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Thursday, December 10 

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SMALLER CITIES GRAPPLE WITH MASK MANDATES Arguments over mask requirements and other restrictions have turned ugly in recent days as the deadly coronavirus surge across the U.S. engulfs small and medium-size cities that once seemed safely removed from the outbreak. In Boise, Idaho, public health officials about to vote on a four-county mask mandate abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday evening because of safety fears, as anti-mask protesters gathered outside the building and at some of their homes. [AP]

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DOJ INVESTIGATING HUNTER BIDEN OVER TAXES Federal prosecutors in Delaware are investigating President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden over tax issues, the transition team announced Wednesday. News of the investigation comes just as Joe Biden is set to announce his nominee for attorney general of the United States. Hunter Biden was a constant target of President Trump's during the 2020 campaign. [HuffPost]

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GRAHAM: ABRAMS TRICKED GEORGIA GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told a conservative radio show Wednesday that Joe Biden won the state of Georgia because Democrat Stacey Abrams “conned the Republican leadership in Georgia” into abetting voter fraud by helping more people legally vote. Graham doubtless knows what he’s saying is nonsense and is fueling distrust in democracy — but it also means he’s staying in Trump’s good graces. [HuffPost]

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DEPUTY'S KILLING OF BLACK MAN RULED A HOMICIDE A 23-year-old Black man who was fatally shot outside of his Ohio home by a sheriff’s deputy last week was the victim of homicide, a preliminary autopsy report has determined. Casey Goodson of Columbus died Friday from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Franklin County Coroner’s Office. The coroner’s final report is expected in 12 to 14 weeks. [HuffPost]

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GOP AND DEMOCRATIC DEFECTORS SAVE TRUMP'S ARMS DEAL A slim bipartisan majority of senators endorsed the Trump administration’s plan to sell $13 billion in sophisticated weaponry to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, defying concerns about the UAE’s role in civil wars and criticism of Trump’s rushed process of pushing through the deal. The result is a big loss for lawmakers and activists who want U.S. foreign policy to be less hawkish — and a signal that they'll have a lot of work to do during Biden's administration. [HuffPost]

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U.S. BRINGS ANTITRUST ACTION AGAINST FACEBOOK Federal regulators on Wednesday sued to force a breakup of Facebook as 48 states and districts accused the company in a separate lawsuit of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. The landmark antitrust lawsuits, announced by the Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General Letitia James, mark the second major government offensive this year against seemingly untouchable tech behemoths. [AP]

WHAT'S BREWING

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OVER 3,100 DEAD FROM COVID IN SINGLE-DAY RECORD At least 3,124 people in the United States died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, a grim new record as the country grapples with the worst phase of the pandemic thus far. This comes amid a surge in infections across the nation following Thanksgiving. More than 220,000 people tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday alone. [HuffPost]

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NO PAID LEAVE IN LATEST RELIEF BILL The $900 billion relief proposal unveiled Wednesday morning by a bipartisan group of senators includes a long list of policies that are absolutely necessary for fighting the pandemic through the coming gruesome winter. There’s more unemployment relief, money for vaccine distribution, and funds to help feed an increasing number of hungry Americans. But one crucial policy is missing: an extension of the paid family and sick leave benefits passed by Congress in March. [HuffPost]

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L.A. OFFICIAL FIGHTS BACK TEARS OVER 'INCALCULABLE' COVID TOLL The heartbreaking toll of the pandemic was laid bare in an unusually emotional moment during a Wednesday news conference in California, where the coronavirus continues to surge at a record-breaking rate. “Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back,” said Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s top health official, her voice breaking. “Their deaths are an incalculable loss." Her county has tallied 8,075 deaths from the coronavirus. [HuffPost]

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UK REGULATOR RELEASES ALLERGY WARNING ON VACCINE The UK’s medicine regulator has advised people with a “significant history” of allergic reactions not to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The guidance came after two NHS workers who received the shot on Tuesday — the first day of the UK's mass vaccination program — suffered allergic reactions. Meanwhile, Canada's health regulator approved the Pfizer vaccine for use on Wednesday. [HuffPost]

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GIULIANI LEAVES HOSPITAL AFTER COVID-19 TREATMENT Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, left the hospital on Wednesday after spending three nights there to receive treatment for COVID-19. Reporters saw Giuliani, 76, leave Georgetown University Hospital at around 5 p.m. and flash a thumbs-up to the cameras. Earlier, he had told TalkRadio 77 WABC he was feeling well and planned to leave the Washington, D.C., hospital later in the day. [HuffPost]

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