Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s COVID-19 expert and President-elect Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said on Tuesday morning that Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris ought to receive the vaccine for COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Putin Congratulates Biden Over A Month After Election
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the U.S. presidential election after weeks of holding out.
Putin’s message to Biden came a day after the Electoral College confirmed Biden as the nation’s next president, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede that he had lost.
The Kremlin had said earlier that the Russian president would hold off on congratulating Biden until the winner was officially confirmed. “We are just waiting for the end of the internal political confrontation,” Putin said last month, referring to numerous Republican challenges to the vote count.
In his message, Putin wished Biden “every success,” according to a Kremlin statement Tuesday, and expressed confidence that “Russia and the U.S., which bear special responsibility for global security and stability can, despite the differences, really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing.”
The Russian president noted that “the Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the people in both countries and the entire international community.”
“For my part, I am ready for interaction and contact with you,” Putin was quoted by the Kremlin as saying.
Report: Massive Russian Hack Effort Breached DHS, State Department And NIH
The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the National Institutes of Health on Monday joined a growing list of government agencies targeted in a digital spying operation by Russia whose damage remains unclear but is thought to be extensive, the Washington Post reported late Monday.
The fact that the department responsible for keeping the nation safe from cyber attacks was victimized raises question about the effectiveness of government efforts to protect against digital spying.
The list of victims of the cyberespionage, had already included the Treasury and Commerce departments, but the list of targets is expanding and likely include more federal agencies and numerous private companies, officials familiar with the matter told the Post.
In a federal securities filing on Monday, SolarWinds reported that “fewer than 18,000” of its customers may have been affected in the attack. The figure represents just a fraction of the maker of the popular network-managements software’s more than 300,000 customers worldwide, but still represents a significant group of important networks that includes the Pentagon and the White House. Russia has denied any role in the spying effort, the Post said.
According to the Post, DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist said that the department is aware of reports of a breach and is investigating the matter.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is thought to be behind the campaign, which has been running since at least the spring. The hackers gained access to their victims’ systems by compromising routine software patches sent to these systems by SolarWinds.
Experts told the Post that the nature of the hacks indicated that the attackers were focused on high-value targets, although the spy effort appears so far to be a part of Russian intelligence that has little known record for advancing online disinformation campaigns like the ones seen during the 2016 presidential elections.
FireEye, a top cybersecurity firm that was also breached, discovered through its own investigation that SolarWinds had been compromised. The firm described the victims as including “government, consulting, technology, telecom and extractive entities in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.”
“We anticipate there are additional victims in other countries and verticals,” the firm said.
Hackers stole potent cyberattack tools that FireEye used for research purposes, according to the Post.
John Hultquist, manager of analysis at FireEye, told the Post that intruders are “still in these organizations. There are a lot of information-security teams right now who are probably going to be working on this problem through Christmas.”
The details of what was taken and from whom are not yet public in the Russian operation which dates at least as far back as March and was described as active as recently as Sunday.
Trump Tells GOPers To ‘Get Moving’ Even After Electoral College Locks In His Defeat
President Donald Trump early Tuesday morning demanded his fellow Republicans take action against the election results somehow even after the Electoral College sealed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory on Monday.
Biden Takes Victory Lap For Democracy After Electoral College Cements His Win
President-elect Joe Biden’s victory lap after the Electoral College affirmed his win on Monday touted the preservation of democracy amid President Trump’s fruitless legal battles centered on bogus voter fraud allegations and the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans thus far. Continue reading “Biden Takes Victory Lap For Democracy After Electoral College Cements His Win”
TPM’s Duke Of Dukes: Jeet Heer Weighs In
The expert weighs in.
While we’ve asked you, the readers, to help us decide who the worst of the worst are in this year’s TPM Duke of Dukes contest, we figured you could use a bit of persuasion one way or the other — a reminder as to why these scandal-plagued political figures’ buffoonery is worth celebrating.
The Nation’s Jeet Heer is up first as a guest commentator this year, offering some coaxing on why you should vote one way or the other. Head over here to vote.
—Nicole Lafond
Duke Cunningham v. James Traficant
Cunningham.
Partly as a matter of sentiment, I think Duke Cunningham, who started this august tradition, should at least make the first round. But also he fits the most important criteria: not just a crook, but a colorful one. The yacht, the lava lamp, the bribe menu. Traficant, although expelled, was a more garden-variety crook, but a colorful one.
Jeff Gannon v. Scooter Libby
Libby.
At first glance, Gannon might seem more colorful (his story has the element of sex) than Scooter Libby, the loyal bureaucrat who took a fall for the boss. But I’ve actually read Libby’s novel “The Apprentice” (1996) with its strange bears-coupling-with-young-girls theme, so I have to say Libby is a much stranger person. Also this was a crime that succeeded: by protecting Cheney and being commuted by Bush (and pardoned by Trump), Libby set the stage for the current age of scandal.
Jack Abramoff v. Dick Cheney
Cheney.
Abramoff is a storied figure but Cheney is a step beyond: legendary in what he was able to get away with. To this day, it still seems like a delirious dream. Did the former vice president really shoot a man in the face and get an apology from the man? Yes. It happened.
Rob Blagojevich v. Mark Foley
Blagojevich.
Again: the rule is the more colorful, the better. Congressional sex scandals of the Foley sort are commonplace, if sordid. Blagojevich on the other hand took self-enrichment to a new level. His ability to game Trump to get a pardon also shows that he’s not someone who rests on his laurel. He’s still out there grifting, an inspiration for lesser wiseguys.
Rob Ford v. Dinesh D’Souza
Ford.
As a former Torontonian, who once saw Ford in his last sad days and also has spent time visiting the apartment where the infamous crack smoking took place, I have to go with Ford. D’Souza is an infamous public idiot, much dunked on on social media, but not much more than that.
Anthony Weiner v. Chris Christie
Weiner.
A tough choice since both embody a style of Northeastern douchebaggery that is regionally distinct. But Christie seems like a pale Sopranos royal player, while Weiner’s sexting has a genuine level of unhingedness. Also, Weiner helped elect Trump, so it’s of world-historical importance!
Rudy Giuliani v. Jerry Falwell Jr.
Giuliani.
Another tough one! Giuliani, I think, deserves special credit for destroying his reputation. I mean, he had been Time’s Person of the Year in 2001. Even back then, some of us remembered the race-baiting Rudy who was surrounded by dubious friends. The great thing about 2020 Rudy is he’s letting the rest of the world see who he really is — and it’s not a pretty sight! Falwall’s own scandal is colorful enough — a pool boy, financial hanky-panky at an evangelical school — but it’s a small mouse compared to Rudy’s non-stop clown show.
Duncan Hunter v. Paul Manafort
Manafort.
This one is not a contest. Corrupt congresspeople, even ones who scape-goat their spouse, are within the range of normal corruption. But Manafort is an epic scoundrel of international proportions. We only have a small glimmering of everything he was involved in, but it’s clearly globe-spanning crimes that involve compromising the very integrity of American democracy. Truly a gangster for the ages.
Made up your mind? More confused than ever? Vote here!
Biden Clears 270 Electoral College Vote Mark As Trump Eggs On Fake Fraud War
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Electoral College gave Joe Biden a majority of its votes Monday, confirming his victory in last month’s election in state-by-state voting that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost.
Continue reading “Biden Clears 270 Electoral College Vote Mark As Trump Eggs On Fake Fraud War”
MI GOP Rep Departs Party Due To Trump’s ‘Unacceptable’ Efforts To Overturn Results
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) on Monday issued a pointed rebuke of President Trump as he announced his departure from the Republican Party, citing the sitting president’s vehement refusal to halt his legal efforts challenging election results even as the Electoral College is set to cement President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Continue reading “MI GOP Rep Departs Party Due To Trump’s ‘Unacceptable’ Efforts To Overturn Results”
Trump Announces Barr’s Resignation
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that Attorney General Bill Barr is resigning.
Vaccine Distribution Rehearsals Portend Delays, State Official Told Congress
As COVID-19 vaccine distribution is getting underway around the country, at least one state official has warned that serious delays could affect the rollout.
Continue reading “Vaccine Distribution Rehearsals Portend Delays, State Official Told Congress”