Monday, Dec. 28

á           CongressÕ attending physician Brian Monahan released a memo informing lawmakers that two staffers from every congressional representativeÕs office are eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

á           President-elect Joe Biden said his transition team faced ÒobstructionÓ from the Defense DepartmentÕs political leadership, calling it Ònothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.Ó Biden said, ÒRight now, we just arenÕt getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas.Ó

á           The House voted to override TrumpÕs veto of a $741 billion defense policy bill. Trump said he vetoed the bill because it didnÕt repeal legal protections for social media companies and because it called for renaming military bases named in honor of Confederate leaders.

Tuesday, Dec. 29

á           Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) blocked attempts to increase stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 in the coronavirus relief package despite House approval. President Donald Trump said the Republican Party has a Òdeath wishÓ if it doesnÕt approve those checks.

á           Politico reported that lawyers for Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) and 11 Republican electors from Arizona revealed Vice President Mike Pence declined to sign onto their plan to upend CongressÕ certification of BidenÕs victory, the first indication of resistance from Pence against the Trump-backed calls to reverse the presidential election results. Pence, however, signaled his support for a bid to overturn the election from senators later in the week.

á           Rep.-elect Luke Letlow (R-Lou.) died from causes related to the coronavirus, the first member or member-elect of Congress to die from COVID-19. Prior to his death, Letlow, who won a Dec. 5 runoff election and was supposed to be sworn in the following Sunday, campaigned to reopen the economy despite the global pandemic.

Wednesday, Dec. 30

á           McConnell rejected a standalone stimulus check increase to $2,000, saying that there was Òno realistic pathÓ to the vote despite bipartisan support. McConnell wanted the checks to be tied to Trump-backed demands to strip legal protections from tech companies and to establish an election fraud commission.

á           Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) sent a 2,200-word critique of his Republican colleagues trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. ÒWe have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think thereÕs a quick way to tap into the presidentÕs populist base without doing any real, long-term damage,Ó Sasse wrote.

á           Two American B-52 bombers flew in the Persian Gulf in a show of intimidation that military officials said was intended to deter Iran from attacking American troops in the region.

á           The Trump administration sanctioned two Venezuelan officials — a judge and a prosecutor — for their roles in sending six American oil executives to prison for corruption.

á           Federal health officials acknowledged in a news conference that the distribution of vaccines in the United States has gotten off to a slower than expected start. Biden also criticized the pace, saying that the current rate is Ògoing to take years, not monthsÓ to vaccinate the whole country.

Thursday, Dec. 31

á           Incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki promised a more respectful and informative relationship with the media under the Biden administration. ÒMy goal every day will, of course, be to be truthful and transparent and to help peel the curtains back for not just the media and reporters É but for the American people,Ó Psaki said.

á           The Pentagon abruptly ordered the aircraft carrier Nimitz home from the Middle East and Africa over objections from top military advisors. The carrier was deployed as part of a Òmuscle-flexing strategyÓ against Iran, the New York Times reported.

á           Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) announced he is in quarantine following a COVID exposure, just days before a runoff election in Georgia will decide whether he continues in the Senate.

Friday, Jan. 1

á           A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit led by Gohmert and other Trump allies aimed to pressure Pence into overturning the results of the presidential election.

á           Following the House, the Senate voted to override TrumpÕs veto of a $741 billion defense policy bill.

Saturday, Jan. 2

á           Eleven more Republican senators led by Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced they would challenge the Jan. 6 confirmation of BidenÕs Electoral College victory. Alongside a separate call to overturn the results from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), about a quarter of all Senate Republicans are involved in efforts to challenge the election results.

á           Following CongressÕs failure to increase coronavirus stimulus checks, McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) had their homes vandalized. McConnell had ÒMITCH KILLS THE POORÓ spray-painted over a window among other graffiti and Pelosi had graffiti and fake blood sprayed on her home along with a pigÕs head.

Sunday, Jan. 3

á           Pelosi was reelected Speaker of the House of Representatives despite holding the slimmest party majority in decades, which lead even outspoken leftist critics of Pelosi like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to vote for her. Pelosi has held the position for four terms.

á           In a recorded, hour-long phone call leaked to the Washington Post on Sunday, Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that he wanted to Òfind 11,780 votesÓ in his favor to overturn BidenÕs win in the state.

á           In a reversal of a decision made Thursday, the Pentagon said that it had ordered the aircraft carrier Nimitz to remain in the Middle East because of Iranian threats against President Trump and other American officials.