Political Wire

Archives for 2020

Biden Will Hold Memorial for Covid-19 Victims

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“President-elect Joe Biden’s scaled-back inaugural activities will include a nationwide memorial service ahead of his swearing-in to honor the lives lost to the coronavirus,” the Washington Post reports.

“The Presidential Inaugural Committee said it would host a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool late in the afternoon on Jan. 19, a day ahead of Biden’s swearing-in at the Capitol. The committee said it is also inviting cities and towns around the country to light buildings and ring church bells at the same time.”

Young People Are Getting Out the Vote In Georgia

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“From messaging potential voters on dating apps to helping pay for Uber rides to the polls, young people across the country are playing a role in the Georgia Senate runoff elections from afar, and they’re getting creative with digital techniques while doing so,” CNN reports.

“Youth turnout was high across the country on Election Day and national organizers are hoping to re-energize young voters ahead of the crucial Georgia elections that will determine which party controls the US Senate.”

Los Angeles Times: Georgians can’t escape political ads.

Trump Fears That His Influence Is Waning

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“As his days in office come to a close, President Donald Trump has hinted to those close to him that he’s worried his influence within Republican circles may be waning,” the Daily Beast reports.

“Fearful of party stalwarts growing comfortable crossing him, the president has pushed to keep up the pressure and plot possible revenge scenarios against potential turncoats.”

Britain Braces for Not-So-Special Relationship with Biden

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Politico: “Boris Johnson has a problem named Joe Biden. Although the U.K. has now sealed a trade deal with the European Union, covering $900 billion in tariff-free goods and services annually, the British prime minister’s hopes for a new arrangement with the United States are confronting the reality of a transatlantic relationship that is now anything but special.”

“Johnson allies fear his courtship of Donald Trump is now a liability in a Democratic Washington, along with his advocacy for a break with the EU against the advice of Trump’s predecessor. And while Biden’s tight-lipped transition team won’t reveal its plans for the U.K., interviews with 16 officials and former officials on both sides of the Atlantic make clear that Brexit has changed the dynamic.”

U.S. Sets New Record for Daily Covid-19 Deaths

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“As 2020 nears its end, the US reported a record death toll for the second day in a row, with more than 3,740 Covid-19 fatalities Wednesday,” CNN reports.

“And the outlook is grim for January. More than 80,000 Americans could die of Covid-19 over the next three weeks, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ensemble forecast projects — offering a stark reminder the nation is still facing challenging times.”

Ossoff Slams Loeffler for ‘Campaigning with a Klansman’

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Jon Ossoff (D) shut down Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s (R-GA) criticism of her opponent Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) telling Fox News that she had been “campaigning with a Klansman.”

Said Ossoff: “She is stooping to these vicious personal attacks to distract from the fact that she’s been campaigning with a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. I mean we deserve better than that here in Georgia.”

Earlier: Loeffler took photo with KKK leader.

America’s Vaccine Rollout Is Already a Disaster

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David Wallace-Wells: “It’s happening all over again. For months, Americans who despaired about the country’s coronavirus-suppression efforts looked desperately to the arrival of a vaccine for a kind of pandemic deliverance. Now that it has arrived, miraculously fast, we are failing utterly to administer it with anything like the urgency the pace of dying requires — and, perhaps most maddeningly, failing in precisely the same way as we did earlier in the year. That is, out of apparent, near-total indifference.”

New York Times: “A more contagious version of the coronavirus may alter the course of the pandemic in the United States, researchers said.”

Trump Will Return to White House Early

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“President Trump is expected to return to Washington earlier than anticipated ahead of a planned disruption by Republicans when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win,” CNN reports.

“Trump is now slated to leave Palm Beach before his annual New Year’s Eve party, even though guests had already gathered at his south Florida club and were told Trump would be in attendance… The President typically relishes appearing on the red carpet in front of the press and his friends, but is skipping the event altogether this year in what will be an unusual move.”

Secret Service to Make Changes to Biden’s Detail

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“The Secret Service is making some staff changes in the presidential detail that will guard President-elect Joe Biden, amid concerns from Biden allies that some current members were politically aligned with President Trump,” the Washington Post reports.

“As Biden readies his new administration, the Secret Service plans to bring back to the White House detail a handful of senior agents whom Biden knows well from their work more than four years ago guarding him and his family when he was vice president.”

Trump Declassifies Unconfirmed Intel on China

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“The Trump administration is declassifying as-yet uncorroborated intelligence, recently briefed to President Trump, that indicates China offered to pay non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack American soldiers,” Axios reports.

“The disclosure of this unconfirmed intelligence comes 21 days before the end of Trump’s presidency, after he has vowed to ratchet up pressure on China, and months after news reports indicated that the Russians had secretly offered bounties for Taliban militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”

Sununu Cancels Inauguration Over Armed Protesters

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New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) announced that his outdoor inauguration ceremony scheduled for next week is being canceled because of concerns over armed protesters, WMUR reports.

Said Sununu: “My first responsibility is ensuring the safety of my family and our citizens. For weeks, armed protesters have increasingly become more aggressive, targeting my family, protesting outside my private residence and trespassing on my property — an outdoor public ceremony simply brings too much risk. We do not make this decision lightly, but it is the right thing to do.”

Biden Plans to Nominate New Judges Quickly

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“President-elect Joe Biden is signaling that he’s ready to move quickly with nominating judges once he’s sworn into office,” the HuffPost reports.

“And he specifically wants Democratic senators to recommend nominees to him who are diverse, not just in terms of race or gender, but professionally ― something progressives have been clamoring for for years.”

About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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