12/31/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 31 2020

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DECEMBER 30, 2020 | PART OF U.S. SENATE
U.S. Senate
Senators McConnell and Schumer on Veto Override and Stimulus Checks
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 
(R-KY) took to the floor to talk about COVID-19 relief efforts, and his reasons for tying an increase in stimulus checks to repealing Section 230 and election investigations. He was followed by the Democratic Leader, Chuck Schumer (NY), who started out criticizing Senator Hawley’s (R-MO) decision to contest the Electoral College results, before turning to the president’s veto of the Defense Authorization bill.
GOP Georgia Senate Candidates Flip-Flop On Stimulus As Voter Turnout Soars

Dec. 30 - The Democrats vying for the Georgia Senate seats are going to get a last-minute push from President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The Washington Post reports, “Harris plans to tout the two Democratic Senate candidates at an event in Savannah on Sunday, and Biden will appear in Atlanta on Monday, Biden’s campaign announced.” On the Republican side, Donald Trump is expected to hold a rally in Dalton, a heavily conservative city in Northwest Georgia. But there are questions about whether the rally will be focused on Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler or be all about Trump once again airing his baseless election grievances.  Late Tuesday, the current president tweeted:


I love the Great State of Georgia, but the people who run it, from the Governor, @BrianKempGA, to the Secretary of State, are a complete disaster and don’t have a clue, or worse. Nobody can be this stupid. Just allow us to find the crime, and turn the state Republican…other acts of fraud and irregularities as well. STAY TUNED!     continue to read
Record-smashing 2.3 million people already voted in Georgia runoff
Dec. 29, 2020
PRESIDENT TRUMP FILES WISCONSIN CASE IN UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT

Dec. 30 - President Donald J. Trump, in his personal capacity as candidate for re-election, today filed an appeal in the United States Supreme Court seeking to ensure election integrity in Wisconsin.
The lawsuit asks the Supreme Court to declare the Wisconsin election unconstitutional and void as a result of the multiple violations of law, and order the Wisconsin state legislature to appoint electors consistent with Article II, Sec 1.2 of the United States Constitution.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals specifically held that if the Trump Campaign proved its case, it could void the election as “failed”, and order decertification of the Biden electors, requiring the Wisconsin legislature to appoint electors. The Seventh Circuit Court affirmed a dismissal of the challenge to the November 3, 2020 election based on the doctrine of “laches” – essentially saying the campaign should have filed suit before the election – even though the scope of illegal absentee ballots and the results of the election were as yet unknown and the changes in law and administration of the election in violation of the U.S. Constitution happened on the eve and day of the election.      continue to read


Biden White House to issue memo to halt or delay midnight regulations on January 20

Dec. 30, (CNN)On Joe Biden's first day as President, his White House will issue a memo to halt or delay midnight regulations and actions taken by the Trump administration that will not have taken effect by Inauguration Day, Biden transition spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday.


Psaki noted that issuing a regulatory freeze is standard practice for an incoming administration, "but this freeze will apply not only to regulations but also guidance documents -- documents that can have enormous consequences on the lives of the American people."

The memo will take effect after noon ET on January 20, Psaki said, after Biden is inaugurated.The memo is part of a broader push the Biden transition team has previewed to immediately undo several of outgoing President Donald Trump's policies.     continue to read



Trump repeats voting fraud claims without evidence
🇺🇸 US Election @BBC News live - BBC

Nov 6, 2020



President Donald Trump leaves a rally in Rome, Ga., on Nov. 1, 2020.
Trump administration speeds up 'midnight rule-making,' creating hurdles for Biden
The administration's last-minute rules include contentious proposals that President-elect Joe Biden is likely to oppose.

Dec. 30 -  Since Election Day, the Trump administration has completed dozens of new regulations in a final flurry of rule-making, including restrictions on access to asylum, reduced wages for guest farmworkers and a rejection of stricter limits for soot emissions, despite a growing body of evidence that soot pollution is contributing to premature death.

The White House has made a concerted push to finish new rules before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to accept the election results. Once rules are finalized and take effect, undoing them is usually a time-consuming and labor-intensive process.     continue to read


12/30/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 30 2020

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DECEMBER 29, 2020
President-elect Biden Remarks on COVID-19
President-elect Biden delivered remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on the coronavirus pandemic. He discussed five key areas that he said all Americans should be made aware: that things will get worse before they get better, the current vaccine distribution plan is falling behind, the vaccine will be made available to all Americans, the Defense Production Act will be used to accelerate vaccine production, and the new administration will institute a 100 day mask mandate where possible. 
'I am not a Russian or a hacker': Repairman who handed over Hunter's laptop releases YouTube video saying his military family 'fought against the people I'm accused of being'
John Paul Mac Isaac owns a Mac repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware

Dec. 30 - 
The Delaware computer engineer who found himself at the center of a media storm after he passed Hunter Biden's laptop to Rudy Giuliani, who then leaked it to the press, has spoken out to clear his name.     continue to read
Mac Isaac said his world had been turned upside down since Hunter Biden (left) arrived

After damaging emails from the computer were published in October, which purported to show Hunter introducing his father to his business partner in Ukraine, conspiracy theories began swirling online that the repair shop story was a cover and that the content had been passed to Trump's lawyer by Russian hackers.


Some even speculated that Mac Isaac could be himself a spy. ​

...​Hunter left three damaged Apple laptops at Mac Isaac's shop in April 2019 but never returned or paid the $85 bill for recovering the data from them...



12/29/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 29 2020

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DECEMBER 28, 2020
President-elect Biden Remarks
President-elect Biden delivered remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, after meeting with members of his national security team. The president-elect outlined his vision for American foreign policy and the national security challenges he would face upon assuming office the following month. He criticized the Trump administration, particularly the political leadership of the Defense Department and the Office of Management and Budget, for “roadblocks” in the transition process. “Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” he said. “It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.” President-elect Biden said he was clear-eyed about the challenges ahead but that the U.S. would “reclaim its credibility to lead the free world.” The president-elect began his remarks by addressing the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville. 
CNN Analyst Slams Biden for Calling Out Trump Admin Transition Stonewalling: ‘I Don’t Care If the President’s Team Is a Pain in the A**,’ Just ‘Let It Go’

Dec. 29 - CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd took issue with President-elect Joe Biden publicly calling out the Trump administration for “roadblocks” and “obstruction” in the transition process.


Biden, in a national security speech on Monday, commended many people across the administration for their professionalism in helping out the transition, but he made a point of adding that they haven’t received that kind of courtesy from political leadership at the Defense Department and Office of Management and BUdget.

After the speech, Jake Tapper asked Mudd “how much of a problem could this be” that people are refusing to cooperate with them.

Mudd responded, “I would say modest.”
He went on to talk about the national security and foreign policy issues facing the country, and proceeded to knock Biden for publicly talking about the stonewalling:

“I can udnerstand why the President-elect is frustrated… I don’t agree with the way this was approached in his speech today. Look, we spent four years of negativity. The President-elect had a couple of messages today. The first is traditional coalitions like NATO. The second is we don’t do America first — if we do stuff like climate change, we need other people… We’ve got 23 days left. Focus on the big stuff… and behind the scenes, I don’t care if the president’s team is a pain in the ass. We’ve got 23 days. Let it go and give us a positive picture.”     source
It’s Europe’s Turn to Reject Trump

Although Donald Trump will soon depart from the White House, his toxic legacy of America-first nationalism and isolationism will continue to dominate the Republican Party. The worst thing European leaders could do now is to sit back and resume their previous subordinate role within the transatlantic relationship.

Dec. 29, BERLIN – Despite all his whining and wailing, Donald Trump’s presidency will end on January 20, 2021. He will be history; but, sadly, his political legacy will endure. With almost 75 million Americans voting for him (and 82 million for Joe Biden), Trump mobilized an extraordinary and unexpected level of support among a base that will continue to steer the Republican Party toward his brand of nationalist isolationism.     continue to read

12/28/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 28 2020

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United States facing four historic crises at once, says Joe Biden

Dec. 28 - US President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday said that his country is facing "four historic crises at once"...

"From COVID-19 and the economy to climate change and racial justice -- our nation is facing four historic crises at once.  And come Jamuary, there will be no time to waste.  That's why my team and I are hard at work preparing to take action on day on." Biden tweeted.


Hours after Biden's tweet, President Trump officially signed the trillion dollar coronavirus relief and government spending bill, The Hill reported.

On Saturday, Biden had accused Donald Trump of "abdiction responsibility" and had pressed the outgoing President to immediately sign the COVID-19 relief bill that was pending.

"It is the day after Christmas, and milliions of famillies don't know if they'll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump's refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority."  Biden said in a statement.     more details




Dr. Fauci Is Praising Joe Biden's Take on COVID: He's Right

Dec. 27 - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, on Sunday said he agreed with Joe Biden's assessment that the "darkest days" of the COVID battle are ahead of us.
 
"I want to ask about something that President-elect Biden said this week. He said, 'The darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us,'" CNN's Dana Bash said. "Dr. Fauci, as you know, over 100,000 of our fellow Americans spent their holiday hospitalized with the COVID-19. We're averaging nearly 200,000 new cases, more than 2,000 deaths each day. Do you agree that the worst is still yet to come?"

"You know, Dana, I do. And the reason I'm concerned and my colleagues in public health are concerned also is we very well might see a post-seasonal in the sense that Christmas and New Years surge," he replied.

Dr. Fauci said he is concerned about the "post-seasonal" surge that he sees as a "surge upon a surge." He described the trends from late fall into early winter as "troubling," especially as Americans gather for Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.     continue to read



PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode December 27
Dec 28, 2020
On this edition for Sunday, December 27, millions of Americans face uncertainty as unemployment benefits run out and a government shutdown looms, more vaccinations roll out across the nation and in Europe while officials urge caution for the New Year. Also, one city’s pilot for universal basic income gains traction. Michael Hill anchors from New Jersey.
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12/26/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 26 2020

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Trump To Sign Order Requiring Negative Coronavirus Test For UK Travelers, CDC Says


Dec. 25 - The U.S. will require airline travelers coming from the U.K. to test negative for coronavirus before their flight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.

President Donald Trump will sign an order Friday making a negative test mandatory for U.K. travelers coming to the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a press release Thursday evening. the U.K. informed the World Health Organization that the mutant strain of coronavirus could spread more quickly than previous strains.


“Today, President Trump is taking another step to protect the health of the American people by requiring air passengers arriving from the United Kingdom (U.K.) to test negative,” the CDC said in a statement. (RELATED: Here’s Everything We Know About The New Coronavirus Strain In The UK)

The CDC added that a person coming from the U.K. would need to present the negative test result no more than 72 hours prior to departure. The order will become effective on Dec. 28.     continue to read

A lorry driver shows their credentials to a member of the British Army, as they enter the Port of Dover, in Dover on the south-east coast of England, on December 25, 2020, as the COVID-19 testing of drivers queueing to depart from the ferry terminal to Europe continues.

Thousands of virus-stranded trucks depart Dover for Calais
More than 4,500 lorries, among a huge backlog of trucks stranded for days in the British port of Dover, crossed the Channel on Friday after nearly 1,000 British troops were deployed Christmas Day to step up coronavirus testing.



Dec. 25 - The port remained open despite the Christmas holiday so that ferries, as well as the trains bringing trucks through the Channel Tunnel, could operate -- but only for trips from Britain to France.
"Yesterday, we had 1,000 lorries cross over from Dover. As of 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) we had 1,400 lorries from Britain," Benoit Rochet, head of the Calais port operator, told AFP.

"At this rate, the situation should be completely taken care of by tomorrow," he said.
Getlink, the Eurotunnel operator, said more than 1,000 trucks had transited the tunnel in both directions by 5:00 pm, two-thirds of which had travelled from England to France.

Truckers were stranded in southeast England after France halted all travel from Britain on Sunday for 48 hours in a bid to prevent a new strain of coronavirus, which experts fear to be more contagious, from reaching its shores.

The move created a massive logjam with up to 10,000 trucks parked along highways as well as on the runway of the Manston airfield, according to EU transport commissioner Adina Valean, who criticised the French government's decision.     continue to read


The photo shared by Donald Trump’s daughter was taken as the family prepares to leave the White House ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.

White House adviser Jared Kushner, from left, and daughter Arabella Kushner, walk with his wife Ivanka Trump and their son Joseph as they prepare to board Marine One with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020Ivanka Trump Shares Christmas Family Photo and Melania Is Nowhere in It

Dec. 25 - First daughter of the US Ivanka Trump wished her Twitter followers a Merry Christmas on Friday, sharing a family picture from inside the White House. In the Christmas snap, Ivanka stands with her father Donald Trump, husband and senior presidential advisor Jared Kushner and their three children, Arabella, Joseph and Theodore.
The First Lady Melania Trump, however, was absent from the picture.

The photo was apparently taken beforehand, as Donald Trump and Melania are currently in their Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where the US president has already been seen golfing. Ivanka and Jared also flew there the other day to join the first couple for Christmas celebrations – the last to be held during Trump’s term.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump issued a pardon for Jared’s father Charles Kushner. In the early 2000s Kushner, one of the Democratic Party's top donors, was sentenced to a maximum two-year term behind bars for the extortion of his own brother-in-law with the help of a prostitute.     source

12/25/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 25 2020

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NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - December 24th, 2020 | NBC Nightly News
Dec 25, 2020
Donald Trump Is Planning A War With Iran To Prevent Joe Biden’s Presidency, Author Says

Dec. 24 - Author Trita Parsi, founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council, believes that President Donald Trump’s recent warnings to Iran are signs of a disturbing plan to thwart President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

“Make no mistake: Trump has already moved B52s, submarines, and other military assets to the Persian Gulf,” he 
tweeted.

“He is planning to start a war with Iran on bogus charges in order to prevent Biden from taking office. Iran is not the real target. American democracy is.”

continue to read
An Iranian flag is pictured near in a missile during a military drill, with the participation of Iran’s Air Defense units, Iran October 19, 2020.Iran Builds Up Air Defense Systems Near Nuclear Sites Over Possible US Strikes, Reports Claim

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran is strengthening air defense systems located near its nuclear facilities as a precaution against possible US missile strikes, the Kuwaiti Al-Qabas newspaper reported on Thursday, citing informed sources from Iran.


Dec. 25 - The measure is taken amid growing tensions between Tehran and Washington ahead of US President Donald Trump's departure. Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on Twitter that the recent rocket attack on the US embassy in Iraq was carried out from the territory of Iran, and warned that Washington would hold Tehran responsible if any US nationals were killed in a new rocket attack. Tehran has denied the allegations.

According to the newspaper, Tehran has built up air defense systems and radar locators of the aerospace forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to protect the facilities vital for Iran's nuclear program from strikes aimed at disrupting the uranium enrichment process. In particular, the precaution is taken in Isfahan province, where the Natanz uranium enrichment plant is located.

Trump Threatens Iran, Tweets Rocket Photos Claiming to Prove Complicity in Baghdad Embassy AttackThe recent rocket attack took place on Sunday when defensive interceptors stationed at the US embassy shot down three rockets fired at the so-called Green Zone in the Iraqi capital, a heavily fortified enclave where many government offices and diplomatic missions are located.     continue to read



PBS NewsHour full episode, Dec. 24, 2020
Dec 25, 2020
Thursday on the NewsHour, President Trump issues more controversial pardons while complicating congressional efforts to reach a new COVID relief bill, the United Kingdom and the European Union finalize a Brexit trade deal, what this crucial time for giving means for organizations serving those in need, and a look at how the U.S. is being transformed by the pandemic.
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Paul Manafort, center, in court in New York last year. 
Donald Trump's latest wave of pardons includes Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner
President also gives clemency to Roger Stone in second round of pardons since Tuesday

Dec. 24 - 
Donald Trump has pardoned another 26 people in his second big wave of clemency actions since Tuesday, marking yet another audacious application of presidential power to reward loyalists.
The US president pardoned his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his longtime adviser Roger Stone, and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.

Stone, a longtime friend and associate, had his sentence for a series of charges related to the Russia investigation commuted by the president in July.      continue to read