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:
Raw Story, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Grabien News, Mediaite and Political Wire
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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 …
Discussion:
Senator Josh Hawley, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, NPR, New York Magazine, The Stream, Townhall, National Review, Deseret News, alicublog, Crooks and Liars, Law & Crime, Slate, The Daily Signal, American Interregnum, KRON4, The Daily Caller, The Western Journal, Washington Examiner, HotAir and The Intellectualist
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:
CNN, Sara A. Carter, The Hill, Big League Politics, The Americano, UPI, IJR, Fox News and BGR
Matthew Choi / Politico:
Walmart apologizes to Hawley after calling him a sore loser
Walmart apologizes to Hawley after calling him a sore loser
Discussion:
Raw Story, TheGrio, HuffPost, Sara A. Carter, The Guardian, Business Insider, Associated Press and New York Post
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:
Washington Times, Press of Atlantic City, The Hill, National Review, Al Jazeera, Mediaite, NPR, Conservative News Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Big League Politics, NBC News, Associated Press, Breitbart, IJR, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, BuzzFeed News, Raw Story, WINK NEWS, Washington Examiner, Patterico's Pontifications, Fox News and Balloon Juice
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
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, One America News Network and Twitchy
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
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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:
Fox News, CBS News, POLITICUSUSA, Associated Press, New York Times, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Gothamist, NBC4 Washington, The American Independent, The Daily Caller, The National Interest, Bloomberg, WWLP-TV, Townhall and NewsNation Now, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
McConnell says push for $2,000 stimulus checks has “no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate”
McConnell says push for $2,000 stimulus checks has “no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate”
Discussion:
USA Today, IJR, The Week, New York Magazine, The Hill, Washington Times, Newsy, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller and CBS San Francisco
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:
National Review, Chicago Sun-Times, Newsbusters and Wall Street Journal
Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
Here's how $2,000 stimulus checks would work, and who would qualify
Here's how $2,000 stimulus checks would work, and who would qualify
Discussion:
Boston Herald, New York Times, Orange County Register, New York Post, The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Times and IJR
Ursula Perano / Axios:
McConnell: “No realistic path to quickly pass” stimulus check increase
McConnell: “No realistic path to quickly pass” stimulus check increase
Discussion:
Fox News, Mock Paper Scissors, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, 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, The Election Wizard, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
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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.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
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
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:
Fox News, Axios, The Hill, The United States …, WTOP, Politico and New York Post
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Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:
Census To Miss Year-End Deadline For Delivering Numbers For House Seats
Census To Miss Year-End Deadline For Delivering Numbers For House Seats
Discussion:
CNN
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
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.
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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, New York Post 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:
Snopes.com, Task & Purpose, Law & Crime, The Other McCain, 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
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
Governor cancels inaugural, citing mask protests at his home
Discussion:
WMUR
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 Guardian and The New Arab
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, Instapundit, The Federalist, Page Six, Breitbart, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Towleroad Gay News, Variety, Louder With Crowder, Townhall, Daily Mail, Twitchy, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, KDFX-TV, Power Line, People.com, Mediaite, The Week, Washington Post, Us Weekly and Mercury News
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
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, Politico, President-Elect Joe Biden, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Accuracy in Media, IJR and The Week
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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
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
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
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 …
Claire Wang / NBC News:
How Georgia's 1st Vietnamese American state rep is continuing Stacey Abrams' fight … When President Donald Trump's campaign launched a legal challenge this month to overturn Georgia's election results, state Rep. Bee Nguyen, a Democrat from Atlanta, found a way to knock down the claim …
Discussion:
The American Independent