LONE STAR – Texas’ Big Political Read – 12.9.20 –Texas Files Suit Against Election Fraud — Trump Pens Americans First Vaccines Executive Order — Crenshaw, Lee, West, Castro- More...

 

American's Get The Shot First

President Trump has signed an Executive Order to make sure that Americans get the COVID vaccine before anyone else does, and both Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, are backing the president’s play. READ MORE

Texas Goes To Court Over Voter Fraud

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, the Texas GOP announced its support for Texas’s lawsuit against electoral illegalities in battleground states.

Led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX), the lawsuit attacks four battleground states — Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — whose results saw Joe Biden declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. READ MORE

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“Texas GOP Lauds Texas’s Lawsuit Against Electoral Illegalities in Battleground States” by Texas Politics’ Javier Manjarres – In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, the Texas GOP announced its support for Texas’s lawsuit against electoral illegalities in battleground states. Led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX), the lawsuit attacks four battleground states — Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — whose results saw Joe Biden declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. As part of a last-minute bid by President Donald Trump and his political allies to take control over the Electoral College, the suit asks the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent electoral college votes from being counted, authorize a special election for presidential electors, direct any defendant state that has already appointed electors to appoint a new set of electors, and prevent any defendant state that hasn’t yet from certifying its election results. Despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud, Paxton holds the Electoral College votes of these swing states to be “unlawful and constitutionally tainted”. He claims that pandemic-era changes to election procedures in those states violated federal law and that courts should push back a Dec. 14 deadline by which states must appoint their presidential electors. Yet Texas similarly underwent changes to normal election procedures without the consent of the state legislature. It seems convenient that the four defendant states account for 62 Democratic electoral votes, enough to change the outcome of the presidential election.

“Crenshaw Calls Pelosi Leadership “Awful, Heartless”” by Texas Politics’ Daniel Molina – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) addressed the American people this week, taking part in a press conference with reporters to discuss how Congress would be moving forward regarding financial relief for Americans. In speaking to reporters, Speaker Pelosi commented that what’s on her agenda is “how we address the needs of the American people, and we have to do it in a scientific way.” However, Republicans took offense at the information shared, commenting that Pelosi had leveraged “aid for small businesses and families to score political points” and noting that “Congress could have taken action months ago, but Democrats obstruction stood in the way.” In response to the press conference, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R) aimed criticism at the House Speaker, expressing that “it’s hard to imagine a more awful, heartless strategy by Speaker Pelosi” and adding that “we’ve been telling the American people this for months.” The only difference is that “now she is actually admitting it.” Simply put, Crenshaw admitted that “it is unbelievable.” As Americans continue to face financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Republicans and Democrats have not reached an agreement regarding a COVID-19 relief package. As well, Democratic leaders across the United States has also received criticism over their lack of following guidelines that they themselves have set for their respective states.

“Senators Urge Funding for Broadband Mapping and Securing Communications Infrastructure” by Texas Politics’ Isabel Webb Carey – In advance of the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Proposal, Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) signed a letter yesterday urging full funding for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act and the Broadband DATA Act. The Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act aims to help small, rural telecommunications operators remove equipment posing a security threat to domestic networks and replace it with equipment from trusted providers. Closing the digital divide and winning the race to 5G relies on the security of communications infrastructure. Senators argued that “fully funding this program is essential to protecting the integrity of our communications infrastructure and the future viability of our digital economy at large.” Also included in the letter was the Broadband DATA Act. Highlighted as key to closing the digital divide, the Act aims to ensure more accurate broadband maps and more targeted federal funding for broadband deployment. According to the letter, current maps overstate broadband availability, which prevents many underserved communities, particularly in rural areas, from receiving the funds needed to build or expand broadband networks to millions of unconnected Americans.

“Texas reports more than 15,000 new daily COVID-19 cases” by Associated Press – Texas on Tuesday reported more than 15,000 newly confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus amid spikes in cases and hospitalization as winter approaches. The Texas Department of State Health Services also said 9,028 people were hospitalized across the state. Last week marked the first time Texas surpassed a daily count of 9,000 hospitalizations since a deadly summer outbreak. During the summer outbreak, the state saw the numbers of new daily cases go just past 10,000 for the first time. Since late November, the new daily cases have soared past 10,000 on several days, with 15,103 new cases reported Tuesday, according to state health officials. The true number of infections in Texas is likely higher because many haven’t been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say Texas has had more than 23,000 COVID-19 related deaths so far, the second highest in the U.S. Over the last two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 17%, according to Johns Hopkins. The university says that one in every 309 people in Texas tested positive in the past week.

“Texas lawmakers seek to force police officers to develop a ‘Duty to Intervene’” by KXAN’s Jody Barr – In the weeks following George Floyd’s death, the Dallas Police Department implemented what’s become known as the department’s “Duty to Intervene” policy. The policy mandates officers to work to stop fellow officers engaging in excessive force. The policy went into effect June 4, 2020. Just 10 days later, Texas State Representative James White, a Tyler Republican, sent the Texas Attorney General a letter asking whether state law requires an officer to intervene or report “violations of the constitutional rights of Texas citizens by another Texas peace officer.” White mentioned the Dallas PD policy change in his June 14 letter. The Dallas Police Department issued this press release on June 4, 2020 detailing its new “Duty to Intervene” policy in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. “There seems to be an assumption that since there is not specific state statutory guidance for one Texas peace officer to ascertain if another peace officer is violating the rights of a detainee,” White wrote. “Thus, there is not a requirement of any Texas peace officer to guarantee any constitutional protections.” It took Attorney General Ken Paxton nearly six months to answer White’s letter. “We cannot conclude that there is an absolute duty for an officer to intervene under the circumstances you describe,” the AG’s office wrote in a Dec. 7 letter to Rep. White. The letter is signed by Paxton. The opinion letter went on to describe how there is no judicial opinion in Texas where a court sought “civil or criminal redress against a peace officer for failure to intervene.”

“Texas aims to help tenants, landlords suffering from financial effects of COVID-19” by WFAA’s Jason Wheeler – There is momentum in Washington D.C. again. We’re finally seeing another round of coronavirus relief taking shape. Among other measures, the proposal could include a temporary $300 federal unemployment benefit and might extend a nationwide halt on evictions. That freeze was put in place earlier this year, but the original protection order issued by the CDC was set to expire at the end of this month. Eviction protection from the CDC:

Some important notes, there are qualifications you must meet to be eligible for the protection: Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or $99,000 for single filers.

Demonstrate they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments.

Affirmatively declare they are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 hardships.

Affirm they are likely to become homeless if they are evicted.

Also, tenants must fill out this form in order to receive eviction protection under the CDC program. Report predicts huge wave of evictions soon:

A report put together for the federal government in late September forecasted that by January, a staggering 20.1 million Americans could experience an eviction filing. Those filings have already been piling up in places like Fort Worth, which is one of the cities tracked by The Eviction Lab at Princeton University.

“Texas files an audacious suit with the Supreme Court challenging the election results.” By New York Times’ Adam Liptak – The state of Texas filed an audacious lawsuit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday against four other states, asking the justices to extend the Dec. 14 deadline for certification of presidential electors. The suit, filed by the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, said Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had engaged in election irregularities that require investigation, and it asked the court to “enjoin the use of unlawful election results without review and ratification by the defendant states’ legislatures.” Legal experts called the suit outlandish, and it comes at a time when Mr. Paxton is battling a scandal in his own state over whistle-blower allegations that he engaged in bribery and other wrongdoing to illegally help a wealthy Austin real estate developer and political donor. “It looks like we have a new leader in the ‘craziest lawsuit filed to purportedly challenge the election’ category,” Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas, wrote on Twitter. The Constitution gives the Supreme Court “original jurisdiction” to hear disputes “in which a state shall be party.” In such cases, the Supreme Court acts much like a trial court, appointing a special master to hear evidence and issue recommendations. Though the Constitution seems to require the court to hear cases brought by states, the court has ruled that it has discretion to turn them down and often does. When the court does exercise its original jurisdiction, it is usually to adjudicate disputes between two states over issues like water rights. In 2016, the justices turned down a request from Nebraska and Oklahoma to file a challenge to Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana. The states said the Colorado law had spillover effects, taxing neighboring states’ criminal justice systems and hurting the health of their residents.

“Texas asks U.S. Supreme Court to help Trump upend election in long-shot lawsuit” by Reuters’ Makini Brice – The state of Texas on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the voting results in four other states in a long-shot legal gambit intended to help President Donald Trump upend his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden. Officials from the four states - Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - called the lawsuit a reckless attack on democracy while legal experts gave it little chance to succeed. It was filed directly with the Supreme Court rather than with a lower court, as is permitted for certain litigation between states. The lawsuit, announced by the Republican attorney general of Texas Ken Paxton, targeted election battleground states that Trump lost to Biden after winning them in 2016. The Republican president has falsely claimed he won re-election and has made baseless allegations of widespread voting fraud. Paul Smith, a professor and election law expert at Georgetown University’s law school, said Texas did not have a legitimate basis for the suit. “There is no possible way that the state of Texas has standing to complain about how other states counted the votes and how they are about to cast their electoral votes,” Smith said. The lawsuit represents the latest in a series brought by the Republican president’s campaign and supporters intended to reverse his loss to Democrat Biden in the Nov. 3 election. Those efforts so far have failed.

“Texas Senate panel weighs banning abortion in 2021” by Austin American-Statesman’s Chuck Lindell – With the Texas Legislature set to convene in five weeks, an influential Senate committee met Tuesday to preview an aggressive agenda of bills designed to outlaw, or at least severely limit, abortion in Texas. The Senate State Affairs Committee, the first stop of abortion-related legislation, can expect to be the catalyst for a concerted effort to "protect innocent human life," said Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola. "We hope to pass a whole lot of pro-life legislation this session," said Hughes, chairman of the committee. Hughes said to expect a strong push to pass a "heartbeat bill," which would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected at around the sixth week of pregnancy — before many women know they are pregnant. Current Texas law bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. "Ten states have already passed heartbeat legislation. And, we have to confess, Texas should not have waited this long," he said. State Affairs heard from three invited witnesses, all of them abortion opponents who testified via Zoom. No public testimony was taken Tuesday. Diana Gómez, advocacy manager for the liberal advocacy group Progress Texas, called the hearing an echo chamber for conservatives.

“FCC awards $362 million to Texas companies to expand internet access in rural areas” by Dom DiFurio – Broadband internet companies operating in Texas are expected to receive over $362 million to expand their networks to include more underserved, rural areas of the state, according to data released this week. The money — which comes from the Federal Communications Commission’s taxpayer-funded Rural Digital Opportunity Fund — was allocated through an auction process to 22 different companies with plans to bolster internet service in Texas and close the so-called digital divide. Charter Communications’ holding company received the most money at $186.8 million, followed by Resound Networks at $94 million. Charter owns Spectrum, which sells internet, mobile and TV services. LTD Broadband was awarded $42.7 million and AMG Technology Investment Group received $24.5 million, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of FCC data. The funding will go toward companies’ efforts to expand internet access to 310,962 Texas homes and businesses, according to the FCC. The agency listed 220 Texas counties that will benefit from the effort over the next decade. Jasper, Tyler, Liberty, Shelby, Cherokee, Cass and Harris counties will receive the most investment, with each county set to gain $11 million to $13 million in internet access expansion. At least $1 million in improvements has been awarded to telecom company operations in 85 Texas counties. Nearly all of the Texas locations eligible for the auction will receive broadband internet with gigabit speeds, the agency said.

National:

National:

“Biden’s 3-part plan to tackle the coronavirus: Masks, vaccinations, opening schools” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser – President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a three-part plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the first 100 days of his administration. Biden, speaking in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., as he formally unveiled his team of top health officials, emphasized “masking, vaccinations, opening schools. These are the three key goals for my first 100 days.” And the president-elect stressed, “I’m absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better.” Biden spelled out first the first time how he would implement his mask mandate, which he’s previously announced, for the first 100 days of his administration. The president-elected explained that it will start with "my signing an order on day one to require masks where I can under the law, like federal buildings, interstate travel on planes, trains, and buses. I’ll also be working with the governors and mayors to do the same in their states and their cities. We’re going to require masks wherever possible.” And Biden urged people to “help yourself, your family, your community. Whatever your politics or point of view — mask up for 100 days after we take office. A hundred days to make a difference. It’s not a political statement — it's a patriotic act.” Thirty-eight states currently have mask mandates. The dozen that don't are Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. On vaccinations, Biden vowed that his “team will help get at least 100 million COVID-19 vaccine shots into the arms of Americans in 100 days.”

“Supreme Court tosses GOP bid to throw out PA mail ballots without hearing it” by Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche and Morgan Phillips – The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request from GOP allies of President Trump to stop the certification of Pennsylvania's election results. The high court left intact a decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which tossed a lawsuit from Rep. Mike Kelly challenging a 2019 law to expand mail-in voting. The GOP appeal to the high court was referred to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who then referred it to the full court. "The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied," the order said. Alito had earlier ordered Pennsylvania officials to respond Kelly’s election challenge a day earlier than previously scheduled, the same day known as the safe harbor deadline. Kelly, a Republican, sought to have the court toss all the state’s mail-in ballots on the grounds that universal, no-excuses mail-in voting is unconstitutional and needs a constitutional amendment to authorize its provisions. Alito, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, had previously ordered that the state’s lawyers respond to Kelly’s suit by Dec. 9, a day after the safe harbor date, which would mean that Congress cannot challenge any electors already named in accordance with state law. The law frees up states from challenges as long as it settles legal issues and certifies results prior to the Electoral College meeting. Alito moved Kelly’s case up 24 hours and wants state officials to respond by 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The report pointed out that the updated hearing on Dec. 8 “would give the court a few hours” to act on the information received.

“Black Lives Matter co-founder fires back at Obama for criticizing ‘defund the police’” by Fox News’ Morgan Phillips – Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza hit back after President Obama criticized the “defund the police” movement as a “snappy” slogan. “What I want to hear from former President Barack Obama if he’s going to use his vast platform for these conversations, what I want to hear from President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, is: what are you going to do?” Garza asked in an interview for Politico’s Women Rule Capstone event. “And that’s what we haven’t heard amid all this hoopla about ‘defund the police.’” Democratic infighting broke out over “defund the police” and socialism after a lackluster performance in the House in November. “You lost a big audience the minute you say it,” Obama said of the anti-police effort, adding that “snappy” slogans may draw attention but it “makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done.” “The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?” Obama told Peter Hamby, host of Snapchat’s “Good Luck America.” Biden has clarified that he does not support defunding the police, but has promised to increase police oversight and accountability. He’s promised to install a national police oversight commission in the first 100 days of his presidency. “This movement, which really helped to push [Biden’s] campaign over the finish line, was used as a political football all throughout this election cycle and that was true in 2016 as well,” Garza said. “There’s a lot of valuable airspace that was used to be condescending to the very people who have opened the imagination of what this country can be — and how we can get closer to the promise that this country has offered to so many.”

“Judge formally dismisses Michael Flynn case after Trump pardon” by CNN’s Katelyn Polantz – udge Emmet Sullivan of the DC District Court on Tuesday dismissed Michael Flynn's criminal case as moot, following Flynn's pardon by President Donald Trump, ending a tortured three-year-long proceeding. In his 43-page opinion, Sullivan critiqued Trump's pardon of Flynn, however, calling it "extraordinarily broad." He noted that the pardon does not make Flynn innocent. Flynn had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in early 2017. "[A] pardon does not necessarily render 'innocent' a defendant of any alleged violation of the law," Sullivan wrote. "Indeed, the Supreme Court has recognized that the acceptance of a pardon implies a 'confession' of guilt." And, as an apparent last word on the case, Sullivan criticized the Justice Department's reasoning to want to dismiss Flynn's case, calling it a pretext and not in line with legal standards. The judge's analysis lands as speculation mounts in Washington about pardons Trump might give in his last days in office and a recent revelation that the Justice Department was investigating but hadn't charged anyone with a possible pardon-bribery scheme related to the Trump White House. Trump tweeted his thanks to Sullivan on Tuesday afternoon after the ruling. "Thank you and congratulations to General Flynn," the President wrote. "He and his incredible family have suffered greatly!" In some ways, Sullivan's opinion in the Flynn case serves as a hint that judges could push back on ultra-broad or unspecific pardons Trump might make, especially if they are preemptive for crimes future administrations might attempt to prosecute.

“Ex-cyber official Krebs sues Trump campaign for attacking him after he said election was secure” by CNN’s Alex Marquardt and Katelyn Polantz – Chris Krebs, the former top administration official for cybersecurity, whom President Donald Trump fired after the election, is suing the Trump campaign and a lawyer working with the campaign to overturn the results of the election, accusing them of defamation. Krebs was fired after he said the election was the most secure in American history. Yet the Trump campaign has continued to push unfounded conspiracies of vote fraud and to seek court orders that would block President-elect Joe Biden's win in key states. Every one of the efforts in court or with state officials since Election Day to overturn the results of the election have failed. Last week, Trump campaign lawyer Joseph diGenova said on Newsmax TV that Krebs should be "drawn and quartered" and "taken out at dawn and shot." "DiGenova was fully aware that Plaintiff had committed no criminal conduct of any sort, let alone treason, so as to call for him to be 'drawn and quartered,' " Krebs' lawsuit said. "DiGenova knew that his inflammatory statements would cause a media frenzy and an outpouring of animosity" and that "his 'call to action' would create a clear risk of imminent physical harm directed toward Plaintiff and his family." The lawsuit is being filed in state court in Montgomery County, Maryland. Krebs alleges diGenova and the Trump campaign have caused him emotional distress. Krebs also is suing Newsmax, alleging that the far right-wing TV network aided and abetted the alleged harassment. He is asking for at least $75,000 and a court order to force Newsmax to remove video of diGenova's threats.

“Here's who Trump has granted pardons and commutations to during his presidency” by CNN’s Caroline Kelly and Veronica Stracqualursi – The end of President Donald Trump's time in office has been marked by a renewed interest in granting clemency -- both from the President, and from members of his inner circle looking for protection before President-elect Joe Biden assumes office. While Trump has continued to falsely insist publicly that he won the presidential election rather than Biden, the President's pardon of former national security adviser Michael Flynn is a sign Trump understands his time in office is coming to a close. He's expected to issue a "flurry" of additional pardons before leaving the White House, according to a source close to the White House. Trump has used his clemency powers less often than any other recent president, according to Justice Department data. He has issued 29 pardons and 16 commutations, according to the department, for a total of 45 acts of clemency -- the fewest combined for a president in over 100 years. But those figures could change. Trump associates including Rudy Giuliani, who has been leading the President's long-shot legal battles to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and disenfranchise millions of voters in his role as Trump's personal attorney, are making appeals to him in the hopes of obtaining pardons before he leaves office, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday. And since the election, Trump has been discussing with advisers preemptively pardoning several people close to him, including his children, son-in-law and Giuliani, a separate source familiar confirmed to CNN.

Trump has often bypassed the DOJ's Office of Pardon Attorney in deciding who gets granted clemency, instead choosing to act on the appeals from celebrities, conservative media or his Republican allies.

“House approves defense bill with veto-proof majority after Trump urges GOP opposition” by CNN’s Clare Foran, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox – The House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a sweeping defense bill with a veto-proof majority after a veto threat from President Donald Trump sharply divided Republican lawmakers, forcing them to choose between loyalty to him and legislation that sets defense policy for the country. The vote, which broke down to 335-78, is a major rebuke to the President. The National Defense Authorization Act will next head to the Senate, where it is also expected to pass with bipartisan support, though it is not yet clear if it will similarly reach a veto-proof majority in the chamber. If the House ends up voting to override a presidential veto, that vote could be far narrower, however, because at least some Republicans are likely to change their votes in order to sustain a veto. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who said that he would vote in favor of the bill, but would vote to sustain a veto, insisted that Republican House members will back the President if he vetoes the legislation. "I think they would stand with the President," he said when asked if there would be enough GOP votes to sustain the President's position. The $740 billion bill includes pay raises for America's soldiers, modernizations for equipment and provisions to require more scrutiny before troops are withdrawn from Germany or Afghanistan, but that hasn't stopped Trump's threats against it. Trump has threatened to veto the bill because it doesn't include a repeal of Section 230, a law that shields internet companies from being liable for what is posted on their websites by them or third parties. The bill also includes provisions to limit how much money Trump can move around for his border wall and another that would require the military to rename bases that were named after figures from the Confederacy.

“Fragile Covid-19 Vaccine Rolled Out in the U.K. Tests Global Supply Network” by WSJ’s James Marson in Puurs, Belgium, Will Horner in Cardiff, Wales and Jared S. Hopkins in New York – The Covid-19 vaccines that British citizens began receiving on Tuesday had been sitting only days earlier in ultracold freezers across the English Channel. When the British government last Wednesday provisionally authorized the vaccine’s use, it set in motion a logistical test that will define the next stage of how the world tackles the coronavirus pandemic: the delivery of the vaccines. Workers at the Pfizer Inc. plant in Puurs, Belgium, loaded thousands of vials of the liquid, stored at nearly 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, into custom-made thermally protected shipping containers and packed with dry ice. Loaded onto anonymous trucks, they crossed 125 miles to the French coast and sped by train under the English Channel. By Thursday evening, three trucks were heading across the U.K. and a fourth was crossing the Irish Sea. Tightly coordinated, this logistics chain is probably one of the world’s easiest. For vaccines to halt then reverse the pandemic, similar drills must occur thousands of times over, all around the world, in places far less organized than Northern Europe. Countries and logistics companies are scrambling to prepare for the unprecedented challenge of shipping millions—eventually billions—of doses at carefully controlled temperatures. Some countries, particularly poor ones with weak infrastructure and governance in places like Africa, could see big delays. Britain itself faces a looming threat from Brexit, which risks causing long delays at its borders. Even as countries including the U.S. authorize vaccines and begin inoculations, the U.K. will emerge as a laboratory for what is possible at high speed and what might go wrong.

“Pompeo Warns Businesses Over Hong Kong as U.S.-China Tensions Rise” by WSJ’s William Mauldin – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who this week unveiled sanctions over China’s actions in Hong Kong, warned business leaders that the U.S. will treat the city, a global trade and financial center, the same way as mainland China. “This is no longer anything but another Chinese Communist-run city,” Mr. Pompeo said in an interview at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council summit on Tuesday. “The world, the business community should treat it as such, and the United States government is very close to being in a place where it’s doing precisely that.” Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, in a separate interview at the CEO Council, defended the business climate, saying that Hong Kong serves as a gateway to doing business on mainland China and that companies operating there welcome increased security. “If you ask me, this is one of the best times to come,” said Mrs. Lam, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for helping implement China’s crackdown. “Nothing has changed in recent years, except that we no longer see those chaotic scenes that have been disturbing and disrupting business for a very long time since June last year.” Mr. Pompeo said business executives have complained to him privately about getting “ripped off” in China, whose exports to the U.S. continue to face U.S. tariffs following a trade conflict. The Trump administration has warned businesses about risks they face in China, including sanctions.

“FDA Says Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Safe, Effective” by WSJ’s Thomas M. Burton and Jared S. Hopkins – The Food and Drug Administration said the first Covid-19 vaccine being considered for U.S. distribution “met the prescribed success criteria” in a clinical study, paving the way for the agency to green-light distribution as early as this weekend. An outside panel of scientific advisers will review the FDA report Thursday, along with a companion analysis from the vaccine’s manufacturers, Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech SE. BNTX 1.92% A favorable recommendation from the panel is expected to be followed within a few days by the FDA granting emergency authorization for the vaccine. In its report Tuesday, the FDA noted that the two-dose vaccine provided benefits even after just the first injection—cutting the risk of getting Covid-19 by about half. The vaccine was found to be 95% effective after the second dose, three weeks later. FDA scientists also found that the vaccine was effective in reducing the risk of confirmed severe disease after the first dose, an important finding as some health experts were concerned Covid-19 vaccines would protect against only mild to moderate disease. Side effects were common, however, especially in younger people, the analysis found. The most common complaint was fatigue, followed by muscle pain and joint pain. Severe “adverse reactions” were rare, most frequent after the second dose, and generally less frequent in older adults greater than 55 years of age. The frequent side effects occurring soon after injections suggests that the vaccine is generating a strong immune response, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and affiliate at the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University.