Calif. Gov. Newsom warns of "drastic" new lockdown order . . . California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said a “drastic” new lockdown order might be necessary if coronavirus cases in the state continue to surge to their highest levels since the start of the pandemic. Newsom said officials are considering stay-home orders for areas with the highest case rates as it tries to head off concerns that severe coronavirus cases could triple hospitalizations and overwhelm intensive care beds. Fox News

 

App calculates risk of catching Covid under various scenarios 

 

El Paso mayor blames shopping for Covid spike . . . The Mayor of El Paso, Texas, which is reeling from a staggering surge in coronavirus cases, says 'COVID fatigue' and shopping at large retailers are to blame for the spike. Margo revealed that contact tracers have connected a wave of positive infections from big box stores. I think people just… the consensus is people just had COVID fatigue and they let down,' Mayor Dee Margo said. 'We did a deep dive in our contact tracing for the week of November the 10th through the 16th and found that 55 percent of the positives were coming from shopping at large retailers, what we’d term as the big box stores,' Margo said. Daily Mail

 

Scott Atlas resigns as Trump coronavirus advisor . . . Dr. Scott Atlas, President Trump’s special adviser on the coronavirus pandemic, formally resigned from his post on Monday. Atlas, who spoke with the president on Monday, joined the administration in August, and was considered a Special Government Employee, serving a 130-day detail. Atlas’ role is set to expire this week. Atlas, who had been criticized throughout his tenure for calling for a reopening, and saying that lockdowns are “extremely harmful” to Americans, said that “although some may disagree with those recommendations, it is the free exchange of ideas that lead to scientific truths, which are the very foundation of a civilized society.” Fox News

 

Hannity says Trump should pardon himself and his family . . . Fox News host Sean Hannity called for President Trump to protect himself preemptively against new federal investigations when he leaves office. Hannity recommended that Trump use his pardon power as the head of the executive branch to make him immune to future prosecutions related to the Russia investigation. Hannity said he was in favor of Trump pardoning himself and his family if a Biden administration prosecutes him. Washington Examiner

 

There will be no such thing as an objective investigation of Trump. If he doesn't pardon himself, he will be hounded in court for the rest of his life by prosecutors seeking to punish him for being president.

 

 

Biden OMB nominee deletes 1,000 tweets . . . Looks like Neera Tanden got a little carried away hating on the people who now will have to vote to confirm her. According to the Washington Examiner: Neera Tanden, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for budget director, has deleted over a thousand tweets in anticipation of a tough confirmation vote. Many of Tanden’s deleted posts were critical of Republican senators, whose votes she will likely need for confirmation, as well as prominent conservatives and journalists. White House Dossier

 

Obama criticizes Americans for clinging to "cheap gas and big cars" . . . Barack Obama, in his latest memoir, criticized Americans for liking “cheap gas and big cars” more than they care about “the environment” – even during a catastrophic event like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The comments came during a section in Obama’s 700-page book, “A Promised Land,” released earlier this month. Fox Business

 

Kamala Harris demeans charity . . . IKamala Harris congratulated a group of people who would be helping out on Thanksgiving. “It’s the difference between charity and duty,” Harris says. “Charity — I got a little extra, I’ll help you out — versus duty. Duty to your fellow human being. It’s what we all should understand is the price that we pay for living on this earth, that we have a duty.” Okay, but why diminish charity, people parting with their hard-earned money to help others, sometimes at great cost to themselves. Because the Bidens and the Harris’s are not charitable. Kamala Harris and her husband last year earned $3 million and gave $35,000 to charity, just over 1 percent. White House Dossier

 

 

Ohio Republicans seek to impeach GOP Gov. DeWine . . . A group of Ohio Republicans has officially filed articles of impeachment against Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in response to his coronavirus orders. Allegations charge "mismanagement, malfeasance, misfeasance, abuse of power, and other crimes include, but are not limited to, meddling in the conduct of a presidential primary election, arbitrarily closing and placing curfews on certain businesses, while allowing other businesses to remain open." The Hill

 

 

 

Biden enviro picks to focus on "environmental justice" . . . Biden is vetting three environmental justice leaders to head up the White House agency that will take the lead in coordinating efforts to safeguard communities disproportionately affected by pollution, according to sources familiar with the process. The shortlist for head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) signals a focus by the incoming Biden administration on environmental policies that aim to ensure improved clean air and water for poor and minority communities that have historically taken the brunt of industrial pollution. The Biden transition team is considering Mustafa Santiago Ali, Cecilia Martinez and Brenda Mallory to lead the CEQ, according to three sources familiar with the process. Reuters

 

 

Biden team not so "transparent" about his foot injury . . . Reporters covering Mr. Biden were not allowed to see him enter the doctor’s office Sunday, despite multiple requests. Leaving the doctor’s office to head to an imaging center for his CT scan, Mr. Biden was limping, though he walked without a crutch or other aid. Mr. Biden’s team did not answer additional questions Monday about his health or the accident. Washington Times

 

 

Grassley returns to work after weathering Covid . . . Sen. Chuck Grassley returned to his Senate office Monday after testing positive for Covid-19 and completing a quarantine earlier this month, and he called on Congress to pass additional coronavirus relief legislation. Grassley, who is 87 and the most senior Republican in the chamber, tested positive for the virus on November 17, but remained asymptomatic throughout his quarantine, the Iowa Republican said in a statement, which said his return was cleared by his doctors. CNN

 

Iran moving to stop nuclear inspections . . . Iran’s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that would suspend U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities and require the government to boost its uranium enrichment if European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal do not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions. The vote to approve the bill, which would also require approval by the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog, was a show of defiance after the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist last month. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all nuclear policies. Associated Press

 

 

UK businesses may use app requiring patrons to prove vaccination . . . Some types of businesses in the U.K. could require potential patrons to show them an app as proof that they were vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to enter, the BBC reported. Nadhim Zahawi, England’s vaccine minister, said the government is looking at implementing an immunity passport by adding an individual’s vaccine status into an existing COVID-19 app that is used for contact tracing. Daily Mail

 

World economy to bounce all the way back by end of 2021 . . . The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicted Tuesday that the world economy will bounce back to its pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year - though that recovery will be uneven across the countries and big risks remain. 

In a report on the state of the economy, the OECD said that progress on coronavirus vaccines means that the outlook has improved for the first time since the pandemic began. Associated Press

 

Seattle homicides highest in a decade as city cuts police . . . Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan plans to sign a new city budget that will reduce the police budget by 18% despite homicides reaching record highs not seen in a decade. Council members overwhelmingly voted last week to cut funds for police training, overtime and to eliminate dozens of vacant positions within the Seattle Police Department after months of contentious talks. The reductions fall short of the 50% local activists demanded amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice. New York Post

 

Stewardess selling sex between flights . . . British Airways is investigating reports that one of its Heathrow-based stewardesses is selling sex – and her undergarments – during and in between flights. Photos of the flight attendant’s risqué advertisements on social media were first reported by The Sun.  The photos show her in a variety of suggestive poses while in uniform on the plane. For $33 a passenger can be the new owner of her underwear, twice that will be a “securing fee” where a prospective “client” can meet her at a hotel, according to the paper. Passengers are also promised unspecified “adult entertainment on-board” if the price is right. “All you have to do is give me a sum of money and you’ll be treated to a whole different experience of your choice,” she allegedly wrote. Fox News

 

Hmm. Talk about a layover.