Day: December 18, 2020

Dominion Warned Memory Cards Might Need to be Prematurely Removed from Voting Machines

Admin

Dominion Voting Systems issued a warning to Georgia officials prior to the 2020 election that memory cards might need to be removed from vote tabulation machines prior to the end of the election to deal with a limitation in its system, according to records obtained by Just the News through an open-records request.

Officials acknowledged Thursday at least 36 memory cards had to be prematurely removed from vote tabulating machines in the Atlanta area that had reached counting limits. The cards were stored in a locked cabinet until polls closed, officials said.

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Wise County Public Schools Brings Satellite Internet to Rural Virginia Students

Eric Burk

Over 800 table-sized satellites constantly falling in orbit at 340 miles above the earth are solving a problem for rural Wise County students, according to data from Wise County, Sky and Telescope and Space.com. The satellites are part of Starlink, a program from private rocket and space hardware company SpaceX that aims to bring high-speed internet to some of the remotest parts of the world. On February 1, 2021, 45 families will have access to the network, thanks to a program developed by the Wise County Public Schools.

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Commentary: Trumpism Without Trump Is Not Kinder and Gentler, but Harder and Fiercer

Virginia Star Staff

The Democrats stole the election. President Trump is right to fight this. The U.S. Supreme Court was wrong to stand aside and let it happen. (Texas had standing to sue over it, for whereas Texans must grin and bear it when we are outvoted fair and square by other states, if our votes are nullified by cheating in other states, then we have been injured and we have a right to seek redress.) Even without the cheating, the impact of massive private subsidies aimed solely at boosting turnout in Democrat strongholds, pre-election bias in the press, and censorship by Big Tech may itself have been enough to tip the results in Joe Biden’s favor.

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Hunter Biden Was Due to Receive ‘Significant’ Payments from Chinese Private Equity Firm Starting in 2019, Emails Show

Virginia Star Staff

Hunter Biden was repeatedly told by his business partner that he would begin receiving significant payments from a Chinese private equity firm starting in 2019, emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show.

The business partner, Eric Schwerin, also told Hunter Biden in a December 2018 email that the Chinese private equity firm, BHR Partners, would generate income for him “over the next couple of years.”

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Pfizer Vaccine Vials Contain More Doses Than Expected, FDA Says

Virginia Star Staff

Some vials containing Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine contain more doses than expected, potentially expanding the country’s supply by up to 40%, public health officials said late Wednesday.

The FDA advised that the extra doses were acceptable to use and that it was collaborating with Pfizer over the issue.

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Peter Strzok’s Declassified Messages Give Insider View of FBI’s Trump Campaign Probe

Virginia Star Staff

The Justice Department declassified a batch of internal FBI messages from Peter Strzok, the former counterintelligence official who oversaw the bureau’s investigation of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.

The messages, which Senate Republicans released Thursday, provide new insights into the thinking of investigators who worked on Crossfire Hurricane, the code name for the investigation into the Trump campaign.

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A Vaccine Maker Under Federal Investigation Has Hired Lobbyist with Family Ties to Top Biden Adviser

Virginia Star Staff

A vaccine maker under investigation for misrepresenting its involvement in Operation Warp Speed has hired lobbyist Jeff Ricchetti, whose brother will be the top White House counselor to Joe Biden.

Ricchetti’s firm, which he founded with his brother Steve, the incoming Biden adviser, registered as a lobbyist on Nov. 1 for Vaxart, a California-based biotechnology company that specializes in developing oral vaccinations.

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New Jobless Claims Increase to 885,000, Economists Expected 808,000

Virginia Star Staff

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 885,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) figure released Thursday represented an increase of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Dec. 5, in which there were 853,000 new jobless claims reported. Roughly 20.6 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits, according to the BLS report Thursday.

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Eastern States Inching Toward New Regional Climate Pact That Could Cut Carbon Emissions, Raise Gas Prices

The Center Square

A group of Northeast and mid-Atlantic states are inching toward a regional climate pact that’s aimed at reducing emissions and easing traffic congestion, but could ultimately increase prices at the gas pumps.

Modeled on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which has reduced emissions from power plants, the Transportation and Climate Initiative would create a cap-and-invest program to drive down emissions from cars and trucks, which contribute to about 40% of regional greenhouse gas emissions scientists say contribute to a warmer planet.

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Sen. Warner: New Relief Bill Will Likely Include $600 Stimulus Checks, Less Unemployment Coverage

Eric Burk

Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) is confident that the Senate will soon pass the two-part COVID-19 relief package he helped develop. In a Thursday telephone press conference, Warner described key provisions of the plan and addressed controversy over a stimulus check added to the package while also limiting provisions to extend federal unemployment benefits past Christmas.

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Some Districts Opt for Virtual Learning Instead of Snow Days

Eric Burk

Northern Virginia received a range of less than an inch up to eight inches of snow, according to WUSA9.

As a result, Loudoun County and Prince William County declared snow days. But Arlington Public Schools and Fairfax County said classes would still be held online. That means that for some students, snow days are another casualty of COVID-19 precautions.

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Virginia Republicans Blast Northam’s Budget Proposal to Expand Court of Appeals

Jacob Taylor

After Governor Ralph Northam made a number of proposals to the state’s biennial budget on Wednesday, several Republican legislators rebuked the Democrat’s recommendation to expand the Virginia Court of Appeals and claimed he was trying to pack the court.

Northam presented his budget proposals during a virtual meeting with the House of Delegates and Senate appropriation committees.

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Virginia Undocumented Immigrants Allowed to Legally Drive in 2021 Under New Law

Jacob Taylor

Beginning January 2nd, 2021, undocumented immigrants living in Virginia will be able to apply for official driving credentials, called a driver privilege card, with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), allowing non-citizens to lawfully drive within the Commonwealth for the first time.

The change in the state code stems from legislation the Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed earlier this year during the 2020 regular session and signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam.

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