Top Items:
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 …
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Politico:
Hawley vows to challenge Biden electors, forcing vote McConnell hoped to avoid — Sen. Josh Hawley on Wednesday pledged to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Pennsylvania and possibly other states on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify the results of the 2020 election.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Breitbart, ABC News, The New Arab, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, Colorado Newsline and Washington Examiner
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:
Missouri Independent, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, Big League Politics, The Americano, UPI, IJR, Fox News and BGR
CNN:
Trump to return to Washington early ahead of Republican plan to disrupt certification of Biden's win
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Washington Post
CNN:
GOP senator to delay affirming Biden victory by forcing votes on Electoral College results
Discussion:
Press of Atlantic City, Washington Times, Business Insider, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money, National Review, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, Mediaite, Raw Story, NPR, Conservative News Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, Big League Politics, NBC News, Associated Press, WINK NEWS, Breitbart, IJR, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Fox News, BuzzFeed News, Patterico's Pontifications and Balloon Juice
Matthew Choi / Politico:
Walmart apologizes to Hawley after calling him a sore loser
Discussion:
Raw Story, HuffPost, Breitbart, Associated Press, Business Insider, The Guardian, Sara A. Carter and New York Post
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Bracing for a possible Iranian-linked attack, U.S. officials warn ‘the threat streams are very real’
Robert Burns / Associated Press:
US bomber mission over Persian Gulf aimed at cautioning Iran
Discussion:
U.S. Central Command, The Daily Caller, New York Post and Political Wire
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, IJR, The Week, The Hill, Washington Times, Newsy, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams and CBS San Francisco
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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, KDFX-TV and COURIER
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, Business Insider, Mock Paper Scissors, IJR, The Daily Caller, CNBC, The Western Journal and Newsy
Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
Here's how $2,000 stimulus checks would work, and who would qualify
Discussion:
Boston Herald, Orange County Register, New York Times, IJR, The Hill, Raw Story, New York Post and Washington Times, more at Mediagazer »
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 …
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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
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
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 Election Wizard, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
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CNN:
Trump was briefed that China sought to pay non-state actors to attack US forces in Afghanistan — (CNN)President Donald Trump received information earlier this month that China sought to pay non-state actors to attack American forces in Afghanistan, a senior administration official said.
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:
Task & Purpose, The Other McCain, Law & Crime, UPI, The Week, USA Today and Washington Examiner
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:
Fox News, Raw Story, The Intellectualist and Mock Paper Scissors
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Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
Are Georgia's Senate Democratic candidates as ‘radical’ as Republicans are making them out to be?
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Hill, Washington Examiner and The Stranger
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
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
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Kathy Mccormack / Associated Press:
Governor cancels inaugural, citing mask protests at his home
Discussion:
WMUR
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:
Showbiz411, Page Six, Instapundit, The Federalist, New York Post, Towleroad Gay News, Breitbart, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, Variety, Daily Mail, Twitchy, The Guardian, Townhall, The Daily Beast, Louder With Crowder, KDFX-TV, Power Line, People.com, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Week, Us Weekly and Mercury News
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:
The Hill, Axios, The United States …, Politico, WTOP and New York Post
RELATED:
Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:
Census To Miss Year-End Deadline For Delivering Numbers For House Seats
Discussion:
CNN
Stephen Fowler / Georgia Public Broadcasting:
Fact Check: Brad Raffensperger's Brother Is Not A Chinese Tech Executive Named Ron — Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says Georgians should expect to wait in line on Election Day amidst record turnout. — Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger does …
Discussion:
CNN, Crooks and Liars, DickMorris.com, Snopes.com, Forbes and Talking Points Memo
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Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Head of Georgia NAACP resigns from Raffensperger's election task force
Discussion:
WALB-TV, Business Insider, UPI and WTOC
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:
Defense One, New York Daily News, President-Elect Joe Biden, Politico, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Accuracy in Media, IJR and The Week
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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, Raw Story, Gothamist and Political Wire
Transition / President-Elect Joe Biden:
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Additional Members of White House Staff — Transition Names 100 Accomplished, Diverse White House Staff Members by End of 2020 — WASHINGTON - Today, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris …
Discussion:
The Hill
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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:
UnHerd and Political Wire
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