Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Mo Brooks, R-Ala., are spearheading the effort in the House of Representatives, backed by a group of senators, objecting to the certification of the presidential election results on Jan. 6.
Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) became the latest congressional Republican to announce he'll object to the Electoral College certification on Wednesday. Garcia said that while he's a "federalist, I do believe there is enough evidence of compromised processes and break downs in election integrity by certain state legislatures that do in fact warrant a closer examination."At first glance, Garcia's decision to join his colleagues in challenging President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory isn't particularly noteworthy. There are more than 140 House Republicans who are on board, as well as a dozen known senators who plan on supporting them. But Garcia doesn't appear to fit the mold of a lawmaker attempting to satisfy a voter base "in deep red districts" calling for their representatives to do something about unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. Instead, Garcia narrowly eked out a narrow November victory in a district that Biden won by around 10 percent.> This is notable because Garcia won by 0.2 percentage points in November. The Kraken stuff is not just from members in deep-red districts. https://t.co/nVeapjxDGB> > — Jeff Dufour (@dcdufour) January 4, 2021Theoretically, embracing this movement could mean Garcia is risking certain swing voters down the line, and his 2020 returns suggest he doesn't have a huge safety net.More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying What do we do about COVID vaccine refusal?
Police in the nation’s capital on Monday arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, who is accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington last month. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, was arrested by Metropolitan Police Department officers after he arrived in Washington ahead of protests planned by supporters of President Donald Trump to coincide with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to affirm Joe Biden’s election victory.
The 1st Special Forces Command Inspector General dismissed the complaint as "not substantiated."
'I know we've all got our doubts about the last election’
The U.S. federal government has distributed more than 13 million vaccine doses to states and territories around the country, but only around 4 million have actually been administered, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last updated on Saturday. New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker notified hospitals of the potential actions in a letter on Sunday, Cuomo told reporters. "I don't want the vaccine in a fridge or a freezer, I want it in somebody's arm," he said.
With the 117th Congress set to be sworn in Sunday, some Democrats are feeling "a little nervous" about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) chances of retaining the gavel, Rep. Filemon (D-Texas) told The Hill. The concern is over whether enough lawmakers will actually show up to give her the required majority of those present and voting. If they do, she's on track to win as expected.Filemon said the worries stem from the coronavirus pandemic, and Democrats are hoping no one falls ill before the vote. Reps. Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) tested positive for COVID-19 in late December, though Larsen is out of quarantine. And although it's unclear, it sounds as if Moore will be free from isolation as well, with Politico's Jake Sherman reporting that 221 out of the 222 Democratic members of the new House are expected to be present. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), who is being treated for pancreatic cancer, will not be at the Capitol.> NEWS on Dem attendance. Alcee Hastings, an ailing Florida Dem, is not going to make it to the speaker vote today. Jamie Raskin, who recently lost his son, is going to make it. > > Democrats believe they’ll have 221 present today. > > Pelosi needs a majority of present and voting> > — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 3, 2021If there are indeed 221 Democrats on hand, as well as all 211 Republicans, Pelosi could only afford to have four Democrats vote for someone else, The Hill notes. While there may be a few Democrats who don't back Pelosi, they may vote "present," which essentially renders them absent. They would not be counted against the final tally, likely allowing her to capture the majority. There's also no guarantee every Republican will be there."I think she'll win," Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said of Pelosi. "But I'm just not sure how she gets there." Read more at The Hill.More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying What do we do about COVID vaccine refusal?
A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was “crashing down” told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate people’s DNA, according to court documents released Monday. Police in Grafton, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine, which officials say contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people. “He’d formed this belief they were unsafe,” Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during a virtual hearing.
Donald Trump may be planning to flee the US for Scotland ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to reports. Prestwick Airport, situated near the president’s Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, is said to have been told to expect the arrival of a US military Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier often used by Mr Trump, on January 19 – the day before Mr Biden takes over. The president-elect is set to be sworn into office in a ceremony at the White House on January 20. While it is customary for the outgoing president to attend, reports suggest Mr Trump will snub the event. Mr Trump has refused to concede defeat in the November 3 election to Mr Biden, claiming without evidence that there was widespread fraud. A source at Prestwick airport, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Herald: “There is a booking for an American military version of the Boeing 757 on January 19, the day before the inauguration. “That’s one that’s normally used by the Vice-President but often used by the First Lady. Presidential flights tend to get booked far in advance, because of the work that has to be done around it.” Air traffic controllers receive details of the arrival of a plane with a US special call sign weeks in advance but are not told exactly which plane when the booking is made, the paper writes. The president has strong ties to Scotland, owning the Turnberry golf resort near Prestwick, as well as a course in Aberdeenshire. His mother, Mary, hails from the island of Lewis. If Mr Trump does fly to Scotland later this month he could be in breach of coronavirus restrictions. Trump Turnberry is effectively closed under the rules, according to the resort’s website. The US now requires that passengers coming from Britain provide negative coronavirus tests after the UK discovered a new mutant strain of Covid-19. It is also not immediately clear how, as a private citizen, Mr Trump would fly back to the US after January 20. It was reported last month that Mr Trump is discussing the possibility of announcing a campaign to retake the White House in 2024 on Inauguration Day, skipping the swearing-in of his successor. Biden transition officials said his attendance at the inauguration, or lack thereof, would not affect their plans, which will be scaled back due to coronavirus concerns. The US Department of State said it was for the White House to comment. The White House did not respond to The Herald. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not comment.
Here’s looking at you, kidOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest
(Reuters) -The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. As of now, antibody therapies for COVID-19 should not be used to treat infections with the new coronavirus in children or adolescents, "including those ... at high risk of progression to hospitalization or severe disease," according to a panel of experts from 29 hospitals across North America who reviewed the available evidence. The antibody drugs - bamlanivimab from Eli Lilly and Co and the combination of casirivimab plus imdevimab from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc - were authorized in November by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in certain groups of adolescents and adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.
Republican House members against an attempt to oppose the certification of the Electoral College's vote are saying the quiet part of their argument very, very loud.A coalition of 11 GOP senators are planning to join with some House Republicans to oppose the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win on Wednesday, giving debunked claims of election fraud as their reasoning. But another group of seven House congressmembers warned against undermining trust in the Electoral College, saying in a Monday statement that doing so could cost the party its only chance to win a future presidential election.Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), and Chip Roy (R-Texas) released their joint statement Monday, claiming they do believe "significant abuses in our election system" took place in 2020. The U.S. electoral system should guarantee "only legal votes are cast to select its leaders" and the electors who formally choose them, the statement said. "But only the states have authority to appoint electors," and after they do so, Congress can only count their votes, the group wrote. "To take action otherwise" only "strengthen[s] the efforts of those on the left" who want to end the Electoral College altogether.From there, the groups gets specific about the "purely partisan" side of their argument. Republican presidential candidates have only won the popular vote once in the past 32 years, relying on the Electoral College for the majority of their wins. "If we perpetuate the notion that Congress may disregard certified electoral votes ... we will be delegitimizing the very system that led Donald Trump to victory in 2016, and that could provide the only path to victory in 2024," the congressmembers finished.Top intelligence officials and former Attorney General William Barr have affirmed there is no evidence of election-altering fraud in the 2020 election.More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying What do we do about COVID vaccine refusal?
The top federal prosecutor in Atlanta left his position Monday, a day after an audio recording was made public in which President Donald Trump called him a “never-Trumper." Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who was appointed by Trump, announced his resignation as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in a news release. The statement did not say why Pak was leaving or what he plans to do next.
Police said Steven Brandenburg "told investigators that he believed that Covid-19 vaccine was not safe for people and could harm them and change their DNA."
If 2020 felt like a drag, you may be surprised to discover it actually went faster than you thought ... and this year is set to be even speedier. The Earth has been spinning unusually quickly lately, and July 19 saw the shortest day since records began, with the planet completing its rotation in 1.4602 milliseconds less than the usual 86,400 seconds. The previous shortest day in 2005 was beaten 28 times last year, and 2021 is on track to be the most nippy year ever, with the average day passing 0.5 milliseconds faster than usual. The changes to the length of a standard day were only discovered after highly accurate atomic clocks were developed in the 1960s and compared to fixed stars in the sky. In recent decades, Earth's average rotational speed has consistently decreased and timekeepers have been forced to add 27 leap seconds to atomic time since the 1970s to keep clocks in sync with the slowing planet. The last one was added on New Year’s Eve 2016, when clocks around the world paused for a second to allow the Earth’s rotation to catch up. Then, BT's speaking clock added a second's pause before its third pip while Radio 4 inserted an extra pip to its 1am bulletin.
Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling condemned President Trump’s call with Georgia’s secretary of state, saying, “I personally found it to be something that was not normal, out of place and nobody I know who would be president would do something like that to a secretary of state."
After months of haggling, it appears Jared Kushner has helped secure a "last-minute achievement" for the Trump administration in the form of a brokered agreement between Qatar and a Saudi-led bloc of regional partners, including Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The deal, which will be signed Tuesday, involves Saudi Arabia reopening its land border with Qatar, while Bahrain and the UAE will unlock their airspace and waters for Qatari transit. In turn, Qatar is expected to "pursue more open-minded engagement" with its neighbors. But analysts and those involved aren't sure whether things will really cool down.A senior diplomat for one of the Gulf nations reportedly described the pact as a "step in the right direction," but suggested the "root causes" of the longstanding rift between the sides are "still there."> 14 \ “Some of the issues were solved but the root causes for the rift – bad personal relationships between the leaders and big policy differences on Iran, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood are still there”, the diplomat told me on the Saudi-Qatar deal> > — Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 4, 2021In the Washington Examiner, Tom Rogan similarly writes that "this deal may be a detente. But it should not be seen as a restoration of formal alliances." He argues Saudi Arabia will "continue to be enraged" by Doha's relationship with Iran, its financial support of Islamist movements, and its "quiet alliance with Turkey," among other things.Ultimately, the agreement may be a nod to the Trump administration, as well as an attempt to start fresh with the Biden administration. Tim O'Donnell> 3 \ Why it matters: Saudi Arabia and Qatar were under pressure by the Trump administration to sign the deal. Both countries see the signing of the agreement as a gesture to Trump & also as part of their effort to “clean the table” and prepare for the incoming Biden administration> > — Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 4, 2021More stories from theweek.com Why Trump may have Lindsey Graham to blame for Raffensperger call recording Hawley and Cruz: How to lie without quite lying What do we do about COVID vaccine refusal?
A former Michigan resident was briefly amused to be mistaken for a high-ranking legislator by President Donald Trump supporters who demanded nullification of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory in the state. The recipient, who goes by the name O Rose and uses non-gendered they/them pronouns, has a phone number nearly identical to that of Lee Chatfield, former Republican speaker of the Michigan House, whose term expired this month. In social media postings Sunday, the president's campaign organization targeted Chatfield and Lee Shirkey, a Republican and the Senate majority leader.
No injuries were reported, but a parked vehicle was damaged, Pittsburgh police said.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is kicking off the new year by proposing a law that would make it a crime to provide coronavirus vaccine shots to those who try to get them before they are scheduled to. According to CNBC, “providers can lose their license if they fraudulently administer vaccines, though the law would add criminal penalties if approved by the state legislature.” “This vaccine can be like gold to some people,” Cuomo said at a press briefing Monday.
Lawmakers are demanding answers from U.S. intelligence agencies and the DoD on the potential existence of UFOs.
