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.
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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.) …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, USA Today, Axios, IJR, The Week, CNBC, The Daily Caller, Newsy, The Hill, Washington Times and CBS San Francisco
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 …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, National Review, Fox News, American Interregnum, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze, The Guardian, Florida Politics, Raw Story and Newsy
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.
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Big League Politics, The Americano, IJR and BGR
CNN:
GOP senator to delay affirming Biden victory by forcing votes on Electoral College results
GOP senator to delay affirming Biden victory by forcing votes on Electoral College results
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Hill, Associated Press, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Al Jazeera, Big League Politics, Mediaite, National Review, NPR, Breitbart, Crooks and Liars, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, abc7NY, Raw Story, Balloon Juice, Conservative News Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, Lawyers, Guns & Money, WINK NEWS and IJR
Burgess Everett / Politico:
‘No realistic path’: McConnell rejects standalone stimulus check increase
‘No realistic path’: McConnell rejects standalone stimulus check increase
Discussion:
CNN, Bloomberg, CBS News, The Hill, Reuters, New York Times, New York Post, NewsNation Now, Deseret News, HotAir, Townhall, CBS Pittsburgh, Common Dreams and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »
Michelle Brunetti Post / Press of Atlantic City:
Van Drew says he will object to Electoral College results
Van Drew says he will object to Electoral College results
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN and Associated Press
Jason Sattler / USA Today:
I underestimated Biden in 2020 and have hope for 2021. Post-Trump detox is just the start.
I underestimated Biden in 2020 and have hope for 2021. Post-Trump detox is just the start.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Chicago Sun-Times, National Review, Townhall and Newsbusters
Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:
Missouri senator to contest Electoral College win for Biden
Missouri senator to contest Electoral College win for Biden
Discussion:
Washington Times, VICE, Reuters, Washington Examiner, The Hill, HuffPost, Politico, National Memo, Associated Press, Forbes, USA Today, BuzzFeed News, IJR, The American Independent and Bloomberg
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.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Intellectualist and Mock Paper Scissors
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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 …
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Why A Split Verdict In Georgia Isn't That Crazy
Why A Split Verdict In Georgia Isn't That Crazy
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, The Daily Beast, National Memo, Fortune and Washington Times
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 …
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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 …
Discussion:
USA Today, The Lid, The Daily Caller, Sara A. Carter, ABC News, Associated Press, UPI, CNN, WTVF-TV, New York Times, Crooks and Liars, Conservative News Today, National Review, Axios, KDFX-TV, Law & Crime, Outside the Beltway, Liberty Unyielding, HotAir, Lawyers, Guns & Money, justoneminute.typepad.com, Raw Story, RedState, TheBlaze, Towleroad Gay News, Slate, WTOP, Mediaite, The Week, WKRN-TV, NPR, The US Sun, The Western Journal, Washington Examiner, The Hill and New York Post
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.
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Robert Burns / Associated Press:
US bomber mission over Persian Gulf aimed at cautioning Iran
US bomber mission over Persian Gulf aimed at cautioning Iran
Discussion:
U.S. Central Command, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and New York Post
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 …
Discussion:
IJR, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA, Patterico's Pontifications and Washington Times
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Stephen Fowler / Georgia Public Broadcasting:
Fact Check: Brad Raffensperger's Brother Is Not A Chinese Tech Executive Named Ron
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
Head of Georgia NAACP resigns from Raffensperger's election task force
Discussion:
Business Insider, WALB-TV, UPI and WTOC
Mark Niesse / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
No fraud: Georgia audit confirms authenticity of absentee ballots
No fraud: Georgia audit confirms authenticity of absentee ballots
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Intellectualist, Forbes, HotAir, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, UPI, Raw Story and Mediaite
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.
Discussion:
Page Six, New York Post, Showbiz411, Towleroad Gay News, Breitbart, Instapundit, The Federalist, Variety, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, Daily Mail, Twitchy, Louder With Crowder, The Daily Beast, Townhall, People.com, Power Line, Washington Post, KDFX-TV, Mediaite, The Week, Us Weekly and Mercury News
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 …
Discussion:
New York Daily News, IJR, Accuracy in Media, The Week, Fox News and Politico
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Lara Seligman / Politico:
Kathleen Hicks is Biden's pick to be first female deputy Defense secretary
Kathleen Hicks is Biden's pick to be first female deputy Defense secretary
Discussion:
President-Elect Joe Biden, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, CNN and Axios
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 …
Discussion:
National Review, Fox News, HotAir, Townhall, New Orleans Times-Picayune, KALB-TV, New York Post, The Stranger, Louisiana Illuminator, Breitbart, Twitchy, Vox, RedState, Washington Post, Politico, Slate, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNBC, Crooks and Liars, WDSU-TV, The Federalist, Roll Call, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, The Right Scoop, The Sun, HuffPost, Business Insider, CNN and The Daily Caller
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Jackie Salo / New York Post:
Congressman-elect Luke Letlow suffered a heart attack following operation
Congressman-elect Luke Letlow suffered a heart attack following operation
Discussion:
National Review, The Right Scoop, Fox News and Townhall
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.
Discussion:
Axios, The New Arab, The Week, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA and The Intellectualist
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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.
Discussion:
Ipsos, Business Insider, The Daily Caller and Raw Story
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.
Discussion:
The Hill, Gothamist, Raw Story and Political Wire
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 …