Month: November 2020

Democratic senators said on Thursday that the team working on vaccine distribution planning under President Donald Trump have no intention of briefing anyone on President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team.

Senator Chris Murphy said on Twitter, “Just off a conference call with Trump Administration vaccine distribution team. They confirmed that they have not briefed anyone on President-elect Biden’s team and have no plans to do so. This is potentially catastrophic.”  The Trump administration’s failure to share its plans with the incoming administration “risks President-elect Biden’s team not being ready on day one to implement the plan or make adjustments to it,” Sen. Murphy said in an emailed statement.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met with Democratic and Republican governors on Thursday to discuss the health crisis. Asked at a news conference afterward about the impact of the current administration’s failure to coordinate on vaccine distribution, Biden responded by saying projections show the death toll could be 400,000 by February.

‘Potentially catastrophic’: Sen. Chris Murphy sounds the alarm on the Trump administration not briefing the Biden team on COVID-19 vaccine distribution

Via www.msn.com

“There needs to be an integration between Trump’s team and Biden’s team to assure a clean…

11/19/2020 12:43 PM

 

Editorial credit: Albert H. Teich / Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump has invited Michigan’s Republican legislative leaders to the White House for a meeting Friday, according to a report from The Associated Press.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, were invited by Trump to the White House and have agreed to go. The expected visit comes as the Trump campaign and the Republican party continue legal efforts to discredit and delay certification of election results that named President-elect Joe Biden winner in Michigan by more than 140,000 votes. None of the lawsuits challenging Michigan’s election process have won a court battle yet.

On Thursday, the Trump campaign dismissed one of its two lawsuits seeking to stop Michigan’s votes from being certified.  “This morning we are withdrawing our lawsuit in Michigan as a direct result of achieving the relief we sought: to stop the election in Wayne County from being prematurely certified before residents can be assured that every legal vote has been counted and every illegal vote has not been counted,” said Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Michigan: Trump courts state GOP leaders in bid to overturn election he lost

Via www.msn.com

President Donald Trump has invited Republican state lawmakers from Michigan to the White House…

11/19/2020 3:46 PM

 

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Officials announced on Wednesday that New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school district, will shut down after the city reached a 3% COVID-19 testing positivity rate.

The decision comes as coronavirus cases in the United States surged to record highs in recent weeks, with the country reporting 162,000 new cases and 1,700 deaths for Tuesday. “As of November 19, 2020, all school buildings are closed until further notice, and all students are learning remotely five days a week,” the district announced. The schools will remain closed for at least two weeks.

The district’s policy was to shutter schools if the New York City’s coronavirus testing positivity rate equals or exceeds 3% using a seven-day rolling average.  New York City first shuttered its schools back in March at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Shortly after, the city became the world’s epicenter of the disease, reaching a peak of 815 confirmed and probable deaths in a single day on April 7.

New York City public schools to close again as coronavirus cases rise

Via www.msn.com

Closure plan as city reaches 3% Covid test positivity rate as Mayor Bill de Blasio says…

11/18/2020 2:36 PM

 

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House Democrats re-elected Nancy Pelosi to lead the party as House speaker Wednesday. Pelosi ran unopposed as well as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D.-S.C. The three Democrats have held their positions in the House for the last 14 years. In addition, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., retained his spot as Senate minority leader while Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., won another term as the Senate majority leader.

Said Pelosi, “As we go forward with liberty and justice for all, we must do so, listening to the American people, listening to each other with respect, acting to unify. Joe Biden is a unifier, so that will make it easier for us.”

The Democrats will enter the next Congress with about 221 seats after holding 232 seats in the last session. That number could change with several House races still undecided.

Pelosi Wins as House Democratic Leader, Nominee for Speaker

Via www.msn.com

House Democrats voted to stick with Nancy Pelosi as their leader and nominee for speaker,…

11/18/2020 10:59 AM

 

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Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa announced on Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The Republican, who is the second-oldest senator at 87 years old, learned of his diagnosis while he was already in quarantine after being exposed to the virus. 

Grassley tweeted, “I’ve tested positive for coronavirus. I’ll be following my doctors’ orders/CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine. I’m feeling good + will keep up on my work for the ppl of Iowa from home. I appreciate everyone’s well wishes + prayers &look fwd to resuming my normal schedule soon.”

Grassley is the sixth U.S. senator to test positive for the novel coronavirus.Twenty-one members of the U.S. House of Representatives also have tested positive.

Due to his age, Grassley is at high risk for experiencing severe complications from COVID-19. People who are 85 or older account for 32.3% of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths, the most of all age groups, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chuck Grassley, second-oldest senator, tests positive for Covid-19

Via www.nbcnews.com

Grassley, 87, is the most senior Republican in the chamber and president pro tempore of the…

11/17/2020 6:51 PM

 

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The Department of Homeland Security’s cyber chief, Chris Krebs, was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Trump announced the dismissal in a tweet Tuesday night.

The dismissal of Krebs, director DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, follows the agency’s declaration that the general election was the most secure in U.S. history. The statement served as a rebuke to the president who continues to make unsubstantiated allegations of voting fraud while Trump’s legal team pursues multiple legal challenges in battleground states.

Krebs had been an outspoken defender of the nation’s election security apparatus in the months leading up to Election Day Krebs joined DHS in March 2017, first serving as a senior adviser on cybersecurity and infrastructure protection. He was tasked with safeguarding national cyber networks along in the face of increasing attempts by foreign adversaries to disrupt the government, which was made clear in 2016 when Russia sought to undermine the general election.

Trump fires head of U.S. election cybersecurity for debunking conspiracy theories

Via www.nbcnews.com

CISA Director Chris Krebs had recently butted heads with the White House over his agency’s Rumor…

11/17/2020 7:28 PM

 

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