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.
- WorldReuters
UN agency says more than 400,000 flee Mozambique militant attacks
At least 400,000 people have fled militant attacks in northern Mozambique, the United Nations refugee agency said, warning that the crisis could quickly spread beyond the country's borders if regional neighbours did not help tackle the insurgency. Mozambique's northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, home to gas developments worth some $60 billion, is grappling with an insurgency linked to Islamic State that has gathered pace this year, with insurgents regularly taking on the army and seizing entire towns. Valentin Tapsoba, the southern African head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), said families who were rebuilding their lives after the destruction caused by Cyclone Kenneth in 2019 have had to flee from militant attacks.
WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: London faces highest-level COVID-19 restrictions
Britain's health secretary says London and surrounding areas will be placed under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions starting Wednesday as infections rise rapidly in the capital. Matt Hancock said Monday that a new variant of the virus may be to blame. “We've currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the south of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas,” he said.
WorldThe TelegraphThe Brexit stalemate is not just about talks, but who will be blamed if they end in no deal
Back when he was Brexit Secretary, David Davis often spoke about the EU holding out until the “eleventh hour” to do a deal with the UK. After Boris Johnson's fruitless Wednesday night dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, we were told both sides had until December 13 to avoid a no deal. With 1,635 days having passed since the UK voted to leave the EU, many could be forgiven for wondering whether both sides always intended to wait until the last possible moment.
PoliticsReutersHundreds line up to vote in Georgia elections that will set control of U.S. Senate
Hundreds of people lined up in a cold rain on Monday to cast ballots in a pair of U.S. Senate races in Georgia that will determine control of the chamber and heavily influence Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's ability to enact his agenda. Election experts said turnout on the first day of early voting in a contest that ends on Jan. 5 could offer clues to which side ultimately prevails: Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, or their respective Democratic challengers: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. "On the first day of early voting during the general election, there were people lined up long before the polls opened.
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.
WorldReutersVaccine refusal in Brazil grows to 22%, most reject Chinese shot: poll
The share of Brazilians unwilling to take any COVID-19 vaccine grew to 22% this week, from 9% in August, and most said they would not accept one made in China, a new poll showed on Saturday, as President Jair Bolsonaro's comments stoked wider skepticism. The survey by pollster Datafolha found 73% of respondents plan to take a shot and 5% do not know if they will, compared to 89% and 3%, respectively, in August. Late last month, Bolsonaro said he would not take any coronavirus vaccine that becomes available.
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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.
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.
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.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.
PoliticsBusiness Insider'They chose to subvert the Constitution': Pelosi slams House Republicans who backed Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn election results
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday criticized House Republicans who joined a legal effort by Texas to overturn the election results in four key states that President-elect Joe Biden won in November. "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House," Pelosi said. "Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."
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.
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.
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.
U.S.Associated PressArtists, activists rush to save Black Lives Matter murals
Neither woman could bring themselves to watch the video of George Floyd's final moments, his neck pinned under a Minneapolis police officer's knee. Now, they're working to save those murals before they vanish. “These walls speak,” said Zellner-Smith, who said she was too numb to cry after Floyd's killing.
HealthBusiness InsiderPfizer's coronavirus vaccine should be safe for most Americans, but 5 groups may want to wait for more data before getting shots
Some public-health experts have also questioned whether people who were already infected with the coronavirus should get vaccinated, particularly if they have lingering symptoms. Here are five groups that may want to wait for more data on how the vaccine affects people like them. At least two groups, young children and those with severe allergies to the vaccine's ingredients, will have to wait no matter what.
PoliticsAssociated PressTrump raises China concerns as reason to veto defense bill
President Donald Trump offered a new rationale Sunday for threatening to veto the annual defense policy bill that covers the military's budget for equipment and pay raises for service members: China. He did not outline his concerns. Republican and Democratic lawmakers say the wide-ranging defense policy bill, which the Senate sent to the president on Friday, would be tough on China and must become law as soon as possible.
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.
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Hunger strike hits India's mass farmer protests
Leaders of the massive protests by farmers that have swept India began a one-day hunger strike on Monday (December 14). They've been demonstrating for weeks against agricultural reforms that they say threaten their livelihoods. The demonstrations are increasing pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to withdraw the legislation.
“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.”