Trump Administration Will Release All Vaccine Doses Adopting A Policy Proposed By The Biden Team
The Trump administration will recommend providing a wider distribution of a coronavirus vaccine, just days after aides to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said his administration would make a similar adjustment by using more of the already procured vaccines for initial doses.
Mr. Bidens team has said it would aim to distribute the doses more quickly at federally run vaccination sites at high school gyms, sports stadiums and mobile units to reach high-risk populations.
The Trump administration plans to release the shots that had been held back and aims to make the vaccine available to everyone over 65 in an attempt to accelerate lagging distribution.
The doses had been held back to ensure that those who receive a first dose had the second and final inoculation available when it was needed. The change means all existing doses will be sent to states to provide initial inoculations. Second doses are to be provided by new waves of manufacturing.
The idea of using existing vaccine supplies for first doses has raised objections from some doctors and researchers, who say studies of the vaccines effectiveness proved only that they worked to prevent illness when using two doses.
The agency is expected to announce the new guidelines at a briefing at noon Eastern on Tuesday, according to an official briefed on the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly about the change. Axios earlier reported the new guidelines.
Fake Subpoenas For A Fake Impeachment Inquiry
To fully grasp the fraud being perpetrated on the entire country by congressional Democrats, you must go back to how this impeachment farce began last September. Doing a real impeachment investigation with real subpoenas that had real legal teeth would have required a full House vote. But thats not what happened.; Instead, House speaker Nancy Pelosi merely announced that an impeachment inquiry was beginning without;the full House having voted.
Not only is Obstruction of Congress a make-believe impeachment charge, the subpoenas sent out by Schiff and Nadlers House committees werent even real. The Democrats knew all along the subpoenas they were issuing were not properly authorized, and no one was breaking the law by not responding to them. None of those subpoenas had any legal force and Democrats managed to successfully hide this fact from their base.
When House committee sent one of these fake subpoenas to Charles Kupperman, he took it before a federal judge so the judge could rule on this exact issue. Was this a real subpoena with legal force and did Kupperman have to comply with it? What happened when Democrats who had issued that subpoena learned what Kupperman was doing?; They immediately rushed to the courtroom to withdraw the fake subpoena before the judge could rule on its validity, then they asked for the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, ensuring he would never rule on the validity of the contested subpoena.; That also is very revealing.
Tell Gop Senators To Call The Democrats’ Bluff By Faxing Them Now
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi held the articles of impeachment passed against President Trump for more than a month. She lost her gamble demanding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell allow new witnesses at trial. McConnell refused to “do House Democrats’ homework for them” by enabling an extension of their investigation. That should have been done BEFORE their impeachment vote.
But after Pelosi finally relented and began the process of sending the articles to the Upper Chamber, a small group of Senate Republicans;pitched McConnell on the idea of “witness reciprocity.” The basic premise is that if Democrats get to call a trial witness, the GOP does, too.
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Impeachment Is An ‘act Of Political Vengeance’ Trump Lawyer Says
“At no point was the president informed the vice president was in any danger,” Michael van der Veen argued, adding that there is “nothing at all in record on this point.” Van der Veen also accused the House impeachment managers of failing to do their due diligence on this issue.
“What the president did know is that there was a violent riot happening at the Capitol,” van der Veen said. “That’s why he repeatedly called via tweet and via video for the riots to stop, to be peaceful, to respect Capitol police and law enforcement and to commit no violence and go home.”
But van der Veen’s argument left senators with additional questions.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who says he is undecided on whether he’ll vote to convict Trump, asked for more details regarding Tuberville’s account of the call with Trump and his tweet railing against Pence.
“Does this show that President Trump was tolerant of the intimidation of Vice President Pence?” Cassidy asked.
But again, van der Veen disputed the sequence of events, calling discussion of Tuberville’s call “hearsay.”
“I have a problem with the facts in the question because I have no idea,” van der Veen responded.
Cassidy told reporters later that he didn’t think his question got a good answer.
Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, hailed by many for his heroism during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, participates in a the dress rehearsal for Inauguration Day.hide caption
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“History will wait for our decision.”
What’s The Debate About
Mrs Pelosi affirmed on Tuesday that there is no need for a full chamber vote as her party’s probe proceeds.
“There’s no requirement that we have a vote, so at this time we will not be having a vote and I’m very pleased with the thoughtfulness of our caucus with the path that we are on,” she told reporters.
But Republicans, who control the Senate, where any impeachment measure would go to trial, disagree.
Citing past impeachments, the president’s supporters have called for a full House vote to formally start the inquiry and to give Republican lawmakers more powers, like being able to issue subpoenas for their own witnesses and schedule hearings.
As it stands, several House committees, all chaired by Democrats, are investigating the president, looking for evidence to support impeachment. The White House has refused to co-operate.
“We’re not here to call bluffs. We’re here to find the truth, to uphold the Constitution of the United States,” Mrs Pelosi said on Tuesday.
“This is not a game for us. This is deadly serious, and we’re on a path that is getting us to a path to truth and timetable that respects our Constitution.”
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Trump Impeachment Goes To Senate Testing His Sway Over Gop
WASHINGTON House Democrats delivered the impeachment case against Donald Trump to the Senate late Monday for the start of his historic trial, but Republican senators were easing off their criticism of the former president and shunning calls to convict him over the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.
Its an early sign of Trumps enduring sway over the party.
The nine House prosecutors carried the sole impeachment charge of incitement of insurrection across the Capitol, making a solemn and ceremonial march to the Senate along the same halls the rioters ransacked just weeks ago. But Republican denunciations of Trump have cooled since the Jan. 6 riot. Instead Republicans are presenting a tangle of legal arguments against the legitimacy of the trial and questioning whether Trumps repeated demands to overturn Joe Bidens election really amounted to incitement.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked if Congress starts holding impeachment trials of former officials, whats next: Could we go back and try President Obama?
Besides, he suggested, Trump has already been held to account. One way in our system you get punished is losing an election.
It is a critical moment in American history, Coons said Sunday in an interview.
Trump Lawyer: His Call To Georgia Officials To ‘find’ Votes Was Taken Out Of Context
Trump’s lawyers largely sidestepped Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., asked during the question-and-answer session: “Are the prosecutors right when they claim that Trump was telling a big lie, or in your judgment did Trump actually win the election?”
Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen shot back, “My judgment? Who asked that?”
“I did,” Sanders replied.
“My judgment is irrelevant,” van der Veen said.
“You represent the president of the United States!” Sanders yelled back before Sen. Patrick Leahy, the presiding officer, gaveled the chamber back to order.
Trump’s rhetoric about widespread fraud and a stolen election was false, dismissed by many courts stemming from dozens of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and allies across several key states.
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Republican Leaders Misjudged Jan 6 Committee
Addison Mitchell McConnellLindsey Graham: Police need ‘to take a firm line’ with Sept. 18 rally attendeesManchin keeps Washington guessing on what he wantsCEOs urge Congress to raise debt limit or risk ‘avoidable crisis’MORE , the two Republican congressional leaders who are into power and party, made a big political mistake last spring in opposing a bipartisan commission to investigate the mob assault on the Capitol.
McConnell pressured enough Republican Senators so the measure couldn’t get the 60 votes necessary for passage. McCarthy ludicrously claimed he was opposed to any inquiry that didn’t investigate left wing activists who had nothing to do with the violent Jan. 6 attack intended to prevent Congress from certifying Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump endorses challenger in Michigan AG race On The Money: Democrats get to the hard partHealth Care GOP attorneys general warn of legal battle over Biden’s vaccine mandateMORE‘s presidential victory.
Neither man anticipated that House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiOn The Money: Democrats get to the hard partBiden discusses agenda with Schumer, Pelosi ahead of pivotal weekStefanik in ad says Democrats want ‘permanent election insurrection’MORE would outsmart them, maneuvering a select House committee with two prominent Republicans who are more interested in finding out all that happened that terrible day.
The context and totality of Republican actions this year tell the story.
Why Won’t Pelosi Pull The Trigger
With almost every Democrat in the House on board, Nancy Pelosi has the votes to pass an impeachment inquiry resolution. So why hasn’t she pulled the trigger?
The House speaker might be trying to protect the handful of holdout Democrats or view the move as a waste of time. She might also be afraid that a House vote would encourage Republicans to press for the kinds of investigatory powers that congressional minority parties had in past impeachment proceedings.
The last thing Democrats want is congressional Republicans subpoenaing Joe or Hunter Biden in an attempt to shift the focus away from Donald Trump.
Ms Pelosi could also be hoping that the longer the investigation grinds on, the greater the chance Democrats could uncover that damning bit of evidence that breaks Republicans ranks. She may believe that it would be easier for Republicans to support impeachment if they weren’t on the record voting against an investigation.
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Jamie Raskin Is Leading The Effort To Impeach Trump While Mourning The Recent Death Of His Son
A day after Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, buried his 25-year-old son, he survived the mob attack on the Capitol. He is now leading the impeachment effort against President Trump for inciting the siege.
Mr. Raskins son, Tommy Raskin, a 25-year-old Harvard University law student, social justice activist, animal lover and poet, died by suicide on New Years Eve. He left his parents an apology, with instructions: Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me.
As he found himself hiding with House colleagues from a violent mob, Mr. Raskin feared for the safety of a surviving daughter who had accompanied him to the Capitol to witness the counting of electoral votes to seal Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory.
Within hours, Mr. Raskin was at work drafting an article of impeachment with the mob braying in his ear and his sons final plea on his mind.
Ill spend the rest of my life trying to live up to those instructions, the Maryland Democrat said in an interview on Monday, reading aloud the farewell note as he reflected on his familys grief and the confluence of events. But what we are doing this week is looking after our beloved republic.
The slightly rumpled former constitutional law professor has been preparing his entire life for this moment. That it should come just as he is suffering the most unimaginable loss a parent can bear has touched his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Trump’s Defense Closes Its Case By Saying Impeachment Trial Is A ‘complete Charade’
Manager Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado rebutted the defense’s argument that Trump has been denied due process.
“We had a full presentation of evidence, adversarial presentations, motions. The president was invited to testify. He declined. The president was invited to provide exculpatory evidence. He declined. You can’t claim there’s no due process when you won’t participate in the process,” he said.
He noted that impeachment is separate and distinct from the criminal justice system.
“Why would the constitution include the impeachment power at all, if the criminal justice system serves as a suitable alternative once a President leaves office?” he asked. “It wouldn’t.”
Neguse also sought to address an allegation raised by defense attorneys, that the impeachment trial was rooted in hate. He turned to a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“This trial is not born from hatred,” said Neguse. “Far from it. It’s born from love of country. Our country. Our desire to maintain it. Our desire to see America at its best.”
On Saturday morning, senators voted to hear from Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler as a witness in the impeachment trial. Later, an agreement allowed a statement by her into the record without calling her.hide caption
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The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump won’t be hearing from witnesses after all.
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Opinionnancy Pelosi Was Right About Everything
Schumer and the Democrats should therefore agree to the witnesses that Trump claims he wants. If they do so, both Republicans and the president will have to explain why they are now reversing course and not making them testify. This, despite the weeks of whining from Republicans in the House who complain the Democrats case is built on hearsay.
Backtracking now would make Republicans and Trump look like liars. And it would severely undercut their claims that they can prove their innocence.
Trump is also very susceptible to a certain kind of public pressure. A steady drumbeat of Democrats daring Trump to call witnesses could goad him into demanding his witnesses be called. At this point, Democrats should make their case to McConnell and, if rejected by him, to Chief Justice John Roberts, the presiding officer of the Senate trial.
Opiniontrump’s Impeachment Will Be Driven By One Thing And It’s Not The Constitution
But if the Senate does not dismiss the charges, a ban on witnesses would be a stark break with precedent in every impeachment trial in American history, whether of presidents, judges or other officials; all have heard from witnesses. President Andrew Johnsons impeachment trial in 1868, for example, heard from 25 witnesses for the prosecution and 16 defense witnesses. In the Clinton impeachment, the Senate allowed testimony from three named witnesses accuser Monica Lewinsky and Clinton associates Vernon Jordan Jr. and Sidney Blumenthal each of whom testified in nonpublic videotaped depositions, excerpts of which were presented in the public Senate trial.
In following the Clinton model as McConnell initially promised no bombshell moment would have occurred in the Trump trial even if Bolton or Mulvaney had testified, because their evidence would have been prepackaged in a deposition rather than heard live by the senators. Thus, even grudging Republican support for these limited witnesses under that model would win no accolades from swing voters, and would still alienate staunch Trump supporters who simply want a win for their side.
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Trump’s Big Lie Is Changing The Face Of American Politics
Trump’s Big Lie is changing the face of American politics
The Big Lie is already tainting the 2022 and 2024 elections.
Relentless efforts by former President Donald Trump and his true believers in politics and the media have convinced millions of Americans that Joe Biden is a fraudulent President who seized power in a stolen election.
This deep-seated suspicion of last November’s vote, which threatens to corrode the foundation of US democracy, mirrors the message adopted by the ex-President months before he clearly lost a free and fair election to Biden.
It has immediate political implications — the lie that the last election was a fix is already shaping the terrain in which candidates, especially Republicans, are running in midterm elections in 2022. And the widespread belief that Trump was cheated out of power is building the former President a 2024 platform to mount a GOP presidential primary bid if he wishes.
Trump’s great success in creating his own version of a new truth about the election and his still-magnetic talent for spinning myths into which his supporters can buy is revealed in a new CNN poll released Wednesday.
Such is the power of Trump — and the conservative media propaganda machine that created an alternative reality for his followers — that the President is able to reinvent the truth in plain sight, and get away with it. The former President effectively writes the script.
