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Where's the COVID-19 vaccine? Who's been vaccinated? Here's how we'll know.

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Tracking who's been immunized against COVID-19 and where people can find vaccines to take -- tasks considered crucial to wiping out the virus -- will be a massive and complex undertaking. A jumble of interconnected state and federal databases will make it work. Their names range from the bland to the mysterious, and their vintage ranges from first-generation apps to ancient code written for mainframe computers. They will be put to the test very soon. More than 2.9 million doses are being shipped this week to hundreds of sites around the United States, the result of breakneck drug development and a colossal logistics effort involving the military, several government agencies, academic and private partners, 64 individual jurisdictions and thousands of vaccination sites. A failure to accurately track vaccine movements could delay shipments or lead patients to miss vital second doses of the vaccine. Each step along the way, people who touch the vaccine are collecting and exchanging data -- from the vaccine manufacturing facilities to state health departments to vaccination sites. It all boils down to two main types of information: who has been injected with the vaccine (the demand), and where each vial of vaccine is located (the supply). Every COVID-19 vaccine dose is allocated by the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, ordered by states and tracked by shipping companies and then hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and other vaccination sites. Systems then track who gets the vaccine and report back to the federal government. There are also systems in place to log adverse reactions and patient follow-up, too. Keeping tabs on all the data sources is a nerve center known as Tiberius (the middle name of Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek, the show that inspired "Warp Speed"). Tiberius will monitor details of where the vaccine is moving and who's received injections -- although personal identifiers will be removed before federal contractors and authorities at the federal, state and local levels view the data. The following is by no means an exhaustive list but rather some of the key components along the chain. Nor will these tracking tools answer every essential vaccine question people may have -- such as, "When am I eligible?". Experts recommend consulting your doctor or local health department website. Colonel R.J. Mikesh, information technology lead for Operation Warp Speed, said on a Dec. 7 call with reporters that there could be more than 100 data systems involved in the effort, including software from health care company McKesson, the operation's chief central distribution partner, as well as inventory management systems from package carriers FedEx and UPS. Walgreens and CVS, each with their own data management systems, will also be coordinating data from their vaccination sites. "It's taken, I'll say, a Herculean effort across all these different spaces to come together and make sure these systems are connected, tested, data-verified," said Mikesh. The challenge is ensuring they'll all work in concert once the vaccine becomes widely available, said Rebecca Coyle, executive director of the American Immunization Registry Association. When people go to get their COVID-19 shots, the clinic or drug store doing the work will send their names and other identifiers to an existing state database. Commonly known as immunization registries, immunization information systems are managed by states -- and in some cases cities -- and have been in existence for decades, said Coyle. These information systems also handle supply data. They gather orders for vaccine that providers in the state have placed and, in turn, place vaccine orders with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So how will the snowbird that got her first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in New York make sure the pharmacy in Florida gives her the right second shot? That's where the IZ Gateway, a centralized exchange for patient-level data comes in. "I describe it as a post office," said Coyle. "States will mail their letters, if you will, and it's got to get to the right spot. IZ is public-health shorthand for "immunization." Hosted by the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the IZ Gateway passes patient information on to the CDC's IZ Data Clearing House, which draws in patient information from additional sources like pharmacies and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Prisons. If you've ever gotten a flu shot or taken your child for a routine immunization, you've benefited from the CDC's Vaccine Tracking System, VTrckS, a vaccine ordering and management system that has contracted since 2006 with health care company McKesson to distribute over 150 million doses of vaccines like the MMR, chickenpox and flu vaccine annually. The system fulfills orders that doctors and other providers have placed through state Immunization Information Systems. Atop the existing system of tracking vaccine supplies, the CDC is rolling out a new, web-based application called the Vaccine Administration Management System. Designed to track vaccines from when they arrive at a vaccination site to when they go into a person's arm, VAMS can help cities and counties identify vaccination sites and pool data. It can allow companies to track dose schedules for their employees. Vaccine providers can use it to schedule patients, check inventory and organize vaccines by manufacturer. Patients, meanwhile, can track appointments, get reminders for a second dose or receive a certificate showing proof of vaccination. VAMS is ultimately optional, and adoption will likely vary across the country. VaccineFinder is a public-facing website that will be a Google Maps for the COVID-19 vaccine. Originally built by Google for the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the project has been led by a team of epidemiologists and software developers at Boston Children's Hospital since 2012. Now it's pivoting to focus on COVID-19, in partnership with the CDC and healthcare technology company Castlight Health, a major provider of data on COVID testing locations. Not unlike bicycle share service maps or the icon showing your cellphone's remaining battery, the VaccineFinder map will show users where they can get their shot and whether the supply at these locations is high, medium or low. The app is set to go live in early 2021, once the initial high-risk immunization phase for front-line health care workers and nursing home residents has passed. Dr. John Brownstein, the chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital who leads VaccineFinder, said vaccine sites will send inventory levels to the app daily, and in turn the data will be sent to the CDC. That could make the information essential not only for people seeking vaccines, but for government managers looking to spot shortages across the country. Operated by the CDC, the COVID-19 Data Lake brings together all the major data systems covering the supply and demand for vaccine. Patient records enter the Data Lake from the IZ Data Clearing House after being scrubbed of personal identifiers. Orders for vaccine flow into the Data Lake from VTrckS. Daily supplies on-hand come from VaccineFinder. Tiberius is the eyes and ears of the entire COVID-19 vaccination tracking operation, drawing directly from the COVID-19 Data Lake and in-transit data on shipments from FedEx and others. Software tailored for Operation Warp Speed by government data contractor Palantir, Tiberius combines logistics information with census data to coordinate distribution of the vaccine. The tool is adapted from Palantir's Foundry platform, used to manage supply chains across industries like aviation and auto manufacturing as well as the United Nations' World Food Program. Palantir has taken heat for its work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where its software is being used to track undocumented immigrants. But it's also rapidly expanded its business with other parts of the government. In addition to ICE, Palantir has worked with the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. Last week, the company was awarded a $44 million contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for data management and analysis. Tiberius is what Operation Warp Speed and the CDC will use to calculate their weekly allotments to states, territories and jurisdictions, taking into account inventory, storage capacity and target populations. The idea is to keep vaccine doses from piling up or getting wasted between the manufacturer and the vaccination site. More than 600 representatives across 64 jurisdictions -- which include states, territories and federal agencies -- will have login credentials to Tiberius to check on their weekly allotments of vaccine. Health officials can also check the status of their vaccine orders through Tiberius. Some of Tiberius's additional features include incident management, planning, tracking, data visualization and modeling, said Blumenstock. These features help with decisions such as how and when to distribute doses to counties or hospitals based on the numbers of front-line health care workers or residents of long-term care facilities. A separate Tiberius feature currently being developed is a marketplace where states and jurisdictions can exchange vaccine doses.

House expected to vote Monday on $900 billion COVID-19 relief package with $600 stimulus checks

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https://www.businessinsider.com/house-expected-to-vote-monday-on-900-billion-stimulus-deal-2020-12

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Sunday that he expects the chamber to vote Monday on a $900 COVID-19 stimulus package. Congressional leaders announced Sunday they had reached a deal on the stimulus package. The legislation includes $600 stimulus checks, a $300-per-week increase in unemployment benefits, and $300 billion in aid for small businesses. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Democratic leaders in the House expect to vote Monday on a $900 billion relief package, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Sunday. A continuing resolution is a stopgap funding bill which would keep the government funded for an extra day. Republicans in the Senate must also approve it, then the measure needs a signature from President Donald Trump to avoid a shutdown of the federal government after midnight. Congress recently approved a two-day stopgap funding bill to buy more time for stimulus negotiations. On Sunday afternoon, congressional leaders announced they had reached a long-awaited deal on a COVID-19 relief package after months of tumultuous talks. Republicans and Democrats fought over many provisions, particularly a liability shield to guard firms from coronavirus-related lawsuits, as well as assistance to states and local governments. Both provisions were left out of the deal. The compromise plan includes $600 stimulus checks for many Americans, a $300-a-week boost to unemployment benefits, and $300 billion in aid for small businesses via the Paycheck Protection Program. Top Republicans and Democrats expect swift passage of the legislation on Monday, though no bill text has been released so far. Something is loading.

Congressional leaders strike a long-awaited stimulus deal: $600 checks and $300 federal weekly unemployment benefits for Americans

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https://www.businessinsider.com/congressional-leaders-900-billion-stimulus-deal-checks-unemployment-2020-12

Top congressional leaders clinched a stimulus deal after months of on-again, off-again negotiations. The government assistance package will contain $600 stimulus checks and $300 federal weekly unemployment benefits. Votes on the package are expected to take place on Monday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Congressional leaders on Sunday struck a long-awaited deal on a $900 billion federal rescue package, clearing final policy hurdles and paving the way for passage amid an especially dark stretch of the pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the announcement from the Senate floor on Sunday afternoon. Negotiations kicked off earlier this week in a series of back-to-back meetings between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The group signaled it was making steady progress in the last few days. $600 stimulus checks for adults, plus an extra $600 per child.$300 weekly federal unemployment insurance for 11 weeks.$284 billion in extra small business aid through the Paycheck Protection Program.$82 billion in funds for schools and universities.$25 billion in emergency rental assistance along with an extension of the eviction moratorium.$13 billion in funds for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.$10 billion to aid childcare providers and keep their doors open.Congressional leaders are setting up a swift timetable. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, said the chamber would pass a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open an extra day. They're also attempting to pass a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund the government into next year. It could lead to a rapid-fire series of votes in the House and Senate on Monday, only hours before the deadline for government funding expires at midnight. Lawmakers will have a very slim margin for error as they try to pass legislation and avert a government shutdown. Senior Republicans and Democrats want to merge both pieces of legislation, meaning that lawmakers could have only hours to review a broad tax-and-spending package costing over $2 trillion. The agreement comes as the economic recovery is showing signs of slowing down with no new federal aid in nine months. States are enacting new restrictions to suppress the rapid spread of the virus. There's been a steady uptick in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the past three weeks, and job growth is in danger of fizzling out. The economy has regained just over half of the 22 million jobs lost in March and April. But virus cases and deaths are reaching new highs. The pandemic has continued devastating the lives of Americans, with many small businesses are on the brink of financial ruin. A new study from the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame indicated 7.8 million people had fallen into poverty since late July. Half of all small businesses in the country may have to close for good in the next year, according to a survey from the US Chamber of Commerce. Congress is running up against the expiration of multiple federal benefit programs set up in the spring. Nearly 14 million people are threatened with the loss of all their unemployment assistance if some federal measures are not renewed, per Labor Department data. A moratorium on evictions also expires December 31, putting millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes.

Trump campaign launches yet another lawsuit over Pennsylvania election

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https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-launches-yet-another-lawsuit-over-pennsylvania-election-2020-12

The Trump campaign is asking the US Supreme Court to overrule Pennsylvania judges and throw out tens of thousands of mail-in ballots. President-elect Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes. The outgoing president's legal team has repeatedly lost in court, having failed to prove Trump's decisive loss was the product of fraud. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, but in a last-ditch effort to steal victory from the jaws of defeat, the outgoing president's legal team is asking the US Supreme Court to throw out over 110,000 mail-in ballots. Prior to the November election, Pennsylvania's highest court issued a unanimous decision that mail-in votes should not be rejected solely because a signature on the ballot looked different than the one on file. That and other rulings are at the heart of the Trump legal team's most recent litigation, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Under the US Constitution, states administer federal elections. But the Trump campaign, in a petition filed Sunday, asks the US Supreme Court to overrule their counterparts in Pennsylvania and declare tens of thousands of votes "invalid," despite the fact that voters cast them according to the established rules at the time. "The petition seeks all appropriate remedies, including vacating the appointment of electors committed to Joseph Biden and allowing the Pennsylvania General Assembly to select their replacements," Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. The Trump campaign and its allies have not fared well in the courts, however. Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court rejected an effort by Texas and other states to throw out votes in Pennsylvania and other battlegrounds that went for President-elect Joe Biden. As the Inquirer noted, this latest round of litigation is being led by John C. Eastman, a law professor who previously leveled racially tinged "birther" claims against Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, baselessly suggesting that the daughter of immigrants was not eligible for US citizenship. Pennsylvania's 20 electors cast their votes for President-elect Biden last Monday, formally recognizing his victory in the Electoral College.

8 hot adtech acquisition targets to watch

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https://www.businessinsider.com/business-insiders-top-advertising-and-media-stories-for-december-21-2020-12

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for December 21. I'm Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send me feedback or tips at LJohnson@businessinsider.com. Today's news: The adtech companies that are hot acquisition targets, WPP slashes office space, and WarnerMedia's executive turnover. Clay Enos/DC Comics/Warner Bros. More stories we're reading:Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! You can reach me in the meantime at LJohnson@businessinsider.com and subscribe to this daily email here. The most important stories about advertising and media. Sign up for Insider Advertising. Something is loading.

Over 2 million people passed through the airport this weekend ahead of the Christmas holiday, following the tragic trend of Thanksgiving travel

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https://www.businessinsider.com/over-2-million-people-passed-through-airports-weekend-ahead-holiday-2020-12

Amid a surge in coronavirus cases following the Thanksgiving holiday, over 2 million people have passed through airports in the US between Friday and Saturday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. A record number of US travelers passed through the airports over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the Sunday following Thanksgiving recording around 1.17 million travelers — the highest since March. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention had urged the American public against traveling over Thanksgiving, but over 5 million Americans passed through airports over the week of the holiday. Public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned of an uptick in coronavirus cases following the high rates of travel. As Business Insider's Morgan McFall-Johnsen reported, over 47,000 people in the country have died from coronavirus since the Thanksgiving holiday and hospitals have struggled to support an overwhelming number of patients. While the tragic surge in deaths is attributed to pandemic fatigue, cold weather forcing people indoors, and lax policies on masks and closures, the recent record-breaking days of death are also the result of infections contracted around Thanksgiving, McFall-Johnsen reported. As of Sunday, the US recorded a total of 17.6 million cases of coronavirus and over 316,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Since last Tuesday, airports have recorded an increased number of travelers passing by the checkpoint with the past consecutive days recording over 1 million travelers passing by, respectively, according to the TSA. Meanwhile, various countries around the world including Italy, Germany, and the UK have announced stricter lockdowns ahead of the winter holidays. Something is loading.

THE INTERNET OF MEDICAL THINGS: The coronavirus is catalyzing a need for healthcare IoT in the US — here's how connectivity and technology providers are carving out their place in the market

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https://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-medical-things-report

Healthcare providers have been turning to the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to facilitate their digital transformation since before the coronavirus hit the US — but the pandemic has caused a sea change in providers' willingness to implement IoT solutions that augment efforts in preparing for, containing, and diagnosing the virus. As the backbone that powers the IoMT, connectivity and technology providers have a mounting opportunity to capture a larger slice of the market as it evolves alongside the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, healthcare providers were forecast to adopt IoT devices at one of the fastest rates of any industry segment, with the installed base of IoT endpoints expected to grow 29% year-over-year in 2020. And pre-pandemic, healthcare was among the top three industries expected to see the fastest growth rates (15.4%) in IoT investment in terms of spending over the 2017-2022 forecast period. But the coronavirus is fundamentally changing how healthcare can be accessed and delivered in the US, and we expect to see even faster growth throughout 2020 — and that this upward momentum will outlast the pandemic. In The Internet of Medical Things, Business Insider Intelligence assesses the North American IoMT market and explores how the IoMT opportunity for connectivity providers is evolving alongside the coronavirus pandemic, and how these players are carving out their place in the growing segment. We first unpack the opportunities for connectivity and technology providers in the IoMT market and outline how the coronavirus pandemic will impact demand for various IoT solutions in healthcare. We then detail how emerging techonlogies are propelling the healthcare IoT space forward. Finally, we explore how connectivity and technology players can expand within the IoMT ecosystem. The companies mentioned in this report include: AT&T, Augmedics, AVIA, Choice IoT, DarioHealth, Eko, GE Healthcare, Intel, Medtronic, Packet, Phillips, PlushCare, PTC, Smardii, Sprint, Telit, Vuzix, XENEX, Zebra.

UK passengers on a plane to Germany were told to deboard or face mandatory coronavirus testing and quarantine at the airport when they landed

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https://www.businessinsider.com/pilot-uk-get-off-plane-or-face-quarantine-in-germany-2020-12

A pilot on a German-bound flight from the UK told non-German passengers aboard the Sunday flight they needed to get off the plane before it took off or face mandatory COVID-19 testing and a subsequent quarantine when they landed, according to audio published by BILD. The pilot first said passengers would quarantine in hotels at or near the airport, but in a subsequent message, he said passengers would remain at the airport due to a lack of space at hotels. "Passengers without a German passport need to be aware that there are no more hotel rooms available, all hotels reached maximum occupancy in Stuttgart," the pilot told passengers in audio obtained by BILD, offering them the opportunity to deplane. A number of European countries, including Germany, have imposed restrictions on travel with the UK over a new, potentially more contagious strain of COVID-19 detected there. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Passengers on at least one flight Sunday departing the UK headed to Germany were told by the plane's pilot they faced a mandatory test and quarantine upon landing at Stuttgart Airport should they choose to remain on board the aircraft. In audio obtained by the German publication BILD, which is owned by Insider's parent company Axel Springer SE, a pilot on a Eurowings flight from London's Heathrow Airport to Stuttgart Airport in Germany informed passengers of the new requirements. The pilot continued, adding that all passengers with German passports will "go through the police station" as normal but said those who do not carry German passports would be required to undergo testing for COVID-19 immediately upon landing in Germany before they were brought to a hotel at or near Stuttgart Airport to quarantine until receiving their test result. In a subsequent recording, translated from German into English by Business Insider, the Eurowings pilot updated passengers that hotel space at and near the airport had reached capacity. He told passengers there would instead be a "designated, separated area in the airport with camp beds" to house passengers while they wait for their test results to return. Representatives for the Federal Police at Stuttgart Airport did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment on Sunday, nor did representatives for Eurowings. In a video obtained by BILD and reviewed by Business Insider, a passenger from the UK arriving at Hannover Airport in Germany was seen providing personal information, such as his address, to someone dressed entirely in PPE. The audio recording comes amid numerous European countries on Sunday limiting travel with the UK following the discovery of a new, potentially more contagious strain of COVID-19 and a surge of cases. Germany on Sunday afternoon issued a ban on flights from the UK beginning at midnight. German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced the travel restrictions Sunday afternoon, adding that the government planned to announce greater travel restrictions on Monday, according to DW. Something is loading.

Stephen Moore says that the coronavirus vaccine will set up a 'blockbuster' economy in 2021

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https://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-moore-predicts-strong-economic-growth-2021-coronavirus-vaccine-trump-2020-12

Conservative economist Stephen Moore predicted on Sunday that the COVID-19 vaccine will be an enormous boost for the economy in 2021. During an interview with businessman John Catsimatidis, Moore said that "the calvary is coming" in describing the vaccine, which began rolling out across the US last week. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Conservative economist Stephen Moore predicted on Sunday that the COVID-19 vaccine will be a huge boost for the economy in 2021. During an interview with businessman John Catsimatidis on his WABC 770 AM radio show, Moore, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, said "the calvary is coming" in describing the vaccine, which began rolling out across the US last week. Moore said that the vaccine distribution will create the foundation for a "blockbuster 2021," with the Federal Reserve expecting gross domestic product growth at 4.2% next year. The Federal Reserve also forecasts the 2021 unemployment rate at 5%, down from the current 6.7% national jobless rate. In 2020, millions of Americans were financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with layoffs and staff reductions sending the unemployment rate soaring earlier this year, which peaked at 14.7% unemployment in April. As the country is set to endure a difficult winter amidst the gargantuan vaccine rollout, the Department of Labor recently reported 885,000 jobs lost during the second week in December, an increase of 23,000 job losses from the prior week, reflecting the still-present obstacles to a broad economic recovery. After its emergency use authorization was approved, the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was administered to the first set of healthcare workers outside of the trial process. Government leaders including Vice President Mike Pence, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams have all received their first dose of the vaccine. Moore praised Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's medical push to combat the coronavirus, despite the president's history of downplaying the virus. While the start of the vaccine distribution has given hope to millions of Americans, it is a huge undertaking and will take months to reach the general population in large numbers. General Gustave Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, apologized on Saturday for a "planning error" with the vaccine distribution. While 20 million doses are set to be allocated to states by the end of the month, the distribution of those initial doses will extend into early January 2021.

Why potato farmers are stuck with billions of pounds of potatoes

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https://www.businessinsider.com/potato-farmers-destroy-potatoes-covid19-even-in-a-food-shortage-2020-6

When COVID-19 closed down restaurants and hotels, potatoes headed toward food service had nowhere to go. It had a chain effect down to processors and growers, trapping 1.5 billion pounds of potatoes in the supply chain. While farmers across Idaho and Montana have given away millions of potatoes, they've also been forced to destroy millions more. Business Insider visited a potato seed farm in Sheridan, Montana, to understand the emotional and financial impact this has had on farmers Peggy and Bill Buyan. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Following is a transcript of the video. Narrator: These potatoes aren't gonna end up on your dinner table. Their final destination is this hole. We're in the small town of Sheridan, Montana, on a potato farm. Normally this time of year, Bill and Peggy would be sending their potatoes to be planted. Instead, they're throwing away 700 tons. Bill Buyan: The potatoes have been awful good to us for a lot of years, but this year it just really turned sour. Narrator: And the same thing is happening across the Northwest. Bill: I mean, it was just unprecedented. It's the supply chain from the growers to the supermarket that got interrupted. Zak Miller: More than half of our market shut down by government mandate. We visited Buyan Ranch, where Peggy and Bill have been growing potato seed for 59 years. Normally, potato production across the Northwest looks like this. It starts with a seed grower like Buyan, where farmers grow a variety of seed strains. Zak: Virtually all the potatoes grown started out from a certified seed. That's a fairly rigorous process that avoids disease, imperfections. Narrator: Buyan grows three different disease-free seed strains: Umatilla, Clearwater, and Russet Burbank potatoes. Each potato variety goes to a specific grower in either the fresh or processed segment. In the fresh segment... Zak: You're actually seeing the potato in its true form. Narrator: That's foods like a raw potato at a grocery store or au gratin potatoes at your favorite restaurant. Zak: The other side of that is - we call it our process segment. You don't actually see the potato; you see the byproduct or the end result of that. Narrator: That's the bag of potato chips, the french fries at McDonald's, or the precut fries in the frozen section. Zak: If you're a fresh-product grower, you'll plant a different variety, or a different genetic line of potatoes. If you're a process grower, you'll grow a different product line. Just, some fry better, they have a better color to them. Others grow better. Narrator: Now back to the farm. Potato growers get the seed from Buyan and start planting in March, then they harvest in early fall. Once the potatoes are out of the ground, they go into storage or are sent to a factory, where they're cleaned and turned into either fresh or processed potatoes. Zak: When COVID hit, we had a huge run on retail, which lasted for about a week to two weeks, but then when we shut off all the restaurants, that's when everything came out of kilter. Narrator: Potatoes for food service, like restaurants, hotels, and catering, make up an estimated 55% of all potato crops. Zak: Think of everything from white-table restaurants clear down to your fast, quick service. Narrator: So when food-service establishments shut down because of COVID-19, it was a chain effect. Processors cut down orders with growers. Out of options, the growers cut their orders with seed farmers. And more than half of the industry's potatoes were stranded on seed farms. In Peggy's case, her customers in Washington were cut back more than 50%, and she and Bill were stuck with tons of seed they'd normally sell. Zak: You can't take some of these facilities that are built directly for food service and then tomorrow flip a switch and make them able to sell into retail. You're asking - a square peg in a round hole, I guess, is the best analogy I can come up with. Narrator: The surplus potatoes also couldn't just be sent to grocery stores. Zak: Grocery stores or retails would have been bursting to the seams with potatoes if we had redirected all that. Bill: We had high hopes that maybe something would turn up, you know? That in a month or so, we might be able to send them somewhere for some kind of processing. But this year's, there's just no market for them, and we're just taking them out, taking them into a burial pit. Narrator: Peggy and Bill have been forced to bury 1.4 million pounds of potatoes in total. Bill: It's costing us money just to bury these. I mean, between our time and labor and renting a large excavator to dig the hole and cover them, I mean, it's not free just to throw them away to us. It's an expense just to get rid of them. Peggy Buyan: When you dump that many potatoes, the financial hit, I mean, that was what's so heart-sickening, is the financial burden. Zak: It takes a tremendous amount of capital to grow a crop of potatoes. Bankruptcies are starting to creep up. Narrator: Before the pandemic, Zak estimates Idaho farmers were looking at a 15-year high in potato prices. Now they're facing a 20-year low. Zak says a 100-pound sack of potatoes went from costing about $12 a sack to $3 a sack, and a farmer needs it to cost at least $5 to break even. Peggy and Bill are facing $140,000 in losses. For farmers across Idaho and Montana, that number comes to $8 million. Zak: Some of these farmers are looking at red all over their balance sheet, and there's no black to be seen. They'll be looking into increasing their lines of credit, they'll be needing to remortgage some of their property, you know, just trying to free up more capital to try and survive for next year. Bill: When you put all your work and effort into growing them and the expense and the pride of what you grow, and then to just completely just throw it away and waste it. Narrator: To save some of the potatoes from going to waste, Buyan Ranch got creative. Peggy and Bill have given out roughly 75,000 pounds of potatoes to the surrounding community. Bill: She's organized two or three giveaway days, and we've had pickups from 100 miles away, people come and got potatoes. She's distributed them down on our street in town, just set up and people stop, they give them a bag of potatoes. And just to try to get somebody to benefit from them. Zak: Even though they're losing money on them, they'd rather see someone eat them than nothing happen at all. Narrator: Farmers are also mashing up potatoes into a compost-like mixture to feed cattle next year. Peggy: We've put them into this pile and mixed straw, then we're gonna put plastic over the top of it and let it get totally broke down by next fall. But that point, if everything is OK and the rations, then we'll start feeding the calves with them. That's money out of our pocket, trying to find another use of the spuds. Narrator: But all of that effort barely made a dent in the number of stranded potatoes. Peggy: Right now it's, like, 200,000, roughly, in there, with everything, I would say. It's pretty devastating, you know? For a small operation, for us. Narrator: All in all, an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of potatoes are trapped in the supply chain across the US. Zak: If I was advising a year ago, not knowing what was gonna happen, I wouldn't have told them to do anything differently than they did now. If we'd have anticipated COVID wrong and had a short crop, a very small crop, it would have been devastating to food hunger. We'd have mass shortage of potatoes, and that would have been even worse. Narrator: Luckily, Zak says all this food waste won't lead to a shortage next year. Farmers are still planting potatoes, just not as much. Zak: Going forward this year, I think the farmers are doing the right thing. Peggy: We thought, you know, let's plant what we do, take the risk. Bill: We already had the ground prepared, and we raise most of our own seed and buy some, so, I mean, you might as well just carry on. I guess that's kind of the farm and ranch. In bad years, you just start over the next year and hope for a better, you know, better season. If you didn't, you'd have quit a long time ago. Zak: But that's the plight of a farmer. We're always looking for next year. Farmers farm for the love of farming, and even in tough times, we still will continue to farm for the love of farming. EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in June 2020. Something is loading.

How noise-cancelling headphones work

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https://www.businessinsider.com/how-noise-cancelling-headphones-work-sound-soundwaves-2019-8

Following is a transcript of the video. You've probably seen noise-cancelling headphones become pretty widespread over the last decade or so. But did you know the concept actually dates back to 1978? That's when Dr. Amar Bose took a flight from Zurich to Boston and became frustrated that the noise of the plane drowned out the music playing through the electronic headsets on the flight. Now, Bose's name might sound familiar. He is the founder of Bose Audio, which has become synonymous with noise-cancelling headphones. However, it would take several years and millions of dollars in research for that to happen, which all began on this flight, when Bose designed his first concept for noise-cancelling technology. Bose's solution was simple. He would design headphones that listen. But it was easier said than done. By 1986, almost 10 years after his fateful flight, Bose had a working prototype, which soon became a product for airline pilots, the military, and eventually first- and business-class customers aboard American Airlines. Eventually, once costs came down, the headphones began to become available to the general public. And while you listen to things through the speakers, the headphones are listening as well to everything around you. See, every sound travels in the form of a wave, also called a sound wave — and each one is different. This is a sound wave of me saying "hello." And here's "goodbye." See? They're different. Now, if you played both sounds at the same time, you get a phenomenon called constructive interference. That's called destructive interference. And it's exactly what our noise-cancelling headphones are doing. Let's go back to those sound waves from before. See, sound waves, like light waves, have peaks and valleys. Noise-cancelling headphones have their own built-in microphone. And when the headphone's microphone detects a sound wave, the headphones create a new waveform that's the total opposite. So for every valley there is a peak, and for every peak, a valley. What results is the cancelling part of noise-cancelling. The waves cancel each other out, and a flat line ensues. Blissful silence. Now, if you've used noise-cancelling headphones before, you've probably noticed they don't cancel out every single noise. Some other noises leak through sometimes, like people talking loudly or cars honking. That's because the technology works best in environments with consistent noise, which is why the headphones are ideal in places like airplane cabins or train cars. In other cases, with too much variation, matching the sound wave is tricky. It's kind of like whack-a-mole. You can only eliminate so many sounds at once. And some headphones will be better than others. While a $50 pair may not eliminate noises the way a $300 set does, it may be good enough for your needs. Even if they don't achieve perfect silence every time, there's no doubt noise-cancellation technology has been a useful way to help people get through their days or commutes. It looks like the $50 million Bose spent back then turned out to be great in the long run.

People 75 and older and frontline essential workers should be next in line for coronavirus vaccines, US health officials say

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https://www.businessinsider.com/frontline-essential-workers-people-75-and-older-priority-cdc-vaccines-2020-12

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Sunday that frontline essential workers and people 75 and older should be next in line for coronavirus vaccines. Healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities have already started receiving their shots. The US should have enough shots to complete these first two phases of vaccinations by sometime in February. The third round of shots should go to people ages 65 to 74, people ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and any other essential workers that haven't been vaccinated yet, the CDC recommended. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. People ages 75 and older and frontline essential workers should be next in line to receive coronavirus vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended at a Sunday meeting. This second priority group constitutes around 49 million people, according to the CDC. The US is already beginning to vaccinate its first priority group: roughly 21 million healthcare workers and three million residents of long-term care facilities. The CDC's recommendations are based on two key goals: preventing disease transmission and mortality, and preserving the overall function of society. Protecting elderly individuals from COVID-19 is critical to that first goal. People ages 75 and older represent one-quarter of COVID-19 hospitalizations and around 60% of COVID-19 deaths in the US — more than another age group, according to the CDC. Frontline essential workers, meanwhile, are both necessary to a functioning society and face an increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus due to the public-facing nature of their work. Data from the May to July coronavirus outbreak in New York City suggests an overwhelming number of workers in public service agencies got infected: on average, 22% of their antibody tests came back positive. Among these workers, correctional staff had the highest percent positivity rate: nearly 40%. The CDC classified frontline essential workers as first responders (firefighters and police officers) as well as workers in education (teachers, school support staff, and daycare workers), food and agriculture, manufacturing, corrections, US postal service, public transit, and grocery stores. Once these individuals are vaccinated, the advisory committee recommended that the third round of shots go to people ages 65 to 74, people ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and any other essential workers who haven't been vaccinated yet. Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, was the first hospital to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine in the US. These remaining essential workers would include those in transportation, food service, construction, finance, information technology and communication, energy, media, law, engineering, and water and waste management. High-risk medical conditions, according to the CDC, include obesity or severe obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart conditions, chronic kidney disease, cancer, an immunocompromised state from a solid organ transplant, sickle cell disease, pregnancy, or a history or current practice of smoking. In total, this third phase would include roughly 129 million people. But ultimately, it's up to each state to decide how to prioritize their vulnerable populations. "There will be difficult choices about who gets that vaccine first," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said at Sunday's meeting. If doses are scarce, the advisory committee said, states may consider prioritizing vaccinations for frontline essential workers in areas with high transmission, who haven't had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, or who have an increased risk of severe illness based on their age or underlying medical problems. States may also consider vaccinating residents of congregate living facilities — such as prisons, jails, and homeless shelters — at the same time as the facilities' staff members, the committee said. Vaccinating two priority groups by February The Food and Drug Administration has authorized two shots for emergency use in the US. Moderna's vaccine was authorized on Friday and could be administered as early as Monday. Pfizer's vaccine was authorized a week prior and is already being given out across the country. Healthcare workers were the first to receive their shots on December 14. CVS and Walgreens started giving shots to residents of long-term care facilities on Friday. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation report found that 45 states are following the CDC advisory group's recommendations, but a few are veering slightly off course. Nevada, New Hampshire, and Wyoming, for instance, are including law enforcement in their first round of vaccinations, while Massachusetts is including incarcerated people and those in homeless shelters. Over the last week, around 2.8 million doses have been distributed and more than 556,000 doses have been administered in the US, according to the CDC. "There should be enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million people in December, 30 million people in January, and 50 million people in February," Messonnier said Sunday. Members of the general public may start getting immunized by April, according to the CDC's timeline. By that point, the country could be vaccinating 10 million people per week. Moncef Slaoui, who is spearheading the US vaccine effort, Operation Warp Speed, told the Washington Post that most Americans could be immunized by mid-year 2021. Something is loading.

White House coronavirus advisor Deborah Birx bucked her own guidance and traveled during Thanksgiving holiday weekend

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https://www.businessinsider.com/birx-went-against-her-own-guidance-and-traveled-during-thanksgiving-2020-12

Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the members of White House coronavirus task force, traveled during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, despite warnings from health officials to avoid doing so. Around the time of Thanksgiving, Birx had been among the health officials giving such warnings to the American public. But Birx skirted the guidance and took a trip to Delaware during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Associated Press reported. There, she mingled indoors and had a meal with family members who live in different households. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Dr. Deborah Birx, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, traveled and saw some members of her extended family during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend despite urging Americans to avoid doing the same. Birx went to Delaware the day after Thanksgiving, the Associated Press reported. There, she spent time with her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. In a statement to the AP, Birx said these were people who are part of her "immediate household." But they do not all live in the same home. Leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Birx was one of the health officials urging Americans to sacrifice traveling this year to limit the spread of the coronavirus. "It looked like things were starting to improve in our northern plain states, and now with Thanksgiving, we're worried that all of that will be reversed," Birx said on CBS News's "Face the Nation." People should "take it upon yourself to be restrictive" and selective about the ways they pass their holiday time, she said. "If your family traveled, you have to assume that you were exposed and you became infected and you really need to get tested in the next week," Birx added. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider asking if Birx had received a test upon returning from her travels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also warned against traveling during this holiday season. Still, a whopping 1.1 million Americans traveled in airplanes on the final day of the Thanksgiving weekend. The CDC also discourages indoor interaction with people from different households. "People who do not currently live in your housing unit, such as college students who are returning home from school for the holidays, should be considered part of different households," a CDC webpage states. Birx told the AP she had not gathered with her family in Delaware "for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving." Instead, she said, she went to prepare the Delaware home ahead of a potential sale. But Birx and the other family members did share a meal together. "She cavalierly violated her own guidance," said Kathleen Flynn, the sister of a brother married to Birx's daughter. Meanwhile, Birx's father, Richard, defended her. "Dr. Birx is very conscientious and a very good doctor and scientist from everything I can see," he told the AP. Birx has been trying to secure a spot in the incoming Biden administration. She's reached out to various Biden aides to make a case for herself. The Biden transition team did not immediately return a request for comment. Something is loading.

Former US cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs says officials are still tracking 'scope' of the SolarWinds hack

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https://www.businessinsider.com/krebs-solarwinds-cybersecurity-hack-more-broad-2020-12

Chris Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said on Sunday the massive SolarWinds cybersecurity attack appears to be linked to Russia. "Everything I've heard, whether it's from private sector cybersecurity threat and intelligence experts, things I have heard out of Congress – it's Russia," Krebs said on CNN's "State of The Union" Sunday. Krebs warned that the scale of the cybersecurity breach was "probably more broad" than the hacking of SolarWinds, but said he would "be very careful about escalating" when asked if the US should retaliate. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Chris Krebs, former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the massive SolarWinds cybersecurity attack appears to be linked to Russia, but the US should be cautious in its response. Cybersecurity researchers said last week that from as early as March, hackers compromised software company SolarWinds' system to spy on its clients, Business Insider's Aaron Holmes previously reported. The company's customers include key government agencies such as the White House, the Pentagon, and the US Treasury Department. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that "we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity," and as The Washington Post reported, others familiar with the matter have attributed the cybersecurity attacks to Russia as well. However, President Donald Trump on Saturday contradicted these statements and in a series of tweets, suggesting "the possibility that it may be China," Business Insider's John Dorman reported. Krebs said the US is "just getting our arms around the scope of this cyber-compromise," and the scale of this breach is "probably more broad" than SolarWinds. "I think there needs to be a conversation globally, internationally across like-minded countries about what is acceptable," he added. Krebs was fired from his role as the head of CISA last month not long after he publicly pushed back against Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud in the election, Business Insider's Sonam Sheth reported.

THE GLOBAL NEOBANKS REPORT: How 26 upstarts are winning customers and pivoting from hyper-growth to profitability in a $27 billion market

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https://www.businessinsider.com/global-neobanks-report

Neobanks — digital-only banks with industry-leading capabilities that don't operate physical branches or rely on legacy back-ends — have exploded onto the global scene in recent years. Increased consumer interest in neobanks is stimulating competition globally, creating an increasingly competitive landscape which has driven neobanks to roll out extravagant features, like overdraft protection and sign-up incentives. Beyond scaling rapidly by user count, neobanks are navigating the best route to profitability. Today, the average neobank loses $11 per user, per Accenture, and though neobanks' expenses are partially offset by not operating costly branch networks, they still need to find sustainable business models. Some major strategies are beginning to coalesce: Most neobanks operate under a "freemium" model, in which they offer their product for free, but charge for additional features, while others offer multitier subscriptions with varying levels of premium accounts. Additionally, other players are targeting niche segments, like small businesses or gig economy workers, in their pursuit of profitability. In The Global Neobanks report, Business Insider Intelligence explores how the neobank market has grown rapidly, and what's in store as the industry pivots from hyper-growth to sustainability. We discuss how 26 neobanks in key global markets are prioritizing scale versus profitability, identifying best practices to emulate and pitfalls to avoid. The companies mentioned in the report include: ABN Amro, Adyen, Ant financial, ANZ, Aspiration, Banco Inter, Bank Leumi, Banco Sabadell, Banco Votorantim, Bnext, bunq, Chime, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Dave, Finleap, ING, Judo, Klar, Kuda, Mastercard, Monzo, Moven, MYbank, National Australia Bank, Neon, Nubank, N26, OakNorth, Open, Pepper, Penta, Revolut, Raising, Rabobank, Santander, Starling, Standard Chartered, Tandem, TD Bank, TransferWise, Tencent, Uala, Uber, Volt, Varo, WeBank, Westpac, Xinja, 86 400.

'It's not going to be a garden party': GOP senator suggests that the confirmation process for Biden's Cabinet nominees won't be easy

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https://www.businessinsider.com/john-barrasso-biden-cabinet-picks-confirmation-process-republican-scrutiny-2020-12

GOP Sen. John Barrasso on Sunday said that Cabinet nominees brought forward by President-elect Joe Biden in a Republican-controlled Senate should not expect an easy pathway to confirmation, according to Politico. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Sen. John Barrasso on Sunday said that Cabinet nominees brought forward by President-elect Joe Biden in a Republican-controlled Senate should not expect an easy pathway to confirmation, emphasizing that the party would make nominees "run the gauntlet," according to Politico. While many of Biden's nominees are expected to receive bipartisan support, including Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken and former Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, others, including Neera Tanden, the nominee to run the White House Office of Management and Budget, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, will meet some GOP resistance. He then stated that former two-term Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Biden's nominee to lead the Department of Energy, would present some issues for him due to past comments that she's made regarding fossil fuels. As governor of the Midwestern state from 2003 to 2011, she worked with Obama and Biden in overseeing the auto industry bailout during the Great Recession. Granholm would have a hand in carrying out Biden's proposed climate policy as part of her role as Energy Secretary. That $2 trillion proposal includes moving the country to a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, and investing heavily in infrastructure and the auto industry. If Republicans capture the two Senate seats in the January 2021 Georgia runoff elections, they'll have 52 seats in the upper chamber, and therefore secure the majority. In such a scenario, Barrasso would be set to lead the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which would take up Granholm's nomination. However, if Democrats win both seats, they'll have the majority, and Biden will be able to move his nominees through with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote.

How to launch a successful business as a professional dog walker, according to people who've done it

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https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-pay-rent-launch-business-professional-dog-walker-2020-8

When Abby Wischina and her new French Bulldog Pearl moved to Los Angeles five years ago, she discovered an unexpectedly lucrative industry: dog walking. She started Brentwood Barks and built it into a six-figure business. She and other pet-care entrepreneurs and professionals shared with Business Insider how they've successfully launched careers caring for hundreds of dogs. They suggested using software to stay organized and providing extra care and top-notch customer service to your clients. Word-of-mouth referrals are powerful for business, so devote some time to building up a social media following and an online presence. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. When Abby Wischina moved to Los Angeles in 2015, she wasn't alone. Her new dog — a French Bulldog named Pearl — was along for the ride, and the two went to the local dog park every day to pass the time while Wischnia trudged through the long process of finding a job in a new city. With all the time logged in the dog park, however, her job search plan changed entirely. From there, Brentwood Barks was born. In five years, Wischnia has built it into a six-figure business. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that moved so many pet parents into a work-from-home routine, allowing them to walk their own dogs, Wischnia said she was at the height of her success, with approximately 230 clients in rotation. She'd hired a small team of walkers and boarders to help pick up the growing workload. In spite of the physical toll of being a full-time walker — in early 2020, the Brentwood Barks team was seeing as many as 13 dogs per day for walks alone, not to mention boarding and daycare clients — Wischnia has loved the job, especially the community it's created for her. One former client will even be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding. And, of course, there's the dogs. Good software and strong word-of-mouth marketing are crucialAlthough Wischnia said that her income has decreased by 70% as a result of the pandemic, she's hopeful for the future. In the meantime, she has a few best practices to share with dog lovers looking to get into the biz and pay their rent as full-time walkers. Making a personal connection with clients and their dogs is paramount, but so are practical matters like software. Wischnia swears by Time To Pet, a pet-sitting platform that clients can access via a mobile app and the Brentwood Barks team can update using a desktop dashboard. Lisa Kang, who started Chapel Hill, NC-based pet care company Walk & Wag in 2010, noted the importance of word of mouth for building a successful dog walking business. Walk & Wag maintains a consistent social media presence, as well as a YouTube channel with pet videos and a blog with informative pet care articles. When pet owners hear about Walk & Wag's services from friends, there's a lot for them to explore online so they can decide if the service is a fit for them, Kang said. Walk & Wag also posts positive reviews from clients. Lisa Kang with Abigail. "Ten years ago, my clients were my friends, and once the word spread about my business, I had more than I could manage alone," Kang said. Walk & Wag's entire database now consists of 591 clients and 977 pets. While Kang's business has experienced a similar hit to Wischnia's — services have dropped by 60% and the Walk & Wag staff was reduced from 32 to 21 active employees since the start of quarantine orders — a handful of devoted clients have continued paying gratuities to the team, a healthy indicator of customer satisfaction. Flexibility, punctuality, and an attention to detail keep clients coming backSujey Carro Mojica is one of Walk & Wag's fleet of dog walkers. Mojica has about 50 clients, some of whom she sees for daily walks and others who hire her for more extended pet care while they're on vacation. One hundred percent of Mojica's dog-walking salary goes toward household expenses — and since many of her clients work in the healthcare industry or have health issues that have forced them indoors full time, her income has stayed roughly the same amid the pandemic. Sujey Carro Mojica with Calvin and Hobbes. Prior to moving to the Chapel Hill area, Paul Bradley, another member of Kang's Walk & Wag Team, worked as a dog walker for five years in Alexandria, Virginia. He started walking for Walk & Wag shortly after moving to North Carolina in 2015. Paul Bradley. Until 2019, Bradley worked full time as the editor of a small newspaper dedicated to news of American community colleges. When the publication folded, dog walking became a more critical piece of his income. Bradley earns a fixed income through Social Security, but his work for Walk & Wag "provides the kind of financial breathing room that is otherwise absent," he said. The money he earns through dog walking covers about one-third of his household bills. "I strive to be especially attentive to providing top-shelf customer service, including being punctual, communicating regularly with clients, having maximum flexibility to adjust to sudden schedule changes, keeping my supervisor in the loop and seeking out her help when needed, and interacting with the dogs as I learn their idiosyncrasies and those of their owners," Bradley said. Paul Bradley with Sully and Paddy. There's also the practicalities of the job. "Buy a pair of sturdy, comfortable shoes," Bradley added. With no clear picture of the new normal or when it will begin, business owners like Wischnia and Kang will have to wait out the decreased demand for pet care. Wischnia looks for the silver living. Something is loading.

Fox News is debunking election fraud claims made by its own anchors in response to a legal threat

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https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-debunking-election-fraud-claims-made-by-its-anchors-2020-12

Over the weekend, Fox News aired a segment that debunked some of the election fraud claims made by its own hosts and anchors. The network put together a news package that ran across various Fox News and Fox Business Network shows, starting with Lou Dobbs' show on Friday night. Fox created the segment in response to a legal threat from election software company Smartmatic. On December 10, Smartmatic hit Fox with a 20-page demand letter obtained by Business Insider asking for "a full and complete retraction of all false and defamatory statements and reports" about the 2020 election. Fox News engaged in "a concerted disinformation campaign against Smartmatic" by "continually and repeatedly published demonstrably false information and defamatory statements," said the letter, which was addressed to Fox News executive vice president and general counsel Lily Fu Claffee. "Fox News told its millions of viewers and readers that Smartmatic was founded by Hugo Chávez, that its software was designed to fix elections, and that Smartmatic conspired with others to defraud the American people and fix the 2020 U.S. election by changing, inflating, and deleting votes," the letter said. After the election was called for Joe Biden, Dobbs and other Fox hosts have staunchly defended President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud. Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani — who is one of the people spearheading dozens of lawsuits alleging fraud — appeared on Fox News to cast doubt on the election results.  Sidney Powell, another attorney Trump hired to challenge the election, also appeared on the network. In its letter to the network, Smartmatic said Fox should not have offered either of them a platform to spread baseless claims to millions of people nationwide. "Fox News used its anchors and on-air guests, including Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, to spread lies about a company that had absolutely nothing to do with the voting that took place in areas at the heart of the 'conspiracies' discussed following the 2020 U.S. election," the letter said. Fox's segment in response to the letter debunked election fraud claims from both Giuliani and Powell, as well as other Trump supporters. In the segment's original airing Friday night on his primetime evening show, Dobbs introduced the package by telling viewers that "there are lots of opinions about the integrity of the election." He then brought on Edward Perez, who works with the Open Source Election Technology Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to evaluating election technology. "I have not seen any evidence that Smartmatic software was used to delete, change, alter, anything related to vote tabulation," said Perez, who spoke in what appeared to be a prerecorded segment. A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the segment aired on "Lou Dobbs Tonight" on Friday, "Justice with Judge Jeanine" on Saturday, and "Sunday Morning Futures" on Sunday. SmartMatic sent out letters containing similar demands to other conservative networks, including Newsmax and One America News, a spokesperson at the election software company told Business Insider. Newsmax and One America News did not immediately return requests for comment.

How to climb the remote corporate ladder and set yourself up for a promotion when you're not working in an office

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https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-promoted-raise-move-up-in-career-work-remotely

Remote work isn't going anywhere anytime soon, as some companies are extending their work-from-home status for several months and others are embracing remote work permanently. Employees can still progress in their career while working remotely, but it will take a bit more effort. In order to prove themselves, remote workers should make an effort to stay engaged, over-communicate, and focus on results rather than being present. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Prior to COVID-19 uprooting the nation's workforce, remote work was already trending upward. From 2010 to today, the number of people working remotely increased by almost 400%, according to a survey conducted by GetApp. While many workers are starting to trickle back to the office, some employers, like Microsoft, are enforcing working from home until the situation's more certain. Others, such as Twitter, announced that employees now have the option to work remotely permanently. And though remote work certainly has many benefits, transitioning to this lifestyle, even if only temporarily, is a big adjustment for many. Even when you become accustomed to this new way of working, a brand new question poses itself: When working from home, how can you prove that you're doing your job well and deserve a promotion? Though the value you bring to the table isn't really tied to whether or not you share a physical space with your coworkers, there can be the false illusion that, if your boss can't see you, you're not doing your job. But rest assured, you can still climb the corporate ladder when you're working remotely — it just might require you to do things a little bit differently than before. So, if you've got your eye on that next rung of the ladder, here are some steps you can take to get there. Show that you're still engaged with and passionate about your work, your team, and the companyIn the office, you can participate in spontaneous banter with your colleagues, whether you're stopping by their cubicle or convening in the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. These simple, everyday occurrences don't happen as easily when you're working from home, but they're just as important. Your contribution to a positive team dynamic matters. And again, there's that weird phenomenon where people incorrectly (and sometimes unknowingly) assume that if they can't see you, you aren't working hard — or at all. So, like it or not, you'll need to put a little extra effort into showing that you still care. That includes responding to messages in a timely manner and showing up to meetings (or at least giving ample notice if you can't attend). And if there's a group chat, try participating regularly. Jenny Foss. "Work like mad to stay engaged," Foss said. "It can be easy to come across as dialed out on screen, especially if you're late or absent from virtual meetings. Log into those meetings a few minutes early, be rested, be ready." With just a few simple steps, you can show your boss that, not only are you still playing the game, but you're in it to win it. Communicate often and intentionallyGood communication is wildly important, especially when it comes to your career. And when you work remotely, the need for it skyrockets. Darren Murph. Murph added that it's important to know the difference between asynchronous and synchronous communication. With asynchronous, you can share information whenever is good for you, and the recipient can read and respond at the best time for them — like in an email or project management system, for example. Synchronous communication happens in real time, when people need to discuss something and make a decision together. Only in the latter situation should meetings occur. Here are some simple ways you can improve your communication. Send regular updates to your manager and teamMaren Kate, author of "Going Remote" and cofounder of Inde, the first remote-focused professional network, suggested sending an end-of-day email to your team (including your supervisor) with the goal of bringing extra visibility to what you're working on and making sure everyone's on the same page. Maren Kate. Speak up when something isn't workingWhen something's just not working, don't hesitate to say something, either during a team meeting or one-on-one with your manager. Change can't happen if no one knows it needs to. "I'm a big believer in 'fortune favors the bold,' but with the asterisk attached that says, 'bold with authenticity, gratitude, curiosity, and strategy,'" Foss said. "No one wants to help the person who just steamrolls her way on in." Make it clear you want to help find the best solution and don't point fingers. Marcus Wermuth, engineering manager at Buffer, believes speaking up helped him get promoted. Before, he was an individual contributor on the team, and they didn't have a supervisor. So, Wermuth took charge, continually informing all stakeholders that they needed a leader. Marcus Wermuth. Document both your progress and your processes. Your progress — such as a change you made to a document — will allow your team to understand a project's status. For your processes, include screenshots, relevant links, and examples. Imagine you're explaining the task to someone with no experience in your field or knowledge of your company. And remember: Be thorough. Include even the obvious steps. You want to trust that a teammate can step in and take over without any issues. She said you should take extreme ownership over your job. In fact, this is a professional quality all workers should have, especially those working from home. Because no matter how great of a boss someone is, managing remotely is tough. Do everything you can to proactively and consistently show your manager the great job you're doing. Here are three easy ways to track your accomplishments and make sure your boss sees and acknowledges them. Jena Viviano. A "brag book" is a document where you keep a running record of all of your big and small accomplishments, all the way from a single piece of positive feedback you receive to the launch of a product you manage. Got a rave review from a client? Take a screenshot of the email and include it. Increased website traffic by 25%? Make sure to jot down that data. Keeping track of all the good things you do will help you increase your self-confidence, update your resume, and share your results with your supervisor. When it's time to ask for a raise or promotion, this document will help you strengthen your case. Seek out education that will help you achieve your desired resultsOnce you figure out the milestones you need to surpass, see if there's any additional learning you can do to help you get there. This doesn't have to be a completely new degree, though that's certainly an option. It could be a certificate, an online course, a webinar, or a professional development opportunity your company offers. Wermuth, for instance, is confident that seeking out education is one of the main reasons he got promoted. And of course, add anything that you do to your brag book. Set up regular time to discuss your performance with your managerIf you don't already have a recurring one-on-one, ask for it. In each one, discuss what you're working on and how it's going, share recent accomplishments, and ask for performance feedback. Something is loading.

Photos show the first batches of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine being packaged and shipped across the US

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https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-modernas-covid-19-vaccine-being-shipped-across-us-2020-12

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted an emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the biotech firm Moderna and the US National Institutes of Health. The two-shot Moderna/NIH vaccine was approximately 94.5% effective at preventing COVID-19 in a large clinical trial. The FDA last week issued the same authorization for the vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech, which had a similar rate of success during trials but is harder to store and transport than the Moderna vaccine. Photos Sunday showed the vaccine being packed for shipment in Moderna's distribution facility in Olive Branch, Mississippi, headed for distribution across the US. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued an emergency use authorization for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, just about a week after it gave the same authorization for a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The Moderna vaccine was designed in just two days in January 2020 using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. In clinical trials, the vaccine was found to be approximately 94.5% effective in protecting people against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The vaccine comes at a time when the US is dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases. The disease has led to more than 316,000 deaths so far in the US this year, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Globally, it's killed more than 1.6 million people. While the vaccine will not bring an end to the ongoing surge, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends it first be distributed among healthcare workers and among people living in long-term care facilities. On Sunday, Vivek Murthy, who President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate as US surgeon general, said the current timeline for coronavirus vaccine distribution was optimistic, adding vaccines may not widely be available until "mid-summer" or "early fall" 2021.

Congress is preparing Sunday votes on a $900 billion relief package, but remaining obstacles could push final passage into Christmas week

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https://www.businessinsider.com/stimulus-deal-congress-preparing-900-billion-relief-package-checks-unemployment-2020-12

Congress is gearing up to hold Sunday votes on a $900 billion relief package with a very narrow margin for error, and several policy disagreements remain. Both chambers must approve the emergency rescue legislation along with a broader government funding bill by midnight or seek a stopgap spending measure to avert a government shutdown. "This gets done today. No more delays," a senior Republican senator told Fox News. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Lawmakers are setting the stage to hold back-to-back votes Sunday on a $900 billion federal rescue package. But both parties still haven't brokered a broader deal and several policy obstacles remain, which could still push final passage into Christmas week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill on Sunday that "I think we're close, we're very close" on reaching an agreement. Congress approved a two-day funding extension on Friday to avert a government shutdown and buy more time for the negotiations. It sets up an extremely small margin of error for lawmakers, given they're also attempting to pass a $1.4 trillion spending package to fund federal agencies into next year. Congressional leaders want to combine both, meaning lawmakers in both chambers could have only hours to review broad tax-and-spending legislation surpassing $2 trillion before government funding runs dry at midnight. Congress could also approve a stopgap spending bill to extend funding for a short period of time. The prospects of a weekend deal increased after Republicans and Democrats removed a major hurdle to a broad agreement and compromised on the Federal Reserve's lending authority late Saturday. However, The Washington Post reported that several issues remained outstanding, such as an eviction moratorium. The $900 billion rescue package is expected to include $300 federal unemployment benefits through early spring, $600 stimulus checks for Americans, and small business aid. But no legislative text has been unveiled so far. And there's been no announcement of a stimulus deal, which has slipped away from both parties since the summer. Sen. Patrick Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, made a late push to include the measure in the final relief legislation. He sought to end several emergency lending programs which expire December 31, their current end date under an economic aid package passed in March. The central bank initiated them to assist states and municipalities as well as mid-sized businesses. Toomey, the incoming chair of the Senate Banking Committee, also wanted to restrain the Fed's ability to start up similar rescue programs in future downturns. It caused a fierce clash between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill in the past few days, which threatened to push negotiations well into next week. Republicans argued the programs had served their purpose, but Democrats assailed the move as one designed to restrict the incoming Biden administration's toolkit for the economy. The compromise would end the emergency lending programs, but initiating similar ones would require approval from Congress. Toomey told reporters on Sunday he would support the final relief agreement. President Donald Trump made a last-minute demand to include larger stimulus checks on Saturday evening, but it was unclear whether that would scramble the timeline for passage. Negotiators are laboring to keep the overall price tag of the relief legislation under $1 trillion.

Congress Reaches Deal on COVID Relief Bill

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Congress on Sunday reached a deal on a nearly $900 billion coronavirus relief package after months of stalled negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that party leaders in both the House and Senate had agreed on another relief bill to be passed in the near future, although whether it will pass in time to avoid the looming government shutdown at midnight remains unknown. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Surgeon General Says Immigration Status Will Not Affect Access to Coronavirus Vaccine

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Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Sunday that immigrants in the U.S. illegally will have access to the coronavirus vaccine and assured that their medical information collected when they receive the shot will not be used against them in a legal context later. "Your information when collected to get your second shot if you get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will not be used in any way, shape, or form to harm you legally," Adams said federal officials have informed him. President-elect Joe Biden expressed a similar opinion in August, saying immigrants should be able to receive the vaccine as well as coronavirus tests and treatment if necessary regardless of their documentation status. "Every person in the country, whether they're documented or undocumented, should have access to a vaccine, if and when it occurs, should have access to testing and treatment and hospitalization if it relates to the virus," Biden said. The Food and Drug Administration authorized drug-maker Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use earlier this month. The request came after a Phase-3 clinical study showed Pfizer's vaccine to be 95 percent effective in preventing the disease associated with the coronavirus. On Friday, the FDA also approved a vaccine by Moderna that was shown to be 94 percent effective for emergency use. The White House said last month that it expects to distribute a vaccine for the coronavirus to about 20 million people by the end of December. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Biden Press Secretary Says He ‘Will Not Be Discussing an Investigation of His Son’ with AG Candidates

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President-elect Joe Biden will not be discussing any federal investigation of his son Hunter Biden's business dealings with any candidates for attorney general, Biden's incoming press secretary said Sunday. Jen Psaki was asked by Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace whether Biden would promise to allow the U.S. attorney for Delaware to proceed with an investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes. "He will not be discussing an investigation of his son with any attorney general candidates. He will not be discussing it with anyone he is considering for the role. And he will not be discussing it with a future attorney general," Psaki said. Earlier this month, Hunter Biden announced that federal prosecutors were investigating his "tax affairs" but insisted he has handled his finances appropriately. "I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors," the younger Biden said of the federal probe in a statement. The former vice president addressed the investigation for the first time last week, saying he is "confident" his son did nothing wrong. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

EU Countries Ban Flights from Britain over New Coronavirus Strain

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The Netherlands on Sunday banned all passenger flights from Britain. Meanwhile, Belgium halted all travel from Britain to Belgium for at least 24 hours from midnight local time on Sunday. Germany, France, and Austria are also thought to be planning to ban flights from the U.K. due to the newly identified strain of the coronavirus. Spain said it would "act in defense of the interests and rights of Spanish citizens" if the European Council failed to offer a "joint, co-ordinated response" to the outbreak of the new strain. Italy's foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, said his country would be suspending flights as well but did not offer details about when the restrictions would take effect. "As a government we have the duty to protect Italians and for this reason, after having warned the British government, the health ministry will sign a provision for the suspension of flights with the U.K. Our priority is to protect Italy and our compatriots," Maio said. "There is currently nothing to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause serious disease and the latest clinical advice is that it is highly unlikely that this mutation would fail to respond to a vaccine," Hancock said in remarks to the House of Commons. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday evening announced new and stricter social-distancing restrictions for Britain ahead of the winter holidays in response to the new outbreak. Britain has seen more than two million cases of the coronavirus and more than 67,000 people have died in the country from the disease. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Chinese Drones Are Spying on Americans

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/chinese-drones-are-spying-on-americans/

It is imperative that the U.S. government act quickly to stop it. The U.S. government at the federal, state, and local levels is using Chinese drones that the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting for espionage. That is the public conclusion of a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. Citing "security concerns," other departments have all-but-explicitly publicly made the same claims, and some have begun to take steps to limit the purchase of Chinese drones. Drones made in China and operated by Americans map U.S. infrastructure, agriculture, railroads, government buildings, power plants, disaster-relief operations, and the movements of law-enforcement officers. The data collected in those drone flights are believed to be sent back to China, where there is no divide between civil and military sectors. The Commerce Department's listing on Friday of one major Chinese drone company on the U.S. entities list makes it difficult for U.S. companies to buy its products and underscores the growing sense of urgency to end their access to the United States. But it is time to go further. The U.S. government at all levels should immediately stop purchasing Chinese drones and end Chinese drone companies' access to the U.S. commercial market. The U.S. dependence on Chinese drones and the parts that go into drones is unsustainable. While there are U.S. companies waiting to meet demand if Chinese drones are excluded from the American market, there are still too few of them to meet the U.S. government's needs, and some American drone companies still rely on cheap Chinese parts. This is one of the arguments against cutting off access to the Chinese drone market. But the risks to national security are too great to move slowly, and so in addition to cutting off access to the Chinese drone market, the U.S. should also expand existing Pentagon efforts to build an American and American-ally drone-manufacturing base that does not rely on Chinese-made parts. One can easily see how a national emergency or a conflict over the defense of democratic Taiwan could require ramping up the scale of production of drones. Depending on China for that should be out of the question. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord has been a champion for strengthening American sovereignty by developing an industrial base for critical technologies in the U.S. and in allied countries. At a recent Hudson Institute event with me, she touted the Pentagon's Trusted Capital Marketplace, which would expand the options for secure drone manufacturers. This initiative should become a top national-security priority across the U.S. government and private sectors. It's important to counter companies such as Da Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Company (DJI), a Chinese-owned drone behemoth headquartered in Shenzhen, China. It dominates the American drone market. Its low cost has boxed out the American and ally market, giving it a nearly two-thirds share in the United States and Canada. But DJI is more than just a market leader. Like other Chinese technology programs and companies such as Huawei, it also enables Chinese espionage and the Chinese surveillance state, specifically of the Xinjiang concentration camps. An August 2017 Los Angeles office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau memorandum says: "The Chinese government directorates most likely receiving the data from DJI's cloud are the offices responsible for defense, critical infrastructure, traffic controlling, and cyber offense . . ." Officials said they have "moderate confidence" that the DJI's commercial drones and software are "providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government." The flurry of other agency actions to slow the use of DJI drones suggests that officials now have more than "moderate" confidence this is occurring. Other government agencies, such as the Department of Defense — with few exceptions for some applications — have stopped using Chinese drones. As of this fall, the Department of Justice has also banned DOJ funds from being used to purchase them. The largest agency that uses drones is the Department of Interior. The DOI has more than 800 drones, all of which are either made in China or have Chinese parts. They use these drones for search and rescue, fighting wildfires, and dealing with other natural disasters that may threaten life or property. In October, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOI was grounding its entire fleet of aerial drones, citing a national-security risk from Chinese manufacturers. We are aware of some of DJI's ghastly cooperation inside of China. In 2017, just when U.S. officials were sounding alarm bells, DJI signed an agreement with the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Public Security Department (XARPSD) to deploy DJI drones for "stability maintenance" and "counter-terrorism." This summer, drone footage went viral on American social-media platforms that showed a DJI drone monitoring Chinese paramilitary police escorting Uyghur Muslims — shackled and blindfolded — at a train station in Xinjiang, a city notorious for its "re-education camp" where the Chinese government engages in rape, abortions, forced sterilization, torture, and other means of religious and cultural genocide. DJI was also eager to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic. This spring, it gave away free drones to 43 law-enforcement agencies in 22 U.S. states to outrageously enforce government social-distancing guidelines. That's right: The Chinese company that enabled China's government to monitor Chinese Muslims for compliance in concentration camps sought to enable U.S. governments to monitor Americans' behavior for compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some members of Congress have been tracking the issue and trying to legislatively mandate that the U.S. government stop using Chinese drones and end its dependency on Chinese component parts for the drone market. Last year, Senator Rick Scott (R., Fla.) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.) led a bipartisan coalition to introduce the American Security Drone Act. If enacted, it would, among other things, prohibit federal departments and agencies from buying any foreign commercial off-the-shelf drone or unmanned-aircraft system manufactured or assembled in countries identified as national-security threats. For unclear reasons, and despite a bipartisan consensus that helped place drone-security provisions in the House version of the recent defense bill, the Senate stripped them out. The final bill sent to President Trump's desk leaves the problem unaddressed. So DJI drones are still free to flood the U.S. market and send their images and data to the Chinese Communist Party. The bipartisan coalition focusing on this issue should expand and Congress should focus on the issue in the new year. In the meantime, with only a few weeks left of the Trump administration's term, Trump should issue an executive order addressing the national security risks of Chinese drones, and in particular DJI drones. The sooner we can get Chinese drones off the market, the safer we'll be.

There’s Nothing Unfair about Investigating the Bidens’ Shady Dealings

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/theres-nothing-unfair-about-investigating-the-bidens-shady-dealings/

n an interview with Stephen Colbert, who was inspired as an imaginary commentator but is insipid as a real one, President-elect Joe Biden blew off the investigation of his son, Hunter: "great confidence," "not concerned," nothing but "foul play," etc.

Trump Made Electoral Inroads in His Native NYC, with Help from Hispanics

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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-made-electoral-inroads-in-native-nyc-with-help-from-hispanics/

President Trump lost the popular vote in New York City to Joe Biden by 53 points, an expected rout in his hometown, but he did in fact improve on his 2016 performance against Hillary Clinton, who defeated him in the city by 61 points. An analysis by Politico indicates that support for Trump in 2020 rose in almost all assembly districts in the city relative to his 2016 performance. And in some districts, the swing was dramatic: the heavily Latino state-assembly district 86 in the Bronx, for example, swung almost 21 points in Trump's favor. Assembly district 35 in Queens, which partly overlaps with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's own congressional district, swung toward Trump by 18.7 points. Overall, Trump's support against the opposing Democratic candidate rose by 11.8 points in the Bronx, 8.6 points in Queens, and 7.6 points in Brooklyn, Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman noted. Only in the Republican stronghold of Staten Island did support for the president drop. Seth Barron, director of the NYC Initiative at the Manhattan Institute, told National Review that Trump's gains in New York City can be largely attributed to increased Latino support. The same is true of a number of states, particularly Florida and Texas, where the president built on his 2016 coalition. Mike Rendino, head of the Bronx GOP, said local Republicans attempted to reach out to as many areas of the borough as possible. Rendino stressed Trump's populism, as well as support for law and order following the summer's George Floyd riots, in explaining recent Republican support in parts of the Bronx that the party has historically overlooked. "You want to be a blue-collar conservative? Well, we're going to talk to them, we're going to talk to people in neighborhoods where we don't usually do that," Rendino told National Review. In Brooklyn, the swing toward Trump is more easily explained by his solidifying support in neighborhoods of ultra-Orthodox Jews and immigrants from the former Soviet Union. About a week prior to the election, a "caravan" of Trump-supporting Jews even made its way through ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in the city, culminating in a rally of roughly a thousand people and replete with Trump-Pence flags. Support for Trump was arguably galvanized in these neighborhoods amid discontent with restrictions on religious attendance imposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. The restrictions were imposed in an attempt to slow coronavirus spread through parts of Brooklyn, including in a number of predominantly Jewish neighborhoods in September; but the Supreme Court subsequently ruled that the restrictions unconstitutionally harmed religious freedoms. While there is some cautious optimism, local Republicans are skeptical that Trump's 2020 performance in New York City portends a broader reversal in the party's fortunes in the immediate future. New York voters have elected a crop of progressive politicians on the national, state, and city level in recent years and will likely continue to do so. Send a tip to the news team at NR. Zachary Evans is a news writer for National Review Online. He is a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces and a trained violist.

Are You Committing Blasphemy?

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/are-you-committing-blasphemy/

eligious liberty is necessary for a good and free people, but it is currently under siege around the world. There are more than a few contenders for the dishonorable crown of the nation most hostile to freedom of conscience. China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Pakistan, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Syria, Myanmar (Burma), Iraq, Tajikistan, Iran, and Nigeria are in the running. Each oppresses people of faith in one or more ways. Some of the contenders suppress belief in anything sacred other than the current rulers. Several systems kill or tolerate the killing of believers of various minority faiths.

The Facts about the COVID Vaccines and Fetal Cell Lines

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/the-facts-about-the-pfizer-and-moderna-vaccines-and-fetal-cell-lines/

For pro-life Americans, the scientific facts behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines' production should guide their decisions. Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is now being distributed — first to medical workers and vulnerable groups, then to the general public — in the United States. Moderna's product is expected to join it in the pipeline shortly. The beginning of the end is not just in sight: It's arrived. In time, the daily death counts, shutdowns, mask requirements, virtual events, and other pandemic-imposed restrictions and conditions of life will become a thing of the past. Some Americans harbor fears over the safety of these vaccines — reasonably, given how quickly they were produced. However, as I explained last week, these vaccines have been held to the same Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards as any other vaccine; the new, mRNA-based vaccine does nothing to change your DNA, as some skeptics have supposed; and they have proven just as effective among the elderly and infirm as among the young and healthy. Neither of the two pro-life advocates I spoke with on the topic — Dr. Joseph Meaney, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, or Dr. Tara Sander Lee, a senior fellow at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and director of its life-sciences program — felt it appropriate to direct others to make one decision or another. Instead, they encouraged individuals to consider all of the ethical factors at play so that they can come to an informed decision for themselves. Both doctors also draw a distinction between not only the kinds of cells used but the particular uses they are put to. There are no HEK 293 kidney cells in either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Dr. Lee told National Review that HEK 293s were involved only in the "post-production" process of the "final vaccine product": that is, they are not part of the vaccine but rather were test subjects used to help determine how effective it was. This is not the case for all the vaccine candidates. Some of the higher-profile products under development — by Janssen Research and Johnson & Johnson, as well as AstraZeneca and Oxford University, for example — are using fetal cells in the production process. In these vaccines, there is a "direct line" between the vaccine and abortion; that line does not exist in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Do alternatives exist? Dr. Lee says they do, "both for development and production, but also testing as well." These alternatives also "function in the same way and are readily available" for manufacturers' use. Nevertheless, fetal cell lines like HEK 293 are often chosen because "there's a lot of tradition in using them." As a result, they are both trusted by researchers and readily available to them. I'm inclined to agree that the benefits of getting the vaccine far outweigh the costs in this case. It is true that manufacturers will continue to use these cell lines without any pushback, but is a pandemic the time to take a stand even in the limited case of testing? When weighing costs, Americans should base their decisions on the facts.

Tulsi Gabbard Stands Up for Women’s Sports

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/tulsi-gabbard-stands-up-for-womens-sports/

When the 1972 Title IX amendment to the Civil Rights Act prohibiting "discrimination on the basis of sex" was first applied to federally funded athletics programs, a debate about affirmative action ensued. Conservatives worried that in requiring the ratio of male-to-female athletes to always be the same, equality of opportunity was conflated with equality of outcome, and men's sports teams across the country would be needlessly diminished (which indeed happened). Now, Title IX is coming for women's sports in the name of "gender identity," that nonsensical progressive policy permitting males to compete against females if and when they claim transgender status. The wisdom of this policy has become a matter of faith for almost every Democratic legislator. The first prominent dissent came only this month from Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii), who has introduced the "Protect Women's Sports Act" into the U.S. House of Representatives, (the Oklahoma Republican, Representative Markwayne Mullin, is a co-sponsor). In a statement, Gabbard said the bill "protects Title IX's original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex." Emphatically, this means preserving "equal opportunity for women and girls in high school and college sports," as well as holding to account those "states who are misinterpreting Title IX, creating uncertainty, undue hardship and lost opportunities for female athletes" by allowing males to dominate and displace them. She's absolutely right. On account of their elevated testosterone levels and androgenized bodies, males are generally stronger and faster than females; a fact reflected in the 10 to 30 percent performance gap in elite sports. But even in non-elite sports, it only takes a handful of male athletes to completely dominate the female field; a fact clearly demonstrated in Connecticut where two high-school-aged males (mediocre athletes in comparison with their male peers) deprived female competitors of 15 state championship titles and more than 85 opportunities to participate. In that particular case, the Trump administration's Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, as well as the Department of Justice, found after investigation that the state's policy had indeed violated Title IX. One can only hope that a Biden-Harris administration will not reverse this decision. In proposing the Protect Women's Sports Act, Gabbard and Mullin recognize the urgent need for legal protections for female athletes. As the Supreme Court's decision in relation to Title VII, Bostock v. Clayton County, unfortunately demonstrated, the logic of discrimination "on the basis of sex" is corruptible in various ways. In Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC (the transgender case in the Bostock package), the majority of the Court was ultimately convinced by the argument that "gender identity" is an offshoot of sex and that, in the context of employment, distinctions between the sexes can amount to discrimination. There is no reason this woeful logic can't be extended even more broadly. In education, the collapsing of sex-based distinctions began even more covertly in 2016 under the Obama administration's "guidance" to schools and colleges, telling them to expand the definition of sex to include "gender identity." The Equality Act, which Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have promised to pass within 100 days of office, would finish this job: overwriting sex with "gender identity" explicitly in federal anti-discrimination law and spelling the end of women's sports as we know it. Pushback against transgender sports policies is already being mounted at the state level. In March, Idaho became the first state to ban biologically male athletes from competing in female sports leagues, though the enforcement of that policy was soon halted by a federal district court at the behest of the ACLU. Again, a law such as the one Gabbard and Mullin propose would bring about a much-needed clarification about the meaning and purpose of Title IX and offer some protection to female athletes. Though the bill is obviously not going to pass a Democrat-controlled House, its symbolic value — Democratic dissent and a robust, nonpartisan defense of the principles of biological truth and fairness — ought not to be underestimated. The Editors comprise the senior editorial staff of the National Review magazine and website.

London Under Lockdown as U.K. Struggles to Contain New Coronavirus Strain

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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/london-under-lockdown-as-u-k-struggles-to-contain-new-coronavirus-strain/

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street, in London, England, October 14, 2020. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson placed London and parts of southeast England under a full lockdown Saturday as the government struggled to stop the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus. Johnson had planned to ease pandemic restrictions for five days around Christmas, but will now ban household mixing in London and southeast England and will restrict inter-household social gatherings in the rest of the country to just Christmas Day, according to Bloomberg News. The prime minister urged citizens to "stay local" and avoid traveling and placed hot-spot areas around London under new "Tier 4" restrictions beginning Sunday. Under the restrictions, all non-essential business will close, millions will be required to stay home and all foreign travel is banned except for essential purposes. The new rules will be reviewed on December 30. Evidence suggests the new virus strain that has emerged in the U.K. can spread more quickly than previous strains and is the driving force behind a recent spike in infections. Coronavirus case rates have almost doubled in the capital over the past week.  Nearly 60 percent of those infections have been caused by the new strain of the virus, government officials said. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Congress Passes Two-Day Spending Bill, Averting Shutdown as Stimulus Negotiations Continue

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Congress on Friday passed a two-day spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown while negotiators continue to work on a $900 billion stimulus-package compromise. House leaders are hoping to vote Sunday on the package, after having passed the temporary funding bill in a 320–60 vote. The Senate approved the stopgap bill by voice vote immediately and President Trump signed it late Friday. Lawmakers are still seeking to resolve a number of sticking points, however, including a dispute over Republicans' calls to bar the Federal Reserve from reinstating several pandemic relief programs and to potentially limit some of its ability to fight future financial crises. Senator Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) introduced a provision that would shut down more than $400 billion in potential Federal Reserve lending powers established under a relief bill passed in March. While Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is closing the programs at month's end, Toomey's effort would prohibit the Fed from reinstating the lending next year. The programs provided loans to small and mid-sized businesses and purchased state and local government bonds, strengthening those governments' abilities to borrow amid financial fallout from the pandemic. The potential stimulus deal would provide more than $300 billion in assistance to business and a $300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit, as well as the renewal of state benefits that are set to expire after Christmas. The package also includes $600 direct payments to individuals; funds for vaccine distribution and money for renters, schools, the Postal Service and people in need of food aid. The stimulus would be added to a $1.4 trillion government-wide appropriations bill that will fund federal agencies through September 2021. The bill is likely to include a final $1.4 billion in funding for Trump's U.S.–Mexico border wall in order to secure the president's approval. Republicans and Democrats have been in a political stalemate for months over the second round of coronavirus stimulus. Republicans' top priority was another round of "paycheck protection" payments to businesses and the renewal of state jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Meanwhile, Democrats have fought for relief for states and local governments, which Republicans have rejected. Democrats also pushed for a COVID-19 unemployment benefit equal to the one that was provided by the CARES Act, though the party has settled for a benefit that is just half the size. Biden has promised to secure another stimulus bill after taking office, though with party control of the Senate hinging upon the January 5 Georgia Senate runoff, Democrats may face an uphill battle if they don't win control of the upper chamber of Congress. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Dem Rep. Ayanna Pressley: Georgia GOP Senate Candidates are ‘the Bonnie and Clyde of Corruption’

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Pressley's comments came during an appearance on MSNBC's The ReidOut, while discussing "get out the vote" efforts for the January 5 Senate runoff elections in Georgia. The runoff election will determine party control of the Senate. If both Democratic candidates — Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff — defeat the incumbent senators, the Senate will be evenly divided, making Vice President–elect Kamala Harris the tiebreaking vote. Early voting began this week as nearly 168,000 Georgians cast their ballots in person. Meanwhile, 314,000 people cast absentee ballots on the first day of early voting. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Pompeo: Russia Is ‘Pretty Clearly’ Behind Massive Cyberattack on U.S.

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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pompeo-russia-is-pretty-clearly-behind-massive-cyberattack-on-u-s/

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that a cyberattack that compromised federal agencies and critical infrastructure this week was "pretty clearly" the work of Russia. "There was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of U.S. Government systems and now, it appears, systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well," Pompeo said in an appearance on the Mark Levin Show. "This was a very significant effort, and I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity," he added. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said Thursday that federal agencies and "critical infrastructure" had been compromised in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo. CISA previously said the attack had been carried out using network-management software from the Texas-based company SolarWinds to infiltrate computer networks, though it has since said the perpetrators may have used other methods as well. The U.S. State Department, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and facets of the Department of Defense have reported being affected by the hack, which may have lasted months. "At this point, the investigation has found that the malware has been isolated to business networks only, and has not impacted the mission-essential national-security functions of the Department, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)," Department of Energy Spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes told Fox News. More than 40 government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and IT companies were infiltrated by the attack, according to Microsoft, which has helped respond to the hack. The attack hit a number of organizations in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, as well, according to the tech giant. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

FDA Approves Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine

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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/fda-approves-modernas-coronavirus-vaccine/

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday formally granted emergency use approval for Moderna's coronavirus vaccine. The Moderna vaccine's approval comes one week after the agency granted emergency approval to Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, marking an important step in the fight against the virus as the U.S. continues to set a number of grim milestones. The Pfizer vaccine was rolled out to a number of health-care workers and long-term-care facility residents this week. The U.S. could see 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine distributed next week. The approval comes one day after an FDA advisory panel voted 20-0, with one abstention, to endorse Moderna's coronavirus vaccine and recommend that the agency move forward with emergency authorization. The panel found that the safety and efficacy of the vaccine outweigh the risks for use in people age 18 and older. Earlier this week the agency confirmed findings that two doses of the Moderna vaccine are 94 percent effective at preventing illness. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna's shots do not require extremely cold storage and come in smaller batches. Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Visiting My Local Museums after Months of COVID

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/visiting-my-local-museums-after-months-of-covid/

his past weekend, I visited my two local museums. The Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vt., about ten miles from my home, is the state's best museum of Vermont art and history. It's the perfect New England experience. Grandma Moses, Robert Frost, and Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys were all locals. Their heritage is a big part of the museum's art and storytelling. Frost and his family are horizontal in the old cemetery hugging the museum building. It dates from Vermont's earliest days and is next to one of New England's prettiest old churches.

A Whopper of an Election-Rigging Claim

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/a-whopper-of-an-election-rigging-claim/

ntrim County in Michigan was the kernel of the "rigged election" narrative: It was there that the county clerk, an earnest Republican woman, copped to a mistake that, for a short time, caused 6,000 Trump votes to be counted as Biden votes.

Showtime’s Pathetic Exercise in Reagan Bashing

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/showtimes-pathetic-exercise-in-reagan-bashing/

The network's The Reagans doc traffics in misstatements, partial truths, and strategic omissions to pin Trump's rise on the late president. In making its programming decisions for the interval between the end of the 2020 presidential election and the holiday season, the top brass at Showtime reverted to what had once been standard fare in Hollywood and elsewhere: Reagan bashing. Over four successive Sundays, the network released yet another hour of its tedious and repetitious documentary, The Reagans. Warning to the uninitiated: Do not mistake what comes before you as an update of anything like PBS's extraordinary presentation of Reagan and his era as part of its "American Experience" repertoire. What you see on Showtime is neither objective history nor a fair-minded attempt to review past controversies through the perspective of the present. Its creator, Matt Tyrnauer, to his credit, is straightforward about that. He is a man with a mission. His thesis is simple: that Ronald Reagan, through a series of "dog whistles," carefully woven into his rhetoric, paved the way for Donald Trump's angrier form of populism, with policies that promote white supremacy as the intended legacies of both presidents. Whatever history's final judgment of Trump may be, few would doubt that this is a lot to pin on Ronald Reagan. In comparing the two presidents, the creators overlook some essential facts: Reagan twice won the presidency in two landslides, both in the popular vote and in the Electoral College. Trump twice lost the popular vote and prevailed in Electoral College once and narrowly. Hidden in the numbers are the hopes and expectations the American people placed in both presidents and how the presidents regarded them. The only obvious similarity the documentary draws between Reagan and Trump is that both were entertainers. Both knew how to reach and move audiences, the filmmakers say — as if the calm reassuring Sunday night host of G.E. Theater, who entered into American living rooms every week after Ed Sullivan for eight years, was anything like the carnival-barking star of reality television, famous for his loud utterance of the two words: "You're fired!" Both had audiences, but they related to them in different ways. A former junior Democratic operative, Tyrnauer attempts to do to Reagan 16 years after his passing what his one-time superiors could not do to him in life: Bring him down. He will have as little success. To paint the portrait of the 40th president he presents, he had to excise other aspects of Reagan that detract from it. This is done though occasional misstatements, partial truths, and strategic omissions. Examples abound. The filmmaker presents, unexamined, California governor Pat Brown's contention that Ronald Reagan never disassociated himself from the conspiracy theory-based ("Know that Ike was ALWAYS Communist") John Birch Society. Never mind that Reagan did precisely that in a special issue of National Review a year before ending Brown's political career at the ballot box. Elsewhere in the series, several figures say or imply that Reagan's arms buildup was unnecessary, given that the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse before Reagan came to power. Really? No serious person engaged in the workings of national security and defense believed this when Reagan took office. And every Soviet and American official who wrote a memoir of the final days of the Cold War argued that it was defense increases, along with the emphasis Reagan placed on IT and SDI, that rendered the USSR unable to compete with the West. "Pain" is a word commonly used in the series, especially when referring to the economy during Reagan's time of office. When Reagan took office, inflation was running at over 12 percent, unemployment stood at over 10 percent, and mortgage rates were averaging above 13 percent. Reagan and the Federal Reserve concluded that higher-interest rates were the appropriate tool to tame inflation and were willing to endure a short recession to achieve this. The U.S. economy boomed under Reagan's pro-growth tax and deregulatory policies. Real GDP growth soared to 4.6 percent in 1983 and 7.2 percent in 1984 and remained above 3.5 percent every year in Reagan's second term. In the course of Reagan's administration, 18.1 million nonfarm jobs were produced, the unemployment rate fell by one-half from 10.8 percent to 5.3 percent, and the labor-force participation rate rose from 64.1 percent to 66.1 percent as more women entered the labor force. All of this will come as news to the documentary's viewers. Structural poverty among those in certain segments of the population was a challenge that confronted every president from at least Carter through Obama, with Reagan being no exception. Tyrnauer and his team turn their sharpest swords upon Reagan on matters pertaining to race. In an interview with the New York Times, the filmmaker voiced dismay that, while other politicians, to whom he ascribes the same attitudes as he does Reagan, have been "held to account" (presumably before the bar of history), Reagan has not. Tyrnauer sees rectifying this as his major mission. He fails, however, because he takes his hypothesis as his conclusion, and his subject's record easily eludes such a conclusion. He even neglects a staple of documentary filmmaking: he shies away from testimony of those people who have spent large portions of their careers investigating Reagan. Those who seek to come to terms with Reagan and race inevitably have to tackle certain givens: that he was not always consistent, that he was capable of changing his mind on issues, and that he had the capacity to improvise as he went. All this was also true of his hero Franklin D. Roosevelt. Reagan had misgivings about establishing a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., but he signed the measure into law with considerable fanfare and follow-up. Reagan started out thinking that the Voting Rights Act had achieved its objective, but ended up negotiating its renewal. In a recently televised film about the late representative John Lewis, the congressman tells of receiving a telephone call from the White House. "Was he available to meet with the president?" a voice inquired. He had not previously met Reagan. As Lewis entered the Oval Office, Reagan called out, "John, we were just talking about you." Reagan escorted his guest to a gathering of awaiting school children. "I wanted them to meet a man who actually changed history," he told them. We have heard much in recent years about the lack of empathy our current president has exhibited, especially toward those affected by COVID. If Trump suffers a deficit in this department, Reagan had an abundance of it. His message during the Challenger tragedy and address before the "Boys of Pointe Du Hoc" will long remain in the pantheon of inspiring and inspirational presidential addresses. And whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way. Alvin S. Felzenberg — Mr. Felzenberg writes about American politics. His most recent book is A Man and His Presidents: The Political Odyssey of William F. Buckley Jr.

Regulations Won’t Save America’s Favorite Butterfly

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/regulations-wont-save-americas-favorite-butterfly/

Keeping the monarch butterfly off the endangered species list may be key to its recovery. In a long-awaited decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week that it will not list the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agency noted that the iconic insect's population has plummeted in recent decades and warrants federal protections, but that it declined to list the monarch now because it's too busy with other, higher-priority species. Despite outrage from some environmentalists, this outcome could be good news for the beloved orange and black butterfly, whose recovery will ultimately depend on the voluntary efforts of states and private landowners, not regulatory edicts from Washington. When it comes to recovering imperiled wildlife, the ESA has a dreadful record. While it's true that only 1 percent of the species listed under the act have gone extinct, just 3 percent have recovered. The law may be good at halting activities that harm species, but its punitive approach does little to encourage people to proactively create or restore habitats. In fact, it often does the exact opposite. Most species remain on the list indefinitely, never quite falling off the precipice to extinction, but almost never backing away from the cliff's edge, either. This is especially vexing and troublesome when it comes to the monarch, whose survival depends on the goodwill of landowners across the nation. The butterfly is found in every state in the lower 48 and relies on habitats ranging from rural prairies to urban gardens. The insect's famous annual migration from Mexico to Canada hinges on the presence of milkweed — the sole food source for its caterpillars. But the weed is in short supply today, in part due to increased herbicide use. Federal protections for the monarch would all but squash a voluntary habitat-exchange program established by the Environmental Defense Fund that compensates farmers and ranchers for planting milkweed near their fields or pastures. Other voluntary monarch-friendly efforts undertaken from Texas to Minnesota could similarly be affected. Conservationists have, therefore, started looking to a variety of nonregulatory strategies to avoid the perverse incentives that come with a formal listing. Likewise, earlier this year, state and federal officials struck an agreement — 18 months in the making — to allow transportation departments and utility companies to plant flowers along roads and other rights-of-way without fear of being punished with land-use restrictions if the monarch is eventually listed. These efforts underscore just how far conservationists must go to bypass the unfortunate effects of the ESA. For species such as the monarch that rely on private lands, successful conservation often means doing anything other than listing the species under the very law meant to protect them. If environmentalists are concerned about recovering species — not just controlling land use — they must acknowledge the need for better incentives to help at-risk species thrive. Recent administrative reforms, particularly one that gives the Fish and Wildlife Service leeway to tailor specific rules for threatened species, are promising and could improve the status quo. If the agency later proposes to formally list the monarch, it could craft a tailored rule to ensure actions intended to help the species — such as planting milkweed — are not penalized, avoiding some of the counterproductive effects of blunt, punitive regulation. But when policy success requires bespoke carve outs for each individual case, it's a good sign that the policy needs to be fixed. The default approach to endangered-species policy should be to reward — or at the very least, to avoid punishing — people who provide important and hospitable habitats. As the plight of the monarch indicates, we still have a long way to go in making rare species assets worth protecting rather than liabilities to be avoided. Mr. Regan is vice president of research at the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in Bozeman, Mont. Mr. Watkins is a research fellow at PERC.

Notre Dame 'earned its way' to No. 4 seed in College Football Playoff, official says

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Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Notre Dame sneaked into the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff on Sunday, edging out teams like Texas A&M and Cincinnati, and will have to play Alabama in the semifinal. College Football Playoff committee chairman Gary Barta told ESPN what was separating the teams. Notre Dame lost to Clemson on Saturday, Texas A&M only had one loss which was to Alabama, and Cincinnati finished undefeated but plays games in the American Athletic Conference. On the surface, it appeared the committee penalized the Bearcats for playing in a Group of Five Conference instead of a Power Five Conference. "Well, I don't know that anything held them back. The committee has great respect for Cincinnati. They're undefeated. They won their conference championship last night in a last-second field goal. A terrific team, but it's comparing them to the six teams you see on your board. And it was just believed by the committee that those resumes are stronger, overall, than Cincinnati's resume," Barta added. There are definitely some frustrations among the teams that didn't get  in. But there's one thing for certain, Alabama is the best team in the nation and each of opponent is going to have a tough time against them.

Murray, Hopkins lead Cardinals past Eagles 33-26

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/murray-hopkins-lead-cardinals-past-eagles-33-26

FOX NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson previews Week 15. Kyler Murray threw for a career-high 406 yards, DeAndre Hopkins had 169 yards receiving and a stellar touchdown catch, and the Arizona Cardinals improved their position in the playoff race by beating the Philadelphia Eagles 33-26 on Sunday. Arizona (8-6) won its second straight game as it tries to make the postseason for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals are in third place in their division behind the Rams and Seahawks and would currently be the No. 7 and final seed in the NFC playoffs. The Eagles (4-9-1) trailed 16-0 in the first quarter but rallied to tie the game at 26 in the third quarter after quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a 7-yard touchdown. Arizona responded with its go-ahead touchdown drive capped by Hopkins' spectacular 20-yard grab. Cornerback Michael Jacquet was playing tight defense on the play, but Hopkins wrestled the ball away and held on with one hand as he fell past the pylon into the end zone. Murray completed 27 of 36 passes, with three touchdowns and one interception. Hurts, making his second career start, completed 24 of 44 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He had a lot of good moments, but couldn't lead the Eagles to any points on their last two offensive drives. Philadelphia made it to the Cardinals 31-yard line on the final drive, and Hurts threw two passes into the end zone on the final two plays, but they fell incomplete. The Cardinals pushed to a 26-20 lead in an entertaining first half. Murray threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, while Hurts responded with 177 yards passing and three touchdowns. Arizona led 16-0 late in the first quarter after a 6-yard pass from Murray to Edmonds. The Cardinals got great field position when Zeke Turner darted up the middle and blocked a Philadelphia punt. The ball deflected backward several yards and out of bounds, giving Arizona possession at the Eagles 6. The Cardinals also missed a great opportunity when Hopkins fumbled at the Eagles 8 after catching a short pass from Murray. But the Eagles couldn't move the ball on the ensuing drive and Hurts panicked on third down, throwing the ball away while in the end zone. The quarterback was flagged for intentional grounding, which resulted in a safety. Murray's 8-yard touchdown run made it 9-0. Greg Ward caught two of Philadelphia's first-half touchdowns while Quez Watkins had the other when he caught a short pass and spun outside before running 32 yards to the end zone. The Eagles' second touchdown was set up by Murray's costly fumble at the Arizona 21-yard line. Philadelphia was playing without three of its four starters in the secondary because of injuries. Larry Fitzgerald made a spectacular catch for his first touchdown of the season to push the Cardinals ahead 26-14 in the second quarter. The 36-year-old Fitzgerald has 12 touchdowns in 10 career games against Philadelphia. The receiver has caught a pass in 255 straight games, the second-longest streak in NFL history behind Jerry Rice (274). Fitzgerald's 14-yard catch from Kyler Murray pushed the Cardinals ahead 26-14 late in the second quarter. The Eagles responded with a 5-yard pass from Jalen Hurts to Greg Ward to pull within 26-20. With punter/holder Cameron Johnston sidelined, tight end Zach Ertz became the holder but a bad snap foiled the extra point. Eagles: TE Richard Rodgers (shin) was carted to the locker room near the end of the first quarter. ... DL Josh Sweat (wrist) left in the first half. ... Johnston was evaluated for a head injury in the third quarter. Cardinals: TE Maxx Williams (ankle) left close to the end of the first half and didn't return. The Eagles travel to face the Cowboys next Sunday. The Cardinals host the 49ers in their final home game of the season on Saturday.

Jets edge Rams 23-20, avoid winless season

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jets-edge-rams-23-20-avoid-winless-season

FOX NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson previews Week 15. Sam Darnold passed for 207 yards and the New York Jets finally earned the first victory of their miserable season Sunday, holding on for a 23-20 win that erased the possibility of the third winless 16-game season in NFL history. Frank Gore rushed for an early touchdown and made a decisive third-down reception with 2:05 left for the Jets (1-13), who also ended the longest losing streak in franchise history with a strong start and a gritty finish at SoFi Stadium. Embattled coach Adam Gase got his first win of the year only after New York blew most of a 17-point lead in the second half. The Jets' defense stopped the Rams on downs at midfield with 3:54 to play before Darnold hit Gore with a short pass over the middle to convert a third down that allowed the Jets to run out the clock. New York might have ruined its chances at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft because Jacksonville (1-13) is likely to win a tiebreaker based on strength of schedule. But possibly missing the chance to draft Trevor Lawrence meant nothing to the celebrating Jets, who were thrilled to avoid the ignominy of a winless year. Darnold, the Jets' embattled third-year quarterback, looked right at home in his first pro game in his native Southern California. The former USC Trojans star went 22 of 31 with a touchdown pass and no interceptions. New York had a 13-3 lead at halftime after holding the Rams to 97 yards, and the Jets led 20-3 midway through the third quarter. Los Angeles chipped the deficit down to three points. Sam Ficken kicked three field goals for the Jets, whose 32nd-ranked offense put up only 289 yards against the NFL's No. 1 defense — but scored enough points to win. Of the nine teams in NFL history to start 0-13, the Jets were the fourth to win in Week 15. Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee caught TD passes for the Rams (9-5) in the most humiliating loss of coach Sean McVay's largely successful four seasons in charge. Jared Goff passed for 209 yards for Los Angeles, which could have clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the NFL's worst team after an extra-long week of rest. The Rams had won four of five to surge to the top of the NFC West, but their inconsistent offense was inept, while their elite defense wasn't sharp, allowing the Jets to convert seven third downs. The Rams still can win the division if they can beat the Seahawks in Seattle next week, but their task got exponentially harder. The Jets started out just as impressively as they usually do, marching for a score on their eighth consecutive opening possession. New York went 74 yards capped by an 18-yard catch-and-run by Ty Johnson for his first career receiving TD. New York tacked on two field goals after a blocked punt and an interception by Bryce Hall, who made an exceptional play to fool Goff into the quarterback's 12th interception. The Rams' offense was largely ineffective for the entire first half, managing just 63 yards until a drive shortly before halftime led to Matt Gay's 45-yard field goal at the gun. Goff was tentative and inaccurate, while his offensive line struggled to protect him or to create holes for the running game. New York opened the second half with a clock-consuming drive capped by a TD push on fourth down from the 1 by Gore, who scored the 16th TD of his career against the Rams. Los Angeles' offense finally awoke with a long drive culminating in Woods' 15-yard TD catch. New York added its third field goal, but Higbee caught a 3-yard TD pass with 13:47 to play. Cam Akers' 18-yard rush for a TD with 7:35 to play was wiped out by a holding penalty, and former Rams lineman John Franklin-Myers got a key sack that forced the Rams to kick another field goal with 6:35 left. Nsimba Webster's huge punt return put the Rams in Jets territory moments later, but the New York defense held with help from penalties. Safety Marcus Maye made a beautiful deflection of a pass intended for Gerald Everett on fourth down when the Rams elected to go for it instead of trying a long tying field goal. Jets: DL Quinnen Williams left in the second half to be evaluated for a head injury. ... WR Jeff Smith injured his shoulder in the second half. Rams: Akers injured his ankle in the first half, but returned. ... Everett was evaluated for a concussion late in the first half. Jets: Host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Rams: Visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Patriots eliminated from playoff contention for first time since 2008

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/patriots-eliminated-playoff-contention-2020

FOX NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson previews Week 15. The New England Patriots are a shining example of success and have been a pillar of dominance in the AFC since 2000, but their streak of making the playoffs came to an end Sunday. The Patriots fell to the Miami Dolphins, 22-12, in their Week 15 NFL matchup guaranteeing the team at least an 8-8 record in 2022, but also eliminating any hope of sneaking into the NFL playoffs. Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa ran for two touchdowns and also passed for 145 yards in the win. Salvon Ahmed led Miami with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown as well. But it was New England that couldn't get the offense in high gear. Cam Newton was 17-for-27 with 209 passing yards and was sacked three times. He didn't turn the ball over. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers had the lone fumble in the game. Meyers did finish the game with seven catches for 111 yards. Sony Michel led the Patriots on the ground with 74 yards on 10 carries. Kicker Nick Folk scored all the points for the Patriots. He was 4-for-4 with his field goal attempts. The Patriots were hit with the double whammy of losing a playoff spot and the AFC East division title. The Patriots last missed out on both in 2008 despite going 11-5. Tom Brady was injured in the first week of the season and New England was forced to start Matt Cassel. Since Bill Belichick took over as head coach in 2000, the Patriots only had missed the playoffs three times before Sunday.

CDC advisory group recommends next COVID-19 vaccinations for front-line essential workers, older adults

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/cdc-advisory-group-recommends-next-covid-19-vaccinations-for-front-line-essential-workers-older-adults

Front-line essential workers and those ages 75 and older will be next in line to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to new recommendations Sunday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The committee voted 13-to-1 in favor of the recommendations, which will now go to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield for final approval. Once the recommendations are accepted by Redfield, they are expected to be published in the CDC's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly" report this week then shared as official CDC guidance. The so-called Phase 1B group is estimated to include about 49 million people, or nearly 15% of Americans. According to a list provided by ACIP, roughly 30 million front-line essential workers, or those in sectors "essential to the functioning of society and are at substantially higher risk of exposure" to COVID-19, will be part of the group. These workers include first responders, such as firefighters and police officers, educational staff, such as teachers and daycare workers, food and agricultural manufacturers, corrections workers, U.S. Postal service workers, public transit workers and grocery store workers. About 19 million adults ages 75 and older also are included in the high priority group. They account for 25% of hospitalizations and a significant share of deaths from the coronavirus. In addition, the committee voted on who will be prioritized in Phase 1C. This group includes 129 million Americans, or over one-third of the country, including people between the ages of 65 and 74, people between the ages of 16 and 64 with high-risk underlying conditions like obesity and cancer. Roughly 57 million other essential workers will be in the group from areas including transportation and logistics, food service, shelter and housing (construction), finance, information technology and communications, energy, media, legal, public safety (engineers) and water and wastewater. The shots are expected in the coming weeks, depending on how quickly a sufficient number of people in Phase 1A are vaccinated. Henry Bernstein, a pediatrician at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Cohen Children's Medical Center, gave the sole no vote, arguing that the second priority group should include those starting at age 65, due to their risks being similar to those 75 and older. ACIP member and the CDC's chief medical officer, Dr. Kathleen Dooling, noted that "difficult choices have to be made" when recommending the specific groups for each phase due to a limited supply of vaccines available. In determining who should be next in line, the committee said it took into account input from a wide variety of scientists, ethicists and vaccination experts, as well as the general public. Several ACIP members called on the federal government to provide additional funding to public-health departments to help deliver vaccines to people who don't have regular access to healthcare or who are unable to take time off to visit a doctor's office. "My concern is that without this funding, the equitable distribution of vaccine to the groups that have been identified as at greatest risk could be jeopardized," said Robert Atmar, a professor of infectious diseases at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston said. The panel's recommendation comes after the U. S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Modern'a COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. FedEx began shipping Moderna vaccine doses on Sunday morning. Moderna's vaccine is the second to be greenlit for use after Pfizer and BioNTech received FDA approval earlier this month. The CDC said Sunday that 556,208 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine have been administered in the United States so far. The United States has surpassed 17.8 million coronavirus cases, with more than 317,000 Americans who have died due to COVID-19, according to the latest update from Johns Hopkins University.

Students gives San Francisco teacher a surprise thank you over Zoom

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/san-francisco-thank-you-zoom

A seventh-grade English teacher in San Francisco was surprised Thursday with a coordinated show of gratitude by her students during a virtual classroom lesson. Jaclyn Alagna, 35, was in the middle of her instruction via Zoom when her 35 students from the St. Brendan Parish School each began to say "Thank You" while holding handmade signs. The shows of thanks were coordinated by the students and teachers aide Tori Palmer, Alagna said. She first met her class over a computer when the schoolyear began as the coronavirus pandemic forced many schools to switch to virtual classrooms months earlier in March. The Massachusetts native finally taught them in person after the Thanksgiving break when the school began a hybrid system where students come in for class two days each week.

Four missing Texas children found, suspect may still be at large

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Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Four Texas children abducted and considered in grave danger have been found hours after an Amber Alert was issued for them. The alert was issued Sunday morning for Gabriella Garcia, 10; Julian Garcia, 7; Sebastian Garcia, 3; and Giovanna Garcia, 2, who had been missing for several days. The four children were last seen the evening of Dec. 15 in an Austin neighborhood, according to KXAN, the NBC TV station in Austin. In order to issue the Amber Alert, law enforcement must believe that the child or children are in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death. The children were reportedly unharmed, and the alert has been canceled. The matter is being handled civilly through Child Protective Services, KWTX, the CBS TV station in Waco reported. Police have not said if they detained Cesar Giovanna Garcia, the 32-year-old suspect wanted in relation to the kidnapping. Garcia reportedly has several previous arrests and charges dating back to 2008, including theft, evading arrest, driving with a suspended license and multiple assaults. Garcia was last seen driving a white 2011 Chevrolet C15100 truck with a Texas license plate of NNM1622 in the Austin area.

Ravens' Dez Bryant scores first TD since 2017 in win vs. Jaguars

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ravens-dez-bryant-scores-first-td-since-2017-in-win-vs-jaguars

FOX NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson previews Week 15. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant threw up the ‘X' on Sunday afternoon. Bryant caught an 11-yard touchdown reception as quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns and added 35 yards and one score on the ground in Baltimore's dominating 40-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bryant hauled in his only reception of the game on the left side of the end zone late in the first half. It was Bryant's first touchdown reception since December of 2017, while a member of the Dallas Cowboys, in a game against the New York Giants. Bryant, who missed the 2018 season, signed with the Ravens this season as a free agent. He made his way back onto the field after missing the last two weeks due to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Ravens rolled to their third-straight victory after they were previously on a three-game skid. Rookie running back J.K. Dobbins ran for 64 yards and a score in the win. The Jaguars, on the other hand, were led by quarterback Gardner Minshew, who made his first start since Oct. 25. Minshew returned from a thumb injury and threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, but he was sacked five times and lost a fumble. The Ravens (9-5) will take on the New York Giants next week.

Pollard scores 2 with Elliott out, Cowboys beat 49ers 41-33

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/pollard-scores-2-with-elliott-out-cowboys-beat-49ers-41-33

FOX NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson previews Week 15. Tony Pollard ran for two touchdowns with Ezekiel Elliott sidelined by an injury for the first time in the two-time rushing champion's career, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-33 on Sunday. Four of the seven Dallas scores were set up by turnovers from the 49ers (5-9), who guaranteed themselves becoming the second Super Bowl runner-up in the past 13 seasons to finish with a losing record the next year. The Cowboys (5-9) kept faint playoff hopes alive in a matchup of longtime rivals with a rich playoff history that was moved out of prime time with both teams starting the day in last place in their divisions. Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns, and Greg Zuerlein kicked a tiebreaking field goal early in the fourth quarter after the second interception by Nick Mullens, who was replaced by C.J. Beathard. Beathard handled the last two possessions and threw a 49-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Kendrick Bourne on the final play. Mullens also lost a fumble that led to one of two early touchdowns for a 14-0 Dallas lead a week after the backup quarterback had a fumble and interception returned for TDs in a loss to Washington. Jeff Wilson's 1-yard run for San Francisco tied the game at 24 late in the third quarter on one of the Niners' four TD drives of 75 yards. Rookie Brandon Aiyuk and Jordan Reed had short TD catches to cap drives earlier in the game. Mullens had a chance to lead the 49ers to a tiebreaking score, but safety Donovan Wilson's first career interception put Dallas in position for the lead. After three straight incompletions, Zuerlein kicked a 46-yarder for a 27-24 lead. Anthony Brown had the second pick of Mullens, and Pollard broke loose for a clinching 40-yard score. Pollard, who had a 1-yard TD plunge early, finished with 69 yards. Elliott has been battling a calf injury for weeks and was declared out before the game. The 49ers had at least two turnovers for the eighth straight game, their longest streak since 2008. After San Francisco kicked a field goal on second down to cut its deficit to a touchdown in the final minute, CeeDee Lamb grabbed the onside kick and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. Dallas long snapper L.P. Ladouceur set an NFL record for regular-season games by a Canadian-born player, making his 251st game official on a first-quarter punt. The 39-year-old Montreal native broke kicker Eddie Murray's record of 250 games from 1980-2000. 49ers: RB Raheem Mostert left with an ankle injury. He's missed four games because of an ankle injury this season. ... S Jimmie Ward sustained a concussion late in the first half and didn't return. ... DE Dion Jordan injured a knee and didn't return. Cowboys: S Xavier Woods left with a chest injury and didn't return. ... LB Leighton Vander Esch injured an ankle in the third quarter. ... DT Antwaun Woods injured his left ankle in the first half. ... WR Michael Gallup, who had a first-half touchdown catch, injured a hip in the second half and didn't return. 49ers: At Arizona in an actual road game Saturday in the stadium that has become San Francisco's temporary home. It will be the sixth of seven straight games outside of California to finish the season after Santa Clara County banned contact sports over COVID-19 issues. Cowboys: The final home game next Sunday against Philadelphia.

Freshman Brown leads No. 11 Texas past Oklahoma State 77-74

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/freshman-brown-leads-no-11-texas-past-oklahoma-state-77-74

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Freshman Greg Brown scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help No. 11 Texas beat Oklahoma State 77-74 on Sunday in its Big 12 opener. Brown made four free throws during the final 37 seconds as Texas (7-1) survived a late Oklahoma State rally that included two 3-point baskets by Bryce Williams in the final 11 seconds. Brown made a pair of 3-pointers during a 17-0 Texas run in the second half. He also had three blocks in the game. Brown, one of the top 10 ranked recruits in the country, scored 18 and 17 in his previous two games after not having more than 11 in his first five. Andrew Jones matched his career best with 22 points, and Matt Coleman scored 15 for Texas. Oklahoma State (6-2, 0-2 Big 12) freshman Cade Cunningham scored 25 points, including 13 of 14 for the Cowboys as they tried to erase what was once a 13-point deficit. Williams added 13 for Oklahoma State. Texas trailed 34-29 after a dismal first half of half-court offense against Oklahoma State's zone. The Longhorns shot 32.4% and missed 13 of 16 3-point attempts. They committed nine turnovers. Their defense wasn't particularly effective, either. Oklahoma State hit 48.3% in the half and outscored Texas 26-14 in the paint. Texas, 4 for 18 on 3-pointers five minutes into the second half, suddenly heated up, making three in a row, one by Coleman and the two by Brown. Then Brown added a pair of free throws, Donovan Williams scored in the lane, Jones hit a 3-pointer, and Texas had the 17-0 streak and a 13-point lead with less than 11 minutes remaining. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys won their first six games, including one at Marquette. Then they slipped in the Big 12 opener, losing 77-76 to TCU in Stillwater on Wednesday despite leading by eight with 2:21 remaining. After a pretty strong first 25 minutes, they were temporarily steamrolled by Texas before making a comeback. Texas: The Longhorns often struggled to generate effective half-court offense during Shaka Smart's first five seasons as coach. This season, his sixth, has been better, significantly at times, the offense improved with veteran guards in charge. After that rough first half against Oklahoma State, the Longhorns were much better in the second, shooting 45 percent. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys are at No. 14 Texas Tech on Jan. 2, their second straight game against a ranked team. Texas: The Longhorns host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 29.

Stimulus Deal Provides Economic Relief, for Now

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/business/economy/stimulus-bill-congress.html

The congressional agreement on Sunday on another dose of aid to fuel the slowing economic recovery has probably spared millions of Americans from a winter of poverty and kept the country from falling back into recession. For much of the economy — especially people and industries that have been insulated from the worst effects of the pandemic — it may provide a bridge to a vaccine-fueled rebound. That is especially likely if the vaccine is quickly and widely distributed, and the swelling number of coronavirus cases doesn't force another round of widespread shutdowns. The injection of money comes months too late for tens of thousands of failed businesses, however, and it may not be enough to sustain unemployed workers until the labor market rebounds. Moreover, it could be the last help from Washington the economy gets anytime soon. The package requires a vote in both houses, and its text was still being finalized on Sunday. But it is expected to include most of the elements that economists have long said were crucial to avoiding further calamity and aiding a recovery. It extends unemployment benefits for millions at risk of losing them, and adds money to their checks to help pay their bills. It revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which kept many small businesses afloat last spring. It continues the eviction moratorium and expanded nutrition benefits that have kept many of the most vulnerable families fed and housed during the crisis, according to a statement on Sunday evening from the Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate. It also provides a new round of direct payments to most Americans. That element was a lower priority for many economists, since many families have maintained their jobs and income through the highly unequal rebound from the shutdowns of the spring. Still, the checks will inject billions of dollars into the economy and will help people who have kept jobs but lost hours or income. But the aid may not be sufficient to propel the economy beyond the kind of grinding rebound that followed recent recessions. Already, there are signs that the crisis is leaving a lasting economic toll: Long-term joblessness is rising, racial gaps are widening and more people — particularly women — are leaving the labor force. The cash payments in the new package — up to $600 a person for households and a $300 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits — are half the size of what Congress provided last spring. That means they will provide less of an economic jolt, and won't do as much to help replenish the savings of jobless workers getting by on benefits that typically total a few hundred dollars a week. And two programs — one for those not covered by traditional unemployment insurance, and another that provides aid after state benefits expire — will be extended for less than three months. So millions of jobless Americans will lose crucial support if hiring does not pick up significantly in the meantime. The recovery may also be hurt by what Congress chose not to do. Looming largest is negotiators' inability to reach agreement on hundreds of billions of dollars to patch holes in state and local budgets that have cost 1.3 million jobs since March. Forecasters say the shortfall in revenue makes continuing layoffs likely. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and congressional Democrats have characterized the aid package as a down payment to avoid short-term economic harm, an effort that should be followed by further aid to ensure a robust recovery. But Republican opposition — and rising optimism that vaccine deployment could begin to arrest the pandemic and kick-start tourism, live events, indoor dining and other slumping industries early in the new year — makes it likely that Congress will have a hard time passing another large aid package. Achieving that goal in Mr. Biden's early days as president could hinge on whether Democrats win two runoff elections in Georgia that will determine control of the Senate. Lawmakers reached quick agreement on the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March, but they were deadlocked for months on a second round of relief after the Democratic-controlled House passed a $3 trillion version in May. The delay took a toll on the recovery, hurting both households and business owners. The recovery got off to a fast start when businesses began to reopen in May and June, but it has slowed sharply, and in recent weeks there have been signs that it is going into reverse. Layoffs are rising, retail sales are falling and the surge in virus cases has led many states to reimpose restrictions on business and consumer activity. Data from business owners collected by Alignable, an online network for small businesses, showed steady improvement in their operations over the summer as the economy reopened — and then renewed distress since September as aid dried up, virus cases rose and consumers pulled back. "A lot of these businesses that thought they saw the light at the end of the tunnel in June or July are now looking back and realizing it was just a train heading at them," said Eric Groves, Alignable's chief executive. An analysis of 40,000 small businesses tracked by Homebase, which provides scheduling and time tracking software for businesses, shows that nearly half of companies that shut down in March, at the dawn of the pandemic, either did not reopen or reopened but then shut down again. The smallest businesses were the most likely to stay closed or close again, said Jesse Rothstein of the University of California, Berkeley, who is on the team of economists that studied the data. For the businesses that survived, the new aid package revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers forgivable loans to employers. But it isn't clear whether the aid will come in time or be sufficient to save businesses that have been pushed to the brink, said Kenan Fikri, director of research at the Economic Innovation Group in Washington. There are reasons for optimism. The economy has proved more resilient than many forecasters expected earlier this year. The unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent in November from a high of nearly 15 percent in April, and economists, including those at the Fed, have repeatedly raised their economic projections. Many businesses have found new ways to operate; the recent increase in layoffs is far less severe than the job losses in the spring. That resilience is partly a result of earlier rounds of government aid, which proved to have lasting benefits. Household savings swelled in the spring when stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits began appearing in Americans' bank accounts, and while they have since fallen, the typical family's checking account balance in October remained above pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the JPMorgan Chase Institute. But the effects have not been evenly spread — and even if the latest round of relief helps achieve a full recovery, scars will remain. Account balances have fallen fastest for low-wage workers, who have been hit hardest by job losses during the pandemic and who were most likely to rely on the $600 federal benefit supplement that ended in July. Researchers estimate that millions of families have slipped into poverty during the pandemic. While a new round of government aid could lift many of them back above the poverty line, they say, there will still be lasting effects. "The best-case scenario is we look back on this and say, ‘Well, an ounce of prevention would have been worth a pound of cure,'" said Elizabeth Ananat, an economist at Barnard College who has studied the effects of the pandemic on low-income households. Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.

Trump Administration Is Criticized Over Proposal to Split Cyberoperations Leadership

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/politics/nsa-cyber-command-russia-hack.html

Responsibility for defending the country from cyberattacks is spread across different parts of the government. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting civilian agencies and advises states, companies and utilities. The F.B.I. investigates cyberattacks. The N.S.A., which by law can operate only overseas, goes deep into foreign networks but is also responsible for securing national security systems, like communications with the nuclear arsenal. Cyber Command is a military operation responsible for offensive military activity and defending military services from cyberattacks. Last month, Mr. Trump dismissed Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the Homeland Security Department, for declaring that the presidential election had been one of the best run in United States history. On CNN on Sunday, Mr. Krebs said that he had no inkling of the Russian attack and that American sensors had not been devised to detect this kind of supply-chain intrusion. All of that would seem to raise questions that Mr. Trump would want to address in his last month. Instead, on Saturday he muddied the intelligence conclusion that the Russians were at the center of the hack, suggesting that it could have been China. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that no decisions had been made and that the acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, and his top aides were reviewing the proposal. The official said the Cyber Command proposal was part of a broader review of several defense organization portfolios that Mr. Miller was rushing to complete before Mr. Trump leaves office. The official said the Pentagon was not acting under pressure from the White House.

Hospitals Are Still Facing Shortages of Masks and Other Protective Gear

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/health/covid-ppe-shortages.html

The incoming administration, he said, is exploring ways to take over the distribution of testing supplies and medical gear. They are also seeking to create financial incentives and "buy American" policies to boost the handful of domestic companies that make P.P.E., he said. Mr. Biden would not hesitate to embrace the Defense Production Act, Dr. Bright said, though he did not provide details on how it would be employed. Industry executives say the only way to guarantee the United States has a reliable supply of high-quality masks and other medical gear is to recognize the sector as essential for national security, similar to the Pentagon's approach for ensuring companies that make fighter jet components and military uniforms remain viable even in peacetime. That could mean providing loans and subsidies to domestic companies, mandating that state and national stockpiles acquire American-made medical products, and perhaps requiring hospital chains to source some of their supplies from homegrown manufacturers. Dan DeLay, who oversees procurement at CommonSpirit Health, the nation's second-largest nonprofit hospital chain, said the pandemic had opened his eyes to the importance of domestic supplies. But, he said, it can be challenging to convince hospital executives to buy American-made protective gear, which can cost 40 percent more than goods manufactured overseas. "If we're serious about domestic manufacturing, we're going to have to make a serious investment that is sustained over the long haul in case something like this happens again," he said. For now, the legions of exhausted health care workers are focused on getting through the current crisis. Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, said the monthslong shortages had left many members feeling unappreciated and angry. Ms. Turner, who is also an I.C.U. nurse at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minn., recalled the days before the pandemic, when nurses were given an N95 mask for each patient. These days, she frequently hears from nurses forced to use the masks up to 10 times, "or until they fall off their faces," she said. Despite her optimism that a Biden administration will be different, she is weary of political leaders who lionize medical workers as frontline warriors but do little to help keep them safe, she said.

Congress Strikes Long-Sought Stimulus Deal to Provide $900 Billion in Aid

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/politics/congress-stimulus-deal.html

Emboldened in the aftermath of the November election, a bipartisan group of moderates brokered their own $748 billion compromise, pressuring congressional leaders to redouble their efforts to find a deal. Ultimately, the top two Democrats and top two Republicans on Capitol Hill, huddling with their staff and at times Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, wrangled the final agreement over a few chaotic days the week before Christmas. The deal was far narrower than the one Democrats had long insisted upon, and nearly twice the size of the one Republicans had said they could ever accept in the days leading up to the November election. At the core of the breakthrough was a mutual agreement to drop critical priorities championed by one party and loathed by the other: a Democratic push to establish a direct stream of funds for cash-strapped state and local governments, and a Republican demand for sweeping liability protections for businesses, hospitals and other institutions open during the pandemic. But it nearly fell apart as Democrats sought additional avenues to provide relief to state and local governments suffering significant revenue shortages, and as Republicans fought to limit the power of the Federal Reserve to provide credit to municipalities, businesses or other institutions, as it has done this year through an array of emergency lending programs intended to stabilize the economy during the pandemic in times of crisis. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, mounted a last-minute push to ensure that those programs would end and prevent the Fed and Treasury Department from setting up any similar one in the future. Democrats balked, arguing that the move would deprive the Fed of critical tools for bolstering the economy, and tie Mr. Biden's hands as he confronts a daunting public health and economic crisis. Shortly before midnight Saturday, in talks with Mr. Schumer, Mr. Toomey agreed to narrow his language considerably, to a provision that would bar only emergency lending programs that were more or less exact copycats of the ones newly employed in 2020. Democrats also secured an extension for state and local governments to spend money allocated under the March stimulus law, ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline.

Ad Spending Soars in Georgia Races With Stakes Far Beyond Georgia

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/politics/georgia-senate-runoffs-ads.html

Both Mr. Warnock and Mr. Ossoff have run ads highlighting stock sales and business transactions made by Ms. Loeffler and Mr. Perdue after they received briefings on the coronavirus earlier this year, but before it had spread in the country. Amid all the negative ads, television viewers in Georgia may or may not notice the increasingly national message. Indeed, the airwaves are becoming so saturated that political ads often run back to back, sometimes occupying entire commercial blocks for a full television show. In the past seven days, campaigns and outside groups spent more than $50 million on television, airing 88 unique political ads across Georgia. Some days in December, more than a third of all ads in Georgia were political. In the 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. hour, home to local news broadcasts and a common target for political campaigns, more than 60 percent of all ads were political. Both figures outpaced the ad saturation during the general election, when numerous races were vying for airtime. With so many ads blanketing the airwaves, political strategists and ad experts both concede that the returns can be diminishing.

Trump Incentives for Signing Peace Accords With Israel Could Be at Risk

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/politics/trump-israel-sudan-peace-accord.html

The State Department had already decided to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for Khartoum compensating victims of the 1998 bombings against American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. As part of those negotiations, Sudan's transitional government had demanded the dismissal of all other terrorism lawsuits that it faced from attacks carried out in the 27 years it was on the list. The State Department agreed and countered last summer with a condition of its own: that Sudan begin to thaw a half-century of hostilities with Israel. Only Congress, however, can grant Sudan the legal peace it seeks. Over the past several months, lawmakers have been deadlocked over doing so, given that it would deny families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks their day in court. "We have always wanted all terrorists to be held accountable for their acts on 9/11," Kristen Breitweiser, a lawyer whose husband was killed in the attacks on New York, said in a statement issued last week during furious negotiating in Congress. Sudan insists it is not liable for the 9/11 attacks, given that the Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden left his sanctuary in the country five years before they were carried out. But the congressional compromise that was hammered out, according to officials and others close to the negotiations, allows the 9/11 lawsuits to continue, potentially making Sudan liable for billions of dollars in victims' compensation. Representatives for the Sudanese Embassy in Washington declined to comment but have previously said that the country might exit the peace accords with Israel if it is not given immunity from the terrorism lawsuits. As the Trump administration tries to keep the deal from falling apart, an official confirmed a Bloomberg report that the United States had offered Sudan a $1 billion loan to help clear its arrears and obtain as much as $1.5 billion in annual development assistance. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to visit Sudan, Israel and the Emirates in a high-level delegation to the region next month. Bahrain appears to be a lone exception among the countries that were offered incentives as part of normalization agreements with Israel, although this week the State Department designated the Iranian-linked Saraya al-Mukhtar as a terrorist group, in part for its goal to overthrow the tiny Sunni monarchy.

A Conservative Justice in Wisconsin Says He Followed the Law, Not the Politics

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/politics/wisconsin-justice-brian-hagedorn.html

The hard thing to do, the courageous thing to do, is to fulfill your oath, especially when you know it's going to make your political supporters unhappy. It doesn't matter what your role is, whether you're the Republican secretary of state of Georgia or any other elected official. So I'm not unaware of the political criticism that some of my decisions would bring. I'm well aware of that, and so I think it's a wonderful reflection of the strength of our country when people can do what they think is right and fulfill their oath as they understand it regardless of what political pressure may come their way. Talk radio in Wisconsin, particularly on the conservative side, is very prominent. I turned on the radio one morning driving to work and heard what a horrible person I was. So it's hard to miss it. Yes, I've been called a traitor. I've been called a liar. I've been called a fraud. I've been asked if I'm being paid off by the Chinese Communist Party. I've been told I might be tried for treason by a military tribunal. Sure, I've gotten lots of interesting and sometimes dark messages. Maybe members of the public forget this because their civic culture really just doesn't know how to debate issues in a very healthy way right now. And there is sort of this tribal understanding that either you're with us or you're against us. I've got five young kids and, sure, there's certain uncomfortableness, too, when your child asks you whether it's OK to play in the front yard or whether they should just stay in the backyard.

A President Who Can’t Put Aside Grudges, Even for Good News

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/politics/trump-republican-party-future.html

It was among the most consequential weeks of President Trump's tenure: Across the country, health care workers began receiving a lifesaving coronavirus vaccine. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers closed in on a deal for economic relief aimed at averting a deeper recession. And on Friday, federal regulators authorized a second vaccine. Yet Mr. Trump was largely absent from those events. It was Vice President Mike Pence who held a call with governors on Monday to hail a "medical miracle," and who received the Pfizer vaccine at week's end on live television. Legislative leaders were the ones working late into the nights on a stimulus deal eventually reached on Sunday. All the while Mr. Trump was conducting a Twitter-borne assault on Republicans for not helping him overturn the election results, even warning Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to "get tougher, or you won't have a Republican Party anymore." By this weekend, the president was considering naming a conspiracy theorist as special counsel to investigate voting fraud, for which there's no evidence, asking his advisers about instituting martial law and downplaying a massive hack his own secretary of state attributed to Russia. Seldom has the leader of an American political party done so much to strike fear into the hearts of his allies, but done so little to tackle challenges facing the country during his final days in office. Far from presenting the vaccine breakthroughs from Pfizer and Moderna as testaments to private-sector ingenuity and innovation — once a conservative creed — he was fixated on menacing Republicans who might dare to acknowledge Joseph R. Biden Jr. as president-elect. That duality in Mr. Trump's behavior — acting as a bystander while other leaders answered a crisis and simultaneously raging at Republicans who have inched away from him — also amounts to a preview of Mr. Trump's post-presidency. He has shown no interest in shaping the debates that lay ahead for Republicans, in tending to the party's electoral health or in becoming a champion of America's recovery. Rather, he seems intent on using his political platform to wage personal vendettas and stoke a shared sense of grievance with the voters he has long cultivated as a fan base. Senator Mitt Romney, the Utah Republican, said the president's fury blinded him to his last best chance to buff his legacy: visiting vaccine distribution sites and clinics to highlight the possibility of hope after nine months of national misery. Some Republicans see an upside ahead — especially those who have largely avoided Mr. Trump's fury. They believe the president's departure might allow Republicans to return to some of the themes that proved effective in down-ballot races last month, while also depriving Democrats of their most dependable boogeyman. In that rosy vision, lawmakers might step gingerly in public to avoid Mr. Trump's wrath but otherwise go about their business, assuming Mr. Trump's focus will never linger on one matter for long, while they elevate the perceived excesses of the left. "When Trump is no longer in office there's going to be less focus on personality and ‘What did he tweet today, what did he say today?'" predicted Senator John Cornyn of Texas, adding, hopefully, that Democrats would soon struggle with internal divisions in a "Tea Party moment" akin to what Republicans faced a decade ago. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was even more succinct, arguing that the Democrats' left wing would alienate moderate voters. Yet if that is the view from the lofty perch of the Senate, there is little evidence at the ground level of Republican politics that Mr. Trump and his divisive persona are receding as forces in the party. Indeed, Republicans have recently struggled to articulate what their party stands for other than fealty to Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump never espoused a set of plans for his second term, and for the last four years no one else has achieved the stature to detail an affirmative vision for the party. The coronavirus relief negotiations have also exposed serious ideological rifts among Republicans about the role of government in aiding suffering Americans. Many of Mr. Trump's signature governing achievements — cutting taxes for businesses and the wealthy, weakening the Affordable Care Act and rolling back environmental regulation — have been unpopular with many moderate voters. As apathetic as Mr. Trump can be about many parts of his job, some Republicans say they do not expect his grip to weaken on party affairs. Even if he is reduced somewhat in stature, they say, he is likely to remain the formidable figurehead of a personality cult. Former Representative Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who lost a Republican primary in 2018 after crossing Mr. Trump, said he saw little evidence that his party was looking to Mr. Trump and the White House for a governing vision. But, he said, the "fear factor" remained strong. "The default on the Republican side still is the status quo, which is: People have learned to be very deferential to the president based on self-preservation," Mr. Sanford said. It is fitting that the split outlook on the party's post-Trump future broadly falls along House and Senate lines. In the same week that Mr. McConnell publicly acknowledged Mr. Biden had won and privately instructed his caucus to refrain from challenging the results on the Senate floor next month, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, declined to acknowledge the president's defeat and did nothing to discourage a group of far-right lawmakers plotting a protest of Mr. Biden's election in the House. The House has long been more ideological than the Senate, in both parties. Every member of the Senate Republican leadership used their weekly news conference last week to welcome the arrival of the vaccine — and not one of them approached saying the word Trump. House Republicans worry more than their Senate peers about Mr. Trump's supporters and the threat they could pose in future primaries, especially if whipped up by Mr. Trump. The two top House Republicans, Mr. McCarthy and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the minority whip, both signed onto the recent, failed lawsuit from Texas seeking to overturn the results of the election. They were joined by a majority of House Republicans, but not one senator. Mr. Trump's commanding influence over many in the party has driven a number of House Republicans to retire in the last two election cycles. One of them, Representative Paul Mitchell of Michigan, quit the party last week out of dismay about Republicans' attacks on the election. Mr. Mitchell is the second lawmaker to leave the party during this session of Congress, after his fellow Michigander, Representative Justin Amash. Representative Denver Riggleman, a Virginia Republican who lost a primary this year and is also contemplating leaving the party, said he believed much of the Republican caucus was cowed by Mr. Trump and would most likely remain that way. He estimated that about 60 percent of the lawmakers questioning the results of the election knew that their claims were nonsense. The strength of Mr. Trump's hold on the party will be tested in the coming months in Virginia, where two of the party's leading contenders for governor next year responded very differently to the Electoral College results. Kirk Cox, the former state House speaker, acknowledged Mr. Biden's victory, while State Senator Amanda Chase called for martial law. Whether Mr. Trump intervenes in the Virginia race, how the Republican candidates approach him and what kind of response voters have to the soon-to-be former president may set the stage for the 2022 midterm elections, in which both parties' fortunes may turn on the strength of the country's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. For now, many ambitious Republicans are glad to embrace the element of Trumpism that is most animating to the right: seizing on the most extreme ideas of the left. Such oppositional politics allows party leaders to draw attention away from Mr. Trump, reminds voters of what gives them pause about Democrats and has effectively become the adhesive binding Republicans together. The G.O.P.'s de facto platform — that the left has gone around the bend — was on display last week when a range of figures on the right, including two potential presidential candidates in 2024, Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Ted Cruz of Texas, highlighted a report that San Francisco was considering stripping Abraham Lincoln's name from one of its schools. With millions of Americans at risk of losing unemployment benefits, though, most of the party's congressional wing was focused last week on pandemic relief. The final major legislative acts of Mr. Trump's presidency now seem likely to arise not from the White House but from bipartisan coalitions on Capitol Hill that have filled a leadership vacuum in Washington. One such coalition, a loose group of centrists in the House and Senate, forged a framework for striking a deal on a winter relief package for individuals and businesses. While Mr. Trump's Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, participated intermittently in the talks, the final agreement announced on Sunday was settled by congressional leadership. On another matter, lawmakers in both parties have spurned Mr. Trump's demands to use an annual military policy bill to strip technology companies from certain legal protections, raising the prospect that Mr. Trump's final legislative fight could end in his first overridden veto. Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist close to Mr. McConnell, said Mr. Trump was squandering a chance to define the end of his presidency. Mr. Jennings said Mr. Trump's invisibility during the vaccine rollout was especially baffling. "If it had been me, I would have had Air Force One sitting on the tarmac in Louisville waiting for that plane," Mr. Jennings said, referring to the arrival of the Pfizer medication. But Mr. Trump has always been most formidable when on the attack, against Republicans and Democrats alike. As one of his most prominent critics noted, if the president continues to play the role of troller in chief, he will cast a long shadow over the Republican Party. "If he wants to have a very active role and be on TV every day and be the voice attacking the Biden administration, why, he's going to set the vision of the Republican Party for the next four years and maybe beyond," Mr. Romney said.

Lawmakers Resolve Fed Dispute as They Race to Close Stimulus Deal

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/stimulus-deal-congress.html

Mr. Toomey and his Republican allies argued that his original proposal merely codified what Congress intended in March when it enacted the original $2.2 trillion pandemic stimulus law, which earmarked funding to support the Fed's emergency lending programs. But the scope of the language proposed by Mr. Toomey went beyond that, prompting alarm from Democrats, who said they were enlisting prominent figures to weigh in against it. Mr. Schumer said that Jerome H. Powell, the current Fed chairman, whom he called "hardly a flaming liberal" was "strongly opposed" to Mr. Toomey's proposal. The Fed declined to comment on whether Mr. Powell, a Republican who was first nominated as a central bank governor by former President Barack Obama, had discussed the issue with Mr. Schumer in recent days. Mr. Schumer's office did not respond to a request for more details. On a private call with House Democrats on Saturday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California denounced the proposal, telling lawmakers that "for them to write in there that this cannot happen ever again is just beyond the pale," according to a person on the call, who disclosed the comments on the condition of anonymity. "It's a way for them to say to Joe Biden: ‘We are tying your hands. No matter what comes down the pike, you can't do this,'" Ms. Pelosi told Democrats. Mr. Toomey denied that he was seeking to hamstring the Biden administration, and pointed out that he had for months sought to ensure that the Fed's pandemic programs sunset. But the language he has proposed to attach to the stimulus plan has been more expansive than that.

Trump Appointee Seeks to Cut Off Funding for Global Internet Access Group

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/trump-appointee-seeks-to-cut-off-funding-for-global-internet-access-group.html

In a joint statement on Saturday, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, both Republicans, said Mr. Pack's attempts to strip the Open Technology Fund of access to U.S. government funding for the next three years, called debarment, would be a significant setback to U.S. foreign policy objectives. The Open Technology Fund became the target of Mr. Pack shortly after he took office. He moved to fire the fund's board in June. That decision was challenged in the federal courts. A federal judge has temporarily overturned Mr. Pack's decision until a final ruling is issued. In June, Mr. Pack temporarily withheld millions in funding to the nonprofit. In response, 527 human rights organizations and internet freedom groups — including Human Rights Watch and the Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts Wikipedia.com — called on members of Congress to protect the nonprofit group from Mr. Pack's actions. Much of the worry around the Open Technology Fund revolves around its leadership's resistance toward funding a piece of firewall circumvention software called Ultrasurf, developed by a member of the Falun Gong, the secretive, spiritual movement persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party. The group has embraced Mr. Trump for his anti-China stances. Michael J. Horowitz, a Reagan administration budget official and longtime supporter of Ultrasurf, went on Mr. Bannon's show in June denouncing Libby Liu, the Open Technology Fund's founder, saying she should be fired. Ms. Liu — who was dismissed by Mr. Pack in June — is not a proponent of funding Ultrasurf, a current official at the Open Technology Fund said.

Biden Announces Climate Team, Including Gina McCarthy, Deb Haaland and Michael Regan

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/climate/biden-climate-team.html

When Mr. Biden takes office in January he will inherit a government still struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic and a shattered United States economy that has suffered millions of job losses. He also faces a monumental rebuilding effort after four years in which the Trump administration reversed more than 100 environmental regulations, mocked climate science and championed the production of the fossil fuels chiefly responsible for warming the planet. On Saturday, Mr. Biden said he intends to make tackling climate change a cornerstone of his coronavirus recovery action, calling for 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations, the construction of 1.5 million new energy-efficient homes and public housing units, and the creation of a "civilian climate corps" to carry out climate and conservation projects. He said he will prioritize environmental justice and restore the regulations that President Trump rolled back. And he delivered a direct appeal to federal scientists and other career staff members saying his administration will "honor the integrity of the office" in which they work. Climate policy is expected to play a critical role in the Biden administration, the president-elect said. He also highlighted the role of Ms. Granholm, the former Michigan governor who is credited with getting the state's first renewable energy portfolio standard through a divided legislature, and working with the auto industry to develop electric vehicles. While curbing carbon emissions is expected to create friction with leaders of fossil fuel-dependent states, members of the team sought to cast fighting climate change as an effort that will create jobs. Over the next decade countries and companies intend to invest trillions of dollars in electric vehicles, grid technology, wind turbines and other clean energy components. The team includes a number of historic firsts. Ms. Haaland, Mr. Biden's choice to lead the Interior Department, would be the first Native American cabinet secretary in history, and would helm an agency responsible for managing the United States' relationship with hundreds of recognized tribes. The Interior department manages the nation's vast natural resources as well as millions of acres of federal lands that include national parks and wildlife refuges. The agency also oversees the listing of endangered and threatened species. Ms. Haaland opposed several Trump administration policies related to federal lands, including his efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas drilling.

The Newest Guardians of the Galaxy Are Run by the U.S. Military

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/space-force-guardians-mike-pence.html

The United States Space Force, the newest branch of the American military, created to protect the country's galactic interests, has given its members an official name: Guardians. The new name came after a yearlong selection process drawing on hundreds of submissions from the general public and research from space professionals. The Guardians name goes back to the original command motto of the Air Force Space Command in 1983, "Guardians of the High Frontier," the Space Force said on Twitter. "On behalf of your commander in chief, let me urge each and every one of you Guardians to keep pushing," Vice President Mike Pence said in prepared remarks on Friday, the Space Force's first anniversary. "Keep pushing the vision and the mission of the United States Space Force, which is to ensure that America remains as dominant in space, and from space, as we are on land and sea and air," he added. The creation of the force was met with broad criticism and received little initial support at the Pentagon. Some legislators and aerospace experts said there was a need for a space force, citing concerns about China, Russia and antisatellite weaponry. Critics of the Air Force said the branch would never make space its top priority.

Biden Cabinet Leans Centrist, Leaving Some Liberals Frustrated

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/biden-cabinet.html

Susan Rice, who was Mr. Obama's national security adviser, will oversee domestic policy for Mr. Biden, who chose her not for her substantive expertise, but because of her ability to wrangle competing interests in a sprawling and often unruly government bureaucracy. Ray LaHood, a Republican who served as transportation secretary for Mr. Obama, said that dynamic was also evident in Mr. Biden's decision to put John Kerry, the former secretary of state, and Gina McCarthy, who ran the Environmental Protection Agency, in charge of climate policy in the White House. "Every big major legislative or other issue was run out of the White House," Mr. LaHood said, recalling the Obama White House. And, he predicted, it will be the same in the Biden administration. Some important pieces of the cabinet puzzle have yet to fall into place. Mr. Biden has not chosen an attorney general to oversee the Justice Department, which will be at the center of the president-elect's promise to expand voting rights, overhaul law enforcement and enforce racial justice in the nation's court system. Nominees for the Labor, Education and Commerce Departments also have yet to be announced, leaving it unclear exactly how Mr. Biden intends to carry out his vision for more investment in schools, safer and more prosperous jobs, and an improved economic environment for business. But some themes are emerging. One of Mr. Biden's most urgent challenges as president will be to quickly turn around an economy wracked by the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of people out of work and businesses struggling to survive. To do that, the president-elect will lean on an economic team that tilts to the left of their predecessors in the Obama administration.

Trump Discussed Naming Sidney Powell as Special Counsel on Election Fraud

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/trump-sidney-powell-voter-fraud.html

President Trump on Friday discussed naming Sidney Powell, who as a lawyer for his campaign team unleashed conspiracy theories about a Venezuelan plot to rig voting machines in the United States, to be a special counsel overseeing an investigation of voter fraud, according to two people briefed on the discussion. It was unclear if Mr. Trump will move ahead with such a plan. Most of his advisers opposed the idea, two of the people briefed on the discussion said, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer. In recent days Mr. Giuliani has sought to have the Department of Homeland Security join the campaign's efforts to overturn Mr. Trump's loss in the election. Mr. Giuliani joined the discussion by phone initially, while Ms. Powell was at the White House for a meeting that became raucous and involved people shouting at each other at times, according to one of the people briefed on what took place. Ms. Powell's client, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser whom the president recently pardoned, was also there, two of the people briefed on the meeting said. Some senior administration officials drifted in and out of the meeting. During an appearance on the conservative Newsmax channel this week, Mr. Flynn pushed for Mr. Trump to impose martial law and deploy the military to "rerun" the election. At one point in the meeting on Friday, Mr. Trump asked about that idea. Ms. Powell's ideas were shot down by every other Trump adviser present, all of whom repeatedly pointed out that she had yet to back up her claims with proof. At one point, one person briefed on the meeting said, she produced several affidavits, but upon inspection they were all signed by a man she has previously used as an expert witness, whose credentials have been called into question. The White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, and the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, repeatedly and aggressively pushed back on the ideas being proposed, which went beyond the special counsel idea, those briefed on the meeting said. Mr. Cipollone told Mr. Trump there was no constitutional authority for what was being discussed, one of the people briefed on the meeting said. Other advisers from the White House and the Trump campaign delivered the same message throughout the meeting, which stretched on for a long period of time. Mr. Trump was defeated in the election by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. by more than 7 million votes. The states have confirmed Mr. Biden's Electoral College victory by a margin of 306-232. But Mr. Trump, egged on by supporters like Ms. Powell, has never conceded and, holed up inside the White House, he continues to assert that he actually won — even though the baseless claims Ms. Powell and others have made of widespread fraud have been thoroughly debunked and even many of Mr. Trump's closest allies have dismissed as preposterous her tale of an international conspiracy to rig the vote. Mr. Trump tends to think of Justice Department appointees when he describes special counsels, but those briefed on the meeting said the idea was for Ms. Powell to serve as a special counsel within the White House, appointed by the president, according to those briefed on it. Mr. Trump also asked about Ms. Powell being given security clearances to pursue her work, two of the people briefed on the meeting said. Ms. Powell accused other Trump advisers of being quitters, according to the people briefed. But the idea that Mr. Trump would try to install Ms. Powell in a position to investigate the outcome sent shock waves through the president's circle. She has repeatedly claimed there was widespread fraud, but several lawsuits she filed related to election fraud have been tossed out of court. A White House spokesman, Ms. Powell and a spokeswoman for Mr. Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Trump has been in contact with Ms. Powell at other times in recent days, even though his campaign last month sought to distance itself from her as she aired wild and baseless claims about Dominion Voting Systems machines, which were used in some states, somehow being connected to a Venezuelan plot to control the election. Dominion officials have demanded that Ms. Powell retract her claims. The Trump campaign on Saturday sent a memo to campaign officials telling them to preserve documents related to Ms. Powell and Dominion in case of legal action by the company against Ms. Powell, according to a report by CNN that a campaign official confirmed. Since the election, Mr. Trump had pushed the outgoing attorney general, William P. Barr, to appoint a special counsel to look into election fraud, as well as one to investigate Hunter Biden, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s son. Mr. Barr, people briefed on the matter said, has been unwilling to do what Mr. Trump wanted. Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani have been pushing for data that would provide evidence of widespread election fraud. Mr. Barr has said the Justice Department has found no evidence of fraud on a scale that would change the outcome of the election. Part of the White House meeting on Friday night was a discussion about an executive order to take control of voting machines to examine them, according to one of the people briefed on the discussion. Mr. Giuliani has separately pressed the Department of Homeland Security to seize possession of voting machines as part of a push to overturn the results of the election, three people familiar with the discussion said. Mr. Giuliani was told the department does not have the authority to do such a thing. The conversation between Mr. Giuliani and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, the acting deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department, took place in the past week, according to the people familiar with the discussion, who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to describe the conversation. The department oversees the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the agency responsible for safeguarding critical systems, such as elections and hospitals. Mr. Cuccinelli is said to have told Mr. Giuliani that there is no authority by which the agency, which spent the year working with state election officials to prepare for the election, could assert control over voting machines in those states. It was unclear whether Mr. Trump facilitated the phone call. Mr. Giuliani called Mr. Cuccinelli this week to push the department to re-examine the machines to find evidence of what the Trump campaign has called widespread fraud, two of the people briefed on the discussion said. State and local governments take the lead in managing elections in the United States while the cybersecurity agency primarily provides support, guidance and intelligence with the local leaders on potential threats to the voting system. Mr. Cuccinelli, who led the federal government's legal immigration agency before rising to become the second highest ranking official in the Homeland Security Department, emerged as one of the public faces of the department's cybersecurity efforts in the weeks before the election, joining Mr. Krebs in urging patience when it comes to counting the votes.

In Last Rush, Trump Grants Mining and Energy Firms Access to Public Lands

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/in-last-rush-trump-grants-mining-and-energy-firms-access-to-public-lands.html

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is rushing to approve a final wave of large-scale mining and energy projects on federal lands, encouraged by investors who want to try to ensure the projects move ahead even after President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. takes office. In Arizona, the Forest Service is preparing to sign off on the transfer of federal forest land — considered sacred by a neighboring Native American tribe — to allow construction of one of the nation's largest copper mines. In Utah, the Interior Department may grant final approval as soon as next week to a team of energy speculators targeting a remote spot inside an iconic national wilderness area — where new energy leasing is currently banned — so they can start drilling into what they believe is a huge underground supply of helium. In northern Nevada, the department is close to granting final approval to construct a sprawling open-pit lithium mine on federal land that sits above a prehistoric volcano site. And in the East, the Forest Service intends to take a key step next month toward allowing a natural gas pipeline to be built through the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia and West Virginia, at one point running underneath the Appalachian Trail. These projects, and others awaiting action in the remaining weeks of the Trump administration, reflect the intense push by the Interior Department, which controls 480 million acres of public lands, and the Forest Service, which manages another 193 million acres, to find ways to increase domestic energy and mining production, even in the face of intense protests by environmentalists and other activists. When he takes office on Jan. 20, Mr. Biden, who has chosen a Native American — Representative Deb Haaland, Democrat of New Mexico — to lead the Interior Department, will still have the ability to reshape, slow or even block certain projects. Some, like a planned uranium mine in South Dakota, will require further approvals, or face lawsuits seeking to stop them, like the planned helium drilling project in Utah. But others, like the lithium mine in Nevada, will have the final federal permit needed before construction can begin, and will be hard for the next administration to stop. Whether they are the final word or not, the last-minute actions are just the latest evidence of how the far-reaching shift in regulatory policy under Mr. Trump has altered the balance between environmental concerns and business, giving substantial new weight to corporate interests. Mr. Trump chose former industry executives to run major federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department, and industry executives and lobbyists who cycled in and out of government positions were granted substantial influence in setting regulations. For four years, Mr. Trump's team and its allies have raced to roll back federal rules intended to protect federal lands and the nation's air and water, as well as other safety rules in agencies across the government. The changes were often made in direct response to requests from lobbyists and company executives who were major donors to Mr. Trump and frequent patrons at his hotels and resorts. The final push on the mining and energy projects has come in part from senior Trump administration officials, including the commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, a steel industry investor before joining Mr. Trump's cabinet. Mr. Ross's calendar shows at least three appointments with top executives at Rio Tinto, the Anglo-Australian mining giant backing the Resolution Copper mine planned for construction in Arizona next to the San Carlos Apache reservation. Mr. Ross also made a trip to the mine site this year. "This is a disaster," said Wendsler Nosie Sr., a former San Carlos Apache tribal leader who in recent weeks has been camping out at the proposed mine site inside the Tonto National Forest to protest the pending decision. Backers of these projects say they are committed to minimizing the effect on public lands, sacred Native American sites and wildlife. The administration has been seeking to promote more mining of key minerals, including uranium, copper and lithium, to allow the United States to be less dependent on imports. But the environmental consequences of these projects, if they move ahead as planned, will be considerable. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency gave its final approval for the construction of a new uranium mine called the Dewey-Burdock project, spread over 12,613 acres near the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The project would inject a chemical called lixiviant into more than 1,461 wells, sending the chemical into an underground water supply. The chemical would cause uranium trapped in sandstone below the surface to leach into the aquifer, contaminating the water but allowing the uranium to be captured, extracted and transformed into so-called yellow cake that can be used to fuel nuclear power plants. Nationally, just 174,000 pounds of uranium was produced last year in the United States. The South Dakota project alone would have the potential to produce as much as one million pounds of uranium a year, although it is unclear whether there will ever be sufficient demand to justify production at that level, given that there is already excess capacity at uranium mines in the country. The Oglala Lakota Nation, whose 2.8 million-acre reservation is adjacent to the proposed uranium mine, has sued to block the project. The mine would be built on property that the Sioux tribe has long claimed was illegally taken by the United States. "The voice of Indigenous people needs to be heard — and federal Indian policy has made us invisible and dehumanized us," said Kyle White, 34, a member of the Lakota tribe and its former director of its natural resources regulatory agency. A small piece of the project is on Interior Department land. The department has not yet approved the mine and will not act until after Mr. Trump leaves office, one of several ways that the Biden administration could slow or block the project. Azarga Uranium, the Canada-based backer of the project, did not respond to a request for comment. For the proposed Resolution Copper Mine, east of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest, adjacent to Apache tribal land, the Forest Service is expected to issue its long-awaited final environmental assessment by mid-January. Sixty days after the assessment is released, a 2,422-acre chunk of the Tonto forest, an area called Oak Flat, will automatically be transferred to the mining companies in exchange for land nearby, a deal mandated by Congress in 2014. The Interior Department's own National Register of Historic Places lists the Oak Flat area as "a holy place and ancestral homeland to the Western Apache Indians" that is also "a venue for ongoing Apache participation in traditional social activities, and is associated with traditions rooted in the history" of the tribe. Under the current Forest Service plan, much of Oak Flat would eventually be destroyed. Starting about six years after underground blasting and extraction at the mine begins, the mine will gradually start to cave in on itself, forming a crater nearly two miles wide and as much as 1,100 feet deep, according to federal estimates. The project would create 3,700 jobs and supply as much as one billion pounds of copper per year, a quarter of the current annual demand in the United States. "That was one of the major reasons why President Trump moved so aggressively to reduce the red tape involved in such projects," Mr. Ross said, in remarks during his visit to the site in October. The companies running the project — Rio Tinto and BHP, also based in Australia — have promised to build a campsite outside the mine area to replace one traditionally used by Native Americans in the Oak Flat area. Rio Tinto said it was also working to ensure there was no damage to a nearby area called Apache Leap, where according to tribal legends, Native Americans being chased by U.S. Cavalry troops in the late-1800s jumped to their deaths. But the ire of some members of the local San Carlos Apache Tribe toward Rio Tinto only intensified after the company admitted using dynamite to destroy a 46,000-year-old sacred Indigenous site in Australia as it expanded an iron ore mine. A Forest Service employee working on the Arizona project acknowledged to community leaders in a recent conference call that pressure to get the evaluation of the project done quickly was "coming from the highest level," mentioning the Agriculture Department, which oversees the service. Federal records show that the environmental study until recently was expected to continue until the middle of 2021. It is now slated to be finished by mid-January. An agency spokeswoman did not respond when asked to comment on claims that the process was being rushed. But Andrew Lye, the project manager for Resolution Copper, said the review had actually taken longer than expected and been very thorough. "It is not being fast-tracked and Resolution Copper has not sought to apply for programs that are available to expedite projects," Mr. Lye said. Another mining project expecting imminent action by the Trump administration is in rural Nevada, where Canada-based Lithium Americas intends to build one of the world's largest lithium mines on 5,500 acres of federal land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. Lithium is a vital ingredient in myriad batteries, including for cellphones and electric cars, but almost none of it is produced in the United States. The project was listed in July by the Interior Department as one that it intended to "fast track," and it planned to take the final step in early January, meaning construction of the mine could begin soon. But the Bureau of Land Management's own environmental assessment acknowledges that the project will cause harm, including to the habitat of a threatened bird species known as sage grouse. Local ranchers and other families have expressed concern in comments to the agency that the project could cut the available local water supply and create other environmental problems. The push to approve some of the projects has involved sustained lobbying and legal efforts by hired consultants with close ties to the Trump administration. Those include Rebecca Watson, who served as the top Interior Department official in charge of oil and gas leasing during the Bush administration, working at the time alongside David L. Bernhardt, who is now the interior secretary. Ms. Watson worked with other industry players over several years to urge lawmakers and senior officials at the Interior Department to change rules to allow her clients, now including Colorado-based Twin Bridges, to extract helium for more than a decade from federal lands, including land Twin Bridges has leased in Utah. Ms. Watson said in an interview that increasing the supply of helium was critical to the nation. "Helium has a lot of strange little uses that people are not even familiar with, but they're really important," she said. With time running out on the Trump administration, senior Interior Department officials were so determined to see the permit approved that they took control of the project from the local Utah office. Final action is now expected as soon this coming week, two agency officials said, even though the agency itself again acknowledges that the project will harm the area. Environmentalists filed a lawsuit on Dec. 14 to try to block it. David Wallace, an executive at Twin Bridges, said the project could ultimately generate hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of royalty and tax payments to federal, state and local governments. "We also love these lands and are committed to our project enhancing, and not detracting from, them," he said in a statement. Opponents of the projectsare keeping up pressure to try to stop them. That includes Mr. Nosie, who is camping out most nights on the sacred Oak Flat that could soon be transferred to Rio Tinto. Lisa Friedman contributed reporting.

What Biden’s Team Tells Us

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/biden-cabinet-picks.html

Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your wrap-up of the week in national politics. I'm Lisa Lerer, your host. Sign up here to get On Politics in your inbox every weekday. The holidays always feel like such a transitional time: the final egg-nog-soaked parties of the year, before the resolutions and restarts come. This year, I find myself missing those traditions — and who thought you could miss awkward small talk? — but that sense of future transformation is everywhere. The first inoculations of a new vaccine, the final gasps of the election and a new administration waiting to take power. In recent weeks, President-elect Joe Biden and his team have been dropping hints about the changes to come, gradually shaping the new government with their cabinet picks. Some of the biggest posts, including the attorney general, remain unfilled. But we're starting to get our first real sense of the people who will help define U.S. policy for the next few years. They're the old guard. Literally.Sure, Mr. Biden selected Pete Buttigieg, 38, as secretary of transportation. But don't let the selection of the wunderkind former mayor deceive you. Mr. Biden's cabinet is, well, mature. In 2009, Mr. Biden, then 66, was the oldest member of President Barack Obama's first cabinet. More than a decade later, five members of his own proposed cabinet are even older. Janet Yellen, his pick for Treasury secretary, would be the most senior official at 74 — and is still four years younger than Mr. Biden. Only four of the 20 or so top officials he's picked so far are under 50: Mr. Buttigieg, Jake Sullivan as national security adviser, Katherine Tai as U.S. trade representative and Michael Regan as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. But age is just a number, right? Yes, unless you're trying to usher in the next era of the Democratic Party. It's not just Mr. Biden's cabinet that's older, but the entire leadership of his party. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 80; Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, is 70; and Mr. Biden will be the oldest president in American history when he takes office at 78. During his campaign, Mr. Biden cast himself as a "transition candidate," an elder statesman who would help foster new Democratic talent. But his cabinet doesn't look like much of a bridge between generations. They look like an Obama reboot.Typically, when new presidents enter the White House, they infuse our national political drama with a new cast of characters. Many of Mr. Biden's picks seem to be entering their second or third season. Most of them served with Mr. Biden during the Obama administration — some even in the same position, like Tom Vilsack, who was Mr. Obama's agriculture secretary for eight years. Others got a promotion: Alejandro Mayorkas was deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under the Obama administration and has now been picked for the top job. With the pandemic still raging, Mr. Biden and his team will inherit a country facing extraordinary economic, foreign policy and public health challenges. Under those circumstances, the president-elect and his allies have argued that he needs to pick experienced Washington technocrats who know how to navigate the bureaucracy. Of course, the risk of picking the same old people is that you end up with the same old ideas, rather than defining a new governing doctrine. They're diverse.Mr. Biden vowed to pick the most diverse cabinet in history — and he seems well on his way to fulfilling that pledge. At least 10 of his top-level picks so far are women and 11 are people of color. If confirmed, his cabinet members would include, to name a few, the first female Treasury secretary (Ms. Yellen), the first openly gay Senate-approved cabinet member (Mr. Buttigieg), the first Latino and first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security (Mr. Mayorkas) and the first Native American cabinet member (Deb Haaland as interior secretary). At the same time, Mr. Biden's promise has kicked off some fierce fights within his party. When he chose Lloyd Austin for defense secretary — potentially the first Black man to run the Pentagon — some women in national security were upset that Michèle Flournoy was passed over. Hispanic lawmakers have been pressing for at least two Latinas in crucial roles, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus has pushed for greater representation, too. Civil rights groups, meanwhile, are urging Mr. Biden to pick a Black attorney general with a proven track record on issues like criminal justice and voting rights. The early battles may be a preview of what Mr. Biden will have to navigate as he tries to unify a fractious, diverse party behind his agenda. They're a team of … pals?Shortly before Mr. Obama became president, he told reporters of his plans to create a "team of rivals" — stealing a phrase from Abraham Lincoln's famous desire for cabinet members who would challenge one another. Mr. Biden appears to be taking the opposite approach. Known to prize loyalty, he's made personal relationships central to his governing style. His chief of staff, Ron Klain, first worked for him more than three decades ago as a congressional aide. Antony Blinken, his choice for secretary of state, has been at his side for nearly 20 years. Mr. Obama picked Hillary Clinton, his biggest Democratic primary rival, for secretary of state; Mr. Biden skipped over Elizabeth Warren, one of his most formidable opponents, for Treasury secretary. Instead, he selected Ms. Yellen — the woman Mr. Obama nominated to lead the Federal Reserve in 2013. Joe Biden is still Joe Biden.Progressives seem to have enough clout to stop Mr. Biden from picking some people they strongly oppose — see: Emanuel, Rahm — but not quite enough power to get their allies in top posts. With the exception of Ms. Haaland, the liberal wing of the party hasn't elevated many of its stars. In fact, many of Mr. Biden's picks seem intended to avoid antagonizing Republicans, a strategic choice given that they could still control the Senate in January. Some Democrats are skeptical of that approach, arguing that Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, will torpedo all of Mr. Biden's initiatives no matter who's on his team. What we can conclude from all of this political maneuvering may not particularly be surprising: Mr. Biden remains a centrist, establishment politician. And he is crafting a centrist, establishment administration. Happy New Year!Thanks for sticking with us through this annus horribilis. Gio and I are taking a little break, and we'll see you in 2021. Here's hoping for a new year packed with vaccines, good health and far fewer breaking news alerts. On Monday, the Electoral College cast its ballots for Mr. Biden, officially affirming the president-elect's victory. But there may still be one last gasp of election drama to come. The action now moves to Congress, which will formally count the electoral votes in a joint session held in the House chamber on Jan. 6, with Vice President Mike Pence presiding. There is no debate permitted during the counting of the electoral votes. But there is a process by which members can lodge their opposition to a state's ballots. Already, at least two House members — incoming Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama — plan to raise formal objections. Their effort is expected to be little more than a symbolic stand. Any objection must pass both chambers with a simple majority, a highly unlikely outcome given Democratic control of the House. In a recognition of political reality, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky began a campaign this week to keep Republicans from joining the doomed effort, hoping to avoid the spectacle of starting the new Congress with a messy partisan battle. Perhaps his biggest obstacle? Soon-to-be-former President Trump may have other ideas. Want to know more? Here's our explainer on what happens next. … That's the number of Americans who have fallen into poverty since June, according to new data released this week by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame. It is the biggest increase in a single year since the government began tracking poverty numbers six decades ago. As we say at The New York Times, remember the neediest this holiday season. Thanks for reading. On Politics is your guide to the political news cycle, delivering clarity from the chaos. On Politics is also available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Is there anything you think we're missing? Anything you want to see more of? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.

Who Will Replace Kamala Harris? It’s About More Than a Senate Seat

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/who-will-replace-kamala-harris-its-about-more-than-a-senate-seat.html

LOS ANGELES — The jockeying began in the summer, right alongside the celebrations. Leading California Democrats were thrilled that Kamala Harris was named as the Democratic nominee for vice president and eager to help her and Joseph R. Biden get to the White House. That was not a question the sprawling and divided state political establishment disagreed on. But what to do about that empty Senate seat? That was far trickier. Latinos make up roughly 40 percent of California, and remain a growing population in the state. White residents make up about 38 percent and Black residents account for nearly 6 percent of the state's some 40 million residents. Until Ms. Harris won her Senate seat in 2016, the state had been represented by two white senators since 1983. Some Latino officials point to those numbers and argue that the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, needs to — must, without question — appoint a Latino to the U.S. Senate, the first in California's history. But Black political leaders contend that Ms. Harris could not be replaced by anyone other than a Black woman. Without her, they noted, the Senate would have no Black women in the chamber. What Mr. Newsom's decision, which is expected to come before the end of the year, comes down to is not about policy. Each candidate whose name has been floated on various lists agree on major issues. Instead, the choice makes clear the reality that even for advocates who genuinely believe in coalition building, to a large degree, the arguments are a zero sum game — if one group gets what it wants, it is impossible for the other group to get what it wants as well. And it has divided many leaders who are usually united. As the Democratic Party prepares to take over the White House once again, fights over representation are playing out over the presidential cabinet too, with Black, Latino and Asian members of Congress each lobbying the Biden-Harris transition for appointments. And the efforts threaten to open divisions among Democrats who have long relied on a multiracial alliance. The debates are bringing to the surface long simmering tensions among groups that have historically struggled to obtain power at the highest echelons. In California, Mr. Newsom's decision has the potential to make a triumphant moment of seeing Ms. Harris in the White House, into something more bittersweet for many Black women. After Alex Padilla, California's secretary of state, emerged as the leading candidate in recent weeks, activists including Ms. Allison grew increasingly frustrated. Dozens of local and national officials raised their voices and wrote a letter to the governor, urging him to appoint either Congresswoman Barbara Lee or Congresswoman Karen Bass to the seat. Gender dynamics are also an important consideration for Mr. Newsom, who has long tried to burnish his feminist credentials. For decades, California has elected two female senators, and women's groups suggest that it would be unfair to have Ms. Harris's seat handed to a man. Another sign of the complexity of the moment for Democrats in California is that even as they are fighting one another for one senate seat, Black and Latino activists are jointly pushing for the resignation of Dianne Feinstein, citing her age and apparent comfort with some Republicans. (A New Yorker story published this month raised pointed questions about her mental acuity and short-term memory, and Ms. Feinstein later defended herself.) Ms. Feinstein has said she believes Mr. Padilla should be appointed to Ms. Harris's seat, a position that has prompted some to suggest she should resign if she is so determined for Mr. Padilla to take office. Ms. Feinstein herself easily defeated Kevin de León, a former Democratic leader of the California State Senate, during her 2018 re-election campaign. In many ways, the explicit advocacy both in California and Washington is drawing lessons from the successful campaign to have Mr. Biden select a Black woman as his running mate. This summer, hundreds of women and organizations made an all-out effort, coordinating their efforts in daily phone calls and strategy sessions. The effort of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus also reflects the increased number and power of Latinos in Congress. The caucus has met regularly with dozens of Latino organizations and sought to unify their message, zeroing in on candidates who they believe have a serious chance of being chosen for the cabinet. The push for representation today, both nationally and in California, is more aggressive and direct than it has been in the past. It partly reflects that Democrats have not had this kind of power in more than a decade — and that demographics have changed considerably during that time. After the Hispanic Caucus met with members of the transition team last week, civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, met with Mr. Biden himself last week to ask for more inclusion of Black candidates in the cabinet. Congresswoman Judy Chu, the chairwoman of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, has also voiced repeated frustrations with the Biden transition team. After extensive lobbying, Mr. Biden this past week appointed Congresswoman Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior, the first time a Native American has been appointed to the cabinet. In California, for the most part, political organizers and activists have avoided direct confrontation with Mr. Newsom. But both sides have made it clear that they will not easily forgive Mr. Newsom if he ignores their entreaties. "I am just really disappointed," said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, one of the leading supporters of Ms. Lee and Ms. Bass. "These numbers are so stark, and you can't argue that we don't need more Black women. I would have liked to expect more from my Latino colleagues." And some Latino leaders in recent days have voiced their support for appointing a Black woman, including Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of the United Farm Workers. This past week, Alberto Retana, the chief executive of Community Coalition, a South Los Angeles-based group that Ms. Bass started in the wake of the crack epidemic in the early 1990s, organized a petition that was delivered to Mr. Newsom on Friday.

Trump Contradicts Pompeo Over Russia’s Role in Hack

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/trump-contradicts-pompeo-over-russias-role-in-hack.html

He will not find that easy. The president's unexplained reluctance to blame Russia — which through its embassy in Washington has denied complicity in the attack — has only complicated the response, investigators say. The government only learned of the hack from FireEye, a cybersecurity company, after the firm was itself breached. And Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, said Thursday that government agencies are approaching Microsoft — not the national security establishment — to understand the extent of the Russian breach. "This is the most consequential cyberespionage campaign in history and the fact that the government is absent is a huge problem for the nation," said Dmitri Alperovitch, a co-founder of CrowdStrike, a security firm, who is now chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a think tank. Mr. Trump's comments on Saturday had echoes of his stance toward the hacks during 2016 presidential campaign, when he contradicted intelligence findings to claim it was China, or a "400 pound" person "sitting on his bed," not Russia, who interfered in that election. Two years later, Mr. Trump's own Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers. "Never has there been a President work so hard to provide cover for Russia," said Clint Watts, a former F.B.I. special agent and Russian information warfare expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Congress Clears Two-Day Spending Extension to Finalize Stimulus Deal

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/us/politics/congress-spending-bill-stimulus.html

Negotiators worked into Friday night to put the finishing touches on key details of the stimulus compromise, continuing negotiations on how long unemployment benefits should last, how to distribute federal relief for small businesses and the extension of a federal eviction moratorium. The plan was expected to revive the Paycheck Protection Program, a loan program for struggling small businesses. With Republicans insisting on keeping the overall cost of the measure below $1 trillion, it was substantially narrower than the $2.2 trillion stimulus law enacted in March, when the toll of the pandemic was just becoming clear. It fell well short of the scope of the recovery measure that most economists believe is necessary, and will guarantee that Mr. Biden will have to move quickly on another aid package, something he has already signaled will be his first priority. The $600 stimulus payments and $300-per-week enhanced federal unemployment benefit amounted to half of the amounts authorized back then. On the Senate floor, Senators Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, and Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, mounted renewed attempts to approve $1,200 direct payments to Americans. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, also endorsed the effort to send another round of $1,200 direct payments. Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, blocked both attempts, calling it "a shotgun approach" at one point on Friday and criticizing the broader effort to send another round of taxpayer funds to prop up the sputtering economy. Reporting was contributed by Jeanna Smialek, Nicholas Fandos, Luke Broadwater and Jim Tankersley.

Nursing Homes, Ravaged by Covid-19, Start Vaccinating the Most Vulnerable

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/us/coronavirus-vaccines-nursing-homes.html

The last time he set foot outside the property was last Christmas, when his daughter took him home for a holiday dinner. He misses his favorite Italian restaurant and the Wheeling symphony orchestra he used to attend monthly. Despite having Parkinson's disease, Mr. Gerrero, an accomplished organist who ran his family's music stores for decades, has managed to play tunes on the piano in the activity room to entertain himself. He reads the paper and watches TV. But as days have turned to months, the monotony and isolation have gotten to him. A couple weeks ago, he called his daughter and begged her to let him come home. On Tuesday, however, his spirits were lifted, he said. The director of the nursing home showed up at his side, with a list of residents and clipboard in hand, and asked if he was prepared to get a coronavirus vaccine. Mary Prewett, 84, who lives in an assisted-living facility in Memphis, Tenn., had never received even a flu shot, refusing one yet again just recently. Her daughter, Cecelia Prewett, got a consent form for her mother on Tuesday and wondered whether she would be receptive to a coronavirus vaccine.

Some Health Care Workers Are Getting the Vaccine. Others Aren’t. Who Decides?

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/us/covid-vaccine-health-workers.html

One of the most critical categories has been firefighters and other emergency services workers. Firefighters, who respond to 911 calls and enter people's homes, are often a first point of contact with the health care system. They provide about 85 percent of emergency medical response in the country, said Harold Schaitberger, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. But despite their frontline role, he said, it is unclear when they will be vaccinated. "We should be absolutely up front," Mr. Schaitberger said. Firefighters had to fight to get access to adequate personal protective equipment, he said, and now they are having to do it all over again with the vaccine. And as the virus surges in many places, that job has only gotten more dangerous. Last week, six of the 33 firefighters serving Newport, Ky., a city across the river from Cincinnati, were out of commission because they had either contracted Covid-19 or had close contact with someone who did. Jake Silvati, president of the Newport Professional Firefighters Local #45, said he had not heard a clear answer from the office of Gov. Andy Beshear on where they will fall in line. He said he supported the governor, but he expressed worry that some people responsible for the vaccine rollout may not realize the crucial role that firefighters play. Hospitals are ground zero for the vaccine effort, but even there, not everyone can be covered with the first allotment.

‘I Was Stunned’: Big Gifts to Small Colleges From an Unexpected Source

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/us/mackenzie-scott-college-donations.html

A sister school within the City University of New York system, Lehman College, also received $30 million. Dr. Munroe said he would use the money in part to set up a fund for programs, scholarships, research and events that would address questions of race and gender equity, economic mobility and the impact of the pandemic, which had left many of his students without adequate food or shelter. "I think she's making a very clear statement: The communities that these institutions proudly serve typically are those that don't have a lot of means, but they have the desire, they have the grit, they have the energy," he said. Morgan State University, a historically Black university in Baltimore, said Ms. Scott's gift of $40 million, the largest single private donation in its history, would double its endowment. West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah said it would use its $15 million gift — the largest from a single donor in its history — to help disadvantaged rural adults and students prepare for the work force. Dr. Simmons said Prairie View A&M, with about 9,000 students, is using $10 million of its share to create the Panther Success Grant Program, to help juniors and seniors who have suffered financially from the pandemic to pay their college bills. The rest of the gift would be allocated to the university's endowment, raising it to $130 million from $95 million, which would support things like faculty recruitment and undergraduate scholarships. She noted that she had seen an uptick, though not of this scale, of interest in donating to historically Black colleges in the wake of recent social justice movements. "For the people who are on the margins who see themselves as forgotten, this kind of gift is an endorsement of the value of what they are doing in striving for education," she said. Jack Begg and Alain Delaquérière contributed research.

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez Are Engaged, Singer Says

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/arts/ariana-grande-engaged-dalton-gomez.html

The pop star Ariana Grande is engaged to the luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez, she announced on Instagram on Sunday. Ms. Grande had hinted at her relationship with Mr. Gomez over the past year, tucking photos with him into stacks of images shared on Instagram. A music video for her collaboration with Justin Bieber on "Stuck With U," a nod to quarantine, was the couple's public debut in the spring, featuring a clip of Ms. Grande and Mr. Gomez dancing. Along with its "unapologetically and sometimes humorously libidinous lyrics," Ms. Grande's most recent album, "Positions," which was released in the fall, has "occasional slips of vulnerability that reveal the giddiness and anxiety of new love," The New York Times wrote in its review. Shortly after the release of Ms. Grande's 2018 album, "Sweetener," her ex-boyfriend, the rapper Mac Miller, died of an accidental overdose. He had collaborated with Ms. Grande on her hit song, "The Way," in 2013. "I adored you from the day I met you when I was nineteen and I always will," she said of Mr. Miller in a post on Instagram after his death. At the time of Mr. Miller's death, she had been engaged to the comedian Pete Davidson for only a few months. Ms. Grande called off their engagement shortly thereafter. In December 2018, Mr. Davidson shared a troubling post on Instagram: "I really don't want to be on this earth anymore," he wrote. A police officer checked on him at the Manhattan studios of "Saturday Night Live," where he is a cast member, and NBC contacted the Police Department to say that he was fine, the police said at the time. Ms. Grande, 27, gained prominence as Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon show "Victorious," which aired from 2010 to 13, but it was her music career that gave her international stardom. Her song "Positions" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.

CDC Panel Says Frontline Workers and People Over 74 Should Get Vaccine Next

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/health/covid-vaccine-first-elderly-workers.html

A working group of the committee suggested that in addition to teachers, firefighters and police, "frontline essential workers" should include school support staff, day care employees, corrections personnel, public transit, grocery store and postal workers, and those in working in food production and manufacturing. But the group's formal recommendation is not that specific. The panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, emphasized that its recommendations were nonbinding and that every state should fine-tune them to serve the unique needs of its population. The 13-to-1 vote came as frustrations flared nationally about the pace of vaccine distribution. This weekend, Gen. Gustave F. Perna, who heads the Trump administration's distribution effort, apologized for states learning at the last minute that they would receive fewer doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week than they had expected. Tensions were also roiling in some states over local decisions regarding which health care workers should get their shots immediately, and which — including hospital administrators who do not see patients, some of whom were vaccinated last week — should wait. When the committee signaled last month that essential workers should precede adults 65 and older, many members supported that view, expressing alarm that these workers, who are often low-wage people of color, were being hit disproportionately hard by the virus and were additionally disadvantaged because of their limited access to good health care. If I live in the U.S., when can I get the vaccine? While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary by state, most will likely put medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities first. If you want to understand how this decision is getting made, this article will help.When can I return to normal life after being vaccinated? Life will return to normal only when society as a whole gains enough protection against the coronavirus. Once countries authorize a vaccine, they'll only be able to vaccinate a few percent of their citizens at most in the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will still remain vulnerable to getting infected. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines are showing robust protection against becoming sick. But it's also possible for people to spread the virus without even knowing they're infected because they experience only mild symptoms or none at all. Scientists don't yet know if the vaccines also block the transmission of the coronavirus. So for the time being, even vaccinated people will need to wear masks, avoid indoor crowds, and so on. Once enough people get vaccinated, it will become very difficult for the coronavirus to find vulnerable people to infect. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve that goal, life might start approaching something like normal by the fall 2021.If I've been vaccinated, do I still need to wear a mask? Yes, but not forever. Here's why. The coronavirus vaccines are injected deep into the muscles and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. This appears to be enough protection to keep the vaccinated person from getting ill. But what's not clear is whether it's possible for the virus to bloom in the nose — and be sneezed or breathed out to infect others — even as antibodies elsewhere in the body have mobilized to prevent the vaccinated person from getting sick. The vaccine clinical trials were designed to determine whether vaccinated people are protected from illness — not to find out whether they could still spread the coronavirus. Based on studies of flu vaccine and even patients infected with Covid-19, researchers have reason to be hopeful that vaccinated people won't spread the virus, but more research is needed. In the meantime, everyone — even vaccinated people — will need to think of themselves as possible silent spreaders and keep wearing a mask. Read more here.Will it hurt? What are the side effects? The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot in the arm, like other typical vaccines. The injection into your arm won't feel different than any other vaccine, but the rate of short-lived side effects does appear higher than a flu shot. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported any serious health problems. The side effects, which can resemble the symptoms of Covid-19, last about a day and appear more likely after the second dose. Early reports from vaccine trials suggest some people might need to take a day off from work because they feel lousy after receiving the second dose. In the Pfizer study, about half developed fatigue. Other side effects occurred in at least 25 to 33 percent of patients, sometimes more, including headaches, chills and muscle pain. While these experiences aren't pleasant, they are a good sign that your own immune system is mounting a potent response to the vaccine that will provide long-lasting immunity.Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse to a cell, allowing the molecule to slip in. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which can stimulate the immune system. At any moment, each of our cells may contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules, which they produce in order to make proteins of their own. Once those proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with special enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can only survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell's enzymes a bit longer, so that the cells can make extra virus proteins and prompt a stronger immune response. But the mRNA can only last for a few days at most before they are destroyed. But when word of that proposal emerged, the public reaction was frequently harsh because many people felt that the elderly deserved protection first, as they, too, are dying at disproportionately high rates and overwhelming health care facilities. In addition, the committee faced a flood of often vicious accusations that it was prioritizing other racial groups over white people. In a strongly worded statement before the panel's vote on Sunday, its chairman, Dr. Romero, pushed back. "Our attempt has been always to achieve equitable ethical and fair distribution of that resource. We have never targeted a specific ethnic nor racial group for receipt of the vaccine," he said.

Devastated long-term care facilities become the next front for Covid-19 inoculations.

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/devastated-long-term-care-facilities-become-the-next-front-for-covid-19-inoculations.html

A large swath of nursing homes in the United States are poised to receive Covid-19 vaccines beginning Monday, as the country pushes to inoculate some of its most vulnerable citizens and free them from months of confinement. Nursing homes have felt the brunt of Covid-19's severity in the United States. At least a third of the country's more than 305,000 deaths have been reported among residents and employees of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults, while more than 787,000 staff members and residents have become infected. Most homes have been closed to visitors since the early days of the pandemic, leaving residents feeling lonely and isolated. Vaccinations started in the United States last week, with health-care workers at the front of the line. The effort has expanded to long-term care facilities as conditions in them have deteriorated anew, with nearly 20,000 cases and an estimated 5,000 deaths reported per week, according to the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Some states, including West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware and Florida, began administering vaccines at long-term care facilities last week. The homes are expected to remain locked down until residents' relatives have been vaccinated. At The Cedars, a retirement community in Portland, Maine, pharmacists from Walgreens are expected to arrive at 8:30 a.m. Monday to administer vaccines to residents and staff members. "There will be much celebration in the air," said Katharine O'Neill, the director of operations and communications. In New York, the state health facilities association — which includes 425 skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities — has been working with the state and federal governments for about two months to plan how the vaccine will be administered, said Stephen Hanse, the president and chief executive of the association. If I live in the U.S., when can I get the vaccine? While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary by state, most will likely put medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities first. If you want to understand how this decision is getting made, this article will help.When can I return to normal life after being vaccinated? Life will return to normal only when society as a whole gains enough protection against the coronavirus. Once countries authorize a vaccine, they'll only be able to vaccinate a few percent of their citizens at most in the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will still remain vulnerable to getting infected. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines are showing robust protection against becoming sick. But it's also possible for people to spread the virus without even knowing they're infected because they experience only mild symptoms or none at all. Scientists don't yet know if the vaccines also block the transmission of the coronavirus. So for the time being, even vaccinated people will need to wear masks, avoid indoor crowds, and so on. Once enough people get vaccinated, it will become very difficult for the coronavirus to find vulnerable people to infect. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve that goal, life might start approaching something like normal by the fall 2021.If I've been vaccinated, do I still need to wear a mask? Yes, but not forever. Here's why. The coronavirus vaccines are injected deep into the muscles and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. This appears to be enough protection to keep the vaccinated person from getting ill. But what's not clear is whether it's possible for the virus to bloom in the nose — and be sneezed or breathed out to infect others — even as antibodies elsewhere in the body have mobilized to prevent the vaccinated person from getting sick. The vaccine clinical trials were designed to determine whether vaccinated people are protected from illness — not to find out whether they could still spread the coronavirus. Based on studies of flu vaccine and even patients infected with Covid-19, researchers have reason to be hopeful that vaccinated people won't spread the virus, but more research is needed. In the meantime, everyone — even vaccinated people — will need to think of themselves as possible silent spreaders and keep wearing a mask. Read more here.Will it hurt? What are the side effects? The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot in the arm, like other typical vaccines. The injection into your arm won't feel different than any other vaccine, but the rate of short-lived side effects does appear higher than a flu shot. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported any serious health problems. The side effects, which can resemble the symptoms of Covid-19, last about a day and appear more likely after the second dose. Early reports from vaccine trials suggest some people might need to take a day off from work because they feel lousy after receiving the second dose. In the Pfizer study, about half developed fatigue. Other side effects occurred in at least 25 to 33 percent of patients, sometimes more, including headaches, chills and muscle pain. While these experiences aren't pleasant, they are a good sign that your own immune system is mounting a potent response to the vaccine that will provide long-lasting immunity.Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse to a cell, allowing the molecule to slip in. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which can stimulate the immune system. At any moment, each of our cells may contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules, which they produce in order to make proteins of their own. Once those proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with special enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can only survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell's enzymes a bit longer, so that the cells can make extra virus proteins and prompt a stronger immune response. But the mRNA can only last for a few days at most before they are destroyed. Most homes will get the vaccine through CVS Pharmacy or Walgreens, part of a deal struck with the federal government, and residents will probably be vaccinated in their rooms, while staff will receive the doses in separate spaces, Mr. Hanse said. There will be vaccination celebrations, probably mixed in with holiday festivities. Morale is higher than it has been throughout the pandemic, Mr. Hanse said, because the vaccines give residents hope that they will soon be able to see their loved ones in person after many months of solitude. "One of the things that's really in play here. too, especially in New York, was the inability for family and loved ones to visit with their family," he said. In Fairborn, Ohio, at the Wright Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, the first doses of the vaccine are scheduled to arrive in the first week of January, Greg Nijak, the executive director of the facility, said. Elsewhere, there is trepidation. At the Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility outside Detroit, a recent survey found that less than half of the staff wanted to take the vaccine. "Our staff is mostly skeptical," Kevin Evans, the executive director of the facility, said in an email. The facility has started an information campaign for residents and staff members. Despite the apprehension among employees, residents are eager for the vaccines' arrival, which the facility is planning to celebrate.

Christmas Without Music? Churches Are Finding a Way

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/arts/music/louisville-church-christmas-service.html

In a normal year, Phil Hines takes a deep breath, lays his hands on the keys of the 135-year-old pipe organ and begins to play. The first notes of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" ring forth from some of the organ's 2,200-plus pipes, creating a soaring herald that welcomes worshipers to St. James Catholic Church in Louisville, Ky., on Christmas Eve. For the church's music season this is the liturgical Super Bowl, an event planned months and months in advance. The voices of 36 choristers mix with the organ, a trumpet, a baritone horn, a violin, cymbals and the thundering timpani, as 400 congregants, packed cheek by jowl, join in. Some arrive an hour early to get a seat. This December, at St. James and churches around the country where the joy of Christmas is channeled through music, the celebration is, of course, different. Given the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people in the country, all that Mr. Hines, the church's 63-year-old music director, can think about is how dangerous the night he looks forward to all year has become. A soprano's solo may now carry not just glad tidings. The coughs of parishioners that once merely punctuated the music could be a public health hazard. But there was no way Mr. Hines, who has weathered a soloist with laryngitis and an ice storm that stranded choristers, was calling off Christmas. "I'll bring the message of Christ's birth to people however I can," he said. So this year, Mr. Hines has fashioned his "quarantine quartets" — groups of four who will sing at St. James's Christmas Eve and Day services, accompanied by a violinist and percussionist, masked and socially distanced in the choir loft above the sanctuary. His flutist and his trumpeter of 32 years, a former principal in the Louisville Orchestra, will watch from home. This is the mission music directors across the country are facing this Christmas. If the normal year presents the challenge of deciding between "Joy to the World" and the Hallelujah chorus, this season the question is how to celebrate the birth of Christ without creating a potential superspreader event. Some churches, like Trinity Church Wall Street in Manhattan, are downsizing choirs and orchestras that might number more than 80 members to single-digit choristers for services they are streaming without congregations. St. John United Methodist Church in Augusta, Ga., recorded 85 current and former choir members singing the John Rutter carol "What Sweeter Music" individually, as well as three violinists and a cellist playing inside their homes, to create a video that will be shown during a prerecorded service on Christmas Eve. Middle Collegiate Church in New York's East Village, whose sanctuary was destroyed in a fire this month, recorded a video that now includes footage of a dancer both twirling around the sanctuary 16 hours before the fire — possibly the last person inside before it burned — and dancing outside the structure's blackened skeleton. "It will make you weep every tear," the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, the church's senior minister, said. The church will also be streaming its 2018 CBS Christmas special on Christmas Eve. But the Rev. Gary Padgett, the pastor of St. James in Louisville, said that even with all the prerecorded concerts and worship services available, it was important to the church to film its own music in house. "I always felt like if a member could see their own building, and their pastor, and the people they know performing music they're used to hearing, it helps recapture some of the tradition," he said. Father Padgett said that Mr. Hines's encyclopedic knowledge of liturgical selections is unsurpassed, but that more than that, he is resourceful. When his soloist got laryngitis, Mr. Hines figured out a way for her to sing — by transposing the work down three semitones. ("Imagine a cross between Beverly Sills and Bob Dylan or Tom Waits," he said.) For this year's service, he rewrote bass and tenor parts for altos and sopranos so it would work with the choristers who agreed to sing. He outfitted his choir with special singers' masks from nearby Bellarmine University. He will rely on the pipe organ to fill in the missing instrumental parts. Not everyone who is part of the tradition can make it. Jerry Amend, 75, the recently retired principal trumpet in the Louisville Orchestra would normally play five Christmas services in a 24-hour stretch. This, he said, will be the first Christmas he has spent at home since 1962. His mother-in-law is in a nursing home, and two people in her unit have died from the coronavirus. "I love performing, but it just seemed dicey this year," he said. Mr. Hines has cut his all-volunteer choir to 14 this year — fewer than half of his normal 36 members, but outsize in spirit, he notes. They have been rehearsing weekly, four or five at a time, since the second week of November, spaced out across the choir loft with individual music stands. Joe Sullivan, 56, said the church had been his second family while teleworking as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service for the past nine months. The weekly rehearsals have helped him stay connected at a time when in-person interactions are rare. "It's one of the few things that maintains a sense of normalcy for me," he said. Martina Gregory, 63, said the passion of the music director everyone in the congregation called "Pip" was infectious. Her daughter works in the emergency room at University of Louisville Hospital and has witnessed the pandemic's toll firsthand, but Ms. Gregory is confident that the precautions — everyone present will be masked and pews will be disinfected after each Mass — will keep her safe.

‘The Pandemic Is a Prisoner’s Dilemma Game’

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/health/virus-vaccine-game-theory.html

The other, a game-theory model, factored in human behavior, and drew on Google data that revealed who went where and when in Ontario from March to November. This data was used as a proxy, approximating how stringently people adhered to social distancing and other public health advice over time. The researchers first did a test run of sorts for their combined model, comparing it to the timeline of the pandemic waves so far, March through November. They found a good fit; the model's projections accurately mirrored our behavioral reality: As Covid-19 cases increased in the spring, the time that people spent at retail, recreation and workplace destinations decreased; over the summer cases trailed off slowly, not abruptly, indicating that as people saw the peak flattening they relaxed their guard. This shows "that you can model human population behavior with simple models," Dr. Bauch said. Then the researchers ran their model to see what lies ahead — specifically, to project the effectiveness of the different approaches to prioritizing vaccinations. The model found that if vaccines are available sufficiently early in the pandemic, say January to March 2021 (with 2.5 percent of the population vaccinated per week), then direct protection would prevent more deaths. But if vaccines are not available until later, say July to September, by which time there is more natural immunity, then indirect protection would be more effective at reducing mortality. They also ran a version of the conventional model alone, not factoring in human behavior modeled from the Google data; instead, behavior was assumed to be constant. In this scenario, the timing of pandemic waves turned out to be very different; factoring in how people behaved had a big impact on estimates of how many people got infected over time and, in turn, the most effective vaccination strategies.

The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us?

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/health/coronavirus-britain-variant.html

Italy also suspended air travel, and Belgian officials on Sunday enacted a 24-hour ban on arrivals from the United Kingdom by air or train. Germany is drawing up regulations limiting travelers from Britain as well as from South Africa. Other countries are also considering bans, among them France, Austria and Ireland, according to local media. Spain has asked the European Union for a coordinated response to banning flights. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York asked the Trump administration to consider banning flights from Britain. He also said that the restrictions Mr. Johnson imposed could be in place for months. Like all viruses, the coronavirus is a shape-shifter. Some genetic changes are inconsequential, but some may give it an edge. Scientists fear the latter possibility, especially: The vaccination of millions of people may force the virus to new adaptations, mutations that help it evade or resist the immune response. Already, there are small changes in the virus that have arisen independently multiple times across the world, suggesting these mutations are helpful to the pathogen. The mutation affecting antibody susceptibility — technically called the 69-70 deletion, meaning there are missing letters in the genetic code — has been seen at least three times: in Danish minks, in people in Britain and in an immune-suppressed patient who became much less sensitive to convalescent plasma.

F.D.A. Wants to Stop Regulating French Dressing

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/us/fda-french-dressing.html

In the grand pantheon of salad dressings, French dressing can be easily forgotten — a sticky, sweet, carrot-colored blend overshadowed by America's undisputed heavyweight champion of dressings, ranch. But the federal government has shown great interest in the humble dressing, painstakingly regulating since 1950 the ingredients that it must contain and revising the rules at least five times since then. Now, the government wants to get out of the French dressing business. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration said it was proposing to revoke its definition and standard of identity for French dressing — effectively erasing the government-sanctioned list of ingredients at the request of an industry group, the Association for Dressings & Sauces. "The standard does not appear necessary to ensure that the product meets consumer expectations, and the F.D.A. has tentatively concluded that it is no longer necessary to promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers and may limit flexibility for innovation," the agency said. Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, offered a slightly less sunny reading of the industry's motivation for seeking the change. Professor Nestle said she had laughed when she read the agency proposal and another one announced the day before that proposed to revoke the definition and standards of identity and quality for frozen cherry pie. French dressing is one of hundreds of foods — including mayonnaise, bread, ketchup and milk chocolate — whose makeup the agency controls. It has argued that many of the rules are more than 75 years old, and are no longer needed. The lengthy and legalistic regulations for French dressing require that it contain vegetable oil and an acid, like vinegar or lemon or lime juice. It also lists other ingredients that are acceptable but not required, such as salt, spices and tomato paste. The dressing was originally a simple vinaigrette made of oil and vinegar, but it gradually became the gooey, sweet, tomato-inflected dressing we recognize today, Professor Freedman said. Unlike the French, who tend to relegate sugar to dessert, the dressing reflects Americans' love of all things sugary, from honey mustard to bacon slathered in maple syrup, he said. Still, it barely ranked in a 2017 study by the Association for Dressings & Sauces, in which 40 percent of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing. Its nearest competitor, Italian, came in at 10 percent. Professor Freedman, however, said he was among those who consider French dressing a treat. "Actually, I have a certain weakness for it," he said. The dressing also tends to have a sweet taste, the agency said. But some formulations, such as low-fat French dressing, contain less than the required amount of vegetable oil (35 percent by weight), and there is no evidence that consumers have been deceived or misled when buying those varieties, the F.D.A. said. The Association for Dressings & Sauces, which did not respond to a message about the proposed change on Saturday, submitted a petition to the F.D.A. arguing that French dressing should be unshackled from regulation. It noted, according to the agency, that Italian and ranch dressings, as well as reduced fat, "light" and fat-free formulations, are not governed by the same standards. Clare Gordon Bettencourt, a Ph.D. candidate in food history at the University of California, Irvine, said she didn't expect consumers to even notice the change, which she said was part of the F.DA.'s effort to eliminate outliers in food regulation. "I don't know that it will change the shopping experience exponentially because so few consumers know about the standards to begin with and use them as a way to evaluate food choice," she said.

‘Big Fight’ Breaks Out Over Which Interest Groups Get Vaccine First

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/nyregion/essential-worker-coronavirus-vaccine.html

The chief executive of Uber, the ride-hailing company whose six New York lobbying firms include Albany's best connected, wrote last week to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo with an ask: priority for its drivers in the next round of coronavirus vaccinations. Days later, the president of New York's largest transit union spoke about the same topic with the chairman of the state transit authority, a Cuomo appointee. Not to be outdone, the Hotel Trades Council, a hospitality labor group with an aggressive political arm, urged the state's health commissioner in a letter on Tuesday to give priority to its members. Even a presidential elector had hoped to chat with the governor about who was getting vaccine priority — after they both took part in New York's Electoral College vote. Political horse-trading is routine in state capitals, but Albany has a particularly long tradition of behind-the-scenes deals. Now, as the coronavirus rages and vaccines remain in short supply, the pandemic has been thrust squarely into the maw of New York politics. On Sunday, an advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made new recommendations for who should come next in line: roughly 30 million "frontline essential workers" like emergency responders, teachers and grocery store employees, and people 75 and older. The next priority group would include other essential workers, such as those with jobs in restaurants, construction and law. The recommendations could be approved by the C.D.C. as soon as Monday and then would be sent to the states. But even then, the states would still have the power to make final decisions on vaccine distribution — leaving room for interested parties to lobby state officials. Apparently attuned to the atmosphere, Mr. Cuomo made several pronouncements this past week that his administration would not be swayed by interest groups. "There will be no political favoritism," the governor said in a news conference on Wednesday, a message he repeated on Friday. The question of where groups of workers stand in the line for vaccines has yet to be resolved in New York or in a majority of other states, according to a review by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. Some states, like Illinois, are awaiting further federal guidance for allocation beyond the initial vaccine supplies. Others have provided some details. Colorado officials have said ski industry employees living in congregate settings would be part of the early vaccine rounds. Health officials in Georgia and Arkansas are including workers in meatpacking or food processing plants. In New York, emergency responders like police officers, transit workers and those who maintain power grids and other critical infrastructure will almost certainly be part of the next wave, according to a state plan. But the remaining uncertainty has led to clamoring for consideration in state capitols and in Washington from a wide array of businesses and workers. Tens of millions of Americans, designated as essential, continue to toil amid the pandemic's dangers while others work from home. The list of those who qualified as essential in New York, in order to continue working through virus-related shutdowns, stretched from chiropractors to landscapers to bicycle mechanics. That long list has allowed all sorts of industries to claim they should also be among the first for the vaccine. Rich Maroko, president of the Hotel Trades Council, wrote a letter to state health officials in which he made the case for the 35,000 hotel employees the union represents in the city. "These workers have continued to put themselves at risk and have worked throughout this pandemic performing services that are critical to the State of New York," he wrote. If I live in the U.S., when can I get the vaccine? While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary by state, most will likely put medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities first. If you want to understand how this decision is getting made, this article will help.When can I return to normal life after being vaccinated? Life will return to normal only when society as a whole gains enough protection against the coronavirus. Once countries authorize a vaccine, they'll only be able to vaccinate a few percent of their citizens at most in the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will still remain vulnerable to getting infected. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines are showing robust protection against becoming sick. But it's also possible for people to spread the virus without even knowing they're infected because they experience only mild symptoms or none at all. Scientists don't yet know if the vaccines also block the transmission of the coronavirus. So for the time being, even vaccinated people will need to wear masks, avoid indoor crowds, and so on. Once enough people get vaccinated, it will become very difficult for the coronavirus to find vulnerable people to infect. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve that goal, life might start approaching something like normal by the fall 2021.If I've been vaccinated, do I still need to wear a mask? Yes, but not forever. Here's why. The coronavirus vaccines are injected deep into the muscles and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. This appears to be enough protection to keep the vaccinated person from getting ill. But what's not clear is whether it's possible for the virus to bloom in the nose — and be sneezed or breathed out to infect others — even as antibodies elsewhere in the body have mobilized to prevent the vaccinated person from getting sick. The vaccine clinical trials were designed to determine whether vaccinated people are protected from illness — not to find out whether they could still spread the coronavirus. Based on studies of flu vaccine and even patients infected with Covid-19, researchers have reason to be hopeful that vaccinated people won't spread the virus, but more research is needed. In the meantime, everyone — even vaccinated people — will need to think of themselves as possible silent spreaders and keep wearing a mask. Read more here.Will it hurt? What are the side effects? The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot in the arm, like other typical vaccines. The injection into your arm won't feel different than any other vaccine, but the rate of short-lived side effects does appear higher than a flu shot. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported any serious health problems. The side effects, which can resemble the symptoms of Covid-19, last about a day and appear more likely after the second dose. Early reports from vaccine trials suggest some people might need to take a day off from work because they feel lousy after receiving the second dose. In the Pfizer study, about half developed fatigue. Other side effects occurred in at least 25 to 33 percent of patients, sometimes more, including headaches, chills and muscle pain. While these experiences aren't pleasant, they are a good sign that your own immune system is mounting a potent response to the vaccine that will provide long-lasting immunity.Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse to a cell, allowing the molecule to slip in. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which can stimulate the immune system. At any moment, each of our cells may contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules, which they produce in order to make proteins of their own. Once those proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with special enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can only survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell's enzymes a bit longer, so that the cells can make extra virus proteins and prompt a stronger immune response. But the mRNA can only last for a few days at most before they are destroyed. Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents 40,000 workers in New York, including grocery story workers, said he had reached out to state officials, but had yet to hear back. State officials said they would be making their determinations based on a combination of factors, including the nature of the industry and the health risks of individual people. That would include creating a hierarchy of essential workers and at-risk individuals in the general population for the purpose of getting a vaccine. And it would also hinge on a simpler matter of supply. New York's initial allotment of the Pfizer vaccine, the first to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration, was 170,000 doses, barely enough to start covering the projected 1.8 million people categorized in Phase 1. The state expects to soon get a shipment of 346,000 doses from the drug maker Moderna, whose vaccine received emergency approval on Friday. For example, Mr. Mujica said, an older person living at home might be vaccinated before a young cable repairman. "If you're focused on preventing death, then the 30-year-old cable guy is probably less at risk than the 90-year-old person at home," he said. The governor's office has referred inquiries it receives to the Health Department, and Mr. Cuomo has tried to distance himself from the fray. A birthday fund-raiser held over Zoom on Thursday allowed the governor to collect campaign cash without having to engage in small talk with the assembled lobbyists and donors. At the in-person Electoral College vote on Monday, he departed without mingling with any of the attendees, including those who might have pressed him about vaccine priority, according to two people who were there. Even so, businesses have begun reaching out to their lobbyists about the vaccine: banks interested in their tellers; cable companies asking about their repair people; a television news channel concerned about its journalists. In fact, some business executives are worried about pushback from their employees if they are not seen as aggressively pursuing vaccine priority for them, or backlash from the public if a company is perceived to be jumping the line. Eric Soufer, a New York-based political strategist, said he had been contacted by numerous firms, from app-based companies to retail stores, seeking advice. That hasn't stopped industries that believe they have a credible claim from going public with their pleas, using a combination of data and emotional appeals to make their case. Uber's letter to Mr. Cuomo said that its tens of thousands of drivers and food delivery workers should receive priority because of their role transporting health care workers to hospitals and helping local restaurants stay afloat. They joined teachers' unions in seeking to move up in the line. A trade group representing landlords of rent-stabilized buildings in New York City issued a release asking that superintendents and building maintenance staff members receive vaccines immediately. The union for building maintenance workers, 32BJ SEIU, which has 175,000 members nationally, has also been in contact with the state, a spokeswoman said. Con Edison has already received reassurance from state officials that its approximately 4,000 to 5,000 critical workers will be prioritized. "There have been conversations and we understand that we're on that next group after health care workers," said Jamie McShane, director of media relations at the energy company. Tony Utano, the president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents 40,000 city bus and subway workers, said he had talked with Patrick J. Foye, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman who is appointed by Mr. Cuomo, about including his members, and expected that they would be part of the next round. As the C.D.C. considers vaccine priority, companies and groups nationwide have been telling the federal agency why they should be part of the next wave of vaccinations. Agricultural workers, from rice farmers to hog farmers, have jockeyed for priority, as have trade associations representing school nurses, truck drivers, morticians and even zookeepers. The Navajo Nation has reached out on behalf of its 170,000 residents in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The American Parkinson Disease Association is looking to secure priority for people with Parkinson's, citing acute complications from Covid-19, like hallucinations. But it is states, not the federal government, that will have the final say on who gets priority. And it is there where the most intense lobbying is expected to take place over the next few months. For Suzanne Rajczi, the chief executive of Ginsberg's Foods, a family-owned company in Hudson, N.Y., that means convincing officials that her more than 250 workers are critical in the distribution of food to restaurants, hospitals, schools and nursing homes in the Northeast. But her needs are bound to clash with those of others, like Neil Strahl, the president of Pioneer Transportation Corp., a school bus company with New York City school contracts, who wrote to Mr. Cuomo this month.

Americans Scraping By Say They Fear a Second Stimulus Won’t Be Enough

www.nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/congress-stimulus-reactions.html

In Cleveland, people were lining up on Saturday outside of a house in the city's trendy Ohio City neighborhood to get donated toys for their young relatives. The house serves as a food pantry for most of the year, but doubles as a toy center during the Christmas season. The woman said a $600 check could help her family stay afloat. "Right now, we are trying to live month-to-month, and a little bit more money might help us get to the next month," she said. David Caron, 22, recently got a job at a J. Crew store in Boston after working part time for DoorDash, the delivery service, and receiving some unemployment payments. He said a stimulus check of $600 would not be nearly enough to help him recover from the pandemic's toll. Carly Stern reported from San Francisco, and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs from Aurora, N.Y. Reporting was contributed by Daniel McGraw from Cleveland, Maria Jimenez Moya from Boston, David Montgomery from Austin, Texas, and Kathleen Gray from West Bloomfield, Mich.

How Trump drove the lie that the election was stolen, undermining voter trust in the outcome

www.washingtonpost.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-election-voter-trust/2020/12/20/00282aa6-407a-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

"Since this has been debunked repeatedly, what evidence can you give to us that counters what our elections officials presented us with only an hour ago?" Parent asked one of the witnesses, her voice rising in exasperation. When she tried to ask a follow-up question, the Republican committee chairman cut her off. Her questions — and the fact that the claims were misleading, unsubstantiated or just plain false — did little to keep the rumors in check. It didn't matter that state and local election officials had explained what was in the video and conducted a hand recount to show that the machines were not rigged. It didn't matter that multiple news outlets detailed, over and over, that there was no evidence of widespread fraud. It didn't matter that, amid a global pandemic and massive demand for mail ballots, a system under historic strain in fact held up decisively. To preserve his hold on power, Trump has spent the weeks since Election Day promoting falsehoods about voting problems in Georgia and five other states, successfully persuading tens of millions of his supporters to believe a lie — that the election was stolen from him, and from them. He has done so by harnessing the power of his position, using his pulpit at the White House and his Twitter feed to let loose a fusillade of conspiracy theories. His assault on the integrity of the election has gotten a hefty assist from pro-Trump media outfits and an assortment of state lawmakers and lawyers who gave oxygen to the debunked allegations — and a majority of congressional Republicans, who called on the Supreme Court to overturn the results in four states. Since Nov. 4, President Trump has repeatedly claimed his election loss as a result of massive fraud. The following is a roundup of his claims. (The Washington Post)Trump is continuing to press his case, even now that the electoral college has formally elected Biden. In a meeting with allies on Friday, the president discussed deploying the military to rerun the election and appointing attorney Sidney Powell, whose conspiracy theories about election fraud have been widely discredited, as a special counsel to investigate the outcome. Along the way, Trump has willfully damaged two bedrocks of American democracy that he has been going after for years: confidence in the media as a source of trusted information and faith in systems of government. It might be one of his lasting legacies. A Fox News poll released on Dec. 11 shows that more than a third of registered voters believe the election was stolen from Trump — a number that rises to 77 percent among those who voted for Trump. Conversely, 56 percent of voters believe Trump weakened American democracy by contesting election results in various states, with the number rising to 85 percent among those who voted for Biden, according to the poll. Trump's campaign spokesman, Tim Murtaugh, declined to answer specific questions about the damage the president has done or the untruths he embraced. "President Trump owes it to the 75 million Americans who voted for him — and to those who voted for Joe Biden — to ensure that the election was free, fair and secure," he said. Even now that the electoral college has voted, and the GOP's top leaders have publicly accepted Biden's victory, both parties and the country overall must reckon with the mark Trump has left on American democracy. Biden will start his presidency with nearly half the country believing he is not the legitimate occupant of the White House. Many Americans who voted against Trump and have watched with horror as he has tried to subvert the results are equally disillusioned about the strength of the system, which they fear could have toppled but for the courage of a cadre of election officials, state Republicans and judges who held the line. Few anticipate that the mistrust and divisions will fade with the 45th president's departure from the White House. One reason: The most ardent purveyors of unfounded accusations say they have no plans to back down. "The fact is that President Trump was reelected by what will be known soon to be a landslide victory unparalleled in this country," said L. Lin Wood, a Georgia lawyer and Trump ally who has filed unsuccessful lawsuits on the president's behalf. Nathaniel Persily, a professor at Stanford Law School and co-director of the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project, said that kind of rhetoric has emboldened some in the country to doubt the results merely because their preferred candidate lost. Trump has demonstrated a unique capacity to rally supporters to his war cries, even when they are false or unproven. He gained notoriety nearly a decade ago as the leader of the so-called birther movement, asserting falsely that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. This year, Trump's obsession with election fraud has tested his followers anew, and their willingness to go along with him has shown how powerful his hold is on the GOP. Thousands of President Trump's supporters converged on Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14 to falsely claim he won the election. (The Washington Post)The president's false claims about voting ramped up in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when election officials were gearing up for a historic surge in mail balloting. He got help from a chorus of Republican allies, who echoed and amplified his untruths on the campaign trail, on conservative television and in state capitols in key battlegrounds. Many of his increasingly outrageous accusations — blasted out to his 89 million followers on Twitter — came straight from one of his new favorite news sources, One America News. "Pennsylvania Poll Watcher: USB Drives uploaded to machines, gave Biden thousands of votes," the president tweeted on Nov. 27. Trump and his allies have lost overwhelmingly when they tried to overturn Biden's victory through the courts, with at least 88 judges across the country ruling against them either on procedural grounds or on the merits in more than 50 cases. The president's campaign on Sunday said it was filing a new petition with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the result in Pennsylvania, challenging state voting procedures similar to those that the court has so far declined to act on. Even as his accusations have collapsed under scrutiny, they have gained traction among his most ardent supporters. They have been spurred on by Trump-supporting cable and online news outlets such as OAN and Newsmax, which touted unfounded theories about the Dominion machines, dead people voting and poll workers in Michigan allegedly covering up windows with cardboard to prevent observers from watching the process. At a rally in Valdosta, Ga., earlier this month for two Republican senators facing a runoff election on Jan. 5, Trump paused his speech and turned to giant screens that played misleading news reports on fraud. Thousands in the crowd watched the videos, rapt. Trump's arguments made sense, his supporters said. They couldn't believe that Biden fared better than Obama had in his races, and they were suspicious that Trump was ahead in some states on Election Day but fell behind as mail ballots were counted — either unaware or untrusting of news reports explaining why that was expected. The relative silence of Republicans lawmakers in the initial days after the election, both in states and on Capitol Hill, quickly gave way to a flood of support for Trump's posture. A stock line emerged among Republican leaders who refused to acknowledge Biden's win: The president has the right to pursue all legal avenues available to him. But Trump has done more than pursue all legal avenues. He has openly cajoled his supporters to join the fight. And they did. In Maricopa County, Ariz., home of Phoenix, his supporters lashed out at local election officials, accusing them without evidence of improperly verifying signatures, switching Trump votes to Biden votes on duplicate ballots and keeping observers too far away from ballot-counting to see anything. In Wisconsin, they claimed the use of drop boxes for mail ballots was illegal. With most municipal offices closed to the public because of the pandemic, many city clerks set up secure drop boxes not just for ballots, but for other city business such as utility bills. GOP Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler's Facebook page was inundated with demands from constituents that he reverse Biden's win in the state. Protesters also gathered outside his rural home in Lancaster County on Dec. 5 with bullhorns and signs. At one point, Rep. Seth Grove, a Republican lawmaker from York County, Pa., said a conservative activist confronted him at the Capitol in Harrisburg, demanding that the legislature take action to seat Trump's electors — even though state law does not allow such a move. It was a reminder, Grove said, of just how much power Trump has amassed over the Republican electorate, to the point that some of his supporters are no longer guided by political principles they have claimed adherence to in the past. Lawmakers in Arizona and Pennsylvania rebuffed the president's efforts to stage official hearings to examine potential fraud. But back benchers in both states assembled media spectacles in hotel ballrooms, labeling them hearings but presenting "witnesses" that were not under oath and offering no evidence for their claims. Republican lawmakers in Michigan and Georgia did hold official hearings, giving Giuliani an additional platform to unspool a series of false claims. Republicans on the committee did not respond to requests for comment. One witness at the Michigan hearing, Mellissa Carone, gained notoriety for a stream of unfounded accusations, including one claim that she'd seen a van pull up to a Detroit vote-counting center that was meant to bring in meals for election workers but was actually filled with phony ballots. Carone had previously been deemed "simply not credible" by a state judge. Trump lashed out at those who refused to bend to his will. He called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, an "enemy of the people" for failing to embrace the president's accusations of fraud. He accused the Michigan secretary of state, Democrat Jocelyn Benson, of "breaking the law" by rigging voting machines. And he threatened Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican, with a primary challenge in 2022 for not helping him reverse the outcome — even though Kemp had explained in a contentious phone call that he did not have the power to do so. Trump's rhetoric has spurred some of his supporters to do more than merely protest. Raffensperger and his wife began receiving death threats and accepted a state security detail at their home in suburban Atlanta. Protesters trespassed at Benson's home in Detroit, some armed with bullhorns and some with guns, ignoring neighbors' pleas to go home because they were scaring children, including Benson's 4-year-old son. In Houston, a former police captain was arrested Tuesday after allegedly slamming into an air-conditioning repairman's truck to thwart what he said was a vast election-fraud scheme. The man, Mark Anthony Aguirre, was paid $250,000 by a right-wing organization to pursue fraud conspiracy theories and believed that the truck contained 750,000 fake ballots, police said. The truck, it turned out, was full of nothing but air conditioning parts. Vanishingly few national Republicans have been willing to stand up to the false statements, despite privately acknowledging that the election is over. "The future will take care of itself," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters in early December, refusing to acknowledge that Biden had won. In Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers who had initially resisted the president's entreaties wound up signing onto an emergency petition to the Supreme Court that sought to overturn Biden's win in the state, though they never cited fraud in their filing. They also sent a letter to Congress urging federal lawmakers to reject Pennsylvania's electoral votes when they convene on Jan. 6. Grove, the GOP lawmaker from Pennsylvania, said he and other Republicans had assumed the letter would go nowhere. A challenge requires support from a member of both the House and Senate, but Grove and others incorrectly thought they had to be from the state in question, and they knew that Pennsylvania's two senators, Republican Patrick J. Toomey and Democrat Robert P. Casey Jr., would not support it. Congressional Republicans also began echoing Trump's claims; 126 of them ultimately signed onto an emergency petition to the Supreme Court seeking to overturn results in four states Biden had won. "The fraud happened," said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) at a hearing last week in Washington to examine election irregularities. That idea that something went wrong with the vote this year has now taken hold among many Americans. Anna Van Winkle, a retired aesthetician in Savannah, Ga., who voted for Trump, has accepted her candidate's defeat, but believes lawmakers must fix the election process to make sure such broad doubt in the outcome can't happen again. Van Winkle was perplexed when she received multiple absentee ballot request forms at her address, and worries that others willing to commit ballot fraud would have been able to do so by requesting more than one ballot. Although Georgia requires identification to request a ballot online — and signature matching on ballots themselves — Van Winkle doesn't understand why states don't require mail voters to get their ballots notarized. Voting-right activists, meanwhile, are concerned that such sentiments will now be cited as an excuse to try to erect new barriers to casting ballots. Indeed, GOP lawmakers in Georgia have already floated a proposal to eliminate no-excuses absentee balloting, meaning only those with a qualifying reason such as illness or an overseas assignment could vote by mail. In Texas, lawmakers have filed bills to limit distribution of absentee ballot applications and make it a felony to help voters fill out ballots. Pennsylvania Republicans have discussed tighter identification requirements for mail ballots and signature matches. Defenders of this year's elections also recognize the need to shore up public confidence. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who advocated unsuccessfully for billions in election aid for states this year, believes Congress must act to curtail misinformation on social media companies, which she said fell short in their civic obligation to restrict false claims on their platforms. Klobuchar said she was heartened by the Republicans who immediately acknowledged Biden's win, by those who did so after the electoral college vote and by the dozens of judges across the country, many of them Republican appointees, who roundly rejected the fraud claims of Trump and his allies. "All of those things mean our democracy is working during a really hard time," she said. But there remains the reality that Trump and millions of his supporters still refuse to accept Biden's win, creating a disturbing precedent, Klobuchar said, in a political system that has prided itself on the peaceful transfer of power and acknowledgment of election results. Emma Brown, Robert Barnes, Emily Guskin, Rosalind S. Helderman, Elise Viebeck and Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.

Front-line essential workers and adults 75 and over should be next to get the coronavirus vaccine, a CDC advisory group says

www.washingtonpost.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/20/covid-vaccine-front-line-workers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

The groups designated Sunday include about 49 million people, some of whom could begin getting shots early in the new year. The priorities represent a compromise between the desire to shield people most likely to catch and transmit the virus, because they cannot socially distance or work from home, and the effort to protect people who are most prone to serious complications and death. Trucks with shipments of the second coronavirus vaccine by Moderna shipped out to all 50 states on Dec. 20. (The Washington Post)An estimated 30 million front-line essential workers are laboring in meat plants, grocery stores, prisons, public transit and other key areas, and cannot work remotely. They are a priority, because they play a critical role in keeping society functioning, and they live or work in high-risk, high-transmission communities. Adults 75 and older — about 19 million people — were also included in this priority group, because they account for 25 percent of hospitalizations and a significant share of deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. That decision arrived on the same day the first doses of Moderna's vaccine began shipping out, along with a second wave of shipments from Pfizer, together destined for more than 3,700 locations. The shot can't come soon enough for a nation experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases and covid-19 deaths, with more than 317,000 people succumbing since the start of the pandemic. The committee's vote also addressed an even larger group of people poised to gain access in the third phase. That larger group of 129 million people — part of Phase 1c — is made up of a second tier of essential workers, adults 65 to 74 and adults 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions. The subsequent tier of essential workers represents 10 broad areas, including finance, information technology, food service, energy and transportation, and logistics. But the desire to expand the pool of people receiving vaccinations collides with the reality that doses are limited. Federal officials anticipate having enough doses to vaccinate a total of 100 million people by the end of February. The priority groups advanced on Sunday exceed the number of shots government officials expect to be available in the first months of 2021. In December, officials have said there are only enough doses to give 20 million people a first shot. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each require two doses. In January, the anticipated supply will be enough for another 30 million people, with an added 50 million accounted for in February, Nancy Messonnier, a top CDC official, told the group Sunday, citing projections from the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed. Advisory group members made clear that the broad outlines will give states flexibility to make priority decisions locally. States will probably move through the phases at different speeds. Decisions on moving to the next phase of vaccination are up to states, and they will depend on demand and the details of local vaccine rollout. "These are going to be imperfect," said Grace Lee, a committee member and a pediatrics professor at Stanford University's School of Medicine, referring to the industries listed in the two groups of essential workers. Jose Romero, the panel's chair and the secretary of the Arkansas health department, said the vote was his hardest in the 6½ years he has spent on the committee. "What we are providing governors, health officials with is a framework that is supported by evidence and will address this limited supply of vaccine that we have at this time," he said. Henry H. Bernstein, a pediatrics professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York, said he opposed the recommendations because he wanted to see people ages 65 to 74 included in the very next priority group, along with those 75 and older. President-elect Joe Biden's covid-19 advisory board supports the phases set forth by the advisory group, said one of its co-chairs, Marcella Nunez-Smith, an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine. She praised the panel's experts for "taking political interference out of the process" and said she was "quite excited by their grounding in inequity," referring to the importance given to factors such as housing and minority status in decisions about prioritization. But there needs to be greater federal guidance and coordination to prevent a "patchwork that's appearing in the states" about who gets access and when, she said. Health-care workers across the U.S. received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine following its Dec. 11 authorization by the FDA. (The Washington Post)The 14 members of the panel have been wrestling with questions about balancing fairness and speed since spring. They have held nearly a dozen public meetings to examine evidence to address how best to balance saving the lives of the most vulnerable against stopping the spread of the virus, and doing so in a way that will lessen health inequities. They previously recommended that highest priority be given to health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. They signaled at the time that certain essential workers should be prioritized next to address racial disparities exposed by the pandemic and to curb transmission. Because of the uneven burden of the virus in communities of color, racial equity has been among the reasons immunization experts were looking closely at essential workers, who are disproportionately people of color. Unlike the larger population of essential workers, however, the front-line essential workers being given priority in the next phase "more closely model the racial makeup of the total U.S. population," said Kathleen Dooling, a CDC medical officer. Katherine A. Poehling, a committee member and pediatrics professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, called the decisions before the group "wrenching," saying the aim was to account both for the disproportionate rates of hospitalization and death among the elderly and the higher exposure of workers vital to the functioning of society. But state officials said the multiple overlapping priority groups threatened to create confusion, even causing local public health agencies to slow down for fear of breaching the guidelines. Molly Howell of North Dakota, representing the Association of Immunization Managers, said age-based preferences were easiest to enforce, and that the organization's members were clamoring for additional guidance about the prioritization of essential workers. Others stressed that efficiency alone should not guide rollout. "We cannot abandon equity because it's hard to measure and it's hard to do," Lee said. Several members repeated their plea for Congress and federal agencies to provide localities with critical funding needed to implement the most ambitious immunization campaign in U.S. history. Helen Keipp K. Talbot, a Vanderbilt University associate professor of medicine, cited barriers to vaccination for front-line workers, such as those who get milk from the farm to the grocery store for her teenage son to drink. The laborers cannot easily take off work to be immunized or stay home if they have side effects. With limited supply, states are scrambling to decide which groups get the vaccine next and in what order. States often follow the federal recommendations, but they have the final say in priority groups, which will probably vary widely by state. "What the CDC might suggest is the right way may be different than what a given state does because of industry voices, and because what groups might have the ears of governors," said one public health expert who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is part of a state vaccine advisory committee. The recommendations received wide-ranging criticism in public comments, even as medical experts, health officials and vaccine advocates hailed the advisory group's work. Another gap was the lack of attention to those caring for dependent parents, which several commenters said created unique needs for Asian, Hispanic and other minority groups. Minh Hoang Tu, a Seattle caregiver attending to her 90-year-old mother with dementia, said the priority groups do not recognize her family's situation. "My home functions like a nursing home, but of one resident, and I'm a health-care worker, just unpaid and unlicensed," she said.

More than 1.3 million Georgians have already voted in the Senate runoffs, rivaling general election turnout

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/georgia-runoff-early-vote/2020/12/20/6f78c0c0-414f-11eb-9453-fc36ba051781_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

The voter data offers little insight into which candidates may benefit from the early surge, with polls showing the races are neck and neck. But the figures underscore the enthusiasm in both parties. The results could determine whether President-elect Joe Biden can enact a more ambitious Democratic agenda or if Republicans can block initiatives they oppose. In below-freezing temperatures on a recent morning, voters in line to cast their ballots said they were eager to have a say in the high-stakes contests. Several Democratic voters said they were energized by Biden's win and eager to see his priorities implemented with the help of a unified government, while some Republicans said they wanted to keep the incoming president in check with a GOP-controlled Senate. About 36,000 Georgians who didn't vote in November cast ballots early for the January runoffs, according to state data. That includes people who were too young to vote last month. Voters have been subject to a barrage of get-out-the-vote activity and advertising. Already, campaigns and independent groups have spent more than $400 million on advertisements, ad spending data shows. "These are highly motivated people who want to get in and do this stuff. We don't know if it'll stay at this level," especially with the holidays approaching, said Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the Georgia secretary of state's office who manages the voter information system. Georgia Democrats said they were pleased to see the party's strong turnout in the first week of early voting. After trailing Democrats in mail voting for the November election, Republicans have narrowed the gap for absentee votes in the runoffs so far, state data shows. Asked for comment, Georgia Republican Party officials pointed to a recent Fox News interview with GOP strategist Karl Rove, who said the early returns of mail ballots in particular from older voters were a good sign that older Republican voters were casting ballots. "This is a fight to the finish. Republicans are doing pretty good right now. They've got a long way to go," Rove said in the interview. While Georgia records do not identify each voter's party affiliation, The Post used voting records in the 2020 primaries to determine the likely party affiliation of those who voted in the runoffs. Georgia voters have traditionally preferred to vote in person rather than by mail. That changed this year with a surge in mail voting in the November election because many people wanted to avoid exposure to the coronavirus at polling places. But early-voting numbers show that more voters are casting their ballots in person than by mail compared with this point in the November election, which is more consistent with historical voter behavior in Georgia, Sterling said. At least 1.3 million mail ballots were requested for the runoffs, including about 600,000 sent to voters who signed up to receive absentee ballots in the mail automatically for every election this cycle, state data shows. As of Saturday morning, at least 524,000 ballots had been filled out and submitted to county election officials — 25 percent fewer than by this point in the November election. More than 812,000 people have voted early in person — a 9 percent increase, data shows. Compared with the rest of the runoff voters so far, the roughly 36,000 newly voting Georgians included more young voters and voters of color — groups that have tended to lean more Democratic, according to The Post's analysis. Demographic data released by the Georgia secretary of state's office shows the Black share of the early vote for the Jan. 5 election is slightly up, at more than 30 percent, compared with those who voted early in November. The age breakdown so far is roughly similar to this point in the general election, with the median age of voters at 61. Rhonda Grayned, a 71-year-old Democratic voter in Atlanta, said she decided to vote in person because she did not trust mail voting. Both parties are making a push this week with high-profile surrogates in hopes of drumming up voters before the holidays. Independent groups also canvassed the state on Saturday, encouraging people to go to the polls before they got caught up in the holidays. Warnock and Ossoff on Saturday held a joint rally in Savannah featuring the rapper Common, who told voters they need to "finish the job." Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris (D) is scheduled to make two appearances in Georgia to turn out voters this week. She is expected to deliver the same message as a stream of campaign surrogates: Vote early. Vice President Pence has made a half-dozen trips to the state to campaign for Loeffler and Perdue, including an event in Columbus last week. And Ivanka Trump is scheduled to make several stops in Georgia this week. Republicans also have been stressing to voters that they shouldn't fear voting absentee or on Dominion voting machines — despite baseless claims spread by President Trump that mail-in votes and those cast via the Canada-based company's machines are suspect. David Hutto, a 67-year-old medical journal editor from Atlanta, said he requested an absentee ballot but had not received it, so he decided to vote early in person instead. Like many others, Hutto said he was unsure what to expect, pointing to Biden's victory in November. The runoff races come on the heels of weeks of drama over the presidential vote in Georgia. Biden's 11,779-vote margin of victory, out of 5 million votes cast, led to two statewide recounts, first by hand and then through a machine re-scan. Both recounts reaffirmed Biden's win, but some election officials and even temporary election workers were harassed and threatened after Trump and other Republicans made unfounded allegations of fraud. In a sign of the skepticism of election administration stemming from misinformation, some voters said they were wary of the voting process, even as they showed up more than two weeks early to participate. Ken Randall, 42, a Republican voter and engineer in Cobb County, said he was distrustful of certain decisions by election administrators, including the fact that the county has fewer early-voting locations for the runoffs compared with the November election. County election officials said they decided based on the expectation of a staffing shortage. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in Atlanta contributed to this report.

The Trailer: Your most burning campaign questions, answered

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/20/trailer-your-most-burning-campaign-questions-answered/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

We've tackled some of that here, along with topics more typically covered in the newsletter, such as the changing strategies in Georgia's runoff. One question that didn't get asked, but that we'll answer anyway, is what would happen if the slim Democratic House majority is eroded by special-election losses, and Republicans end up with 218 seats before 2022? That's easy: As in 1931, the last time that a party's majority was lost mid-session, the opposition party would take over. That scenario isn't unfolding right now, though, so we'll start with questions about what's coming next. A: More and less. After Jan. 20, nothing Trump says or does will come with the potential of government action. The actions President Biden takes will lead to immediate and far-reaching policy impact; the tweets of former president Donald Trump will not. But in the age of televised mass media, there has never been a defeated president who made it clear he wanted to run again. Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush gave up electoral politics. Gerald Ford considered another run, but wasn't dominant in polls of Republican primary voters, as Trump is now. In the first years after his 1976 loss, he kept his options open, in part out of worry that Ronald Reagan, who nearly wrested the GOP's nomination away from him, would win a primary and lose a general election. Trump has no comparable political rival. The point: Just as it had to adjust to a reality show host taking over a major political party, the media will have to adjust to something else, a defeated president remaining the dominant figure in his party. There may be some resistance to covering this at all — witness the post-election spectacle of reporters turning off their Trump tweet notifications. But the future of the GOP will be a major story in 2021, just as the future of the Democratic Party was in 2017, and Trump will determine how much of the story is about him. Watch for what happens immediately after Jan. 20, as President Biden unwinds a string of Trump executive orders, and the press assesses how much to cover Trump's response. A: To watch Republican ads in Georgia, yes, you'd think that statehood for D.C. is Item One of the agenda of a Democratic Senate. A cause for years in the city itself, it was pushed into the presidential campaign by dedicated local activists, and it gained momentum on the left as part of a wider conversation of how to reduce the rural, conservative skewing of the Senate. The point: While a state can be admitted to the union with a majority vote in both houses of Congress, most successful statehood bids enjoyed bipartisan, majority support, and these bids don't have it. Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia has said that he won't vote to eliminate the filibuster even if Democrats gained a working majority by winning the Georgia races, so unified Republican opposition and a filibuster could stop any statehood drive. Neither Democratic candidate, Jon Ossoff or the Rev. Raphael Warnock, opposes the statehood drives, but neither has prioritized them on the trail. A: Actually, the Democrats' lackluster down-ballot performance has been cited by Trump supporters as a reason to suspect voter fraud. "We have identified at least 450,000 ballots in the key states that miraculously only have a mark for Joe Biden on them, and no other candidate," erstwhile Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell told Fox Business on Nov. 8. Breaking down the numbers in swing states, Powell's estimate was that about 2 percent of all ballots had votes for president but nothing else. That's not unusual. Take the example of Pennsylvania, the only Midwest swing state that had Senate races in both 2016 and 2012. Four years ago, 6,166,938 votes were cast in the presidential race, but just 6,051,856 votes in the state's expensive and very close Senate race. In the Obama-Romney race, 5,775,620 votes were cast for president, compared with 5,627,422 in a Senate race that became competitive in the final days. That falloff is comparable to the one that Powell initially cited as a reason to doubt the count. To your question: Why would a party allegedly capable of a scheme to fake hundreds of thousands of ballots not bother filling in the bubbles for down-ballot candidates? The answer you most often see online is that the fraudsters were in a hurry, and cut corners to save time, prioritizing the Biden race. The reality-based explanation: Most of the attention in any presidential election year goes to the presidential candidates, and some voters just show up, vote for that office, and ignore the rest. A: They've each approached it differently, but in general, both Democrats have talked more about direct financial relief to combat the effects of the pandemic, and both Republicans have sharpened their attacks. The biggest shift came in the race between Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock; Loeffler spent the all-candidate primary emphasizing her conservatism and attacking her strongest Republican rival, and turned to negatively defining Warnock. Warnock tried to preempt the attacks with a now-famous series of ads that showed him playing with a dog and warning that Loeffler would say anything to win. The messaging in the David Perdue-Jon Ossoff race has been less attention-grabbing; Perdue has continued to portray Ossoff as a leftist in league with China, which he started doing in September, and Ossoff has portrayed Perdue as a "crook" who benefited from inside information on the pandemic. A: In key states, tens of thousands of mail ballots were eventually delivered to be counted according to local rules. But the number was always smaller than the gap between Biden and Trump. Just 10,000 or so ballots missed the deadline in Pennsylvania, and thousands could be counted depending on the final judgment on a lawsuit against a three-day grace period. In Michigan, fewer than 4,000 ballots arrived after election night. Rules vary from state to state, and sometimes vary more among counties, but there are typically months-long grace periods where ballots are held in storage for recounts or other research. That's how the Tribune Co. conducted a study on the ballots in Florida's 2000 election, publishing the results in late 2001. There are so many Republican attorneys now casting doubt on the 2020 results that it's safe to expect somebody else going for the same research. A: This is the 25th Amendment question, and answering it never makes Democrats very happy. Yes, there is a method for taking away a president's power, in Section 4 of the 53-year-old amendment. It allows the vice president and a "majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide" to declare that the president is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." Any plan to take power away from Trump without removing him from office must involve Vice President Pence, and for that reason, it hasn't been considered outside of the most colorful #resistance fan-fiction. Like the Electoral Count Act, the 25th Amendment has unspecific language that later generations have found difficult to interpret. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a liberal Democrat from Maryland and constitutional law scholar, has introduced legislation to create a Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office, which would bring together nonpartisan actors and make it the "body as Congress may by law provide." That legislation hasn't passed, and wouldn't make it out of the Senate, now or when the new Congress sits on Jan. 3. A: He's getting a coronavirus vaccination tomorrow, but this macabre question keeps getting asked, and there's an answer. Actually, two. The Dec. 14 vote of the electoral college affirmed Biden as president-elect, and were something to happen to him before Jan. 6, members of Congress could raise objections to the electors from each state Biden won. Democrats would undoubtedly vote to give those sets of electors to Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris, citing the 20th Amendment: "If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the president, the president-elect shall have died, the vice president-elect shall become president." On Jan. 6, it would be up to Republicans whether to try to flip the state to Trump, and risk the repercussions. After a president is certified by Congress, the constitution is clear: Harris would become president if something were to happen to Biden. Like Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, this provision of the Constitution has never been invoked. In 1872, Democratic presidential nominee Horace Greeley died after the election, but before the electoral college vote. He'd lost the election anyway, so the break-the-glass measure was not tested. The other plans that the president's closest allies are making. A guide to the money rushing into Georgia. One of the quests that the president-elect sounds happiest to take on. Did a Supreme Court clerk overhear a MAGA-enraging discussion between justices? Nope. Until this week, the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" was more of a warning than a piece of advice. Julius Caesar's decision to enter Italy from Gaul inaugurated a period of civil war and dictatorship, ending with Caesar's assassination five years later. People don't talk about emulating it; they cite Caesar's decision as a disaster to avoid. They used to, anyway. Kelli Ward, the far-right chair of Arizona's Republican Party, tweeted the hashtag #CrossTheRubicon at the end of a post promising Trump that "patriots" were "working every avenue to stop this coup." She tagged disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had told Newsmax on Thursday that, while he was "not calling" for "martial law," he wanted the president to consider deploying the military to prevent Biden from becoming president. "Within the swing states, if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and he could place them in those states, and basically rerun an election in each in those states," Flynn said. The electoral college vote on Dec. 14 got a few more Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), to start calling Biden the "president-elect." But any hope of that ending challenges to the election was fanciful. Denial of the Nov. 3 results has moved on to two previously unthinkable remedies: preventing the results from being certified by Congress on Jan. 6, and deploying the military to make that happen. The president has elevated both options, the first one publicly and the second in a Friday meeting first reported by the New York Times. Sidney Powell came to the White House to talk about the campaign's legal strategy — one she had been separated from weeks ago, alongside Flynn, her client. Trump asked about Flynn's logistically and legally impossible idea of an election "rerun," while in a separate conversation, Trump lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani urged the Department of Homeland Security to seize voting machines and gather evidence to undo the Nov. 3 results. But with some of his supporters calling for martial law or invoking the language of military coups, the president's non-denials rang louder. He's continuing to encourage Republicans to challenge the Jan. 6 certification of the election by Congress, something no defeated president has ever done. Trump retweeted two posts by Lauren Windsor, a muckraking video reporter who had video of Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and a paraphrase from Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, both saying they would join House conservatives to contest the election. Perdue might not be in a position to do so. Georgia's runoff is on Jan. 5, making it impossible for the state to certify the result of the election by the morning of Jan. 6. But Tuberville will be sworn in on Jan. 3, and has been talking to Republicans about supporting the GOP's challenge of the vote count after Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama kicks it off. On Sunday morning, the president called into a show hosted by Giuliani to say he had talked to Tuberville; not long after, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said he "had a chance to speak with Coach Tuberville just moments ago" and was ready to challenge the vote. In any other year, that would represent the extreme end of a plan to challenge the vote count. But the martial law chatter, echoed constantly on conservative social media, has been flashier, and easier for other Republicans to dismiss. "That's going nowhere," Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "It was a conversation, not a revolution," Rep. John Curtis of Utah said in a separate CNN interview this weekend, when asked about the report of the White House meeting. But neither Romney nor Curtis can stop their fellow Republicans from challenging the vote count. The Trump campaign's legal maneuvers didn't end on Dec. 14, either. On Sunday, the campaign announced a new petition to the Supreme Court, asking it to retroactively disqualify ballots in Pennsylvania by reversing lower-court decisions that made absentee voting easier. There's no reason the court is likely to take that up, after rejecting two other pro-Trump lawsuits involving the state, but each legal defeat now feeds into the argument that there's enough uncertainty to justify a Jan. 6 challenge. You are reading The Trailer, the newsletter that brings the campaign trail to your inbox. Campaign surrogates rushed down to Georgia this weekend for the final non-holiday weekend before the Jan. 5 runoff. (Next weekend follows Christmas, and the last weekend of the race comes right after New Year's Day.) Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris will stump with Democrats on Monday, and the outgoing president will campaign with Republicans on the night before the election. Neither side's messaging has changed, though as we noted above, Republicans are being pushed to say that they would reject the presidential election results when Congress certifies them. In his own swing through for Sen. David Perdue, Donald Trump Jr., who has been on a tear about what he sees as unfairly light media treatment of Rep. Eric Swalwell of California after the revelation that he was once targeted by a Chinese spy, brought the conversation to China's influence — a topic Perdue has emphasized in his attacks on challenger Jon Ossoff. Republicans have been winless in a series of lawsuits to change Georgia's election rules before the runoff, but they got some assistance Sunday when True the Vote, a conservative group that campaigns for tighter election rules on the premise of preventing fraud, preemptively challenged hundreds of thousands of voters.

Why Congress went 8 months without new coronavirus relief as the pandemic worsened

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/19/why-congress-went-8-months-without-new-coronavirus-relief-pandemic-worsened/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

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White evangelicals are hailing the Trump era. Will their alliance with him stunt their influence going forward?

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While White evangelicals got quite a few wins by aligning with the most powerful leader in the world, the impact on the group's ability to evangelize and increase their fold could be a challenge considering how negatively Trump is viewed — and the role they are perceived as playing in supporting his highly controversial presidency. I have to say honestly, that I am grateful — grateful to God that for the last four years He gave us a president who protected our religious liberties; grateful for a president who defended the lives of the unborn, standing publicly against abortion and the bloody smear it has made on our nation; grateful for a president who nominated conservative judges to the Supreme Court and to our federal courts; grateful for a president who built the strongest economy in 70 years with the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years before the pandemic; grateful for a president who strengthened and supported our military; grateful for a president who stood against "the swamp" and the corruption in Washington; grateful for a president who supported law and order and defended our police. The statement was met with consternation and even disgust from some more left-leaning Christians, but not with shock. White evangelicals have been among Trump's strongest supporters since the earliest months of his 2016 campaign. Trump, who has struggled to name his favorite Bible verse and said he had never asked God for forgiveness, was eventually hailed as evangelicals' "dream president" by Jerry Fallwell Jr., then president of Liberty University. The Moral Majority, a politically conservative evangelical group founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr., rose to power 40 years ago in part by policing the sexual ethics of a nation that White evangelicals feared had become too liberal following the 1970s. Issues like abortion and same-sex marriage are part of why the bloc has consistently backed GOP presidential candidates for decades. But when given the chance to back well-known conservative Christians in the 2016 primary, White evangelical voters chose the admitted adulterer who appeared on the cover of Playboy months after a campaign launch that was blasted for being xenophobic and racist. That became an issue many took with White evangelicals in the Trump era — and what Graham's more recent comments on social media have shown: It was not just the "family values" issues that drew White evangelicals to Trump, but shared views on cultural diversity issues. Author and historian Jemar Tisby often writes about the blind eye to — and support for — racism from evangelicals that the Trump administration has made more obvious. He specifically spoke to this while noting the response of evangelicals to Trump's defense of White nationalist efforts to protect monuments honoring those who had enslaved Black people. As a result, the perception that White evangelicals have not prioritized a morality that includes combating racism, sexism and xenophobia has potentially diminished their ability to expand their ranks — a priority that the group has focused on. The percentage of White evangelicals in America has declined over the past decade. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, that decreased from 21 percent in 2010 to 15 percent at the end of the decade. And as Trump heads out of the White House, many Black Christians who have long practiced their faith with White evangelicals are less interested in being in those faith spaces. Part of that is due to the changing demographics of America. The country is both less White and younger, and young people tend to be less religious than older generations. But declining interest in being a part of a political tribe that has aligned with Trumpism is viewed by some — even those within the tribe — as negatively affecting the country as a whole, Michael Gerson wrote shortly after the election. U.S. politics would be better off if White evangelicals consistently applied their moral tradition to public life. Not only Christians, of course, can stand for integrity. But consider what would happen if White evangelicals insisted on supporting honest, compassionate, decent, civil, self-controlled men and women for office. The alternative is our current reality, in which evangelicals have often been a malicious and malignant influence in U.S. politics. Following the inauguration, White evangelicals will no longer have the sway in the White House that they have enjoyed the past four years. They will continue to advocate for the conservative politics that they have championed for decades before Trump's arrival on the national political stage. And this could very well put the group back in the position that they found themselves in during the Obama administration: feeling attacked and ready to fight in the latest cultural wars. The group may have won the battles to get more conservative justices on benches and make abortions harder to attain in some states, but the election results, even with Republican wins downballot and Trump's huge vote total in his loss, reveal reason for them to be worried about losing their share of influence on American politics. The last time they were on the outside looking in, it was galvanizing for them. The question this time will be whether where they aligned themselves to grab power was worth putting their ability to connect with younger generations and people of color in greater jeopardy.

GOP inches toward an unprecedented attempt to overturn the 2020 election

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/18/why-congressional-gops-flirtation-with-overturning-2020-election-is-unprecedented/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

The momentum is clearly building to at least give it a go. And as it has built, proponents of the effort have argued that the effort isn't actually unheard of. Democrats did it too, they remind us. That argument, though, glosses over plenty of nuance. It's worth looking at the actual history of such efforts. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) also ran through comparisons. Let's first be clear: The effort is doomed. Such challenges would be resolved by votes in both chambers of Congress. Democrats control the House, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said this week that Joe Biden won the election — joining several other Senate Republicans who say it's time to move on. With the GOP's narrow Senate majority, the votes just aren't there. But even the attempt would be unprecedented. Yes, there have been attempts to object to state's electors. But only one since 1877 (when rules for electors were established) has succeeded in actually formally challenging an entire state's electors. Incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) faced off against the Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) at a debate in Atlanta on Dec. 6. (Reuters)Boxer's (D-Calif.) attempt was controversial at the time. She objected to Ohio's 2004 electors, and as with Republicans today, she cited alleged irregularities. But her case was more about long lines and other concerns about how the election was conducted. And while the race was close enough for Ohio to change the result if the challenge succeeded, Boxer made clear that her effort wasn't about overturning George W. Bush's win. The effort did indeed fail, with the Senate voting 74-1 to reject the challenge and just 31 House Democrats voting for it. Other key differences between then and now: The candidate who could have benefited, Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, didn't support the effort. What's more, that was about one state's electors; today's effort would need to overturn four — all for various baseless reasons whose underlying theories have repeatedly been rejected by the courts. From Lincoln's 1860 election to the 2000 Bush v. Gore recount, here are a few contentious presidential elections before 2020. (The Washington Post)The only other time in American history in which electors have been formally challenged thanks to votes of at least one House member and one senator was in 1969. But that challenge was much more limited. It wasn't to an entire slate of electors, but rather to a single so-called "faithless elector" — i.e. an elector not voting for the candidate they were supposed to. A North Carolina elector had voted for George Wallace despite having said he would vote for Richard Nixon. The election wasn't close enough for even the entire slate to matter, but Congress debated the legality of faithless electors and ultimately voted against the challenge. The same happened in 2016, when some Democrats argued that preventing Trump from being installed in office was just that important. But just as Al Gore hadn't supported the effort after the 2000 election and Kerry hadn't supported the effort after the 2004 election, Hillary Clinton didn't support the 2016 effort. And crucially, neither did any Democratic senators. Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) led the effort, but Democratic senators were unmoved and none joined. Biden was having little of it, and banged the gavel loudly, because none of the members were able to find a senatorial co-signator, thus voiding their objections. The much more populated Republican side of the aisle booed or called out "order!" following each denied objection. When Rep. Jayapal gave her objection, Biden finally said, "It is over." Republicans gave him a standing ovation. Today, the then-vice president is on the cusp of being installed as president, with only another quixotic effort standing in his way — this one, though, more quixotic than its predecessors in both its intent and its extent.

Trump says he spoke with Sen.-elect Tuberville, who has hinted at backing electoral college challenge next month

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/tuberville-electoral-challenge-trump-conversation/2020/12/20/1658573e-42db-11eb-b0e4-0f182923a025_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

Tuberville's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The conversation is the latest signal that Trump is exerting pressure on Republicans to overturn the results of November's presidential election. The Fix's Aaron Blake analyzes how the dynamic between President-elect Joe Biden and congressional Republicans could play out in 2021. (The Washington Post)Biden last week achieved formal victory over Trump, winning his 306 votes in the electoral college and advancing one more step toward inauguration. But the president and his supporters are redoubling their efforts to block the normal transfer of power, including a potential challenge on Jan. 6, when both chambers of Congress conduct the final tally of electoral votes. More than half the House Republican conference also signed on in support of a lawsuit by the Texas attorney general seeking to overturn Biden's victories in four swing states. That lawsuit was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier this month. Some incoming Republican members of the House, including Reps.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Barry Moore (Ala.), have suggested they will join Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in using an 1880s law that allows members of Congress to dispute a state's results and make the House and Senate vote on the challenge to the electoral vote tally. President Trump spoke at a rally on Dec. 5 to urge people to vote for Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue ahead of the runoffs on Jan. 5. (The Washington Post)The effort is certain to fail in the Democratic-led House and will meet resistance in the Senate, where several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have dismissed the idea. Both chambers would have to vote in favor of any challenge for it to succeed. Last week, while campaigning for Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) in Georgia, Tuberville suggested he would support an electoral vote challenge. "You see what's coming. You've been reading about it in the House. We're going to have to do it in the Senate," Tuberville said, according to a video posted online by liberal activist Lauren Windsor. Tuberville did not say whether he would bring such a challenge himself. His comment came days after McConnell publicly congratulated Biden on his win, said the electoral college "has spoken" and privately urged Republican senators not to challenge the tally.

Biden nominees mount charm offensive amid tough confirmation landscape

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-cabinet-nominee-senate/2020/12/19/019403ae-3e24-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

And taken together, Biden's appointees have held more than 100 Zoom meetings with lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, in the past week alone. That makes the confirmation battles, set to start well before Inauguration Day, the first real testing ground for post-Trump politics. They will show if Biden can win over Senate Republicans, if Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can stymie Biden, and if individual senators, especially Republicans hoping to run for president in 2024, can attract a following by vocally attacking Biden's efforts. Critical and potentially controversial picks are still expected in coming days, including for attorney general and CIA director. The Biden team's courtship, meanwhile, is complicated by the covid-19 pandemic, as casual drop-bys in senators' offices are replaced by far less intimate Zoom introductions and virtual roundtables. But the Biden transition team sees no alternative. Some of Biden's picks have quickly attracted resistance, and not just from the right. Some Democrats worry that Lloyd Austin's recent military career makes him an unsuitable pick for defense secretary. Republicans are protesting Neera Tanden, Biden's choice as budget director, because of previous tweets slamming GOP politicians. Tom Vilsack, in line to reprise his role as agriculture secretary, faces objections from Black leaders and liberal activists who want a new direction for that department. And some confirmations could hinge on which party controls the Senate, which will become clear only after the results are finalized in Georgia's two Senate runoffs on Jan. 5. Given the crises wracking the country, Biden's aides say it's vital that they have key Cabinet secretaries in place on Inauguration Day or soon after — a feat that is not unusual but is far more difficult when the opposing party controls the Senate. Such speed may be a tall order for Republicans, many of whom remain loath to even acknowledge Biden's win out of loyalty to President Trump, who has refused to concede and continues making baseless claims of voter fraud. While more Republican lawmakers are calling Biden president-elect since the electoral college formalized his win on Monday, some have twisted themselves into verbal pretzels to avoid using that title, and others suggest they will never accept Biden as the legitimate president. McConnell himself was silent for six weeks after Election Day before acknowledging Biden as the incoming president. That could delay the scheduling of committee hearings on the nominees. So have his nominees. Austin held a virtual roundtable with nearly a dozen military family organizations. When Yellen spoke with trade and advocacy groups, she was joined by her would-be deputy, Wally Adeyemo. Cecilia Rouse, Biden's pick to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, has met with Black female leaders. Surgeon general nominee Vivek H. Murthy and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who know each other from Boston, geeked out on data for a solid half-hour and ended their Zoom call by making a post-covid lunch date, according to people familiar with their meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private session. Tanden, possibly Biden's most vulnerable nominee at the moment, has met with senators including Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), who said afterward he was deeply moved by her childhood story of relying on public food and housing programs after her parents divorced. Carper encouraged Tanden to publicly recount that background more often. She did so on Thursday, tweeting her memories of being the only student in her public school who used 10-cent vouchers to buy lunch, saying that experience drove her to work in public service. "Since childhood, I've understood what government can do to help struggling families get on their feet," she said. It is far from clear that such human touches will be enough to sway GOP senators who have balked at what they call Tanden's hard-hitting partisanship. But stressing the nominees' personal stories is a central strategy of Biden's confirmation effort, especially given the president-elect's historically diverse team. When he was announced as Biden's choice for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, for example, spoke of his stepfather being a Holocaust survivor. When Becerra was introduced, he recounted that his father was a construction worker with a sixth-grade education and his mother a clerical worker who arrived from Mexico in her teens. Psaki said that many such conversations were "already happening behind the scenes" and that the president-elect's team plans to pick up the pace after the new year. "Once we get to January, our hope and expectation is that the dozens of meetings that have already occurred — and the hundreds of engagements that have happened between our staff and the staff on the Hill — will expand and lead into more and more meetings and hearings," Psaki said. Confirmation battles are hardly new, especially when different parties control the White House and Senate; in 2017, Democrats used procedural rules to drag their feet on Trump's initial nominees. Just two of his Cabinet chiefs were approved on his first day in office — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly — compared with six for Barack Obama and seven for George W. Bush. "Frankly, Democrats also exercised many more delaying tactics," said John Fortier, director of governance studies at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Democrats contend that's because so many of Trump's picks were unorthodox or unqualified. Still, virtually every president has suffered at least one failed Cabinet pick. Clinton's first choice for attorney general, Zoe Baird, withdrew after it emerged she had paid an undocumented worker as a nanny. Similarly, Bush's labor secretary nominee Linda Chavez pulled out after reports that she had paid an undocumented immigrant. And Obama's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, former senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), was felled by tax issues. Biden, having spent more than three decades in the Senate, is well aware of the pitfalls nominees can face — he chaired the bitter confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — and aides suggest he is factoring confirmability into some of his choices. Such considerations will be even more important if Republicans keep control of the Senate, where they currently hold a 52-48 majority. Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face runoffs against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively, because no candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote on Election Day. Even if the Democrats win both runoffs, resulting in a 50-50 Senate, Republicans would control the chamber until at least Jan. 20, when Biden is inaugurated. That's because the sitting vice president casts tie-breaking votes in the upper chamber. That means the GOP would dictate the schedule of confirmation hearings and floor votes. "If the Republicans are still in the majority, it's quite possible that they'll slow-walk a lot of these nominations and make it extremely difficult for Biden," Ornstein said. The pandemic complicates matters further because if even a small number of senators are forced to quarantine, it could affect a nominee's prospects in unpredictable ways. The fight brewing over Tanden provides a taste of the battles to come. CNN has reported that several of her now-deleted tweets targeted Republicans in direct terms. In December 2017, for example, she charged that "the Republican party is gleefully supporting an alleged child molester," referring to Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who had been accused by several women of sexual misconduct, which he denied. Biden and other Democrats have been quick to defend Tanden, arguing that after four years of Trump's ferocious personal attacks, the GOP has little ground for complaint.

‘We’re in a crisis’: Biden says U.S. needs to defeat climate change as he introduces team, priorities

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/19/were-crisis-biden-says-us-needs-defeat-climate-change-he-introduces-team-priorities/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

His climate and energy teams would be ready on day one, he said, with a focus on creating new jobs in "climate-resilient infrastructure" and clean energy. On Thursday, Biden chose Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to serve as Interior Department secretary. If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary in the nation's history. Biden also selected former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm for secretary of energy, former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy as national climate adviser and Ali Zaidi, New York's deputy secretary for energy and environment, as deputy national climate adviser. All six shared the stage with Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris on Saturday at the Queen Theater in Wilmington. As in past events, where Biden introduced his Cabinet picks, the would-be nominees and appointees spoke as much about their personal histories as their qualifications and plans for the job. Haaland spoke about how growing up in her mother's Pueblo household made her "fierce" and acknowledged that she stood on the shoulders of her ancestors. She noted the history of Native American kids being taken away from their families and sent to boarding schools, an effort to destroy their traditions and identities, she said. "This moment is profound when we consider the fact that a former secretary of the interior once proclaimed his goal was to ‘civilize or exterminate us.' I'm a living testament to the failure of that horrific ideology," she said. Granholm praised the Obama-Biden administration for helping revive the auto industry during the last recession and lauded her Canadian parents, who came to the United States for work when she was 4. President-elect Joe Biden introduced North Carolina environmental regulator Michael S. Regan as his pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency on Dec. 19. (The Washington Post)Regan, who noted he was a fellow HBCU graduate like Harris, reminisced about growing up hunting and fishing in eastern North Carolina while also having to use an inhaler. "I've always been curious about the connections between our environment and our health — how the world around us contributes to, or detracts from, our enjoyment of life," said Regan, who added that environmental challenges could not be solved by regulation alone. Growing up in the working-class town of Waterbury, Conn., meant Mallory knew "the faces of the marginalized" and appreciated "the challenges of urban pollution." McCarthy recalled that childhood "beach days" meant swimming in Boston Harbor, where she would emerge from the water with oil and other things stuck to her skin. Zaidi said he saw promise in the jobs that could be created in tackling climate change. Closing out the event, Harris recalled visiting California earlier this year as wildfires raged across the West and seeing "heartbreaking" scenes: charred playgrounds, neighborhoods in ashes and some of the most toxic air anywhere in the world. Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.

The inside story of how Trump’s denial, mismanagement and magical thinking led to the pandemic’s dark winter

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/19/trump-covid-pandemic-dark-winter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As the number of coronavirus cases ticked upward in mid-November — worse than the frightening days of spring and ahead of an expected surge after families congregated for Thanksgiving — four doctors on President Trump’s task force decided to stage an intervention. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">After their warnings had gone largely unheeded for months in the dormant West Wing, Deborah Birx, Anthony S. Fauci, Stephen Hahn and Robert Redfield together sounded new alarms, cautioning of a dark winter to come without dramatic action to slow community spread. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, among the many Trump aides who were infected with the virus this fall, was taken aback, according to three senior administration officials with knowledge of the discussions. He told the doctors he did not believe their troubling data assessment. And he accused them of outlining problems without prescribing solutions. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The doctors explained that the solutions were simple and had long been clear — among them, to leverage the power of the presidential bully pulpit to persuade all Americans to wear masks, especially the legions of Trump supporters refusing to do so, and to dramatically expand testing. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">On Nov. 19, hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against Thanksgiving travel, Vice President Pence, who chairs the coronavirus task force, agreed to hold a full news conference with some of the doctors — something they had not done since the summer. But much to the doctors’ dismay, Pence did not forcefully implore people to wear masks, nor did the administration take meaningful action on testing. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As for the president, he did not appear at all. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Trump went days without mentioning the pandemic other than to celebrate progress on vaccines. The president by then had abdicated his responsibility to manage the public health crisis and instead used his megaphone almost exclusively to spread misinformation in a failed attempt to overturn the results of the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Now, a month later, the number of coronavirus cases in the United States is reaching records daily. The nation’s death count is rising steadily as well, this past week surpassing 300,000 — a total that had seemed unfathomable earlier this year. The dark winter is here, hospitalizations risk breaching capacities, and health professionals predict it will get worse before it gets better. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The miraculous arrival of a coronavirus vaccine this past week marks the first glimmer of hope amid a pandemic that for 10 months has ravaged the country, decimated its economy and fundamentally altered social interactions. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Yet that triumph of scientific ingenuity and bureaucratic efficiency does not conceal the difficult truth, that the virus has caused proportionately more infections and deaths in the United States than in most other developed nations — a result, experts say, of a dysfunctional federal response led by a president perpetually in denial. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, one of the few Republican elected officials who have criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic, said many in the administration are working hard to control the alarming November-to-December surge, but not the man at the top. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">“My concern was, in the worst part of the battle, the general was missing in action,” Hogan said of the recent surge. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The story of how America arrived at this final season of devastation, with the reported death toll some days surpassing 3,000 people — a new 9/11 day after day — is based on interviews over the past month with 48 senior administration officials, government health professionals, outside presidential advisers and other people briefed on the inner workings of the federal response. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The catastrophe began with Trump’s initial refusal to take seriously the threat of a once-in-a-century pandemic. But, as officials detailed, it has been compounded over time by a host of damaging presidential traits — his skepticism of science, impatience with health restrictions, prioritization of personal politics over public safety, undisciplined communications, chaotic management style, indulgence of conspiracies, proclivity toward magical thinking, allowance of turf wars and flagrant disregard for the well-being of those around him. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Trump’s defenders say the president and his administration deserve credit not only for Operation Warp Speed — the public-private initiative to develop, test and now distribute vaccines — but also for their work early on to address a shortage of ventilators, ease supply-chain delays for personal protective equipment and set guidelines for businesses and other gathering places to reopen after the March and April shutdowns. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">They also point to Trump’s decision in late January to restrict travel from China, where the virus originated. And they say they’re not sure what Trump should have done differently. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Still, the administration’s overall response is likely to be scrutinized for years to come as a case study in crisis mismanagement. At the heart of the problem, experts say, have been Trump’s scrambled and faulty communications. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Trump’s repeated downplaying of the virus, coupled with his equivocations about masks, created an opening for reckless behavior that contributed to a significant increase in infections and deaths, experts said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">A hallmark of the response has been the secrecy of some in the White House, including Meadows, whom other officials described as outright hostile in his denial of the virus and punitive toward colleagues who sought to follow public health guidelines or be transparent. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As the virus spread wildly among White House staff this fall, Meadows sought to conceal some cases from becoming public — including, at first, his own — and instructed at least one fellow adviser who sought to disclose an infection not to. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">In addition, Meadows threatened to fire White House Medical Unit doctors, who fall below the chief of staff in the chain of command, if they helped release information about new infections, according to one official. Ben Williamson, an aide to Meadows, said it was “false” that the chief of staff ever threatened to terminate doctors. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Despite shunning recommended protocols internally, Trump aides speak with pride about the actions they took on the pandemic and are incredulous that their work has been so widely panned. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Olivia Troye, a former Pence adviser and task force aide who resigned in the summer and campaigned against Trump’s reelection, said the nation’s trauma is a result of the president’s mismanagement of the crisis early on, and is being prolonged by his disinterest in it now. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">On Friday morning, in a tableau orchestrated to provide hope to a beleaguered nation, Pence and second lady Karen Pence received the Pfizer vaccine — a needle in his left shoulder as they sat beneath a sign that read, “SAFE and EFFECTIVE,” broadcast live on national television. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Trump was nowhere to be seen. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Tucker Carlson arrived at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago Club the first Saturday in March, before cities started shutting down, on an urgent mission: to convey to the president the seriousness of the coronavirus threat. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But Carlson and the president ultimately talked past one another, said a person familiar with the conversation. Carlson told Trump he could lose the election because of the virus, and Trump argued that the virus was less deadly than people were claiming. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The scene at Mar-a-Lago that weekend underscored the concerns. Far from taking any precautions, Trump that Saturday dined with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his delegation — several of whom later tested positive for the virus — while Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, threw herself a lavish 51st birthday party at the club. The next day, Trump hosted a fundraising brunch with about 900 attendees. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As the country began to shut down in March, Trump and his administration found themselves in the early throes of denial and dysfunction. Despite the warnings of Carlson and others, Trump continued to downplay the severity of the virus, and turf wars and unclear chains of command roiled the administration’s fledgling response. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Public health advisers and other administration officials were left scrambling — scattershot, and with little clear direction — to recoup time squandered. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser who had spent the early days of 2020 focused on other challenges in his overly large portfolio — including a Middle East peace plan and overseeing Trump’s reelection campaign — turned his attention to the virus. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Kushner’s allies and even some of his critics say he was effective in helping cut through bureaucracy — ensuring, for instance, that states eventually had as many ventilators as they needed. A text or call to Kushner could yield a clear response or directive in just minutes, said one senior administration official, and shortly after Pence was appointed head of the coronavirus task force his chief of staff, Marc Short, enlisted Kushner’s help to streamline resources and speed up response times. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But the help Kushner provided was often ad hoc rather than part of a long-term strategy, according to people familiar with his role. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">“It was entirely tactical troubleshooting and, to be fair, it was pretty successful, with the ventilators and this and that, but it was whack-a-mole,” said an outside Republican in frequent touch with the White House. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Part of Kushner’s coronavirus management approach was an ambitious effort to bring in a cadre of young consultants from the private sector as volunteers. The group was dismissively referred to as the “Slim Suit” crowd. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">“Kushner is like, ‘I’m going to bring in my data and we’re going to MBA this to death and make it work,’ ” one senior administration official said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But problems quickly emerged with Kushner’s team of volunteers. The group was not issued government laptops or emails, forcing them to use their personal Gmail addresses — a practice that often hindered their efforts to procure personal protective equipment from companies that were understandably skeptical of inquiries coming from nongovernment email accounts. The volunteers in charge of PPE procurement also did not know the Food and Drug Administration requirements for importing the protective equipment, and found themselves spending unnecessary time Googling basic questions and calling the FDA for guidance. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Max Kennedy Jr., a senior associate at a private growth equity firm when he joined Kushner’s effort as a volunteer, was so alarmed by what he witnessed that he initially filed an anonymous whistleblower report. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat and a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, later revealed his identity and, in an interview with The Washington Post, described a group of smart and earnest volunteers who were, at best, out of their depth and, at worst, asked to do things they felt uncomfortable doing. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Kennedy and the other volunteer refused to make the model. But he said the incident left him discomfited. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">In an emailed statement, Smith denied asking Kennedy and a fellow volunteer to create a low fatality model. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">There were other problems too. Kushner’s initiative to stand up drive-through testing sites nationwide at retail stores such as CVS, Target and Walgreens, for instance, may have been a good idea in theory but almost instantly raised concerns. Government officials asked Kushner and his team whether they had fully considered the logistical and supply issues behind setting up the sites — including swabs and reagents for tests, and protective equipment for the clinicians administering them. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Kushner’s team responded that they had it covered, but it quickly became clear they did not. At a time when health-care workers were using garbage bags as gowns and reusing N95 masks because of severe shortages, roughly 30 percent of “key supplies,” including masks, in the national stockpile of emergency medical equipment went toward Kushner’s testing effort, according to an internal March planning document obtained by The Post and confirmed by one current and one former administration official. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Though Kushner had initially promised thousands of testing sites, only 78 materialized, the document said, and the national stockpile was used to supply more than half of those. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">By the summer, Trump had grown angry with Kushner over problems with testing, said current and former administration officials — a rare conflict between the president and his son-in-law. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Matthews defended Kushner’s testing initiative, saying there are now more than 6,000 retail testing sites and that the federal government has established more than 500 temporary surge testing sites in 17 states over the past 10 months. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">At the beginning of the outbreak, the United States failed to deploy a coronavirus diagnostic test across the country so state and local officials could quickly detect and trace confirmed cases. And while the administration eventually scaled up testing considerably — more than 1.5 million tests a day are now being conducted — it still has not developed a national testing strategy. Even as more tests have become available, experts said, there have rarely been enough for the scale of the pandemic. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The best chance to control an outbreak is at the very beginning. But U.S. officials squandered that opportunity in February for two key reasons. The first was the CDC’s failure to deploy a working coronavirus test, and the second was the task force’s almost singular focus on repatriating Americans from China and cruise ships, rather than on preparing the United States for an inevitable outbreak. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">A review of task force agendas from that time demonstrates a disproportionate focus on cruise ships, masks and other bureaucratic and logistical issues, rather than on more practical public health steps such as testing, contact tracing and targeted efforts to prevent the virus’s spread. That allowed the virus to spread undetected for all of February, several officials and experts said, as it seeded itself in New York, Washington state, California, New Orleans and other populous areas. And from then on, the country was perpetually behind the virus. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Kennedy said his experience volunteering in the White House left him disillusioned. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As the virus began to rage across the United States, some of the nation’s health officials had a novel idea. Face coverings were emerging as one of the simplest tools available to control the contagion’s spread. So Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, called Jerry Cook, an executive at the cotton clothing giant Hanes, on March 13 to discuss producing enough masks to send to every American household, according to two senior administration officials. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">A command group at FEMA unanimously approved the plan, and the task force doctors did as well. Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, saw the white prototypes and asked if they could be made in a neutral tone. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But when Kadlec’s boss, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, began to pitch it at a White House task force meeting in March, there was sharp dissent. Several on the task force generally did not have much confidence in Kadlec, and a senior administration official said his plan was half-baked and that he was unable to answer basic questions, like how much the effort would cost or how they would deliver all the masks. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Short abruptly stopped the conversation and told Pence the idea wasn’t ready and was being pulled off the agenda. Other officials complained that the masks looked like underwear, according to three current and former senior administration officials. Peter T. Gaynor, the FEMA administrator, compared them to jockstraps. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Then there was the issue of logistics. For months leading up to the pandemic, Trump had been attacking the U.S. Postal Service and airing grievances over its business relationship with Amazon. Some aides surmised that, for Trump, a private-public partnership involving the Postal Service as the distributor would be a nonstarter. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The mail-a-mask plan was killed. The Office of Management and Budget tried to cancel the contracts with the underwear makers, but the masks still were produced and distributed to health clinics, religious groups and states that requested them. Hanes did not respond to a request for comment. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Kadlec was so frustrated that he decided his time as preparedness and response chief was no longer best spent on preparing and responding, so he focused instead on vaccines and therapeutics. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Skepticism of masks became a hallmark of the Trump administration’s pandemic response. On April 3, when the CDC recommended that all Americans wear masks, Trump announced that he would not do so because he could not envision himself sitting behind the Resolute Desk with his face covered as he greeted visiting dignitaries. The president stressed that mask-wearing was “voluntary,” effectively permitting his legions of followers to disregard the CDC’s recommendation. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">In the months that followed, Trump was only seen wearing a mask on rare occasions, instead following the advice of Stephen Miller, Johnny McEntee, Derek Lyons and other trusted aides to think of masks as a cultural wedge issue. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Pence covered his face with somewhat more regularity than the president, but after forgoing a mask during an April 28 visit to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, he drew a public rebuke from the hospital’s leaders. Short then yelled at a hospital official over it, a person with knowledge of the visit said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">“What the Trump administration has managed to do is they accomplished — remarkably — a very high-tech solution, which is developing a vaccine, but they completely failed at the low-tech solution, which is masking and social distancing, and they put people at risk,” Offit said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Trump did not imagine the coronavirus would consume the fourth year of his presidency. When he established a task force in January, he assumed it would not last long and that the crisis would subside relatively quickly, according to two officials with knowledge of the situation. These officials said the president selected Pence, the favorite of then-acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, for chair of the task force over Gottlieb and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">In retrospect, according to a senior administration official, Trump’s biggest political miscalculation was basing the task force in the White House. “Once you put it in the Situation Room, the president owns every failure, leak, whatever, whereas this could have been an Azar, Redfield, Hahn problem,” this official said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">In the early weeks, Pence was the frontman at daily coronavirus news conferences. He provided top-line updates, including case and death counts, before turning it over to Fauci, Birx and other health professionals. Short advised the vice president against detailing such dire statistics, but Pence insisted, believing he was obligated to share such facts with the public, according to another official with knowledge of these discussions. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">“What he’s saying there is, ‘I’m going to will the economy to success through mass psychology. We’re going to tell the country things are going great and it’s going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy,’ ” this official said of Trump. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But there were consequences for Trump’s often too-rosy takes. Hogan — who as chairman of the National Governors Association helped lead regular meetings among governors and task force members, sometimes including Trump — said there was “a huge disconnect” between what was agreed to by Pence and members of the task force and what the president told the public. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">“We would have a great meeting that might have lasted an hour or two with all the top folks focused on the virus, and then the president would have one of those rambling press conferences that went on maybe an hour too long and he said the opposite of what others in the administration told us that day,” Hogan recalled. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The Maryland governor, one of the rare Republicans who seemed unafraid to challenge Trump, said he directly confronted the president in some of these sessions about what was not working. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The White House also made governors’ jobs more difficult by interfering at the CDC, which was forced to water down reopening guidelines for businesses, schools, restaurants and other facilities after a cadre of White House and administration officials weighed in with suggestions that were not based on science. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">By late spring — after he infamously suggested people ingest bleach to cure themselves of the virus — Trump stopped appearing at coronavirus briefings. Meadows is among those credited with pulling the plug. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Scott Atlas found himself in Trump’s orbit the way so many do: through the television screen. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">A neuroradiologist with no infectious-disease or public health background, Atlas joined the coronavirus response team in August as a special government employee, after a few senior Trump advisers — Kushner, McEntee and Hope Hicks — were impressed by his appearances on cable news. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Atlas began working out of Kushner’s office suite, and quickly scored a blue badge — the most coveted level of White House access — and a spot on the coronavirus task force. Though many were skeptical of him, the vice president’s team felt that if Atlas was going to be part of the virus response, then he needed to be a full-fledged member of the effort, said two people familiar with the decision. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Atlas, who resigned Nov. 30, defended his advice to Trump as “based on the best available science and data at the time” and said he sought to reduce both the virus spread and what he called “structural harms.” In a lengthy emailed statement, Atlas denied much of The Post’s reporting about his work in the administration, including that he had described those with the coronavirus in derisive or demeaning terms. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Even those inclined to be sympathetic to Atlas’s coronavirus theory — that the virus mainly affected the most vulnerable, who were the only ones who truly needed protection — found his personal manner off-putting, said one senior administration official. And privately, Atlas often argued his case more crudely, bluntly saying coronavirus was a disease that only affected the overweight, the diabetic and the elderly, the other adviser said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But Trump liked Atlas — and the shoddy science he was peddling seemingly bolstered the president’s optimism. Atlas’s appeal to Trump, this adviser explained, was that he “had a doctor title but a MAGA perspective,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Atlas’s presence, however, frustrated much of the rest of the group, especially the public health experts who feared he was undermining their hard-fought efforts to keep the public safe. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The addition of Atlas to the coronavirus task force was just the latest iteration of the infighting that had plagued the virus response all along. He clashed with the other doctors, but especially with Birx. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">One early dispute was over testing. At the time, the president was pushing to move away from the widespread testing recommended by health experts and toward more narrow surveillance testing in vulnerable communities. Atlas and Birx fought over the issue in the Oval Office, with Birx — who was backed up by Redfield — advising that widespread testing was the best way to catch new cases, a senior administration official said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">In August, the CDC put out revised testing guidelines that were more in line with Atlas’s view than Birx’s, only to walk them back after a public outcry. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">During another task force meeting, Atlas argued that it would be reasonable to consider substantially fewer mitigation efforts, allowing people to become infected. Instead, Atlas said, officials should focus their efforts on protecting those in nursing homes. Birx retorted that the vulnerable were not only in nursing homes, prompting agreement by other doctors in the group. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Some of Trump’s advisers tried to convey to the president how much his reelection might hinge on the pandemic. Being seen as a responsible, empathetic leader in a moment of crisis, they explained, would buoy his chances of victory. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">For instance, internal campaign data from pollster Tony Fabrizio found that in July, just 40 percent of voters approved of Trump’s handling of the virus and 58 percent disapproved, a deficit of 18 percentage points. Among independents, the gap grew to 30 percentage points, according to a senior campaign adviser. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Given those findings, Fabrizio, Kushner, then-campaign manager Brad Parscale and others urged Trump to model good behavior by wearing a mask, and to encourage his supporters to do so as well, several Trump advisers said. But the president was unreceptive, as was Meadows. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The president and some on his team were also increasingly frustrated with Fauci, who frequently appeared in the media offering what they viewed as an overly alarmist public health message. “Fauci was probably Joe Biden’s most effective campaign surrogate on the trail in 2020,” said Jason Miller, a senior campaign adviser. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Trump aides added that there also was little pushback to the idea of Trump resuming large rallies — without social distancing or mask requirements. The few advisers who did counsel caution were largely ignored, with allies arguing that rallies were key to the president’s brand and that the raucous events also helped improve his mood. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As summer turned to fall, Birx — whose calming guidance and elegant scarves had inspired online memes — found herself silenced and increasingly minimized in the coronavirus response. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Atlas succeeded in sidelining her from Trump’s immediate orbit. Her national television appearances all but vanished. She traveled to dozens of states and had unfiltered conversations with governors and local officials, but was denied the time she wanted with the president to keep him abreast of the facts. And her warnings fell on deaf ears inside the West Wing. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Birx met either in person or virtually with Fauci and other doctors on the task force at least once a week to discuss the science and support each other as they were being ignored at the White House. They plotted alternative ways to get their messages to the public, including through Birx’s travels to states. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But Birx was undermined there, too. After she advised Florida’s political leaders in August to close bars and restrict indoor dining, Atlas visited the state and contradicted her. Atlas told Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other local leaders to focus less on widespread testing and instead to direct their efforts to opening the economy back up and opening schools, according to two senior administration officials. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As it became clear the pandemic was worsening and the country was headed for a disastrous winter, Atlas dismissed Birx’s projections in task force meetings and in private discussions with Trump and Pence. This pushed Birx to be more outspoken, especially in the reports she and her small team put together, some of which took on a grim tone, officials said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The rise in cases and deaths in November coincided with a drop in visibility from Trump and Pence. Following the Nov. 3 election, the two went many days without public appearances. Whenever the president did speak or weigh in on Twitter, it was usually about his desire to overturn the election results, not about the worsening pandemic. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">As for Pence, one consistent criticism was his reluctance to deliver tough news and dire coronavirus statistics to the president. As one former senior administration official put it, “He knows, like everybody else knows, that covid is the last thing Trump wants to hear about or see anybody making news about. If not touting Operation Warp Speed, it’s the topic that shall not be spoken of.” A senior administration official and Pence ally, however, said Pence always shared the daily reality with Trump but, as a perpetual optimist, often did so with a positive spin. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The president and vice president did make a couple of appearances to tout vaccine breakthroughs. But much to the frustration of health officials, they did little to leverage their influence with the 74 million Americans who had just voted for them to persuade people to make sacrifices to stop the spread. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">The week before Thanksgiving, health officials fanned out to plead with Americans not to travel over the holiday. Fauci practically begged people in an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to stay home and not interact with people outside their immediate household. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">But even America’s most famous doctor, one with an approval rating well north of Trump’s, was unconvincing to many. More than 3 million people were screened at U.S. airports in a three-day period just before Thanksgiving, according to the Transportation Security Administration. AAA projected that an additional 48 million people would travel by car around the holiday. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">That nonchalance about spreading the virus carried this month into the White House, where Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted a traditional series of elaborate holiday parties. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Night after night, the Trumps had party guests congregate inside the White House residence to mix, mingle and hear the president speak — each clinking of champagne flutes a potential superspreader moment. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Pence and second lady Karen Pence also hosted holiday parties at the Naval Observatory, where pictures from one such event earlier this month showed hundreds of guests mingling mostly maskless underneath an enclosed tent. Even Pence himself, the head of the coronavirus task force, did not wear a mask. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">Members of military bands, servers and others were forced to work and exposed for hours to guests who were not wearing masks, officials said. mw-md ma-auto pr-sm pl-sm ">At least one worker who got infected never heard from anyone in the White House about the illness. They were replaced for the next party.

America’s image has tumbled during Trump’s presidency. Can Biden turn it around?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/americas-image-has-tumbled-during-trumps-presidency-can-biden-turn-it-around/2020/12/19/f16654c2-420c-11eb-8bc0-ae155bee4aff_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

A tarnishing of America's international image has been a constant almost from the day Trump was sworn in four years ago. But 2020 could be the worst yet in terms of how people in other countries perceive the United States as a leader in the world. The Gallup organization conducts annual surveys assessing how others assess U.S. leadership. In 20 of 29 countries where Gallup has completed these surveys, approval ratings "are at new lows or they tie the previous low," according to the report released last week. Among the countries where approval hit new lows are two of the nation's staunchest allies, Germany and Britain. Four years ago, before Trump became president, 43 percent of Germans had a positive impression of the United States as a leader in the world. Today just 6 percent approve. In the United Kingdom, 15 percent say they approve. More Russians — 18 percent — approve of American leadership internationally than Brits or Germans. Gallup's findings square with a Pew Research Center report of a few months ago. Pew's regular survey asks whether people elsewhere have a favorable or unfavorable view of the United States. Among the nations where favorable impressions hit record lows or roughly tied them this year were a who's who of traditional friends: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and Australia. Trump's departure and Biden's arrival will likely begin to boost the nation's image. The former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has promised to reengage constructively with other nations, as has his designee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken. That will begin with allies in Europe, who have been treated badly by the current president. Biden knows the world from his travels as a senator and vice president, but he was described by one former diplomat as someone whose first orientation on foreign policy is through Europe. "When he thinks foreign policy, he thinks allies, and when he thinks allies, he thinks Europe," said Ivo Daalder, former ambassador to NATO and now president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Trump has spurned or hectored allies in Europe and questioned the value of transatlantic alliances. Biden will embrace them all. Showing up and saying the right words will be helpful in changing perceptions of the United States, but that might be only a first step in what could be a more challenging mission. Biden will look to European allies for help in dealing with some of the most important foreign policy issues that await him, from U.S. posture toward Russia to Biden's desire to change relations with Iran after Trump pulled out of the joint nuclear agreement. China presents perhaps the biggest challenge, given its gains in power and reach over the past four years. Trump departed from the posture of previous administrations, adopting a more aggressive approach in dealing with the Asian giant. Even critics of the presidents concede there can be no return to the past. Rhetorically that might seem easy; practically it will take time. Biden's challenge will involve striking a balance between competition and sometimes confrontation with China over economic and defense issues and cooperation on things like pandemics and climate. Biden has long experience with European allies, but he will be dealing with a changing and sometimes disunited continent. Hungary and Poland have moved in anti-democratic directions. Turkey is an ally and member of NATO, but the source of disagreements. Britain appears on the brink of exiting the European Union as a result of the Brexit vote in the summer of 2016. Biden has said he knows world leaders, and he does, but leadership has changed since he was vice president and will continue to do so. He does not have a particularly strong relationship with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and in any case the so-called special relationship between the two nations will take on a different hue with Britain no longer a bridge to the E.U. for the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the strongest leader in Europe, will step down later this year and there is no clear successor on the horizon. French President Emmanuel Macron was elected to his position after Biden left the vice presidency. Although he will offer a more welcoming approach than the Trump era, Biden will not be able to pick up where he left off as vice president. From abroad, the United States is seen as a nation that is badly divided and looking inward, a country undergoing a necessary but painful reckoning on race, preoccupied with its own problems and therefore less prepared to embrace the role played for decades during the Cold War and the post-Cold War period. America also has been judged harshly for the way the Trump administration handled the coronavirus pandemic. Biden's willingness to reengage internationally will be an essential step in restoring U.S. leadership and in the process will rebuild America's tattered image. But what he accomplishes domestically, his record in dealing with the pandemic and the economy and so much else, could be equally important in shaping perceptions around the world of how America sees itself in the post-Trump era.

A death every 33 seconds

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/19/death-every-30-seconds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

Every time you listen to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," about five people have died of the virus between the beginning and the end of the song. What's emerged over the past three months has done so slowly. On Sept. 12, the number of new cases began to increase, rising from about 34,000 new cases a day to, at this point, more than 219,000. The number of deaths from covid-19 has similarly ballooned, rising from 728 to nearly 2,600 a day. By now, the pattern is familiar. People feel sick and get a test. It comes back positive. Some of them end up seeking treatment at a hospital. Some of them then die. There are gaps between those events: Someone who tests positive today may not die for several weeks. But the link is clear. People contract the virus. Some of them take a turn for the worse. Some of them don't survive. At St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, the ICU is full, the main lobby has become a makeshift covid ward, and patients spill out into the parking lot. (The Washington Post)The spread of the virus is more pervasive now than it has been at any prior point in the pandemic, but that doesn't mean it's evenly distributed. In some states, the surge in new cases hasn't necessarily overloaded hospitals. In others, like California, government data show how the increase in new cases is rapidly choking the ability of health-care systems to accommodate it. In every state but Kentucky, more intensive care unit beds are in use than were in use three months ago. Nationally, the picture has varied depending on the scale at which you consider it. The average number of new cases each day has been more than 200,000 for more than a week and continues to slowly climb. The number of new hospitalizations, as recorded by the COVID Tracking Project, is exceeding 4,000 each day. At some point, that hits a chokepoint: You can't keep admitting people to the hospital if there's no space to do so. But the number of hospital beds in use nationally, both regular and intensive care, continues to rise. Since Sept. 12, the number of ICU beds in use climbed from an estimated 69 percent to 79 percent. Again, some of those hospitalizations eventually become deaths. Each of the key metrics — new cases, hospitalizations, new deaths — has followed the same curve over the past three months. The only differences are how long each surge took and how high it went. Since the third surge in new cases began in mid-September, there's been a consistent connection between the number of hospitalizations and the number of deaths. The average number of new deaths on a day has consistently been about 1.8 percent of new cases 26 days prior and about 2.3 percent of hospitalizations 10 days earlier. There have been fluctuations, but those patterns have held — as they have for months. What this means is that we have a sense of what's likely looming. If we extrapolate outward from the current figures, we see that we might expect to see an average of as many as 3,900 deaths per day by Jan. 12, using the per-case ratio — or, at least, continue to see about 2,600 deaths per day through the end of the month. We can anticipate a similar death toll at least through the end of the year. By Dec. 31, the United States will be home to 340,000 fewer Americans than it would have been if covid-19 had not emerged in our country.

Even as Trump vows to keep fighting, his aides are quietly starting to move on

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-aides-new-jobs/2020/12/18/157a02e6-3fd8-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

President Trump remains defiant, refusing to publicly acknowledge that he lost on Nov. 3. In a recent meeting with allies, he discussed deploying the military to rerun the election and appointing Sidney Powell as a special counsel on voter fraud. The Post's Carol D. Leonnig explains the difficulties President Trump will have if he claims Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., as his post-presidency residence. (The Washington Post)Yet all signs around the White House point to a four-year whirlwind coming to an end. Aides are quietly lining up next jobs, friends are wrangling last-minute favors and Cabinet secretaries are giving exit interviews. Advisers have begun reviewing pitches for post-presidency books, deciding which deserve cooperation and which should be shunned, according to a person familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Jason Miller, a campaign aide, is at the center of that process, the person said, though Trump will have final approval. For weeks, the Trump campaign pointed to the Dec. 14 electoral college vote as what would ultimately decide the election as it tried to overturn the results. (The Washington Post)Requests for favors — final lunches in the White House mess, photos in the West Wing — are flowing to senior officials daily. Members of Congress are flooding the White House with pardon requests, hoping for last-minute dispensations from a president inclined to wield that power liberally before he leaves. Several advisers said they were surprised by the onslaught. "There are hundreds of them," the person said. The administration held another meeting on pardons Friday afternoon. Cabinet secretaries are giving final media interviews and gifts to staff. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently granted an interview to the American Enterprise Institute, where she offered advice to her successor. "There's one simple guiding principle I'd urge not just the next education secretary to embrace, but any educator and education leader: Put students first," she said. There is no serious planning for a second term, and four officials say the West Wing is far more dormant than it once was, with aides spending their days on job interviews or working from home. The outer Oval Office, once a constant hubbub of traffic angling to see the president, no longer thrums with the same energy. Aides are frantically looking for jobs outside the West Wing, according to headhunters and consultants, but they're fearful of getting fired if they are caught before Jan. 20. Some are just leaving. Staff secretary Derek Lyons and communications director Alyssa Farah are among the high-profile departures. A number of the campaign's top officials — including campaign manager Bill Stepien — have all but disappeared from the orbit, aides say. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have purchased a $30 million property on a secluded island near Miami, according to the New York Post. Ivanka Trump has begun posting daily pictures looking back on the president's term, or shots of her children at Washington destinations, such as the Lincoln Memorial. The White House is spending its days installing loyalists on boards, such as super-lobbyist and fundraiser Brian Ballard to the Kennedy Center; longtime adviser Kellyanne Conway to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board; Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie to a Pentagon advisory board; and White House aides Nicholas Luna and Andrew Giuliani — son to Rudolph W. Giuliani — to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, among others. One person familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations, said the White House had forgotten about these slots but now sees them as final gifts to the faithful. In many cases, the members will serve for four or six years, burrowing into the Biden administration. In many ways, the activity is not unusual. "You'd always see the last tours, the effort to obtain pardons, the effort to obtain jobs," said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University. "You usually see a push to get whatever you can do through executive power in the final days. "What's not normal is having this all-out attack on the legitimacy of the election and trying to overturn it. That's the unusual part," Zelizer added. In public, Trump's press office says the president is still focused on governing. "President Trump and this White House remain focused on securing much-needed economic stimulus for the American people, funding the government, and ensuring states and communities have what they need to respond to COVID-19 as well as vaccine distribution to front-line workers and long-term care facilities," said White House spokesman Judd Deere. But those close to him paint a different picture. Trump is spending most of his time in the residence, phoning allies, according to four people who have been in touch with him, and falsely tweeting that he won the election. An adviser who recently spoke to Trump said the president floated trying to stay in office past Jan. 20. He was "angry and in a dark place," this person said. "I'm not sure that he really meant it," this person said. On Friday, Trump met with several allies, including Giuliani, Meadows, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and White House lawyer Pat Cipollone. Trump asked about deploying the military to rerun the election, an idea that Flynn floated during an interview on Newsmax. The meeting was first reported by the New York Times. Powell, a lawyer who often espouses outlandish conspiracy theories and was previously on the Trump campaign's legal team, was also in attendance. At one point, Trump asked about appointing her as a special counsel on voter fraud, the person said. That idea was also opposed by Cipollone and Meadows; it remains unclear if it will happen. Trump also discussed the government seizing voting machines to examine them for fraud. Two aides said Peter Navarro, ostensibly a trade and economics adviser, had pushed some of the most conspiratorial and spurious claims to the president in recent days. Navarro did not respond to a request for comment. After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) congratulated Biden on his win Tuesday, Trump called to say that the Senate should not declare Biden the president-elect, because the election was illegitimate, officials familiar with the call said. McConnell and Trump spokespeople declined to comment, though sources close to McConnell, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, observed that the majority leader did not change his message. Trump has complained to advisers that Republican officials, such as Brian Hagedorn, a justice on Wisconsin Supreme Court who he backed, are not sticking with him. He has plotted how to take on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in 2022. He is dialing allies looking for good news, relying on information from supporters such as Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). He is constantly asking advisers what options are left — from flipping electors to pressuring House members and senators, officials say. Four advisers said they do not expect Trump to attend Biden's inauguration or meet with him in the West Wing. Trump has already begun polling people on how to create counterprogramming for the days around Biden's swearing-in, these people said. Most evenings, the president does not speak at the White House holiday parties, disappointing those who flew across the country to attend. Guests at a recent party were told after 8 p.m. that he would not be coming down, two attendees said. One adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Trump is "low-key pissed off all the time" and truly believes the race was stolen from him. Some of the president's top aides are urging him to stop litigating 2020. Advisers such as Bossie have begun proposing scorched-earth tactics to cripple the Biden administration, so Trump can better position himself ahead of 2024. Trump is expected to speak next month at the Republican National Committee's annual meeting in Florida in a bid to freeze the field. The campaign continues to rake in money. At least $66 million of the more than $200 million raised since Election Day is going to Trump's Save America PAC, to be used for post-presidential political activities, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Less than half a million has gone to the campaign's recount fund, the person said, while other small amounts have gone to legal committees. The New York Times first reported the PAC had more than $60 million. But Trump is also gearing up for a fight in Florida, a tacit acknowledgment that this chapter is ending — even if he won't admit it. In Florida, Trump owns the Mar-a-Lago Club, which includes both a for-profit social club and private quarters for him. Some of his neighbors have insisted that Trump is not legally allowed to live at the club long-term, citing a 1993 agreement he signed with the town of Palm Beach. Trump's business has disputed that, and the town has not taken any action so far. "There is no document or agreement in place that prohibits President Trump from using Mar-a-Lago as his residence," said Trump spokeswoman Kimberly Benza. If Trump is ever barred from living at Mar-a-Lago, he might not have to move far: The president owns three other houses near the club, which he has used as rental properties and extra guest suites. This year, a review of town permits and the Palm Beach Daily News's social calendar shows it has fallen even further, as coronavirus fears have caused many events to be postponed or converted into virtual gatherings. Mar-a-Lago hosted 49 galas and charity events in the winter of 2014 and 2015, according to an accounting compiled by The Washington Post. The Post identified just nine events on the schedule for this year. Even Trumpettes USA — a group of Trump superfans who have held huge galas to celebrate him at Mar-a-Lago — says it's waiting to schedule another. "We are planning another Event, but not until COVID is under control and when The President gives us his direction," Toni Holt Kramer, one of the group's leaders, wrote in an email. Ashley Parker contributed to this report.

Biden to get coronavirus vaccination Monday, assess White House staffing in pandemic

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-coronavirus-vaccine/2020/12/18/9dea006e-4153-11eb-9453-fc36ba051781_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

The outgoing Trump administration, which has demonstrated far less adherence to its own medical team's coronavirus guidance than Biden's team, has suffered through several outbreaks of the virus, with victims including Trump, his wife and son, and many senior officials and Cabinet members. The announcement of the Bidens' pending inoculation and curbs on attendance at the White House after his inauguration illustrate the extraordinary difficulty that the pandemic has added to planning for a transfer of power and launching a new government, layering significantly more complication and risk to an already fraught process. During the transition, many of Biden's meetings have been conducted virtually, with only a few staff members, stationed in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., who regularly see the president-elect in person. That followed the pattern set in the campaign, during which Biden spent long stretches hunkered down in his Wilmington home to protect against catching the virus as it rampaged across the country. Trump, who was diagnosed with covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in October, regularly mocked Biden for his preventive behavior and, when he emerged, for routinely wearing a mask. Neither the president nor his senior aides regularly wear masks or demonstrate social distancing practices. In deciding when to receive the two-shot regimen required for the coronavirus vaccine, Biden has had to weigh his own health risks against the politically tricky image of skipping ahead of some health-care workers to receive an inoculation. Biden, who at 78 will be the oldest president ever inaugurated, is in a high-risk category because of his age. His incoming medical adviser, Anthony S. Fauci, had recommended that he and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris receive vaccinations, along with President Trump and Vice President Pence. Pence and his wife, Karen, received their shots Friday in a televised event. Biden's brief trip to Georgia on Tuesday — the only time he has boarded an airplane since winning the election — clearly illustrated the risks he's facing in delaying the shots: Within days of the stop at least two people involved in the visit tested positive for the coronavirus. One was an unnamed reporter who covered the trip but did not fly on the same plane as Biden, nor come into close contact with the president-elect. Biden did, however, approach the traveling press corps before taking off from Wilmington for Atlanta. Biden and the reporters wore masks as they spoke. The second was Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), who will become a senior adviser to Biden in the White House. Biden's transition team, in a statement released Thursday, said the president-elect was never in "close contact" with Richmond as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given the circumstances, Biden did not plan to self-quarantine. Richmond's office referred questions to the Biden transition team. Biden's team declined to provide any additional details Friday about their contact, its duration or whether it occurred indoors or outside. Biden traveled to Georgia to campaign for two U.S. Senate candidates vying against Republican incumbents in Jan. 5 runoff elections. The outcome of the race will determine control of the Senate, in which Republicans currently hold a 50-to-48 advantage. Two Democratic wins would flip control, as Harris would become the tiebreaker once she is sworn into office. Biden spoke briefly at an outdoor car rally in Atlanta and did not appear on that stage with Richmond. Richmond traveled to the event separately from Biden. "We have covid protocols in place that everybody abides by who has any contact or attends any events with the president-elect," Jen Psaki, a Biden-Harris transition spokeswoman, said during a Friday news briefing. Biden regularly takes coronavirus tests. His latest results, from a test taken Thursday, were negative. Psaki said that Richmond's status did not change the timing of Biden's vaccination. But the plans had appeared to have been in flux. CNN reported Wednesday that Biden would receive his vaccination early next week, although Biden's team told The Washington Post only that it would be "as soon as next week" and would not commit to a specific timeline. Psaki declined to immediately say when Richmond last had a negative coronavirus test. Richmond's office also did not respond to multiple requests to explain when he last tested negative. The reporter who tested positive covered Biden on Monday and Tuesday. Reporters who cover Biden at specific events must show they have tested negative at a transition testing site before they are permitted near him. They also are required to wear masks. Biden also wears masks to his events, and sometimes has given entire speeches wearing one. But he occasionally pulls his mask down when people have difficulty understanding him. After stepping off the outdoor stage in Atlanta on Tuesday, Biden briefly pulled down his mask to yell something to a supporter and then put it back in place. Biden's vaccination will be done in public in Delaware, but his aides declined to provide details about exactly when or where the shots would be given. Biden and his wife will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Psaki said. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, will start their course of vaccinations after Christmas, Psaki said. Biden and Harris have separate medical teams and Psaki said the quartet was spacing out the inoculations based on advice from their doctors. Pence and his wife also received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It was administered by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center staff in a room in the White House complex Friday. The pandemic has cast a pall over one of the typical moves for any incoming administration: jockeying for valuable West Wing real estate. In the past two administrations, the crowded conditions have led aides at times to share desks. "We expect that everybody who would traditionally be — and historically be — working out of the West Wing, probably will not be working out of the West Wing on January 20th and January 21st," Psaki said. The new administration will "abide by the guidance and direction by our medical experts and doctors" in determining who will be in the building and when, she said. Biden plans to announce his selection for additional administration posts next week, but Psaki declined to say whether all of the Cabinet slots will be announced by Christmas, which the Biden team had hoped to do. "It's all based on when decision-making is made and we want to give him the time and space to do that," Psaki said. She said that Biden's team does expect to name the first 100 appointments by the new year. So far Biden has named 19 members of his Cabinet, but some big slots remain open, including who will lead the departments of Justice, Labor and Education and who will lead the CIA. On Saturday, he is due to publicly announce members of his climate and energy teams, including his nominee for interior secretary, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), who if confirmed by the Senate would be the first Native American to serve in the Cabinet. In addition to Haaland, Biden will introduce North Carolina environmental regulator Michael S. Regan, who would be the first Black man to head the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Obama administration veteran Brenda Mallory to serve as the first Black chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm will be named by Biden as his nominee for energy secretary. Matt Viser contributed to this report.

Pelosi, McConnell receive coronavirus vaccine from the Capitol’s top doctor

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/coronavirus-congress-vaccine-supreme-court/2020/12/17/ad7a8446-40bc-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

Pelosi's vaccination, viewed by the media, came just hours after Vice President Pence received a dose at the White House complex on live television in a bid to build public confidence in the safety of coronavirus vaccines. Shortly after, McConnell, 78, tweeted that he had received the vaccine and included a photo with Monahan. "Just received the safe, effective COVID vaccine following continuity-of-government protocols. Vaccines are how we beat this virus," said McConnell, a polio survivor. Earlier this week, Monahan said he would soon receive doses of the coronavirus vaccine to administer to Supreme Court justices and senior members of Congress under a continuity-of-government plan crafted by intelligence experts. Throughout the day Friday at the Capitol, other members of leadership and rank-and-file lawmakers also received the vaccine. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-ranking Republican in leadership, and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat, were vaccinated. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), a doctor, volunteered to get the shot and afterward encouraged his constituents to do the same when it becomes more widely available. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) released a statement that he'd be receiving it at the recommendation of the Capitol Hill attending physician, and later tweeted a photo in which he was vaccinated. "Grateful for the hard work from the medical community, gov. partners, and others who are working around the clock to deliver a safe & effective #COVID19 vaccine. It's time for Congress to do its job and finish what our bipartisan group started by passing emergency COVID relief," Romney tweeted. There was some backlash to members of Congress being first in line for the vaccine as they remain at odds over a relief package for Americans struggling economically due to the pandemic. But fellow Floridian, Rep. Charlie Crist (D), who got the vaccine, said he saw it as doing his part to slow the spread. "This vaccine is a true medical miracle that signals the light at the end of the tunnel we have all been desperately praying for since March," Crist said in a statement. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who also got the shot on Friday, acknowledged that he had received the vaccine before most Americans, but said he hoped doing so would encourage others to do the same. In a statement Thursday, McConnell spoke about the importance of the vaccine and also encouraged Americans to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing as currently recommended by federal health officials. The Republican leader has taken several precautions amid the pandemic. In October, he said he hadn't been to the White House in two months because of the lax use of face masks and social distancing there. "As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue mask wearing, social distancing & other science-based steps to save lives & crush the virus," she added. The vaccination issue has vexed some members of Congress since the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval for the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine last week. They have publicly expressed a desire to model good behavior and reassure the public that they should get the shots, but they have feared such a move would be seen as a special perk for members of Congress. Monahan's letter eliminated some of the political concerns, as he cited national security reasons for providing leaders such as McConnell with the vaccine. These plans grew out of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Washington and New York, and have been updated throughout the years. Monahan cited a 2016 directive drafted by the National Security Council in the last year of the Obama administration. "The small number of covid-19 vaccine doses we will be provided reflects a fraction of the first tranche of vaccines as it is distributed throughout the country," Monahan wrote. In a second letter to congressional leaders, Monahan's office spelled out that all lawmakers will receive the vaccine. "Once we have completed the vaccination of the Members, we will follow a process to identify the continuity-essential staff members in the various divisions of the Capitol community in the coming weeks," he wrote. Rep. Rodney Davis (Ill.), the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to Pelosi asking her to establish such a vaccination plan. "As an essential branch of government, it is vital that our institution returns to full functionality and that our members and essential staff are provided a transparent vaccination plan to not only ensure the continuity of operations, but the health and safety of our committed workforce," Davis wrote to Pelosi on Tuesday.

Biden to receive coronavirus vaccine Monday, spokeswoman says

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/18/joe-biden-trump-transition-live-updates/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

After party leaders in the House and Senate received coronavirus vaccine shots on Friday, other Democrat and Republican members lined up to be vaccinated. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), a doctor, volunteered to get the shot and afterward encouraged his constituents to do the same when it becomes more widely available. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) released a statement that he'd be receiving it at the recommendation of the Capitol Hill attending physician. Shortly after, he posted a photo of himself on Twitter getting the shot. There was some backlash to members of Congress being first in line for the vaccine as they continue to not pass a relief package for Americans struggling economically due to the pandemic. Fellow Floridian Rep. Charlie Crist (D) got the vaccine and said he wants to do his part to slow the spread of the virus. "This vaccine is a true medical miracle that signals the light at the end of the tunnel we have all been desperately praying for since March," Crist said in a statement. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who also got the shot on Friday, acknowledged that he had received the vaccine before most Americans, but said he hoped doing so would encourage others to do the same.

Supreme Court won’t decide yet if Trump can exclude undocumented immigrants when allocating congressional seats

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-census-undocumented-immigrants/2020/12/18/45223a82-413f-11eb-9453-fc36ba051781_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

Trump is trying to change two centuries of reapportionment practice, and the court's decision at least theoretically gives him a chance to act before President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month. But the court's conservatives said there is too much unknown at this point to get involved and said a decision would violate its norms on when justices have the authority to act. "Any prediction how the executive branch might eventually implement this general statement of policy is no more than conjecture at this time," the opinion said. The court's three liberal justices disagreed and said it already is evident Trump lacks the power to claims to subtract the undocumented from total census numbers. History, practice and the text of federal law make clear that Congress chose "a view of democracy wherein the representatives are apportioned based on ‘the whole number of persons in each state,' not the whole number of voters, citizens, or lawful residents," Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote in a dissent joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Dale E. Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, noted that the majority opinion did not address the arguments against Trump's action. But Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former staff director of the House census oversight subcommittee, said the delay could cause problems. For the first time in the nation's history, Trump this summer claimed the authority to exclude undocumented residents when reapportioning Congress. In a July memorandum, Trump indicated that he believed some states would be getting greater representation than deserved — California was implied but not named — because of their numbers of undocumented residents. Opponents of his plan said it is foreclosed by more than 200 years of practice, the text of the Constitution and the authority granted the president by Congress. Three lower courts have ruled against Trump, and a fourth said the time was not ripe for a decision on the question's merits. Legally, the challengers said, Trump's intentions are directly contradicted by the Constitution's requirement to base apportionment of the House of Representatives on "the whole number of persons in each state" as determined by the once-a-decade census. But the president's lawyers told the Supreme Court when the case was argued last month that it is up to the president to decide whether undocumented immigrants should be counted, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for a state's representation in Congress and power in the electoral college, and for billions of dollars in federal funds. At the same time, acting solicitor general Jeffrey B. Wall told the court that it was unclear whether the Census Bureau could produce reliable numbers before the end of the year, when the report is due. The Supreme Court last year said the administration could not ask a citizenship question on the census form because it had not done the necessary work to show it would not harm the count's accuracy. Neither the Census Bureau nor the Commerce Department responded to questions about when it would produce state population totals and figures accounting for undocumented immigrants. To the surprise of other Census Bureau staffers, a high-level career official there said recently that it would finish tallying undocumented immigrants by state by the first week in January, according to a person familiar with ongoing work at the bureau who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the subject's sensitivity. However, state population totals may not be ready by then. Additionally, in the past couple of weeks, the bureau has discovered a data problem considered serious enough that officials temporarily halted further processing, the person said. Previously detected anomalies affecting more than a million records were expected to delay delivery of apportionment numbers until after Trump leaves office Jan. 20, lawmakers disclosed this month, citing internal documents they obtained. In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office said the bureau had not provided information it had requested about changed time frames for response-processing and its plans for ensuring accuracy in the data it delivers. A Pew Research Center study this summer found that if the country's undocumented immigrants were excluded from apportionment, California, Texas and Florida would end up with one less seat, while Minnesota, Ohio and Alabama would end up with one more, compared with what they would have gotten with no adjustments. The court's majority opinion noted that any report from Ross and the Census Bureau has to be specific: "Everyone agrees by now that the government cannot feasibly implement the memorandum by excluding the estimated 10.5 million aliens without lawful status," it said. But the liberal justices said the administration was purposefully lowballing its ability to identify those it wants to exclude. The census report is supposed to be submitted to the president by the end of the year. It is up to the president then to inform Congress within one week of the opening of its next session how its 435 seats are to be allocated. The House clerk then has 15 days to inform the states of the number of representatives to which each is entitled. If the bureau cannot present accurate numbers to Trump, the reapportionment task would fall to Biden after he takes office as president.

This might be the most embarrassing document created by a White House staffer

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I was curious about the source for that claim, so I checked Footnote 3. And, lo and behold, the source was … me, writing in 2016. Of course, my point wasn't that winning Ohio and Florida were a guarantee of victory. Instead, I was pointing out that there were certain states that Democrats and Republicans usually won before winning the presidency. Navarro's right that no Republican has won the presidency without winning Ohio — but plenty of Democrats have, rendering his point entirely moot. And that's even assuming that his point was useful at all anyway, which we shouldn't. Bill Clinton lost Florida in 1992 while winning the presidency. Joe Biden did it this year, meaning that in one-fourth of the past eight elections it has happened. Hardly something particularly remarkable. But this, in broad strokes, is how Navarro's document operates. It throws out as near-certainties things that are unfounded, misrepresented or unimportant. For weeks, the Trump campaign pointed to the Dec. 14 electoral college vote as what would ultimately decide the election as it tried to overturn the results. (The Washington Post)His claims about who won what states are actually some of his better points. First, they are accurate and, second, his source was a reputable news organization. But his footnotes cite the blatantly pro-Trump Epoch Times more than The Washington Post and the New York Times combined. In fact, he celebrates his reliance on biased and flawed sources of information. Put another way, Americans seeking dubious or debunked information are only able to find it from outlets willing to publish and air dubious and debunked information. One of the hallmark characteristics of rhetoric from the White House is the substitution of volume for value. Trump offers dishonest statements with abandon, hoping that his audience will accept as true at least some small percentage of his blizzard of nonsense. But the White House also uses presenting a lot of accusations as somehow being evidence supporting the accusations, as though getting 500 people to say they believe aliens invented pistachios makes it more likely to be true than if one person said it. Navarro does this exact thing explicitly at one point, in fact, hyping widespread belief that something dubious occurred — belief fostered by Trump and the above-named media outlets — as evidence that it did. The goal of Navarro's document was largely to elevate unfounded suspicion by creating a catalogue of various false claims about the election, many of which have been similarly elevated by Trump. That includes most of the claims that we've not only debunked but also compiled as having been debunked. It includes analysis of the voting in Michigan from the guy who at one point erroneously presented Minnesota data as having come from Michigan. It's not a report. It's a garbage dump. Right. Because they counted more votes — mail-in votes, which heavily favored Biden and couldn't be counted before Election Day in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. If you are still making claims such as the one above, you should not be taken seriously. It can't be said more plainly than that. It is the flat-Earth theory of election fraud, something that maybe people long ago were justified in believing but that, by now, has no place being treated as a serious argument. If Navarro sincerely believes this implies questionable activity, then his "report" should be treated as inherently ridiculous, since he hasn't done his homework. If he doesn't believe his insinuations, then the report shouldn't be taken seriously, because it's obviously aimed at misleading the reader. This is by no means the only example of Navarro presenting as nefarious something that he can't actually prove to be anything outside the norm. Navarro alleges that bribery occurred in Arizona and Nevada. His evidence? Well, a report that, in Nevada, a group held a raffle that anyone who had voted could enter. This, he says, was an attempt to buy votes from Native American voters. The organization holding the raffle responded by pointing out that such raffles are legal. The Trump campaign included this allegation in a lawsuit in Nevada — one of the campaign's numerous legal losses since the election. The judge in the case ruled that the campaign didn't prove the allegation. That happened two weeks ago, yet there was the claim in Navarro's document. "According to the Epoch Times, such vote-buying schemes also may have occurred in eight other states, including Arizona and Wisconsin," the report states. Oh, well, if the Epoch Times says so. The document just goes on at length in the same way, picking out the sort of cruft that's been littering Trump's Twitter feed since Nov. 3 and tying it all into one stinky package. It's sincerely not worth running through the entire litany again; simply consider The Post's Fact Checker articles as an effective rejoinder. What we should do, though, is consider the broader context for Navarro's claims. He focuses on the six states that have been targeted by Trump since the election. We've labeled them as the "irregularity" states below, to translate them to Navarro's document, but one could also call them "swing states" — except that Michigan wasn't really all that close. Anyway, the point is that, if these were states where something demonstrably unusual happened, if there was some exceptional fraud at play, they would look different from other states. But, as we've repeatedly demonstrated, they don't. For example, Trump and his allies like to claim that it was fraud in big cities that led to Trump's defeat in states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania — except that this demonstrably isn't what happened. In the swing states, the shift to Biden relative to the 2016 vote was larger in more-suburban counties than in urban ones. This is the trend that gave Democrats the House in 2018 — an erosion of support for Trump among college-educated voters in the suburbs. If we compare the average shifts in counties in each kind of state, the average shifts to Biden relative to Hillary Clinton were much larger in heavily urban counties in states that voted narrowly for Biden or Trump (meaning a statewide margin under 10 points) or heavily for Trump. But most of the shifts were to Biden, save in the most rural areas. Again, the "irregularity" states don't stand out. Where things are interesting is when considering race. The most densely White and the most densely non-White counties shifted to Trump nationally, in part thanks to shifts in states that backed Trump. It also holds true in Biden's best states, thanks to Trump's better-than-2016 performance in some cities such as New York City. But there's nothing exceptional about the "swing states." There's no obvious pattern showing that particular places overdelivered for Biden in any particular way. Of the 1,495 counties where the margins for Biden improved relative to Clinton's margins in 2016, more than half were in states that voted for Trump. About two-thirds of counties in non-swing blue states shifted to Biden, as did 58 percent of swing-state counties. About 4 in 10 counties in red states did. The burden of proof here lies with Trump and Navarro, the ones claiming fraudulent activity for which they have presented no credible evidence. The key word there is "credible," of course — they've presented lots of evidence that is the electoral equivalent of shadowy photos of the Loch Ness monster. Navarro's report is the functional equivalent of one of those shows where ghost-hunters bring various homemade electronic devices into abandoned townhouses before declaring authoritatively that the photo they took of a dust mite is, in actuality, a poltergeist. And if you don't believe me, allow me to prove my credentials: Navarro finds my analysis so reliable that he cites it in his report.