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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>America Is Running Out of Nurses</strong> - Travelling nurses have been moving from one hot spot to another. What happens when the hot spots keep multiplying? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/america-is-running-out-of-nurses">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trumps Coup Attempt Isnt Over</strong> - A challenge to the election result on the floor of Congress is guaranteed to fail, but it will afford Republicans a loud show of doing something to “stop the steal.” - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trumps-coup-attempt-isnt-over">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Overlooked Hallmark of the Trump Administration—and Other Autocracies</strong> - We generally understand the Presidents failures as the products of cruelty and incompetence. But there is a third source: indifference. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-overlooked-hallmark-of-the-trump-administration-and-other-autocracies">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>William Barr Is Going, But His Trumpian Legacy Remains</strong> - The Attorney General showed a willingness to act in a nakedly partisan manner. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/william-barr-is-going-but-his-trumpian-legacy-remains">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Our Stuff Weighs More Than All Living Things on the Planet</strong> - This year, the weight of all “human-made mass” exceeded that of the earths entire biomass. We now live on Planet Stuff. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/our-stuff-weighs-more-than-all-living-things-on-the-planet">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google got hit with another huge antitrust case, this time over its ad monopoly</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Google logo with a spotlight over it." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A4BjdsOYxfmMCSEcibxQZpCS-qY=/33x0:3589x2667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68525955/1195196916.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Google is in the spotlight again. | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Google has ruled the online ad marketplace for years. Now it faces 10 state attorneys general over its dominance.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MPV6S9">
A group of 10 state attorneys general filed suit against Google on Wednesday, alleging anti-competitive practices related to its ad technology. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, led the investigation into Google and announced the lawsuit <a href="https://twitter.com/TXAG/status/1339283520099856384?s=20">in a video posted to Twitter</a> a few hours before the lawsuit was filed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UX03Wq">
“Google repeatedly used its monopolistic power to control pricing, engage in market collusions to rig auctions in a tremendous violation of justice,” Paxton said in the video.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yYvNhu">
<a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/20201216%20COMPLAINT_REDACTED.pdf">The lawsuit</a>, which is one of several antitrust cases Google now faces, alleges that Google engaged in a wide variety of anti-competitive behavior to create and maintain its monopoly power in digital ad markets and keep out competitors. It also alleges that Google and Facebook illegally agreed not to compete with each other. This latest legal action is happening after Google and other big tech companies like Facebook have for years been accused of employing anti-competitive practices.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8oN4iW">
“In addition to representing both the buyers and the sellers of online display advertising, Google also operates the largest exchange AdX,” reads the lawsuit, which was filed by Republican attorneys general in Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Kentucky, as well as Texas. “In this electronically traded market, Google is pitcher, batter, and umpire, all at the same time.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KYrO74">
This is akin to the New York Stock Exchange also controlling the buying and selling of stocks, according to Sally Hubbard, director of enforcement strategy at the Open Markets Institute and author of <em>Monopolies Suck</em>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xTFGTf">
“Theyre getting information that they shouldnt have if the market is supposed to be properly functioning,” Hubbard told Recode. “We dont tolerate this in other sectors.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1OOiUy">
Google didnt respond to a request for comment. Google spokesperson Julie McAlister <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/google-monopoly-antitrust.html">told the New York Times</a> that “Attorney General Paxtons ad tech claims are meritless” and that the company “will strongly defend ourselves from his baseless claims in court.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DX6w6i">
This lawsuit is the first to focus on Googles dominance in ad tech. More specifically, it <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/20201216%20COMPLAINT_REDACTED.pdf">says</a> that Google uses its market power to “extract a very high tax of [redacted] percent of the ad dollars otherwise flowing to the countless online publishers and content producers like online newspapers, cooking websites, and blogs who survive by selling advertisements on their websites and apps.” In turn, these businesses pass costs on to consumers, causing them harm, according to the lawsuit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S92Y52">
Last year, Google <a href="https://abc.xyz/investor/static/pdf/2019Q4_alphabet_earnings_release.pdf?cache=79552b8#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%202019%20we%20again%20delivered,Officer%20of%20Alphabet%20and%20Google.">brought in nearly $162 billion</a> in revenue, the vast majority of which came from advertising. Google controls nearly a third of all digital ad spending in the US, according to eMarketer. Since its tools dominate all parts of the ad process, Google is said to have unfair visibility that allows it to maintain its dominance, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-google-edged-out-rivals-and-built-the-worlds-dominant-ad-machine-a-visual-guide-11573142071">Wall Street Journals Keach Hagey and Vivien Ngo</a>, who last year explained how Googles ad tech works and why publishers and rivals have long complained about it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BTedGd">
This lawsuit is the latest in a series of antitrust suits against Big Tech, including one filed against Google in October by the <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/21524710/google-antitrust-lawsuit-doj-search-trump-bill-barr">Justice Department</a> and 11 states. The DOJ alleged that Google used its search dominance to preserve its other monopolies, including advertising. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/15/states-google-antitrust-lawsuit-445950">A bipartisan lawsuit</a> regarding Googles monopolization of specialized search like maps and reviews is expected soon from attorneys general from Colorado and Nebraska. Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission and 48 states filed a <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22166437/facebook-instagram-ftc-attorneys-general-antitrust-monopoly-whatsapp">suit against Facebook</a>, saying that its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp amounted to anti-competitive practices that harm consumers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iHxO65">
Meanwhile, Paxton, the Texas attorney general, has recently made news for filing a <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/08/texas-ken-paxton-election-georgia/">specious lawsuit</a> against swing states in an effort to overturn the results of the presidential election. He lost the lawsuit but, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/how-texass-attorney-general-won-by-losing-big/617388/">the Atlantic argues</a>, won in an effort to bolster his political career and distract from his own legal troubles, including securities fraud and felony counts he faces for allegedly trying to get investors to buy stock in a company without telling them he got a commission for it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JfXfV6">
Antitrust cases are notoriously difficult to win, but the sheer number of them arising this year against Big Tech suggests the government at least thinks theres a chance.
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Twitter joins Facebook and YouTube in banning Covid-19 vaccine misinformation</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dz78DK9GNGIolN2GTTdGf4uYDCo=/585x0:5264x3509/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68525942/1229659282.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, recently testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee. | Hannah McKay/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The move comes as false rumors about Covid-19 vaccines are surging online.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<pre><code> &lt;img alt="Open Sourced logo" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lcj6gww0ZKRDdVz0qOCNWvVxgYw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19433750/open_sourced_story_logo.png" /&gt;</code></pre>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ld5WTN">
On Wednesday, Twitter <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/covid19-vaccine.html">announced</a> that it will begin to take down Covid-19 vaccine misinformation starting next week. The company plans to remove false vaccine content that it considers “the most harmful,” and later on it will start labeling other posts that could be misleading.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kH7SAI">
“In the context of a global pandemic, vaccine misinformation presents a significant and growing public health challenge — and we all have a role to play,” the company said in <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/covid19-vaccine.html">a blog post</a>. “We are focused on mitigating misleading information that presents the biggest potential harm to peoples health and wellbeing.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eFJP2n">
Twitters announcement follows similar pledges from both Facebook and YouTube, which recently said theyll remove false information related to Covid-19 vaccines. The announcement also comes after the US Food and Drug Administrations <a href="https://www.vox.com/22167841/fda-vaccine-approval-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-eua-coronavirus">authorization of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SXx0Nm">
As the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine begins to be <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/14/22174004/pfizer-first-vaccine-covid-19-begins-biontech-coronavirus">administered</a> to health care workers and people in long-term care homes, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/from-voter-fraud-to-vaccine-lies-misinformation-peddlers-shift-gears.html">misinformation related to vaccines</a> has flourished online. For instance, unproven narratives that the Covid-19 vaccine has links to the Chinese Communist Party, or that the vaccine has a proven connection to a condition called Bells palsy, have gained tens of thousands of mentions in the past week, according to data collected by Zignal Labs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9LnIRI">
This surge of misinformation has exacerbated concerns that part of the US population may be unwilling to get the vaccine, or will delay doing so. Recent polling suggests that while most Americans say theyll probably or definitely get vaccinated against Covid-19, many may <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/health/survey-covid-vaccine-kaiser-monitor/index.html">not do so immediately</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OJkNxo">
In a blog post, Twitter explained that it will take a two-pronged approach to vaccine content: taking down misinformation that poses the most harm while labeling content thats misleading or out of context. Posts that could be removed, the company says, include anything that suggests that a Covid-19 vaccine is part of a “deliberate conspiracy” or that falsely claims Covid-19 is a hoax and so vaccines arent necessary. The company also said it would tackle misinformation related to vaccines more generally, including claims that have been “widely debunked about the adverse impacts or effects of receiving vaccinations.”
</p>
<aside id="tMHjIZ">
<div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vmaBlu">
A Twitter spokesperson told Recode that when someone posts this type of misinformation, the platform will hide that content from public view. The person who posted it can then appeal the decision to Twitter or log on and remove that content themselves before theyll be allowed to post again from their account.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uzuEl5">
Beginning next year, Twitter will also start adding labels to posts that the platform decides need further context, like rumors, contested claims, or claims about the Covid-19 vaccine that are “incomplete.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oHMSwA">
Back in October, YouTube announced that it planned to remove Covid-19 vaccine misinformation, and it <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/14/21515796/youtube-covid-vaccine-misniformation-policy">banned vaccine claims</a> that went against what health experts and the World Health Organization said.
</p>
<div id="2YSF5F">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f46Zpc">
Earlier this month, <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/12/coronavirus/#removing-covid-vaccine-misinformation">Facebook</a> said that under its policy requiring the removal of content that could lead to “imminent physical harm,” it too would remove false information related to Covid-19 vaccines. For instance, the company said it would take down content that said vaccines include microchips — a common and false <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/22/bill-gates-denies-conspiracy-theories-that-say-he-wants-to-use-coronavirus-vaccines-to-implant-tracking-devices.html">conspiracy theory related to the Covid-19 vaccine</a>. Its also removing posts that claim that “specific populations are being used without their consent to test the vaccines safety.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pdTYsL">
Just a month ago, Twitter had told Recode that while it recognized the importance of its platform to public health, it was <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/21527013/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-safety-social-media-misinformation">still working out</a> how it would approach moderating content surrounding a Covid-19 vaccine. Twitter would not comment on whether it worked with the other social media companies in developing the policies announced today.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YkfnAA">
Throughout the pandemic, Twitter has used a sliding scale between posts that deserve a label and <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/11/21254889/twitter-coronavirus-covid-misinformation-warnings-labels">posts that require removal</a>, depending on how harmful that content could be. The company has also <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/11/4/21548733/trump-stolen-election-twitter-facebook-label">frequently used labels</a> on posts sharing election misinformation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6sfE9D">
Twitters new rules on vaccine misinformation suggest the fight against this problem is likely to continue. In fact, many of the same accounts that have pushed other types of false claims, like election misinformation, are now <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/16/us/joe-biden-trump#misinformation-messengers-pivot-from-election-fraud-to-peddling-vaccine-conspiracy-theories">turning their attention</a> toward the Covid-19 vaccine, indicating a significant challenge ahead for social media platforms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WnIQrT">
<a href="http://www.vox.com/open-sourced"><em>Open Sourced</em></a><em> is made possible by Omidyar Network. All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists.</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IaG4sm">
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<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ron Johnson turned the Senate into a platform for discredited election conspiracy theories</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Senate Homeland Security Committee Hears Testimony On Irregularities In 2020 Election" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fmI3ntVaUo0N5sEeWx6AEjsrJXw=/42x0:2709x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68525601/1230159853.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Johnson (right) bumps arms with Chris Krebs following Wednesdays hearing. | Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Chris Krebs stole the show.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vZPzeh">
<a href="https://www.wisn.com/article/sen-ron-johnson-acknowledges-biden-victory-leads-election-fraud-investigation/34982540">Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)</a> and a group of other Senate Republicans <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/15/22176253/joe-biden-senate-republicans-victory-presidential-election-mitch-mcconnell-trump-results">finally acknowledged Joe Bidens victory</a> this week — and then Johnsons Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a Wednesday hearing aimed at undermining it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2yJx5I">
Bidens decisive Electoral College victory on Monday forced Johnson and some of his Republican colleagues to belatedly recognize the reality of President Donald Trumps defeat, after weeks of suggesting Trump might still somehow be declared the winner of Novembers election. Now unable to deny Biden will be the next president, the hearing basically served as a platform for Republicans to lie about Bidens win being tainted.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4Q0euk">
“The election in many ways was stolen,” claimed Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) at one point, in the bluntest example of how Republicans tried turning reality on its head.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PKjKoR">
But Paul didnt even try to offer evidence to back his assertion up. And state officials spanning the political spectrum have one and all <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/politics/voting-fraud.html">reported no irregularities</a> that affected the result — many swing states held multiple recounts to ensure that this was the case.
</p>
<div id="3Oi3AY">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
"The election in many ways was stolen," Rand Paul lies, citing no evidence <a href="https://t.co/G4m7mU7qRV">pic.twitter.com/G4m7mU7qRV</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1339247653461352448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N2ETI2">
The witness list illustrated how Johnson tried to stack the deck. Among them were two attorneys for the Trump campaign, a Republican state legislator from Pennsylvania, and Ken Starr, the former Bill Clinton investigator who is perhaps best known these days as a Trump-friendly talking head on Fox News.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HWJkgE">
All of those witnesses either had obvious bias or little to no firsthand information about the security of the 2020 election. But the exception to that was Chris Krebs, the former head of the Homeland Security Departments Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) who <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/11/18/21573119/chris-krebs-trump-fired-dhs-cisa-election-security">Trump fired by tweet</a> last month after he refuted Trumps lies and conspiracy theories by calling the election <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/11/13/21563825/2020-elections-most-secure-dhs-cisa-krebs">“the most secure in American history.”</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Eg4JhR">
Krebs, a Republican, repeatedly knocked down suggestions from Johnson and others that the election results were somehow manipulated by pointing out that the counts in all the states the Trump campaign contested are backed up by paper ballots.
</p>
<div id="8AySij">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Ron Johnson looks like he has indigestion as Krebs denounces Republican election fraud lies that have resulted in him and other officials receiving threats <a href="https://t.co/hVjVwp1rVN">pic.twitter.com/hVjVwp1rVN</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1339254506211717127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1XjeZR">
“Its important to step back and actually look at how votes are cast in the country, particularly with paper ballots, and that regardless of any internet connections, regardless of foreign hacking, as long as youve got the paper receipt ... you can check your math.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tweet-text">
“Georgia did that three times and the outcomes were consistent,” Krebs added, alluding to the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/5/22155858/georgia-election-lawsuit-trump-recount">repeated recounts in Georgia</a> that all showed Biden defeating Trump.
</p>
<div id="tLZ7WJ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Krebs: "That's why it's so important to have a paper trail &amp; paper ballots. So even if there was foreign interference of a malicious algorithm nature, you can go back to the receipts. You can check your math, and Georgia did that 3 times &amp; the outcomes were consistent." <a href="https://t.co/1Rq4FYnCsO">pic.twitter.com/1Rq4FYnCsO</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1339244260638552068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yyrzia">
Krebs tried to patiently explain the safeguards that were in place to prevent election fraud, but at other points he didnt try to hide the fact that he thinks Republicans needs to move on.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7OKLhZ">
“I think were past the point where we need to be having conversations about the outcome of this election,” Krebs said, adding later: “We have to stop this. Its undermining confidence in democracy.”
</p>
<h3 id="2mWZcc">
Much of Johnsons hearing couldve been mistaken for a Fox News segment
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ikp904">
The ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), began the hearing by castigating Republicans for wasting time with a hearing aimed at delegitimizing President-elect Biden in particular and US elections in general.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bpok0H">
“Whether intended or not, this hearing gives a platform to conspiracy theories and lies and is a destructive exercise that has no place in the US Senate. Joe Biden won the election,” Peters said during his opening statement.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XQuYyC">
“There were no widespread election irregularities that affected the final outcome. These claims are false. And giving them more oxygen is a grave threat to the future of our democracy,” he added.
</p>
<div id="5czkj5">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Peters: "There were no widespread election irregularities that affected the final outcome. These claims are false. And giving them more oxygen is a grave threat to the future of our democracy... we have seen democracies around the world crumble b/c of similar words and actions." <a href="https://t.co/ioGyB1Qxkr">pic.twitter.com/ioGyB1Qxkr</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1339230170360721409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lPV8a7">
But those comments didnt sit well with Johnson, who called them “galling” and sparked a heated exchange with Peters by calling him a liar.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ug4NaS">
“This is not about airing your grievances,” Peters fired back, prompting Johnson to repeatedly bang his gavel in an effort to silence him.
</p>
<div id="uoY5Cb">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
A very heated moment between Ron Johnson and Gary Peters <a href="https://t.co/e1zuGb9Kbr">pic.twitter.com/e1zuGb9Kbr</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1339244996273311744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jqt1P1">
In fact, Johnsons hearing did appear to be mostly about airing grievances. For instance, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) made a case that Republicans raising conspiratorial questions about the election results is no different from Democrats “Russia hoax.” An important difference, however, is that while theres <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17438386/trump-russia-collusion">lots of evidence the Trump campaign colluded with Russia</a>, theres no evidence of significant election irregularities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tnga3t">
Hawley also shared that “yesterday I was talking with some of the constituents back at home — a group of about 30 people — every single one of them, every one of them, told me that they felt they had been disenfranchised, that their votes didnt matter, that the election had been rigged. These are normal, reasonable people, these are not crazy people.”
</p>
<div id="NSamZd">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Josh Hawley's "these are not crazy people" shirt raises a lot of questions answered by his shirt <a href="https://t.co/tikoLawsyG">pic.twitter.com/tikoLawsyG</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1339263949775245330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VjiW8h">
But the fact that Trump voters believe the conspiracy theories Republicans have been pushing about election fraud is not evidence that theyre true. And when Republicans have been challenged in courtrooms and elsewhere to produce evidence that rises beyond insinuation and anecdote, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/14/there-is-not-has-not-been-any-credible-evidence-significant-fraud-2020-election/">theyve come up with nothing</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qOn7Dn">
If there was any doubt that Hawleys comments about election fraud were coming from a place of bad faith, it was resolved by the fact that he directed each of the string of loaded questions he asked to cable news talking head Ken Starr — and not a single one to Krebs, the witness with by far the most firsthand information about the election.
</p>
<h3 id="HVmxgb">
By pandering to Trump, Republicans are putting themselves in bind
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rNog4O">
Even as more Republicans succumb to the reality of Bidens win, Wednesdays hearing illustrated how many of them continue to try to curry favor with Trump, whose lies about the election continue to get more outlandish.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bx6SQW">
On Tuesday night, for instance, Trump tweeted a debunked conspiracy theory about voting machines switching votes from Trump to Biden — a claim <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/14/fact-check-dominion-voting-machines-didnt-delete-switch-votes/6282157002/">not backed up</a> by any of the recounts that have taken place, including <a href="https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/historic_first_statewide_audit_of_paper_ballots_upholds_result_of_presidential_race">recounts of the paper ballots</a> Krebs mentioned.
</p>
<div id="SNlbax">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
“Study: Dominion Machines shifted 2-3% of Trump Votes to Biden. Far more votes than needed to sway election.” Florida, Ohio, Texas and many other states were won by even greater margins than projected. Did just as well with Swing States, but bad things happened. <a href="https://twitter.com/OANN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation">@OANN</span></a>
</p>
— Donald J. Trump (<span class="citation">@realDonaldTrump</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1339090279429775363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wv7VIx">
As if on cue, Trump wasted no time after the hearing ended highlighting how effortlessly he lies about anything and everything. He tweeted that Krebs “was totally excoriated and proven wrong at the Senate Hearing,” even though anyone who watched it knows that nothing of the sort happened.
</p>
<div id="OhX6hN">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Chris Krebs was totally excoriated and proven wrong at the Senate Hearing on the Fraudulent 2020 Election. Massive FRAUD took place with machines, people voting from out of state, illegals, dead people, no signatures—and so much more!
</p>
— Donald J. Trump (<span class="citation">@realDonaldTrump</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1339281950490697729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f758TS">
The defeated president has obvious self-interested reasons for falsely insisting that he only lost because of cheating, but Republican senators are playing a dangerous game. Not only are they delegitimizing US elections, but theyre running the risk of demoralizing Republicans votes who are being told voting doesnt matter because election results are predetermined.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kvTi7B">
Just weeks ahead of Georgia runoffs in which control of the US Senate is at stake, the conspiracy theories Republicans like Johnson, Paul, and Hawley are pushing <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/15/22176161/trump-perdue-loeffer-rigged-election-runoffs">could do serious damage to their cause</a>. But whether theyre thinking beyond crafting the perfect 30-second soundbite for Sean Hannitys Fox News show is unclear.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M7HKHa">
</p>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Indias long-distance running community coped with the pandemic</strong> - With most running evens cancelled or postponed this year, runners kept themselves active by participating in virtual marathons and training inside their homes</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India pledges $1 million to WADA for scientific research</strong> - Indias donation comes at a time when the countrys anti-doping programme has been adversely affected by suspension of its suspended National Dope Testing Laboratory, which is to be inspected by WADA early next year.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pakistans Mohammed Amir quits cricket alleging mental torture by PCB</strong> - Amir was a part of the Pakistan squad which won the 2009 World T20 Cup and was also there when they won the Champions Trophy title in 2017.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Track cycling standout Fabian Puerta gets 4-year doping ban</strong> - He tested positive for the banned substance boldenone.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Yogasana recognised as a competitive sport in India</strong> - Work is currently on to develop a patented electronic scoring system for yogasana championships in India and globally</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Plea for NDMA collecting data on financial stress caused by pandemic</strong> - Resolution of financial debts cannot be left solely in the hands of individual banks and their policies: petitioner</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Data | Progress on child nutrition derailed as wasting and stunting increases in several States</strong> - In Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal, the share of anaemic and wasted children was significantly higher than the levels recorded 15 years before</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>JD(U) throws hat in the ring for West Bengal assembly polls</strong> - The partys unit in West Bengal wants to contest at least 75 seats and the number could go up, subject to the approval of the leadership</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>UDF scores in municipalities</strong> - The United Democratic Front (UDF), which had a tough ride in the 2020 local body elections, managed to put up a good show in the municipalities. As pe</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 vaccine pricing to help governments to ensure little to no out-of-pocket costs for people: Pfizer</strong> - For this pandemic period, the companys pricing approach is based on the principle of ensuring broad access and supplies to the governments, a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Emmanuel Macron: French president tests positive for Covid</strong> - The 42-year-old took a test after experiencing symptoms and will now self-isolate for seven days.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Coronavirus: Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says coronavirus approach 'has failed'</strong> - Sweden has been criticised for its more relaxed approach to handling the pandemic.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russia's Putin calls Navalny poisoning inquiry 'a trick'</strong> - Russia's president scorns a report alleging that agents poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Charlie Hebdo: Fourteen guilty in 2015 Paris terror attacks trial</strong> - The deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket shook France.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lockerbie bombing: New suspect soon to be charged - US media</strong> - The US will announce charges against a suspected bomb-maker behind the 1988 disaster, US media report.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“Evil mobile emulator farms” used to steal millions from US and EU banks</strong> - Scale of operation is unlike anything researchers had seen before. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730284">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>As the world quieted down in 2020, Raspberry Shakes listened</strong> - Humble Raspberry Pis helped scientists track the seismic noise people stopped making in 2020. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730053">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>HBO Max patches its Roku hole six months after launch</strong> - Adds over 100 million potential users; follows deals for PlayStation 5, Amazon Fire. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730273">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Qualcomm promises three years of Android updates for its entire SoC lineup</strong> - The new plan is three years of major OS updates and four years of security updates. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730192">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google bought CloudReady, the largest ChromiumOS distribution</strong> - Google says it will continue to offer the free-as-in-beer Home edition. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730241">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>An elderly man is stopped by the police around 2 a.m. and is asked where he is going at this time of night. The man replies, "I am on my way to a lecture about alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body, as well as smoking and staying out late."</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The officer then asks, "Really? Who is giving that lecture at this time of night?" The man replies, "That would be my wife."
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/keidv1/an_elderly_man_is_stopped_by_the_police_around_2/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/keidv1/an_elderly_man_is_stopped_by_the_police_around_2/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Today I saw an ad that said "radio for sale, $1, volume knob stuck on full."</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I thought, "I can't turn that down."
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/KittysOnKeyboarghjfg"> /u/KittysOnKeyboarghjfg </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kekoa4/today_i_saw_an_ad_that_said_radio_for_sale_1/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kekoa4/today_i_saw_an_ad_that_said_radio_for_sale_1/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>What has 27 actors, three settings, two writers, and one plot?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
671 Hallmark movies.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/JaxxisR"> /u/JaxxisR </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ke8wxq/what_has_27_actors_three_settings_two_writers_and/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ke8wxq/what_has_27_actors_three_settings_two_writers_and/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Two boys were misbehaving... ...so their mother went to the local priest to look for advice. The priest thought it would be best if the boys learned integrity, by way of understanding that "God is everywhere, and He sees everything you do so you shouldn't misbehave."</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The mother and the priest thought it best that the priest talked to the boys, so the mother agreed to take the boys in one at a time to talk to the priest.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She brought the first boy (Ray) to the church and left the second boy (Jim) at home. She took Ray into the priest's office and stayed outside while the priest and Ray talked.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
"Where is God?" The priest calmly asked expecting to make the point that "God is everywhere". Ray, petrified, said nothing. So the priest asked again slightly louder, "Where is God?!". Ray still said nothing. So the priest stood up and slammed his hands on the desk yelling, "WHERE IS GOD?!?!". Ray stood up and ran out of the office, past his mother, and ran all the way home.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He came screaming in the front door and ran straight to Jim's room. He opened the door and said, "GOD IS MISSING AND THEY THINK WE TOOK HIM!".
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MarkyChoco"> /u/MarkyChoco </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kerc55/two_boys_were_misbehaving_so_their_mother_went_to/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kerc55/two_boys_were_misbehaving_so_their_mother_went_to/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Boss: "You called in sick yesterday and said you had the Coronavirus. You can't be here until you get tested"</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me: "I said I had a case of Corona and I wasn't coming in to work. I never said anything about a virus"
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jhutto2"> /u/jhutto2 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kes5v5/boss_you_called_in_sick_yesterday_and_said_you/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kes5v5/boss_you_called_in_sick_yesterday_and_said_you/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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