Jon Stewart surveys some of the more creative ideas tossed around by news-anchor critics for where the “Ground Zero Mosque” could be relocated.
THE FEED
Biden’s got a boot
Photo: @ABC/Twitter
Add Giuliani to your pardon bingo card
Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer who has led the most extensive efforts to damage his client’s political rivals and undermine the election results, discussed with the president as recently as last week the possibility of receiving a pre-emptive pardon before Mr. Trump leaves office, according to two people told of the discussion.
It was not clear who raised the topic. The men have also talked previously about a pardon for Mr. Giuliani, according to the people. Mr. Trump has not indicated what he will do, one of the people said.
Mr. Giuliani’s potential criminal exposure is unclear. He was under investigation as recently as last summer by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for his business dealings in Ukraine and his role in ousting the American ambassador there, a plot that was at the heart of the impeachment of Mr. Trump.
2021
‘Republicans Have No Intent of Acting in Good Faith’
COVID-wise, things are very much going the wrong way in New York
Per @NYGovCuomo, the latest positive testing rate for COVID19 in New York State is 4.96%. 66 people lost their lives to the virus in the last 24 hours, and 3,774 people are now hospitalized statewide, a sharp increase from yesterday, when Cuomo warned capacity is an issue.
—@ZackFinkNews
politics
Trump Funds Political Future by Claiming He Won in 2020
Some evidence to back up your theory that the cold you had last Christmas was actually COVID
Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found evidence of infection in 106 of 7,389 blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from residents in nine states across the U.S., according to the study published online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The scientists based their study on blood samples that the American Red Cross collected between Dec. 13 and Jan. 17 and later sent to the CDC for testing to see if any had antibodies to the new coronavirus, which is named SARS-CoV-2.
… In analyzing the blood samples, the CDC scientists found antibodies in 39 samples from California, Oregon and Washington state collected between December 13 and December 16.
The findings suggest there were isolated cases of coronavirus infection on the U.S. West Coast in mid-December, the scientists wrote.
They also found 67 samples with antibodies in Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin or Iowa, and Connecticut or Rhode Island collected between Dec. 30 and Jan. 17.
the national interest
‘White Women Voted for Trump’ Is the Worst Election Trope
Trump is going to have one more COVID outbreak for the road
The White House began the annual holiday party season on Monday afternoon, officials said, kicking off a spate of indoor holiday parties that commemorate various religious traditions over the season.
While many public health professionals have asked Americans not to congregate in large group settings and avoid travel over the holidays because of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 266,000 Americans and infected 13 million more, the White House is expected to throw more than a dozen indoor parties, including a large congressional ball on Dec. 10, officials say.
The parties will be paid for by the Republican Party, a person with knowledge of the planning said, and will cost millions of dollars.
The president and the first lady are determined to have a final holiday season in the White House, officials said, and concerns about spiking cases and deaths across the country have not stopped the events. Many of the administration’s supporters have taken a skeptical view of the restrictions over the virus and are choosing to attend, officials said.
Two people familiar with the planning said events are going to be scaled down in size this year from previous events — and the crowds will be smaller for each individual one — but will still be largely indoors. Mask-wearing and distancing will be encouraged, aides said, but was not included on two formal invites reviewed by The Washington Post.
games
The NFL Is Too Big to Let COVID Stop It
the national interest
Josh Hawley’s Populist Shtick Is Undermined by One Glaring Weakness
white house
Trump’s Crank COVID Adviser Scott Atlas Resigns
2020 elections
Democrats Didn’t Have As Bad an Election As You Might Think
senate republicans
How Biden Could (Maybe) Fix His Senate Problem With One Weird Trick
It might be spring all over again in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is considering “drastic action,” including reinstating a stay at home order, as projections show the surge of Covid-19 cases will cause the state’s ICU capacity to be overrun by Christmas Eve.
—@ShimonPro
intelligencer chats
What a Spectacularly Ill-Advised Idea Says About McKinsey
Unsurprisingly, the Trump administration’s plans for vaccine distribution leave a lot to be desired
The Trump administration is shunting to the states hard decisions about which Americans will get the limited early supplies of coronavirus vaccines — setting up a confusing patchwork of distribution plans that could create unequal access to the life-saving shots.
Federal and state officials agree that the nation’s 21 million health care workers should be first in line. But there is no consensus about how to balance the needs of other high-risk groups, including the 53 million adults aged 65 or older, 87 million essential workers and more than 100 million people with medical conditions that increase their vulnerability to the virus.
The Trump administration has told states that they have ultimate authority for determining who gets vaccinated first. It has also decided to allocate scarce early doses based on states’ total populations, forcing hard choices in states with a greater proportion of residents at high risk — including Black, Indigenous and Latino communities that have suffered disproportionate rates of hospitalization and death from Covid-19.
Yep, Biden’s still gonna win
* ARIZONA CERTIFIES 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOR DEMOCRAT BIDEN@Reuters
—@carlquintanilla
georgia senate runoffs
Trump Divides Georgia Republicans Ahead of Crucial Senate Runoffs
A big subtweet of the president here
Georgia Secretary of State: “There are those who are exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters with fantastic claims, half truths and misinformation, and frankly they are misleading the president as well. “
—@bradheath
covid vaccines
Moderna Says First COVID Vaccine Shots Could Be Ready by December 21
A brutal year for the media industry
Media industry layoffs are poised to reach an all-time high in 2020 due in large part to the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research.
An estimated 28,637 cuts were reported in the industry by late October, Variety, citing data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, reported, nearly as many as the record 28,803 reported in the media sector in 2008. By comparison, the sector saw just over 10,000 job losses in 2019 and 15,474 in 2018.
Job losses spiked in May during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. After a June dropoff, layoffs increased again over the summer, dropping to pre-pandemic levels in September and October, Variety noted.
Another sign that the transition is finally moving forward
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are set to receive their first presidential daily briefing on Monday.
The briefing is a collection of high-level intelligence information and other materials pertinent to issues of national security prepared for the president by senior officials and advisers.
A president-elect typically begins receiving the briefings in the weeks before he is inaugurated to ensure a smooth transition process and protect the nation’s interests at home and abroad. The White House reportedly signed off of the briefings for Biden last week.
Moderna will become the second company, following Pfizer, to ask the FDA for emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine
Pharmaceutical company Moderna intends to apply Monday to the US Food and Drug Administration for authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine.
The company will ask the FDA to review an expanded data set showing the vaccine is 94.1% effective at preventing Covid-19 and 100% effective at preventing severe cases of the disease.
“This is striking,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee. “These are amazing data.”
Moderna’s chief medical officer said he became emotional when he saw the data Saturday night.
“It was the first time I allowed myself to cry,” Dr. Tal Zaks said. “We have a full expectation to change the course of this pandemic.”
authoritarianism
Liberal Hyperbole About Trump’s Authoritarianism Was Never the Problem
early and often
Trump Spent His Holiday Weekend Bolstering His Loser Routine
biden administration
Joe Biden’s Cabinet Begins to Take Shape
the president-elect
Joe Biden Has Hairline Fractures in His Right Foot
maga
Trump Did Worse in Counties Where He Held His Final Rallies: Report
new york city
New York City to Begin Phased Reopening of Schools
The coddled dear leader
Sequestered in the White House and brooding out of public view after his election defeat, rageful and at times delirious in a torrent of private conversations, Trump was, in the telling of one close adviser, like “Mad King George, muttering, ‘I won. I won. I won.’ ”
However cleareyed Trump’s aides may have been about his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, many of them nonetheless indulged their boss and encouraged him to keep fighting with legal appeals. They were “happy to scratch his itch,” this adviser said. “If he thinks he won, it’s like, ‘Shh . . . we won’t tell him.’ ” …
In the days after the election, as Trump scrambled for an escape hatch from reality, the president largely ignored his campaign staff and the professional lawyers who had guided him through the Russia investigation and the impeachment trial, as well as the army of attorneys who stood ready to file legitimate court challenges.
Instead, Trump empowered loyalists who were willing to tell him what he wanted to hear — that he would have won in a landslide had the election not been rigged and stolen — and then to sacrifice their reputations by waging a campaign in courtrooms and in the media to convince the public of that delusion.
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