1/02/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Jan. 2, 2021

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JANUARY 1, 2021
U.S. SenateSenate Session
The Senate voted 80-12 to limit debate of the defense policy veto. 60 votes ere needed. The Senate moved to an immediate
Joe Biden’s in-tray: The five key foreign policy issues

Jan. 2 - Whenever there is a new leader behind the desk in the Oval Office, they are sure to be tested by America’s adversaries. Joe Biden will be no different. In fact, because of the unconventional nature of Donald Trump’s foreign policy, it is logical to assume that more than few leaders around the world will be interested in testing the next administration.

Many wonder — both friend and foe, and not unreasonably — if President Trump has changed the way US foreign policy is made for good, or will Biden bring it back in line with the status quo ante?

Heading into 2021, the next administration’s in-tray will be full. Undoubtedly, the focus will be the domestic situation in the US. Top priorities will include rolling out the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and dealing with the economic consequences of the pandemic. Nevertheless, global events do not slow or stop just for a new president. There are five areas in which President Biden and his administration will be tested early when it comes to international affairs.     continue to read

US, Iran ratchet up military activity ahead of Soleimani killing anniversary
US official says some Iranian maritime forces in Persian Gulf ramped up their readiness levels in past 48 hours

Jan. 2 - The US and Iran charged each other with ratcheting up tensions in the Persian Gulf as concerns about potential conflict build days before Iran marks one year since the US assassinated its most powerful military figure and less than three weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Iran appealed to the UN Security Council on Thursday to stop the US from conducting what it called heightened “military adventurism” in the Gulf and the Oman Sea, including dispatching nuclear-armed bombers to the region, declaring that it did not want conflict but would defend itself if necessary.

Meanwhile, a US official with direct knowledge of the latest intelligence told CNN on Friday that some Iranian maritime forces in the Gulf ramped up their readiness levels in the last 48 hours. Earlier this week, defense officials told CNN new intelligence showed Iran has been moving short range ballistic missiles into Iraq.

The quickening military activity is matched by rhetoric. The head of Iran’s elite Quds military force suggested Friday that retaliation for US crimes may come from “people from your own house.” President Donald Trump, who reportedly asked for military options to deal with Iran in November, tweeted last week that he will “hold Iran responsible” should any Americans be killed.

And Israeli media amplified an Arab newspaper report that cited unnamed US sources saying Israel and Saudi Arabia are lobbying Trump to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities before he leaves office.   continue to read 
 Relations between the two countries have deteriorated under US President Donald Trump
China sees 'new window of hope' in ties with United States in 2021


Jan. 2 - vBEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - China and the United States can open a "new window of hope" in bilateral ties in the new year, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, urging Washington to resolve disputes through dialogue.


"Our US policy will maintain continuity and stability and we are willing to develop China-US relations in a coordinated, cooperative and stable manner with the American side," Wang was cited as saying in the transcript of an interview posted on the ministry's website.


The foreign minister said the US's "completely wrong" policies on China were to blame for "unprecedented difficulties" between the two countries in recent years.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated under US President Donald Trump, with growing differences in issues ranging from trade and technology to Hong Kong and the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a separate statement, Wang urged the European Union to commit to world unity instead of "serving bloc politics," and to look beyond ideological differences.     source

Serbia opens pipeline for Russian gas, ignores US opposition
Defying U.S. calls to reduce its dependency on Russian energy supplies, Serbia has officially launched a new gas link that will bring additional Russian gas to the Balkan country via Bulgaria and Turkey

Jan. 2,BELGRADE, Serbia -- Defying U.S. calls to reduce its dependency on energy supplies from Russia, Serbia on Friday officially launched a new gas link that will bring additional Russian gas to the Balkan country via Bulgaria and Turkey.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attended a ceremony Friday for the opening of the 400-kilometer (250-mile) section of the Turkish Stream pipeline, saying that Serbia has become “much richer” thanks to the new Russian energy supplies.     continue to read
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1/01/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Jan. 1, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

2020 general election
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 14Greene began her 2020 candidacy in Georgia's 6th congressional district, but shifted her campaign to the 14th district after incumbent Tom Graves announced he would not run for reelection.[7] She ran on the slogan "Save America, Stop Socialism".[8][9] In the days before the primary election, Facebook took down a Greene video for violating its terms of service. In the video she held an AR-15 style rifle and warned "antifa terrorists" to "stay the hell out of Northwest Georgia".[8]
Greene finished in first place in the primary election and faced John Cowan in the runoff election.[10] Greene defeated Cowan to win the nomination on August 11. Greene was considered an overwhelming favorite to win the seat in the general election, as the 14th typically votes heavily Republican.[11] The 14th has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+27, making it the 10th most Republican district in the nation and the third most Republican district in the Eastern Time Zone. Among Georgia's congressional districts, only the neighboring 9th district is more Republican. Donald Trump carried the 14th with 75 percent of the vote in 2016, his eighth-best performance in the nation.[12] On the day after Greene's runoff victory, Trump tweeted his support for her, describing Greene as a "future Republican Star" who "is strong on everything and never gives up — a real WINNER!"[13]

Greene was initially expected to face Democratic IT specialist Kevin Van Ausdal, but he withdrew from the race on September 11, 2020. This left Greene unopposed for the general election, though the district is so heavily Republican that Van Ausdal would have faced nearly impossible odds had he stayed in the race.[14] Since the 14th's creation in 2012, no Democrat has won more than 30 percent of the vote.[15]
In the general election, Greene won with 74 percent of the vote. Van Audsal, whose name remained on the ballot, took 25 percent.[16] Greene became the second Republican woman to represent Georgia in the House. The first, Karen Handel, was elected to represent the 6th in a special election in 2017,[17] but was defeated for a full term in 2018. Thus, Greene became the first Republican woman elected to a full term from a Georgia district.
QAnon Kook Marjorie Taylor Greene Heading To Congress?
Aug 13, 2020
Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been blasted for making racist videos, has won the runoff for Georgia’s Republican primary.
Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tell CNN that they expect at least 140 of their GOP colleagues in the House to vote against counting the electoral votes on January 6 when Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Dec. 31, (CNN) -- Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tell CNN that they expect at least 140 of their GOP colleagues in the House to vote against counting the electoral votes on January 6 when Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.     more details
 




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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. SenateSenators 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

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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...


TUESDAY
December 29, 2020
WEDNESDAY
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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
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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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