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.
PoliticsThe WeekRussian opposition leader Alexey Navalny may have been poisoned by a very bad Negroni, investigation suggests
A sweeping investigation into the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny pins the non-fatal act on Russia's FSB spy agency, and suggests a very poor tasting cocktail may have been the source. Per the report — which was conducted by the investigative website Bellingcat in partnership with CNN, Der Spiegel, and The Insider — Navalny, a major thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was in the Russian city of Tomsk on Aug. 19 when he met his traveling team at a hotel bar for a drink around 11:15 p.m. He ordered a late-night Bloody Mary, but was told by the bartender the ingredients weren't on hand and that he should have a Negroni instead.
U.S.Miami HeraldTwo inmates who escaped a Tennessee prison arrested in South Florida
Two inmates who escaped from a prison in Tennessee were arrested in Pompano Beach Sunday night, officials said. According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, Robert Lee Brown and Christopher Osteen were arrested by the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service after the two absconded from Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Friday. Brown, 36, was serving an 18-year sentence for aggravated rape, and Osteen, 34, was serving an eight-year sentence for burglary.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Report blames national Dems for role in Iowa caucus mess
A new audit report blames the national Democratic Party's involvement in the Iowa caucuses for problems that delayed the results for days at the beginning of the 2020 presidential nominating battle. The report commissioned by the Iowa Democratic Party criticized the national party's role in delaying development of mobile phone app used to collect data from caucus sites and in demanding a last-minute data conversion tool that failed on caucus night, according to the Des Moines Register. “Without the DNC's intervention in that process, the IDP may have reported results in real-time as it intended,” the report said.
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 WeekCongress reportedly close to announcing spending bill compromise to avoid shutdown
Congress could announce a $1.4 trillion spending deal as soon as Monday that would avoid a government shutdown ahead of Friday's midnight deadline, three sources told Politico. The legislative text is reportedly expected Tuesday. One GOP aide told Politico that debate remains open on just a "few small items," but otherwise a compromise looks like it's in place.
U.S.USA TODAYMichigan man imprisoned for nearly 4 decades exonerated after witness admits lying
It felt like all the possibilities that I was working on all those years were coming to fruition,” Forbes said. I didn't think it would take that long, but patience paid off. COVID-19 gave this Ohio family a 'sucker punch': Powerful family emails show how tragedy unfolded Witness comes forward Key evidence used to implicate Forbes was witness testimony from a woman, Annice Kennebrew, who said she saw three men, including Forbes, burn down the century-old, two-story house-turned-apartment in Jackson.
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.
BusinessBusiness InsiderThe Trump administration turned down more vaccine doses 'as recently as November,' former FDA commissioner says
The Trump administration once again rejected an offer from Pfizer for more COVID-19 vaccines "as recently as November," according to former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb. "There were multiple conversations with the U.S. government about taking more supply in the second quarter," Gottlieb, who is a Pfizer board member, told CNBC on Monday. This comes on the heels of the Trump administration reportedly rejecting 100 million doses of Pfizer's recently approved COVID-19 vaccine over the summer, according to The New York Times.
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”.
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."
WorldThe TelegraphSupermarkets to implement rationing within 24 hours of a run on essential goods being detected
Supermarkets are poised to implement rationing within 24 hours of a run on essential goods being detected, amid growing fears panic buying will erupt if the UK confirms a no-deal Brexit, The Telegraph has learnt. One major chain is preparing to intervene at high speed to implement a three-item limit on specific products, and could even impose a one-item limit on certain baby goods, in order to ensure all customers have access to essentials, according to a senior industry source. Moves to start rationing are expected to be expedited this winter after many stores took a week or more to levy item limits when coronavirus sparked a spate of customer stockpiling in the spring.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump demands names of Congressional Republicans who have acknowledged Biden’s election victory
Donald Trump demanded the names of the 27 Republican Congressional Republicans who have acknowledged Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. In a Washington Post survey of all 249 Congressional Republicans that was published on Saturday, just 27 recognised Mr Biden as the President-elect. The vast majority failed to respond to the newspaper, while two GOP congressmen, Alabama representative Mo Brooks and Arizona congressman Paul Gosar, falsely claimed Mr Trump had won.
U.S.USA TODAYMan climbs on wing of Alaska Airlines plane departing Las Vegas airport, takes off shoes and socks
Police have arrested a man who managed to climb the wing of a departing Alaska Airlines plane at Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport on Saturday. Passengers watched in shock — and filmed — inside Alaska Airlines flight 1367 from Las Vegas to Portland when they saw the man climbing onboard the wing, sitting down and eventually taking off his shoes and socks during his estimated 45-minute stint. "WTH did I just witness?" passenger Erin Evans asked on Twitter, posting video of the incident.
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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.
WorldBusiness InsiderHours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, US Marines took on the Japanese in what became the Alamo of the Pacific
On December 8, 1941, the US garrison on Wake Island awoke to news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan's destruction of the US Pacific Fleet meant Wake Island was on its own against Japan's advance across the Pacific. The garrison surrendered after a 16-day battle, but their resistance gave the US Navy breathing room and became a rallying cry for Americans.
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 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.
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.
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.
PoliticsThe Independent‘This is a moment I have dreamed about’: Stacey Abrams presides over Georgia electoral college vote to name Biden official winner
Former Democratic lawmaker and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams presided over Georgia's electoral college and announced that Joe Biden would receive the state's 16 electoral votes. The announcement was met with applause by the slate of electors present. Republicans - including two of the states own senators and Donald Trump - have alleged, without clear evidence, that the state's elections were rife with voter fraud.
ScienceMiami HeraldThe big one’s coming. If we don’t want to go the way of the dinosaur, it’s time to colonize the moon | Opinion
Astronomers and scientists around the world who have studied this solar system and beyond have seen damage to every solid body they scrutinized and know that the universe is as abidingly dangerous as it is beautiful, as Galileo observed when, in 1610, he trained that primitive telescope on the moon and saw impact craters. Stephen W. Hawking, the brilliant British theoretical physicist, gave the home planet just 200 years before it succumbs to any of several deadly maladies including warming, overpopulation, nuclear war and a worldwide coup d'etat by artificial intelligence (as was vividly depicted in “2001: A Space Odyssey” when HAL 9000, the master computer, revolted against its human masters and tried to take control of their spaceship).
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublican congressman pretends to attack antifa in an ad released after a weekend of violent political protests
Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw released a video ad on Sunday showing him pretending to attack antifa activists in Georgia. The ad comes as President Donald Trump and his GOP allies have continued to spread baseless claims about the outcome of the presidential election and attempt to overturn the results. Over the weekend, violence broke out in Washington, DC, and Washington state between Trump supporters and counterprotesters.
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.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused of sexual harassment by former aide
A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who is now running for Manhattan borough president accused him of sexual harassment in a series of tweets on Sunday, saying he made inappropriate comments about her appearance.
“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.”