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(Reuters) -Only about 2.8 million Americans had received a COVID-19 vaccine going into the last day of December, putting the United States far short of the government’s target to vaccinate 20 million people this month. Shots are reaching nursing home residents at an even slower pace than others first in line even though they are most at risk of dying of the virus. Only 170,000 people in long-term care facilities received a shot as of Dec. 30 even though 2.2 million doses were distributed for residents, according to data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14 million doses of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines have been distributed to states so far, federal officials told reporters on Wednesday, shy of its goal to ship 20 million doses this month. Source: U.S. vaccinations in 2020 falling far short of target of 20 million people | Reuters The article was originally published here!

Luke Letlow, a congressman-elect from Louisiana, died of covid-19 on Tuesday at a hospital in Shreveport, according to state officials. Letlow, 41, won a runoff earlier this month to represent the state’s 5th Congressional District, succeeding his former boss, Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.), who didn’t run again after three terms in Congress. Letlow is the highest ranking U.S. politician to die of covid-19, which has now killed more than 337,000 Americans. He was scheduled to be sworn into office on Sunday. Letlow announced that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Dec. 18, the Monroe News-Star reported, and initially quarantined at his home in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana. By the next day, he was admitted to the hospital with worsening symptoms and later transferred to Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport. Source: Luke Letlow, Louisiana congressman-elect, dies of covid-19 at 41 years old – The Washington Post The article was originally published here!

Luke Letlow, a congressman-elect from Louisiana, died of covid-19 on Tuesday at a hospital in Shreveport, according to state officials. Letlow, 41, won a runoff earlier this month to represent the state’s 5th Congressional District, succeeding his former boss, Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.), who didn’t run again after three terms in Congress. Letlow is the highest ranking U.S. politician to die of covid-19, which has now killed more than 337,000 Americans. He was scheduled to be sworn into office on Sunday. Letlow announced that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Dec. 18, the Monroe News-Star reported, and initially quarantined at his home in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana. By the next day, he was admitted to the hospital with worsening symptoms and later transferred to Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport. Source: Luke Letlow, Louisiana congressman-elect, dies of covid-19 at 41 years old – The Washington Post The article was originally published here!

Two more Senate Republicans on Tuesday expressed support for delivering $2,000 stimulus checks to most Americans, adding to the pressure on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to hold a vote on a proposal that most other members of his party had opposed before President Trump intervened. The latest calls came from Georgia’s two embattled Republican senators — David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — as they find themselves in the midst of a tough re-election battle that will decide the fate of the chamber next week. Both said they support the $2,000 checks that Trump has sought to advance in recent days, joining Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who endorsed the idea on Monday, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), one of its earlier proponents. “Absolutely, we need to get relief to Americans now, and I will support that,” Loeffler said on Fox News. Perdue, meanwhile, tweeted hours later he backs “this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people.” Source: Loeffler, Perdue join growing numb...

Two more Senate Republicans on Tuesday expressed support for delivering $2,000 stimulus checks to most Americans, adding to the pressure on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to hold a vote on a proposal that most other members of his party had opposed before President Trump intervened. The latest calls came from Georgia’s two embattled Republican senators — David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — as they find themselves in the midst of a tough re-election battle that will decide the fate of the chamber next week. Both said they support the $2,000 checks that Trump has sought to advance in recent days, joining Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who endorsed the idea on Monday, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), one of its earlier proponents. “Absolutely, we need to get relief to Americans now, and I will support that,” Loeffler said on Fox News. Perdue, meanwhile, tweeted hours later he backs “this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people.” Source: Loeffler, Perdue join growing numb...

WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. Congress on Monday will try to push through higher pandemic relief payments of $2,000 for Americans after President Donald Trump backed down from a fight with lawmakers that could have shut down the federal government. In a sudden reversal late on Sunday, Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, restoring unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and providing funds to keep government agencies running. The Republican president last week had demanded that Congress change it to boost stimulus payments for struggling Americans from $600 to $2,000 while also cutting other spending. It was unclear why Trump, who leaves office on Jan. 20 after losing November’s election to Democratic challenger Joe Biden, retreated from his threat to block the bill, which was approved by Congress last week. Source: After Trump backs down on stimulus bill, lawmakers set to vote on higher relief checks ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that damaged dozens of buildings on Christmas morning. More than 24 hours after the explosion, a motive remained elusive as investigators worked round-the-clock to resolve unanswered questions about a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate. The attack, which damaged an AT&T building, continued to wreak havoc Saturday on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states. Investigators from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies were at a home in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, after receiving information relevant to the investigation, said FBI Special Agent Jason Pack. Another law enforcement official...

PALM BEACH, Fla/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Millions of Americans saw their jobless benefits expire on Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump refused to sign into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, protesting that it did not do enough to help everyday people. Trump stunned Republicans and Democrats alike when he said this week he was unhappy with the massive bill, which provides $892 billion in badly needed coronavirus relief, including extending special unemployment benefits expiring on Dec. 26, and $1.4 trillion for normal government spending. Without Trump’s signature, about 14 million people could lose those extra benefits, according to Labor Department data. A partial government shutdown will begin on Tuesday unless Congress can agree a stop-gap government funding bill before then. Source: Millions of Americans lose jobless benefits as Trump refuses to sign aid bill | Reuters The article was originally published here!

(Reuters) -A parked motor home exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning in what police described as an “intentional act,” and fire officials reported taking three people to hospital but none were critically injured. Police initially responded to an emergency call of “shots fired” in the downtown tourist area about 6 a.m. CST (1200 GMT), when they reported seeing the vehicle, said Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron, without specifying what made it suspicious. “Circumstances about the vehicle caused the officers to call the bomb squad,” Aaron said. The bomb squad was on the way when the explosion occurred. “We do believe that the explosion was an intentional act,” he said, describing the explosion as “significant” and adding that police were working with federal authorities including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Source: Vehicle explosion rocks Nashville on Christmas, police call it an ‘intentional act’ | Reuters The ar...

(Reuters) -A parked motor home exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning in what police described as an “intentional act,” and fire officials reported taking three people to hospital but none were critically injured. Police initially responded to an emergency call of “shots fired” in the downtown tourist area about 6 a.m. CST (1200 GMT), when they reported seeing the vehicle, said Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron, without specifying what made it suspicious. “Circumstances about the vehicle caused the officers to call the bomb squad,” Aaron said. The bomb squad was on the way when the explosion occurred. “We do believe that the explosion was an intentional act,” he said, describing the explosion as “significant” and adding that police were working with federal authorities including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Source: Vehicle explosion rocks Nashville on Christmas, police call it an ‘intentional act’ | Reuters The ar...

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted pardons to former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former adviser Roger Stone, sweeping away the most important convictions under the long-running Russia election probe. Trump also issued a pardon for Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump, taking advantage of a right granted by the Constitution only to the president, has issued two groups of pardons in as many days, and more are anticipated as Trump faces the end of his presidency on Jan. 20. The announcement came just after Trump arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, for the holiday season, with Jared Kushner on the Air Force One flight with him. In total, Trump issued on Wednesday pardons to 26 individuals and commuted part or all of the sentences of an additional three people. A commutation removes the punishment but leaves the conviction in place. Of special interest for Trump has been a...

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted pardons to former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former adviser Roger Stone, sweeping away the most important convictions under the long-running Russia election probe. Trump also issued a pardon for Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump, taking advantage of a right granted by the Constitution only to the president, has issued two groups of pardons in as many days, and more are anticipated as Trump faces the end of his presidency on Jan. 20. The announcement came just after Trump arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, for the holiday season, with Jared Kushner on the Air Force One flight with him. In total, Trump issued on Wednesday pardons to 26 individuals and commuted part or all of the sentences of an additional three people. A commutation removes the punishment but leaves the conviction in place. Of special interest for Trump has been a...

President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday to 20 people, including three former Republican members of Congress and two people who were convicted of crimes as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 president election. The pardons and commutations came as Trump has been exploring how to use his clemency powers to reward friends and allies in the waning days before leaving office next month. Trump gave a full pardon to George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to his 2016 campaign who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its Russia investigation. Papadopoulos in 2017 agreed he had misled the FBI about his interactions with a London-based professor who claimed Russia had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic rival, in the form of thousands of emails. In 2018, Papadopoulos served his 14-day prison sentence. Source: Trump grants clemency to 20 people, including three GOP former members of Congress and two men convicted in the Russia probe –...

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller has ordered Pentagon officials to pause cooperation with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move came after the Defense Department initially said it was cooperating with the transition that’s underway across the federal government with just over a month before Biden’s inauguration. The halt in cooperation was reported earlier Friday by Axios, which said that Pentagon officials downplayed the development as a delay until the new year. Defense Department spokespersons didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Source: Pentagon Chief Orders Pause in Cooperation with Biden Transition – Bloomberg The article was originally published here!

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller has ordered Pentagon officials to pause cooperation with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move came after the Defense Department initially said it was cooperating with the transition that’s underway across the federal government with just over a month before Biden’s inauguration. The halt in cooperation was reported earlier Friday by Axios, which said that Pentagon officials downplayed the development as a delay until the new year. Defense Department spokespersons didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Source: Pentagon Chief Orders Pause in Cooperation with Biden Transition – Bloomberg The article was originally published here!

The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, officials directly familiar with the matter said. On Thursday, DOE and NNSA officials began coordinating notifications about the breach to their congressional oversight bodies after being briefed by Rocky Campione, the chief information officer at DOE. Source: Nuclear weapons agency breached amid massive cyber onslaught – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, officials directly familiar with the matter said. On Thursday, DOE and NNSA officials began coordinating notifications about the breach to their congressional oversight bodies after being briefed by Rocky Campione, the chief information officer at DOE. Source: Nuclear weapons agency breached amid massive cyber onslaught – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, officials directly familiar with the matter said. On Thursday, DOE and NNSA officials began coordinating notifications about the breach to their congressional oversight bodies after being briefed by Rocky Campione, the chief information officer at DOE. Source: Nuclear weapons agency breached amid massive cyber onslaught – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, officials directly familiar with the matter said. On Thursday, DOE and NNSA officials began coordinating notifications about the breach to their congressional oversight bodies after being briefed by Rocky Campione, the chief information officer at DOE. Source: Nuclear weapons agency breached amid massive cyber onslaught – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

White House aides intervened Thursday to prevent President Trump from issuing a statement calling for substantially larger stimulus payments for millions of Americans, according to two people granted anonymity to share details of the private exchange. On a phone call Thursday afternoon, Trump told allies that he believes stimulus payments in next relief package should be “at least” $1,200 per person and possibly as big as $2,000 per person, the officials said. Congressional leadership is currently preparing a stimulus package that would provide checks of $600 per person. Trump was in the middle of formally drafting his demand for the larger payments when White House officials told him that doing so could imperil delicate negotiations over the economic relief package, the officials said. Congressional Republicans have insisted that the relief bill remain less than $1 trillion, and it’s currently designed to cost around $900 billion. Larger stimulus checks could push the package’s tota...

A top Trump appointee repeatedly urged top health officials to adopt a “herd immunity” approach to Covid-19 and allow millions of Americans to be infected by the virus, according to internal emails obtained by a House watchdog and shared with POLITICO. “There is no other way, we need to establish herd, and it only comes about allowing the non-high risk groups expose themselves to the virus. PERIOD,” then-science adviser Paul Alexander wrote on July 4 to his boss, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs Michael Caputo, and six other senior officials. Source: ‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

A top Trump appointee repeatedly urged top health officials to adopt a “herd immunity” approach to Covid-19 and allow millions of Americans to be infected by the virus, according to internal emails obtained by a House watchdog and shared with POLITICO. “There is no other way, we need to establish herd, and it only comes about allowing the non-high risk groups expose themselves to the virus. PERIOD,” then-science adviser Paul Alexander wrote on July 4 to his boss, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs Michael Caputo, and six other senior officials. Source: ‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

An air-conditioning repairman was driving his truck through Houston in late October when a black SUV suddenly slammed into his tail. When he got out, the SUV’s driver leaped out and pointed a gun at his head, police said. When police arrived, the gunman offered an incredible tale: The driver, he said, was the face of a vast election-fraud scheme and had about 750,000 fake ballots stuffed inside his truck. That story was totally bogus, police say. The man’s truck was full of nothing but A/C parts, and the gunman — Mark Anthony Aguirre, a former Houston Police Department captain — had been paid more than $250,000 by a right-wing organization to pursue far-fetched voter-fraud conspiracy theories. On Tuesday, Aguirre was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as part of a “bogus voter-fraud conspiracy,” the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Source: Former Texas police officer Mark Aguirre arrested for holding man at gunpo...

Senate and House leaders are closing in on a coronavirus relief deal that would include direct stimulus payments, according to sources familiar with the talks. The package is based largely on a $748 billion relief bill that a bipartisan group of Senate and House moderates unveiled Monday plus a new round of stimulus checks, although at an amount lower than the payments of up to $1,200 per adult included in the CARES Act passed by Congress in March. It will leave out $160 billion in funding for state and local governments, which was originally included in a $908 billion compromise proposal that Democratic leaders endorsed in early December, as well as liability protection for businesses, a top priority of the GOP leadership. Source: Congress close to coronavirus deal that includes stimulus checks | TheHill The article was originally published here!

Senate and House leaders are closing in on a coronavirus relief deal that would include direct stimulus payments, according to sources familiar with the talks. The package is based largely on a $748 billion relief bill that a bipartisan group of Senate and House moderates unveiled Monday plus a new round of stimulus checks, although at an amount lower than the payments of up to $1,200 per adult included in the CARES Act passed by Congress in March. It will leave out $160 billion in funding for state and local governments, which was originally included in a $908 billion compromise proposal that Democratic leaders endorsed in early December, as well as liability protection for businesses, a top priority of the GOP leadership. Source: Congress close to coronavirus deal that includes stimulus checks | TheHill The article was originally published here!

Next-door neighbors of Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Fla., that he has called his Winter White House, have a message for the outgoing commander in chief: We don’t want you to be our neighbor. That message was formally delivered Tuesday morning in a demand letter delivered to the town of Palm Beach and also addressed to the U.S. Secret Service asserting that Trump lost his legal right to live at Mar-a-Lago because of an agreement he signed in the early 1990s when he converted the storied estate from his private residence to a private club. The legal maneuver could, at long last, force Palm Beach to publicly address whether Trump can make Mar-a-Lago his legal residence and home, as he has been expected to do, when he becomes an ex-president after the swearing-in of Joe Biden on Jan. 20. The contretemps sets up a potentially awkward scenario, unique in recent history, in which a former Oval Office occupant would find himself having to officially defend his ch...

President-elect Joe Biden is nominating Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan who has been a strong voice for zero-emissions vehicles, as secretary of energy, two people familiar with the process said Tuesday. Granholm, 61 and currently an adjunct professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley, has argued that the United States risks being left behind by other countries if it doesn’t develop alternate energy technologies. Her pick is a clear sign that Biden wants the department to play an important role in combating climate change. Arun Majumdar, a materials scientist and engineer who led a new research agency within the Energy Department under the Obama administration, is under consideration as deputy secretary, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no decision had been finalized. Majumdar, who has been working for the Biden transition team and was considered a candidate himself for the top Energy post, is an enthusiastic ...

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) – President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pete Buttigieg to lead the U.S. Transportation Department, according to four people familiar with the matter, making him the first of Biden’s Democratic rivals for the presidency to land a role in his Cabinet. The appointment of Buttigieg, 38, is another step in a meteoric political rise for the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who showed surprising strength as a presidential candidate. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he would run a sprawling federal agency that oversees the nation’s airlines, highways and transit systems. Buttigieg would also make history as the first LGBTQ person nominated to Biden’s administration and, if confirmed, the first LGBTQ Cabinet secretary to be approved by the Senate. An announcement on his nomination is imminent, the people familiar with the matter said, asking for anonymity before a formal announcement. A spokesman for Biden’s transition team did not immediately respond to a ...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday, marking the first time he has directly acknowledged their victory. “The Electoral College has spoken, so today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years,” McConnell said. McConnell added that “many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20.” Source: McConnell congratulates Biden on White House win | TheHill The article was originally published here!

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday, marking the first time he has directly acknowledged their victory. “The Electoral College has spoken, so today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years,” McConnell said. McConnell added that “many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20.” Source: McConnell congratulates Biden on White House win | TheHill The article was originally published here!

Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan announced in a letter on Monday that he was leaving the GOP, citing President Trump’s actions after the Nov. 3 election as the reason. In a letter addressed to Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), obtained by CNN, he explained his decision to leave his party despite years of support. Mitchell expressed his belief that politicians, including the president, must be willing to accept the outcome of elections whether they win or lose. Source: Rep. Paul Mitchell leaving GOP | TheHill The article was originally published here!

Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan announced in a letter on Monday that he was leaving the GOP, citing President Trump’s actions after the Nov. 3 election as the reason. In a letter addressed to Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), obtained by CNN, he explained his decision to leave his party despite years of support. Mitchell expressed his belief that politicians, including the president, must be willing to accept the outcome of elections whether they win or lose. Source: Rep. Paul Mitchell leaving GOP | TheHill The article was originally published here!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Monday that Attorney General William Barr will be leaving his job just before Christmas and Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will become acting attorney general. Barr, in a letter to Trump posted by the Republican president on Twitter, said he would leave his post on Dec. 23. Source: Trump says Attorney General Barr resigns | Reuters The article was originally published here!

Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will drop “Indians” as its name, an official familiar with the team’s plans confirmed Sunday night — a move that comes after years of pressure and protest from Native American groups and others who viewed the name as racist and insensitive.The change, first reported by the New York Times, could be announced as soon as this week, and it follows a similar move by Washington’s NFL team in July to drop “Redskins” as its name and compete in 2020 as the Washington Football Team as it works to rebrand the franchise.It was not immediately clear what the new name for the Cleveland baseball team will be, whether it has been chosen or whether it will be in place for the 2021 season, which is scheduled to begin April 1.The team has been known as the Indians since 1915, but long-standing pressure on the organization to change the name intensified this year during the nation’s public reckoning over race and social justice issues. Source: Cleveland baseball tea...

Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will drop “Indians” as its name, an official familiar with the team’s plans confirmed Sunday night — a move that comes after years of pressure and protest from Native American groups and others who viewed the name as racist and insensitive.The change, first reported by the New York Times, could be announced as soon as this week, and it follows a similar move by Washington’s NFL team in July to drop “Redskins” as its name and compete in 2020 as the Washington Football Team as it works to rebrand the franchise.It was not immediately clear what the new name for the Cleveland baseball team will be, whether it has been chosen or whether it will be in place for the 2021 season, which is scheduled to begin April 1.The team has been known as the Indians since 1915, but long-standing pressure on the organization to change the name intensified this year during the nation’s public reckoning over race and social justice issues. Source: Cleveland baseball tea...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a rough year. The next one might be even tougher as a recall effort appears to be gaining momentum, fueled partly by outrage over the first-term Democrat dining with friends at an opulent restaurant while telling state residents to spurn social gatherings and stay home. It’s not uncommon in California for residents to seek recalls but they rarely get on the ballot — and even fewer succeed. Several launched against Newsom faded but another attempt is drawing greater attention as his fortunes change while he enters a critical stretch in his governorship. Source: With his star dimmed, California’s Newsom could face recall The article was originally published here!

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a rough year. The next one might be even tougher as a recall effort appears to be gaining momentum, fueled partly by outrage over the first-term Democrat dining with friends at an opulent restaurant while telling state residents to spurn social gatherings and stay home. It’s not uncommon in California for residents to seek recalls but they rarely get on the ballot — and even fewer succeed. Several launched against Newsom faded but another attempt is drawing greater attention as his fortunes change while he enters a critical stretch in his governorship. Source: With his star dimmed, California’s Newsom could face recall The article was originally published here!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hackers believed to be working for Russia have been monitoring internal email traffic at the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, according to people familiar with the matter, adding they feared the hacks uncovered so far may be the tip of the iceberg. The hack is so serious it led to a National Security Council meeting at the White House on Saturday, said one of the people familiar with the matter. U.S. officials have not said much publicly beyond the Commerce Department confirming there was a breach at one of its agencies and that they asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI to investigate. National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot added that they “are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.” The U.S. government has not publicly identified who might be behind the hacking, but three of the people familiar with the investigation said Russia is currently belie...

Sen. Lamar Alexander said in an interview that aired Sunday he hopes President Donald Trump “puts the country first” and congratulates President-elect Joe Biden on his victory. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Alexander said that there should not be any doubt “after Monday,” when the Electoral College casts its votes across the nation, about the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Source: Lamar Alexander: Trump needs to ‘put the country first’ and accept election results – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis angrily defended the handling of a search warrant at the Tallahassee home of Rebekah Jones, the data scientist who ran the state’s coronavirus dashboard until she was fired in May.State police officers entered her home with guns drawn on Monday, and Jones can be heard on body camera footage loudly pleading, “Do not point a gun at my children!” She later likened the officers to agents of the Gestapo, the secret police in Nazi Germany.Jones has alleged in a whistleblower lawsuit that her firing was in retaliation for her refusal to manipulate data to make the state’s COVID-19 outbreak last spring appear less severe.Speaking at a symposium on mental health in Tampa, DeSantis disparaged Jones. “Obviously, she has issues,” he said in response to a reporter’s question. Later, when another reporter asked about Monday’s incident — a recording of which was made by Jones and went viral on social media, drawing widespread outrage — DeSantis grew visibly irri...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a long-shot lawsuit filed by Texas and backed by President Donald Trump seeking to throw out voting results in four states, dealing him a crushing setback in his quest to undo his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden. The justices in a brief order said Texas did not have legal standing to bring the case against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The case was filed on Tuesday by the Republican attorney general of Texas, a Trump ally. The Republican president on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene and become a plaintiff. The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump and none of them commented in the unsigned order. Before the Nov. 3 election, Trump said he expected its outcome to be decided by the Supreme Court. “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections,” the court’s order said. ...

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Friday told Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine by day’s end, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss what happened. The threat came on the same day that President Trump tweeted that the FDA is “a big, old, slow turtle” in its handling of vaccines, while exhorting Commissioner Stephen Hahn to “get the dam vaccines out NOW.” He added: “Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!”The warning led the FDA to accelerate its timetable for clearing America’s first vaccine from Saturday morning to later Friday. A White House official declined to comment, saying “we don’t comment on private conversations, but the Chief regularly requests updates on progress toward a vaccine.” Source: White House orders FDA chief to authorize Pfizer-Bi...

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Friday told Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine by day’s end, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss what happened. The threat came on the same day that President Trump tweeted that the FDA is “a big, old, slow turtle” in its handling of vaccines, while exhorting Commissioner Stephen Hahn to “get the dam vaccines out NOW.” He added: “Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!”The warning led the FDA to accelerate its timetable for clearing America’s first vaccine from Saturday morning to later Friday. A White House official declined to comment, saying “we don’t comment on private conversations, but the Chief regularly requests updates on progress toward a vaccine.” Source: White House orders FDA chief to authorize Pfizer-Bi...

Monday’s Electoral College vote formalizing Joe Biden’s presidential win will be the culmination of months of orchestration by the Biden campaign to ensure minimum drama — and maximum coronavirus safety — while President Donald Trump’s flailing bid to remain in power has shaken other institutions. Interviews with 25 Democratic electors in five states Biden flipped, as well as Biden campaign and state party officials, reveal a determination to leave as little as possible to chance — a significant change for a process that has typically been a postelection afterthought. The Electoral College process has gotten renewed scrutiny this year, as Trump has resisted his defeat and sought to delegitimize the machinery of the election. Source: Biden’s electors prepare to seal his victory, as Trump and coronavirus rage – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

Monday’s Electoral College vote formalizing Joe Biden’s presidential win will be the culmination of months of orchestration by the Biden campaign to ensure minimum drama — and maximum coronavirus safety — while President Donald Trump’s flailing bid to remain in power has shaken other institutions. Interviews with 25 Democratic electors in five states Biden flipped, as well as Biden campaign and state party officials, reveal a determination to leave as little as possible to chance — a significant change for a process that has typically been a postelection afterthought. The Electoral College process has gotten renewed scrutiny this year, as Trump has resisted his defeat and sought to delegitimize the machinery of the election. Source: Biden’s electors prepare to seal his victory, as Trump and coronavirus rage – POLITICO The article was originally published here!

The Federal Trade Commission sued to break up Facebook on Wednesday, asking a federal court to force the sell-off of assets such as Instagram and WhatsApp as independent businesses. “Facebook has maintained its monopoly position by buying up companies that present competitive threats and by imposing restrictive policies that unjustifiably hinder actual or potential rivals that Facebook does not or cannot acquire,” the commission said in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit asks the court to order the “divestiture of assets, divestiture or reconstruction of businesses (including, but not limited to, Instagram and/or WhatsApp),” as well as other possible relief the court might want to add. The announcement is a major step that has been years in the making, with Facebook and several other major U.S. technology companies having grown quickly in the past 10 years with little government oversight. Source: Federal Trade Commission calls for breakup of Faceboo...