memeorandum: EXCLUSIVE: William ‘Roddie’ Bryan told police he tried to ‘block’ Ahmaud Arbery, body camera video shows (Ryan Nelson/WJAX)

7:45 PM ET, December 15, 2020

Top Items:

Biden to tap former Michigan Gov. Granholm to lead Energy Department — President-elect Joe Biden will pick former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to run the Energy Department, the agency that would play a key role in helping develop the technologies needed fulfill his pledge to move the country off fossil fuels.

Discussion: CBS News, NPR, Washington Post, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Axios, Talking Points Memo, National Review, The Guardian, KIFI-TV, Mediaite, The Week and New York Post

Dan Merica / CNN:

Joe Biden picks Pete Buttigieg to be transportation secretary — (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Pete Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, elevating the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to a top post in the federal government.

Discussion: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Axios, Snopes.com, National Review, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, KIFI-TV, Washington Blade, The American Independent, Raw Story, PinkNews, UPI and The Week

Wall Street Journal:

Biden to Tap Jennifer Granholm for Energy Secretary — Former Michigan governor pushed state to increase use of renewable energy — WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden is expected to choose former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to lead the Energy Department, according to people familiar …

Discussion: Reuters

Washington Post:
Biden to name Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary

Discussion: CNN, Politico, WXYZ-TV, Vanity Fair, Associated Press, CNBC, The Moderate Voice, Common Dreams, Revolving Door Project, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, New York Post and Political Wire

Thomas Barrabi / Fox News:
Biden admits to a ‘bit of a cold’ after Electoral College victory speech

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, New York Post, RedState, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Vanity Fair and The American Independent

Politico:
Why Biden thinks the GOP fever could break (really)

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, abc7NY, IJR, Bearing Arms and The Week

Andrew Stiles / Washington Free Beacon:
Mayor Pete Goes to Washington

Discussion: Fox News

Reuters:
Exclusive: Biden taps former rival Buttigieg for U.S. Transportation secretary -sources

Discussion: New York Times, Denver Post, SFist, Mic, The Week, Business Insider, Breitbart, RedState, WPRI-TV, NBC Boston and Townhall

Alayna Treene / Axios:

McConnell urges Republicans not to contest Biden win on Jan. 6 — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership team urged fellow Republicans on a conference call today not to participate in any efforts to object to certifying Joe Biden's presidential election win in the Jan. 6 joint session …

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, The American Independent, Associated Press, Sara A. Carter and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Politico:

McConnell warns Senate Republicans against challenging election results — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Republican senators Tuesday during a private caucus call not to object to the election results on Jan. 6, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Discussion: New York Times, ABC News, Associated Press, USA Today, CBS News, Washington Post, Big League Politics, POLITICUSUSA, The Moderate Voice, TheBlaze, Bluegrass Beat, The Daily Signal, HotAir, Roll Call and Election Law Blog

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

McConnell sets up a clash with Trump over who's in charge in the GOP — Two things can be true at the same time. One is that Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election has been evident for several weeks, with no legitimate reason to doubt it (despite plenty of digging).

Discussion: Raw Story, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Reuters, The Mahablog, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, NBC4 Washington, IJR, Colorado Pols, CNN, Cyprus Mail, The American Independent, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner and Axios

Craig Gilbert / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Ron Johnson calls election legitimate and acknowledges Biden victory but still plans hearing on alleged ‘irregularities’

Discussion: The Hill, AFP, POLITICUSUSA, IJR, Slate, Vox, Snopes.com, The Rush Limbaugh Show and Political Wire

Jeff Poor / Breitbart:
Mo Brooks: ‘Trump Won the Electoral College’ — I Can Be a Part of the ‘Surrender Caucus’ or I Can Fight for Our Country

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, New York Times, Raw Story, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Des Moines Register, Reason, Mediaite, Common Dreams, Conservative News Today and Right Wing Watch

Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:
White House refuses to recognize Biden as president-elect following Electoral College vote

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, KTLA, Politico, IJR, The Daily Caller, USA Today, The Hill, WGN-TV, Mediaite and Townhall

Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
Newsmax says it will refer to Biden as president-elect

Discussion: Political Wire, Vanity Fair, Crooks and Liars, USA Today, Media Matters for America, Mediaite, TVNewser and The Daily Beast

Washington Post:

Biden picks former EPA chief Gina McCarthy as White House climate czar — McCarthy heads the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times. — President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Gina McCarthy, who ran the Environmental Protection Agency …

Discussion: The Hill, NPR, Axios, New York Times and The Week

Jesse Paul / The Colorado Sun:

Jenna Ellis, President Trump's lawyer, was fired from Weld County DA's office for “mistakes,” records show — Jenna Ellis, the attorney from Colorado representing President Donald Trump in his bid to overturn his 2020 election loss, was fired from her job as a Weld County prosecutor in 2013 …

Discussion: The Hill, Law & Crime, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, Colorado Newsline, The Intellectualist and Political Wire

Bloomberg:

MacKenzie Scott Gives Away $4.2 Billion in Four Months — World's 18th-richest person announced contributions on Medium — Scott's total gifts this year are close to $6 billion — MacKenzie Scott is giving away her fortune at an unprecedented pace, donating more than $4 billion …

Discussion: Gothamist

MacKenzie Scott / Medium:
384 Ways to Help — Emily Dickinson lived much of her life isolated in a single room …

Discussion: CBS News, The Hill, CNN, NewsOne, The Wrap, Common Dreams, Vox, Orange County Register, El Paso Matters and GeekWire

Jill Tucker / San Francisco Chronicle:

Abraham Lincoln was once a hero. In some S.F. education circles, he's now a bad guy — Abraham Lincoln, an iconic American hero, could soon be an outcast in San Francisco, his legacy called into question and his name ripped off a high school. — Lincoln is one of dozens of historical figures who …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Breitbart

Rachel Sharp / Daily Mail:

San Francisco to rename Abraham Lincoln High School because former president did not demonstrate that ‘black lives mattered to him’ - as woke renaming committee also takes aim at Democrat senator Dianne Feinstein and Teddy Roosevelt — San Francisco Unified School District's renaming …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Townhall

New York Times:

So Jeffrey Toobin Had a Zoom Incident. What Now? — How a leading man of legal journalism lost his sweetest gig. — Until Jeffrey Toobin's fateful appointment with Zoom on Oct. 15, his quarantine was going better than most people's. — In August, his eighth book, “True Crimes and Misdemeanors …

Discussion: Mercury News, The Wrap, Mediaite, Slate, New York Post, Forbes, Althouse, Balloon Juice and Twitchy

Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Condé Nast Puts Anna Wintour in Charge of Magazines Worldwide

Discussion: KIFI-TV and Variety, more at Mediagazer »

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump antagonizes Republicans with Georgia fundraising ploy — President Donald Trump couldn't make it any clearer: He needs his supporters to fork over cash for the all-important Georgia Senate runoff elections. — “We MUST defend Georgia from the Dems!” he wrote in one recent text message.

The Hill:
Georgia GOP senators dig in on refusal to recognize Biden win

Discussion: CBS News, CNN, Bloomberg, USA Today, Fox News, Breitbart, Associated Press, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Times, COURIER, Daily Kos, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, WRIC-TV, Raw Story and Political Wire

Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:

Everyone Trump Touches Dies: The List — He revealed people for what they really were. — Bill Barr? He gone. — Barr began the Year of Our Lord 2016 as a well respected member of the conservative legal establishment. He concludes 2020 with his reputation destroyed …

CBS Chicago:

‘You Have the Wrong Place:’ Body Camera Video Shows Moments Police Handcuff Innocent, Naked Woman During Wrong Raid — CHICAGO (CBS) — For the first time, police body camera video reveals what an innocent woman said happened to her nearly two years ago: police officers wrongly entered …

Discussion: NewsOne, Twitchy, Instapundit, The Root, Daily Kos, Reason, The Daily Caller and Law & Crime

Adam Klasfeld / Law & Crime:

Trump Organization Must Cough Up Docs on Seven Springs Engineer to New York Attorney General, Manhattan Judge Rules — Advancing an investigation likely to trail the outgoing Commander-in-Chief long into his post-presidency, a Manhattan judge ordered the Trump Organization and its attorney …

Discussion: The Intellectualist

Corinne Ramey / Wall Street Journal: Trump Organization Ordered to Turn Over Documents to New York Attorney General

ABC13:

Alleged crusade to stop voter fraud lands former HPD captain in handcuffs — HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A former Houston Police Department Captain was arrested and charged for running a man off the road and pointing a gun at his head in an attempt to prove claims of a massive voter fraud scheme …

Discussion: The Daily Beast

New York Times:

Moderna Vaccine Is Highly Protective and Prevents Severe Covid-19, Data Show — The positive review likely ensures that the F.D.A. will approve a second coronavirus vaccine this week for millions of Americans. — WASHINGTON — The coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna is highly protective …

Discussion: NBC News, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, ABC13, UPI, COURIER, Gothamist, The Daily Caller, National Review, Business Insider, New York Post, The Week, abc7NY, OutKick, Balloon Juice and The Verge

STAT:
FDA scientists endorse Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, as documents provide new hints on efficacy

Discussion: Media Matters for America, CBS Pittsburgh and NBC4 Washington

US Food and Drug Administration:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Antigen Test as First Over-the-Counter Fully At-Home Diagnostic Test for COVID-19 — Test is authorized for individuals two years of age or older, including those not showing symptoms — For Immediate Release:

Discussion: CBS News, Washington Examiner, GlobeNewswire, Townhall, Bloomberg, Reason, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, HotAir, The Daily Caller, The Week, LiveScience and New York Post

Alex Kaplan / Media Matters for America:

QAnon supporters suggest Trump's new deputy attorney general will fulfill conspiracy theory and institute mass arrests — Multiple influencers supporting the false QAnon conspiracy theory have praised the appointment of new Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, claiming that he will carry …

Discussion: National Review, Reason and Liberty Unyielding

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

Fashion Mogul Peter Nygard Indicted on Sex-Trafficking Charges — Mr. Nygard was arrested in Canada at the request of the U.S. attorney's office in New York City, which accused him of recruiting dozens of women for sex. — Peter Nygard, the Canadian fashion retailer …

Discussion: Justice News, The Week and The Hill

Reuters:

Hackers at center of sprawling spy campaign turned SolarWinds' dominance against it — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On an earnings call two months ago, SolarWinds Chief Executive Kevin Thompson touted how far the company had gone during his 11 years at the helm. — There was not a database …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Business Insider and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Financial Times:

UK draws up plans to rival Singapore with post-Brexit shipping regime — Push to attract more vessels to sail under British flag with reforms to tonnage tax — The UK is drawing up plans to turn London into a rival for Singapore as a hub for shipping companies to register their vessels following …

Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:

Why Representative Mike Johnson Thinks That the Election Isn't Over — Last week, the Republican attorney general of Texas, with support from Republican attorneys general in eighteen other states, filed briefs urging the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the election in four swing states that favored Joe Biden.

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, Vox, Mercury News, The Atlantic and Michigan Advance

Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:

Republican contender for Va. governor says Trump should declare martial law — RICHMOND — State Sen. Amanda F. Chase, a brash Republican gubernatorial contender who bills herself as “Trump in heels,” called on President Trump on Tuesday to declare martial law to prevent his removal from office.

Discussion: Pew Research Center, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, The American Independent, Commentary Magazine, Blue Virginia and Vanity Fair

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:

Bill Barr's Resignation Letter Perfectly Reflects His Entire Career — Twice, William Barr has been Attorney General of the United States. And twice he has proven to be a willing footman for political deceit and political corruption. — Twice, I have seen William Pelham Barr ascend …

Betsy Klein / CNN:

Melania Trump breaks children's hospital rules by taking her mask off to read to patients — (CNN)First lady Melania Trump broke stated mask policy at Children's National Hospital Tuesday when she removed her mask to read a holiday book to children. — Trump, who has visited children …

Discussion: The Hill, Vanity Fair, The Intellectualist and The American Independent

Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:

Trump claims new fraud evidence as Michigan officials push back on disputed report — President Trump on Tuesday argued that voting machines in Michigan had substantial errors, citing a statistic from a report released Monday that has since been disputed by top state election officials.

Discussion: SOM, Dominion Voting Systems, Newsmax, The American Independent and The Daily Caller

Margaret Hartmann / New York Magazine:

The Time Trump Told Boy Scouts About Sexy Yacht Parties — On the night of November 7, 2020, as I watched President-elect Joe Biden carry his infant grandchild around a stage in Wilmington, Delaware, while celebrating his election win, I came across a tweet asking, “Has anyone ever seen Trump hold a baby?”

Ryan Nelson / WJAX:

EXCLUSIVE: William ‘Roddie’ Bryan told police he tried to ‘block’ Ahmaud Arbery, body camera video shows — Body camera video shows Glynn County Police officers responding to the deadly shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in February. — The video shows police investigating the scene …

Discussion: CBS News, New York Daily News, WTOP, The Daily Caller, NewsOne, Washington Examiner and New York Post

John Stoehr / The Editorial Board:

Yes, Biden should call out Trump's lawlessness — We can't ignore it. We must face it head-on. — 3 hr ago — Joe Biden is full of surprises. After the Electoral College met Monday to finalize the results of the election, the president-elect delivered a speech I never thought he'd deliver.

Discussion: NPR, Rev, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Newsbusters, Washington Post, Fox News, American Military News and TMZ.com

Hannah Allam / NPR:

Right-Wing Embrace Of Conspiracy Is ‘Mass Radicalization,’ Experts Warn — The widespread embrace of conspiracy and disinformation amounts to a “mass radicalization” of Americans, and increases the risk of right-wing violence, veteran security officials and terrorism researchers warn.