Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Monday December 28, 2020

1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL

2.) THE EPOCH TIMES

DECEMBER 28, 2020                                                                                   READ IN BROWSER Better Living Begins with Green Vegetable Omega-3. 100% organic, non-GMO and gluten-free. Puritang Green Vegetable Omega-3 is extracted from green plants and does not have the fishy aftertaste of deep-sea fish oil, instead, it has a delicate natural fragrance, and is suitable for all ages. Buy 4, Get 1 Free. Holiday Dash Event! Many of us here at The Epoch Times have lived under communist regimes, both in China and other parts of the world, and know firsthand its tyranny. We have already lived this. We have already experienced this. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sees the world leader in freedom, America, as the biggest threat to its existence. Our freedoms in America are now at risk. There has never been a more important time to have access to the TRUTH. Which is why we are offering a full access subscription to The Epoch Times for 4 months for just $1. NOTE: This is our lowest priced offer ever, and it is available for a very limited time. Get 4 Months For $1 Cancel anytime “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ARISTOTLE High School Student Sues Over Leftist ‘Indoctrination’ in Nevada Read more                     Share Trump Signs $2.3 Trillion Relief and Spending Bill, Says More Money to Come Read more Georgia Makes Early Ballot Counting Mandatory in Jan. 5 Runoff Read more Nashville Bomber’s Motivation Remains a Mystery; Residents Were Warned for an Hour Read more Rep. Gooden Urges Texas Senators to Challenge Electoral College Result Read more Live Q&A: Nashville Explosion May Have Targeted AT&T Building | Crossroads Watch Video                               Share See More Top Stories •  Fauci Again Changes His Perspective on COVID-19 Herd Immunity Threshold •  As China Reports More COVID-19 Cases, College Students Voice Concerns About Lockdown Policies •  Apple Punished Employee for Approving App That Was Critical of Beijing, Lawsuit Alleges •  New York Investigating Whether Health Care Network ‘Fraudulently’ Distributed COVID-19 Vaccine Is the FBI Already Engaged in a Coverup in the Nashville Bombing?  By Roger L. Simon         Read more This Time Is Not Different: More Debt, Less Growth  By Daniel Lacalle         Read more See More Opinions Puritang plant based Omega-3,6,7,9 is made from purslane and perilla seeds. It contains over 61% concentration of Omega-3 — the highest possible without chemical additives, not possible to derive naturally from fish or other plants, and this combined with Omega-6,7,9, accounts for more than 90% of product content!Purslane is nature’s gold mine of Omega-3, containing the highest level of any green plant, making pure high concentration possible.0% trans fat and 0% hormones, this product is 100% organic and 100% natural. Made in Korea. “People ignore the fact that social problems are caused by unleashing the evil side of man. As they create more and more laws, ignoring the crux of the matter, a vicious cycle is formed, and society begins its step-by-step march toward totalitarianism.” Get The Full Series Here ‘Very disturbing’: Dozens of Georgia witnesses expose election irregularities—Pt 2 | NTD Watch Video                               Share •  Exclusive: Gen. Michael Flynn: Will the American Republic Survive? (Part 2) •  Video: CCP Is Taking Over Once Free Nations: Se Hoon Kim on China’s Captive Nations Click Here to Play Advertisement: Have you tried our app?   Copyright © 2020 The Epoch Times, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive newsletter communications from The Epoch Times.   The Epoch Times. 229 W. 28 St. Fl. 5 New York, NY 10001 We have communist China at our gates, ready to take over. The CCP has carefully studied the U.S. system over the decades and now has successfully taken advantage of our open society and has infiltrated our country. Honest journalism has never been more important than right now. We hope you enjoy our coverage, of course you can unsubscribe too

3.) DAYBREAK

Your First Look at Today’s Top Stories – Daybreak Insider Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version. SPONSORED BY DaybreakInsider.com  @DaybreakInsider MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 1. Police: Nashville Bomber Died in Explosion Federal authorities identified him as Anthony Warner and do not believe there is anyone else involved in the attack (WSJ). The motive is still a mystery (Washington Times). The officers trying to evacuate before the explosion told stories of that effort (Fox News).  More on the bomber (NY Post). 2. Ossoff Ties to China Damaging Candidacy From the story: Mr. Biden, the president-elect’s son, and California Democratic Rep. Swalwell have kept stories about Beijing’s influence in the news, lending oxygen to Republicans hammering Mr. Ossoff‘s link to a Hong Kong conglomerate owned in part by the Chinese communist government. Mr. Ossoff, who is challenging Republican Sen. David Perdue in a Jan. 5 runoff election, slipped a few points in the Dec. 18 poll by the Trafalgar Group, which pollster Robert Cahaly attributed primarily to the China issue (Washington Times). Trump will hold a rally for Perdue and Loeffler the night before the election (Fox News). Advertisement 3. Trump Signs COVID Relief From the story: The president’s decision to sign the package into law will avert a government shutdown, restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add additional funding to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and invest in vaccine distribution, among other items in the bills. Fox News 4. China Jails Journalist for Four Years Over COVID Reporting From the story:  She disappeared from Wuhan in May and was later revealed to have been detained by police in Shanghai, a city more than 640 kilometers (400 miles) away, and charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” an offense commonly used to target journalists and human rights activists (CNN). From Gordon Chang: China’s regime is the world’s longest running horror show (Twitter). 5. Dems Fear Trump Outreach to Minorities Could Spell Trouble Down the Road As he expanded both the black and Hispanic voting base. Washington Times Advertisement 6. UK COVID Strain Found in Canada Two cases from people who don’t appear to have any connection to the UK. The story notes “The new mutation is potentially more contagious and has led to 40 countries restricting travel from the U.K” (Daily Wire).  Scott Gottlieb looks at what we can do to turn the corner on COVID (WSJ). 7. COVID May Be Leading to Rise of More Resistant STD From the story: The measures taken to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 might be contributing to the spread of a new, antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea. The overuse of antibiotics during the pandemic might render the sexually-transmitted infection (STI) more resistant to them, according to World Health Organization (WHO) medics. Daily Wire 8. Cuomo’s #MeToo Story Vanishes from Media From the story: Ten days after the 36-year-old ex-Cuomo aide tweeted that the governor “sexually harassed me for years,” which he promptly denied, the story has all but disappeared, barely nicking Mr. Cuomo’s status as an A-list Democratic star while making a further mockery of the party’s “believe all women” mantra. As far as conservatives are concerned, the lesson is that women—even liberal Democratic women like Ms. Boylan who can prove their proximity to the accused—shouldn’t expect the Christine Ford Blasey treatment if the man in question is a Democratic heavyweight. Washington Times Advertisement Copyright © 2020 DaybreakInsider.com SUBSCRIPTION INFO This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It is only sent to people who signed up from one of the Salem Media Group network of websites OR a friend might have forwarded it to you. We respect and value your time and privacy. Unsubscribe from The Daybreak Insider OR Send postal mail to: The Daybreak Insider Unsubscribe 6400 N. Belt Line Rd., Suite 200, Irving, TX 75063 Were you forwarded this edition of The Daybreak Insider? Get your own free subscription Copyright © 2020 Salem Media Group and its Content Providers. All rights reserved.

4.) THE SUNBURN

5.) MORNING BREW

December 28, 2020 View Online | Sign Up TOGETHER WITH Good morning. It’s not often we get to say this but it is my pleasure to bring you the Brew this morning. To try to make sense of this crazy year, the Morning Brew writing crew will be serving up a slew of special edition newsletters to close out 2020. Through New Year’s Day, we’ll publish a series of essays touching on all those deep questions we’ve faced this year—think big-picture stuff like how the business world embraced the Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic-era trends that might stick around. So pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa, add some Baileys when no one’s watching, and let’s unpack what the heck happened over the past 12 months. —Toby Howell MARKETS NASDAQ 12,782.33 + 0.09% S&P 3,694.20 + 0.11% DOW 30,138.16 + 0.03% GOLD 1,882.50 + 0.23% 10-YR 0.942% – 0.70 bps OIL 47.97 – 0.31% *As of market close . BUSINESS Businesses Ask Themselves One Question Giphy At the end of each episode of my favorite podcast, How I Built This, host Guy Raz asks his guests, all of whom have built massively successful businesses, “How much of your success is because of your hard work, skills, and smarts, and how much of it is luck?” A number of the talented entrepreneurs inevitably admit that luck played a role. And after 2020 gave certain industries pandemic wedgies (travel) and others golden tickets (home improvement), that question is more relevant than ever. The lucky ones Zoom: The fact that I’m having trouble coming up with a WFH joke right now shows just how many stories we’ve written about Zoom since March. The videoconferencing company wouldn’t trade a holographic Charizard for the year it’s had, all thanks to the “good luck” of the pandemic forcing tens of millions of people to set up home-offices in their pantries. Zoom’s revenue was up 367% from a year ago in Q3; its stock is up nearly 600% this year alone. Peloton: Another company that hit the lotto while being struck by lightning, Peloton has wheeled its hardware (bikes, treadmills) into a lot more households this year thanks to the pandemic. On June 30, the number of people subscribing to its remote fitness classes reached ~1.1 million, up from 886,100 at the end of March. And while many companies struggled to keep the lights on in their unused offices, Peloton’s biggest challenge was making enough bikes to deliver to impatient customers. Fiverr: An under-the-radar pandemic winner, Fiverr is a marketplace for remote freelancers. Its Service-as-a-Product offering is tailor-made for a business landscape where part-time remote workers are in heavy demand. Novavax: Talk about a business that is booming. The small biotech started the year essentially as a penny stock. It had no FDA-approved drugs and no profits. But once the coronavirus hit and Novavax announced it had a vaccine candidate in development, the stock went ballistic. It’s up *checks notes, rubs eyes, mutters “Oh, wow”* over 2,700% this year. But as any tipsy trip to the roulette table can tell you, luck is a double-edged sword. The pandemic has put Zoom in an awkward position, according to Packy McCormick, writer of the Not Boring newsletter: “Zoom’s attracted a ton of competitors and they’ve been forced to focus on security and reliability versus building anything new.” Revenue is way up, but that growth spurt may have come at the expense of a more sustainable trajectory that would put it in a better position over the long-run. “Yes [Zoom] has been lucky, but in some cases, is it too much of a good thing?” McCormick told me. Peloton’s ankles are also showing after it outgrew its 2019 pants. Record sales have exposed cracks in its supply chain, and it recently had to issue a recall on 27,000 pedals because of a safety risk. Still, growing pains are good, because it means you’re…growing. The raw end of the deal For every Peloton and Zoom, there were thousands of small businesses forced to close despite having thriving operations before the pandemic. Because of the nature of the lockdowns, restaurants have been particularly unlucky. Data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that 82% of jobs lost since February have been in the service industry. And in California, one of a few states to ban indoor dining two separate times, the National Restaurant Association predicts 43% of restaurants will permanently close because of the current crisis. But even on a restaurant-by-restaurant basis, some were unluckier than others. The Fat Radish, an upscale NYC eatery, was forced to close in July because it didn’t have the street space to take advantage of outdoor dining. But at Loulou Petit Bistro, just one neighborhood away, “We are lucky to have a large outdoor section with close to 80 seats and…dedicated heaters,” owner Mathias Van Leyden told Time Out. Business survival didn’t come down to great food, superior ambiance, or servers who memorize your order without writing it down. Sometimes, it was determined simply by whether your location could accommodate outdoor dining. Look to the cookie As easy as it would be to fit businesses neatly into the categories of “lucky” or “unlucky” during the pandemic, the reality for most companies isn’t as black and white as the Seinfeld cookie. Take Disney: Its parks business, which accounts for 23% of its revenue, was devastated this year. It took an $81 million operating loss in FY 2020 after netting $6.8 billion in profit in FY 2019. But Baby Yoda, Hamilton, and “Let It Go” saved the day. Disney would be in a (small) world of hurt right now had it not launched Disney+ five months before the pandemic. And Disney+ might not have gotten an astonishing 86 million subscribers if parents hadn’t been stuck at home with bored kids. But those things happened because of Disney’s foresight to launch a competitor to Netflix loaded with its own great IP, plus a lot of luck. Now, after telling the world it’s all-in on streaming during its most recent investor day, Disney’s stock is at an all time high. And Baby Yoda could likely run for president. Bottom line: After 2020, I’m guessing a lot more guests on Guy Raz’s show will give additional weight to the role of luck. Blood, sweat, tears, and even genius were no match for simply being in the right—or wrong—place at the right time. SPONSORED BY THE MOTLEY FOOL One Small Investment, One Giant Leap for this Drawing of a Chalk Man If you make this investment, you might feel like leaping tall chalk drawings in a single bound. Why? ‘Cause Motley Fool just issued a rare “double down” buy alert on it. This doesn’t happen often. But now, the folks at the Motley Fool are pretty sure that this small California tech company is potentially headed for big things. Like, Netflix big (up 26,773% since first rec’d by the Fool). Or Amazon big (up 20,557%). Sign up for Motley Fool Stock Advisor so you can see the investment making this chalk drawing jump for joy. [Returns as of 12/14/20] IMAGE Snapshot from 2020 Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images This image actually graced the pages of the Brew back in March, but it’s just as eerie to see a posse of goats roaming a locked-down Welsh town today. The scene also reminds me of the part in World War Z where Brad Pitt’s character wanders through a boarded-up Nordic town as inhabitants shut themselves in for protection against the zombie virus. Turns out, even if Covid-19 isn’t reanimating the dead, a pandemic is still a pandemic. Q&A Behind the Brew: Toby Howell Get to know the Brew better with a quick round of icebreaker questions.  Hometown: Bradenton, FL What you would be doing if not writing for the Brew: I would make a content house where some aspirational golf lovers and I would quit everything to try and make it onto a pro tour, documenting our journey along the way. One thing you are snobby about: I won’t eat even marginally expired foods. Even though I know milk doesn’t go bad the moment the date on the carton passes, I just can’t make myself ingest something after the approved timeframe for consumption. First R-rated movie: Love, Actually. My parents are obsessed with it and showed it to me way earlier than they should have. What is something fun you did that you’d never do again? Short Tesla. If you could safely eat any inedible object, what would it be? I think a brand new tennis ball would be a light and refreshing snack. The delicious chemical smell, the crisp sound of opening a new tube…my mouth is watering already. Recommend literally anything: If your computer doth protest too much when you open more than seven tabs, you have to try the OneTab Chrome extension. One click and it saves all your open tabs for later access. The best part: It frees up memory in the process so everything feels snappy again. Can’t live without it in the newsletter game. BREW’S BETS A very chill 40% off these laid-back California kicks. SeaVees footwear is intentionally simple and purposefully timeless—and now you can get 40% off during their End of Season sale. Score 40% off the coolest shoes around here.* Does your small business have big sales tax challenges? Avalara unifies sales and use tax calculation, returns preparation, and document management in a single, cloud-based solution. Instead of spending time tracking it all, let your team focus on growing your business. Learn more.* Branding 101: Pepsi’s 2009 logo redesign came from a wild pitch that analyzed the new symbol’s potential magnetic and gravitational pull, among other qualities. Here’s the original PDF and a TikTok overview. Wholesome content: 2020 summed up in New Yorker cartoons. *This is sponsored advertising content GAMES Trivia Night So Nice We Did It Twice Francis Scialabba In November, we released our first Morning Brew Virtual Trivia Night to help people connect with their friends, family, and coworkers. The feedback was so positive we decided to do it again with an entire new slate of questions. In this document, you’ll find everything you need to run virtual trivia. Hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to post a screenshot of your Trivia Night on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #BrewTrivia. Let us know which team won, so we can sing their praises, and who got last, so we can roast them. Here’s a sample question to whet your trivia appetite: Within the categories below, which is the first entry in alphabetical order? U.S. national parks Zodiac signs Seven dwarfs ANSWER 1. Acadia National Park, Maine 2. Aquarius 3. Bashful Written by Toby Howell Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here. View our privacy policy here. Copyright ©2020 Morning Brew. All rights reserved. 40 Exchange Pl., Suite #300, New York, NY 10005

6.) THE FACTUAL

28 DEC 2020 View in browser Facts, not fear. TRENDING TOPICS Trump signs stimulus • Bowling alley shooting • EU vaccine rollout • China largest economy • Wonder Woman box office FEATURED UNDER-REPORTED STORIES No-brainer clean energy • Lesser known foreign policies • Vaccine euphoria You are on the free plan of The Factual Save 40% by upgrading before Jan 1 Upgrade Now TRENDING TOPICS, MOST CREDIBLE STORIES #1 in U.S. News • 168 articles Why did President Trump sign the covid stimulus bill after demanding changes to it? Top from last 48 hrs Trump signed the stimulus bill after demanding a $2,000 second stimulus check. Now what? CNET (Center) • Credibility Grade 80% • 5 min read After a week spent attacking the $600 second stimulus check, President Donald Trump signed a $2.3 trillion bill Sunday night that that combines $900 billion in stimulus money with funding for the government — a day before the deadline that would shut down the government. Biden has referred to the stimulus portion of the joint package as a “first step and down payment,” forecasting a larger bill after he’s sworn into office — including a third stimulus check. … It isn’t clear why Trump changed his mind after days of lambasting the “measly” size of the $600 maximum payment, and advancing his agenda to raise the second stimulus check to up to $2,000 instead. Trump had planned to sign the package Dec. 24 at 7.p.m. ET, CNN reported Sunday, before the president allegedly changed his mind. … The House of Representatives will vote Monday on a bill to authorize the second stimulus check Trump is asking for, for up to $2,000 per qualified adult. [The legislation passing the Senate] depends on whether Trump will continue to hold sway with Senate Republicans in his final 24 days before Biden is sworn in as president, or whether a $2,000 check — which could greatly increase the size of the COVID-19 relief allocation — will divide the party. Top from different political viewpoint Trump is totally right to call the stimulus deal a ‘disgrace.’ Washington Examiner (Moderate Right) • Credibility Grade 70% • 3 min read Top long-read How much should we worry today about the rising federal debt? Brookings Institute (Moderate Left) • Credibility Grade 80% • 5 min read View all articles #2 in U.S. News • 15 articles Why did a military sergeant open fire at an Illinois bowling alley? Headlines and summaries for subscribers only. Upgrade before Jan 1 to save 40% Upgrade Now #1 in World News • 38 articles Why is the EU’s vaccine rollout slower than the US’? Headlines and summaries for subscribers only. Subscribe for the cost of a coffee a month. Upgrade Now #2 in World News • 13 articles Why is China’s economy projected to exceed the US’ sooner than initially expected? Headlines and summaries for subscribers only. Full Price: $20/yr Subscribe now for only $12/yr. Upgrade Now #1 in Culture News • 32 articles What does Wonder Woman’s box office performance mean for movie streaming? Headlines and summaries for subscribers only. One payment. Once a year. $12 Upgrade Now SPREAD FACTS, NOT FEAR Refer a friend. They get 15% off. You get free stuff. Your referral count is:    0 View your rewards page You can also copy & paste your referral link: https://thefactual.com/?refid=31978686 UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS Anthony Quinn Warner, self-employed computer guru ID’d as lone Nashville bomber, killed in blast. The Tennessean (Moderate Right) • Grade 75% • 6 min read 1 of every 17 people in the U.S. has been infected, and 1 in 1,000 has died. Yet the worst may lie ahead. New York Times (Moderate Left) • Grade 80% • 3 min read Incoming Democratic House members sidestep questions on voting for Pelosi as speaker. The Hill (Moderate Left) • Grade 78% • 2 min read Central African Republic votes amid fears of unrest. Washington Times (Moderate Right) • Grade 66% • 4 min read View more credible stories HIGHLY CREDIBLE, UNDER-REPORTED STORIES Congress finally wants to give a boost to no-brainer clean energy technology. Grist (Moderate Left) • Grade 88% • 4 min read Lesser known foreign policies. Headlines for subscribers only. Upgrade now. Vaccine euphoria. Headlines for subscribers only. Upgrade now. View all under-reported stories THE FACTUAL STATS Highest Scoring Publication Reason (Moderate Right) Suppressing ‘hate speech’ on social media drives users to new platforms. Highest Scoring Author Megan Garber, The Atlantic 2020 changed what TV is for. 8,215 Articles Analyzed Visit The Factual The Factual, 55 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from The Factual. Unsubscribe here. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Factual in your inbox. Check out our website and social media platforms for daily news updates.

7.) LIBERTY NATION

Daily Briefing CONSERVATIVE NEWS WHERE TRUTH MATTERS VISIT LibertyNation.com FROM OUR NEWSROOM The Republican Party Abandons Trump at Its Peril By Graham J Noble Is the GOP really this eager to discard Trump and his supporters and slink back to its old familiar Swamp lair? Click Here Breaking This Morning With his signing statement of the COVID relief spending package, President Trump asked for “far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child.” He has demanded certain changes to the package under the 1974 Budget Act, which enables the president to seek a veto on certain items. Congress could technically ignore these requests, but it would be politically dangerous in terms of public opinion to do so. Georgia Runoffs Fuel Speculation Over the Fate of the Senate By Jeff Charles A top pollster has some predictions regarding which party will control the Senate. Click Here Media Mythology CNN’s Jake Tapper is once again facing mockery for saying that he would not interview White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, saying, “These are just people who just, they just tell lies the way that, you know, most people breathe.” McEnany responded via Twitter, stating that she neither lies nor leaks, but that she does “call out the lies of the media (i.e. CNN Russia collusion hoax!).” CNN’s history of lies and fabrication did not go unnoticed by the Twitterverse. Lin Wood, MAGA Lawyers Under Attack for Challenging the Election By Scott D. Cosenza, Esq. Organized pressure groups are campaigning to have Trump-affiliated lawyers punished for filing suits to overturn the election results. Click Here Washington Whispers On Monday, the House of Representatives will vote on a Democrat bill that would raise Americans’ stimulus payments from $600 to $2000. President Trump pushed the increase before signing a spending bill Sunday evening that keeps the government open and provides economic relief. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), the co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said he would support the measure. The leader of the New York Democratic Party has warned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) against challenging Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in 2022 for his Senate seat. The brother of a senior advisor to Joe Biden has been hired by Amazon as a lobbyist. Will COVID-19 Kill Socialism? By Andrew Moran If you want to know what socialism looks like, check out what happened over the past nine months. Click Here Liberty Rewind: LN Articles Making Headlines Lectures from Hell XVII: Demonize Your Enemies LN Radio 12/27/20 – 2020: A Year Which Will Live in Infamy Swamponomics: Mortgage Rates, Freight Rates, and Turkish Rates  Liberty Nation On The Go: Listen to Today’s Top News 12.28.20 By Liberty Nation Staff Conservative News – Hot Off The Press – Audio Playlist – AD FREE Click Here Your Daily Political Devotional Something political to ponder as you enjoy your morning coffee. A well-known Washington newspaper decried the dangers of being a journalist in 2020. It reports that more than 300 reporters were assaulted, many of whom by police officers during coverage of Black Lives Matter protests. It fails to elucidate whether these journalists were engaged in criminal activity or violence themselves. This is just a small slice of what Liberty Nation publishes every day. Stay Ahead of the Curve with WHATFINGER.COM — THE #1 ALTERNATIVE TO THE DRUDGE WATCH NOW FEATURED LNTV The Conspiracy Uprising – The Rabbit Hole Videocast What Christmas Means To Us – Liberty Nation Political Policing in 2021? – LNTV The Conspiracy Uprising – The Rabbit Hole Videocast  Check out one of our podcasts! Subscribe and get notified of new arrivals. SUBSCRIBE Tsunami of New Filings at Supreme Court – LNTV  Check out one of our videos! View the latest Liberty Nation videos on YouTube. WATCH NOW

© 2019 Liberty Nation. All Rights Reserved.

8.) FOX NEWS

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Monday, December 28, 2020 Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here’s what you need to know as you start your day … Trump signs Covid bill, averts shutdown, will continue to push for $2G checks from Congress Five days after calling the coronavirus bill a “disgrace,” President Trump signed the massive $900 billion COVID-19 relief and $1.4 trillion government spending package Sunday night. The president’s decision to sign the package will avert a government shutdown, restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add additional funding to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and invest in vaccine distribution, among other items in the bills. Trump has also sent a “redlined version” of the bill to Congress, which includes an item by item breakdown and formal rescission request insisting that any “wasteful items” be removed from the bill. “As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child,” Trump said in a statement issued by White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere on Sunday. “Much more money is coming. I will never give up my fight for the American people!” On Tuesday, Trump slammed the $900 billion relief bill as a “disgrace” and claimed it has “almost nothing to do with COVID.” “Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it,” Trump said. However, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey, D-NY, said that she and her committee’s Democratic majority plan to reject the president’s request. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY. In other developments: – President Trump signs COVID relief, spending bill averting shutdown. So what happens now? – Illinois restaurant owner says limited coronavirus stimulus will cause middle class to ‘starve to death’ – Beverly Hills restaurant caught planning ‘discreet’ New Year’s dinner amid dining ban – Barstool’s Dave Portnoy launches $500K fund to aid small businesses hit by pandemic Nashville bombing suspect Anthony Quinn Warner died in explosion: police The suspect behind the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville has been identified as 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, authorities confirmed during a press conference Sunday. Police said Warner owned the RV that exploded in downtown Nashville early Friday, and that he died in the blast. Human tissue was found amongst the debris left behind by the explosion, and DNA examinations of tissue samples by The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and FBI were found to be consistent with Warner. In addition, the Tennessee Highway Patrol uncovered a vehicle identification number from the remains of the RV, which revealed it was registered to Warner. Authorities said that, while they are still following leads, there is “no indication” that any other people were involved. Police added that a motive for the bombing remains unknown and that officials are looking to speak with anyone familiar with Warner’s ideologies. Police are interviewing individuals identified to have been known by Warner and are still processing evidence from the scene. CLICK HERE FOR MORE. In other developments: – White box truck playing audio ‘similar’ to RV in Nashville explosion shuts down Tennessee highway – LA entertainment exec linked to Nashville bombing suspect – Tattoo shop ruined in Nashville explosion after year of braving coronavirus pandemic: ‘It’s gone,’ owner says – Nashville family credits officers with helping them flee home moments before explosion – Nashville cops detail lifesaving moments before explosion: ‘Christmas will never be the same for us’ Fauci claims his earlier herd immunity numbers were ‘guestimates,’ settles on 75-80 percent Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday dismissed accusations that he deliberately moved the goalposts on when the country would vaccinate enough people against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity, saying he was previously offering “guestimates.” Reported by some outlets as a “confession,” Fauci told The New York Times: “When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent …Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80,85.” In subsequent interviews, Fauci has focused on the other part of that Times report in which he compared COVID-19 to measles, saying at the time that “I’d bet my house that COVID isn’t as contagious as measles.” Fauci appeared on Sunday morning’s “State of the Union,” reiterating to CNN’s Dana Bash that he based his numbers on measles – not polling. “Measles is about 98% effective vaccine; the COVID-19 vaccine is about 94%,” Fauci said. “When you get below 90% of the population vaccinated with measles, you start seeing a breakthrough against the herd immunity, people starting to get infected, like we saw in upper New York State and in New York City, with the Orthodox Jewish group, when we had the measles outbreak.” “So I made a calculation that COVID-19 is not as nearly as transmissible as measles,” Fauci added, stressing that measles is “the most transmissible” virus. CLICK HERE FOR MORE. In other developments: – Supermarket chain gives $200K in gift cards to struggling restaurants amid coronavirus pandemic – Wars, instability pose coronavirus vaccine challenges in poor nations – ‘Believe in science’: EU kicks off COVID-19 vaccine campaign – Coronavirus restrictions killing the party rental industry CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP TODAY’S MUST-READS: – Texas woman on President Trump commuting her remaining term of supervised release from prison – Chicago violence: 7 killed, 27 shot on Christmas weekend – Long Island cops say they found burning human corpse in backyard, make arrest – Ex-Israeli UN Ambassador Danon on what a Biden administration means for Middle East peace – Rising Democratic star Bottoms takes heat as Atlanta homicides soar – Padres to acquire Blake Snell, 2018 AL Cy Young winner, in shocking trade with Rays: reports THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS: – UK urges businesses to prepare for Brexit as companies fear disruption: report – China highly criticizes Ant Group, tells company to switch back to its mainstay payments business – AT&T to waive data overage charges for customers impacted by outages due to Nashville bombing – Could you live on the average Social Security benefit in 2021? – ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ dominates Christmas pandemic box office opening weekend #The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on “This Day in History.” SOME PARTING WORDS Steve Hilton discussed how the establishment refused to accept President Trump and his policies over the last four years on “The Next Revolution” Sunday night. “For four years they plotted and schemed to get their power back,” Hilton said. “The resistance, the Russia plot, the impeachment hoax, the endless attempts to block and stop the policies that you voted for. In spite of all this, President Trump did get it done.” Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you’re missing. Fox News’ Go Watch page is now available, providing visitors with Pay TV provider options in their area carrying Fox News Channel & Fox Business Network. Fox News First was compiled by Fox News’ Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday.

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9.) UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

TOP NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2020

Biden transition, lack of funds put NASA’s 2024 moon landing date in doubt A new presidential administration and insufficient funding from Congress have cast some doubt on the space agency’s goal to return humans to the lunar surface just four years from now, a timeline that was already seen as unrealistic by some experts. READ FULL STORY

U.S. NEWS
House votes today on increasing stimulus payments to $2,000 President Donald Trump signed the COVID-19 relief bill Sunday night, but Congress can still increase the amount of direct stimulus payments for Americans to $2,000 each — if Republicans agree to it. READ FULL STORY New video shows RV explode in Nashville The closed circuit television footage shows a police officer walking past the area just seconds before a large orange fireball and a hail of debris. FULL STORY > MORE U.S. NEWS

HEALTH NEWS
Lessons of COVID-19 research pivot in 2020 could improve medical studies “I think the pandemic will end up being transformative in terms of how we do research in medicine,” one researcher tells UPI, adding that the shift to more research online is a possible “game-changer.” READ FULL STORY MORE HEALTH NEWS

SPORTS NEWS
Horse racing waves goodbye to 2020 with hopes high for 2021 The sport has wrapped 2020 with a sense of relief and some impressive performances from Florida to California and Japan that promise great drama in 2021 — possibly in more normal settings. READ FULL STORY Villanova coach tests positive for COVID-19 The school has paused all men’s basketball team activities after coach Jay Wright and another staff member tested positive. FULL STORY > MORE SPORTS NEWS

ON THIS DAY
London’s Westminster Abbey consecrated Westminster Abbey, one of the most famous churches in the world, was dedicated on Dec. 28, 1065. READ FULL STORY Birthdays: Maggie Smith, Seth Meyers Actor Maggie Smith is 86 and comedian Seth Meyers is 47, among today’s famous birthdays. FULL STORY > MORE ON THIS DAY

PHOTOS
Pictures of the Year: Top images from 2020 Scenes from the holiday season
VIEW ALL PHOTOS

10.) JUST THE NEWS

11.) AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE

12.) THE FLIP SIDE

13.) AXIOS

Mike Allen

☕ Happy Monday! Today’s Smart Brevity™ count: 1,184 words … 4½ minutes.

🇨🇳 Breaking: A Chinese court handed a four-year jail term today to a citizen-journalist who reported from Wuhan at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, on grounds she was “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” Reuters reports. (Go deeper.)

• 🇸🇦 One of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent women’s rights activists was sentenced today to nearly six years in prison under a vague and broadly worded law aimed at combating terrorism, according to state-linked media. — AP

1 big thing: 5 trends that will shape America in ’21

Display for the ball drop atop One Times Square. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

President-elect Biden is going to spend 2021 trying to return America to what he considers a more normal time, while President Trump tries to lock down control of the GOP — all at a time when misinformation and alternate narratives get even worse.

• Here are five of the storylines that will shape America next year, narrated by Axios experts in virtual conversations with CEO Jim VandeHei:

1. Biden is going to be “a man on a small, lonely island trying to unite the country,” White House and politics editor Margaret Talev reports.

• “I think the only thing he really controls is himself, and that’s [why] he’ll try to use the bully pulpit.”

2. President Trump’s expected announcement that he’ll run for president again in 2024 allows him “to freeze the Republican Party in place,” according to Jonathan Swan.

• And for those Republicans who want to run in 2024 themselves and hope Trump will walk off into the sunset: “He ain’t doing that.”

3. The Federal Reserve “has created this environment where there’s no such thing as risk,” but that can’t go on forever and Wall Street knows it, Axios Markets editor Dion Rabouin says.

• “It’s the make-believe economy … The nuts and bolts of buyers and sellers, of the market, of creating products and selling things, that’s not going well at all. But the Fed has just said: If the stock market goes down, we will be here with our fake funny money.”

4. If any real moves to crack down on the power of Big Tech happen, they’re more likely to come from the executive branch — the Justice Department or FTC — than from Congress, Axios Login maestro Ina Fried says from S.F.

5. The rise of alternate universes is on track to get even worse, Axios Media Trends expert Sara Fischer tells Jim:

• “The information economy definitely favors speed and scale, as well as hyperbole. It does not favor facts and measured reporting.”

Watch the video.

2. On phone with Trump: Getting to “yes”

President Trump’s motorcade departs Trump International Golf Club yesterday, en route to Mar-a-Lago. Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP

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.

• The deal was closed on a Sunday afternoon phone call with Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.
• “This is good,” Trump finally said, an official familiar with the call told me. “I should sign this.”

How it happened: Over many days, Mnuchin and McCarthy — aided by Sen. Lindsey Graham, 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.

• Playing to his vanity, they invoked his legacy and reminded him he didn’t want to hurt people.

Trump’s sweeteners, from his 8:15 p.m. statement: “[T]he House and Senate have agreed to focus strongly on the very substantial voter fraud which took place in the November 3 Presidential election.”

Reality check … Pollster Frank Luntz told me: “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.”

• 📄 Go deeper: Updated highlights of what’s in the bill.
• Share this story.

3. 40-page tick-tock: Trump resisted masks from Day 1

The New Yorker is devoting nearly the entire issue — something the magazine has done just a handful of times in its history — to “The Plague Year,” a 40-page account by Lawrence Wright about how American botched its virus response.

• Larry’s prescient thriller — “The End of October,” out in April — was about a global pandemic sparked by a mysterious virus that originated in Asia.

Much of Wright’s narration of the West Wing’s panicked early response is from the point of view of deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, a former Marine and China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and Reuters:

On March 4th, as Matt Pottinger was driving to the White House, he was on the phone with a doctor in China. Taking notes on the back of an envelope while navigating traffic, he was hearing valuable new information about how the virus was being contained in China. The doctor … emphasized that masks were extremely effective with COVID …

Still on the phone when he parked his stick-shift Audi, on West Executive Avenue, next to the West Wing, Pottinger forgot to put on the parking brake. As he rushed toward his office, the car rolled backward, narrowly missing the Vice-President’s limo, before coming to rest against a tree.

While the Secret Service examined the errant Audi, Pottinger kept thinking about masks. …

Nobody in the White House wore a mask until Pottinger donned one, in mid-March. Entering the West Wing, he felt as if he were wearing a clown nose. People gawked. Trump asked if he was ill. Pottinger replied, “I just don’t want to be a footnote in history — the guy who knocked off a President with COVID.”

Worthy of your time: Keep reading.

4. Brands bet on working from home

The Kimberly-Clark factory in Neenah, Wis., makes Cottonelle toilet paper and other brands. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Consumer-product companies are expanding factories and revamping production lines, wagering that work-from-home habits like growing beards and fixing quick lunches will outlast the coronavirus pandemic,” The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription).

• “Kimberly-Clark Corp. is converting a plant to make toilet paper for homes instead of offices, and Procter & Gamble Co. is adding beard-care products.”
• “Kraft Heinz Co. raised production of … Kraft Mac & Cheese cups, Oscar Mayer cold cuts and Philadelphia cream cheese … Now the company is spending more than $100 million to add more production capacity next year.”
• J.M. Smucker Co. has retrofitted machines to make sizes “of Folgers and Dunkin’ coffee that it expects to be popular with people working from home.”

5. Nashville authorities: Loner blew himself up

This sequence, taken from a video provided by Nashville Downtown Hostel, shows the moment the R.V. bomb exploded on Christmas morning.

• DNA evidence confirmed that the remains of the lone bomber, a self-employed 63-year-old, was found at the scene, The Tennessean reports.

6. 🥊 Trump’s favorite paper turns its back

President Trump personally fed the N.Y. Post’s “Page Six” when he lived in Manhattan, and reached for that Post first once he moved to D.C. Rupert Murdoch — co-chair of Fox Corp. and executive chair of News Corp, which includes the Post — became a Trump confidant.

• Murdoch had grown exasperated with Trump, and now it’s divorce. The Post, which endorsed Trump, says in an editorial:

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.

7. 🎞️ Biggest box-office debut of shutdown

Despite premiering simultaneously by streaming service, “Wonder Woman 1984” managed the best box-office debut of the pandemic, opening with $16.7 million over the Christmas weekend, AP’s Jake Coyle writes from studio estimates.

• That’s only a faint glimmer of typical business during the holiday season: Last year, “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” exceeded $32 million on Christmas Day alone.

35% of North American theaters are currently open, according to Comscore.

8. 🤔 1 smile to go: “Out of office” when we’re ALWAYS out of office

Sam Baker, Axios health care editor, has a delightful solution to that conundrum, which I’m sharing with his permission:

Mike Allen

📬 Thanks for starting your week with us. Please invite your friends to sign up for Axios AM/PM.

14.) THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON

2020 Man of the Year: Woke Capitalists By Washington Free Beacon Staff Joe Biden’s Death Knell for the Death Penalty By Charles Fain Lehman 2020 Man of the Year: Dianne Feinstein By Washington Free Beacon Staff 2020 Man of the Year: Jesse Barrett By Washington Free Beacon Staff 2020 Men of the Year: California National Guard Pilots By Washington Free Beacon Staff 2020 Man of the Year: Brian Fallon By Washington Free Beacon Staff This Week In Campus Insanity Vol. 25 By Chrissy Clark and Alex Nester

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15.) THE WASHINGTON POST MORNING HEADLINES

Sign up for this newsletter Read online The morning’s most important stories, curated by Post editors. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Post) Trump signs stimulus bill into law, averting shutdown The president’s decision to back down and sign the measure released $900 billion in stimulus funds into the economy that had been held up for nearly a week. By Seung Min Kim, Jeff Stein, Mike DeBonis and Josh Dawsey ●  Read more » Authorities identify Nashville bomber, say remains found in wreckage By Michael Kranish, Paulina Firozi, Brandon Gee and Meryl Kornfield ●  Read more » This D.C. hotel is historic, affordable and, lately, the Proud Boys’ unofficial headquarters By Joe Heim and Marissa J. Lang ●  Read more » After a year of pandemic and protest, and a big election, America is as divided as ever Political Reckoning ●  By Dan Balz ●  Read more » Opinions Journalism got more dangerous in 2020 — including in the United States Opinion by the Editorial Board ●  Read more » Our favorite Opinions visual essays and projects of 2020 By Post Opinions Staff ●  Read more » What 2020 might teach us Opinion by E.J. Dionne Jr. ●  Read more » Public health bodies may be talking at us, but they’re actually talking to each other Opinion by Megan McArdle ●  Read more » Americans have been left to regulate themselves. We need mandates from Biden. Opinion by Kate Cohen ●  Read more » How Biden can undo damage to U.S.-backed news outlets that counter authoritarian propaganda Opinion by Jamie Fly ●  Read more » More News China imprisons citizen journalist for Wuhan lockdown reports during height of coronavirus outbreak By Lily Kuo ●  Read more » College Football Playoff still beholden to age-old question: Whom did you beat? Analysis ●  By Chuck Culpepper ●  Read more » Was Queen Charlotte Black? Here’s what we know. Retropolis | The Past, Rediscovered ●  By DeNeen L. Brown ●  Read more » We think you’ll like this newsletter Check out Bold School for smart advice on how to get better with age, plus tried-and-true tips from our readers, every Monday and Friday for 12 weeks. Sign up »

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16.) THE WASHINGTON TIMES

MORNING EDITION

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Authorities examine Nashville bomber’s records, hunt for motive of attack Questionable videos of ballot counters dismissed as innocent behavior — not misconduct: Officials Democratic scandals drag down Jon Ossoff’s bid for Senate in Georgia Georgia officials say change to laws led to reduced ballot rejection rate Trump’s minority outreach laid groundwork for expansion of Republican base, pollster says Virus surge, new shutdowns spark fears of coin shortage SUBSCRIBE TODAY Click to subscribe to trusted and exclusive reporting only on The Washington Times

California’s corrupted policies drive out residents and companies Biden can bring nation together with bold Infrastructure program Do the math! ‘Died with COVID-19’ means ‘died from COVID-19’

How Silicon Valley scions launched ‘unprecedented cover-up’ in Hunter Biden case Americans reject more Trump investigations Former FDA chief Gottlieb: UK variant ‘could be here’

Driver of box truck playing ‘similar’ audio as Nashville bomber arrested Trump taunts Tehran with ‘some friendly health advice’ amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions Hunter Biden’s business dealings spark fear Joe Biden won’t take ‘tough policy toward China’

NFL flexes Washington-Eagles to ‘Sunday Night Football’ Washington blows chance to clinch NFC East with loss to Panthers Further opportunities in Washington seem unlikely for Haskins after latest benching

17.) THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

18.) ASSOCIATED PRESS

December 28, 2020 View in Browser AP MORNING WIRE Good morning. Tamer Fakahany is on vacation until Jan. 4. During this holiday period, we are serving up a daily briefing on what our readers consider the best of the AP news report each morning. As the very unusual period known as 2020 comes to an end, we wish you and those you care about a happy, healthy new year.   TED ANTHONY Director of Digital Innovation The Rundown Trump signs massive measure funding government, COVID relief WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver……Read More After naming bombing suspect, focus turns to motive NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — With federal officials having identified the man believed to be behind Nashville’s Christmas Day bombing, authorities now turn to the monumental task of piecing togeth…Read More Fauci: US taking hard look at variant of coronavirus WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials believe the coronavirus mutation that set off alarms in parts of Britain is no more apt to cause serious illness or be resistant to vaccines than the s…Read More In-betweenland: As 2020 slips away, an American snapshot GLENSHAW, Pa. (AP) — The enormous signs, selling for just $9.99, greet shoppers at the suburban supermarket’s entryway, carrying a holiday message that means something very different this yea…Read More ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ debuts with pandemic-best $16.7M NEW YORK (AP) — Despite premiering simultaneously by streaming service, “Wonder Woman 1984” managed the best box office debut of the pandemic, opening with $16.7 million over the Christmas……Read More Other Top Stories A divided nation asks: What’s holding our country together? Elections are meant to resolve arguments. This one inflamed them. Weeks after the votes have been counted and the winners declared, many Americans remain angry, defiant and de…Read More Global stocks advance after Trump signs $900B aid package BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Monday after President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion economic aid package, helping to reduce uncertainty as governments re-impose …Read More Wealthy voters are ‘mythical middle’ in Georgia Senate races ATLANTA (AP) — At Atlanta’s Chastain Park, investment bank logos abut ads for pizza joints and dentists on the outfield fences of the baseball diamonds. Sprinkled among Dodges…Read More On Football: Playoff picture clears up — and muddles, too If they’re singing anything in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Seattle, it could be “I Can See Clearly Now.” All three took some big steps Sunday. As for the appropriate song in t…Read More “There are only two forces that can carry light to all the corners of the globe…the sun in the heavens and The Associated Press down here.”  Mark Twain GET THE APP   Download the AP News app to get breaking news alerts from AP on your phone, tablet or watch. Unsubscribe         About us  2020 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 200 Liberty St. New York, NY 10128

19.) FORT MYERS (FLORIDA) NEWS-PRESS

Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUND-UP MONDAY, DECEMBER 28 Access the e-Edition: Exclusive, subscriber-only access to a digital replica of the newspaper. Collier County tosses $33M more into sports complex The amateur sports complex has come in millions of dollars over budget for a handful of reasons — and the county will tap reserve funds to keep the project going, avoiding the cost of getting new financing. How FWC plans to protect diamondback terrapin turtles Trump Country radio changes name, but not its tunes Greater needs but fewer donations for some charities Child welfare officials favor mother’s batterer in… SPECIAL OFFER Subscribe today and get unlimited digital access for $9.99 per month View My Offer RECENT ARTICLES How caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients receive help Motorcyclist dies in crash on North River Road Lee County pop-up walk-up COVID testing canceled for December Dec. 27: State reports 428 new COVID-19 cases, one additional death… COVID vaccine available in Lee County Monday FOLLOW US Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe • Manage Newsletters • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights • Privacy Notice • Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy • Feedback © 2020 www.news-press.com. All rights reserved. 2442 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Myers, Fl 33901

20.) CHICAGO TRIBUNE

VIEW IN BROWSER DECEMBER 28, 2020 CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM DAYWATCH Good morning, Chicago. Illinois reported 3,767 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 104 additional fatalities Sunday Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion COVID-19 package Sunday night after days of drama, ending a standoff with his own Republican party. His delay resulted in a lapse in unemployment benefits for millions of Americans. Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day. For your smart speaker | Join our COVID-19 Facebook group | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games ADVERTISEMENT 1 Anjanette Young agrees to meeting with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, also wants a public forum, lawyer says MONDAY, DEC 28 Social worker Anjanette Young has agreed to meet privately with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot following public uproar over a mistaken police raid on her home but has requested that they also have a public forum with the police superintendent and aldermen, her lawyer said Sunday. Black politicians, activists protest Anjanette Young raid, demand policy to prevent future raids 2 A nightmare year for Chicago restaurants and food suppliers may have permanently altered how and what we eat MONDAY, DEC 28 A bruising year in the food industry is giving way to optimism that the lessons learned will make for a stronger 2021. Farmers and other food producers that pivoted their business models to find new revenue streams are making some of those changes permanent. Grocery stores are adapting to consumers’ embrace of online food shopping. And restaurants that survive the wreckage of their industry are expected to come roaring back into the waiting arms of a public desperate to go out.     3 Pot legalization was to bring expungements to many with records in Illinois. Numbers so far are low, but more are expected to be on the way. MONDAY, DEC 28 Marijuana legalization in Illinois came with grand plans for wiping clean many criminal records involving cannabis. That aspect of the law was so important that on the eve of legalization on Jan. 1, 2020, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pardoned more than 11,000 people of low-level marijuana convictions. Yet more than 700,000 cases could qualify for expungement, a process in which police and court records of arrests and convictions are cleared. Now, almost one year after legalization took effect, few of those cannabis cases have been cleared. But officials say more expungements are on the way. 4 Obama Presidential Center supporters ‘see a light at the end of the tunnel,’ while opponents say it’s not over yet MONDAY, DEC 28 This year proved to be a fruitful one for the Obama Presidential Center’s timeline. In December, two federal reviews of the project concluded, and a lawsuit against it was quashed this summer. Supporters of the presidential center now cautiously say more than ever, the end — or rather, the beginning — is finally in sight after four years of obstacles. But opponents of the project planned for Jackson Park aren’t ready to give up their fight.     5 Bears are 1 win from the playoffs after, of all things, a 3rd-quarter scoring explosion. ‘This is what we’re capable of,’ Mitch Trubisky says. MONDAY, DEC 28 The Bears are staring at a golden opportunity — a win-and-in game against the rival Green Bay Packers in their regular-season finale — after routing the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-17 on Sunday. The Bears scored 21 points in the third quarter and one more touchdown seven plays into the fourth to turn a tight game into a laugher. Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts after Bears 41-17 victory in Week 16 advertisement    UNSUBSCRIBE   |   NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY   |   TERMS OF SERVICE Copyright © 2020 | Chicago Tribune | 160 N. Stetson Ave., Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this email because you are following the Daywatch newsletter.

21.) CHICAGO SUNTIMES

Dec 28, 2020

COVID-19 vaccine’s unbalanced rollout

View this email online Digital subscribers — click here for today’s e-paper.

Doctors, nurses and other health care workers who live near downtown or on the North Side showed up in large numbers to get vaccinated for COVID-19, while a smaller number of the city’s South Side and West Side residents have gotten the shots. These findings, from city data for the first 12 days of vaccinations, along with census information showing where health care workers live, point to a trend of Chicago doctors living in more affluent areas showing up in sizable numbers to get inoculated, while technicians and other lower-paid health care workers living in predominantly Black and Latino communities did not get the shots. Brett Chase and Elvia Malagón have the story…

Trump signs massive funding bill, averts shutdown President Donald Trump has signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

Bears take over No. 7 seed by beating Jaguars; huge finale vs. Packers next They pulled even with the Cardinals at 8-7 but are ahead of them in the standings, thanks to the tiebreaker of record against common opponents. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

Vaccine’s unbalanced rollout: Few South, West side residents get COVID shots so far The trend in the first weeks points to a challenge for Mayor Lightfoot and public health officials who want to emphasize racial equity throughout the process. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

Richard Roeper: The worst movies of 2020 The lowest of the dogs — the stinkiest of the turkeys! — had Robert Downey Jr. talking to the animals. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger: Trump, allies’ ‘grifting scam’ Electoral College challenge could lead to violence Kinzinger is one of the few Republicans to speak out against the conspiracy theories Trump embraces and claims the election was rigged. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

‘This is not Tuskegee’: Elected officials work to build Black trust in COVID-19 vaccine West Side-based Black elected officials held a press conference Sunday aimed at curbing Black distrust of the COVID-19 vaccine. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

Hundreds of Black women gather to show support for Anjanette Young over botched police raid Hundreds of people, mainly Black women, gathered outside Chicago police headquarters in Bronzeville Sunday to express outrage over the botched 2019 raid of Anjanette Young’s home. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

Pending Chicago projects can relieve the pandemic blahs With neighborhood revival in mind, here are some developments that could help the city rebound in 2021. chicago.suntimes.com  •  Share

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22.) THE HILL MORNING REPORT

23.) THE HILL TIPSHEET

View in your browser House poised to override Trump veto for first time By Rebecca Kheel The House appears poised to override President Trump’s veto of the must-pass annual defense policy bill, a dramatic rebuke of Trump in the final days of his presidency. House lawmakers will vote Monday on overriding Trump’s rejection of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed both chambers of Congress with more than the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a veto. Read the full story here Trump signs $2.3T relief, spending package By Brett Samuels President Trump on Sunday signed the government funding and coronavirus relief package, the White House said, averting a government shutdown and delivering economic aid as the pandemic worsens. Read the full story here The Memo: Left seeks leverage to move Biden By Niall Stanage The tug-of-war between President-elect Joe Biden and the left wing of the Democratic Party is shifting onto policy grounds now that nominees have been selected for key positions in the new administration. Read the full story here This week: Trump’s grip on Hill allies faces test By Jordain Carney President Trump’s grip on congressional Republicans is being tested this week as GOP lawmakers weigh whether or not to stick with the president on multiple fronts. Read the full story here Five GOP senators to watch in next month’s Electoral College fight By Jordain Carney Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) is hunting for a Senate Republican to take part in his guaranteed-to-fail effort to overthrow the election results on Jan. 6. Read the full story here Trump to hold rally in Georgia ahead of Senate runoffs By Justine Coleman President Trump on Sunday announced plans to hold a rally in Georgia to garner support for the Republican candidates the day before the state’s two Senate runoffs. Read the full story here December deadliest month of COVID-19 pandemic By Joseph Choi December is the deadliest month for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Read the full story here Why 2020 really was the worst year ever By Reid Wilson When 2020 passes into the history books, it will carry more superlatives than a high school yearbook — and none of them good. Most deadly, hottest, most stressful, worst. Read the full story here US coronavirus cases surpass 19 million By John Bowden The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in the U.S. since the pandemic began passed 19 million on Sunday, according to figures tabulated by Johns Hopkins University. Read the full story here GOP Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair says he’ll vote in favor of $2,000 checks By Justine Coleman Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), the Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair, said Sunday that he will vote in favor of House Democrats’ bill to provide the $2,000 relief checks that President Trump has demanded. Read the full story here The path forward for science under a new administration By Elizabeth A. Rogan OPINION | As President-elect Joseph Biden fills key positions to address global challenges from COVID-19 to climate change, the scientific community is optimistic he will prioritize research and development. In addition to the mass distribution of effective vaccines to mitigate the risk of the deadly virus, what should be among the key science priorities in his first 100 days in office and beyond? Read the full story here Why America must retaliate after massive cyberattack from Russia By Douglas Schoen OPINION | American government agencies and private companies were victims of an espionage attack last week. Security experts have said the hacker group Cozy Bear, managed by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, was responsible. The scope of the breach is considerable and could be the largest spying operation in history against the United States. Read the full story here NBC News: Biden will inherit hundreds of toxic waste Superfund sites, with climate threats looming By David Hasemyer and Lise Olsen The uber challenge facing the incoming Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency in its oversight of 1,570 hazard waste sites is best summed in a name that’s become synonymous with the daunting task: Superfund. Read the full story here CNN: Fauci shares Biden’s concern that ‘darkest days’ may be ahead in Covid-19 fight By Chandelis Duster Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday expressed concern that the worst may still come in America’s battle against Covid-19, agreeing with President-elect Joe Biden’s recent assessment that the “darkest days” in fighting the virus lie ahead. Read the full story here The Wall Street Journal: Lawmakers prepare for battles over Congressional redistricting By Natalie Andrews The fight over House districts in 2022 is starting well before new lines on state maps are drawn. Read the full story here The Washington Post: Why these Fox News loyalists have changed the channel to Newsmax By Jeremy Barr On the morning after Election Day, Greg and Jenny Brethen, loyal viewers of Fox News who watched the channel religiously for almost 20 years, turned on their go-to morning show, “Fox & Friends,” and thought they saw something fishy. Read the full story here The Associated Press: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ debuts with pandemic-best $16.7M By Jake Coyle Despite premiering simultaneously by streaming service, “Wonder Woman 1984” managed the best box office debut of the pandemic, opening with $16.7 million over the Christmas weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Read the full story here Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet   Forward this Tipsheet Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

24.) ROLL CALL

25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK

THAT’S IT? President DONALD 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.

IN A STATEMENT, TRUMP said Congress will review Section 230, the statute governing social media companies? Pretty sure they’ve been reviewing it for a while. A “redlined” bill? Huh? He’ll never get the spending rescissions he’s asking for — like, zero chance, so don’t focus on this. They will review voter fraud? Sure thing, boss. And the Senate will begin the process of voting on $2,000 checks? Great. He will split the Republican Party on the way out the door. (Will it get 60 votes? Will senators even show up for this?) In his Sunday evening statement, Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL didn’t even mention anything that TRUMP got in return for signing this bill.

THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST FITTING coda to TRUMP’S presidency, and a neat encapsulation of his relationship with Congress. He never cared to understand the place and was disengaged from its work.

THEY’LL BE LAUGHING — er, scratching their heads — at your genius about this one for a while, Mr. President. More from Burgess Everett, Sarah Ferris, Marianne LeVine and Melanie Zanona

N.Y. POST COVER: “The POST SAYS: MR. President … STOP THE INSANITY: You lost the election — here’s how to save your legacy”

TODAY: THE HOUSE will vote on increasing the direct checks to $2,000, and will vote on overriding the president’s veto on the NDAA. The Senate isn’t in until Tuesday. The president is in Palm Beach, and VP MIKE PENCE is in Vail, Colo.

23 DAYS until Inauguration Day.

Good Monday morning.

FROM 30,000 FEET — WAPO’S DAN BALZ: “After a year of pandemic and protest, and a big election, America is as divided as ever”: “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.”

THE LATEST IN NASHVILLE … “After naming bombing suspect, focus turns to motive,” by AP’s Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Michael Balsamo and Eric Tucker: “With federal officials having identified the man believed to be behind Nashville’s Christmas Day bombing, authorities now turn to the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the explosion that severely damaged dozens of downtown buildings and injured three people.

“While officials on Sunday named Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, the motive has remained elusive. ‘These answers won’t come quickly and will still require a lot of our team’s efforts,’ FBI Special Agent Doug Korneski said at a Sunday news conference. ‘Though we may be able to answer some these questions as our investigation continues, none of those answers will be enough by those affected by this event.’”

THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO RAGE … 19.1 MILLION Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. … 333,129 Americans have died.

— “Highly Touted Monoclonal Antibody Therapies Sit Unused in Hospitals,” by WSJ’s Sarah Toy, Joseph Walker and Melanie Evans: “Doses of monoclonal antibodies—Covid-19 therapies authorized for emergency use last month—are sitting unused in hospital pharmacies, even as cases surge across the country.

“Hospitals say the rollout of the therapies has been stunted by a lukewarm response from infectious-disease specialists, who say they want more clinical trial data before using them on a regular basis. Medical centers are also grappling with a lack of awareness and interest from both the primary-care doctors who would normally prescribe the drug and patients who are offered it. And some places are dealing with a shortage of space and staff to administer the therapies.

“When monoclonal antibody therapies from Eli Lilly & Co. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. were approved for emergency use in November, health agencies were worried there wouldn’t be enough supply to meet demand. Now, health-care providers are administering just 20% of the doses they receive each week, according to officials with Operation Warp Speed, the federal initiative to support development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for Covid-19.”

A NEW ‘FORCE’ IN THE HOUSE — “Meet the GOP freshmen taking on the squad,” by Melanie Zanona, Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris: “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. ‘It was a natural alliance that formed. … We understand what it’s like in other countries. We understand how truly special this nation is,’ Rep.-elect Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), whose mother was born in Cuba, recalled in an interview. ‘And we look forward to working together to push back on anyone who tries to bring a socialist agenda to America.’

“The quartet — which includes Malliotakis and Reps.-elect Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, and Victoria Spartz of Indiana — is positioning itself as a conservative counterweight to the Squad. And they are recruiting others in their class to join them.

“Stuck in the House minority, the Force is unlikely to have much influence on next year’s legislative agenda. But their message is already proving politically potent. Democrats are still reeling from House losses in November, when lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the anti-socialist attacks helped take down a dozen incumbents, including in South Florida.” POLITICO

IN GEORGIA …

— WSJ’S JOSHUA JAMERSON in Fort Valley, Ga., and CHAD DAY: “Georgia Runoffs Test Democrats in Turning Out Black Voters”

— NYT’S REID EPSTEIN and SERGE KOVALESKI: “Jon Ossoff Got Some Breaks in Politics. And He Made a Few of His Own”: “Jon Ossoff was 16 years old when he wrote a letter to John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and civil rights pioneer, that led to a spot as a volunteer in Mr. Lewis’s office.

“When Mr. Ossoff was 19 and a rising sophomore at Georgetown, he went to work for Hank Johnson as the primary speechwriter and press aide for Mr. Johnson’s 2006 congressional campaign.

“And Mr. Ossoff was 26 when, without any journalism experience other than an internship, he was made chief executive of a small documentary film company based in England. Mr. Ossoff has always been adept at making his own breaks. He has consistently outperformed his professional résumé, impressing lawmakers many years his senior with his intellect and drive. And he has capitalized on his own well-off upbringing and a series of well-timed introductions and personal endorsements to rise through Democratic politics in Georgia.”

— ZACH MONTELLARO: “Georgia election admins battle Covid and conspiracies ahead of Senate runoffs”

TRUMP’S MONDAY — The president has no events on his public schedule.

PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will separately receive the President’s Daily Brief and meet with transition advisers. They will be briefed by members of their national security and foreign policy agency review teams. Biden will also deliver brief remarks in Wilmington, Del.

WAPO’S JOE HEIM and MARISSA LANG: “For D.C. protests, Proud Boys settle in at city’s oldest hotel and its bar”: “Located just five blocks from the White House, the Hotel Harrington is the city’s oldest continuously operating hotel and has a long-standing reputation as one of the most affordable in the heart of the District. But over the past few months, the Harrington has been gaining a new reputation: Proud Boys hangout.

“The militant right-wing organization that vigorously supports President Trump, which has clashed in violent street battles with members of antifascist groups and others who oppose Trump, has made the Harrington its unofficial headquarters when members come to the District. Several hundred Proud Boys recently stayed at the hotel while in town for the Dec. 12 protest of Joe Biden’s election as president. More protests by pro-Trump groups are planned in downtown D.C. on Jan. 6. …

“In the past three months, Harry’s has been cited three times for violating social distancing and mask regulations. The violations occurred on weekends when large numbers of Proud Boys and other pro-Trump supporters, in town for demonstrations, were in the bar.

“For the hotel and the bar, there seems to be uncertainty about what steps they can or should take. Ann Terry, the general manager of the hotel, declined to comment. During a brief phone call, John Boyle, the owner of Harry’s, declined to comment other than to say that the bar closed early on Dec. 11 and 12 because of concerns over not being able to maintain coronavirus social distancing guidelines. The bar’s website announced it will be closed on Jan. 5 and 6.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “Pandemic budget crunches sink Democrats’ hopes for expanding health insurance,” by Dan Goldberg and Susannah Luthi: “Democratic state officials have big plans for expanding health insurance coverage. The problem is, their states are broke.

“The pandemic brought on massive budget gaps that will likely force Democratic state officials to scale back their most ambitious coverage plans when many legislatures convene for new sessions in the coming weeks. Plans to create a state-led public option or join Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion become tougher sells when states are also confronting budget crunches that have their officials contemplating deep cuts to public services.

“Democratic state officials say there’s still urgency to expand coverage, given that millions have lost health insurance because of the pandemic and many more are struggling to afford medical bills. Though President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to expand on Obamacare, he will face resistance from Republicans in a divided Congress — meaning that states’ efforts could become even more important for supporters of broader government coverage.” POLITICO

WHAT ELON MUSK IS READING — “‘Startup City’: Accelerated Growth Strains Austin,” by WSJ’s Elizabeth Findell and Konrad Putzier: “Austin has tried hard to hang on to its particular culture over years of booming growth and popularity, which have attracted money and energy to the city but also brought rising rents and traffic congestion.

“But the pace of change is accelerating as companies and remote workers relocate to what they see as the next tech metropolis, in some cases fleeing California. ‘Austin is a startup city,’ said J.D. Ross, a general partner at venture-capital firm Atomic, who moved to Austin just a month ago from the San Francisco Bay Area. ‘Everything is growing quickly. The airport is adding new gates every year.’

“Austin is now one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., with a population of about a million, versus 675,000 in 2000. Oracle Corp. is the latest company to announce a headquarters move to Austin, after a flurry of software and venture-capital firms in recent months. An Apple Inc. campus and Tesla Inc. factory are under construction on the city’s north and south sides. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk recently confirmed he too has moved to Texas.”

MEDIAWATCH — NYT’S BEN SMITH’S Media Equation column: “Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It’s Working.”

— “Why these Fox News loyalists have changed the channel to Newsmax,” by WaPo’s Jeremy Barr

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

TRANSITIONS — Rep.-elect Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) is adding Danielle Varallo Stewart as deputy chief of staff and comms director and Faith Mabry as press secretary. Stewart previously was comms director for Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Mabry currently is press secretary for Rep. Paul Mitchell (I-Mich.).

ENGAGED — Kylie Atwood, CNN national security correspondent, and Steve Harrington, entrepreneur and co-founder of CanWell, got engaged Dec. 19. He surprised her with a proposal in Rhode Island, on the beach where she grew up, and they celebrated with a few family members. The couple met in Rhode Island two and a half years ago. Pic … Another pic

— Jared Small, advance lead for the White House, surprised Megan Powers, director of operations for the Trump campaign, with a proposal in the Kennedy Garden at the White House on Dec. 20. They met in September 2017 at a Trump rally in Huntsville, Ala., hit it off while axe throwing a few months later in Washington, Mich., and started dating on her last day and his first day at the White House — he took over her old desk. Pic … Another pic

— Kyle VonEnde, comms director for Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), and Lauren Beeslee, who’s getting her MBA from George Washington University, got engaged. They became friends their first year at American University and had their first date at the D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival their senior year. Pic … Another pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jacqui Bassermann, director of government relations at the American Red Cross. What she’s watching for in the Biden presidency: “Hope springs eternal for me in terms of bipartisanship. Working disaster relief in GR at the Red Cross, I have a front-row seat to our leaders and staff coming together when the hour is darkest for their constituents and country. And so, I am watching, hoping and praying that our better angels will prevail as we face this myriad of crises together. … And the return of the post-Covid-19 ice cream socials!” Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger … Rep.-elect August Pfluger (R-Texas) is 42 … Susanna Quinn … Sahil Kapur, national political reporter for NBC News … Seth Meyers is 47 … Seth Wimer, president of Brandywine Public Affairs … Shari Yost Gold … Debbie Willhite (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Steve Castor, general counsel for the House Judiciary GOP, is 48 … The Independent’s John Bennett … POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro and Han Ah-Sue … Kevin Boyd, DLCC national political director … Melissa Block, NPR special correspondent … AP economics writer Josh Boak … Maria Olson … D.J. Jordan, VP at Pinkston … former Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), now on the Export-Import Bank board of directors, is 73 … Ed McFadden … Christina Sevilla, deputy assistant USTR (h/t Tim Burger) …

… Katy Montgomery … Clara Brillembourg of Foley Hoag … Lynn Hatcher … Michele Altemus … David Eisner (h/ts Jon Haber) … Kyle Anderson … Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, who’s running for governor … Chris Cooper … Erica Martinson … Christa Robinson, SVP of comms for CBS News … Michael Trujillo … Raquel Wojnar … former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) is 76 … former Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) is 74 … Gabrielle Wanneh … former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is 74 … Mark Katz is 57 … Adrienne Fox Luscombe … former Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) is 84 … David Dunn … Ramon Looby … Andy Estrada, comms officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation … Will Candrick … Boeing’s Alexa Marrero … Christina Glenn … Douglas Wiley … Molly Varoga

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26.) AMERICAN MINUTE

December 27, 2020 • & the Scientific Revolution – American Minute with Bill Federer • Astronomy • Galileo • Johannes Kepler • Sir Frances Bacon

The Renaissance of the 15th century led the Reformation of the 16th century, followed by the Scientific Revolution — a period of increased understanding in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, physics, science, biology, anatomy, chemistry, and philosophy.

Read as PDF …

America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations

One of the individuals credited for pioneering the “scientific method” was Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626).

Bacon was Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of Britain, being knighted in 1603 by King James I, during whose reign Jamestown, Virginia, was settled – England’s first permanent settlement in the New World.

Bacon’s writings were instrumental in the founding of the Royal Society of London in 1660 under King Charles II, which brought together the greatest scientific minds in England.

He is quoted in the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building, on the dome above the North lobby of the Great Hall’s stairway:

“KNOWLEDGE IS POWER – Sir Francis Bacon, De Hoeresibus.”

Bacon advanced “inductive reasoning,” where evidence is empirically and methodically observed with our senses, pointing to a probable conclusion.

This is contrasted with Aristotle’s “deductive reasoning,” where one starts with a generalization or major hypothesis, adds minor, specifying premises, then reasonably and logically predicts what the evidence should be.

Another Bacon quote is displayed in the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building is in the West Corridor, on the South tablet:

“The first creature of God was the light of sense; the last was the light of reason. – Bacon, Essays, Of Truth.”

The longer quote is:

“The first creation of God, in the works of the days, was the light of sense; the last was the light of reason, and his Sabbath work, ever since, is the illumination of the spirit.”

Bacon wrote:

“There are two books laid before us to study, to prevent our falling into error; first, the volume of Scriptures, which reveal the will of God; then the volume of the Creatures, which express His power.”

Bacon wrote in Novum Organum Scientiarum, 1620:

“Man by the Fall fell at the same time from the state of innocence and from his dominion over creation.

Both of these losses, however, can even in this life be in some part repaired; the former by religion and faith, the latter by arts and sciences.

For creation was not by the curse made altogether and forever a rebel, but in virtue of that covenant ‘In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread’ it is now by various labors at length, and in some measure subdued to the supplying of man with bread; that is to the uses of human life.”

Bacon wrote in Sacred Meditations, 1597:

“God saw the works of His hands and they were exceeedingly good;

when man turned to consider the works of his hands, behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit.

Whereof if you will do God’s works your sweat will be like aromatic balm and your rest like the Sabbath of God; for you will work in the sweat of a good conscience and rest in the leisure of sweet contemplation.”

Bacon wrote in History of the Winds, 1623:

“Without doubt we are paying for the sin of our first parents and imitating it. They wanted to be like gods; we their posterity, still more so.

We create worlds. We prescribe laws to nature and lord it over her. We want to have all things as suits our fatuity (foolishness), not as fits the Divine Wisdom, not as they are found in nature.

We impose the seal of our image on the creatures and works of God, we do not diligently seek to discover the seal of God on things.

Therefore not undeservedly have we again fallen from our dominion over the creation;

and though after the Fall of man some dominion over rebellious nature still remained … we have for the most part forfeited by our pride, because we wanted to be like gods and follow the dictates of our own reason …”

He continued:

“Wherefore, if there be any humility towards the Creator, if there be any reverence and praise of his works;

if there be any charity towards men, and zeal to lessen human wants and sufferings;

if there be any love of truth in natural things, any hatred of darkness, any desire to purify the understanding;

men are to be entreated again and again that they should dismiss … those inconstant and preposterous philosophies …

that they should humbly and with a certain reverence draw near to the book of Creation … that on it they should meditate, and that then washed and clean they should in chastity and integrity turn them from opinion.

This is that speech and language which has gone out to all the ends of the Earth, and has not suffered the confusion of Babel; this must men learn, and resuming their youth, they must become as little children and deign to take its alphabet into their hands.”

Sir Francis Bacon wrote in Essays: Of Goodness (NY: Tryon Edwards, D.D., A Dictionary of Thoughts, Cassell Publishing Co., 1891, p. 71):

“There never was found, in any age of the world, either philosophy, or sect, or religion, or law, or discipline, which did so highly exalt the good of the community, and increase private and particular good as the holy Christian faith …

Hence, it clearly appears that it was one and the same God that gave the Christian law to men, who gave the laws of nature to the creatures.”

Profound statements of Bacon include (NY: Tryon Edwards, D.D., A Dictionary of Thoughts, Cassell Publishing Co., 1891):

• “I had rather believe all the fables in the Talmud and the Koran, than that this universal frame is without a mind.”

• “They that deny a God, destroy man’s nobility; for clearly man is of kin to the beasts by his body, and if he be not of kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature.”

• “Knowledge is not … for a proud mind to raise itself upon … but a rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator, and the relief of man’s estate.”

Bacon wrote regarding charity in Instauratio Magna, 1620-23:

“I would address one general admonition to all;

that they consider what are the true ends of knowledge, and that they seek it not either for pleasure of the mind, or for contention, or for superiority to others, or for profit, or fame, or power, or any of these inferior things;

but for the benefit and use of life; and that they perfect and govern it in charity.

For it was from the lust of power that the angels fell, from lust of knowledge that man fell;

but of charity there can be no excess, neither did angel or man ever come in danger by it.”

Regarding virtue, Bacon stated (NY: Tryon Edwards, D.D., A Dictionary of Thoughts, Cassell Publishing Co., 1891):

• “Certainly, virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed; for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.”

• “A man’s nature runs either to herbs or weeds; therefore let him seasonably water the one and destroy the other.”

• “Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth and embaseth it.”

• “We cannot too often think there is a never-sleeping eye, which reads the heart, and registers our thoughts.”

• “He that studieth revenge keepeth his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well.”

• “In revenge, a man is but even with his enemies; but it is a princely thing to pardon, for Solomon saith, ‘It is the glory of a man to pass over a transgression.”

Regarding God and government, Bacon stated (NY: Tryon Edwards, D.D., A Dictionary of Thoughts, Cassell Publishing Co., 1891):

• “All precepts concerning kings are comprehended in these: remember thou are a man; remember thou art God’s vice-regent.”

• “God hangs the greatest weights upon the smallest wires.”

• “There never was found, in any age of the world, either religion or law that did so highly exalt the public good as the Bible.”

• “When any of the four pillars of government, religion, justice, counsel, and treasure, are mainly shaken or weakened, men had need to pray for fair weather.”

• “If I might control the literature of the household, I would guarantee the well-being of the church and state.”

Bacon wrote:

“Philosophy, when superficially studied, excites doubt; when thoroughly explored, dispels it.”

Regarding goodness, Bacon wrote (The Essays of Francis Bacon, “XIII. Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature”):

“Goodness … of all virtues … is the greatest; being the character of the Deity: and without it man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing; no better than a kind of vermin.

Goodness answers to the theological virtue Charity …

Goodness is imprinted deeply in the nature of man; insomuch that if it issue not towards men, it will take unto other living creatures; as it is seen in the Turks, a cruel people, who nevertheless are kind to beasts, and give alms to dogs and birds …

Indeed there was never law, or sect, or opinion, did so much magnify goodness, as the Christian religion doth …

If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shews he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins to them.

If he be compassionate towards the afflictions of others, it shews that his heart is like the noble tree that is wounded itself when it gives the balm.

If he easily pardons and remits offenses, it shews that his mind is planted above injuries; so that he cannot be shot.

If he be thankful for small benefits, it shows that he weighs men’s minds, and not their trash.

But above all, if he have St. Paul’s perfection, that he would wish to be an anathema from Christ for the salvation of his brethren, it shews much of a divine nature, and a kind of conformity with Christ himself.”

In his treatise Of Atheism, Sir Francis Bacon declared:

“A little philosophy inclineth men’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds to religion.

For while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further. – But when it beholdeth the chain of them, confederate and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity.”

The Scientific Revolution was advanced by the works of many notable individuals:

• Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), founder of the modern understanding of human anatomy;

• William Harvey (1578-1657), described in detail arteries, circulation and the heart;

• Francois Viete (1540-1603), invented analytical trigonometry;

• John Napier (1550-1617), invented logarithms;

• Rene Descartes (1596-1650), father of analytical geometry and modern western philosophy;

• Robert Boyle (1627-1691), a father of modern chemistry;

• Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679), father of modern biomechanics;

• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), father of microbiology;

• William Gilbert (1544-1603,), a father of electricity and magnetism;

• Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), invented the mercury barometer;

• Otto von Guericke (1602-1686), invented the air pump;

• Zacharias Janssen (1585-1638), inventor of the optical telescope and and the first truly compound microscope.

• Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) proposed the heliocentric theory, where the sun was at center of the solar system, rather than Ptolemy’s geocentric theory of the Earth being at the center.

• Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) proposed that stars were distant suns, the universe was infinitely large, and that the Earth was not the center of it.

• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) father of modern physics and modern observational astronomy, made the first practical use of the telescope, which he built himself in 1609.

Galileo stated:

“I am inclined to think that the authority of Holy Scripture is intended to convince men of those truths which are necessary for their salvation, which, being far above man’s understanding, can not be made credible by any learning, or any other means than revelation by the Holy Spirit.”

He confirmed the phases of Venus, discovered four of Jupiter’s moons, observed Saturn’s rings, and analyzed sunspots.

His work gave credence to Copernicus’ heliocentric theory, which was further advanced by Johannes Kepler.

Galileo stated:

• Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe.

• I give infinite thanks to God, who has been pleased to make me the first observer of marvelous things.

• The laws of nature are written by the Hand of God in the language of mathematics.

• God is known by nature in His works, and by doctrine in His revealed Word.

• The prohibition of science would be contrary to the Bible which in hundreds of places teaches us how the greatness and glory of God shine forth marvelously

The Treacherous World of the 16th Century and How the Pilgrims Escaped It: The Prequel to America’s Freedom

Johannes Kepler was born DECEMBER 27, 1571.

An attack of smallpox when he was four years old left him with crippled hands and poor eyesight.

Overcoming these handicaps, Kepler took up the study of science.

At age 23, he became a professor of astronomy.

In 1600, Kepler traveled to Prague where he became an assistant to the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who was known for his comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations.

Brahe wrote in On Recent Phenomena in the Aetherial

World, 1588:

“That the machine of Heaven is … divinely governed under a given law.”

King James I and his bride, Princess Anne, visited Tycho Brahe while in Denmark for their wedding in 1589.

After Tycho Brahe’s death, Kepler continued making astronomical observations.

Johannes Kepler discovered the laws governing planetary motion and pioneered the discipline of celestial mechanics, known as Kepler’s Laws.

These aided Isaac Newton (1642-1727) in his formulation of the theories of gravitation, motion and calculus. Newton is considered a father of modern science and a father of modern physics.

Some intellectuals in Europe attempted to use the discovery of laws in God’s creation to argue that God set the laws of nature in motion, and then became distant and uninvolved – a movement called “deism.”

This was not the view of Kepler, who wrote in The Harmonies of the World, 1619:

“O, Almighty God, I am thinking Thy thoughts after Thee!”

Kepler’s publishing of the ephemeris tables, necessary for plotting star movement, contributed to the theory of calculus.

In comparing celestial orbits of the planets with polyphonic harmonies in music, Kepler wrote in The Harmonies of the Worlds (1619):

“Holy Father, keep us safe in the concord of our love for one another, that we may be one just as Thou art with Thy Son, Our Lord, and with the Holy Ghost,

and just as through the sweetest bonds of harmonies Thou hast made all Thy works one,

and that from the bringing of Thy people into concord, the body of Thy Church may be built up in the Earth, as Thou didst erect the heavens themselves out of harmonies.”

Kepler wrote:

“The heavenly bodies are nothing but a continuous song for several voices (perceived by the intellect, not by the ear); a music which… sets landmarks in the immeasurable flow of time.

It is therefore, no longer surprising that man, in imitation of his Creator, has at last discovered the art of figured song, which was unknown to the ancients.

Man wanted to reproduce the continuity of cosmic time … to obtain a sample test of the delight of the Divine Creator in His works, and to partake of his joy by making music in the imitation of God.”

In the conclusion of his treatise, The Harmonies of the Worlds (1619), Johannes Kepler wrote:

“I thank Thee, my Creator and Lord, that Thou hast given me this joy in Thy creation, this delight in the works of Thy hands;

I have shown the excellency of Thy works unto man, so far as my finite mind was able to comprehend Thine infinity; if I have said aught of Thy glory, graciously forgive it.”

Kepler wrote:

“The cause of the six-sided shape of a snowflake is none other than that of the ordered shapes of plants and of numerical constants;

and since in them nothing occurs without supreme reason – not, to be sure, such as discursive reasoning discovers, but such as existed from the first in the Creator’s design and is preserved from that origin to this day in the wonderful nature of animal faculties,

I do not believe that even in a snowflake this ordered pattern exists at random.”

Two centuries later, Yale professor Benjamin Silliman, who in 1818 founded the American Journal of Science and Arts, stated:

“The relation of geology, as well as astronomy, to the Bible, when both are well understood, is that of perfect harmony …

The Word and the works of God cannot conflict, and the more they are studied the more perfect will their harmony appear.”

Complex patterns in nature seemingly confirm Kepler’s belief in an Intelligent Designer.

One such pattern is called the “divine proportion” or Golden Ratio.

Kepler’s study of this ratio is a geometric progression called a Kepler Triangle.

This irrational ratio, also called phi, is expressed as the decimal number 1.618.

Expressed as an equation, it is called the Fibonacci sequence, where, beginning with zero, each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.

Greek mathematician Euclid explained it as when a line is cut in two, and “the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to the lesser.”

The Golden Ratio is observed in extremely complex geometric patterns called fractals, where each part has the same statistical character as the whole.

The Golden Ratio is displayed everything from atoms to galaxies, snowflakes, crystals, to the petals of a rose and seeds in sunflowers and pine cones.

It exists in nautilus sea shells and seahorse tails, from fish scales, to snake skins, to bird feathers, to the dimensional shape of an egg.

It is observed in fluid turbulence, from the vortex of water going down a drain, to ocean waves, to hurricanes and tornadoes, and to the twisted shape of a DNA molecule.

Another unique aspect of the universe was noted by physicist Stephen Hawkins in A Brief History of Time (1996, p. 126):

“If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, it would have recollapsed before it reached its present size.

On the other hand, if it had been greater by a part in a million, the universe would have expanded too rapidly for stars and planets to form.”

 

There are hundreds of parameters which all must be present or life on Earth would be impossible, such as:

• If the Sun’s gravitational pull was not balanced with the centrifugal force of the Earth spinning in orbit, the Earth would either be pulled into the Sun or fly off into space;

• If the Earth were 2 percent closer to the Sun it would be scorched and if it were 2 percent further away from the Sun it would be frozen.

• If the Earth did not have a molten core, there would be no magnetic field to protect the surface from deadly cosmic radiation;

• If Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system — with a mass 2.5 times all the other planets combined — was not exerting its immense gravitational pull, comets and asteroids from space would strike the Earth;

• If the Earth took longer to rotate, increased exposure to the Sun would make it inhospitable;

• If the Earth did not have a tilt there would be no seasons;

• If the Moon did not exist, the oceans would continually wash over the face of the Earth;

• If the Moon were not in its exact position, there would not be the precise gravitational pull necessary for the Earth’s ocean tides.

Best-selling author Eric Metaxas wrote in the The Wall Street Journal article “Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God” (Dec. 25, 2014):

“In 1966 … astronomer Carl Sagan announced that there were two important criteria for a planet to support life: The right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star.

Given the roughly octillion — 1 followed by 24 zeros — planets in the universe, there should have been about septillion — 1 followed by 21 zeros — planets capable of supporting life …

But as years passed, the silence from the rest of the universe was deafening … As of 2014, researches have discovered precisely bubkis — 0 followed by nothing …”

Metaxas continued:

“What happened? As our knowledge of the universe increased, it became clear that there were far more factors necessary for life than Sagan supposed.

His two parameters grew to 10 and then 20 and then 50, and so the number of potentially life-supporting planets decreased accordingly …

… Peter Schenkel wrote in a 2006 piece for Skeptical Inquirer magazine:

‘In light of new findings … we should quietly admit that the early estimates … may no longer be tenable.'”

Metaxas stated further:

“As factors continued to be discovered, the number of possible planets hit zero … In other words, the odds turned against any planet in the universe supporting life, including this one …

… Today there are more than 200 known parameters necessary for a planet to support life — every single one of which must be perfectly met, or the whole thing falls apart.

Without a massive planet like Jupiter nearby, whose gravity will draw away asteroids, a thousand times as many would hit Earth’s surface.

… The odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing.Yet here we are, not only existing, but talking about existing.

What can account for it? … At what point is it fair to admit that science suggests that we cannot be the result of random forces?…”

Eric Metaxas ended:

“Theoretical physicist Paul Davies has said that ‘the appearance of design is overwhelming’ …

Oxford professor Dr. John Lennox has said

‘the more we get to know about our universe, the more the hypothesis that there is a Creator … gains in credibility as the best explanation of why we are here.'”

A Professor of Astronomy at the University of Washington in Seattle, Don Brownlee, stated during a panel:

“If you think of the universe as a whole, it’s almost a totally hostile place … The Earth is undoubtedly rare in the solar system.”

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio agreed, stating in 2016:

“We’ve been given this gift, our planet, and we’ve found no other place in the universe that we can inhabit.”

Jeremiah 32:17:

“Ah Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee.”

Psalm 33:6:

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”

Job 26:7:

“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing.”

Amos 9:6:

“He builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth; he calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land — the Lord is his name.”

In book five of The Harmonies of the World (1619), Johannes Kepler wrote:

“The die is cast; the book is written, to be read either now or by posterity, I care not which.

It may be well to wait a century for a reader, as God has waited six thousand years for an observer.”

Kepler, wrote:

“I had the intention of becoming a theologian … but now I see how God is, by my endeavors, also glorified in astronomy, for ‘the heavens declare the glory of God.'”

—

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