memeorandum: NATIONAL SECURITY NOMINEES AND APPOINTEES (President-Elect Joe Biden)

12:10 AM ET, December 31, 2020

Top Items:

CNN:

Trump to return to Washington early ahead of Republican plan to disrupt certification of Biden's win — (CNN)President Donald Trump is expected to return to Washington earlier than anticipated ahead of a planned disruption by Republicans when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win.

Discussion: Associated Press, Raw Story, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Mediaite, Grabien News and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Hawley's plan to contest electoral college vote certification ensures drawn-out process — Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced Wednesday that he will object next week when Congress convenes to certify the electoral college vote before President-elect Joe Biden's victory is cemented …

Matthew Choi / Politico:

Walmart apologizes to Hawley after calling him a sore loser — An exchange of sharp words followed the Missouri senator's vow to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory. — Sen. Josh Hawley speaks on Dec. 16, 2020. Greg Nash/Pool via AP

Discussion: Raw Story, TheGrio, Breitbart, Snopes.com, HuffPost, Sara A. Carter, The Guardian, Business Insider and New York Post

Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark: Josh Hawley Is Madison Cawthorn Is Marjorie Taylor Greene

CNN:
GOP senator to delay affirming Biden victory by forcing votes on Electoral College results

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
BREAKING: “I Cannot Vote to Certify the Electoral College Results on January 6th” - MO Senator Josh Hawley Announces He Will Object to Electoral College Certification Process

Discussion: Missouri Independent, Twitchy and Sara A. Carter

Politico:
Hawley vows to challenge Biden electors, forcing vote McConnell hoped to avoid

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, Breitbart, CNBC, Florida Politics, The New Arab, Business Insider, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Colorado Newsline, Crooks and Liars, Mediaite and Washington Examiner

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:

The GOP Just Let Democrats Have Their Stimulus and Campaign On It Too — Next week, voters in Georgia will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate in 2021 — and thus, quite plausibly, the future of macroeconomic, climate, and health-care policy in the United States.

Discussion: New York Times, TheBlaze and COURIER

Burgess Everett / Politico:

McConnell and GOP reject House's $2,000 stimulus checks — Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans finished off any imminent chance of approving $2,000 stimulus checks on Wednesday, ending a push from President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders to approve bigger direct payments as the congressional term comes to an end.

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:
Trump Georgia rally could backfire, electing Ossoff and Warnock

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, National Memo and New York Magazine

Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:
You Should Be Angry. — Before we get started: Shortly after I finished writing today's newsletter …

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, One America News Network, Big League Politics, HuffPost, The Americano, UPI, IJR, Fox News and BGR

Washington Post:
McConnell says push for $2,000 stimulus checks has “no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate”

Discussion: USA Today, IJR, The Week, The Hill, Washington Times, New York Magazine, Newsy, Common Dreams, CBS San Francisco and The Daily Caller

Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
Here's how $2,000 stimulus checks would work, and who would qualify

Discussion: People's Policy Project, Boston Herald, Orange County Register, New York Post, The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Times and IJR

Jason Sattler / USA Today:
I underestimated Biden in 2020 and have hope for 2021. Post-Trump detox is just the start.

Discussion: National Review, Chicago Sun-Times, Newsbusters and Wall Street Journal

Ursula Perano / Axios:
McConnell: “No realistic path to quickly pass” stimulus check increase

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, Mock Paper Scissors, Business Insider, CNBC, The Western Journal and Newsy

Axios:

Scoop: Trump administration declassifies unconfirmed intel on Chinese bounties — The Trump administration is declassifying as-yet uncorroborated intelligence, recently briefed to President Trump, that indicates China offered to pay non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack American soldiers …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, National Review, Raw Story, The Election Wizard and The Gateway Pundit

CNN: Trump was briefed that China sought to pay non-state actors to attack US forces in Afghanistan

CNN:
US defense officials divided over potential for Iranian attack on eve of grim anniversary

Discussion: New York Times

Lara Seligman / Politico: Intel on China bounties called ‘less’ credible than Russia payments

Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:

Shots are slow to reach arms as Trump administration leaves final steps of mass vaccination to beleaguered states — Federal and state officials say the pace will soon accelerate, but the logistical challenges are also expected to intensify in the new year — In suburban Milwaukee …

Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:

Discovery of Virus Variant in Colorado and California Alarms Scientists — A more contagious version of the coronavirus may alter the course of the pandemic in the United States, researchers said. — A contagious variant of the coronavirus spreading through Britain has left that nation grappling …

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.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

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: Law & Crime, The Other McCain, Task & Purpose, UPI, Snopes.com, The Week and USA Today

Elaine Shannon / SpyTalk:
Nashville's Big Bomb Was a Very Rare Device, Experts Think

Discussion: USA Today, The Lid and New York Times

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:

Secret Service to make changes to presidential detail to bring on agents who worked with Biden — The Secret Service is making some staff changes in the presidential detail that will guard President-elect Joe Biden, amid concerns from Biden allies that some current members were politically aligned …

Discussion: The Hill, UnHerd and Political Wire

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: The Hill, CNN, Reason and Political Wire

Mike Schneider / Associated Press:

Census Bureau to miss deadline, jeopardizing Trump plan — The Census Bureau plans to announce it will miss a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, a census official said. That delay could undermine President Donald Trump's efforts to exclude people …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Fox News, Axios, The Hill, 2020Census.gov, WTOP, Politico and New York Post

Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:
Census To Miss Year-End Deadline For Delivering Numbers For House Seats

Discussion: CNN

Summer Concepcion / Talking Points Memo:

GOP Gov Cancels Inaugural Ceremony Over Armed Protesters Outside His Home — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Wednesday announced that he is canceling his outdoor inauguration ceremony next month, citing “ongoing public safety concerns” over armed protesters who have gathered outside …

Discussion: UPI

Kathy Mccormack / Associated Press:
Governor cancels inaugural, citing mask protests at his home

Discussion: WMUR

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

Brian Klaas / Washington Post:

Trump's parting gift to dictators solidifies his authoritarian legacy — Throughout his turbulent presidency, President Trump has been erratic and unpredictable. But in one realm, he has been consistent: supporting bloodthirsty despots who abuse, torture and kill their own people.

Discussion: Raw Story, The New Arab and The Guardian

President-Elect Joe Biden:

NATIONAL SECURITY NOMINEES AND APPOINTEES — A long-time national security advisor to President-elect Biden, serving as Deputy Assistant to President Obama and National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Biden — Previously Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East

Discussion: Politico, UPI and The Daily Caller

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Biden Pick For Top Pentagon Post Pushed Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory, Touted Steele Dossier

Discussion: Breitbart, RedState and President-Elect Joe Biden

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:

Bracing for a possible Iranian-linked attack, U.S. officials warn ‘the threat streams are very real’ — The U.S. military is bracing for a possible attack on American personnel and interests in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said, days before the first anniversary of an American drone strike that killed an Iranian general in Baghdad.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Western Journal, TheBlaze, The National Interest, Washington Examiner, Task & Purpose, The New Arab, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Associated Press, Al Jazeera and New York Post

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Trump Could Still Start a Last-Ditch War With Iran

Discussion: Raw Story and Fox News

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.

Mark Levin / TheBlaze:

On January 6, we learn whether our Constitution will hold — And whether congressional Republicans care — January 6 is the day we learn whether our Constitution will hold and whether congressional Republicans care. — The 2020 presidential election was, in several targeted battleground states …

Discussion: RedState

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: NPR, The Hill, Raw Story, Gothamist, Mock Paper Scissors and Political Wire

Alexis Ty / International Business Times:

National Bacon Day 2020: 12 Facts You Never Knew About The Delicious Pork Slab — KEY POINTS — National Bacon Day is celebrated on Dec. 30 each year — Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto was dubbed the father of the American pork industry — The phrase “bring home the bacon” …

Discussion: Power Line

John Bowden / The Hill:

Dozens of Cuban migrants protest at US-Mexico border, seek asylum — Dozens of Cuban migrants assembled near the U.S. port of entry between Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday demanding entry into the U.S. for the purpose of seeking asylum, Reuters reported.

Discussion: One America News Network