Electors Vote Today, Political Hacks

538: The members of the Electoral College meet in their state capitals today to cast their votes for president. Although many have been under pressure to abandon Donald Trump, the electors are expected to vote in accordance with the vote of their state in the general election, which gave the win to Trump with 306 electoral votes.

It would take 37 electors to change their vote to deny Trump the presidency. Elector Chris Suprun of Texas has said he will not cast his vote for Trump. Writing in TheHill.com he says, “Never in American history has a president-elect presented more conflict of interest questions and foreign entanglements than Donald Trump. Surely, electors have a constitutional duty if, after the popular vote but before the electoral vote, there emerges credible evidence that they are electing someone who is constitutionally ineligible to serve as President.”

The 538 electoral votes are scheduled to be officially counted Jan. 6 in the House of Representatives with Vice President Joe Biden presiding over a joint session.

Despite his claim to have won by one of the biggest margins ever at 56.9 percent, Trump’s electoral college margin ranks 46th out of 58 elections. George Washington won 100 percent in 1789 and 1792. Ronald Reagan, the 5th biggest winner, took 97.6 percent of the Electoral College vote. Barack Obama, ranked #32 and 37, won 67.8 percent in 2008.

The Russia Hack: Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York have called for a Senate investigation into Russian computer hacking to influence the election.

But Donald Trump and his operatives continue to question whether it happened push the fiction that the Democrats blame their loss on the Russians. “This whole thing is a spin job,” said Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Reince Priebus. “And I think what the Democrats ought to do is look in the mirror and face the reality that they lost the election.”

The CIA, the FBI, and President Obama all say the Russians tried to throw the election to Trump, but no one has said they succeeded.

Asked about Obama’s vow to retaliate against the Russians, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said, “It seems like the president is under pressure from Team Hillary, who can’t accept the election results.”

Trump tweeted yesterday, “If my many supporters acted and threatened people like those who lost the election are doing, they would be scorned & called terrible names!”

Permawar: Thousands of people left the war-devastated areas of eastern Aleppo in Syria today in an on-again, off-again evacuation. The operation was stalled over the weekend when rebels burned buses that were to carry people out of the city. Thousands of people have been living in the streets in freezing weather, waiting to leave.

In Mosul, Iraq, about a million people are trapped with dwindling supplies of food and water as the fight continues to take the city back from Islamic State fighters. ISIS has been preventing residents from leaving.

It’s Chilly: The temperature was 12 degrees in Denver last night as New England beat the Broncos. This morning it has warmed up to 18. It’s 2 degrees in North Platte, Neb.; Minneapolis, 8; Chicago, -10; Detroit, 7; Buffalo, 13; Staatsburg, NY, 15; and 22 in Boston.

The Obit Page: Hungarian-born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, who called everyone “Dahlink” and was better known for her nine marriages than acting, has died at age 99.

The busty blonde was named Miss Hungary in 1936 and later emigrated to the United States, where she got into the movies. With her chiseled cheekbones Gabor was always striking, and rarely memorable. She also had a long history of bit parts in television and ultimately became famous for being famous.

She was one of three Gabor sisters. Eva was also a campy actress who played in  the sitcom “Green Acres,” and Magda was more private.

Gabor’s husbands included the hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, who was twice her age, and the actor George Sanders. Gabor knew that her marital life was a punchline she sometimes delivered herself. She once said, “I am a marvelous housekeeper: Every time I leave a man I keep his house.”

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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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