Monday News: “It’s impeachable. It’s likely illegal. It’s a coup.”; “Trump Crosses a Bright-Red Line”; Pelosi Reelected as Speaker; “Republicans Turn to QAnon Central to Save Them in Georgia”; “Congress adopts rules governing Jan. 6 Electoral College count”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, January 4.

FOLKS: Full audio published here. Please retweet far and wide. https://t.co/QqIsaNw5pA

— Amy Gardner (@AmyEGardner) January 3, 2021

• Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero (Good; now let’s get emissions to zero ASAP!)
• UK first to roll out AstraZeneca shots in race to stem COVID surge
• Consultant plays down Chinese solar fever (“The nation is set to have added 40 GW of solar in 2020 and that figure will rise again this year, to 45-50 GW, according to one of the year’s first industry predictions.”)
• Israel’s second tender for solar-plus-storage concludes with final price of $0.0544/KWh (“The Israeli government assigned 608.9 MW of PV capacity through the tender and selected seven developers for 33 projects. A storage capacity of around 2,400 MWh will be linked to the selected solar power projects.”)
• Biden Faces a Minefield in New Diplomacy with Iran
• US aircraft carrier stays in Gulf after Pentagon claims Iranian ‘threats’ against Trump (“Pentagon reverses decision to pull USS Nimitz out of Persian Gulf after ‘recent threats issued by Iranian leaders’”)
• Iran begins enriching uranium to 20 percent in new violation of nuclear deal (“Iran began ramping up its nuclear activities after the Trump administration withdrew from a 2015 agreement that curbed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for widespread sanctions relief.”)
• Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US, British judge rules (“Appeal expected against the ruling, which comes after weeks of hearings at the Old Bailey”)
• We can’t discover the pandemic’s origins if China’s thought police keep watching scientists
• Chinese billionaire Jack Ma suspected missing
• U.S. could ramp up slow Covid vaccine rollout by giving two half volume doses of Moderna shot, Slaoui says (“Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui said on ‘Face the Nation’ that health officials are considering giving two half doses of the Moderna vaccine to speed up immunizations in the U.S.”)
• Nancy Pelosi Secures Another Term as Speaker, as Senate Hangs in Balance
• Nancy Pelosi Is Re-elected as House Speaker
• Congress adopts rules governing Jan. 6 Electoral College count (“The rules of Congress’ Jan. 6 session governing the counting of Electoral College votes will remain identical to those used for decades, under a resolution adopted Sunday by the House and Senate.”)
• Carl Bernstein: This is the ultimate smoking gun tape
• ‘I just want to find 11,780 votes’: In extraordinary hour-long call, Trump pressures Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor
• Audio: Trump’s full Jan. 2 call with Ga. secretary of state (Trump appears to have committed multiple crimes just in this call alone. It’s time to enforce the law!)
• It’s impeachable. It’s likely illegal. It’s a coup.
• Trump Crosses a Bright-Red Line (“The president’s nonstop abuse of power seems determined to force a reckoning.”)
• Trump’s call with Georgia’s secretary of state is a subversion of democracy
• Trump knows no limits as he tries to overturn the election
• Here’s the full transcript and audio of the call between Trump and Raffensperger
• Trump Call to Georgia Official Might Violate State and Federal Law
• All 10 living former defense secretaries: Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory (The fact that Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld all felt the need to write this is very troubling, but also reassuring that they all signed on.)
• All 10 living former Defense secretaries declare election is over in forceful public letter
• It’s Time to Speak for America (By conservative Bill Kristol)
• An alarmingly large cadre of co-conspirators is helping Trump’s assault on democracy
• Trump’s pressure on Georgia election officials raises legal questions
• Election fight tears at GOP
• Supreme Leader of Voter Suppression (“Trump is bolstering anti-patriotism in the digital age.”)
• Trump’s bid to steal Georgia exposes GOP election ruse
• Trump’s latest crime “shocks” the media: His niece, Mary Trump, is not surprised (“Mary Trump on her uncle’s desperate attempt to escape being a ‘loser’: It’s a ‘uniquely terrifying situation'”)
• “The clock is ticking”: Trump’s powers are failing him in his White House final days (“New evidence of the President caught on tape trying to overturn the election exposes his corruption and makes his GOP Capitol Hill allies complicit”)
• More Republicans denounce GOP plans to challenge election results
• Chip Roy challenges seating of House members from six presidential battleground states
• Peter Navarro Falsely Claims in TV Interview Biden Inauguration Could Be Delayed (Fascist.)
• 2021’s call to Reconstruction (“Biden’s opportunity lies in the chance to resolve the crisis he inherits in ways that fight the overlapping inequalities of race and class. He was elected, after all, on a promise to ‘Build Back Better.’ Taking that slogan both literally and seriously would put a new era of Reconstruction at the heart of his presidency.”)
• The Memo: 48 hours that will shape start of Biden presidency (“If Democrats win both seats in Georgia, the Senate would be split 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wielding the deciding vote once she is inaugurated”)
• Futile Ploy to Overturn Election in Congress Divides GOP
• Trump’s Last Stand on Election Gives Pence a Final Loyalty Test
• Cotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote count
• Republicans want to make voting harder. They’ll use the fraud crisis they cooked up to do it. (This has been looked into over and over again, and the conclusion’s always the same, there is essentially ZERO – or very close to ZERO – voter fraud. So any time you hear a Republican going on about this, you know they’re lying and that they have no credibility in general.)
• The Wreckage Betsy DeVos Leaves Behind (“The Education Department lies in ruins right when it’s needed most.”)
• Trump to give Reps. Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes Presidential Medal of Freedom (Two of the worst, most evil/despicable members of Congress…how fitting that Trump would give them an *award*!)
• ‘You’re the arsonist here’: NBC’s Chuck Todd confronts GOP senator over effort to overturn election results (Yes, so why is Chuckles inviting the arsonist on his show?)
• “I’ll Be Fierce for All of Us”: Deb Haaland on Climate, Native Rights and Joe Biden (“The 60-year-old congresswoman will be the first Native American cabinet secretary next month when she takes over at Interior”)
• Fox News panelist defends Trump’s leaked call to Georgia secretary of state: He is a “man who fights” (Fox is heinous.)
• Trump And The Military: What An Erratic Commander In Chief Leaves Behind (“… in the end, several analysts say, what stands out is the damage Trump did to civilian-military relations. He used troops — and senior officers — in clearly political events, at times referring to ‘my generals.’ One senior officer, who is not authorized to speak publicly, recalled that in his dealings with Trump, the president was surprised to learn the military is apolitical. Moreover, Trump brushed aside a military justice system that found service members guilty of war crimes, granting them pardons.”)
• Biden inauguration will include ‘presidential escort’ to White House, virtual parade
• MAGA marchers plot final D.C. stand on Jan. 6 (“After failed lawsuits and investigations, Trump supporters are traveling to D.C. in a doomed bid to convince Congress to overturn the election.”)
• The other Georgia slugfest: a Brian Kemp-Stacey Abrams rematch (“Neither Kemp nor Abrams is on the ballot on Tuesday, but both have a lot at stake in the Senate runoffs.”)
• Trump Tries to Rally Georgia Republicans After Election Attacks (“Biden also plans to visit Georgia on eve of runoff Senate race; Some Republicans fear suppressed turnout for Senate runoffs”)
• Gov. Brian Kemp absent from GOP campaign trail in closing days
• Georgia Is Getting More Blue. The Senate Races Will Tell How Much.
• Democrats may make history in Georgia’s Senate runoffs
• Republicans Turn to QAnon Central to Save Them in Georgia (“Democrats surged ahead in early voting. So now Trump is landing on the home turf of QAnon congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene to pump up their core of conspiracy believers.” Appalling.)
• As Donald Trump Causes Chaos for Georgia GOP, Democrats Pull Away in Runoff Polls
• Georgia’s diversifying suburbs could be boon for Democrats in the Senate runoffs (“When we give Black voters something to vote for, great candidates with a great message, they show up”)
• DC-area leaders discourage counterprotesting on Jan. 6
• Denver Riggleman Has Seen the Future of the Republican Party (“Republicans used to think they’d succeed through moderation and inclusion. That’s over.”)
• Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Says #TrumpTapes of Georgia Call Show “an effort to overthrow the government of the United States” (“That might be accepted in some third world dictatorship; that’s not what we do in the United States.”)
• Trump Call Deserves Criminal Investigation, Virginia Congressman Says (“Donald McEachin calls for immediate action after Saturday’s call between Trump and Georgia Sec. of State Raffensperger”)
• Former, Two-Term VA Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R): Many GOP Senators Challenging Election Are Doing So For All the Wrong Reasons
• Spanberger Surprises Democrats With Sunday Vote (Not AT ALL the time or place for this political showboating, given the tremendous threat we’re currently facing from anti-democratic forces.)
• An early look at climate and energy bills in the 2021 session
• Just 29% of GOP-Selected Finalists for VA Redistricting Commission Are Women and Just 4% Black, 83% Earn >$100k; Dem Finalists Are 56% Women and 41% Black, 56% Earn >$100k
• “I didn’t see a focus on issues,” says Lee Carter in explanation of candidacy for Governor.
• Sunday (1/3) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +5,010 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 363,765), +70 Hospitalizations (to 18,310), +7 Deaths (to 5,124)
• Peggy Sanner column: Trees are improving communities. Virginia legislators can help. (“Currently Virginia law limits how localities can maintain and increase tree planting and preservation when sites are being developed…A proposal for this legislative session would give cities and counties more flexibility to expand tree cover in specific cases, such as remedying ongoing injustices as a result of redlining, addressing recurrent flooding and meeting permit requirements to reduce pollution to waterways. Under a bill patroned by Del. Nancy Guy, D-Virginia Beach, localities could choose to expand their reliance on trees as a cost-effective tool to tackle these priorities.” Do it! Also, give localities a LOT more authority to preserve trees and green space in general.)
• Northam’s budget would guarantee transgender health services for Medicaid enrollees
• Editorial: Legislators from affluent Virginia want to cut off revenue to poorer localities (In fact, the wealthier localities in Virginia HEAVILY subsidize the poorer ones.)
• Virginia Beach public defenders earn far less than prosecutors. Both sides want that to change.
• Four new members of Richmond School Board will be sworn in on Monday
• In Norfolk, sea level rise reduces some stormwater system capacity by 50%, data shows
• Albemarle government buildings to stay largely closed until at least March 15
• Chilly this week as we monitor chance of storminess on Friday