Saturday, December 12, 2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 13, 2020

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

Who Will Get The COVID-19 Vaccine First? And Why?
| Science Desk/COVID Explainers | NPR
Dec 10, 2020
CDC Advisers Agree With FDA: COVID-19 Vaccine Is OK For Public Use

Dec. 13 - An important federal advisory committee at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has added its vote of support for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.


In an emergency meeting Saturday, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the first COVID-19 vaccine for use for people 16 or older in the U.S, expressing hope that the vaccine would help curb the spread of the disease that has killed more than 295,000 people in the U.S.

This follows the Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization issued Friday night for this COVID-19 vaccine. With Saturday's vote, the CDC's independent advisory group joins the FDA in determining the vaccine to be safe and effective for use in the U.S. population.

Once the recommendation is approved by CDC director Robert Redfield, the agency will publish it as official guidance.     continue to read

Picture

The head of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Peter Marks, tried to reassure Americans at a Saturday press conference that the fast-track was warranted and did not result in any safety sacrifices.
‘The beginning of the end’: US general declares Pfizer jab rollout ‘D-Day’ as FDA says ‘very concerned about vaccine hesitancy’

Dec. 13 - The FDA has addressed ‘vaccine hesitancy’ concerns as a CDC panel unanimously recommended Pfizer jab for widespread use, and the US Army general in charge of distribution declared ‘the beginning of the end’ of Covid-19 pandemic.The head of the US Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, said that his agency is “very concerned about vaccine hesitancy” and thus always tried to be as “open and transparent” as possible about the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine testing and emergency approval process.

We are also aware that some feel that the speed with which this development and regulatory process took place might give them concerns about the vaccine.

President Trump announced the FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine for emergency use on Friday night, amid allegations that his administration was twisting the agency’s arms to expedite the process.     continue to read
Palmer Report is an American liberal political blog,[3] based in Los Angeles, California.[4] It is written by Bill Palmer, who describes himself[5] on his website as a political journalist who covered the 2016 election cycle from start to finish, along with more than fifty additional writers and contributing editors in several U.S. states and the United Kingdom.[6] Palmer previously ran a site called Daily News Bin,[7] described by Snopes editor Brooke Binkowski as "basically a pro-Hillary Clinton 'news site.'"[8] The site has built a following based on speculative theories about Donald Trump going to prison.[9] Founded in 2013, it has been noted for the accuracy and promptness of its political analysis, which has often been reported weeks or even months in advance of other outlets for political news.[citation needed]
source from Wikipedia





Palmer Report » Analysis

Donald Trump’s final message to his supporters: “Destroy the GOP”

Dec. 12 - Pro-Trump protesters are chanting “Destroy the GOP” at their rally today. Donald Trump will be off the political stage soon, too mired in criminal charges and financial collapse to remain interested in politics. And the lasting message he’s leaving with his supporters is they should never vote Republican again, because the party didn’t do enough to save him...     continue to read

Friday, December 11, 2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 12, 2020

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

Gordon Douglas Jones (born May 4, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Alabama since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 1997 to 2001.

Jones was born in Fairfield, Alabama, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama and Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. After law school, he worked as a congressional staffer and as a federal prosecutor before moving to private practice. In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed Jones as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. Jones's most prominent cases were the successful prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members for the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four African-American girls and the indictment of domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph. He returned to private practice at the conclusion of Clinton's presidency in 2001.

Jones announced his candidacy for United States Senate in the 2017 special election following the resignation of Republican incumbent Jeff Sessions to become U.S. Attorney General. After winning the Democratic primary in August, he faced former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore in the general election.

Jones was considered a long-shot candidate in a deeply Republican state. A month before the election, Moore was alleged to have sexually assaulted and otherwise acted inappropriately with several females, including some who were minors at the time.[1] Jones won the special election by 22,000 votes, 50%–48%.[2]
Jones is currently the only statewide elected Democrat in Alabama and the first Democrat to win statewide office since Lucy Baxley was elected President of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008. Democrats had not represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate since 1997, when Howell Heflin left office. Jones is considered a moderate Democrat who demonstrates a willingness to work with Republicans and split with his party on certain issues.[3]


Jones ran for a full term in 2020, and lost to Republican nominee Tommy Tuberville.[4] He has been reported as a leading candidate for United States Attorney General in the Biden administration.[5]



U.S. Sen. Doug Jones gave his farewell address to the senate on Dec. 9, 2020.

Doug Jones gives emotional farewell address to U.S. senate


Dec. 9 - U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, his voice at times breaking and choked with emotion, gave his farewell address to the senate on Wednesday afternoon.
He talked about how no one expected the 2017 special election result that made him the first Democratic senator from Alabama since his mentor, U.S. Sen. Howell Heflin, retired in 1997.

“It seems like I just kind of love a lost cause,” Jones said. “I believe in hope. I believe in redemption. I believe in the possibility.”     continue to read
战略核力量震撼上演
俄亮杀手锏威慑谁?

20201210 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Dec 11, 2020


White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 11, 2020

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


Biden’s Win Is Sealed

Dec. 10 -  Associated Press: “Biden’s victory was essentially locked in Tuesday by the so-called safe harbor deadline set by federal law for states to finish their certifications and resolve legal disputes. It’s an insurance policy to guard against Congress trying to manipulate the electoral votes that will be cast next week and sent to the Capitol for counting on Jan. 6.”     source



President Trump has backed the Texas-led Supreme Court case
Texas Supreme Court Lawsuit: 18 states have joined a campaign to overturn Donald Trump’s US election defeat - here’s why

President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind the latest Republican lawsuit
Dec. 10 - Republicans have launched yet another lawsuit to have election results nullified in key states won by president-elect Joe Biden.

Led by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton the lawsuit is asking the Supreme Court to invalidate millions of votes counted in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania citing widespread voter fraud, despite no evidence.

Republicans have launched yet another lawsuit to have election results nullified in key states won by president-elect Joe Biden.     continue to read
FBI agents seek Texas attorney general records in Paxton probe

Dec. 11 - Federal agents served at least one subpoena Wednesday on the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an ongoing investigation into allegations that Paxton abused his authority by helping a friend and campaign donor.

Three sources confirmed to the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV that FBI agents delivered the request for information to the agency’s headquarters on West 14th Street. The sources did not immediately know how many subpoenas were issued or what information FBI agents sought.

Federal authorities are investigating claims by former top Paxton aides that he used his position to aid Austin investor Nate Paul, whose offices were raided by the FBI last year.     continue to read

Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr.
[1] (born December 23, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Texas since January 2015. Paxton is a Tea Party conservative.[2] He previously served as Texas State Senator for the 8th district and the Texas State Representative for the 70th district.
Paxton has been under indictment since 2015 on securities fraud charges relating to activities prior to taking office; he has pleaded not guilty.[3][4] In October 2020, several high-level assistants in Paxton's office made allegations accusing him of "briberyabuse of office and other crimes".[5][6][7]

美方“制裁”闹剧纯属玩火
拜登能否带领美国重回正轨?

20201209 | 《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Dec 10, 2020

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 10, 2020

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


Pete Buttigieg reportedly really wants a Cabinet spot — but not just any Cabinet spot

Dec 10 - Pete Buttigieg is reportedly ready to make his political return — if President-elect Joe Biden can find a suitable place for him.

The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor proved a strong contender in the crowded 2020 Democratic primaries before dropping out and endorsing Biden. He's now seeking a spot in the Biden administration, and is a little picky about where he ends up, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Buttigieg's top choice in a Biden administration was reportedly ambassador to the United Nations — a Cabinet-level post in Buttigieg's preferred arena of foreign policy. But Biden passed Buttigieg over for that role, giving it to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has worked in Foreign Service almost as long as Buttigieg has been alive.

It's not that Biden isn't fond of Buttigieg; He has gone so far as to compare the former mayor to his late son Beau. Instead, Biden has been focused on picking women and people of color for his top spots — something that has frustrated those looking for LGBTQ leaders in the Democratic administration, Washington Blade reports. And Buttigieg hasn't made it easy for Biden to include him either. Buttigieg shook off talks of being Biden's Office of Management and Budget director because he wanted a "real Cabinet" position and not a "staff-level" job, a Democratic insider tells Washington Blade. He also reportedly squashed talks of leading the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Now, Biden is considering giving Buttigieg a high-profile ambassadorship, potentially even sending him to China, Axios reports. Buttigieg is also reportedly being considered for some remaining domestic roles — something his supporters see as a way to build his profile before another presidential run.

More stories from theweek.com
Trump's jaw-dropping vaccine screwup
The Trumps are reportedly preparing to move out of the White House
Biden reportedly selects Katherine Tai as trade representative




Joe Biden ‘Should Be Disqualified From The Presidency,’ Former Clinton Adviser Says

Dec. 10 - Former Democratic Party operative Peter Daou said Tuesday evening that President-elect Joe Biden “should be disqualified from the presidency.”

Daou tweeted a video which, he claimed, shows that Biden has acted inappropriately around young women and children.

The former Washington insider slammed President Donald Trump — who has been accused of unwarranted physical contact and assault — but called on liberals to hold Biden to the same standard.


“That doesn’t negate the fact that Biden should be disqualified from the presidency, with multiple allegations of inappropriate contact.”


The video Daou shared was created by professor Anthony Zenkus, an expert on trauma. The compilation suggested that Biden has a habit of violating women and children’s personal space by touching and kissing them without consent.

In the clip, Zenkus claimed that the Democrat’s behavior resembles that of a predator who ignores people’s boundaries.
Predators, the expert said, “will engage with the child and continue them despite the fact that a child squirms away or pulls away or voices any sort of discomfort, verbally or nonverbally.”

In a tweet, Zenkus explained that he “made this video to help people understand how to keep children safe, and also to call out Biden’s unsafe behaviors.”     continue to read




US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks on the stock market during an unscheduled appearance in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC on November 24, 2020.
17 states tell Supreme Court they support Texas bid to reverse Biden win


Dec. 10 - Seventeen states whose elections were won by President Donald Trump told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that they support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s bid to file a lawsuit that could effectively reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s projected Electoral College victory.

The filing backing Paxton by those states came a day after he asked the Supreme Court for permission to sue Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all of which Biden won, over their voting processes.

Later Wednesday, Trump filed a motion to intervene in the case “in his personal capacity” as a presidential candidate. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on Paxton’s request.


The states supporting the suit, all of which have Republican attorneys general, are Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.

Trump defeated Biden in the popular vote in all of those states, though one of Nebraska’s electoral votes was awarded to Biden.     continue to read






‘This is madness’: Romney lashes out at Republicans threatening to protest Electoral College vote
Joe Biden’s popular vote lead has grown to over 7 million, and results confirming his win have been certified by states, including key battlegrounds

Dec. 10 -Mitt Romney has torn into fellow Republicans threatening to disrupt the Electoral College vote confirming Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.

The Utah senator said: “This is madness. We have a process, recounts are appropriate, going to the court is appropriate, and pursuing every legal avenue is appropriate, but trying to get electors not to do what the people voted to do is madness.”

Senator Romney’s comments were first reported by NBC News reporter Frank Thorp V, as Donald Trump’s campaign and supporters in the party continue to attempt legal action in battleground states to try and overturn the 2020 election results.

He continued: “It would be saying, 'Look, let's not follow the vote of the people, let's instead do what we want’. That would not be the way a democratic republic ought to work.”

Asked if he was very confident that anything like that would be rejected, Mr Romney replied, yes.     continue to reaad
PBS NewsHour full episode, Dec. 9, 2020
Dec. 10, 2020
Wednesday on the NewsHour, COVID cases and deaths continue to surge in the U.S. with hospital beds in short supply, drug testing rules in Alabama are holding some people down after they are released from jail, Facebook comes under fire from states claiming the social media giant needs to be reigned in, and a look at how women are being impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 9, 2020

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

President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act unless certain provisions are included.

House Passes Defense Bill as Republicans Revolt Against Veto-Wielding Trump

Dec. 8 - On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) despite President Trump's threats to veto the defense spending bill without certain concessions.

Trump had objected to a provision in the act that called for the renaming of U.S. military installations that had named after Confederate Army leaders. The repeal of Section 230, which protects social media platforms from being considered the publishers of third-party content, was not included in the NDAA. On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his claims that he would veto the NDAA.

I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO," Trump tweeted. "Must include a termination of Section 230 (for National Security purposes), preserve our National Monuments, & allow for 5G & troop reductions in foreign lands!"

With 355 representatives voting for the NDAA and only 78 representatives voting against it, the NDAA received more than the two-thirds majority necessary to override any attempt to veto the act. Next, the NDAA will go to the U.S. Senate.     continue to read





Congressional Republicans refuse to acknowledge they are preparing for Biden's inauguration

Dec. 8 - A high-level Inauguration planning meeting on Capitol Hill ended in acrimony Tuesday after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer offered up a motion that the small committee – known as the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) -- affirm that it is preparing for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Although all three Democrats on the committee voted in favor of the motion, their Republican counterparts voted against it, resulting in a deadlock.

"The extent to which Republicans are refusing to accept the outcome of the election and recognize Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next President and Vice President is astounding," Hoyer said in a statement after the meeting. "Their continued deference to President Trump's post-election temper tantrums threatens our democracy and undermines faith in our system of elections."

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Hoyer voted in favor of the motion. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt voted no.     continue to read



From left, Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, Roy Blunt, Mitch McConnell, Amy Klobuchar.
Republicans block inaugural committee from recognizing Biden win

Dec. 9 - Republicans on the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies voted against a resolution that would have affirmed the committee was preparing for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: By voting against the resolution, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy effectively blocked the committee from publicly recognizing Biden as president-elect...     continue to read



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested dropping discussions about two items that have been big sticking points.
Confusion grips Capitol amid flurry of stimulus plans

Party leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers are both struggling to reach a Covid deal.

Dec. 8 - No one seems to know what’s going on with coronavirus relief anymore.

In the span of an afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested dropping discussions on the two biggest sticking points. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin offered a new proposal to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A bipartisan group of senators is still working to finalize language on a $908 billion package. And President Donald Trump endorsed new stimulus checks.     continue to read
PBS NewsHour full episode, Dec. 8, 2020
Dec. 9, 2020
Tuesday on the NewsHour, Britain gets the first COVID-19 vaccine, President-elect Joe Biden names his health care advisers, a retired army general is tapped to be the next secretary of defense, and the pandemic and social stigmas complicate the process of integrating the formerly incarcerated back into society.

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Mischief Reef |Mar. 25

  WH keeping public in dark on what Biden demanded of China’s Xi over arming Putin​ Mar. 18 - The White House was tight-lipped Friday about ...