Newsmax issues sweeping ‘clarification’ debunking its own coverage of election misinformation

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Online and on the air, the network said it ‘would like to clarify its news coverage and note it has not reported as true certain claims made about’ two election technology companies.

The conservative news channel Newsmax joined its much larger competitor, Fox News Media, in attempting to “clarify” inaccurate comments that have been made on the network about election technology company Smartmatic.

Newsmax, which is attempting to outflank Fox News from the political right, posted a notice on its website Sunday night and then had a host read the full two-minute statement on the air Monday. 

The clarification came after Smartmatic sent legal demand letters to Newsmax, Fox News Media and the much smaller One America News (OAN) demanding that they correct inaccuracies and innuendos in their coverage of the presidential election and any role Smartmatic may have played in the voting process. Continue reading.

Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: December 22, 2020


Dear Neighbor,

With the election behind us, and the year coming to a close, I wanted to give you one last update on work that’s been ongoing, and what we can look forward to during the 2021 legislative session. I continue to value the opportunity to serve our neighbors in Richfield and Bloomington, and I look forward to doing so moving forward. To begin with, though, my office will now be 2227 in the MN Senate Building. Although we won’t be meeting in-person for quite some time, I look forward to seeing you there when it’s safe. My phone number has not changed, so I hope you’ll keep in touch!

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

I know we are all thrilled at the news that a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 has been approved, and is being distributed already. Given the high need, limited supply, and centralized distribution, priorities have been set. I encourage you to check out this website from the Department of Health that describes the phases and planning involved.

Last week, the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee heard from Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, and Dr. Kris Ehresmann, an infectious disease expert with the Department (and a Bloomington native), to discuss both the processes involved with vaccine distribution, as well as recent actions taken to continue fighting the pandemic. The first phase of vaccination will focus on health care professionals, long-term care residents, essential workers, and adults 65+ and with high-risk medical conditions. Care will also be taken to address areas with higher social vulnerability due to socioeconomic status, household composition, disability status, higher concentrations of people of color, language barriers, housing type, or transportation accessibility.

Continue reading “Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: December 22, 2020”

Trump turns on everyone

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President Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.

The latest: Targets of his outrage include Vice President Pence, chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Secretary of State Pompeo and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Why it matters: Trump thinks everyone around him is weak, stupid or disloyal — and increasingly seeks comfort only in people who egg him on to overturn the election results. We cannot stress enough how unnerved Trump officials are by the conversations unfolding inside the White House. Continue reading.

What’s in the COVID-19 relief bill, and what’s not in it

WASHINGTON — Congress is set to pass a massive bipartisan emergency relief bill that’s intended to aid Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Summaries from House Democratic appropriators say it includes:

Direct payments

—$166 billion in another round of economic impact payments that will go directly to Americans.

—$600 stimulus checks for individuals that begin phasing out at an income of $75,000 and $1,200 for married couples phasing out at an income of $150,000, as well as $600 for each child dependent. Continue reading.

Fifty Years of Tax Cuts for Rich Didn’t Trickle Down, Study Says

Tax cuts for rich people breed inequality without providing much of a boon to anyone else, according to a study of the advanced world that could add to the case for the wealthy to bear more of the cost of the coronavirus pandemic.

The paper, by David Hope of the London School of Economics and Julian Limberg of King’s College London, found that such measures over the last 50 years only really benefited the individuals who were directly affected, and did little to promote jobs or growth.

“Policy makers shouldn’t worry that raising taxes on the rich to fund the financial costs of the pandemic will harm their economies,” Hope said in an interview. Continue reading.

The psychology of fairness: Why some Americans don’t believe the election results

The electoral votes have confirmed Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election. The presidential electors gave Biden 306 electoral votes to President Donald Trump’s 232 votes. Biden also recorded a solid lead of over 7 million in the popular vote.

Nonetheless, results from a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist surveyfound that approximately three-quarters of Republicans did not trust the election results. Corroborating this finding, a separate study of 24,000 Americans found that nearly two-thirds of Republicans lacked confidence in the fairness of the election and over 80% feared fraud, inaccuracy, bias and illegality. In addition, nearly 60 lawsuits filed by Trump claiming various forms of election fraud have been dismissed, including two evaluated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Of course, doubting the fairness of a disappointing decision is not a Republican phenomenon – it’s a human one. Continue reading.

Trump’s last days: Report says president personally pressured more than 150 Republicans to overturn election

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President Donald Trump’s last days are filled with chaos, erratic decisions and impulsive behavior, according to insiders familiar with his battle to overturn the outcome of the election. 

According to Politico, many of the president’s advisors have repeatedly urged him to concede and let go of his losing battle, but he has adamantly pushed back. It has been reported that Trump has now shut down his campaign team and ignored White House staff only relying on the advice of those who have no problem pushing his dangerous agenda.

Now, he has reportedly spoken to more than 150 Republican leaders across all of the battleground states he lost as he attempts to pressure and strong-arm them into overturning the presidential election. Although the Electoral College has already cast its votes solidifying Biden’s win, Trump is still working to overturn the election without substantial evidence of widespread voter fraud. Continue reading.

Trump eyes unusual move on government accountability before Biden takes office

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The White House is considering changes to the budgeting process that require agencies to spell out their policy goals and show progress in achieving them, an unusual move given the imminent change in administration.

According to emails obtained by The Hill, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans to craft a memo in the coming weeks that would overhaul how agencies undertake strategic planning and make progress toward accomplishing their objectives in order to receive funding from Congress.

A source familiar with the discussions described it as an unorthodox step on the part of the Trump administration given that the existing mechanisms “are in place to really make government, ideally, more efficient.” Continue reading.

House Oversight chair has ‘grave concerns’ the Trump team is trashing White House records

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House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney expressed “grave concerns” Monday that the outgoing Trump administration “may be disposing” of presidential records in violation of federal law.

Maloney (D-N.Y.) voiced her concerns in a letter to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero. She referenced the Presidential Records Act and the requirements the post-Watergate statute imposes on President Donald Trump and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which Ferriero heads.

The law says that the president can’t get rid of presidential records, including memos, emails, and notes, without first getting “the views, in writing, of the Archivist concerning the proposed disposal.” The archivist must “request the advice” of several congressional committees—including the House Oversight Committee—regarding such proposals to see if the records in question “may be of special interest to the Congress” or if congressional consultation may be “in the public interest.” Continue reading.

Democrats say more COVID relief needed after current measure becomes law

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Democrats are arguing that more coronavirus relief legislation will need to be enacted early in the incoming Biden administration, even as they tout the $900 billion package that lawmakers unveiled on Monday.

Democrats are highlighting provisions in the agreement that they fought for, including extended unemployment benefits, a second round of direct payments and rental assistance. But they wanted the package to be bigger and say the relief in the $900 billion measure is insufficient.

“I would hope that as we see the need for what we have done in this nearly $900 billion legislation that we’ll vote on today, that everyone understands it’s a first step,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on the House floor Monday. Continue reading.