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Mike Pence shows us how it’s done — and like a champ, I might add: |
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© Getty Images Vice President Pence, second lady Karen Pence and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on live television this morning. https://bit.ly/34ouaFi Pence said: That he “didn’t feel a thing.” Watch: https://bit.ly/34sid1o Sitting front and center: 
© Twitter |
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| NEXT UP — NANCY PELOSI, MITCH MCCONNELL ET ALL: |
| Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) separately said last night that they will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming days. From Pelosi: "With confidence in the vaccine and at the direction of the Attending Physician, I plan to receive the vaccine in the next few days … Even with a vaccine, I will continue to follow [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines by continuing to wear a mask and take other science-based steps to stop the spread of the virus.” https://bit.ly/34ouaFi From McConnell: “Because of government continuity requirements, I have been informed by the Office of the Attending Physician that I am eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, which I will accept in the coming days … Even with a vaccine, I will continue following [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] CDC guidelines by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing my hands frequently.” https://bit.ly/34luN2g |
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| Happy Friday! Christmas is a week from today! Today is also National Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook. Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn |
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This a.m. — The Supreme Court threw out challenge to Trump census plan: |
| The Supreme Court ruled this morning to dismiss a challenge to the Trump administration’s exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the U.S. Census. https://bit.ly/3h1APdn The decision: 6-3, along ideological lines |
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| LATEST WITH THE GOVERNMENT FUNDING DEADLINE | |
Why yes, the deadline is today.: |
| Congress is set to blow past the midnight deadline to fund the government as lawmakers continue to work out the details of a coronavirus relief package. https://bit.ly/3mt5iCn |
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| MCCONNELL SAYS ITS ‘HIGHLY LIKELY’ THAT TALKS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND: |
| Via CBS’s Grace Segers, “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday that the Senate is "highly likely" to work through the weekend as congressional leaders scramble to reach a deal on a government funding measure and a coronavirus relief bill.” https://cbsn.ws/3r8QHiV Soo, what happens at midnight?: “[McConnell] suggested Congress may have to pass a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open past a Friday deadline to avert a shutdown and give lawmakers more time to negotiate.” |
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| HOW DEMOCRATS ARE JUSTIFYING THE SMALLER PRICE TAG: |
| Senate Democrats are treating this coronavirus relief package as a “down payment” on a larger future bill. https://bit.ly/3ai5Icq The problem with that: Republicans are signaling that they have no plans to pass another relief bill. |
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| HOW THIS FUNDING WILL MAKE A NEW CHALLENGE FOR BIDEN NEXT YEAR: |
| Via The New York Times’s Jim Tankersley and Emily Cochrane: https://nyti.ms/3h1I7he |
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This is a BIG deal: |
| Via The Hill’s Maggie Miller, “Lawmakers are raising questions about whether the attack on the federal government widely attributed to Russia constitutes an act of war.” https://bit.ly/3rd2ey2 For context on this hack: It may be the biggest cyberattack in U.S. history. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told CNN: “We can’t be buddies with Vladimir Putin and have him at the same time making this kind of cyberattack on America. This is virtually a declaration of war by Russia on the United States and we should take that seriously.” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on SiriusXM's "The Big Picture with Olivier Knox”: "Our national security is extraordinarily vulnerable… In this setting, not to have the White House aggressively speaking out and protesting and taking punitive action is really, really quite extraordinary." |
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| IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN FOLLOWING THIS STORY: |
| Here’s what we know about the hack, via NPR: https://n.pr/38evoE4 |
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| LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS | |
Another step in approving a second vaccine: |
| “A second coronavirus vaccine is one step closer to being delivered, after a federal panel of outside experts on Thursday endorsed a coronavirus vaccine from Moderna, and recommended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) move forward with emergency authorization.” https://bit.ly/2Wnksyq The vote: 20-0 What’s different about this vaccine endorsement: The panel considered the Moderna vaccine for patients 18 and up. Pfizer’s vaccine approved was for patients 16 and up. |
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| THE NUMBERS: |
| Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 17,233,022 U.S. death toll: 311,010 Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y Op-ed: https://bit.ly/34q5hc8 |
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Tidbit — why Joe Biden has no events scheduled for today: |
| Bloomberg’s Jennifer Epstein tweeted, “President-elect Biden has no public events on his schedule [today]. It's the anniversary of the 1972 traffic accident that killed his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi.” https://bit.ly/2WqGS1Q |
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The best of Capitol Hill: |
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© Twitter |
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This is a funny clip about Biden family traditions: |
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© Twitter |
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| The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Pence are in Washington, D.C. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are in Washington, D.C. President-elect Biden has no public events scheduled. Today: Vice President-elect Harris meets with transition advisers. 1 p.m. EST: First votes in the House. Last votes are still up in the air. The House’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3nq88JH 3:30 p.m. EST: President Trump meets with Vice President Pence and acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller in the Oval Office. |
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| 8 a.m. EST: Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence received the COVID-19 vaccine. Livestream: https://bit.ly/34sid1o 10:45 a.m. EST: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) held a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/34lFUbl 4 p.m. EST: Vice President Pence holds a birthday celebration for Space Force. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3ai2upk |
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| NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...: | |
| Today is National Roast Suckling Pig Day. And for weekend planning purposes, tomorrow is National Hard Candy Day and Sunday is National Sangria Day. |
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Today in clever 2020 modifications: |
| Via Washingtonian’s Andrew Beaujon, “National Cathedral takes Its 2020 Christmas services virtual.” Details and photos: https://bit.ly/2WsKFMe |
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How many of us had even heard of Zoom a year ago now?: |
| Zoom is temporarily lifting its 40-minute restriction so users can talk to family during the holidays. Details from Reuters: https://reut.rs/38mTcG6 |
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| And to get your weekend off on the right foot, here are puppies performing their own version of Christmas caroling: https://bit.ly/3mBpJxe |
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