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sabra's JournalGeorgia GOP Election Official Goes Off on Trump's 'Easily, Provably False' Fraud Claims
Source: The Daily Beast
A top Republican elections official in Georgia held a press conference on Monday to push back on what he characterized as rampant disinformation spread by President Donald Trump and his allies in their efforts to overturn the results of the state’s presidential contest in November.
“This is all easily, provably, false. Yet the president persists,” said Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager. “And by doing so undermines Georgians’ faith in the election system.”
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Asked about the call on Monday, Sterling said he “found it to be something not normal, out of place, and nobody I know who would be president would do something like that to a secretary of state.”
Standing next to a large placard reading “CLAIM VS FACT,” Sterling sought to individually debunk an array of conspiracy theories floated since Election Day by Trump, his campaign, his legal team, and his allies in Republican politics and conservative media. He specifically addressed some of Trump’s more bizarre claims during his phone call with Raffensperger.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/gabriel-sterling-georgia-gop-election-official-goes-off-on-trumps-provably-false-fraud-claims?via=twitter_page
There were 18 attempted calls from the White House to GA secretary of state's office, sources say
Source: CNN
(CNN)There were 18 attempted calls from the White House to the Georgia secretary of state's office between the election and Saturday's phone call, a source with knowledge and a Georgia state official confirmed to CNN.
In a recorded phone call, first published by The Washington Post on Sunday, President Donald Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" votes to overturn the election results after his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, according to an audio recording later obtained by CNN.
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Trump had repeatedly pushed his staff to get him on the phone with Raffensperger and other Georgia officials, according to two people familiar. This was a weeks-long effort, the sources said.
"He pushed -- pushed his staff and called. We're in a litigation mode with the President's team against the state of Georgia. Whenever you say anything, you have to have your advisers there. They had to have their advisers there. I preferred not to talk when we were in litigation. We let the lawyers handle it. We took the call and had a conversation. He did most of the talking. We did most of the listening," Raffensperger said when pressed on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday about the reporting that there had been 18 incoming calls from the White House switchboard to his office in recent months, first reported by The Washington Post.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/politics/trump-brad-raffensperger-calls-georgia/index.html?utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNN&utm_content=2021-01-04T16%3A39%3A10&utm_medium=social
Trump officials debating cutting Moderna dose in half to speed up COVID vaccination
Source: The Hill
Trump administration officials are in discussions with Moderna about speeding up the coronavirus vaccination process by only giving people half the recommended dose of the company's vaccine, a top adviser said Sunday.
Moncel Slaoui, the chief science adviser for Operation Warp Speed, said there is evidence that giving people between the ages of 18 and 55 two half doses "induces identical immune response" to the normal 100 microgram dose.
During an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS's "Face the Nation," Slaoui said the strategy "means exactly achieving the objective of immunizing double the number of people with the doses we have."
But Slaoui has also strongly advocated against the idea that people need only one shot instead of the current two dose regimen, so it's not clear how giving people two half doses would be different.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/532521-trump-officials-debating-cutting-moderna-dose-in-half-to-speed-up-covid
Trump directed Pentagon to reverse decision and keep aircraft carrier in Middle East amid Iran...
Source: CNN
(CNN)President Donald Trump directed acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller to reverse course and order a US aircraft carrier to return to the Middle East following a White House meeting Sunday, according to a senior defense official.
This decision overturned Miller's order last week to send the USS Nimitz out of the region and home, in part, to send a de-escalation signal to Iran amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
One defense official says Miller's idea of de-escalation had not been adopted as a formal, approved policy. It took top commanders by surprise, several defense sources said. US Central Command wanted the carrier to stay in the region to deter Iran at a time of rising tension and less than three weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
The White House and NSC did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/politics/uss-nimitz-aircraft-carrier-middle-east-iran/index.html?utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNN&utm_content=2021-01-04T16%3A26%3A05&utm_medium=social
At least 140 House Republicans to vote against counting electoral votes, two GOP lawmakers say
Source: CNN
(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.
President Donald Trump's Republican allies have virtually zero chance of changing the result, only to delay by a few hours the inevitable affirmation of Biden as the Electoral College winner and the next president.
There have been no credible allegations of any issues with voting that would have impacted the election, as affirmed by dozens of judges, governors, election officials, the Electoral College, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Supreme Court. But Trump is determined to claim he didn't lose -- which he did, significantly -- and many GOP politicians either share his delusion or fear provoking his wrath -- even if that means voting to undermine democracy.
Both a House member and senator are required to mount an objection when Congress counts the votes. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said Wednesday he will object, which will force lawmakers in both the House and Senate to vote on whether to accept the results of Biden's victory. Other senators -- including incoming ones -- could still join that effort, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has privately urged Republicans not to do.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/31/politics/electoral-college-house-republicans/index.html
Trump Budget Chief Hampers Biden Transition With Ban on Meetings
Source: Bloomberg
President Donald Trump’s budget office is blocking Joe Biden’s transition team from meeting with key staff to help prepare the president-elect’s first annual spending plan, a move that could delay major proposals.
The director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, has argued internally that the agency needs to focus on finishing new regulations the Trump administration plans to publish before the president leaves office, according to people familiar with the matter.
But experts on the federal budget say Vought’s refusal to give Biden’s team access to career OMB officials is unprecedented and could hurt Biden’s efforts to roll out big-picture, forward-looking ideas on everything from health care to climate change to taxes at the start of his four-year term.
The career OMB staff could provide Biden’s team information such as cost estimates and details on existing programs.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-31/trump-budget-chief-hampers-biden-transition-with-ban-on-meetings?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic
Kemp dismisses Trump's call to resign as 'a distraction'
Source: The Hill
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) waved off President Trump's call for his resignation on Wednesday, dismissing that demand and other complaints surrounding the presidential election in Georgia as distractions from more pressing issues.
Speaking to reporters at the state capitol, Kemp said that his top priorities remained responding to the coronavirus pandemic and reelecting GOP Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are facing competitive runoff elections on Tuesday.
“All these other things — there is a constitutional and legal process that is playing out, and I am very comfortable letting that process play out. But that horse has left the barn in Georgia and it’s headed to D.C. right now,” he said of the presidential election.
“The next vote is going to be there, not here,” he continued. “So people need to be focused on the vote that is happening here, and that is right now in early voting and it will be on Tuesday.”
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/532131-kemp-dismisses-trumps-call-to-resign-as-a-distraction
Biden accuses Trump appointees of obstructing transition on national security issues
Source: WP
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday accused President Trump and his political appointees of obstructing the transition of power to his incoming administration, particularly on national security issues, an escalation in tone after reports of isolated difficulties in the transition process last week.
In remarks from Wilmington, Del., Biden specifically called out the Office of Management and Budget and the Defense Department as agencies where his transition team had encountered “roadblocks” from political leadership. Biden’s remarks came shortly after he attended a briefing with nearly two dozen of his national security advisers.
“Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility,” Biden said of the resistance his teams were facing. He warned that such delays could allow enemies of the United States to take advantage of vulnerabilities, citing a massive cybersecurity breach that compromised several U.S. agencies earlier this month.
“My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies,” Biden said. “We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defense Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch-up that our adversaries may try to exploit.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-trump-obstruction/2020/12/28/d4dd6e7e-4925-11eb-839a-cf4ba7b7c48c_story.html
Golf great Greg Norman hospitalized with 'hideous' COVID-19 symptoms
Source: The Hill
Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman is warning people to take the coronavirus seriously after he was recently hospitalized with “hideous” COVID-19 symptoms.
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One day after going home following his visit to the emergency room, Norman on Sunday afternoon shared he was once again in the hospital due to his symptoms.
“Now back in hospital after getting a positive result on my PCR CoVid test,” he wrote. “Getting an infusion of Bamlanivimab antibody. The path to full recovery
“I am fit and strong and have a high tolerance for pain but this virus kicked the crap out of me like nothing I have ever experienced before. Muscle and joint pain on another level. Headaches that feel like a chisel going through your head scrapping little bits off each time, fever, muscles that just did not want to work,” he wrote.
Read more: https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/531817-golf-great-greg-norman-hospitalized-with-hideous-covid
FAA designates skies over Nashville as 'National Defense Airspace' in wake of bombing
Source: Fox 17/WZTV
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has classified airspace over Nashville as "National Defense Airspace" following the Christmas morning bombing in downtown Nashville.
The alert to pilots states "pilots who do not adhere to the following procedures may be intercepted, detained, and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel."
In addition to penalties for pilots who break the protocol, there could be much more dire consequences. The alert states "The United States government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft, if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat."
The alert comes as Nashville Mayor John Cooper issued a State of Civil Emergency for the affected bomb blast area and a curfew through December 27. The FAA alert is in effect through Wednesday.
Read more: https://fox17.com/news/local/faa-designates-skies-over-nashville-as-national-defense-airspace-in-wake-of-bombing-tennessee-news-explosion-attack
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