memeorandum: Supreme Court rules for Colorado church in coronavirus restrictions dispute (Nicholas Rowan/Washington Examiner)

3:00 PM ET, December 15, 2020

Top Items:

Trump Retweets Threat to Jail Georgia's Governor and Secretary of State — Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters. — It's a strange day for democracy when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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 — Monday during an appearance on FBN's “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) vowed not to go down without a fight despite states having certified Electoral College results earlier …

Discussion: The Hill, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Reason, Common Dreams, Des Moines Register, Mediaite and Conservative News Today

President of Russia:
Congratulations to Joseph R. Biden on winning US presidential election

Discussion: Vox, CNN, The Hill, CNBC, Mediaite, The Wrap, The Daily Caller, Lawyers, Guns & Money, CBS News, NPR, IJR and Daily Kos

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
After weeks of declining to recognize Biden's win, Mitch McConnell congratulates him for being the president-elect.

Discussion: CNN, NBC News, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, UPI, HotAir, WTOP, POLITICUSUSA, IJR, New York Post and Outside the Beltway

Alayna Treene / Axios:
McConnell urges Republicans not to contest Biden win on Jan. 6

Discussion: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, The American Independent, Sara A. Carter, Associated Press and The Hill

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

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Political Wire, Mediaite and TVNewser

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
‘This is the reality’: Newsmax and One America grapple uneasily with Biden's electoral college victory

Discussion: Business Insider, Daily Kos, Associated Press, The Week, The Carpentariat and BuzzFeed News, more at Mediagazer »

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
McConnell sets up a clash with Trump over who's in charge in the GOP

Discussion: Politico, CNN, Reuters, Roll Call, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Cyprus Mail, KIFI-TV, NECN, NBC4 Washington and The American Independent

Mary Ilyushina / CNN:
Putin finally congratulates Biden on US election victory

Discussion: Politico, Vanity Fair, TASS, Associated Press, Commentary Magazine, Bloomberg, NBC News, Raw Story, Business Insider, Washington Examiner, UPI, The Intellectualist and Crooks and Liars

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

Discussion: New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and Breitbart

Politico:
‘Time for everybody to move on’: Senate GOP accepts Biden's win

Anton Troianovski / New York Times:
Putin Congratulates Biden After Electoral College Vote

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, Vox, USA Today, Slate, CNBC, The Week and New York Post

Claudia Grisales / NPR:
‘Electoral College Has Spoken’: McConnell Belatedly Congratulates Biden On Win

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, USA Today, IJR, Forbes, WABC, Deadline, The Guardian, National Review, Washington Times and Boing Boing

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, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, Colorado Newsline and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Biden to name Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Pete Buttigieg to be his secretary of transportation, elevating the onetime rival to a key role in the incoming administration's push to rebuild American infrastructure and the economy …

Discussion: Politico, WXYZ-TV, Business Insider, Associated Press, New York Post and Political Wire

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: Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, National Review, Washington Blade, PinkNews and Revolving Door Project

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

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 …

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: Althouse, Balloon Juice, Forbes and Twitchy

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: Reason, Law & Crime, Twitchy and The Daily Caller

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.

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, STAT, Associated Press, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, COURIER, National Review, KCLO-TV, New York Post, UPI, Balloon Juice, Gothamist, The Daily Caller, CNBC, The Week, OutKick, abc7NY and The Verge

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, HotAir, The Daily Caller, The Week, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, New York Post and The National Interest

David Hogberg / Washington Examiner:
FDA approves first over-the-counter at-home coronavirus test

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and NPR

Matt Viser / Washington Post:

Biden and Harris will take oaths on Capitol stage, inauguration committee confirms — President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris will be sworn in to office on the steps of the Capitol next month, but those who are planning his inauguration are urging Americans to stay …

Discussion: CNBC, Business Insider, CBS News, Politico, Washington Examiner, Forbes, HotAir, The Week and Talking Points Memo

Ursula Perano / Axios:
Biden's inaugural committee urges Americans to stay home for ceremony

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Talking Points Memo

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

Inside the Right-Wing Media Bubble, Where the Myth of a Trump Win Lives On — The Electoral College has affirmed Biden's victory. That doesn't mean that Trump-friendly news outlets have accepted it. — President Trump's media criticism is usually binary — there are “good stories,” favorable to him, and then the other category.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Common Dreams, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Right Wing Watch, Politico and NECN

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 and The Hill

Seth A. Richardson / Plain Dealer:

Nina Turner announces bid to succeed Marcia Fudge in Congress — CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former state Sen. Nina Turner made her bid official for Rep. Marcia Fudge's congressional seat in Northeast Ohio, becoming the third candidate to jump in to what will likely be a crowded primary.

Discussion: The Hill

Holly Otterbein / Politico:
Top liberals line up behind Nina Turner's House bid

Discussion: Business Insider

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:

Barr failed at his job. His bootlicking resignation letter made that clear. — William P. Barr told friends, when he was tapped for attorney general two years ago, that he was returning to the position to help save the Justice Department. Barr failed spectacularly at that task and ruined his reputation in the process.

Discussion: Politico, The Bulwark, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Law & Crime, Boston Herald, Denver Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money and CNN

Wall Street Journal: Thank You, Bill Barr

Mayank Aggarwal / The Independent:

Twitter confirms Trump can be banned from inauguration day onwards — Donald Trump is the second most-followed politician on Twitter after Barack Obama — Donald Trump, who currently enjoys certain exemptions from Twitter's policies due to his status as a world leader …

Discussion: TheBlaze and The Intellectualist

Southern Poverty Law Center:

White Nationalists Sought Resumes for Trump White House, Emails Show — Activists linked to the white nationalist hate group VDARE sought resumes to fill out White House administration jobs days after media outlets declared Donald J. Trump the winner of the 2016 election, leaked emails show.

Robert Downen / Houston Chronicle:

Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church got $4.4 million in federal PPP loans — Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church is among the large local congregations that received multi-million dollar loans as part of the federal government's COVID-19 stimulus package. — Lakewood received a $4.4 million loan through …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Law & Crime, Raw Story and The Intellectualist

Chris Mathews / Houston Business Journal:
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church took $4.4M PPP loan

Discussion: The Daily Caller and New York Post

Robert Tracinski / The Bulwark:

It's Not About This Election, It's About the Next One — The Republican party wasn't prepared to help Trump steal this election—but they're being prepared for the next one. — When I first got my hair on fire about Donald Trump's plan to exploit the quirks of mail-in voting to overturn …

Discussion: The Guardian, RealClearPolitics, Vox, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Wisconsin Examiner, New York Times, National Review, Blue Virginia, Daily Kos and Business Insider

Jerry Lambe / Law & Crime:
Georgia's Supreme Court Rejected Trump's Suit Over the Weekend. His Proxy Appealed Another Case and Lost Immediately on Monday.

Discussion: Mediaite

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: Trump's frenetic, fanciful, bitter final plea — Right up to Monday's Electoral College vote, President Trump held the false hope that Republican-controlled state legislatures would replace electors with allies who'd overturn Joe Biden's win, two people who discussed the matter with him told Axios.

Discussion: HotAir, BuzzFeed News, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and CBS News

Brian Trusdell / Newsmax:

Audit Finds Mich. County's Dominion Voting Was Rigged to Create Fraud — A forensic audit of the presidential vote tally by Dominion Voting Systems software used in Antrim County, Michigan, showed a more than 68% error rate, with auditors claiming the system intentionally creates the errors …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill and Detroit Free Press

Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:

Facebook Is a Doomsday Machine — The Doomsday Machine was never supposed to exist. It was meant to be a thought experiment that went like this: Imagine a device built with the sole purpose of destroying all human life. Now suppose that machine is buried deep underground …

Jerry Dunleavy / Washington Examiner:

Big-name House Republicans sign letter demanding Pelosi remove Swalwell from intelligence committee — A group of House Republicans, led by some of the most high-profile members of the caucus, called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence …

Discussion: Fox News, National Review, The Daily Caller and Breitbart

Charles Bethea / New Yorker:

Asking All Georgians: Are You Seventeen and a Half? — There are twenty-three thousand teen-agers in the state who weren't old enough to vote in November, but who will be old enough to vote in the Senate runoffs, in January. These volunteers tried to find them.