memeorandum: The Mutated Virus Is a Ticking Time Bomb (Zeynep Tufekci/The Atlantic)

6:20 PM ET, December 31, 2020

Top Items:

Peter Wehner / The Atlantic:

The Unbearable Weakness of Trump's Minions — Those hoping for a quick snapback to sanity for the Republican Party once Donald Trump is no longer president should temper those hopes. — The latest piece of evidence to suggest the enduring power of Trumpian unreality is yesterday's announcement …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, UPI, Raw Story, New Republic, Boston.com, Washington Post, Associated Press, The Hill and CNN

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

McConnell calls Jan. 6 certification his “most consequential vote” — In an extraordinary conference call this morning with fellow Senate Republicans, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his Jan. 6 vote certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election will be “the most consequential I have ever cast …

Discussion: Raw Story, Political Wire and Politico

Washington Post:

Sen. Sasse calls effort to overturn electoral college vote a ‘dangerous ploy’ — Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Thursday called the effort in Congress to reverse President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory a “dangerous ploy,” underscoring the challenge President Trump faces in persuading even members of his own party to join it.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Times, Business Insider, Axios, Orlando Sentinel, HotAir, Politico, NBC News, CNN, Big League Politics, IJR, Mediaite, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Reuters, Raw Story and Election Law Blog

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Josh Hawley reminds us that the GOP is the sedition party — The Republican Party yet again provides us with reason for its own demise. The Post reports: “Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced Wednesday that he would object next week when Congress convenes to certify the electoral college vote …

Discussion: Mediaite, Rolling Stone, Crooks and Liars, The National Interest, The Intellectualist, Associated Press and The Hill

Jake Tapper / CNN:
At least 140 House Republicans to vote against counting electoral votes, two GOP lawmakers say

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Fox News, Forbes, Breitbart, CNBC and The Daily Signal

Politico:
McConnell: House's $2,000 stimulus checks are ‘socialism for rich’

Discussion: Fox News, HuffPost, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, The Western Journal, BGR, CNBC, The Sun, The Hill, Raw Story, The Week and IJR

Tyler Olson / Fox News:
Democrats who praised 2004 objections to Electoral College certification now slam Hawley

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Breitbart, The Daily Caller and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Christal Hayes / USA Today:
‘Socialism for rich people’: McConnell attacks $2,000 stimulus checks, all but ensuring bill won't pass

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Fox News, The Daily Wire, Roll Call, The Hill, Breitbart, Newsy, UPI, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal, Real America's Voice and WRIC-TV

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
Let Josh Hawley put Republicans to the uncomfortable test

Discussion: The Federalist, Raw Story, Breitbart, Israpundit, WTOP, Los Angeles Times and Mock Paper Scissors

Kevin Stankiewicz / CNBC:

Axios' Mike Allen: Some Republicans think Trump is trying to sabotage GOP in Georgia Senate races — “There's a big strain of thought among Republicans that President Trump is sabotaging” the Georgia Senate runoffs, Axios co-founder Mike Allen told CNBC. — Allen said Trump has …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, HotAir, Washington Examiner, The National Interest, USA Today, New York Times, The Hill and Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Politico:

Loeffler hits back at Ossoff over KKK attack — Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Jon Ossoff are in an escalating war of words — even though they're not running against each other in Georgia's historic doubleheader Senate runoffs. — The cross-campaign contretemps kicked off Wednesday …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Conservative News Today, TheGrio, Townhall and The Hill

CNN:

Georgia GOP senator to quarantine just days ahead of runoff — (CNN)Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia will quarantine after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, his campaign announced Thursday, with just days to go before the state's runoff race for his seat.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, NBC News, USA Today, CBS News, Associated Press, Reuters, The Hill, Balloon Juice, Townhall, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Intellectualist and Political Wire

Cleve R. Wootson / Washington Post:

Georgia's Perdue to quarantine after possible coronavirus exposure, on weekend before Senate runoffs — ATLANTA — Sen. David Perdue, one of the Republican candidates in the pair of Georgia runoffs that will determine the trajectory of Congress for the next two years, is quarantining …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Fox News, WHNT-TV, capitalandmain.com and New York Post

Paul Steinhauser / Fox News:
GOP looks for big Georgia runoff-election turnout to top Dems' early-voting advantage

Discussion: Politico, Axios, Weasel Words of Wisdom, Reuters, NewsNation Now, Washington Times, Associated Press, Reason and New York Post

Mary Margaret Olohan / The Daily Caller:
Twitter Refuses To Flag Ossoff's False Accusation That ‘Kelly Loeffler Campaigned With A Klansman’

Discussion: CNN, The Western Journal and Twitchy

Hannah Miao / CNBC:
Often overlooked, Asian American Christian voters could be key in Georgia Senate runoffs

Discussion: The American Independent and Vox

CNBC:
Sen. David Perdue quarantines after contact with someone infected with Covid, days before Georgia runoff

Discussion: The Guardian, New York Times and The Daily Caller

Paul Steinhauser / Fox News:
Georgia Republicans recruit over 8,000 poll watchers for Senate runoff elections

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, RedState, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, New York Post, Townhall, Washington Examiner, Breitbart and New York Magazine

New York Times:

‘Covid, Covid, Covid’: In Trump's Final Chapter, a Failure to Rise to the Moment — As the U.S. confronted a new wave of infection and death through the summer and fall, the president's approach to the pandemic came down to a single question: What would it mean for him?

Discussion: Forbes, Mediaite and Raw Story

Los Angeles Times:

Some healthcare workers refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine, even with priority access — They are front-line workers with top priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are refusing to take it. — At St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Tehama County, fewer than half …

Discussion: Raw Story

Soumya Karlamangla / Los Angeles Times:

Bodies pile up, patient care falters as COVID-19 devastates L.A. County hospitals — Los Angeles County's healthcare system was buckling Wednesday under the unprecedented surge of COVID-19 patients, with bodies piling up at morgues and medical professionals resorting to increasingly desperate measures …

Discussion: Associated Press and The Daily Caller

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

Microsoft says Russians hacked its network, viewing source code — Russian government hackers engaged in a sweeping series of breaches of government and private-sector networks have been able to penetrate deeper into Microsoft's systems than previously known, gaining access …

Discussion: Microsoft Security …, CNN, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Al Jazeera, WTOP, The Sun, Raw Story, The Verge and New York Times, more at Techmeme »

Zeynep Tufekci / The Atlantic:

The Mutated Virus Is a Ticking Time Bomb — Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. — A new variant of the coronavirus is spreading across the globe. It was first identified in the United Kingdom …

Discussion: New York Times and National Memo

Steve Inskeep / NPR:

Biden's Incoming Press Secretary: Briefings Won't Be A Platform For Right-Wing Spin — Toggle more options — President-elect Joe Biden's choice for White House press secretary says she will restore a tradition. Unlike her immediate predecessors in the Trump administration …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Forbes and Al Jazeera, more at Mediagazer »

Dominique Vidalon / Reuters:

British PM Johnson's father applying for French citizenship — PARIS (Reuters) - The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday he was in the process of applying for a French passport to maintain his ties with the European Union after Brexit.

Discussion: Politico, Orange County Register, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Raw Story, Business Insider and The US Sun

Raphael Minder / New York Times:
Gibraltar Gets Its Own Last-Minute Brexit Deal on Borders

Discussion: Bloomberg, Al Jazeera and Cyprus Mail

Robert Burns / Associated Press:

US to move aircraft carrier out of Mideast amid Iran tension — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has decided to send home the only Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Middle East, a move that would reduce U.S. firepower in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran, officials said Thursday.

Discussion: Reuters

Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:
Security firms say suspicious object on oil tanker off Iraq

Discussion: Business Insider, The Hill, The Daily Caller and The Iran Project

Amanda Macias / CNBC:

Trump boasts about his Covid response after largely ignoring crisis during deadliest month yet — December was the deadliest month for America during the pandemic. Yet President Donald Trump barely uttered a word about Covid-19's tragic toll. — Instead, the president spent …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CBS News and New York Times

J. Clara Chan / The Wrap:

5 Female NY1 Anchors Exit as Part of Age, Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Settlement — Five Spectrum NY1 anchors who sued Charter Communications for age and gender discrimination last year will leave the news station as part of a settlement agreement. — “We are pleased to announce …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, WTOP, Gothamist and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

Nancy Cook / Bloomberg:

Trump Budget Chief Hampers Biden Transition With Ban on Meetings — Agency director Russ Vought wants focus on last-minute rules — Biden has complained OMB, Pentagon are hampering transition — President Donald Trump's budget office is blocking Joe Biden's transition team …

Discussion: CNBC, The Hill, Washington Times, New York Post, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Billie Kanfer / Data For Progress:

Republicans Don't Know Anything About Their Party. That's Very Bad for American Democracy. — By Ethan Winter — While the packaging of Republican Party politics has evolved since 2000, what remains unaltered is a bedrock commitment to regressive tax cuts, a sharp curtailment of worker power …

Discussion: Raw Story

Todd Richmond / Associated Press:

Wisconsin hospital worker arrested for spoiled vaccine doses — MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing them from refrigeration for two nights.

Discussion: The Hill, NewsNation Now and Washington Examiner

Mike Allen / Axios:

Biden asks nation for bell ringings, light shows to remember those lost to COVID — To set the tone for his inauguration the next day, President-elect Biden will lead a memorial to remember and honor lives lost to COVID-19, with church-bell ringings and light shows across the country on Tue., Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, CNN, New York Post and The Week

Bethany Barnes / Tampa Bay Times:

Federal agency knew Garda was “really bad” at safety. It took little action. — Three more people have died since the Times revealed safety problems at the Florida-based armored truck company. — By the time Johnathon Lue burned alive in the back of a GardaWorld armored truck in May …

Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:

West Virginia clinic gave 42 people an antibody treatment instead of the coronavirus vaccine — Forty-two people in West Virginia received an antibody treatment rather than Moderna's coronavirus vaccine in an error Wednesday at a vaccination clinic hosted by a county health department.

Discussion: CNBC, The Hill and WV MetroNews

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:

Trump Fears That His Influence Is Waning — The president is plotting retribution. Not just because he's mad about his election loss. But because he wants to keep folks in line. — As his days in office come to a close, President Donald Trump has hinted to those close to him that he's worried …

Discussion: Raw Story

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Trumpist Lawyer Lin Wood Goes on Unhinged Rant Suggesting Justice John Roberts Is a Murderous Pedophile — Wood has recently been in touch with President Trump, who has encouraged his election-stealing lawsuits and behavior. — Pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood ramped up the crazy on Wednesday night …

Discussion: HuffPost, Reason, National Review, HotAir, Raw Story and The Intellectualist

Coral Murphy / USA Today:

FDA charges distilleries more than $14K in fees after making hand sanitizers amid the pandemic — Distilleries across the U.S. received a surprise fee from the Food and Drug Administration after using their facilities to make hand sanitizer amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Forbes, Washington Post, Federal Register and San Antonio Current

Oliver Traldi / Arc Digital:

Nobody Reads — People who pretend to read as a status symbol are certainly obnoxious — but are they on to something? — When you first hear about a store called “Books by the Foot,” you might think: The name tells me they've got a whole lot of books to sell me.