Good morning!
Here's your Daily News for Wednesday, January 6.
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1. Warnock apparent winner, other race too close to call |
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Democrat Raphael Warnock appears to have won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs, defeating incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler and putting the Senate majority within his party's reach.
- He would be the first black senator ever elected from Georgia.
- The Associated Press declared Warnock the winner after an analysis of outstanding votes showed there was no way for Loeffler to catch up to his lead. Warnock’s edge is likely to grow as more ballots are counted, many of which were in Democratic-leaning areas.
- Loeffler did not concede in a brief message to supporters shortly after midnight.
- The focus now shifts to the second race between incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. The candidates were locked in a tight race and it was too early to call a winner. Under Georgia law, a trailing candidate may request a recount when the margin of an election is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage points.
- If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening President-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20.
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For what it's worth, Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report said he had seen enough data to project that Ossoff will win. If that holds, a blame game of giant proportions within the Republican Party will begin.
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Read more HERE.
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2. It's Electoral College day in Congress |
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- Joe Biden will almost certainly be certified by Congress as the winner of the presidential election today, but not before Republicans who believe the election was stolen raise official objections and force votes on accepting certain states' votes.
- What started as Congressman Mo Brooks' quixotic, one-man quest to challenge the election has gained steam to the point that as many as 150 House members and 12 senators are expected to object to certifying Electoral College votes from Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.
- It's not the first time lawmakers have challenged results. Democrats did in 2017, 2005 and 2001, efforts that went nowhere and were lambasted by Republicans as reckless. But the intensity of this current challenge is like nothing in modern times, and many current and elected GOP officials warn the showdown is sowing distrust in government and eroding Americans' faith in democracy.
- “There is no constitutionally viable means for the Congress to overturn an election,” said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., announcing his refusal to join the effort on the eve of the session.
- Most Republican members of Alabama's delegation in Washington have vowed to support the election challenge. In the House, only Congressman Gary Palmer hasn't committed one way or the other. In the Senate, Sen. Richard Shelby has said he accepts the outcome of the election while Sen. Tommy Tuberville confirmed he will challenge the results.
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Read more HERE.
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3. Lawmakers to remain in State House for session, public access questions remain |
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- With only 27 days until the 2021 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature, more questions than answers remain about how the annual meeting of lawmakers will be conducted.
- One thing seems clear: the Legislature will be meeting in the State House, not an off-site venue like the Renaissance convention hall in downtown Montgomery.
- Legislative leaders and top staff have been working on plans to have the House and Senate meet safely while also ensuring a safe environment and allowing public access, but it's easier said than done.
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ADN's Caroline Beck has the full story on the latest with what to expect logistics wise in the 2021 Regular Session HERE.
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4. US could soon give 1 million vaccinations a day
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- The U.S. could soon be giving at least a million COVID-19 vaccinations a day despite the sluggish start, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday, even as he warned of a dangerous next few weeks as the coronavirus surges.
- The slow pace is frustrating health officials and a desperate public alike, with only about a third of the first supplies shipped to states used as of Tuesday morning, just over three weeks into the vaccination campaign.
- “Any time you start a big program, there’s always glitches. I think the glitches have been worked out,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert said.
- Vaccinations have already begun speeding up, reaching roughly half a million injections a day, he pointed out.
- Now, with the holidays over, “once you get rolling and get some momentum, I think we can achieve 1 million a day or even more,” Fauci said.
- It’s an optimistic prediction considering the logistical hurdles facing states and counties as they struggle to administer rationed vaccine supplies amid rising COVID-19 hospitalizations. Fauci pointed to California’s swamped hospitals and exhausted workers even before holiday travel and family gatherings added fuel to the outbreak.
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Read more HERE.
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5. DeVonta Smith becomes first WR to win Heisman in 29 years |
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- On an Alabama team stacked with stars, DeVonta Smith emerged as the best player in college football while playing a position that rarely gets that kind of recognition.
- Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 seasons Tuesday night, breaking the monopoly quarterbacks have had on the award by beating out three of them.
- “Just to be one of the very few that played receiver to win the Heisman, it means a lot to me,” Smith said.
- Smith finished with 447 first-place votes and 1,856 points to easily outdistance Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (222, 1,187), Alabama teammate Mac Jones (138, 1,130) and Florida’s Kyle Trask (61, 737).
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Full story HERE.
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A message from the
Alabama Rural Broadband Coalition
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- High-speed broadband is a basic necessity in today's society and brings benefits in education, telemedicine, economic development and agriculture.
- For Alabama to thrive in a 21st century economy, every Alabamian should have access to a reliable internet connection.
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ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Warnock wins one Georgia Senate runoff, other still too close to call
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Congress set to confirm election, but not before Republican challenge
AL.COM - Alabama has given 42,810 COVID vaccines so far
AL.COM - Georgia Senate runoff: Democrat Warnock wins; second race too close to call
AL.COM - Alabama and the South lagging behind in COVID vaccinations
AL.COM - Contributor Artur Davis: The judges the South needs but isn’t getting
AL.COM - Mayor Woodfin, hospitalized for COVID-19, remains in stable condition, improving
AL.COM - ‘Election Defense Fund’ donations support Tommy Tuberville’s campaign
AL.COM - Amazon may build $45 million Spanish Fort distribution facility
AL.COM - Alabama GOP juggles ‘mixed bag’ of constituent reaction to Electoral College challenge, Trump’s anger
Montgomery Advertiser - Trinity man charged after car chase with state troopers ends in downtown Montgomery
Tuscaloosa News - Maddox: DCH still says no need for additional COVID-19 lockdowns, regulations
Tuscaloosa News - Input sought for future of Tuscaloosa parks, recreation services
Tuscaloosa News - Tuscaloosa News' readers long for return to simple pleasures in 2021
Decatur Daily - Electric lines and poles being moved; overpass construction likely pushed back
Decatur Daily - Decatur woman sentenced to 40 years for husband's deadly shooting
Decatur Daily - Semester begins virtually for DCS, while other districts continue in-person instruction
Times Daily - Muscle Shoals Library goes curbisde for the week
Times Daily - Expansion of Colbert Co. 911 dispatch center will clear way for 2 new hires
Times Daily - Empty Table Fund collections reaching record high
Anniston Star - Commissioners hear complaints about vaccine delivery
Anniston Star - Anniston officials: City got, spent $1 million in federal COVID aid
Anniston Star - Warrant: Anniston man assaulted woman with house materials
YellowHammer News - Alabama’s DeVonta Smith wins Heisman Trophy, first receiver to do so since ’91
YellowHammer News - Tuberville to object to Arizona’s electors on Wednesday, ‘considering additional states’
Gadsden Times - Hightower recalled as 'a cornerstone of hope in our community'
Gadsden Times - Gadsden police seek help finding people in ongoing probes
Gadsden Times - Crossville man charged with sexual abuse of a child
Dothan Eagle - After COVID-19 uptick, some Dothan City Schools starting second term virtually
Dothan Eagle - Dothan man accused of slashing victim with scissors during argument
Dothan Eagle - Warnock makes history with Senate win as Dems near majority
Opelika-Auburn News - EAMC reflects on 139 lives lost since March as it sets another COVID-19 hospitalization record
WSFA Montgomery - Montgomery mayor, City Council meet for first time in 2021
WAFF Huntsville - Unemployed Alabamians awaiting funds from new stimulus package; some accounts at zero
WAFF Huntsville - Local churches, organizations show support to healthcare workers, deliver free meals
WKRG Mobile - Fatal accident closes the southbound lanes of Highway 293 in Niceville
WKRG Mobile - Democrat Raphael Warnock wins one of Georgia’s two senate runoff elections
WKRG Mobile - Heart of Gulf: Heart attack survivor meets lifesavers
WTVY Dothan - Beasley sworn in as Henry County Superintendent
WTVY Dothan - Southeast Health begins administering second dose of Pfizer vaccine
WTVY Dothan - Warnock makes history with Senate win as Dems near majority
WASHINGTON POST - Raphael Warnock wins Georgia runoff election against Sen. Loeffler, lifting Democratic hopes of claiming Senate majority
WASHINGTON POST - Raphael Warnock wins Georgia runoff election against Sen. Loeffler, lifting Democratic hopes of claiming Senate majority
NEW YORK TIMES - Live Updates: Democrats Edge Closer to Senate Control With Victory in Georgia; Second Race Too Close to Call
NEW YORK TIMES - Pence Said to Have Told Trump He Lacks Power to Change Election Result
NEW YORK TIMES - Pence Said to Have Told Trump He Lacks Power to Change Election Result
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Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)
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