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

8:30 PM ET, December 30, 2020

Top Items:

Hawley's move 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 …

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 Hill, Big League Politics, Fox News, The Americano, UPI, IJR and BGR

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.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, CRFB Papers and Blog Posts, Bloomberg, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, TheGrio, The National Interest, The American Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, WWLP-TV, Gothamist and Townhall

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, Associated Press, Washington Post, Fox News, National Review, Florida Politics, HuffPost, The Guardian, The American Independent, Forbes, National Memo, VICE and Raw Story

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

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

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill, ABC News, CNN, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal, The New Arab, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, Colorado Newsline and Washington Examiner

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Walmart apologizes to Hawley after calling him a sore loser

Discussion: Raw Story, HuffPost, Associated Press, Business Insider, The Guardian, Sara A. Carter and New York Post

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, The Daily Caller, Newsy, Common Dreams and CBS San Francisco

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, COURIER and KDFX-TV

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: Orange County Register, New York Times, CBS News, The Hill, IJR, 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 …

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Bracing for a possible Iranian-linked attack, U.S. officials warn ‘the threat streams are very real’

Discussion: New York Times, Task & Purpose, The National Interest, Washington Examiner, The Western Journal, TheBlaze and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

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

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

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.

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

James Arkin / Politico:
Strong early-vote turnout gives Dems hope in Georgia runoffs

Discussion: Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, CNN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MSN, Fox News, Erick Erickson's Confessions …, Forbes, The Week, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Washington Examiner, New Republic, HotAir, Talking Points Memo, RedState and National Review

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, Forbes, Snopes.com and Talking Points Memo

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Trump calls on Georgia Gov. Kemp to resign

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, CNN, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, IJR, POLITICUSUSA, Washington Times and Patterico's Pontifications

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: New York Daily News, President-Elect Joe Biden, Politico, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Accuracy in Media, IJR and The Week

President-Elect Joe Biden:
NATIONAL SECURITY NOMINEES AND APPOINTEES

Discussion: The Daily Caller and UPI

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

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, Washington Post and New York Post

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

Discussion: CNN and Political Wire

OHCHR:

US pardons for Blackwater guards an “affront to justice” - UN experts — A group of UN experts* said the pardons granted to four convicted private security contractors for war crimes in Iraq violated US obligations under international law, and called on all States parties to the Geneva Conventions to condemn the pardons.

Discussion: Breitbart, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller

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

PBS NewsHour: Biden team announces new staff picks, highlighting effort to ‘build an administration that looks like America’

Clay Risen / New York Times:

Ted DeLaney, Conscience of a Roiled University, Dies at 77 — He worked his way up from custodian to department head at Washington and Lee, then led a reckoning with the Confederate general its very name honored, Robert E. Lee. — Ted DeLaney, who began his nearly 60-year career at Washington …