Day: December 18, 2020

Dominion Warned Memory Cards Might Need to be Prematurely Removed from Voting Machines

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Dominion Voting Systems issued a warning to Georgia officials prior to the 2020 election that memory cards might need to be removed from vote tabulation machines prior to the end of the election to deal with a limitation in its system, according to records obtained by Just the News through an open-records request.

Officials acknowledged Thursday at least 36 memory cards had to be prematurely removed from vote tabulating machines in the Atlanta area that had reached counting limits. The cards were stored in a locked cabinet until polls closed, officials said.

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Governor Bill Lee Admonishes Citizens for Their Thanksgiving Gatherings as ‘Selfish, Indifferent, Foolish’ Decisions

Corinne Murdock

Governor Bill Lee called out Tennessee for its recent Thanksgiving gatherings as selfish, indifferent, and foolish decisions. The governor issued these remarks during a press conference as some of the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered at Vanderbilt University.

“We do stand here and celebrate a tremendous breakthrough in this pandemic,” stated Lee. “But there is a darkness before the dawn that’s happening right here in Tennessee – we have to recognize that. Tennessee’s cases are surging. The holidays have caught up with us. Decisions that some made during Thanksgiving have a severe reality in this hospital and all across Tennessee today.”

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Commentary: Trumpism Without Trump Is Not Kinder and Gentler, but Harder and Fiercer

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The Democrats stole the election. President Trump is right to fight this. The U.S. Supreme Court was wrong to stand aside and let it happen. (Texas had standing to sue over it, for whereas Texans must grin and bear it when we are outvoted fair and square by other states, if our votes are nullified by cheating in other states, then we have been injured and we have a right to seek redress.) Even without the cheating, the impact of massive private subsidies aimed solely at boosting turnout in Democrat strongholds, pre-election bias in the press, and censorship by Big Tech may itself have been enough to tip the results in Joe Biden’s favor.

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Vanderbilt Poll: 88 Percent of Tennessee’s Republican Voters Doubt Legitimacy of Presidential Election

Corinne Murdock

A Vanderbilt University poll suggested that 88 percent of Tennessee’s registered Republican voters doubt the legitimacy of the presidential election. According to the university, the poll’s purpose was to discover any correlation between support of the COVID-19 vaccine and views on the election’s integrity. The poll lasted 21 days, surveying just over 1,000 individuals. Nowhere in their methodology did the research include the exact number of Republicans, Democrats, independent, and “other” respondents.

A supplementary video summarizing the polling results noted that 83 percent of Democrats pose a large public health problem, as opposed to 47 percent of Republicans. After providing that information, the video noted that 97 percent of Democrats believed nationwide votes from the Presidential election were counted fairly and accurately, as opposed to 12 percent of Republicans.

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Hunter Biden Was Due to Receive ‘Significant’ Payments from Chinese Private Equity Firm Starting in 2019, Emails Show

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Hunter Biden was repeatedly told by his business partner that he would begin receiving significant payments from a Chinese private equity firm starting in 2019, emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show.

The business partner, Eric Schwerin, also told Hunter Biden in a December 2018 email that the Chinese private equity firm, BHR Partners, would generate income for him “over the next couple of years.”

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Peter Strzok’s Declassified Messages Give Insider View of FBI’s Trump Campaign Probe

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The Justice Department declassified a batch of internal FBI messages from Peter Strzok, the former counterintelligence official who oversaw the bureau’s investigation of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.

The messages, which Senate Republicans released Thursday, provide new insights into the thinking of investigators who worked on Crossfire Hurricane, the code name for the investigation into the Trump campaign.

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A Vaccine Maker Under Federal Investigation Has Hired Lobbyist with Family Ties to Top Biden Adviser

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A vaccine maker under investigation for misrepresenting its involvement in Operation Warp Speed has hired lobbyist Jeff Ricchetti, whose brother will be the top White House counselor to Joe Biden.

Ricchetti’s firm, which he founded with his brother Steve, the incoming Biden adviser, registered as a lobbyist on Nov. 1 for Vaxart, a California-based biotechnology company that specializes in developing oral vaccinations.

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New Jobless Claims Increase to 885,000, Economists Expected 808,000

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The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 885,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) figure released Thursday represented an increase of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Dec. 5, in which there were 853,000 new jobless claims reported. Roughly 20.6 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits, according to the BLS report Thursday.

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Eastern States Inching Toward New Regional Climate Pact That Could Cut Carbon Emissions, Raise Gas Prices

The Center Square

A group of Northeast and mid-Atlantic states are inching toward a regional climate pact that’s aimed at reducing emissions and easing traffic congestion, but could ultimately increase prices at the gas pumps.

Modeled on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which has reduced emissions from power plants, the Transportation and Climate Initiative would create a cap-and-invest program to drive down emissions from cars and trucks, which contribute to about 40% of regional greenhouse gas emissions scientists say contribute to a warmer planet.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Georgia GOP Lawsuit Alleging Insecurity of Drop Boxes and Absentee Signature Verification

Corinne Murdock

A federal judge dismissed a Georgia lawsuit Thursday challenging the legality of drop boxes and absentee signature verification. The suit, filed by the 12th Congressional District Republican Committee, sought to eliminate the use of absentee ballot drop boxes and invalidate signature matching protocol added earlier this year and for the runoff election.

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Sen. Warner: New Relief Bill Will Likely Include $600 Stimulus Checks, Less Unemployment Coverage

Eric Burk

Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) is confident that the Senate will soon pass the two-part COVID-19 relief package he helped develop. In a Thursday telephone press conference, Warner described key provisions of the plan and addressed controversy over a stimulus check added to the package while also limiting provisions to extend federal unemployment benefits past Christmas.

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Wise County Public Schools Brings Satellite Internet to Rural Virginia Students

Eric Burk

Over 800 table-sized satellites constantly falling in orbit at 340 miles above the earth are solving a problem for rural Wise County students, according to data from Wise County, Sky and Telescope and Space.com. The satellites are part of Starlink, a program from private rocket and space hardware company SpaceX that aims to bring high-speed internet to some of the remotest parts of the world. On February 1, 2021, 45 families will have access to the network, thanks to a program developed by the Wise County Public Schools.

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Minnesota Unemployment Claims Continue to Decline Despite Lockdown Measures

The Center Square

Minnesota’s new unemployment claims last week dropped by 9,254 from the week ending Dec. 5, according to Department of Labor statistics released Thursday morning.

Unemployment claims in the state continue to drop despite the ongoing prohibitions of indoor gatherings imposed by Gov. Tim Walz to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus. On Wednesday, Walz announced he was extending his lockdown orders through the holiday season.

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Virginia Republicans Blast Northam’s Budget Proposal to Expand Court of Appeals

Jacob Taylor

After Governor Ralph Northam made a number of proposals to the state’s biennial budget on Wednesday, several Republican legislators rebuked the Democrat’s recommendation to expand the Virginia Court of Appeals and claimed he was trying to pack the court.

Northam presented his budget proposals during a virtual meeting with the House of Delegates and Senate appropriation committees.

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Schools Close For the Remainder of Semester, Unsure of Returning In-Person

Tiffany Morgan

  Georgia schools are closed for the rest of the Fall semester, and schools are unsure if any will return face-to-face by the New Year. The Georgia Department of Education reports 2,235 school closures, shutting more than 1.7 million students out of the classroom. Governor Kemp signed an executive order mid-March of 2020 closing all public, elementary and post-secondary public schools in Georgia. The order – originally set to expire at the end of that month – has was extended through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, and indications are that the school system will remain shut down into 2021. Kemp has not made any statements regarding schools remaining virtual through Spring. But state school officials stated in an email sent to parents obtained by The Georgia Star News that teachers and staff should be ready for virtual learning, since opening back up on January 6 is unclear with the rise of COVID-19 cases. State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a July statement, “Local districts have authority to chart their course for upcoming school year. Our role is to support them.” In a separate statement, Woods said, “we must choose compassion over compliance.” When schools started reopening at…

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Michigan Unemployment Claims Continue to Decline Despite Lockdown Measures

The Center Square

Michigan’s new unemployment claims dropped last week by 5,855 from the week ending Dec. 5, according to Department of Labor statistics released Thursday morning.

Unemployment claims in the state continue to drop despite the ongoing prohibitions of indoor gatherings imposed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

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Virginia Undocumented Immigrants Allowed to Legally Drive in 2021 Under New Law

Jacob Taylor

Beginning January 2nd, 2021, undocumented immigrants living in Virginia will be able to apply for official driving credentials, called a driver privilege card, with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), allowing non-citizens to lawfully drive within the Commonwealth for the first time.

The change in the state code stems from legislation the Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed earlier this year during the 2020 regular session and signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam.

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Tennessee Titans and Nashville Mayor John Cooper Reportedly Discuss Nissan Stadium Upgrades

Chris Butler

Tennessee Titans officials and members of the Metro Nashville Government reportedly want to upgrade Nissan Stadium. This, according to Thursday’s Tennessean, which reported that Titans’ officials will soon announce formal discussions with Nashville Mayor John Cooper and members of his administration. As the paper reported, they will discuss extending the city’s lease with its NFL franchise. This, “while launching a gigantic project that will – in the words of the team and Cooper himself – ‘secure the Titans’ future’ in Nashville.”

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