PoliticsThe IndependentBiden coughs his way through first speech since being confirmed as president-elect: ‘Hand him a glass of water!’
Joe Biden's first address to the nation shortly after state electors declared him president-elect was overshadowed by persistent bouts of coughing and throat-clearing, as he mounted a scathing attack on President Donald Trump for his efforts to undermine the election. “It should be celebrated, not attacked,” Mr Biden said, as he acknowledged his victory in the presidential race. Mr Biden sounded hoarse and stopped several times to clear his throat during his speech on Monday night, prompting reactions from social media users.
PoliticsThe WeekIran's president says country would rejoin nuclear deal within an hour of U.S. signing on
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday said if the United States returns to the Iran nuclear deal, his country will follow within an hour. The deal was made during the Obama administration in 2015, lifting sanctions on Tehran in exchange for Iran reducing its uranium stockpile and dismantling its centrifuges. Rouhani said he will not discuss any changes to the accord or restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program, The Guardian reports.
WorldBBCJapan 'Twitter killer' Takahiro Shiraishi sentenced to death
A man who murdered nine people after contacting them on Twitter has been sentenced to death, in a high-profile case that has shocked Japan. Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the "Twitter killer", was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat. The 30-year-old had admitted to murdering and dismembering his victims - almost all of whom were young women he met on the social media platform.
HealthBusiness InsiderHead of White House security office has his right foot amputated because of severe COVID-19 and is facing 'staggering medical bills,' new report says
The head of the White House security office, Crede Bailey, had a part of his lower right leg and the big toe of his left foot amputated because of COVID-19, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Bailey has been hospitalized with a severe case of COVID-19 for three months but is said to be recovering. Friends of Bailey's have raised over $35,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his rehabilitation and "staggering" healthcare costs.
PoliticsThe IndependentHillary Clinton calls for Electoral College to be abolished after casting first vote in New York for Biden
Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – among New York members of the Electoral College – cast the state's first electoral vote for Joe Biden. The former US Senator was joined by former president Bill Clinton and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who are both among the state's 29 electors to cast their ballots on 14 December, as the voting body across the US formally selects the winning presidential candidate. The governor also is president of the state's electoral college.
HealthThe WeekFauci: Americans without underlying conditions could get COVID-19 vaccine by late March, early April
A COVID-19 vaccine is officially being administered in the United States, and Dr. Anthony Fauci is predicting the "vast majority" of Americans could receive theirs by early summer. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, spoke to MSNBC on Monday after the first American health-care workers began to receive Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine will first be available to those at the highest risk, including health-care workers and then those with underlying health conditions, but Fauci told MSNBC that "the normal, healthy man and woman in the street, who has no underlying conditions" will "likely" be able to get it by "the end of March, the beginning of April."
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Newsom could face recall, as resistance to California governor is growing
An effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gaining momentum, partly fueled by outrage over the Democrat dining with friends at an opulent restaurant while telling residents to stay home.
WorldINSIDEROver 70 people test positive for COVID-19 at a nursing home in Belgium after a visit from a man dressed up as Santa Claus
More than 70 people were infected with coronavirus at a nursing home in Belgium after a recent visit from a man dressed up as Santa Claus, CNN reported. "It was made with the best intent, but it went wrong," Wim Caeyers, Mayor of Mol, told VRT News. More than 70 people tested positive for the coronavirus after a recent visit from Santa Claus at a nursing home in Belgium, according to multiple reports.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump signs executive order making Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2020
Christmas Eve will be considered a federal holiday in the United States this year, according to a new executive order signed by President Trump. Under the executive order, signed Friday, “all executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Thursday, 24 December 2020, the day before Christmas Day”. The executive order does make an exception, however, for the heads of executive departments and agencies, who may determine that “certain offices and installations of their organisations, or parts thereof, must remain open,” as well as for employees who may be needed to work for “reasons of national security, defense, or other public need”.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGeorgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler posed for a photo with a former KKK chief - but says she didn't know who he was
Sen. Kelly Loeffler has been photographed with Chester Doles, a former head of the Ku Klux Klan and member of the neo-Nazi National Alliance. Doles posted a selfie of them at a rally for Loeffler in Dawsonville, Georgia, on Friday, on the Russian social-media site VKontakte. The image was reshared on Twitter by a Jewish advocacy group, which criticized Loeffler.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMichigan House punishes Republican state Rep. Gary Eisen for hinting at Electoral College disruption
Michigan Republican legislative leaders pulled a GOP lawmaker from his committee assignments Monday after the lawmaker hinted he was part of a group that sought to disrupt or otherwise undermine the Electoral College vote slated to happen at the Michigan state Capitol on Monday. Rep. Gary Eisen, R-St. Clair Township, made the comments Monday morning during an interview with Port Huron-area radio station WPHM. He was asked about the Electoral College, set to meet Monday in the state Senate chamber to cast the state's 16 electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden. Eisen made the comments in the context of he and others in Lansing having some sort of event, either at the Capitol or somewhere else.
U.S.CBS NewsBiggest snowstorm in years set to target Northeast
It has been nearly five years since New York City has seen more than a foot of snow in one storm, when Central Park recorded its biggest snowstorm on record with 27.5 inches in January 2016. Much of the densely populated parts of the Northeast stand to see a walloping of heavy snow as a major nor'easter takes aim. For cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York, a major nor'easter seems long overdue.
PoliticsThe Independent‘One of the worst attorneys general in American history’: Criticism of Bill Barr pours in as he resigns
The criticism has been pouring in from all sides for Attorney General William Barr after Donald Trump announced he would be stepping down from the Justice Department before Christmas. Mr Barr has long been a lightning rod of anger and frustration from Democrats for his handling of the Mueller report, his heavy-handed response to racial justice protests this past summer, and his attempts to investigate FBI and DOJ officials who led probes into Mr Trump's 2016 campaign. Recently, the attorney general has become something of a pariah on the right for defying Mr Trump's claims of election fraud.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPete Buttigieg has emerged as the frontrunner to become Biden's secretary of transportation, new report says
Pete Buttigieg has emerged as a leading candidate to become President-elect Joe Biden's secretary of transportation, according to a CNN report. Buttigieg's nomination would elevate the profile of the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful. Buttigieg is widely expected to run for president again.
U.S.USA TODAYMississippi police identify 2-year-old boy abandoned at Goodwill donation outlet, arrest suspect
Police in Mississippi police say a 2-year-old boy left abandoned at a Goodwill donation outlet on Monday has been identified and is in the custody of Mississippi Child Protective Services. "Southaven Police received numerous tips, and with the assistance of F.B.I. offices in both Mississippi, and Tennessee, along with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department a suspect related to this case was taken into custody in Memphis," the department said. Officers responded to the Goodwill outlet around 9:30 a.m., where they learned the boy was left with a plastic bag that contained a note and a change of clothes.
HealthINSIDERFamily was kicked off United Airlines flight because their 2-year-old refused to keep her mask on
Eliz Orban says she and her family were kicked off a United Airlines flight after being unable to get her 2-year-old daughter to keep her mask on. United Airlines has a policy that states all passengers over the age of 2 must wear a "face covering" during flights. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children over the age of 2 should wear a mask, the World Health Organization says that children under the age of 5 should be exempt.
PoliticsThe IndependentJoseph Epstein wiped from university website after backlash over ‘sexist drivel’ Jill Biden column
Northwestern University has distanced itself from its former lecturer Joseph Epstein who, in an article published by the Wall Street Journal, criticised the incoming first lady for using the title Dr when she is not a medical professional. Epstein's article has met with a backlash after he said the use of the title by Dr Jill Biden, who has a doctorate in education, “sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic”. Northwestern has now scrubbed Epstein's page from its website, where he was previously listed as an emeritus lecturer of English.
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.
U.S.USA TODAYWinter storm will blast mid-Atlantic, Northeast with heavy snow
"Heavy snow is expected to develop Wednesday morning over the Allegheny Mountains and central Appalachians in West Virginia and Virginia, and then spread across the northern Mid-Atlantic and through southern New England by Wednesday night," the National Weather Service said. Storm totals of 6 inches or more could be widespread, with some areas picking up more than a foot, according to Weather.com. Those heavier totals are most likely from parts of southern New England to southeast New York, including New York City, southward to locations west of Interstate 95 in the mid-Atlantic.
HealthMiami HeraldWhat are your chances of dying from COVID? This calculator gives you a hint
Studies and statistics alike have shown that people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions face the highest risks of dying from COVID-19 compared to the rest of the population. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health developed an online calculator that can answer these questions. The tool, which is updated on a weekly basis, incorporates information on mortality risks and statistics from several data sets on the community and state level.
PoliticsThe IndependentThree things Trump could do after Electoral College votes for Biden
Donald Trump is vowing to continue his fight to overturn the results of last month's election even after an Electoral College vote declares Joe Biden his replacement – but his options are running out. Electors are voting across the country on Monday, with Mr Biden ahead by around 40 votes as of 1:30 p.m. ET.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBernie Sanders urges Democrats to reject the 'totally inadequate' bipartisan stimulus bill, blasting the lack of $1,200 direct payments and smaller price tag
Sanders is urging Democratic congressional leaders to reject the "totally inadequate" bipartisan stimulus bill, which excludes direct payments. Sanders has been increasingly vocal in urging Congress to approve another round of $1,200 direct payments. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is hitting back against the new $908 billion bipartisan stimulus plan - and he wants Democrats to reject the relief bill because it omits a fresh round of $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans and carries a far smaller price tag.
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Fauci: 'Something very strange' about COVID
"I have not seen anything where you have a virus that in 40% of the people has no symptoms, and those who have symptoms, 80% of them have very mild to moderate symptoms that don't require any significant medical intervention. And then you have 20-25% of people who are devastated," Fauci told The Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) Senior Vice President Stephen Morrison on Monday. "There's something very strange about a virus that in most people barely bothers them, and in others it kills them.
CelebrityINSIDERThe mother of the Houston influencer found dead says she didn't know of any marital problems her daughter might have been having
Stacey Robinault, the mother of Alexis Sharkey, the Houston-based influencer found dead on November, 28, told Fox News that she wasn't aware of any marital problems between Sharkey and her husband. Several of Sharkey's friends, some speaking anonymously, previously told The Daily Beast that Sharkey's relationship with her husband Tom was troubled. Tom Sharkey told ABC 13 that he and Alexis had a happy marriage and denied that they were filing for divorce.
PoliticsThe IndependentAlex Jones faces calls for arrest after apparent Biden threat
Alex Jones is facing calls for his arrest after the conspiracy theorist told a Donald Trump rally that president-elect Joe Biden will be removed "one way or the other". The InfoWars host has been accused of attempting to incite violence during his speech at the “Million MAGA march” which was held to drum up support for Mr Trump's baseless claims of election fraud. "So I don't know who's going to the White House in 38 days but I sure know this - Joe Biden is a globalist and Joe Biden will be removed one way or another,” Mr Jones said during his appearance at the event.
“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.”