PoliticsBusiness InsiderAlan Dershowitz says Texas lawsuit tossed by Supreme Court should tell Trump's allies they 'can't count on the judiciary' to invalidate the election results
Alan Dershowitz on Sunday said the Supreme Court's decision to toss the Texas election lawsuit signaled to President Donald Trump's camp that they "can't count on the judiciary" to invalidate the election results, according to The Hill. Dershowitz said Trump's campaign would need a "perfect storm" to invalidate the election results, with courts, governors, and state election officials aiding his cause. "I suspect on Monday we will see the electors ... elect Joe Biden," he said.
WorldReutersChina urges EU to stop 'irresponsible remarks' after statement on Bloomberg employee
BEIJING (Reuters) -China said on Monday the European Union should stop making "irresponsible remarks" after it called for the release of all those arrested for reporting in China in a statement on a detained Chinese national working for Bloomberg News. China's foreign ministry said on Friday authorities had detained Haze Fan, who works for the Bloomberg bureau in Beijing, on suspicion of endangering national security. The European Union called for authorities to grant Fan "medical assistance if needed, prompt access to a lawyer of her choice, and contacts with her family."
WorldAssociated Press'External source' causes oil tanker blast off Saudi Arabia
An oil tanker off Saudi Arabia's port city of Jiddah suffered an explosion early Monday after being hit by “an external source,” a shipping company said, suggesting another vessel has come under attack off the kingdom amid its yearslong war in Yemen. The attack on the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine, which had been contracted by the trading arm of the kingdom's massive Saudi Arabian Oil Co., marks the fourth assault targeting Saudi energy infrastructure in a month. It also apparently shut down Jiddah port, the most important shipping point for the kingdom, which later said a bomb-laden boat like the remote-controlled ones used by Yemen's Houthi rebels caused the explosion.
WorldThe TelegraphIsrael announces full diplomatic relations with Bhutan
Israel announced on Saturday that it is establishing full diplomatic relations with the relatively isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the latest in a string of international deals designed to show Israel's growing acceptance abroad. “The circle of recognition of Israel is widening,” said Israeli foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi. “The establishment of relations with the Kingdom of Bhutan will constitute a new stage in the deepening of Israel's relations in Asia.”
U.S.INSIDERA man was physically assaulted while supporting Democratic candidates at rally in Georgia, police say
A man was a victim of a physical assault on Saturday while at a rally in support of Georgia runoff Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, Atlanta's WSB-TV reported. "A passerby stopped and confronted a supporter with physical aggression," Henry County Police Captain Randy Lee told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement."The supporter suffered wounds to his face and head." A man was physically assaulted while showing support for Georgia Democratic Senate candidates at a rally on Saturday morning.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump's feud with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reportedly predates Election Day
President Trump's feud with Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp exploded into public view last month after President-elect Joe Biden won Georgia by a narrow margin. Trump, who claims — without evidence — that he lost the state because of widespread voter fraud, blames Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for refusing to help him overturn the results, which were confirmed by multiple recounts. For starters, Trump reportedly believed Kemp wasn't appreciative enough when he endorsed him in his 2018 gubernatorial race.
WorldAssociated PressGermany's heath minister urges EU to approve vaccine faster
Germany's health minister demanded that the European Union's regulatory agency work faster to approve a coronavirus vaccine and bring an end to the suffering on the continent, but the head of the agency said Monday that his team is already working “around the clock.” Other German officials suggested that residents should forgo Christmas shopping and attend Christmas Mass online as a new lockdown loomed that will close schools and most stores. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany's 16 states agreed Sunday to step up the country's lockdown measures beginning Wednesday and running to Jan. 10 to stop the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderWall Street Journal op-ed telling Jill Biden to drop her 'Dr.' title condemned as 'patronizing drivel.' The paper's higher-education reporter was among the critics.
An op-ed article published by The Wall Street Journal on Friday sparked criticism after it suggested that the incoming first lady, Jill Biden, should drop her "Dr." title because she does not hold a doctorate in medicine. The essayist Joseph Epstein urged Biden to "drop the doc" in her name, saying it "sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic." A representative for Biden called the article a "disgusting and sexist attack," with many public figures, including Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' husband, Douglas Emhoff, tweeting in support.
PoliticsReutersU.S. Supreme Court rejects bid to revive Kansas voting restriction
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by Kansas to revive a restrictive Republican-backed law that required documentation of citizenship for voter registration - a measure struck down by lower courts for disenfranchising qualified voters. The justices turned away the state's appeal of an April ruling by the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that threw out the law, which was championed by Republican former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an ally of President Donald Trump. The law, which took effect in 2013, required people seeking to register to vote in Kansas to present a U.S. passport, birth certificate or other proof of citizenship.
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AstraZeneca shares dip after $39 bln Alexion deal
Shares in AstraZeneca fell around 6% early on Monday morning (Dec 14). That as investors reacted to news from the firm over the weekend. The British drugmaker on Saturday (December 12) announced it is buying Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $39 billion in cash and stock.
HealthAssociated PressAfter 110K virus deaths, nursing homes face vaccine fears
After 110,000 deaths ravaged the nation's nursing homes and pushed them to the front of the vaccine line, they now face a vexing problem: Skeptical residents and workers balking at getting the shots. “You go get that first and let me know how you feel,” said Denise Schwartz, whose 84-year-old mother lives at an assisted living facility in East Northport, New York, and plans to decline the vaccine. Everyone from members of the military to former presidents have announced their intentions to get the shots, echoing the refrains of others who say the drugs are the product of rigorous review, firm data and independent experts.
U.S.Business InsiderAtlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says she declined a position in Biden's cabinet
The office of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Saturday told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she declined an offer to serve in the cabinet of President-elect Joe Biden. Bottoms, considered a rising star among Democrats, had previously been considered for the role of Biden's vice president before he ultimately selected Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom has declined an offer to serve in President-elect Joe Biden's cabinet, her office said in a statement Saturday.
WorldAssociated PressIran president says Israel was behind killing of scientist
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Monday claimed that Israel was behind the killing of a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic's military nuclear program in the 2000s in an effort to start a war in the last days of President Trump's administration. Rouhani's comments in a news conference marked the first time he has directly accused the Jewish state of carrying out the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh late last month. Israel, long suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists over the last decade, has repeatedly declined to comment on the attack.
WorldBBCIndia farmers: Misleading claims about high-profile support
Protests by farmers in India over new pricing laws show no sign of abating. The dispute has become highly politicised, with many thousands of farmers blocking access roads around the capital Delhi with their tractors and other machinery. Both sides have sought to control the social media narrative, and we've taken a look at attempts to spread misinformation about well-known personalities takings sides in the dispute.
WorldAssociated PressItaly surpasses UK for worst COVID-19 death toll in Europe
Italy on Sunday eclipsed Britain to become the nation with the worst official coronavirus death toll in Europe. Italy, where the continent's pandemic began, registered 484 COVID-19 deaths in one day, one of its lowest one-day death counts in about a month. Counting criteria differ in the two countries, and many coronavirus deaths, especially early in the pandemic, are believed to have gone undetected, including those of elderly people in nursing homes who were not tested for COVID-19.
PoliticsLA TimesMcManus: Trump has changed tactics in his election fight. His new approach is more dangerous
President Trump's initial challenge to the outcome of the presidential election annoyed supporters of Joe Biden, who won the vote. But Trump's early actions weren't outrageous. A candidate — any candidate — has the right to challenge results, ask for recounts and investigate charges of wrongdoing.
PoliticsAssociated PressLoeffler campaign: She had 'no idea' she posed with neo-Nazi
The campaign of Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler is disavowing a photo circulating on social media of her posing with a longtime white supremacist at a recent campaign event, with less than a month to go until the runoff elections that will determine the balance of the U.S. Senate. Loeffler did not know who Chester Doles was when she took a picture with him, her campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson said in a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday. The picture was taken Friday at a campaign event in Dawsonville, Georgia.
U.S.BBCAlfred Bourgeois: Second death row inmate executed in two days
A man who killed his toddler daughter nearly 20 years ago has become the second US federal inmate to be executed in as many days. Alfred Bourgeois' death by lethal injection on Friday comes after Brandon Bernard was put to death on Thursday. Three more executions are planned before the end of Donald Trump's presidency on 20 January.
EntertainmentThe Daily BeastPrince Andrew Misled BBC When He Said He Didn’t Stay at Epstein’s Home in 2001: Report
Prince Andrew's relationship with dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was back under the microscope Sunday evening after British newspaper the Daily Mail revealed that Andrew was misleading when he told the BBC he did not stay at Epstein's house when he was in New York in April 2001. He was questioned on camera by Emily Maitlis of the BBC about his movements during the three-day trip because one Epstein victim, Johanna Sjoberg, had previously accused Andrew of a bizarre groping incident at Epstein's home involving a Spitting Image puppet on the trip. Another Epstein victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claims that it was after the groping incident that she was ordered to have sex with “Andy.
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Hunter Biden requested keys for his father and others, emails show
Former assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Little provides insight into alleged Hunter Biden email scandal.
EntertainmentBBCObituary: John le Carré
John le Carré was the pseudonym of the author David Cornwell, judged by many to be the master of the spy novel. Meticulously researched, and elegantly written, many of his books reached a wider audience through TV and film adaptations. Le Carré stripped away the glamour and romance that were a feature of the James Bond novels and instead examined the real dark and seedy life of the professional spy.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAttorney General Barr reportedly instructed prosecutors not to reveal the Hunter Biden tax probes before the election to keep the DOJ out of politics
Attorney General William Barr went to great lengths to prevent prosecutors and senior Justice Department officials from revealing the existence of federal tax investigations into Hunter Biden before the election, The Wall Street Journal reported. The report includes new details of Barr's efforts to keep the investigations under wraps. Monday's report adds to a growing list of frustrations President Donald Trump has with Barr and may catalyze the president's efforts to fire the attorney general weeks before he leaves office.
CelebrityThe Daily BeastPrincess Diana Letter Praised Martin Bashir and Said He Never Showed Her Fake Documents, Inquiry Will Hear
The extraordinary saga of alleged corrupt practices by journalist Martin Bashir in securing his devastating 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, took another turn Monday as it was revealed that a missing letter written by Diana apparently exonerating Bashir of using fraudulent documents to secure the interview has been found, and is expected to become an important piece of evidence during a forthcoming inquiry into the affair. Diana's handwritten letter is believed to praise Bashir, the interviewer who has been accused of obtaining Diana's cooperation by deception, and Diana apparently writes in it that she was never shown any documents to persuade her to take part in the interview. According to a report in British newspaper The Times on Monday, Diana apparently wrote in it: “This is to confirm that I gave you the interview freely and was not influenced by any documents.”
SportsAssociated PressReport: Olson contending, coping with father-in-law's death
Amy Olson, in the final group of the U.S. Women's Open as she goes for her first victory, now is coping with heartache over the sudden death of her father-in-law in North Dakota, Golfweek reported Sunday night. The LPGA Tour confirmed to Golfweek on Olson's behalf that Lee Olson died Sunday night. Olson's husband, Grant, is the linebackers coach at North Dakota State.
CelebrityINSIDERGwen Stefani said she doesn't want her wedding to be a 'COVID situation,' and inviting 'just family' is still too many guests
Fellow "The Voice" judges and singers Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton announced their engagement at the end of October. Stefani said in a recent episode of "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" that she and Shelton have no concrete plans for their wedding, as she wants to wait to be able to safely host her parents at the ceremony. Stefani also told Seacrest that she feels even if the ceremony were to just include family, "it's still too many people for COVID" — echoing a concern other future newlyweds have felt when contemplating risky wedding plans amid the pandemic.
“The prospect of a 2024 run is politically significant. It’s also a complete fiction.”
“His flirtation with a 2024 bid ensures he’ll remain the dominant force in the Republican Party.”
“He shouldn’t run for president again. There’s a better job and life for him on the horizon.”
“Trump is in for years of scandals and humiliations…He’ll have to devote much of his energy to trying to stay out of prison.”
“If Trump himself passes on the opportunity, his two very political children could also potentially pick up the mantle.”