Electoral College to vote today
First vaccines leave Pfizer plant
OFF TO COLLEGE
Electoral College vote to seal election for Biden
NBC NEWS
The machinations of our democracy will cross a critical threshold today. Joe Biden will be selected by the Electoral College as the next president.
For most Republican voters it will be a bitter pill to swallow in a very strange year. For some, it will live forever. Much like the 1960 election left a gaping hole in the heart of some Republicans who believed they’d be robbed. What is all but certain is that there is no way to overturn these results.
The train is past the horizon and a new day is set to dawn.
Despite Supreme Court rejection Trump insists “it’s not over”
WASHINGTON POST
House Democrats willing to drop state and local aid to make a COVID relief deal?
POLITICO
These comments by Steny Hoyer would indicate that Cocaine Mitch’s “kill your darlings” option where the Dems would sacrifice state and local money and the GOP would sacrifice liability protection is possibly the way forward this week.
First vaccine deployment leaves Pfizer plant
THE HILL
First injections will likely take place Tuesday.
Trump to dismiss Barr in final weeks?
AXIOS
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Let me explain why vaccine distribution is so challenging... The drugs have to be held at a certain temperature (usually cold) and so for this to work they have to utilize cold chain transportation methods. Now for items made in the continental US, that distribution shouldn't be too difficult, you can easily move these around on trucks or rail cars and have it just fine, but when we are talking about more remote places (like Hawaii, Alaska, Latin America, South America, and oh yeah, Asia) you need to use aircraft to move it. and that's not an easy thing to do. Right now, dry ice manufacturers are going into overtime to start getting supply ready because dry ice is one of the best ways to actually ensure a cold temperature when you're moving through periods of time greater than 3-4 hours. Express Couriers are working now to open up air space and take these very expensive contracts on (let's make this clear, yes, there is a high reward for them to move this cargo - but there is also a HUGE risk that the cargo could spoil in transit). Here's my current guess, once the drug is actually ready to ship, you will see a commercial uplift operation like no other that has ever been performed - AND you will see a military uplift operation that will rival the Berlin Air Lift of the 1940s... we're talking massive amounts of planes in the air. I am currently typing this not 2 miles from the largest US Air Force base east of the Mississippi. I know how fast they can get all of their G17 Globemasters in the air (answer in less than 2 hours), so once the word "Go" is given I have a feeling you will see more air traffic in the air in human history than ever before. And since I'm sitting at the epicenter of aviation history, and the home of the Wright Brothers, I feel actually some pride about my industry and our task at hand... We will not fail, because we cannot fail. - BIG JIM THE TRADE NERD
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Eventually my wife's office should get vaccines. She has some antivax co-workers (That's so fucking strange coming from medical professionals btw). I wonder if she can get their vials for me? - DANIEL
I wonder how much screwy stuff we are going to see with this. Who is writing a vaccine heist film script?
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Ahahaha. Thanks for the smiles this morning. The "turn off smart features" option has been around a long time, but I'll keep fighting old-school. Because honestly, those filters do a spectacular job on 99% of everything else. - ANDREA
We all have to determine the level of Al Doritos we want to have in our lives.
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$80,000, that does not feel like much money. How can Biden insulate himself from Hunter? Is it acceptable if Joe got Hunter a job as a park ranger? Fresh air, domestic job, no foreign contact if put on the right part of a park. - SEAN
Say what you will about Joe Biden but he loves his son. You have to imagine he’s gotten plenty of pressure to put Hunter on some sober-living seastead a year ago but he’s still as visible as you’d imagine an adult son of a presidential candidate would be.
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Why are conservatives so gung-ho to remove social media’s legal protections? Surely they must realize that will only lead to MORE censorship since they’ll now be paranoid about lawsuits and whatnot. And since it’s conservatives posting most of the obviously fake things these days they’re the ones who will feel the brunt even more. Lots more straight removals and bans instead of a gentle “this is disputed” flag. QAnon will have to move entirely to Parler. Except since Parler will also lose its protections maybe they’d have to start censoring too? - RICHARD
It’s a threat. They’re hoping that the social networks will be so worried about their traffic shrinking that they’ll behave another way. Hasn’t seemed to work.
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Do you reckon when Trump finally concedes or is summarily dragged out of the white house, we might get a final visit from the Campaign Undertaker? Maybe he arrives from parts unknown to claim his greatest prize and then Donald Trump will... REST. IN. PEACE. - PETER
No one escapes The Dead Man.