10″ December” 2020″ https://www.theguardian.com/
Hunter Biden was a frequent target of attack for Donald Trump and his allies in the months leading up to the presidential election.
During his final campaign rallies, the president repeatedly (and falsely) referred to the Biden family as “a criminal enterprise.”
Following news of the federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes, one Republican congressman called on attorney general William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate the president-elect’s son.
MORE: Up until March 20th of this year Hunter and his former wife Kathleen Buhle had an IRS lean against them for taxes not paid in the total of $112,805.09, according to publicly available documents.
It is unknown if the tax lean is connected to the investigation. https://t.co/7BvjgaOHul
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) December 9, 2020
Some Republican senators have said they are open to supporting Doug Jones if Joe Biden nominates him to become attorney general,
When asked about Jones’ possible nomination, Ted Cruz replied, “I’ll assess every nominee on the merits.”
Richard Shelby of Alabama added, “He’d probably get a bigger vote than anybody nominated.”
Jones lost his bid to serve a full term in the Senate last month, but he is now the frontrunner to become attorney general, according to multiple reports.Updated
Fresh efforts to break up Facebook
The US Federal Trade Commission and a big coalition of states sued Facebook this afternoon, saying that the huge social media company broke US antitrust law.
The FTC said in a statement that it would seek an injunction that “could, among other things: require divestitures of assets, including Instagram and WhatsApp.”
In its complaint, the coalition of 46 states, Washington DC and the territory of Guam also asked for Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp to be judged to be illegal.
The antitrust lawsuits were announced by the FTC, the federal regulators, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“It’s really critically important that we block this predatory acquisition of companies and that we restore confidence to the market,” James said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Reuters and the Associated Press report.
In its lawsuit, the FTC is seeking the separation of the services from Facebook, saying Facebook has engaged in a “a systematic strategy” to eliminate its competition, including by purchasing smaller up-and-coming rivals like Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.
James echoed that in her press conference, saying Facebook “used its monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users.”
Facebook is the world’s biggest social network with 2.7 billion users and a company with a market value of nearly $800bn whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the world’s fifth-richest individual and the most public face of “Big Tech” swagger.
Facebook did not have immediate comment.
John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, wished Tom Wolf a speedy recovery from coronavirus after the governor announced his positive test result.
Fetterman attracted national attention last month, as he pushed back against baseless claims from Donald Trump and his allies about widespread election fraud in Pennsylvania.Updated
Pennsylvania governor tests positive for coronavirus
Tom Wolf, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, announced he has tested positive for coronavirus.
“During a routine test yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19,” Wolf said. “I have no symptoms and am feeling well and I am in isolation at home.”
Wolf said he was following all the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and would work remotely as he quarantines.
The governor asked all Pennsylvanians to continue following public health guidance, specifically wearing masks and socially distancing as much as possible.
“As this virus rages, my positive test is a reminder that no one is immune from COVID,” Wolf said. “Following all precautions as I have done is not a guarantee, but it is what we know to be vital to stopping the spread of the disease.”
Leaving the Queen theater in Wilmington after formally introducing Lloyd Austin as his defense secretary nominee, Joe Biden did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions about his choice for attorney general and whether he will make a trip to Georgia to campaign for the Senate runoff races.
Biden said yesterday that he would announce his attorney general nominee later this week, and senator Doug Jones, who will leave office next month, is currently the frontrunner for the job,
Vice-president-elect Kamala Harris echoed Joe Biden’s comments about Lloyd Austin, saying the retired general was the right nominee to steer the Pentagon.
“I am absolutely confident that General Lloyd Austin is the right person to lead the Department of Defense at this critical moment,” Harris said. “We need a proven leader to help address this pandemic.”
The event concluded after Harris wrapped up her remarks. Biden did not take any of the shouted questions
Austin: ‘I come to this new role as a civilian leader’
Taking the podium in Wilmington, Lloyd Austin reflected on the African American service members who came before him.
Austin, who would become the first African American to lead the Pentagon if confirmed, noted that he came from the same Georgia hometown as Henry Flipper, the first African American cadet to graduate from West Point.
Reflecting on the four years since he retired from the military, Austin emphasized the importance of civilian leadership at the Pentagon.
“I come to this new role as a civilian leader — with military experience, to be sure — but also with a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military,” Austin said
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