Biden Will Use Defense Production Act to Boost Vaccine
“President-elect Joe Biden plans to invoke the Defense Production Act after he takes office next month to boost production of coronavirus vaccines,” CNBC reports.
“The wartime production law, which allows the president to compel companies to prioritize manufacturing for national security, could help the U.S. secure components and specialized products that manufacturers need to produce the Covid vaccines. Biden’s team has been weighing whether to invoke the law for vaccine production.”
Trump’s Approval Rating Collapses
A new Gallup poll finds Congress’ job approval rating is at just 15%, the lowest of the 116th Congress, and President Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to 39% — down seven percentage points from before the election.
In contrast, nearly two-thirds of Americans approve of the way Joe Biden is handling his presidential transition.
Ossoff and Warnock Warn About Running Low on Funds
Eight days out from Election Day in Georgia’s crucial senate runoff races, Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D) are “sounding the alarm” about their ability to keep pace with GOP spending, calling for a “significant increase” in grassroots donations to prevent running out of money, NBC News reports.
The Plague Year
The New Yorker has published an incredible piece by Lawrence Wright that people will be reading years from now to make sense of how the pandemic response went wrong.
Did Trump’s Hotel Concede His Defeat?
1100 Pennsylvania: “After having been blocked off on the reservation calendar for six months, over this past weekend rooms at the Trump Hotel D.C. became available to book the week of the presidential inauguration.”
Trump Donors Funnel $10.5 Million Into His Businesses
“President Trump’s donors — the vast majority of whom are working-class supporters and retirees contributing just a few dollars a month — put $10.5 million into the erstwhile billionaire’s own personal businesses over the course of his presidency,” a HuffPost analysis found.
“Some $8.5 million came from the Trump campaign and related entities that Trump controls directly. Another $2 million came from other Republican candidates and committees.”
Trump Got Nothing
Playbook: “That’s it? President Trump made all this noise about the Covid relief and government funding bill only to sign it and get nothing in return?”
“Trump got taken to the cleaners.”
“What a bizarre, embarrassing episode for the president. He opposed a bill his administration negotiated. He had no discernible strategy and no hand to play — and it showed. He folded, and got nothing besides a few days of attention and chaos. People waiting for aid got a few days of frightening uncertainty.”
“Zip. Zero. Zilch. If he was going to give up this easy, he should’ve just kept quiet and signed the bill. It would’ve been less embarrassing.”
America Is As Divided As Ever
Dan Balz: “The year 2020 brought extraordinary and unexpected challenges that tested the strength of basic institutions, demanded courage and sacrifice in the face of a raging pandemic, underscored racial and economic inequities, and produced the biggest turnout of voters in the history of U.S. elections.”
“In the end, America was as divided as ever. The election itself resulted in significant change — or no change. President Trump is on his way out of office after a single, tumultuous term, to be replaced on Jan. 20 by President-elect Joe Biden. Turnover in the most important of all elected offices — an office that was the major focus of the election — will bring a new tone, new faces and new initiatives to Washington and the country.”
Meet the GOP Freshmen Taking on The Squad
Politico: “On the first day of Congress’ freshman orientation, four incoming GOP members realized they shared a special connection: All had first- or second-hand experience living in communist or socialist countries. The crew quipped that their family histories with brutal dictatorships and their aversion to Big Government basically made them the opposite of the liberal ‘Squad’ that has surged to political stardom in the House.”
“Taking a page from their social media-savvy rivals, they took to Twitter to share the name of their own counterrevolution. And the Republican ‘Force’ was born.”
Putin Rumors Run Wild
“Vladimir Putin has surrounded himself with such a thick fog of secrecy that it’s now unclear where he is living, how many children or lovers he has, if his health is failing, or whether he’s planning to stay in power,” the Daily Beast reports.
“The old KGB man’s love of secrecy has long boosted rumors and conspiracy theories that would race quietly around Moscow. But 2020 was the year the rumors span out of control. Encouraged by the omnipotence of the online rumor mill, the Russian media is now daring to commit them to publication.”
How Trump Caved on the Relief Bill
“Getting a cranky, stubborn President Trump to belatedly sign the COVID relief bill, after unemployment benefits had already lapsed, was like being a hostage negotiator, or defusing a bomb,” Axios reports.
“The deal was closed on a Sunday afternoon phone call with Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.”
“Over many days, Mnuchin and McCarthy — aided by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who golfed with Trump in West Palm Beach on Friday — indulged the president’s rants, told him there was great stuff in the bill, and gave him ‘wins’ he could announce, even though they didn’t change the bill.”
However, said GOP pollster Frank Luntz: “It may be too late. Too late for him, too late for the economy, too late for Covid, and too late for the Georgia senators.”
New York Post Tells Trump to Concede
A New York Post editorial tells President Trump to end his challenge of the election: “Mr. President, it’s time to end this dark charade…”
“If you insist on spending your final days in office threatening to burn it all down, that will be how you are remembered. Not as a revolutionary, but as the anarchist holding the match.”
Trump Signs Relief Bill
“President Trump signed a bill to extend unemployment benefits and avert a government shutdown,” Axios reports.
“While Trump signed the current bill, which provides for $600 checks for most Americans, he will continue his push to bring that amount to $2,000.”
Trump Announces Campaign Rally In Georgia
President Trump announced plans to hold a rally in Georgia to seek support for the Republican candidates the day before the state’s two Senate runoffs.
Trump’s Plans to Sign Relief Bill Were Scrapped
“On Christmas Eve, staff at Mar-a-Lago made preparations for President Trump to sign the Covid-19 relief package and government funding bill, a holiday gift of relief to millions of Americans suffering in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic,” CNN reports.
“But the plan was scrapped at the last minute.”
One source said that Trump had “changed his mind.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports Trump appeared to suggest that he would be taking action on the pandemic relief bill, writing on Twitter, “Good news on Covid Relief Bill. Information to follow!”
Lawmakers Urge Trump to Sign or Veto Relief Bill
“A bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress on Sunday reissued their call for President Trump to sign a nearly $1 trillion COVID-19 relief package – or to immediately veto it,” The Hill reports.
“If the president continues to refuse to take any action on the relief package, it would cause the legislation to die upon the start of the new legislative session in January.”
Earlier for members: How Trump Could ‘Pocket Veto’ the Relief Bill
Pence Breaks CDC Guidelines for Ski Vacation
Vice President Mike Pence is in Vail, Colorado for a ski vacation — even though CDC guidelines recommending against traveling for the holiday season — according to Real Vail.
