| Trump goes on a lame-duck pardoning spree; Israel will hold new elections after its government collapsed. Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg. | | | | | | | Trump pardons 15 as his time in office comes to a close | | | | | | - President Donald Trump is using his lame-duck period to pardon several friends and allies. Among 15 people he pardoned on Tuesday were two former Republican Congress members and an official from his 2016 campaign who was implicated in the Russia investigation. [AP / Colleen Long, Kevin Freking, and Eric Tucker]
- The president pardoned former campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who had lied to investigators about his role in Russian election interference. He also gave pardons to former Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Chris Collins of New York. [CNN / Pamela Brown, Kevin Liptak, and Katelyn Polantz]
- Hunter and his wife pleaded guilty last year to misusing campaign funds. Together, they stole more than $250,000 over several years. Hunter was due to begin serving an 11-month jail sentence in January 2021. [CNBC / Dan Mangan]
- Collins was an early supporter of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and he was convicted earlier in 2020 of securities fraud and lying to the FBI. He had introduced legislation that would have benefited a pharmaceutical company of whose board he was a member. [Slate / Ben Mathis-Lilley]
- Former Rep. Steve Stockman, a Republican from Texas, had his sentence commuted by Trump. Stockman, like Hunter and Collins, was found guilty on corruption charges. The White House acknowledged that conservative media recommended Trump issue these pardons. [Vox / German Lopez]
- Trump also pardoned four Blackwater private security contractors convicted of a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that killed more than a dozen people. The move sparked outrage from the victims' families. [NBC News / Adela Suliman]
- The president may not be done, either — Axios reported that Trump is considering more Christmas pardons for allies sympathetic to his attempt to overturn the election results and even his own family members. [Atlantic / Tim Naftali]
- There has been speculation as to whether Trump will attempt to pardon himself, and questions of whether such a move would be legal. Either way, it would be unprecedented for a president. Trump has declared, however, that he has the "absolute right" to issue himself a pardon. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
- Just after announcing the pardons, Trump tweeted a video calling on Congress to add more funding to the stimulus package passed on Monday. The package, which Trump vetoed Wednesday, calls for $600 checks to individuals, but Trump wants that figure raised to $2,000. [Axios / Mike Allen and Glen Johnson]
| | | Israel's government collapses, triggering yet another election | | - For the fourth time in two years, Israel will hold elections for prime minister and parliament. The government — a tense coalition of the conservative Likud party and the centrist Blue and White party — collapsed Tuesday, forcing another round of elections on March 23. [NYT / Isabel Kershner]
- That coalition failed to pass a national budget before Tuesday night's deadline. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will look to stay in power once again in an attempt to work around the current agreement that would have his main rival, Benny Gantz, take over in November 2021. [NPR / Daniel Estrin]
- Netanyahu and Gantz blamed each other for the political crisis. Netanyahu told reporters that "Likud did not want this election" but his party would "win big." Gantz responded by saying Netanyahu's comments were "more lies than words." [BBC News]
- The current government was formed in May, when after a contentious election, Gantz agreed to set aside his opposition to Netanyahu and share power with his rival as Israel battled the Covid-19 pandemic and an economic crisis. [WSJ / Dov Lieber and Felicia Schwartz]
- Netanyahu is facing corruption charges, and many believe he purposely did not pass the budget so that the new elections would delay his trial. "Netanyahu is taking us to elections just so he doesn't have to show up in court," Gantz said in a statement. [Bloomberg / Amy Teibel and Ivan Levingston]
| | | | | | | The US reached a deal with Pfizer for 100 million new Covid-19 vaccine doses, effectively doubling the country's supply. | | | [NPR / Merrit Kennedy] -
President-elect Joe Biden selected Miguel Cardona, a former fourth-grade teacher and elementary school principal from Connecticut, as his nominee for secretary of education. [CNN / Kate Sullivan] -
France and the United Kingdom loosened their border closure to allow freight and some travel between the two countries. Those traveling from the UK to France will need to be tested for Covid-19 first. [Politico / Anna Isaac and Jules Darmanin] -
People dreaming of a white Christmas in parts of Tennessee and North Carolina may get their wish. Knoxville, which historically has just a 3 percent chance of snow on Christmas, could get snow on Christmas Eve this year. [CNN / Jennifer Gray] | | | | | "Most despicably, President Trump is twisting this presidential power to reward allies who broke the law on his behalf. Donald Trump leaves the presidency just as he took it: without a shred of respect for the Constitution and as a complete disgrace to his office." | | | | | | | | | | |
In the third of our five-part series "You, Me, and Covid-19," Dr. Anthony Fauci reflects on his pandemic year, what he's learned, and what he'd do differently. [Spotify / Sean Rameswaram] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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