More Americans have now been vaccinated for COVID-19 than infected . . . More Americans have been vaccinated for COVID-19, as of Monday, than have been infected with the illness as the nationwide inoculation rollout continues. According to a Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, 26.5 million people in the US have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, surpassing the 26.2 million coronavirus cases since the onset of the pandemic. About 7.8% of Americans have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 1.8% of the population is fully vaccinated, the report said. New York Post

 

Trump lawyer to make First Amendment case at impeachment trial . . . A lawyer representing former President Trump at his impeachment trial next week plans to argue that convicting Trump of inciting a riot would imperil all political speech. Speaking Monday night on Fox News's “Hannity,” attorney David Schoen laid out a three-pronged strategy for Trump’s defense. Schoen and attorney Bruce Castor plan to argue that it is unconstitutional to impeach a former president, that some of the rioters planned to storm the Capitol before Trump addressed his supporters and that convicting Trump would set a precedent that could severely curtail political speech going forward. The Hill

Bannon urging Trump to push stolen election claims during Senate impeachment trial . . .  Advisers to former President Donald Trump are split on devising an impeachment defense, with Steve Bannon among those urging him to turn the Senate trial into a political bear fight by claiming once again that the election was stolen, according to a source familiar with discussions. Trump’s legal team is scrambling to devise a strategy after he in recent days replaced five lawyers who were reluctant to relitigate what they saw as flimsy allegations of voter fraud. While the Republican Party prefers arguing that the impeachment of a former president is unconstitutional, his allies fear Trump is gambling on a made-for-television, scorched-earth defense that risks defeat. Washington Examiner

Bikers for Trump kickstarts 2024 White House bid . . . Bikers for Trump isn’t waiting for the former president to clear his Senate impeachment trial next week. Instead, the biker group roared ahead Monday with the launch of its Draft Donald Trump for President 2024 campaign. “If President Trump enters the 2024 race, he would be the clear favorite to win the presidency and put an immediate stop to the left’s radical, Socialist, anti-American agenda,” Bikers for Trump leader Chris Cox wrote in an email to supporters that announced the Draft Trump campaign and sought contributions. Washington Times

 

Chief of Strategic Command warns of possible nuclear war with Russia, China . . . The United States must be ready for a nuclear war with China or Russia and seek new ways to deter both countries’ use of newly acquired advanced strategic weapons, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command Adm. Charles Richard warns in a major new review of the global balance of nuclear forces. “There is a real possibility that a regional crisis with Russia or China could escalate quickly to a conflict involving nuclear weapons, if they perceived a conventional loss would threaten the regime or state,” the four-star admiral wrote in a blunt and detailed threat assessment. Washington Times

 

 

 

Iran Launches New Rocket, Showing Advances in Potential Missile Technology . . . Iran tested a new rocket on Monday with improved technology that could be used in its missile program, its latest attempt to raise the stakes for the Biden administration ahead of potential negotiations over a new nuclear deal. The new rocket, named Zuljanah, was developed under a government-backed program to send civilian satellites into orbit 310 miles above ground, according to a spokesman for the Iranian Defense Ministry’s Space Department. The technology is easily transferable to Iran’s military missile program run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, experts say. The Zuljanah features a solid-fuel-propelled motor that is the largest yet exhibited by Iran. Wall Street Journal

 

Chinese state newspaper omits Jack Ma from list of entrepreneurial leaders . . . Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has been left off a list of Chinese entrepreneurial leaders published by state media - the snub underscoring how just far he has fallen out of favor with Beijing. China’s best known businessman was not mentioned in an front-page article published by the Shanghai Securities News published on Tuesday when Alibaba also is reporting its latest quarterly earnings. The catalyst for Ma’s current woes was an Oct. 24 speech in which he blasted China’s regulatory system. But Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said the Trump administration “seriously damaged Iran’s nuclear project and entire force build-up”. Reuters

 

First private space crew paying $55M each to fly to station on a SpaceX rocket . . . The first private space station crew was introduced Tuesday: Three men who are each paying $55 million to fly on a SpaceX rocket. They’ll be led by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the trip for next January. The first crew will spend eight days at the space station, and will take one or two days to get there aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule following liftoff from Cape Canaveral.

Russia has been in the off-the-planet tourism business for years, selling rides to the International Space Station since 200. Other space companies like Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plan to take paying customers on up-and-down flights lasting just minutes. New York Post

White House reviewing whether Trump should continue receiving intel briefings . . . The White House is conducting a review to determine whether former President Trump should continue receiving intelligence briefings now that he has left office.

Speaking at the White House press briefing on Monday, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said President Biden’s national security team is looking into the matter. Former presidents typically have access to intelligence briefings after leaving office. However, Democrats — and even some former Trump administration officials — have warned that the former president cannot be trusted with national security secrets, believing he could reveal sensitive information or seek to profit off of it. The Hill

 

 

 

Berlin man caught directing flight traffic with radio . . . A man has been arrested in Berlin on allegations he made radio contact with air traffic, including police helicopters, and gave fake flight orders while impersonating an aviation official, German police said Friday. The 32-year-old was arrested Thursday night in the capital. Police were able to swoop in on his apartment after he made contact with a police helicopter that was dispatched to the neighborhood in the hope of flushing him out. During a search of his home, police found two radios that transmitted on the frequencies needed to make contact with aircraft. The man is alleged to have made contact with pilots of passenger and transport aircraft, as well as state and federal police helicopters, over the past six months, giving “potentially dangerous” instructions and becoming increasingly professional with his communications. No accidents or other incidents are known to have been caused by his actions, police said. Associated Press