Trump not allowed into Scotland to escape Biden inauguration, Sturgeon warns

Source: Independent UK

Donald Trump will not be allowed to visit Scotland to play golf during Joe Biden's inauguration, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The US president, who was overwhelmingly defeated in November's election, is reportedly considering travelling to his Turnberry golf resort to avoid Mr Biden being sworn into office.

But Scotland's first minister stressed it is illegal to travel in or out of the country without a valid reason and said: "Coming to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose."

...

But Prestwick Airport has been told to expect the arrival of a US military Boeing 757 aircraft previously used by Mr Trump on 19 January, according to the Sunday Post.



Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trump-biden-inauguration-scotland-sturgeon-lockdown-b1782602.html

Annie Karni (NYT): Pence and Trump are hearing a last minute pitch from Rudy re Jan. 6

Georgia 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.”

...

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.

...

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