Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
December 30, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Defying Trump, McConnell puts off vote on $2,000 checks, urges override of defense bill veto . . . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday put off a vote on increasing COVID-19 relief checks from $600 to $2,000 and urged senators to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense bill, in a rare challenge to his fellow Republican three weeks before Trump leaves office. McConnell tied the larger checks, which were
demanded by Trump and supported by Democrats, to two other measures the president wants but which most Democrats oppose. The maneuver was likely to kill off all three measures. Reuters
Britain approves COVID vaccine made by Oxford/AstraZeneca . . . The U.K. authorized a Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca PLC, opening the door for the rollout of millions of doses in a country where infections have surged amid a more infectious variant of the virus.
The green light represents the third emergency-use approval of a Western-developed vaccine this month and comes as cases rise sharply in the U.S. and Europe. AstraZeneca’s shot—less effective in clinical trials than its rivals’ injections—won’t be available in the U.S. until the Food and Drug Administration reviews large-scale trials still being conducted there and decides to authorize its use. Wall Street Journal
GOP Congressman-elect, 41-year-old, dies with COVID-19 . . . Luke Letlow, the newly elected member of Congress from Louisiana, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19. Letlow had been hospitalized after being diagnosed with the virus. Although in critical condition, Letlow showed signs of improvement. But then he "apparently suffered a cardiac event" and could not be resuscitated. He is survived by his wife and two
children. The 41-year old Republican was days away from being sworn into office. Fox News
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Pence refused to sign on to plan to overturn election . . . Lawyers representing Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Arizona’s 11 GOP electors disclosed in a court filing Tuesday that Vice President Pence rejected their request to join their attempt to overrule the results of the presidential election. Gohmert and the electors filed suit against Pence on Monday in an attempt to argue that the vice president has
sole authority to determine which presidential electors Congress will count when it certifies the results of the election. The lawsuit essentially asks the court to grant Pence the authority on Jan. 6 to overrule the results in swing states such as Arizona and have Congress count only pro-Trump electors instead of the ones Biden won. The Hill
Biden Admin filling government positions with corporate execs despite progressive objections . . . Biden Administration has tapped multiple corporate executives to fill various government openings over the objections of numerous progressive organizations. Progressive groups urged Biden in a November letter to “decline to nominate or hire corporate executives, lobbyists and prominent corporate consultants,” because the
[corporate-government] revolving door limits the trust Americans have in government. The letter referenced Democrats’ staunch opposition to similar nominations from President Donald Trump. Daily Caller
The party of the "people."
President Trump is America's most admired man . . . Americans are most likely to name President Donald Trump and Michelle Obama as most admired man and woman in 2020. Trump tied former President Barack Obama for the honor last year but edged out his predecessor this year. Trump’s first-place finish ends a 12-year run as most admired man for Obama, tied with Dwight Eisenhower for the most ever. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama ranks as most admired
woman for the third year in a row. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is second. White House Dossier
Hmm. I thought the media has been telling us that Trump is the most hated man in America!
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Russia-China send warning to Biden . . . China and Russia may increase their military cooperation as part of a joint effort to “resist any attempt” to divide Moscow and Beijing. "It can go further if necessary," says Russian Ambassador, touting military ties in an interview with China's state-run Global Times. Both governments touted their relationship in the hours after President-elect Joe Biden emphasized the need for “coalitions of like-minded partners and allies” to confront the Chinese Communist Party. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping signaled their
defiance of Biden’s plans following a phone call Monday evening. Washington Examiner
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Argentina legalizes abortion . . . Lawmakers in Argentina approved a bill Wednesday to legalize abortion, making it the first large Latin American country to abandon stringent antiabortion regulations. Argentina will now permit elective abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy, scrapping current legislation that only allows the procedure when a pregnancy results from rape or when a mother’s health is at
risk. The outcome was a blow to the ever-expanding evangelical movement and the Catholic Church in the country of 45 million. Pope Francis, who was born in Argentina, had actively backed antiabortion groups. Wall Street Journal
China clamps down on hunt for coronavirus origins . . . An area deep in the lush mountain valleys of southern China is home to a mine shaft that once harbored bats with the closest known relative of the COVID-19 virus. It recently has attracted intense scientific interest because it may hold clues to the origins of the coronavirus that has killed more than 1.7 million people worldwide. Yet for scientists and journalists, it
has become a black hole of no information because of political sensitivity and secrecy. A bat research team visiting recently managed to take samples but had them confiscated. Specialists in coronaviruses have been ordered not to speak to the press. A team of journalists was tailed by plainclothes police in multiple cars who blocked access to roads and sites in late November. Associated Press
Who would have guessed?
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Amazon workers get pennies as Bezos rakes in pandemic windfall . . . Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos and the heirs to Walmart have made approximately $116 billion during the pandemic even as their employees have made a fraction of that in hazard pay. Jeff Bezos and the Walmart heirs, the Walton family, have made 35 times the amount their companies gave to more than 2.5 million workers in
pandemic-related hazard pay. Amazon and Walmart have given significantly less than competitors such as Best Buy, Target and Costco. Daily Caller
All the touchy-feely rhetoric about the fairness, etc., not withstanding.
Bitcoin 2020 rally reaches new heights . . . Bitcoin on Wednesday jumped to a record $28,599.99, after the digital currency almost quadrupled in value this year amid heightened interest from bigger investors. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has increasingly seen demand from
larger U.S. investors, attracted by its perceived inflation-hedging qualities and potential for quick gains, as well as expectations it would become a mainstream payments method. Reuters
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Trump Honors Catholic Martyr St. Thomas Becket . . . President Trump declared Dec. 29 the anniversary of the Roman Catholic martyr St. Thomas Becket, honoring the 12th-century English bishop as “a lion of religious liberty.” “Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an
essential element of our liberty,” the president’s proclamation said. “It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.” Daily Signal
With religious freedom increasingly under attack in the United States, POTUS yet again expresses unwavering support for Americans of faith.
Christmas Day bomber's girlfriend warned police in 2019 . . The girlfriend of the Nashville bomber told police in 2019 that he was building a bomb in his RV, which he parked outside his home, half a mile from her own. The officers went into his house but never looked inside the RV. According to Nashville police, the girlfriend's lawyer blocked the search of the RV, which was protected by cameras. Daily Mail
Mass killings plummet to record low in 2020 . . . The number of mass shootings in 2020 plummeted to a more than 10-year low and the lockdowns and other aspects of the pandemic may have contributed to the significant decrease. Experts point to the lack of gatherings throughout the year as one factor that led to fewer opportunities for mass shootings to take place, especially in schools. “Mass shooting” was defined as four or more people
dead, not including the shooter, according to the mass killings database, which tracks killings back to 2006. Daily Caller
US ready to try man convicted in Daniel Pearl's murder . . . The Justice Department is prepared to take action if Pakistani officials fail in their bid to reverse a court-ordered release of Omar Sheikh, the man charged in the 2002 murder of journalist Daniel Pearl. A provisional court in Pakistan ordered Sheikh’s release from prison last week and last April the same court overturned Sheikh’s conviction, stunning U.S.
officials. Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was abducted in January 2002 while investigating links between Pakistani militant groups and the "shoe bomber," Richard Reid, in Karachi, Pakistan. The kidnappers later released a gruesome video of Pearl’s murder. Fox News
Texas father shoots and kills burglar holding his two children at gunpoint . . . A homeowner fatally gunned down an intruder after the suspect barged into the home with two other armed suspects and held the homeowner's two young children at gunpoint. The 29-year-old father defended his family with a rifle. The other two suspects left the scene and police are still searching for the duo. Daily Mail
Another story of guns — or a rifle in this case — saving lives that will not be covered by the MSM.
Games were a lifeline in 2020 . . . For the gaming industry, this terrible pandemic has been “a catalyst”, proof that “gaming is mass-market entertainment and it’s here to stay. When the pandemic hit, all outdoor entertainment disappeared overnight. Galleries closed, festivals were cancelled and film production was shuttered. But game development continued apace, and quarantine brought curious new players in their droves who found solace in
fantasy worlds from the onslaught of bad news. Covid-19 did not create gaming’s surge in popularity and cultural legitimacy — this was already happening — but it certainly accelerated the process. Financial Times
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Rebekah
Rebekah Koffler
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