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Thursday's Mini-Report, 12.3.20

Today's edition of quick hits.

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Today's edition of quick hits:

* An intensifying crisis: "The United States logged 14 million Covid-19 cases Wednesday just hours after setting three grim records: the highest number of daily deaths, new infections and hospitalizations since the pandemic began."

* Fauci's future: "Dr. Anthony Fauci will formally meet with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team for the first time on Thursday to discuss the response to the coronavirus pandemic.... He also said he fully expects to remain in his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as the new administration takes over."

* It doesn't have to be this bad: "The last throes of Donald Trump's presidency have turned ugly — even dangerous. Death threats are on the rise. Local and state election officials are being hounded into hiding. A Trump campaign lawyer is declaring publicly that a federal official who defended the integrity of the election should be 'drawn and quartered' or simply shot."

* Among the Senate Republicans expressing support for the compromise economic aid package today are Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), and Chuck Grassley (Iowa).

* On a related note: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke Thursday amid growing momentum for a targeted coronavirus-relief deal, illustrating how Congress has snapped into action amid a surge in new cases and deaths. They also discussed reaching a deal on a spending bill to avert a government shutdown on December 11."

* Wisconsin: "The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a request Thursday by President Donald Trump to revoke the certification of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The 4-3 decision left room for Trump to bring a new challenge to the election results, but even some of the dissenting justices signaled they do not support Trump's call for throwing out hundreds of thousands of ballots."

* Immigration: "Legal advocates tasked by a federal judge with helping to find migrant families separated at the U.S. border in 2017 and 2018 say that after months of pleas, the government last week handed over new data that could be critical to helping them find the families."

* Good: "Senate Republicans' bid to confirm Judy Shelton as a Federal Reserve governor appears unlikely to succeed now that a new Democratic senator has been seated, denying President Trump's nominee the votes needed for approval."

* Related news: "Christopher Waller, a regional Federal Reserve official nominated by President Trump to the central bank's seven-member Board of Governors in Washington, was confirmed to the post by a narrow margin on Thursday, as Republicans scramble to fill open slots before President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. comes into office."

* A story we've been following: "A federal watchdog agency has found 'a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing' by Trump administration appointees who oversee the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media outlets."

See you tomorrow.