British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government thinks people should make their own personal decision about gathering for Christmas but they should also consider the COVID-19 risks to vulnerable family members, a minister said https://t.co/Sm4sbaPPwq
— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) December 16, 2020
UK to stick with relaxed Christmas Covid rules but nations split on guidance https://t.co/d6KRaXxFyd
— The Guardian (@guardian) December 16, 2020
“On December 28th, at the end of the five day Christmas period, tighter restrictions… will come into force”
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 16, 2020
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announces a stay-at-home lockdown, due to a “sustained rise in coronavirus numbers”https://t.co/qLvwEBSzUp pic.twitter.com/thmuZOywt9
Those Christmas Covid-19 rules in brief… pic.twitter.com/XaxzkH445M
— Bands FC (@_Bands_FC) December 16, 2020
This is levelling up, @BorisJohnson? https://t.co/hCBQb5Qxj3
— Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) December 16, 2020
Column on Boris Johnson's technique – common to pandemic and Brexit management – of letting procrastination do the decision-making https://t.co/pcmJ1u1u9B
— Rafael Behr (@rafaelbehr) December 15, 2020
JUST IN: Commons sources say House WILL rise this week for Christmas.. scotching hopes of swift breakthrough in Brussels ratified next week. Seems like recall will be needed if deal is done before Jan 1 – clear signal to EU that UK fine with going V LONG: https://t.co/nx2XNceRza
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) December 16, 2020
Under Michael Gove the Cabinet Office has, in addition to Covid work, also recently outsourced £180 million to six firms – McKinsey, Bain & Co, KPMG, Accenture, Deloitte, and PwC – for a “strategic programme management” of Brexit. https://t.co/BOD19MuInZ
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) December 16, 2020
I think the #Brexit obsession on the internal politics of London is consistently misplaced. I don’t think the Commission is following the Lords timetables, if a deal is agreed, it’ll be expected to be ratified. https://t.co/SPirnqNYsG
— Neale Richmond (@nealerichmond) December 17, 2020
Brexit alert just crossed on Reuters.
— Mary Louise Kelly (@NPRKelly) December 16, 2020
Ferret?? pic.twitter.com/bqdaS8y1DG
"Now we learn that while the prime minister and the chancellor are telling the armed forces, police officers, care workers, and firefighters that they will get a pay freeze, Dominic Cummings has been handed at least a £40,000 pay rise." https://t.co/bnqCd2j6hg
— The New European – Think Without Borders (@TheNewEuropean) December 16, 2020
***
THE CONSTANT DUMPSTER FIRE SHITSTORM THAT IS TRUMPWORLD
Trump couldn’t make it any clearer: He needs his supporters to fork over $$ for the all-important GA Senate election.
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 16, 2020
There’s just one hitch: Trump’s new political machine is pocketing most of it—and the campaigns of the GA senators aren’t getting a cent.https://t.co/ai9VB84wF0
Ron Johnson looks like he has indigestion as Krebs denounces Republican election fraud lies that have resulted in him and other officials receiving threats pic.twitter.com/hVjVwp1rVN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 16, 2020
Opinion | We’ve finally identified the source of fraud in the 2020 election. It’s Ron Johnson. <— THIS https://t.co/sU6NiWdkvW
— Jennifer "A man is not a plan" Rubin 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@JRubinBlogger) December 17, 2020
Good news for Republicans: At least he’s still interested in Georgia. https://t.co/3Y8E7x14P9
— Slate (@Slate) December 16, 2020
uh… pic.twitter.com/E2Z1R1KpbW
— jesse spector (@jessespector) December 16, 2020
‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal https://t.co/kEvy4SVttm via @politico
— Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) December 16, 2020
Man who said there would be no second wave of COVID to get vaccinated in the middle of the third wave of COVID. https://t.co/qGDDspkVuO
— Doug Gordon (@dgordon52) December 16, 2020
45 of America’s 50 largest corporations have turned profits since March while nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty (the biggest jump in poverty since the government began tracking poverty 60 years ago).
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) December 16, 2020
America is embracing social Darwinism.
We followed up on WaPo story about POTUS neighbors trying to push Palm Beach officials, who've turned a blind eye to evident violations of Mar-a-Lago use agreement forged in 1993, to finally enforce it as Trump prepares for his post-presidential life there https://t.co/gpGkG6KtXC
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 16, 2020
Injunction sought over Trump’s Arctic refuge drilling plan amid fears for polar bears https://t.co/NtCwkAvsXg
— The Independent (@Independent) December 16, 2020
Trump administration to withhold Medicaid funding from California over abortion insurance requirement https://t.co/BhC45qMNmq
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 16, 2020
SCOOP: Some advisers close to Biden are frustrated over a Glamour magazine interview in which incoming White House deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon referred to Republicans on Capitol Hill as "f*ckers."https://t.co/wBS7lhT53w
— Axios (@axios) December 16, 2020
We're tracking the Trump administration's rush to change policies in its final days. New updates include:
— ProPublica (@propublica) December 16, 2020
– Letting states weaken water protections
– Weakening disclosure requirements for oil and gas industry payments to foreign governments
+ more: https://t.co/c73gbbJNbB
The U.S. government would save about $2.6 billion if President-elect Joe Biden halts construction on the border wall project on his first day in office, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates https://t.co/VDlqZQuuah
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) December 16, 2020
U.S. government officials have yet to acknowledge what the Russians were seeking or what they stole in the recently detected hack. The espionage attack is among the greatest intelligence failures of modern times. https://t.co/fGjF0jaIiJ
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) December 16, 2020
SCOOP: How Russian hackers outed their own cyberattack that hit gov’t agencies, as detailed to Congress—the hackers exploited 2-factor authentication to access FireEye by duping an employee into typing credentials on a fake login page
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) December 17, 2020
w/@NatashaBertrand https://t.co/HsFC7T6ikG
Tyson Foods Fires 7 Plant Managers Over Betting Ring On Workers Getting COVID-19 https://t.co/eKp0IhzDNF
— Jeffrey Levin 🇺🇦 (@jilevin) December 16, 2020
The Overnight Note 