2020 Is the Deadliest Year in U.S. History

3.2 million

“This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic,” the AP reports. “Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019.”

The Squad Aims to Be a Playah in House Politics

4

Playbook notes a move that raised eyebrows on the House floor last night: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Presley and Rashida Tlaib all voted against the rule to move the relief package — a procedural motion that nearly always splits on party lines. “In a world where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a narrow majority, if this group sticks together, they can influence the direction of the House Democratic Caucus. This message was received by senior Democrats last night.”

Robertson: Trump Lives in an ‘Alternate Reality’

“You know, with all his talent and the ability to be able to raise money and grow large crowds, the president still lives in an alternate reality. He really does. People say, ‘Well, he lies about this, that and the other.’ But no, he isn’t lying; to him, that’s the truth.”

— “Televangelist Pat Robertson, one of President Trump’s staunchest backers, on Monday described Trump as ‘very erratic,’ called on him to accept that President-elect Joe Biden won and said the Republican should not consider running again in 2024,” the Washington Post reports.

The Relief Bill Is Over 5,000 Pages

5,593

“The House on Monday released the text of a $900 billion coronavirus relief package and $1.4 trillion government spending bill that Congress expects to pass before the holidays,” Axios reports. “The House will move quickly to pass the bill on Monday night, with the Senate likely to stay late to vote in the early hours of Tuesday morning. This gives lawmakers and their staff just hours to review a 5,593-page bill — one of the largest rescue packages in U.S. history.”

The Importance of Georgia

“It is almost impossible to overstate the stakes in the two January 5th runoff elections in Georgia. If Democrats win both races, Joe Biden has a chance to pass his economic, health care, and climate plans. He will be able to confirm his cabinet and appoint judges. Mitch McConnell will be nothing more than a dour annoyance — a grumpy speed bump on the road to progress. If Democrats don’t win both races, well … things get much more difficult. I can’t remember a non-Presidential election of this much consequence.”

Dan Pfeiffer

Trump Is the First U.S. President to Consider a Coup

“Never before in U.S. history has there been a record of a president discussing a military coup to stay in office. Is there any doubt that if Trump could find any active-duty generals willing to carry out this plot against America, he would give it the go-ahead? In this instance, all that is preserving the Constitution is the military’s fidelity to the rule of law.”

Max Boot