10 things you need to know today: December 2, 2020

1. Barr says DOJ has found no evidence of election-altering fraud

Attorney General William Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would reverse President Trump's loss to President-elect Joe Biden. Barr said U.S. attorneys and FBI agents followed up on all specific complaints they received. "To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election," Barr said. Trump has refused to concede and repeatedly made baseless allegations of vote fraud. Shortly after Barr talked with the AP, Trump tweeted more unfounded claims of fraud. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney and head of a legal team challenging election results, said that, "with all due respect to the attorney general, there hasn't been any semblance" of an investigation.

The Associated Press

2. Panel recommends giving medical workers, long-term care residents 1st vaccine doses

A federal panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines voted Tuesday to recommend that health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities receive the first doses of coronavirus vaccines. When the first vaccines become available, possibly later this month, supplies will be limited. The panel said the roughly 21 million health-care workers are one of the highest priorities because of their exposure to the virus, and their important role in keeping the health-care system going. The three million long-term care facility residents are at the top of the list because they have accounted for nearly 40 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post

3. McConnell rejects bipartisan coronavirus relief proposal

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday rejected a bipartisan coronavirus stimulus proposal valued at $908 billion. The joint proposal by members of the GOP-led Senate and the Democrat-controlled House had been seen as a sign of hope that the lame-duck Congress would be able to get much-needed help to individuals, businesses, hospitals, and local governments, among others, as coronavirus infections, hospitalizations, and deaths surge across the country. When asked about the proposal, McConnell said: "We just don't have time to waste time." McConnell supports a $500 billion "targeted relief bill," and suggested including it in spending legislation needed to avert a government shutdown. President-elect Joe Biden, unveiling his economic team, promised that "help is on the way" to people struggling financially due to the pandemic, and he urged Congress to "come together and pass a robust package."

CNBC Boston Herald

4. U.K. approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use

Britain on Wednesday approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, for emergency use. The British government plans to roll out the vaccine starting next week. The record-fast approval came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government faced criticism for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.K. is the first Western nation to approve a coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer's applications to the United States and Europe are still pending. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "absolutely thrilled" and "very proud that the U.K. is the first place in the world to have a clinically authorized vaccine." China has approved three experimental vaccines and inoculated 1 million people since July. Russia has vaccinated frontline workers with its Sputnik V shot since August.

Reuters

5. Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales fall

Sales slumped over the Black Friday weekend compared to the same period last year. About 186 million people bought something online or in stores from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, a slight dip from 190 million in 2019, the National Retail Federation said Tuesday. The average shopper spent $312 this year, down from $362 last year. The numbers over the weekend that marks the start of the holiday shopping season signaled possible trouble ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic. "It's going to be a tough holiday season for most retailers," said Paula Rosenblum, managing partner at RSR Research. "Target, Walmart, grocers, and sporting goods stores are cleaning up, but hundreds of thousands of independent retailers have already gone out of business. Things are going to get worse before they get better."

The Washington Post

6. Trump reportedly considers pardons for his children and Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani reportedly has talked to President Trump about receiving a pre-emptive pardon before Trump leaves office next month, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing two people who were told about the discussion. It was not immediately clear what type of criminal exposure Giuliani might have. Giuliani reportedly is under investigation by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for his business dealings in Ukraine, and his part in the ouster of the U.S. ambassador in the country. Trump also reportedly has talked to his advisers about possible pardons for Giuliani, as well as for Trump's three eldest children and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner. Separately, a judge unsealed documents revealing a Justice Department investigation into whether a federal convict seeking a pardon offered White House officials a bribe.

The New York Times

7. 3 Hong Kong democracy activists sentenced to prison terms

A Hong Kong court on Wednesday sentenced democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam to prison for their roles in an unauthorized protest. Their terms ranged from seven to 13 and 1/2 months. They pleaded guilty to leading, inciting, and participating in a protest last year outside a Hong Kong police headquarters. The event occurred early in what would be the largest uprising on Chinese soil against Communist Party rule since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Wong, 24, will be serving his fourth prison sentence. He became a key figure in the former British colony's democracy movement in his teens. The judge said that even though the protest was peaceful, "the court needs to remember the importance of protecting public order."

The Washington Post

8. Top Georgia election official calls for Trump to stop 'inspiring' violence

A top Georgia election official on Tuesday criticized President Trump and the state's two Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, for failing to condemn death threats made against a local election worker. The election contractor in Gwinnett County is employed by Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine vendor targeted in an unfounded right-wing conspiracy theory seeking to discredit election results. The worker started receiving death threats after videos of the contractor were spread on social media. "Mr. President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia. Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence," said Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the Georgia secretary of state's office. "Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed."

Politico

9. Trump threatens to veto defense spending bill over social media shield

President Trump threatened to veto a $740 billion defense spending bill if it doesn't repeal Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, an unrelated provision that grants broad legal immunity to social media and other internet sites. Unless the "dangerous and unfair Section 230" is "completely terminated," Trump tweeted Tuesday night, he will "unequivocally veto" the legislation. Section 230, which shields social media companies from legal liability for user content posted on their sites, is considered a foundational provision of the internet. Congress has passed, and presidents have signed, the National Defense Authorization Act with bipartisan support for 59 years in a row, the House and Senate approved their versions of the legislation with veto-proof majorities. Trump has already threatened to veto this same bill over a provision to rename military bases honoring Confederate officers.

The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post

10. Juno, Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page comes out as transgender

Actor Elliot Page came out as transgender in a Twitter statement on Tuesday. "Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot," said Page, who was formerly known as Ellen and starred in the breakout 2007 film Juno. "I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life." The 33-year-old Oscar nominee and Umbrella Academy star vowed to continue speaking out against anti-trans discrimination, particularly from political leaders. "Enough is enough," Page said. "You aren't being 'cancelled,' you are hurting people." GLAAD Director of Transgender Media Nick Adams said Page "has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people" and "will now be an inspiration to countless trans and non-binary people."

People Elliot Page