Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
December 17, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
California may include "historical injustice" in deciding who gets the vaccine . . . California may include “historical injustice” as a factor in determining the distribution of coronavirus vaccines, a sign of social justice considerations entering the public health effort. The idea was first introduced to California’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee on Nov. 25 by Virginia Hedrick. Hedrick is executive director of the California
Consortium for Urban Indian Health. A member of the Yurok Tribe, she pointed out that Native Americans are 4 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 and twice as likely to die from it than white people. She said it is important to consider that Native Americans suffered high rates of illness and death from diseases such as measles and smallpox when the first European settlers arrived here. Washington Examiner
This is taking reparations to a whole new level. It's saying some people deserve to die and others to live based on things that occurred hundreds of years ago.
Pence, Biden to publicly get vaccine . . . Vice President Mike Pence will publicly receive the coronavirus vaccine on Friday as the Trump administration scrambles to build public support for an inoculation that promises to stanch the deadly pandemic. Pence will be the most high-profile recipient to date of a vaccine that was rolled out in the United States this week with high hopes of curbing a virus that has killed more than
300,000 Americans.
President-elect Joe Biden will publicly get the vaccine next week, according to transition officials. At age 78, he is in the high-risk group for the disease. Reuters
New record for coronavirus deaths with 3,700 dead in a day . . . The US set a new record for coronavirus deaths reported in 24 hours with more than 3,700 on Wednesday amid troubles with the vaccine rollout. The tally from Johns Hopkins University marked the fourth time daily deaths have exceeded 3,000 throughout the pandemic. All four have occurred in the last week. The nationwide seven-day average for daily new fatalities now
stands at 2,507, according to the COVID Tracking Project, with a total of more than 306,000 to date. The COVID Tracking Project's Wednesday death toll stood at 3,400 as of 8pm - below the count from Johns Hopkins but still a record. Hospitalizations also set a new record on Wednesday with 113,069. Daily
Mail
Rhode Island governor tells everyone to stay home and then heads to wine bar . . . Democratic Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo was seen drinking at a wine bar just four days after reminding citizens to comply with coronavirus restrictions and stay home except for essential
activities. Photos published by Turtleboy Sports and the libertarian group Liberty Rhode Island reportedly show Raimondo sitting in a local restaurant for a “wine and paint” night without a mask. The photo was taken by Erica Oliveras, who said she was also at the event at Barnaby’s Public House in Providence, Rhode Island. Daily Mail
I mean, come on, it was paint night.
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Redistricting gives GOP edge to win House majority in 2022 . . . The Republican Party is poised to win the House majority in 2022, boosted by the rare combination of President Trump’s ouster and down-ballot victories that put the GOP in command of the decennial redrawing of district boundaries. House Republicans flipped nearly a dozen Democratic-held seats in the Nov. 3 elections, a surprising gain that left them a handful shy of the majority. With
such a thin margin, there is loose speculation redistricting could effectively deliver Republicans the speaker’s gavel before a single Democratic incumbent is defeated. The GOP preserved control of key state legislatures and governor’s mansions, a crucial advantage in the partisan battle over reapportionment. Washington Examiner
I have little doubt the GOP will take over the House in 2022. The question is how much damage Democrats will do before then.
Trump cuts off California over abortion mandate . . . The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it is withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding from California over the state's abortion insurance mandate. The administration will withhold $200 million in Medicaid funding because of a state regulation that requires health insurers to cover elective abortions. The announcement marks the culmination of a yearlong conflict
between the administration and Democratic governor Gavin Newsom over the regulation, which the White House said violates federal conscience laws. Washington Free Beacon
Illegal immigration expected to soar early next year as Biden takes office . . . The domestic and world chaos that will surround the Biden administration is already beginning. According to the Washington Examiner: Current and former U.S. border officials are warning of an impending crisis at the southern border due to the Biden administration’s immigration stances. Tens of thousands more Central Americans and Mexicans are being
encountered by Customs and Border Protection federal law enforcement personnel at the U.S.-Mexico border each of the past few months than the same period a year ago. But national security officials are sounding the alarm that this surge is just a preview of what is to come in late January and February. White House Dossier
Hunter Biden extended wishes from "entire Biden family" to Chinese tycoon, asked for $10M . . . Hunter Biden lobbied since-vanished Chinese oil tycoon Ye Jianming to “quickly” wire him $10 million to help establish and fund his failed business venture SinoHawk Holdings in 2017, according to an email obtained by The Post. In the June 18 email, President-elect Joe Biden’s scandal-scarred son sent “best wishes from the entire Biden
family” before outlining his expectations for their joint venture. The trove of documents were among more than 900 made public by Hunter Biden’s former business partner Tony Bobulinski, who stepped forward in October with bombshell allegations that Joe Biden was intimately involved in his son’s plans to cash in overseas. New York Post
Biden "confident" Hunter did nothing wrong . . . Democratic president-elect Joe Biden said Wednesday he is "confident" that his son Hunter Biden did "nothing wrong." Hunter Biden revealed last week that his taxes are under investigation by a federal prosecutor. The inquiry is reportedly focused on the younger Biden's lucrative business dealings in China, which he pursued while his father was vice president. During an event
at the Biden transition headquarters in Wilmington, Del., Fox News's Peter Doocy asked Biden if he was sure that his son did nothing wrong. Biden replied, "I am confident." Washington Free Beacon
If so, he's the only one.
CNN's Jim Acosta heckles Kayleigh McEnany for spreading "disinformation" . . . White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany had just gone through some legitimate criticism of the press for covering neither Eric Swalwell nor, before the election, Hunter Biden. Poor Jim Acosta was offended, yelling to her as she departed that she spreads “disinformation every day.” This was not a question. This was cranky commentary in the White House
briefing room by a supposedly objective reporter. It is so incredibly unprofessional, and so unlike the way journalism was when I started more than 20 years ago. How sad for all of us that Acosta now represents what was once a pretty good network that we all looked to, CNN. White House
Dossier
Video || Sen. Ron Johnson in vicious dustup over Russian disinformation accusation . . . Democrats and the media signed onto the lie that pre-election reports about Hunter Biden’s ties to China were Russian disinformation. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson wasn’t happy about it Wednesday. White House Dossier
Biden calls Buttigieg husband "Kirsten" . . . President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday mangled his rollout of Pete Buttigieg as the “first” gay cabinet nominee — using a female name for Buttigieg’s husband and omitting mention of President Trump having named the first gay cabinet-level official. Biden noted his fondness for Buttigieg’s husband “Kirsten” during a speech in Wilmington, Del., as he formally named the former South Bend, Indiana,
mayor as his nominee for transportation secretary. Biden also snubbed Ric Grenell, whom Trump celebrated this year as the first gay cabinet member when he worked three months as acting director of national intelligence. New York Post
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Russian cyberattack on federal agencies continues . . . The suspected Russian cyber-attack on the US government remains 'ongoing' and may have hit as many as 12 federal agencies after a software breach allowed the hackers to read government emails for months, it has emerged. Security officials said last night that the attack was 'significant and ongoing' and said the FBI was working to 'pursue and disrupt' the hackers. An
employee of a cybersecurity company was apparently duped into revealing his two-factor authentication details - although company officials denied the account given by congressional staffers. Daily Mail
Biden may hand ambassador posts to Hollywood megadonors with CCP ties . . . President-elect Joe Biden may fill key embassy posts with Hollywood megadonors whose ties to the Chinese Communist Party have prompted federal investigations. Former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and current Disney honcho Bob Iger are leading candidates to become the American ambassador to China. The pair's business dealings with the Chinese Communist Party were
the subject of a 2012 bribery investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Washington Free Beacon
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Macron tests positive for Covid . . . President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, his office said, prompting a track and trace effort across Europe following meetings between the French leader and EU heads of government in recent days. Macron, 42, was running the country remotely after going into quarantine in the Elysee Palace, the presidency said. His wife Brigitte was also self-isolating. “This
diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms,” Macron’s office said, declining to give further details of his conditions or the symptoms he had. Reuters
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Toyota chief calls electric vehicles overhyped . . . Toyota's leader criticized what he described as excessive hype over electric vehicles, saying advocates failed to consider the carbon emitted by generating electricity and the costs of an EV transition. Toyota President Akio Toyoda said Japan would run out of electricity in the summer if all cars were running on electric power. The infrastructure needed to support a
fleet consisting entirely of EVs would cost Japan between $135 billion to $358 billion, he said. Average people would not be able to afford cars. Wall Street Journal
He's absolutely right. Generating electricity in stationary power plants creates plenty of pollution.
Stimulus checks likely part of looming Covid relief deal . . . Lawmakers closed in on a roughly $900 billion COVID-19 relief deal Wednesday morning that may include another round of checks and other much-needed financial benefits for Americans, according to a source familiar with negotiations who wasn't authorized to speak on the record. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the second-ranking Senate Republican, said Wednesday he believed checks
of $600 or $700 – "double that for family and kids" – were part of discussions. The unemployment benefit under discussion was about $300 per week, he said . About $330 billion was on the table to renew the Paycheck Protection Program for small-business loan forgiveness, he said. USA Today
States allege Google secretly gave Facebook perks, data in ad deal . . . Facebook Inc and Alphabet’s Google, the two biggest players in online advertising, used a series of deals to consolidate their market power illegally, Texas and nine other states alleged in a lawsuit against Google on Wednesday. Google and Facebook compete heavily in internet ad sales, together capturing over half of the market globally. The two players agreed in a publicized
deal in 2018 to start giving Facebook’s advertiser clients the option to place ads within Google’s network of publishing partners, the complaint alleged. Executives at the highest level of the companies signed off on the deal, according to the complaint. Reuters
Lyft to offer fully autonomous vehicles in 2023 . . . Lyft announced on Wednesday that it will begin offering fully autonomous vehicles to its customers in 2023. In partnership with Motional, the cars will be available in a select group of U.S. cities that have yet to be announced. Motional has worked with Hyundai and Aptiv on a new generation of vehicles that will be able to operate fully driverless. A small group of self-driving
vehicles has been active in a pilot program in Las Vegas for some time, but those vehicles have a safety driver in the car. The new vehicles won't need one. Washington Examiner
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Three killed as brutal storm batters Northeast . . . Three people were killed in car crashes on Wednesday evening as a powerful nor'easter rolled across the East Coast bringing up to two feet of snow and creating treacherous conditions on thousands of miles of roadways. More than 60 million people were placed under weather warnings before Winter Storm Gail began blanketing areas from northern Virginia to New York City to
southern Maine with powder as governors around the region urged residents to stay safe indoors. Two people died in a pile-up involving dozens of vehicles on Interstate 80 in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, state police said. Daily Mail
Atlantic City auctions off chance to blow up Trump casino . . . One of President Donald Trump's former Atlantic City casinos will be blown up next month, and the city is auctioning off the chance to press the button that brings it down. The demolition next month of the former Trump Plaza casino will become a fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City that the mayor hopes will raise in excess of $1 million. Opened in 1984,
Trump's former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into such a state of disrepair that demolition work began earlier this year. The remainder of the structure will be dynamited on January 29. Daily Mail
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Sweet-pea is home . . . Sweet-Pea, a Chihuahua that went missing five years ago in Compton, California, was finally reunited with her owner Tuesday, according to multiple reports. Thanks to microchip identification, members of the Inland Valley Humane Society were able to track the tiny dog’s owner after finding the canine Tuesday afternoon, in Covina, Los Angeles County, California, about 30 miles away from where she
was lost. Reuniting with Sweet-Pea “means the world to me,” owner Ursula Lopez told KNBC-TV. Sweet-Pea seems to have been well-cared for during her extended period of being missing; there was no “immediate” information disclosed about the dog’s whereabouts during its time apart from Lopez. Daily Caller
I think Sweet-pea was KIDNAPPED.
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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