Tuesday News: “Trump’s Call Leaves Allies Fearful for American Democracy”; “Trump Fractures GOP With No-Holds-Barred Bid to Subvert Vote”; “As Georgia votes, Trump tries to destroy America’s faith in democracy”; “How the Republican Party Went Feral”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 5.

BRET BAIER: I want to pin you down on what you’re trying to do. Are you trying to say that Trump will be president after January 20?

JOSH HAWLEY: Well, that depends on what happens on Wednesday

BAIER: No it doesn’t

(Trump in fact lost an election!) pic.twitter.com/vsO2JyRJuk

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2021

• Study: Warming already baked in will blow past climate goals
• U.K. Bets 2 Million Vaccine Shots a Week Will End Lockdown
• Britain Returns To Lockdown To Fight Coronavirus Variant
• In sudden u-turn, NYSE scraps plan to delist three Chinese telecom firms
• In a Topsy-Turvy Pandemic World, China Offers Its Version of Freedom
• Trump’s Call Leaves Allies Fearful for American Democracy (“Foreign leaders are looking forward, even as many worry that the Trump effect will last for years, damaging trust in American predictability and reliability.”)
• Political worries rattled the market Monday and might not go away soon
• U.S. again shatters records after 2,700 new patients require hospitalization in single day
• New coronavirus variants could lead to a surge. The vaccine rollout is more urgent than ever.
• The Trump Era Could Only End in a Final Attack on Democracy
• Trump’s Fredo Corleone act is embarrassing and dangerous. But the end is near. (“We should stay vigilant, and stay calm.”)
• As Georgia votes, Trump tries to destroy America’s faith in democracy (“Trump drives US deeper into political abyss as he tries to steal the election”)
• Why Congress Should Impeach Trump Again (“And this time, he should be convicted. The country cannot risk his becoming president again.”)
• Barack Obama Spells Out Importance Of Georgia Runoff Elections (“’We’re seeing how far some will go to retain power and threaten the fundamental principles of our democracy,’ warned the former president.”)
• Georgia’s Raffensperger says Trump’s defeat is the ‘cold hard truth,’ hints at probe (“The Republican secretary of state also said the call from Trump could warrant an investigation into possible conflicts of interest.”)
• Worse Than Treason (“No amount of rationalizing can change the fact that the majority of the Republican Party is advocating for the overthrow of an American election.”)
• Donald Trump’s silver lining: Will his last-ditch coup rip the Republican Party apart? (“Assuming the republic withstands this assault, Trump may have done us a favor — by demolishing the Republican Party”)
• Hawley, Cruz and their Senate cohort are the Constitution’s most dangerous domestic enemies (This is by lifetime conservative George Will.)
• An Insurgency From Inside the Oval Office (“President Trump’s effort to overturn the election he lost has gone beyond mere venting of grievances at the risk of damaging the very American democracy he is charged with defending.” It never was the “mere venting of grievances,” but the NY Times is gonna NY Times, I guess.)
• Can Only Republicans Legitimately Win Elections? (“Trump and many of the G.O.P.’s leaders seem to think so, with ominous consequences for the future”)
• ‘We won’: Trump spreads misinformation about 2020 election during final Georgia rally (“At a campaign event for Republican Senate candidates, Trump claimed he won the state despite losing it to Joe Biden.”)
• To Defend Democracy, Investigate Trump
• Analysis: With call, Trump shows no limit to his power grab (Time to start charging Trump with multiple crimes.)
• Trump Fractures GOP With No-Holds-Barred Bid to Subvert Vote
• Trump Is Breaking Congressional Republicans on His Way Out (“Iron discipline can’t survive the president’s latest, most degrading loyalty test.”)
• As he seeks to prevent certification of election, Trump plans to attend DC rally (Utterly disgraceful.)
• This Is the Cost of a Failed Impeachment (This is McConnell and Company’s fault.)
• Trump’s Authoritarian Moment Is Here
• We all suffer for Mitch McConnell’s sycophancy
• Will the GOP be a party for or against democracy and truth? We’ll begin to find out this week.
• How the Republican Party Went Feral (“Democracy is now threatened by malevolent tribalism.”)
• Mitch McConnell’s Slipping Grip on the Republican Party (“What happens when GOP senators stop listening to their own majority leader?”)
• Trump’s Erratic Election-Eve Rally (“The president went down to Georgia for a rally that was sometimes entertaining, often incoherent, and entirely terrifying.”)
• Some Republicans Have Finally Found a Line They Won’t Cross
• How the January 6 Electoral-Vote Count Will Work
• Trump sabotaging GOP on his way out of office with push to overturn election (“Thirteen senators and more than 100 House members are planning to object to the electoral college results in Wednesday’s proceedings, but Trump is befuddled as to why many more Republicans are not falling in line with him, advisers said.”)
• Pence’s Choice: Side With the Constitution or His Boss (Pence’s boss IS the Constitution!)
• Trump Lawyer on Call Is a Conservative Firebrand Aiding His Push to Overturn Election (Disbar her.)
• Bice: Milwaukee law firm ‘concerned’ by attorney’s role in Trump call trying to upend Georgia election results (Like Susan Collins “concerned,” or are they going to actually DO something about it?)
• Cleta Mitchell, a key figure in president’s phone call, was an early backer of Trump’s election fraud claims
• 4 criminal laws that Trump may have violated in his Georgia election call</ li>
• Trump’s power wanes in closing weeks
• The Whigs Blew Up Over Slavery. Will the GOP Blow Up Over Loyalty to Trump? (“A split over a principle versus one over a con.”)
• Dominion plans to sue Sidney Powell, doesn’t rule out Trump
• With Objection to Biden’s Win, Josh Hawley Puts His Party in a Bind
• Today’s Georgia race will fundamentally destabilize the Senate
• GOP Rep. Warns Of ‘Full-Scale Hot Conflict’ If Republicans Lose Senate
• GOP congressman suggests he regrets his vote for Trump
• Activists Defend Josh Hawley House Protest: ‘It Was a Candlelight Vigil, Snowflake’
• Georgia’s rural Black voters were ignored and suppressed. Now they might flip the Senate.
• Has Georgia Reached a Turning Point for Democrats? The Senate Is at Stake (“The growth of the Atlanta area and the efforts to protect African-Americans’ voting rights have transformed the state’s political landscape.”)
• Georgia fights latest Trump suit to overturn November election
• Kelly Loeffler says she will object to the certification of Biden’s Electoral College win (That alone should disqualify her from holding public office.)
• Trump’s Georgia Call Raises New Prosecution Risk in Final Days
• EXCLUSIVE: Atlanta-Based U.S. Attorney Abruptly Departs Office Sooner Than Expected
• The Strangest Moments From the Last Meaningful Rally of the Trump Era
• Biden, Trump Stage Dueling Rallies on Eve of Georgia Election
• ‘One state can chart the course’: Biden rallies in Georgia on eve of Senate runoffs
• Proud Boys leader arrested in the burning of Black Lives Matter banner, D.C. police say (What on earth are these people “proud” of exactly?)
• Democrats Hope Georgia Will Become The Next Virginia, But It Could End Up Being The Next North Carolina
• ‘Fight like hell’: grievance and denialism rule at Trump Georgia rally (“Unrepentant president urges voters to support Republicans in the Senate runoffs on Tuesday and veers off script with bogus claims of a stolen election”)
• Georgia Senate elections: why are they a big deal and when will we have results?
• Lou Dobbs Asks Why It Has Been So Hard ‘Finding Actual Proof’ of Trump’s Baseless Election Claims
• Stacey Abrams Has A Blunt Reality Check On Georgia Secretary Of State Brad Raffensperger (“Abrams, who led voter drives in the 2020 election, warns that Raffensperger is not a champion of voting rights.”)
• Pharmacist Accused of Tampering With Vaccine Was Conspiracy Theorist, Police Say
• Trump thinks the Medal of Freedom is for rewarding friends and GOP donors (Yep, Trump debases and destroys everything he touches.)
• Statement of Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin on the Remarkable Life of Tommy Raskin (So tragic and sad.)
• Urging calm, DC mayor calls in National Guard for protests
• DC National Guard to Respond to Pro-Trump Protests This Week
• Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA04) Says Trump’s “behavior demands a criminal investigation…now”; Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Rips Trump’s “clear abuse of power and a desire to overturn the will of the people”
• Jay Jones raised $1 million last year in his campaign for Attorney General
• Terry McAuliffe Raises Record $6.1 Million in 2020 from Broad Coalition of Supporters, Ends Year with $5.5 Million Cash on Hand
• Billions in federal relief on its way to Virginians, state and local programs
• Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gov. Ralph Northam will join public talk on coronavirus with Virginians (“The virtual event will focus on how COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic communities.”)
• More than 450,000 total vaccine doses have been distributed in Va., but barely 20% administered while positivity rate surges (“Vaccinations in Virginia continue to lag as the state approaches half a million doses distributed and the percentage of people testing positive climbs to nearly 16%, a first since early May.” WTF???)
• Monday (1/4) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +3,771 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 367,536), +77 Hospitalizations (to 18,387), +8 Deaths (to 5,132)
• Kirk Cox Stays Silent As Other Republican Leaders Condemn Attempts To Overturn Election Results (“Cox’s spinelessness is exactly why Virginians don’t trust him to lead” Cox is busy on his hotdog eating tour of Virginia.)
• Breaking News: In Another Big Blow to Mountain Valley Pipeline, Virginia DEQ Says MVP Cannot Use a Nationwide Permit to Cross Hundreds of Water Bodies in Virginia
• Virginia’s Racist History With the Death Penalty Could Finally End
• General Assembly to Consider New Legal Requirements for Farm Workers
• Some State Republicans Want to “Sunset” Any Legislation Passed During a Virtual Session (Uh, no.)
• Meet the VA Redistricting Commission Finalists!
• Virginia Progressive Prosecutors Call For Ending Cash Bail, Abolishing Death Penalty, Ending Mandatory Minimums, etc. (This group represents over 40% of Virginia’s population)
• ‘Progressive prosecutors’ want Virginia to end the death penalty, cash bail and mandatory minimums
• Editorial: Ben Chafin’s legacy
• Momentum Builds for Democrat Candi King Ahead of Jan. 5 Special Election
• Hey Virginia, There Are Two Elections Today
• Virginia voters to decide 2nd District General Assembly seat
• After fueling a blue tide, Democrats in changing Virginia suburb aim high for more influence (This is unintentionally hilarious: “In the lieutenant governor’s race, Guzman and Ayala are competing against six other well-known Democrats — making it harder for them to gain traction with voters outside of Prince William.” In fact, it’s unlikely that ANY of the LG candidates have statewide name IDs out of the single digits.)
• Roanoke to consider banning guns from municipal building
• Mayor Stoney, new council members sworn in as 2021 agendas take shape
• Stoney Says He’ll Focus on Racial Equality in Second Term
• Opinion: EVMS critical to tackling region’s health needs
• Editorial: Celebrate four lives defined by service to Hampton Roads
• Virginia Beach will allow winter sports despite COVID-19 metrics remaining high (Not wise.)
• Charlottesville pauses city manager search (“In a Dec. 4 email, Police Chief RaShall Brackney said her interview with one of the consultants was an ‘unsettling and unprofessional interaction.'”)
• Norfolk is the next Virginia city to tackle a bus route redesign. Will more follow?
• Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney to seek re-election
• Cloudy with a chance for light showers as sun returns tomorrow