With COVID-19 cases reaching an all-time high this week, we've got to continue to do our part to protect one another. This pandemic is far from over and your actions can help save lives. https://t.co/XJ4dbsCihB
After Chris Kennedy received a racist letter objecting to his Black Santa Christmas decoration, his neighbors in Arkansas started putting up their own Black Santa decorations as a show of support. @rehemaellis has the story. pic.twitter.com/7Dj2I8dmMn
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) December 9, 2020
Media reports that Denis McDonough will be nominated as the next Secretary of Veteran Affairs. Great choice. I know him to be a champion for our military and their families. A leader with a warriorās heart and a servantās soul. Veterans deserve his kind of talent and dedication.
Good morning. Just so you know, the defeated President of the United States is trying to "OVERTURN" an American election. The will of the American people will prevail. It must.
So exciting: Biden is naming Susan Rice @AmbassadorRice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, giving her broad sway over his administrationās approach to immigration, health care and racial inequality.https://t.co/765cfAXXLX
Dear Media, Take the fascists in the @gop seriously. They will take your livelihoods, freedom and even lives if they are successful at this coup. Donāt normalize this. Donāt both-sides this. Donāt give your platforms to them. Call it like it is. Save America & yourselves.
Itās impossible to escape the fact the GOP no longer supports democracy. At every level they are supporting nullifying a free and fair election. They are not sliding toward fascism, theyāre already there
"He is an autocratic leader. He is undemocratic. He has assaulted America's most vital institutions… This past month… this was the month that American democracy was poisoned, deliberately and intentionally"–Steve Schmidt #MoreDangerousThanEverhttps://t.co/YVCYqdr9nd
“Maddow says her partner Susan’s very scary bout with the coronavirus has changed her perspective on how to cover the pandemic. Check out Rachel’s new book, “BAG MAN: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House.”
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting December 10, 2020
FDA Briefing Document Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
3.
“Topics for VRBPAC Discussion”
“The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will convene on December 10, 2020, to discuss and provide recommendations on whether:
ā¢ based on the totality of scientific evidence available, it is reasonable to believe that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older, and
ā¢ the known and potential benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks for use in individuals 16 years of age and older.
The committee will also discuss what additional studies should be conducted by the vaccine manufacturer following issuance of the EUA to gather further data on the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine.”
In the intensity of our times, we are all working so hard to maintain and grow towards a unified consciousness with each other, I almost hesitate to post an article link which may seem totally off-topic:
But sometimes a ray of Hope helps us all, as well, and since today is my 70th birthday, yes I know, I bring you some reading to remind us there will be a future, and Light will shine on us again when this darkness has passed.
My daughter has been interviewed in this article, or I likely may never have known about it. I hope it brings a breath of respite and a sense of how much we have to share.
Wishing you a “happy, Happy Birthday”, ‘ole’ girl!!! May this year you’ve entered upon be filled with calm, light, harmony, and ever fading memories of 2020’s stress!
my goodness – @DenisMcDonough and @AmbassadorRice are the finest public servants youāll ever find. Theyāre both relentless in pursuit of excellence, true patriots, and the country will be better off when theyāre in these roles. https://t.co/IGyCmd1ZpH
Congratulations to Katherine Tai on her expected nomination to be the next U.S. Trade Representative! If confirmed, she will be the first #AAPI and first woman of color to serve in this role. https://t.co/WmgqsU5A7S
āDenis McDonough is just what the VA needs right now, and weāre absolutely enthusiastic about President-elect Bidenās choice. We call on the Senate to swiftly confirm him, so veterans can have an agency that works for them, again." pic.twitter.com/6IiH6rRSgF
The Biden team cited @DenisMcDonough's "experience shaping domestic and foreign policy" and his "understanding of legislative affairs and government bureaucracy, which are seen as key to navigating a department long beset by organizational challenges." https://t.co/wPkMAghWiu
The President-elect has asked me to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make sure people in every part of this country get a chance to build a better life for their families.
It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of that important work.
Atlantic: “A Political Obituary for Donald Trump”
“The effects of his reign will linger. But democracy survived.”
(excerpts)
“Trumpās lies were different. They belonged to the postmodern era. They were assaults against not this or that fact, but reality itself….
The most mendacious of Trumpās predecessors would have been careful to limit these thoughts to private recording systems. Trump spoke them openly, not because he couldnāt control his impulses, but intentionally, even systematically, in order to demolish the norms that would otherwise have constrained his power. To his supporters, his shamelessness became a badge of honesty and strength. They grasped the message that they, too, could say whatever they wanted without apology…
Matthew Sheffield, a reformed right-wing media activist, tweeted: āTruth for conservative journalists is anything that harms āthe left.ā It doesnāt even have to be a fact. Trumpās numerous lies about any subject under the sun are thus justified because his deceptions point to a larger truth: that liberals are evil…
Trumpās legacy includes an extremist Republican Party that tries to hold on to power by flagrantly undemocratic means, and an opposition pushed toward its own version of extremism. He leaves behind a society in which the bonds of trust are degraded, in which his example licenses everyone to cheat on taxes and mock affliction.
Many of his policies can be reversed or mitigated. It will be much harder to clear our minds of his lies and restore the shared understanding of realityāthe agreement, however inconvenient, that A is A and not Bāon which a democracy depends.
But we now have the chance, because two events in Trumpās last year in office broke the spell of his sinister perversion of the truth. The first was the coronavirus…
The second event came on November 3….The election didnāt end his liesānothing willāor the deeper conflicts that the lies revealed. But we learned that we still want democracy.”
Weāre going to build so much solar, wind, and green infrastructure in Georgia once heās gone, someone should tell David Perdue to buy stock in renewables for his retirement fund
A forecast published by the CDC projects there will be 332,000 to 362,000 coronavirus deaths in the US by January 2.
More than 289,000 people have already died from Covid-19 in the nation, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. https://t.co/wGgVpfentJ
“COVID-19 isn’t affecting all communities equally.
We’ve partnered with the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research to collect the most complete racial data anywhere in the COVID Racial Data Tracker.
(https://covidtracking.com)
DIANA LACHIONDO
Ada County Commissioner:
āI wasnāt actually inside the house,ā Lachiondo continued. āI was taking the call from my office at the Ada County Courthouse. But my two sons, ages 12 and 8, and my mother (who was out taking our dog on a short walk) were. And as many of you saw last night, my son called me in tears at the beginning of last nightās meeting.ā
“How can you not tremble with rage when you read that?”
Fmr Ambassador Michael McFaul:
“Deeply offended by these Attorneys General who have joined this ridiculous lawsuit to overturn the will of the people in four states. Was especially disappointed to see the Montana AG on the list. Montanans who I know believe in democracy. This is the opposite of that.”
—imo Montana republicans got everything out this election by every foul means, except Trump – we’re heading
for the Dark Ages under Gianforte and Daines. (Thanks heavens for Sen. Tester). So now they’re helping Doom’s political sycophants and suicidal base to put cash in his post-presidency pocket.
Ambassador McFaul might be interested to know that a white supremacy community is being created as we speak in NW Montana. Trump Jr was there unpublicized, the weekend before the Election.
In fear of coronavirus spreading in the White House, the General Services Administration will deploy a team to āthoroughly clean and disinfectā all surfaces touched often by human hands after Trump leaves and Biden moves in, a spokesperson from the agency told POLITICO.
āThe biggest election fraud of the 2020 cycle – it didnāt happen in any voting booth,
it didnāt happen in any mailing drop box. Itās happening now with these people peddling the lie that he won.ā
(anti-Trump conservative George Conway)
New: The same year FINRA was lobbying the Senate on a bill, one of its board governors paid Perdue $1.8 million for his D.C. townhouse. Perdue sits on the Senate Banking Committee, which oversaw the bill. https://t.co/YiPyOAHauC
Responding to Hayesā question
about a broken Senate and what about adding more Senators to an unfair systemā¦
Jon Meacham, presidential historian:
āThe Great thing about the Constitution is that it was built to amend.ā
Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the the oldest conservative lobbying organization in the country,
says he plans to go to church on Christmas, tells Fox News that Americans:
“have the right to do unsafe things. It’s part of being an American, and I love every aspect of it.ā
= the Eff You And Me Partyās open invitation to die for the cause.
Anybody else craving a high speed rail system now that Amtrakās favorite customer is President elect?! Biden LOVES trains and we NEED high speed rail, so how about…
The Joseph Robinette Biden high speed rail system or Riding the Biden for short š
Wow this took off! To think it all started in a private conversation with friends about how Biden loves trains and we need high speed rail and us joking about what to name it. One google search later āwhat high speed rail could look likeā and BAM here we all are! Thx 4 sharing!
President-Elect Joe is coming to Georgia next week to stump for our Soon-Senators!
The Georgia Senate runoffs are crucial ā itās why Iāll be traveling there next Tuesday. But we all need to do our part to make sure we win these races. If youāre able, chip in to our new Flip Georgia Fund to help us take back the Senate. https://t.co/BHsyS0Y41i
Definition of domestic terrorism from 18 U.S. Code Ā§āÆ2331 B) activities that appear to be intendedā (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion;
Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Defense appointee Lloyd Austin are assembling care packages with Operation Gratitude in DC for service members deployed overseas during the holidays.
Greta Thunberg, the climate crisis activist, was honored as TIME Person of the Year in 2019
Last year, TIME also created four new categories: Athlete of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Businessperson of the Year and Guardians of the Year https://t.co/GXiLuzzG4D
Seeing a lot of tweets that Trump shouldn't be on the shortlist. A reminder, as TIME EIC emphasized to me last year, Person of the Year is not an honor (I shouldn't have used the word "honored" in my tweet about Greta), it's a recognition of influence https://t.co/GXiLuzzG4Dpic.twitter.com/dUCdlsKiRY
#GeorgetownLaw is pleased to announce that @DouglasEmhoff, one of the nationās leading intellectual property and business litigators, will join its faculty in January 2021. Emhoff will also serve as a Distinguished Fellow of @gtowntechlaw: https://t.co/A4rKld1hXB
3 weeks ago New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch attended an indoor Republican caucus meeting where āa lotā of attendees did not wear masks or social distance.
Now he's dead from COVID19.š³
Mind youāwe haven't yet seen the carnage from the Thanksgiving Day surge.#WearAMask
President-Elect taps former Sec of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to pick up the reins again.
Our nation faces a hunger crisis, farmers are reeling, & rural communities are struggling with the economic fallout from the pandemic. We need steady leadershipāānow.
At the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack will take on those challenges on Day One.https://t.co/9vkG3fxmVn
— Biden-Harris Presidential Transition (@Transition46) December 10, 2020
… yet they all raise their hands to take an oath to administer justice impartially under the Constitution. Why is no one held accountable for violating their oath?https://t.co/0uY4LMeVa9pic.twitter.com/1vlkeCly9G
Brandon Bernard is scheduled to be executed tonight. The crime was 20 years ago. He was a teenager. He didn't pull the trigger.
The Trump administration is on track to execute 13 people before he leaves office. It would be more federal executions than the past 67 years combined.
Five of the nine people who served on his jury, the majority, have come out in favor of commutation saying they do not think Bernard should be killed. People who say they weren't originally presented with all of the information they should have always hadhttps://t.co/3IfWYmNMKh
It is categorically *absurd* that someone should get the death penalty (at all) but *especially* for something they did when they were a teenager. Research shows our brains aren't fully developed until our mid-20s.
And they want to *kill* him for something he did when he was 18.
Bernard would not deserve to die even if he had been the one to pull the trigger, bc the death penalty is wrong. But the idea that this man is going to be killed for something that happened two decades ago, when he wasn't the actual person who took the victims' lives is egregious
"In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling, Roper v. Simmons, which outlawed death sentences for defendants who committed their crimes before the age of 18…Today it is unlikely that Bernard would be sentenced to die for his role in the crime."
None of this is to say that accountability doesn't matter, even when you're a teenager, but accountability is not killing someone for something they were involved in as a teen. One can understand that what happened to the victims was horrible, and not support taking another life.
SCOTUS upheld the rape convictions of 3 male USAF members, reversing the military's top court ruling dismissing their cases.
SCOTUS, 8-0, ruled the 5 yr statute of limitations did not apply to those military rape prosecutions/convictions btwn 1986 & 2006. https://t.co/4gGCOXBTVU
āļøJUST IN: New amicus brief from 106 Republican House members in support of Texas' bid to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's win in the Supreme Court. Here they areš pic.twitter.com/QLN4jDfoto
šØ"This brief presents [our] concern as Members of Congress, shared by untold millions of their constituents, that the unconstitutional irregularities involved in the 2020 presidential election cast doubt upon its outcome and the integrity of the American system of elections." pic.twitter.com/L2G4EWQvTc
Today, President-elect Biden recognizes #HumanRightsDay and honors those who work tirelessly, often at great personal risk, to defend fundamental freedoms and fight oppression.
As Hanukkah begins, Jill and I send our warmest wishes to everyone celebrating in the United States and around the world. We know things look a little different this year, but we hope these next eight nights are filled with family, love, and light. Chag Sameach!
Happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating around the world. This year has tested us all, but it's also clarified what really matters. May the lights of the menorah remind us to cherish the blessings we have and offer glimmers of hope. From my family to yours, Chag Sameach!
Hanukkah sameach to all my Jewish brothers and sisters who are celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah tonight! I hope you are all able to celebrate safely with your loved ones. pic.twitter.com/XyPrCNgFxk
In a new campaign video, Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff promises to fight against police brutality and racial injustice, and fight for a new Civil Rights Act, if he wins a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia.https://t.co/4bgk9VDtuE
The weird thing about Rush Limbaugh saying he wants to secede is that, just like the first time they tried it, these racists assume that secession involves only consulting white people, not the Black PEOPLE who also ACTUALLY FUCKING LIVE THERE.
The core concept that Black people who live in these states GET A VOTE on what happens in or to their states is still lost on white people like Limbaugh, 160 years after they got their asses kicked over this question the first time.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Good Morning Family! Find your superpower! Use it for good! š
Awww! And Bless his Mom! š
Look what happens when good people stand up! š
Undetectable š
š·š·š·
Love it!
Jon Ossoff speaks to Leslie Jones.
Oops. This is what meant to reply with. š
This conversation was very well done!
This!!!!!!
I saw that yesterday! He nailed it!
Devouring their own …
Leslie Jones talks to Joy Reid about the Georgia runoffs, Steve Kornacki, and more:
See: (https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/leslie-jones-talks-about-the-georgia-runoffs-steve-kornacki-and-more-97442885521)
“Maddow says her partner Susan’s very scary bout with the coronavirus has changed her perspective on how to cover the pandemic. Check out Rachel’s new book, “BAG MAN: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House.”
LIVE EVENT:
FDA Holds an Open Meeting on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
C-SPAN:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?507053-1/fda-holds-open-meeting-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting December 10, 2020
FDA Briefing Document Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
3.
“Topics for VRBPAC Discussion”
“The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will convene on December 10, 2020, to discuss and provide recommendations on whether:
ā¢ based on the totality of scientific evidence available, it is reasonable to believe that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older, and
ā¢ the known and potential benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks for use in individuals 16 years of age and older.
The committee will also discuss what additional studies should be conducted by the vaccine manufacturer following issuance of the EUA to gather further data on the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine.”
(https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download)
{{{ šš NW & TOD šš }}}
In the intensity of our times, we are all working so hard to maintain and grow towards a unified consciousness with each other, I almost hesitate to post an article link which may seem totally off-topic:
But sometimes a ray of Hope helps us all, as well, and since today is my 70th birthday, yes I know, I bring you some reading to remind us there will be a future, and Light will shine on us again when this darkness has passed.
My daughter has been interviewed in this article, or I likely may never have known about it. I hope it brings a breath of respite and a sense of how much we have to share.
Many blessings, big hugs all around
Btw forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joesills/2020/12/09/memphis-has-the-cure-for-americas-stagnant-airwaves-once-again/?sh=3f79c5fe5146
Wishing you a “happy, Happy Birthday”, ‘ole’ girl!!! May this year you’ve entered upon be filled with calm, light, harmony, and ever fading memories of 2020’s stress!
Thank you, thank You!
Happy Birthday, MP! now to go read the article with your daughter.
Happy and Blessed Birthday to you, wpw! 2021 HAS to be better. #HOPEisnotcancelled
Thank you for sharing the link. Will head over and read now. š
Thank you, BWD, Iām sure youāll enjoy it!
Small acts of service
š„ŗ
Atlantic: “A Political Obituary for Donald Trump”
“The effects of his reign will linger. But democracy survived.”
(excerpts)
“Trumpās lies were different. They belonged to the postmodern era. They were assaults against not this or that fact, but reality itself….
The most mendacious of Trumpās predecessors would have been careful to limit these thoughts to private recording systems. Trump spoke them openly, not because he couldnāt control his impulses, but intentionally, even systematically, in order to demolish the norms that would otherwise have constrained his power. To his supporters, his shamelessness became a badge of honesty and strength. They grasped the message that they, too, could say whatever they wanted without apology…
Matthew Sheffield, a reformed right-wing media activist, tweeted: āTruth for conservative journalists is anything that harms āthe left.ā It doesnāt even have to be a fact. Trumpās numerous lies about any subject under the sun are thus justified because his deceptions point to a larger truth: that liberals are evil…
Trumpās legacy includes an extremist Republican Party that tries to hold on to power by flagrantly undemocratic means, and an opposition pushed toward its own version of extremism. He leaves behind a society in which the bonds of trust are degraded, in which his example licenses everyone to cheat on taxes and mock affliction.
Many of his policies can be reversed or mitigated. It will be much harder to clear our minds of his lies and restore the shared understanding of realityāthe agreement, however inconvenient, that A is A and not Bāon which a democracy depends.
But we now have the chance, because two events in Trumpās last year in office broke the spell of his sinister perversion of the truth. The first was the coronavirus…
The second event came on November 3….The election didnāt end his liesānothing willāor the deeper conflicts that the lies revealed. But we learned that we still want democracy.”
(https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/01/the-legacy-of-donald-trump/617255/)
“COVID-19 isn’t affecting all communities equally.
We’ve partnered with the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research to collect the most complete racial data anywhere in the COVID Racial Data Tracker.
(https://covidtracking.com)
DIANA LACHIONDO
Ada County Commissioner:
āI wasnāt actually inside the house,ā Lachiondo continued. āI was taking the call from my office at the Ada County Courthouse. But my two sons, ages 12 and 8, and my mother (who was out taking our dog on a short walk) were. And as many of you saw last night, my son called me in tears at the beginning of last nightās meeting.ā
“How can you not tremble with rage when you read that?”
“If you havenāt seen the Zoom footage of Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo
exiting Tuesdayās doomed CDH meeting in a near-panic, itās there ā along with brief video of selfish, ruckus-causing tools who stalked her home and frightened her children.”
Here: ((https://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/words-deeds/article247730835.html))
Georgia, if you want to LIVE and not die like a dog!!
Fmr Ambassador Michael McFaul:
“Deeply offended by these Attorneys General who have joined this ridiculous lawsuit to overturn the will of the people in four states. Was especially disappointed to see the Montana AG on the list. Montanans who I know believe in democracy. This is the opposite of that.”
—imo Montana republicans got everything out this election by every foul means, except Trump – we’re heading
for the Dark Ages under Gianforte and Daines. (Thanks heavens for Sen. Tester). So now they’re helping Doom’s political sycophants and suicidal base to put cash in his post-presidency pocket.
Ambassador McFaul might be interested to know that a white supremacy community is being created as we speak in NW Montana. Trump Jr was there unpublicized, the weekend before the Election.
Correction: New community in western MT. Not sure how under the radar they think it is.
(The Whitefish den of iniquity is in the NW.)
Good Afternoon TODVille.
It’s official: deep cleaning will take place before Biden moves in as reported in The Hill.
“Biden will have White House disinfected after Trump leaves.”
President-elect Biden needs to bring a priest in also. To exorcise the demons left behind.
In fear of coronavirus spreading in the White House, the General Services Administration will deploy a team to āthoroughly clean and disinfectā all surfaces touched often by human hands after Trump leaves and Biden moves in, a spokesperson from the agency told POLITICO.
They may have to tent it like they do sometimes to treat termites.
That & Secret Service clearing bugs too, including VP people’s house. So much fumigation, I tell ya! š·
An Ohio lawmaker tested positive for COVID-19 but returned to work days later.
Now several members of his committee have tested positive & he is *still* working at the Ohio Statehouse without a mask.
āThe biggest election fraud of the 2020 cycle – it didnāt happen in any voting booth,
it didnāt happen in any mailing drop box. Itās happening now with these people peddling the lie that he won.ā
(anti-Trump conservative George Conway)
Human Rights Day
David Perdue is a crook!
Responding to Hayesā question
about a broken Senate and what about adding more Senators to an unfair systemā¦
Jon Meacham, presidential historian:
āThe Great thing about the Constitution is that it was built to amend.ā
Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the the oldest conservative lobbying organization in the country,
says he plans to go to church on Christmas, tells Fox News that Americans:
“have the right to do unsafe things. It’s part of being an American, and I love every aspect of it.ā
= the Eff You And Me Partyās open invitation to die for the cause.
Yes big time in 2010 when PBO delivered $8 billion in rail grants:
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-obama-highspeed-rail/obama-delivers-8-billion-in-rail-grants-idUSTRE60R4GD20100128)
—Remember when Chris Christie refused the cash?
Also when PBO and VP Biden were setting up manufacturing hubs around the country.
(https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/09/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-new-manufacturing-innovation-hub-kn)
Yes!!!
President-Elect Joe is coming to Georgia next week to stump for our Soon-Senators!
https://www.peachvote.org
GA Voter Info.
-love
šš¾šš¾šš¾
Good Afternoon, TODbots.
Congarts, Dudette for your Furstāāāāāš„³š„š¶š„šÆš¹šŗšø
Thank you, NWš¤š„°š¤š„°šš
For Carla
First Gentlemanās got a DC gig
President-Elect taps former Sec of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to pick up the reins again.
The GOP is evil.
Pro-life
Used to call gop the Death Party. Someone at the time here objected. (I stopped) But I meant it.
They are. Thereās simply no doubt about it.
That oughta get some attention.
Sedition List
Happy Hanukkah!
https://twitter.com/ossoff/status/1337154296689922049?s=21
https://twitter.com/ossoff/status/1337154296689922049?s=21
Truth!
New post.
https://obamadiary.wordpress.com/2020/12/10/chag-sameach/