04 December 20
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Supporters of President Donald Trump hold 'Stop the Steal' signs as they stand outside of the Clark County Elections Department in Nevada on November 7. (photo: Wong Maye/AP)
Paul Krugman | How Will Biden Deal With Republican Sabotage?
Paul Krugman, The New York Times
Krugman writes: "When Joe Biden is inaugurated, he will immediately be confronted with an unprecedented challenge - and I don't mean the pandemic, although Covid-19 will almost surely be killing thousands of Americans every day. I mean, instead, that he'll be the first modern U.S. president trying to govern in the face of an opposition that refuses to accept his legitimacy."
And no, Democrats by and large were not claiming Donald Trump was illegitimate, just that he was incompetent and dangerous.
It goes without saying that Donald Trump, whose conspiracy theories are getting wilder and wilder, will never concede, and that millions of his followers will always believe — or at least say they believe — that the election was stolen.
Most Republicans in Congress certainly know this is a lie, although even on Capitol Hill there are a lot more crazy than we’d like to imagine. But it doesn’t matter; they still won’t accept that Biden has any legitimacy, even though he won the popular vote by a large margin.
Community leaders organized a vigil at the Jackson County Courthouse in Medford on Wednesday, Dec. 2, for Aidan Ellison. (photo: Erik Neumann)
Black Teen Shot, Killed in Oregon Over Music
David K. Li and Matteo Moschella, NBC News
Excerpt: "A dispute over loud music ended with a 47-year-old Oregon man fatally shooting a Black teenager in a hotel parking lot just days before Thanksgiving, police said."
"The only thing that caused this murder was suspect's actions," said Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara.
dispute over loud music ended with a 47-year-old Oregon man fatally shooting a Black teenager in a hotel parking lot just days before Thanksgiving, police said.
The shooting happened in front of the Stratford Inn in Ashland, about 16 miles north of the California-Oregon border, in the early morning hours of Nov. 23, authorities said.
Aidan Ellison, 19, was staying at the hotel with his friend Sara Jones and her cousin when the young man couldn't sleep that night.
"I gave Aidan my car keys to listen to music," Jones, 35, told NBC News on Monday.
"I had fallen back asleep because I had to work in a few hours. Around 4:50 a.m. I get a knock at the door from police asking, 'Is there a young black male that stayed with me?' I said, 'Yes, that would be Aidan.' They asked me if I knew where he was. I said, 'Yes, I'll take you to him, he's in my car.' They said he wasn't in trouble. He was possibly shot and it was a matter of life or death and they needed to find him."
When she and the police got downstairs, Jones said she saw Ellison's body near a tree and some shrubs as paramedics attended to him. Police said in a statement that though paramedics attempted to render aid on the scene, Ellison was "beyond help" and died on scene.
"From what I was told was there was an argument over loud music, the front desk clerk tried to break up the argument but when he went back inside is when Aidan was shot," said Jones, who lives at the hotel and knew Ellison from their work at a local fast food restaurant.
While the deadly dispute may have started over loud music, Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara said in a statement that this tragedy is "100%" the fault of suspect Robert Paul Keegan.
"The only thing that caused this murder was suspect's actions," O'Meara said. "It is completely immaterial what led up to it."
The chief added: "Yes, there was an argument over music, no, this did not happen because of loud music, it happened because the suspect chose to bring a gun with him and chose to use it."
Keegan allegedly pulled a gun from inside his coat "and fired a single shot, striking the victim in the chest," according to a police statement.
Police were investigating whether race could have played a role in the deadly encounter.
"That's a very legitimate and important thing for us to look at," O'Meara said.
"Right now we can't substantiate that race was a factor. If that changes at some point, then some different charges will be considered. So yes, could it have ben a factor? Or course. But without having the benefit knowing what Keegan is thinking, we can't substantiate it."
Jim Tumpane, owner of the Stratford Inn, said he and his staff are "heartbroken, shocked, and angered by the senseless murder" Ellison.
"Our hearts grieve for his family and friends. We appreciate the vigils that have been coordinated," Tumpane said in a statement. "We also welcome and greatly encourage the posting of 'Black Lives Matter' signs on our property. We are thankful for the community's support towards all of those affected, including Aidan's loved ones, our staff, and our residents here at the Stratford Inn."
Keegan, who lives in nearby Talent, was arrested at the scene and was still in Jackson County Jail on Monday, booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, reckless endangering and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Keegan had not hired an attorney by Monday, according to the Jackson County Public Defender's office.
Ellison's friend Sunmoon Oh said the victim battled homelessness but was always generous with what little he had.
“I could tell you all the stereotypical stuff. He was special, he was kind, he was a great guy, but he was so much more than that,” Oh told NBC affiliate KOBI. “He had nothing, but yet even if he had something he would give it to you no questions asked."
President Trump speaks in front of U.S. troops. (photo: Yasin Ozturk/Getty)
Trump Vows to Veto Defense Bill Unless Shield for Big Tech Is Scrapped
Jaclyn Diaz, NPR
Diaz writes: "President Trump is threatening to veto a critical defense spending bill unless Congress agrees to repeal a liability shield for social media companies."
The president tweeted late Tuesday that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act is "a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity."
Section 230 provides legal protection for technology companies over content from third parties and users. Trump referred to the provision as a "liability shielding gift" to "Big Tech."
If he doesn't get his way, Trump is threatening to nix this year's National Defense Authorization Act — a crucial piece of annual legislation that covers authorization for pay raises and other spending needs for the nation's military.
The veto threat is the latest move by the president in his war against social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter. He and other conservatives believe tech companies are biased against conservative political views — censoring posts they don't like. However, the social media platforms say they are only trying to stop the spread of false claims and disinformation.
Trump previously threatened a veto of the NDAA in July because it included language renaming U.S. military installations honoring Confederate generals.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, who have largely rejected a wholesale repeal of Section 230, have nonetheless proposed revisions, in part to modernize the policy, but no concrete legislative steps have been taken.
Lawmakers on the NDAA conference committee are set to meet Wednesday over the legislation.
This is the 60th year Congress has crafted an annual defense policy bill and it usually passes with overwhelming bipartisan, veto-proof majorities.
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