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5:30 PM ET, December 30, 2020

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 Top Items: 
John Wagner / Washington Post:
Sen. Hawley announces he will contest certification of electoral college vote  —  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced Wednesday that he would object next week when Congress convenes to certify the electoral college vote, a move that all but ensures at least a short delay in cementing President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
McConnell says push for $2,000 stimulus checks has “no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate”  —  The Senate leader said the measure would be too costly, would not be targeted towards needy, and help families that are living comfortably.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) …
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
How Congress and coronavirus could quash Trump's Electoral College gambit  —  President Donald Trump's last-gasp bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat appears doomed on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.  —  But the byzantine process …
Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:
You Should Be Angry.  —  Before we get started: Shortly after I finished writing today's newsletter, Josh Hawley announced that he is going to buck Mitch McConnell and join House Republicans to force a roll-call vote on whether or not to accept the Electoral College votes.
CNN:
GOP senator to delay affirming Biden victory by forcing votes on Electoral College results
Burgess Everett / Politico:
‘No realistic path’: McConnell rejects standalone stimulus check increase
Michelle Brunetti Post / Press of Atlantic City:
Van Drew says he will object to Electoral College results
Discussion: The Hill, CNN and Associated Press
Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:
Missouri senator to contest Electoral College win for Biden
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Ted Cruz's Georgia Runoff Fundraising Is Actually Going to His Campaign.  He's Not Alone  —  The runoff is a gold mine for politicians.  And now that they can run Facebook ads in Georgia, they're rushing for it.  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) needs your help to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.
RELATED:
James Arkin / Politico:
Strong early-vote turnout gives Dems hope in Georgia runoffs  —  Early voting in the Georgia Senate runoffs is breaking records — and Democrats have reasons for hope in the numbers.  —  More than 2.3 million people have voted as of Tuesday morning through mail-in ballots or in-person early voting …
NBC News:
Feds probing if Nashville bomber believed in lizard people conspiracy  —  Investigators are exploring several conspiracy theories as potential motives behind the Christmas Day bombing outside an AT&T building in Nashville, including evidence that the bomber believed in lizard people …
Discussion: The Week and USA Today
RELATED:
Natalie Allison / The Tennessean:
Girlfriend warned Nashville police Anthony Warner was building bomb a year ago, report shows  —  NASHVILLE — Sixteen months before Anthony Quinn Warner's RV exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning, officers visited his home in Antioch after his girlfriend reported that he was making bombs …
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Trump Could Still Start a Last-Ditch War With Iran  —  Donald Trump is intent on creating as much chaos as possible on his way out of the White House.  Could that include saddling Joe Biden with another war in the Middle East?  —  We already know that Trump is thinking about attacking Iran.
Discussion: Fox News and Raw Story
RELATED:
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Biden's Team Tells Senate Democrats To Send Him Judicial Nominees ASAP  —  The president-elect wants recommendations for all existing district court vacancies by Jan. 19, says his incoming White House counsel.  —  President-elect Joe Biden is signaling that he's ready to move quickly with nominating judges once he's sworn into office.
Discussion: Political Wire
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Trump calls on Georgia Gov. Kemp to resign  —  President Trump called for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's (R) resignation on Wednesday, hammering him for refusing to back up the president's claim that he carried Georgia in the November presidential election — despite his loss by 12,000 votes …
RELATED:
Stephen Fowler / Georgia Public Broadcasting:
Fact Check: Brad Raffensperger's Brother Is Not A Chinese Tech Executive Named Ron
Discussion: Snopes.com and Crooks and Liars
Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Head of Georgia NAACP resigns from Raffensperger's election task force
Discussion: Business Insider, WALB-TV, UPI and WTOC
Katherine Rosman / New York Times:
Hilaria Baldwin Talks About Her Heritage, Spain, Boston, Alec and Instagram  —  Accused of a “decade long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person,” the entrepreneur and spouse of Alec Baldwin talks about Spain, Boston, her children, Instagram and more.
Missy Ryan / Washington Post:
Biden to tap longtime officials for top Pentagon roles  —  President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate two former senior officials to fill the Pentagon's No. 2 and No. 3 jobs, transition officials said, further signaling the new administration's intent to forge a more predictable foreign policy …
RELATED:
Greg Hilburn / The News Star:
Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies with COVID  —  Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow has died at Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport with COVID-19, a family friend confirmed Tuesday night.  —  Letlow, 41, was transferred from St. Francis Medical Center to the Ochsner LSU Health ICU …
RELATED:
Kathy Mccormack / Associated Press:
Governor cancels inaugural, citing mask protests at his home  —  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire's Republican governor said Wednesday that he is canceling his outdoor inauguration ceremony next month because of public safety concerns — namely, armed protesters who have been gathering outside …
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
Stephanie Nebehay / Reuters:
Trump pardon of Blackwater Iraq contractors violates international law - UN  —  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's pardon of four American men convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors in 2007 violated U.S. obligations under international law, U.N. human rights experts said on Wednesday.
RELATED:
Taryn Ryder / Yahoo Entertainment:
Dr. Drew reveals COVID-19 diagnosis months after apologizing for downplaying coronavirus  —  Celebrity doctor Drew Pinsky has tested positive for COVID-19.  Pinsky, known as “Dr. Drew,” is “under surveillance” according to a message shared on his Instagram account.
Joel Rose / NPR:
Even If It's ‘Bonkers,’ Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon And Other Conspiracy Theories  —  Toggle more options  —  A significant number of Americans believe misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus and the recent presidential election, as well as conspiracy theories like QAnon, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll.
David Brand / Queens News:
Man hospitalized for COVID-19 after Queens Republican club Christmas party  —  At least one person has been hospitalized for COVID-19 after attending an indoor Christmas dance party hosted by the Whitestone Republican Club earlier this month, the Eagle has learned.
Stephanie Giang-Paunon / Fox News:
Oregon mayor tells residents to ignore coronavirus restrictions  —  Stan Pulliam thinks the economy should open up as usual but with masks and social distancing  —  Oregon mayor encourages coronavirus lockdown defiance  —  A Republican mayor in Oregon is encouraging business owners to defy the state's coronavirus restrictions.
Discussion: Washington Examiner and TheBlaze
Todd Frankel / Washington Post:
Trump's big policy win: Stronger showers, faster dishwashers.  It's something almost no one asked for.  —  One change he talked about frequently won't happen: A reversal of water limits on toilet flushes  —  President Trump was on a roll, standing before an adoring crowd in Carson City …
Discussion: The Moderate Voice
David Wallace-Wells / New York Magazine:
America's Vaccine Rollout Is Already a Disaster  —  It's happening all over again.  For months, Americans who despaired about the country's coronavirus-suppression efforts looked desperately to the arrival of a vaccine for a kind of pandemic deliverance.  Now that it has arrived …
Discussion: Washington Post
Austin Carr / Bloomberg:
The Cruise Ship Suicides  —  Confined mostly to tiny cabins as the pandemic unfolded, crew members struggled to cope.  —  At first, Jozsef Szaller's crewmates didn't think much of his absence.  Szaller, after all, usually skipped going to dinner on the Carnival Breeze …
Discussion: New York Post
NBC News:
Operation Warp Speed at a crawl: Adequately vaccinating Americans will take 10 years at current pace  —  The Trump administration's Covid-19 vaccine distribution program needs a major shot in the arm because at the current rate, it would take almost 10 years to inoculate enough Americans …
 
 
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 More Items: 
CNN:
The multiple hypocrisies of officials who flout Covid precautions
Transition / President-Elect Joe Biden:
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Additional Members of White House Staff
Discussion: The Hill and PBS NewsHour
Martha C. White / NBC News:
Wall Street minted 56 new billionaires since the pandemic began — but many families are left behind
Betsy DeVos / Fox News:
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: Stop indoctrinating students with insidious anti-American lies
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Appeals court sends lawsuit over Trump financial records back to lower court
Discussion: Bloomberg, The Week and The Hill
Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Pelosi to seat Iowa Republican as Democratic challenger contests election results
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Washington Free Beacon:
The Warnock Media Blackout
Discussion: The Western Journal
 Earlier Items: 
Washington Post:
Washington Football Team ownership dispute escalates with allegations of financial malfeasance
Yahoo News:
Why the Nashville explosion is confounding terrorism experts
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
CNN's Don Lemon, PBS' Yamiche Alcindor and NBC's Chuck Todd to Guest Author Politico's Playbook (Exclusive)
Discussion: Mediaite and Twitchy
Washington Free Beacon:
2020 Man of the Year: MAGA Matt Yglesias
Alexander Reid Ross / The Daily Beast:
Proud Boys Are at War With Their Female Extremist Wing
Discussion: Raw Story