deep effects of oppression. True unity will come from an urgent policy agenda that makes the lives of the most marginalized better, in turn improving everyone’s well-being. This is the way of the future. It’s time we start walking in the right direction and refusing to let known liars stand in our way.
Still, no matter your perspective, one thing is clear: Black and marginalized voters overcame nearly insurmountable odds to defeat this administration and hand Democrats a historic victory. Yes, the candidates were historic, but so was the sheer size of the national vote tally and the overperformance of the most suppressed voters in our country. That effort was no small task. Black voters decided this election despite the suppression we face, and our outsize contribution must not erased by figures on either side of the aisle who are made uncomfortable by the demands that are absolutely to follow.


msnbc--2020-11-10--I saw how Trump didn't care about Covid deaths. That makes the transition dangerous.

The safe , timely and equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines to the American people will be an undertaking akin to landing a spacecraft on an asteroid .
For every day — even every hour — of delay , lives will be lost , people will suffer and economic misery will continue .
Sulking in electoral defeat , the Trump administration is willfully prolonging the agony .
Pfizer announced Monday that its Covid-19 vaccine trials appear to be 90 percent effective in preventing the coronavirus that has infected more than 10 million Americans and killed nearly 250,000 .
That is indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” as Pfizer put it .
But creating the vaccine is only the first step — hundreds of millions of doses have to be manufactured and distributed so people can receive them .
And the Trump administration is intentionally standing in the way .
Emily Murphy , head of the General Services Administration , is refusing to sign the paperwork authorizing funds , office space and access to government records to smooth the transition for the incoming Biden administration .
This violates norms established by the George W. Bush and Obama administrations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Presidential Transition Act requires that the outgoing administration provide resources to the incoming administration .
The intention of the law was to prevent a handover of executive power from weakening the country in the face of an ongoing challenge like , say , a global pandemic .
The Trump administration , through Murphy , is saying to America : “ You didn ’ t vote for us , so why should we do anything for you ?
You should have known that the basic functioning of the government would grind to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get his way.
” I was the homeland security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence and his lead adviser and staffer on the White House coronavirus task force .
I was involved in the White House ’ s internal discussions on the pandemic and efforts to mount a massive vaccination effort .
While there , I organized and participated in every meeting of the coronavirus task force until I left the administration in August .
I saw firsthand how politics dominated the task force ’ s work , how the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-election rather than the welfare of the American people cost lives .
When we briefed the president and vice president on the coronavirus ’ s ravaging effects on Hispanic and Black communities , their response was only to position minority staffers on the task force more prominently for photo ops .
Public health experts have a saying : Vaccines don ’ t matter ; vaccinations do .
Having a viable vaccine in a vial somewhere is nice , but it doesn ’ t do any good unless it ’ s reproduced in enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every human ) and distributed in a way that it can be administered everywhere — every apartment building in New York City and every small town in the Rockies .
It ’ s a logistical effort big enough to make even Amazon blush .
While doctors , nurses and state and local public health officials are likely to be the ones administering most of the vaccines , it ’ s going to take a massive effort by the federal and state government working with the pharmaceutical companies to manufacture and distribute the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consider the nuances , like paying for it all .
Whatever plans the Trump administration might have to execute this Herculean challenge , its official policy is not to share them with the Biden team until they absolutely have to .
In a normal transition , the outgoing policymakers , staffers and experts would already be filling in their successors on what projects are underway , what stages they ’ re at , what the next steps are , and other information the next administration needs to successfully confront the most urgent threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration has stopped all transition efforts , activities and funding , and that will slow , if not completely halt , efforts to get vaccines to the American people .
Since the transition hasn ’ t been formally approved , the vital information the next administration needs is either being shared in limited ways through unofficial channels , or not at all .
The inevitable result if this continues is that the Biden Covid-19 response team will have to waste valuable time getting up to speed and retracing the few steps this administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , the federal government is scheduled to run out of money on Dec. 11 , almost six weeks before the Biden administration takes over .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seem to have , in principle , decided to pass new spending bills for 2021 and avert a government shutdown .
But if President Donald Trump decides to oppose the legislation , he could force a government shutdown ( as he ’ s done before ) .
The shutdown could last until after the new Congress takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden is inaugurated , on Jan. 20 .
The debate over the details is far from clear , and the budget measures are getting tangled up in a coronavirus relief bill — another urgently needed measure to help Americans struggling from coronavirus and facilitate treatment of the disease .
With the parties in Congress unable to come to an agreement on issues such as testing or state and local relief , delaying one until Biden is installed would only extend the timeline of the ongoing hardship .
Americans should breathe a sigh of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot box last week , and give themselves a pat on the back for participating in an orderly , fair and free election with historic turnout amid a pandemic .
But they should not slip into complacency , because Trump will still be in office for more than two months .
For his entire presidency , he has made an enemy out of anyone who dared to tell him what he didn ’ t want to hear .
Now that includes the American people .
• Getting a COVID-19 vaccine to market will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will be , too .
• Our Covid-19 vaccine hopes hang on drug companies .
It 's time to stop demonizing them .
• COVID-19 vaccine countdown is a wake-up call .
Will Black and brown Americans be left behind ?

The safe, timely and equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines to the American people will be an undertaking akin to landing a spacecraft on an asteroid. For every day — even every hour — of delay, lives will be lost, people will suffer and economic misery will continue. Sulking in electoral defeat, the Trump administration is willfully prolonging the agony.
I saw firsthand how politics dominated the task force’s work, how the president’s overriding concern for the economy and his re-election rather than the welfare of the American people cost lives.
Pfizer announced Monday that its Covid-19 vaccine trials appear to be 90 percent effective in preventing the coronavirus that has infected more than 10 million Americans and killed nearly 250,000. That is indeed great news “for science and humanity,” as Pfizer put it. But creating the vaccine is only the first step — hundreds of millions of doses have to be manufactured and distributed so people can receive them. And the Trump administration is intentionally standing in the way.
Emily Murphy, head of the General Services Administration, is refusing to sign the paperwork authorizing funds, office space and access to government records to smooth the transition for the incoming Biden administration. This violates norms established by the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, as well as the law: The Presidential Transition Act requires that the outgoing administration provide resources to the incoming administration.
The intention of the law was to prevent a handover of executive power from weakening the country in the face of an ongoing challenge like, say, a global pandemic. The Trump administration, through Murphy, is saying to America: “You didn’t vote for us, so why should we do anything for you? You should have known that the basic functioning of the government would grind to a halt if the president didn’t get his way.”
I’m not surprised.
I was the homeland security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence and his lead adviser and staffer on the White House coronavirus task force. I was involved in the White House’s internal discussions on the pandemic and efforts to mount a massive vaccination effort. While there, I organized and participated in every meeting of the coronavirus task force until I left the administration in August.
I saw firsthand how politics dominated the task force’s work, how the president’s overriding concern for the economy and his re-election rather than the welfare of the American people cost lives. When we briefed the president and vice president on the coronavirus’s ravaging effects on Hispanic and Black communities, their response was only to position minority staffers on the task force more prominently for photo ops.
Public health experts have a saying: Vaccines don’t matter; vaccinations do. Having a viable vaccine in a vial somewhere is nice, but it doesn’t do any good unless it’s reproduced in enough doses for every American (and eventually every human) and distributed in a way that it can be administered everywhere — every apartment building in New York City and every small town in the Rockies.
It’s a logistical effort big enough to make even Amazon blush. While doctors, nurses and state and local public health officials are likely to be the ones administering most of the vaccines, it’s going to take a massive effort by the federal and state government working with the pharmaceutical companies to manufacture and distribute the vaccine. And that doesn’t even consider the nuances, like paying for it all.
Whatever plans the Trump administration might have to execute this Herculean challenge, its official policy is not to share them with the Biden team until they absolutely have to.
In a normal transition, the outgoing policymakers, staffers and experts would already be filling in their successors on what projects are underway, what stages they’re at, what the next steps are, and other information the next administration needs to successfully confront the most urgent threats facing the country.
But the Trump administration has stopped all transition efforts, activities and funding, and that will slow, if not completely halt, efforts to get vaccines to the American people. Since the transition hasn’t been formally approved, the vital information the next administration needs is either being shared in limited ways through unofficial channels, or not at all. The inevitable result if this continues is that the Biden Covid-19 response team will have to waste valuable time getting up to speed and retracing the few steps this administration has already taken.
On top of that, the federal government is scheduled to run out of money on Dec. 11, almost six weeks before the Biden administration takes over. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seem to have, in principle, decided to pass new spending bills for 2021 and avert a government shutdown. But if President Donald Trump decides to oppose the legislation, he could force a government shutdown (as he’s done before).
The shutdown could last until after the new Congress takes office, on Jan. 3, and Biden is inaugurated, on Jan. 20. The debate over the details is far from clear, and the budget measures are getting tangled up in a coronavirus relief bill — another urgently needed measure to help Americans struggling from coronavirus and facilitate treatment of the disease. With the parties in Congress unable to come to an agreement on issues such as testing or state and local relief, delaying one until Biden is installed would only extend the timeline of the ongoing hardship.
Americans should breathe a sigh of relief that Trump was defeated at the ballot box last week, and give themselves a pat on the back for participating in an orderly, fair and free election with historic turnout amid a pandemic. But they should not slip into complacency, because Trump will still be in office for more than two months. For his entire presidency, he has made an enemy out of anyone who dared to tell him what he didn’t want to hear. Now that includes the American people.
Related:


msnbc--2020-11-11--Man arrested for threatening to kill Sen. Schumer, protesters, prosecutors say

Authorities arrested a man in New York after he threatened to kill “ anyone that claims to be a democrat ” and “ blow up ” the FBI on social media , prosecutors said .
Prosecutors said members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force , including FBI agents and New York Police Department officers , arrested Brian Maiorana , 54 , early Tuesday at his home on Staten Island .
Maiorana was charged in a federal complaint with threatening to kill and ordering others to kill protesters , law enforcement members and elected officials , including Sen. Chuck Schumer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed in the Eastern District of New York .
A judge in a Brooklyn federal court ordered his detainment pending a bail hearing , prosecutors said .
His attorney , James Darrow , did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday .
Family members of Maiorana could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday .
Maiorana is being held behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting a Nov. 24 trial .
“ The Department of Justice will not stand idly by when people like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lawful protesters and law enforcement simply because of animus towards the outcome of an election , ” said Seth Ducharme , acting U.S. Attorney .
“ Americans have a right to voice their opinions , but this Office will not tolerate violence or threats of violence used to intimidate others with whom they disagree , ” he said .
Prosecutors said Maiorana took to social media to threaten law enforcement and elected officials from September up until a few days after the presidential election .
The charges did not specify which social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent messages .
In October , Maiorana posted on social media that it has “ come to point where pipe bombs need to be thrown into these mobs of potentially non violent violent protesters , ” prosecutors said .
On Nov. 5 — as officials continued to count ballots — Maiorana said “ carnage needs to come in the form of extermination of anyone that claims to be a democrat , ” including family members , according to court papers .
Three days later , after media organizations projected Joe Biden as president-elect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diaries must come to life , ” referring to a 1978 novel about a violent coup of the U.S. government that culminated in a nuclear and race war where all non-white people were exterminated .
The anti-government novel has been an oft-cited influence among white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups , as well as an inspiration for acts of terrorism , including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing , according to prosecutors .
Task force members found a semiautomatic pistol in their home raid , prosecutors said , but Maiorana was prohibited from owning firearms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sexual assault in 2007 .

Authorities arrested a man in New York after he threatened to kill “anyone that claims to be a democrat” and “blow up” the FBI on social media, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, including FBI agents and New York Police Department officers, arrested Brian Maiorana, 54, early Tuesday at his home on Staten Island.
Maiorana was charged in a federal complaint with threatening to kill and ordering others to kill protesters, law enforcement members and elected officials, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.), according to papers filed in the Eastern District of New York.
A judge in a Brooklyn federal court ordered his detainment pending a bail hearing, prosecutors said.
His attorney, James Darrow, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Family members of Maiorana could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Maiorana is being held behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting a Nov. 24 trial.
“The Department of Justice will not stand idly by when people like the defendant allegedly threaten to kill elected officials, lawful protesters and law enforcement simply because of animus towards the outcome of an election,” said Seth Ducharme, acting U.S. Attorney.
“Americans have a right to voice their opinions, but this Office will not tolerate violence or threats of violence used to intimidate others with whom they disagree,” he said.
Prosecutors said Maiorana took to social media to threaten law enforcement and elected officials from September up until a few days after the presidential election. The charges did not specify which social media platform Maiorana used to share his violent messages.
In October, Maiorana posted on social media that it has “come to point where pipe bombs need to be thrown into these mobs of potentially non violent violent protesters,” prosecutors said.
On Nov. 5 — as officials continued to count ballots — Maiorana said “carnage needs to come in the form of extermination of anyone that claims to be a democrat,” including family members, according to court papers.
Three days later, after media organizations projected Joe Biden as president-elect, Maiorana added: “The Turner Diaries must come to life,” referring to a 1978 novel about a violent coup of the U.S. government that culminated in a nuclear and race war where all non-white people were exterminated.
The anti-government novel has been an oft-cited influence among white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, as well as an inspiration for acts of terrorism, including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, according to prosecutors.
Task force members found a semiautomatic pistol in their home raid, prosecutors said, but Maiorana was prohibited from owning firearms in New York after he was convicted of sexual assault in 2007.


msnbc--2020-11-11--TikTok hasn’t heard from the Trump administration in weeks

Remember TikTok ?
That wildly popular user-generated video application that dominated headlines for months as a potential national security threat because of its Chinese ownership ?
It seems like President Donald Trump ’ s administration may have forgotten .
TikTok hasn ’ t had meaningful dialogue with the Trump administration ’ s committee on foreign investment in the United States ( CFIUS ) for weeks , according to people familiar with the matter .
Executives at the company are still interested in completing a technology partnership with Oracle to satisfy national security concerns -- even if President-Elect Joe Biden isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s risk profile under Chinese ownership .
( TikTok ’ s parent company is ByteDance , based in China . )
These people asked not to be identified discussing confidential matters .
A Nov. 12 CFIUS deadline calls for ByteDance to “ divest any tangible or intangible assets or property , wherever located , used to enable or support ByteDance ’ s operation of the TikTok application in the United States.
” But the CFIUS order doesn ’ t say what happens if ByteDance does not divest assets .
That uncertainty prompted TikTok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court of Appeals for the D.C .
Circuit Tuesday , calling for a review of actions by CFIUS .
“ For a year , TikTok has actively engaged with CFIUS in good faith to address its national security concerns , even as we disagree with its assessment , ” TikTok said in a statement .
“ In the nearly two months since the President gave his preliminary approval to our proposal to satisfy those concerns , we have offered detailed solutions to finalize that agreement – but have received no substantive feedback on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump has claimed that TikTok represents a national security threat because it collects American users ’ data , which could then be accessed by the Chinese government .
While TikTok continues to deny this , the company still wants to move forward with a deal to remove the issue of security as an overhang on the company , the people said .
Spokespeople for Oracle and the U.S. Treasury couldn ’ t be reached for immediate comment .
A Biden technology advisor to the transition said it was “ too early to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok .
Biden ’ s campaign told employees to delete TikTok off their work and personal devices due to security concerns in July .
On Aug. 14 , CFIUS released its ruling that ByteDance needed to divest its U.S. assets within 90 days , “ unless such date is extended for a period not to exceed 30 days , ” which hasn ’ t happened .
That mandate set off a chain of events .
First , there was talk that ByteDance would sell all of its TikTok assets in the U.S. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Microsoft or Oracle .
Then the Chinese government interrupted the transaction by demanding ByteDance get a license to sell TikTok to a foreign entity .
With the Nov. 12 deadline still pending , ByteDance instead agreed to sell 20 percent of a new U.S. based company called TikTok Global to Oracle , which was seeking a high-profile cloud customer , and Walmart , which was interested in the platform as a channel for e-commerce .
That deal also named Oracle a “ trusted technology provider , ” which would have meant moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cloud .
Oracle would also have beem able to check the source code of TikTok in the U.S. , but Bytedance wouldn ’ t transfer algorithms and technologies to Oracle .
That transaction , which President Trump approved on Sept. 19 , never got clearance from the Chinese government .
There was disagreement over the exact terms , with Trump and Oracle claiming that ByteDance wouldn ’ t retain any ownership over the new TikTok Global , and would instead divest its ownership to its American-based venture capital owners and other foreign backers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own 80 percent .
Since then , Trump tested positive for coronavirus on Oct. 2 , sending him to the hospital , followed by weeks of election preparation .
Those events have sidelined the TikTok deal .
TikTok is unclear when or if it will hear from the Trump administration again , two of the people said , prompting Tuesday ’ s petition .
The Trump administration has a lot of legal flexibility around CFIUS and could still push to ban the application despite an Oct. 30 temporary injunction that blocks the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted TikTok to act now , one of the people said .

Alex Sherman, CNBC and Jordan Novet, CNBC

Remember TikTok? That wildly popular user-generated video application that dominated headlines for months as a potential national security threat because of its Chinese ownership?
It seems like President Donald Trump’s administration may have forgotten.
TikTok hasn’t had meaningful dialogue with the Trump administration’s committee on foreign investment in the United States (CFIUS) for weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. Executives at the company are still interested in completing a technology partnership with Oracle to satisfy national security concerns -- even if President-Elect Joe Biden isn’t as concerned with TikTok’s risk profile under Chinese ownership. (TikTok’s parent company is ByteDance, based in China.) These people asked not to be identified discussing confidential matters.
A Nov. 12 CFIUS deadline calls for ByteDance to “divest any tangible or intangible assets or property, wherever located, used to enable or support ByteDance’s operation of the TikTok application in the United States.”
But the CFIUS order doesn’t say what happens if ByteDance does not divest assets. That uncertainty prompted TikTok to file a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Tuesday, calling for a review of actions by CFIUS.
“For a year, TikTok has actively engaged with CFIUS in good faith to address its national security concerns, even as we disagree with its assessment,” TikTok said in a statement. “In the nearly two months since the President gave his preliminary approval to our proposal to satisfy those concerns, we have offered detailed solutions to finalize that agreement – but have received no substantive feedback on our extensive data privacy and security framework.”
Trump has claimed that TikTok represents a national security threat because it collects American users’ data, which could then be accessed by the Chinese government. While TikTok continues to deny this, the company still wants to move forward with a deal to remove the issue of security as an overhang on the company, the people said.
Spokespeople for Oracle and the U.S. Treasury couldn’t be reached for immediate comment. A Biden technology advisor to the transition said it was “too early to say” Biden’s view on TikTok. Biden’s campaign told employees to delete TikTok off their work and personal devices due to security concerns in July.
The 12th of November
On Aug. 14, CFIUS released its ruling that ByteDance needed to divest its U.S. assets within 90 days, “unless such date is extended for a period not to exceed 30 days,” which hasn’t happened.
That mandate set off a chain of events. First, there was talk that ByteDance would sell all of its TikTok assets in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia assets to Microsoft or Oracle.
Then the Chinese government interrupted the transaction by demanding ByteDance get a license to sell TikTok to a foreign entity.
With the Nov. 12 deadline still pending, ByteDance instead agreed to sell 20 percent of a new U.S. based company called TikTok Global to Oracle, which was seeking a high-profile cloud customer, and Walmart, which was interested in the platform as a channel for e-commerce. That deal also named Oracle a “trusted technology provider,” which would have meant moving some TikTok functions to Oracle’s cloud. Oracle would also have beem able to check the source code of TikTok in the U.S., but Bytedance wouldn’t transfer algorithms and technologies to Oracle.
That transaction, which President Trump approved on Sept. 19, never got clearance from the Chinese government. There was disagreement over the exact terms, with Trump and Oracle claiming that ByteDance wouldn’t retain any ownership over the new TikTok Global, and would instead divest its ownership to its American-based venture capital owners and other foreign backers. But ByteDance said it would still own 80 percent.
Since then, Trump tested positive for coronavirus on Oct. 2, sending him to the hospital, followed by weeks of election preparation. Those events have sidelined the TikTok deal.
TikTok is unclear when or if it will hear from the Trump administration again, two of the people said, prompting Tuesday’s petition. The Trump administration has a lot of legal flexibility around CFIUS and could still push to ban the application despite an Oct. 30 temporary injunction that blocks the government from banning the app. The ambiguity prompted TikTok to act now, one of the people said.


msnbc--2020-11-11--Blast hits Saudi ceremony marking end of WWI, wounding attendees

PARIS — Multiple people were wounded on Wednesday when an explosive device hit an international ceremony commemorating the end of World War I at a cemetery in the Saudi Arabian city of Jiddah , according to French government officials .
Several countries had representatives at the ceremony , held at a cemetery for non-Muslim dead , the officials from the French Foreign Ministry said .
The identities of the victims were unclear .
Wednesday marks the 102nd anniversary of the armistice ending World War I and is commemorated in several European countries .
The French officials , who spoke on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , condemned the attack .
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion .
Saudi officials and state-run media in the kingdom have not commented on the attack at the cemetery .
Jiddah , the Red Sea port city , saw its Ottoman troops surrender to the local troops backed by the British in 1916 amid the war .
That sparked the start of the Kingdom of Hejaz , which later became part of Saudi Arabia in 1932 .
Wednesday 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stabbing on Oct. 29 that slightly wounded a guard at the French Consulate in the city of Jiddah .
The stabbing was carried out by a Saudi man , who was arrested .
His motives remain unclear .
France has urged its citizens in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries to be “ on maximum alert ” amid heightened tensions after an assailant decapitated a French middle school teacher who showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class .
The French president ’ s support for caricatures as a cornerstone of free speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depictions as incitement and a form of hate speech .
Saudi King Salman is scheduled to deliver an annual address to the nation on Wednesday , laying out policy priorities for the coming year .

PARIS — Multiple people were wounded on Wednesday when an explosive device hit an international ceremony commemorating the end of World War I at a cemetery in the Saudi Arabian city of Jiddah, according to French government officials.
Several countries had representatives at the ceremony, held at a cemetery for non-Muslim dead, the officials from the French Foreign Ministry said. The identities of the victims were unclear.
Wednesday marks the 102nd anniversary of the armistice ending World War I and is commemorated in several European countries. The French officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, condemned the attack.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion.
Saudi officials and state-run media in the kingdom have not commented on the attack at the cemetery.
Jiddah, the Red Sea port city, saw its Ottoman troops surrender to the local troops backed by the British in 1916 amid the war. That sparked the start of the Kingdom of Hejaz, which later became part of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
Wednesday's attack follows on the heels of a stabbing on Oct. 29 that slightly wounded a guard at the French Consulate in the city of Jiddah. The stabbing was carried out by a Saudi man, who was arrested. His motives remain unclear.
France has urged its citizens in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries to be “on maximum alert” amid heightened tensions after an assailant decapitated a French middle school teacher who showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
The French president’s support for caricatures as a cornerstone of free speech has riled some Muslims who view the depictions as incitement and a form of hate speech.
Saudi King Salman is scheduled to deliver an annual address to the nation on Wednesday, laying out policy priorities for the coming year.