PoliticsThe IndependentTrump goes out with a whimper and a tweet. It was always going to be that way
When Michigan election officials certified election results there that showed Mr Biden winning the state and its 16 electoral votes, it likely ended Mr Trump's longshot bid to have hundreds of thousands of ballots invalidated in several key battleground states. With Pennsylvania expected to certify its results in Mr Biden's favour in the coming days, the door has all but finally closed on the president's unprecedented attempt to cling to power from a White House residence he soon will vacate. Closing with it will be one of the most chaotic, scandal-plagued eras in American political history.
U.S.INSIDERNYC sheriffs broke up a sex party with 80 people, a room full of mattresses, and boxes of condoms
Video: Virtual sex worker demand skyrocketing in quarantine The New York City Sheriff's Office broke up an illegal sex party of over 80, mask-less attendees in Astoria, Queens for violating state COVID-19 regulations on Sunday. Officials walked into the venue to find a crowd of people at the event hosted by self-described swinger's club Caligula New York. The New York City Sheriff's Office told Insider that deeper in the party, officers found three couples having sex in a back room with multiple mattresses set up covering the floor, which was scattered with condoms.
PoliticsNational ReviewPennsylvania Republicans File Emergency Lawsuit to Block Certification of Election Results
A group of Pennsylvania Republicans filed a lawsuit over the weekend to block certification of the state's election results in an eleventh-hour attempt to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the key battleground state. The emergency petition, filed in state court, takes issue with a voting reform bill that passed Pennsylvania's Republican-held legislature in October last year. The lawsuit claims that the law's allowance of no excuse mail-in voting is “unconstitutional” and seeks to block Pennsylvania counties from certifying their vote results ahead of the deadline on Monday to do so and invalidate millions of mail-in ballots cast in the 2020 election.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestClever’s 2020 Gift Guide Is Here and It Just Wants You to Have a Nice Time
We rounded up a mix of gifts that help others, keep folks healthy, and add a little something-something to the home Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.NBC NewsAlleged mafia members 'Joey Electric,' 'Tony Meatballs,' 13 others indicted
Fifteen alleged members of a crime family based in Philadelphia face federal racketeering and related charges, prosecutors said. A superseding indictment revealed on Monday that the fifteen alleged crime associates of the crime family La Cosa Nostra were accused of racketeering conspiracy, illegal gambling, loansharking, and drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Philadelphia. Among the 15 defendants are 60-year-old Joseph Servidio, or “Joey Electric,” and Anthony Gifoli, 73 — better known as “Tony Meatballs.”
HealthBusiness InsiderModerna's chief medical officer says that vaccine trial results only show that they prevent people from getting severely sick — not necessarily that recipients won't still be able to transmit the virus
Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks told Axios that the public should not "over-interpret" the vaccine trial results to assume life could go back to normal after adults are vaccinated. "They do not show that they prevent you from potentially carrying this virus transiently and infecting others," Zaks told Axios. While he believes, based on the science, that it's likely that vaccine does prevent transmission, but said there's still no solid proof of that yet.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastRush Limbaugh Does Full 180, Blasts Sidney Powell After Team Trump Disavowed Her
Rush Limbaugh fully reversed course on Monday, trashing the Trump legal team's unhinged press conference detailing baseless election-fraud conspiracies just days after praising attorney Sidney Powell—whom the Trump team has since disavowed—for dropping “bombs all over the place.” Over the weekend, after Powell claimed millions of votes were stolen from President Donald Trump by corrupted software, Powell gave an off-the-rails interview to Newsmax TV in which she expanded her bonkers conspiracy to include Georgia's Republican governor and secretary of state being bribed.
PoliticsThe IndependentMelania welcomes White House tree after being caught on tape saying ‘who gives a f***’ about Christmas
Melania Trump was all smiles as she welcomed her family's final Christmas tree to the White House. The maskless first lady appeared in the festive spirit despite being caught on tape earlier this year complaining “who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff. Decorating the historic mansion will be her final major job as first lady before Dr Jill Biden takes over the role in January.
PoliticsNational ReviewHere Comes the Biden Blame Game
During the eight years that President Obama and his team managed the economy, Americans were regularly assured that the president's Keynesian policies would deliver striking growth in the years ahead. The growth repeatedly failed to materialize, and what followed was a master class in blamesmanship. No matter how far into the Obama term we were, the disappointing growth was a “new normal”– not the result of President Obama's high tax and heavy regulatory policies.
PoliticsNBC NewsFeinstein says she's stepping down as top Democrat on Senate Judiciary Committee
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Monday she will step down as top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee in the new session of Congress beginning early 2021, marking a victory for progressives who pressured her to step aside. “After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress,” the California Democrat said in a statement. The senator came under fierce criticism from progressives after she lavished praise on Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for his handling of the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court hearing, and gave him a hug after the proceedings concluded on Oct. 15.
PoliticsThe WeekNYT reporter Maggie Haberman thinks Trump's tweet is 'the closest to a concession' he'll give
President Trump has yet to concede the election, and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman thinks his Monday evening tweet about what is in "the best interest of our country" is "the closest to a concession Trump is going to get." Trump wrote that he spoke to Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration, and recommended that she "do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols," adding that he has "told my team to do the same." Haberman tweeted that she's been told some of Trump's advisers "had been urging him" to let the transition begin before Thanksgiving, "even if he never said the word 'concede.'" Between the Trump campaign and other Republicans, more than 30 lawsuits have been filed in six swing states, in an attempt to contest the election results, NBC News reports. Despite Trump and members of his legal team claiming there has been widespread voter fraud, no court has found a single piece of evidence.
U.S.Business InsiderApple's security chief was indicted on bribery charges over allegations that he offered $70,000 worth of iPads in exchange for concealed-carry permits for Apple security guards
Apple's head of security was indicted on charges accusing him of offering 200 iPads, worth an estimated $70,000, to local law-enforcement officials in exchange for concealed-carry weapons permits for Apple security guards. The second-in-command at Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office was also named in the indictment. In October, two former managers at a Silicon Valley security firm pleaded guilty to charges related to the case.
U.S.National ReviewOregon Gov. Kate Brown Encourages Residents to Call Police on Neighbors Violating COVID Rules
Oregon Governor Kate Brown is encouraging residents to call the police on any neighbors who flout state COVID-19 restrictions, which include limiting in-home gatherings to a maximum of six people. Last week the Democratic governor instituted a new round of restrictions aimed at mitigating the spread of coronavirus in the state via executive order, including a two-week “freeze” limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings to no more than six people from no more than two households just ahead of Thanksgiving. Residents are also prohibited from eating out at restaurants and going to the gym, though faith-based gatherings of up to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors are allowed.
U.S.NBC NewsSearch for missing Dallas businessman upgraded to 'Endangered Missing Person'
As many families gather for Thanksgiving this week, the loved ones of Dallas businessman Alan White say it won't be the same without him as the holiday marks five weeks since he went missing. “We should all be together right now,” Alan's younger brother, Tim White, told Dateline. “Instead, we're just worried sick about where Alan could be,” he said.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
No 'normal' UK Christmas, finance minister warns
Sunak described the situation as "frustrating", but said Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "looking at ways to see how families can spend time with each other." England will end a national COVID-19 lockdown on Dec. 2 and move into tougher tiered regional restrictions than before, with more areas facing severe constraints to prevent the virus from reigniting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said on Saturday (November 21). A second wave of infections has started to flatten, official data shows, but scientific advisers are expected to warn on Monday (November 23) that previous regional restrictions did not go far enough and harder measures are needed to prevent another national lockdown.
WorldAssociated PressSyria's Assad names new FM to replace late diplomat
Syria's President Bashar Assad named a new foreign minister on Sunday, appointing Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to replace a longtime diplomat who passed away last week after holding the post for more than a decade. During the past decade's uprising against Assad, he became one of the country's most prominent faces to the outside world. Like his predecessor, Mekdad is a career diplomat who has been a close confidant of Assad and a harsh critic of the opposition during Syria's nearly 10-year conflict.
U.S.Charlotte ObserverTrump supporter who ‘forcefully exhaled’ on protesters faces charges, Virginia cops say
A Virginia man seen in an online video forcefully blowing in the faces of two protesters outside the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling has been charged with assault, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff 's Office. Raymond Deskins, 61, was arrested Sunday for misdemeanor simple assault after a person obtained a warrant via the Loudoun County Magistrate, authorities said in a statement posted online. He has since been released on a summons, according to the department.
U.S.The Independent12-year-old boy fatally shot after answering knock at his Philadelphia front door
A 12-year-old boy was fatally shot after he heard a knock and went to answer the front door in his Philadelphia home, authorities said. The boy, identified as Sadeek Clark-Harrison by CBS Philly, was shot in the face and killed shortly before 3am on Sunday morning. A knock was heard at the front door of the Frankford home before a bullet was shot through the crescent moon glass of the door.
LifestyleINSIDERAmericans are already dreaming of post-vaccine travel — and their top destinations are the world's biggest cities
Skyscanner saw spikes in both searches and bookings on the days that news of a potential coronavirus vaccine hit. When news of Moderna's vaccine hit, travelers started dreaming bigger and began searching for more international destinations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that "travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19."
- NewsReuters Videos
Is the VR office a post-pandemic reality?
Avatars, virtual auditoriums, and smart glasses ... the financial sector is bringing the office vibe to employees' homes with the help of Virtual Reality. of employees at some of the world's biggest financial firms are now working from home, a trend that's likely to endure.
- WorldAssociated Press
Palestinians may limit Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem
The Palestinian Health Ministry has recommended strict limits on Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Celebrations in the biblical town revered by Christians as Jesus' birthplace are usually attended by thousands of people from around the world. But this year, the ministry has recommended the upcoming Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Manger Square be limited to 50 people, with the lights of the tree and area restaurants closed at 9 p.m.
WorldBBCEthiopia's Tigray crisis: UN urges protection of civilians
The Ethiopian government has accused TPLF forces of destroying infrastructure including the airport in the ancient tourist town of Aksum, state-affiliated Fana news site reports. It shared images of a ploughed runway, accusing the fighters of harming the region's economy. The TPLF has not commented on the accusations but its leader Debretsion Gebremichael told Reuters news agency on Sunday that his forces had managed to stall advancing federal troops.
PoliticsNBC NewsRepublicans who have broken with Trump to congratulate Biden on his win
A small but growing group of prominent Republicans has broken with President Donald Trump and the rest of their party in congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their projected election victory. Trump has refused to concede the race, and the vast majority of Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have yet to acknowledge the Democrats' win. A Trump appointee in the General Services Administration has also refused to sign a letter that allows access to government resources for a presidential transition.
EntertainmentBusiness InsiderNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo cancels his Thanksgiving plans hours after saying his 89-year-old mother and 2 daughters were coming to dinner
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not be having Thanksgiving dinner with his 89-year-old mother and two of his three daughters, contrary to what he alluded to a radio interview on Monday. The internet was quick to drag Cuomo, given that he's been urging New Yorkers to stay home and limit travel this Thanksgiving due to the coronavirus pandemic. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not be having his 89-year-old mother and two of his daughters over for Thanksgiving, according to a senior adviser.
WorldReutersHong Kong to shut bars, nightclubs for third time as new COVID-19 cases jump
Hong Kong will close bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues for the third time this year, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Tuesday as authorities scramble to tackle a renewed rise in coronavirus cases. Authorities are also reopening a temporary COVID-19 treatment hall near the city's airport. On Tuesday, Hong Kong reported 80 new coronavirus cases, taking the total since January to 5,782 COVID-19 infections and 108 deaths.
“Donald Trump defeated Donald Trump.”
“The victory was a vindication of a style of American politics that many feared was gone forever.”
“Mr. Biden’s victory — and Mr. Trump’s defeat — is a testament to the resilience of American democracy.”
“Trump’s 2020 reelection bid was doomed by his boorish behavior. Time and again, he refused to act like a president.”
“Biden took the opportunity to unite the Democratic Party.”