Wall Street Editorial Board==Trump Resign

• OPINION
• REVIEW & OUTLOOK

Donald Trump’s Final Days

The best outcome would be for him to resign to spare the U.S. another impeachment fight.

By

The Editorial Board

Updated Jan. 7, 2021 7:15 pm ET

An image of President Donald Trump appears on video screens before his speech to supporters from the Ellipse at the White House on Jan. 6.

PHOTO: BILL CLARK/ZUMA PRESS

The lodestar of these columns is the U.S. Constitution. The document is the durable foundation protecting liberty, and this week it showed its virtue again. Despite being displaced for a time by a mob, Congress returned the same day to ratify the Electoral College vote and Joe Biden’s election. Congratulations to the President-elect, who will be inaugurated as the Constitution stipulates at noon on Jan. 20.

***

That still leaves Wednesday’s disgrace and what to do about the 13 days left in Donald Trump’s presidential term. Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are demanding that Mr. Trump be removed from office immediately—either by the Cabinet under the 25th Amendment or new articles of impeachment. There’s partisan animus at work here, but Mr. Trump’s actions on Wednesday do raise constitutional questions that aren’t casually dismissed.

In concise summary, on Wednesday the leader of the executive branch incited a crowd to march on the legislative branch. The express goal was to demand that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence reject electors from enough states to deny Mr. Biden an Electoral College victory. When some in the crowd turned violent and occupied the Capitol, the President caviled and declined for far too long to call them off. When he did speak, he hedged his plea with election complaint.

This was an assault on the constitutional process of transferring power after an election. It was also an assault on the legislature from an executive sworn to uphold the laws of the United States. This goes beyond merely refusing to concede defeat. In our view it crosses a constitutional line that Mr. Trump hasn’t previously crossed. It is impeachable.

Mr. Trump’s many opponents are crowing in satisfaction that their predictions have been proven right, that he was never fit to be President and should have been impeached long ago. But Mr. Trump’s character flaws were apparent for all to see when he ran for President.

Sixty-three million Americans voted to elect Mr. Trump in 2016, and that constitutional process shouldn’t be easily overruled as Democrats and the press have demanded from nearly his first day in office. You don’t impeach for anticipatory offenses or for those that don’t rise to the level of constitutional violations. This week’s actions are a far greater dereliction of duty than his ham-handed Ukrainian interventions in 2019.

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The related but separate question is whether impeachment or forced removal under the 25th Amendment now is in the country’s best interests. The latter seems unwise unless Mr. Trump threatens some other reckless or unconstitutional act. After Wednesday he has promised to assist an “orderly transition” of power. A Cabinet cabal ousting him would smack of a Beltway coup and give Mr. Trump more cause to play the political victim.

Impeachment has the virtue of being transparent and politically accountable. If there were enough votes to convict in the Senate, it would also seem less partisan. The best case for impeachment is not to punish Mr. Trump. It is to send a message to future Presidents that Congress will protect itself from populists of all ideological stripes willing to stir up a mob and threaten the Capitol or its Members.

But impeachment so late in the term won’t be easy or without rancor. It would further enrage Mr. Trump’s supporters in a way that won’t help Mr. Biden govern, much less heal partisan divisions. It would pour political fuel on Wednesday’s dying embers.

All the more so because Democrats aren’t likely to behave responsibly or with restraint. They are already stumping for impeachment articles that include a litany of anti-Trump grievances over four years. Mrs. Pelosi’s ultimatum Thursday that Mr. Pence trigger the 25th Amendment or she’ll impeach also won’t attract GOP votes.

Democrats would have more impeachment credibility now if they hadn’t abused the process in 2019. A parade of impeachers that includes Russian-collusion promoters Reps. Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler would repel more Americans than it would persuade. The mission would look like political revenge, not constitutional enforcement—and Mr. Trump would play it as such until his last breath. Mr. Biden could gain much goodwill if he called off the impeachers in the name of stepping back from annihilationist politics.

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If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign. This would be the cleanest solution since it would immediately turn presidential duties over to Mr. Pence. And it would give Mr. Trump agency, a la Richard Nixon, over his own fate.

This might also stem the flood of White House and Cabinet resignations that are understandable as acts of conscience but could leave the government dangerously unmanned. Robert O’Brien, the national security adviser, in particular should stay at his post.

We know an act of grace by Mr. Trump isn’t likely. In any case this week has probably finished him as a serious political figure. He has cost Republicans the House, the White House, and now the Senate. Worse, he has betrayed his loyal supporters by lying to them about the election and the ability of Congress and Mr. Pence to overturn it. He has refused to accept the basic bargain of democracy, which is to accept the result, win or lose.

It is best for everyone, himself included, if he goes away quietly.

Above is from:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trumps-final-days-11610062773?mod=opinion_lead_pos1

January 7: 8757 New COVID 19 Cases in Illinois

Opinion on Capitol Violence

No one has a right to be surprised about the Capitol violence

Those who fed flames of this lunacy deserve public shaming

Jan 7, 2021

by Michael Sean Winters

Opinion

Politics

20210106T1700-CAPITOL-BREACH-1012266.JPG

Law enforcement officers push back against supporters of President Donald Trump attempting to enter the U.S. Capitol in Washington Jan. 6, 2020, during a protest against the certification of the 2020 presidential election. (CNS/Jim Urquhart, Reuters)

The fact that a mob of Trump supporters, deluded into thinking they could affect a coup d'etat, stormed the U.S. Capitol and arrested the counting of Electoral College votes occasions a variety of emotions but no one — repeat, no one — has a right to be surprised. The president has been inciting violence in one way or another for weeks.

Today is two months to the day since the election was called for Joe Biden. For every day since, the president has repeated a series of nonsensical allegations about the election being stolen, about nonexistent voter fraud and about corrupt election officials. His bootlicking sycophants in the Amen corner of the Republican Party, Fox News and EWTN, have repeated the allegations day in and day out. The members of MAGAland were listening.

All of this came to a head at a rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House, held just before the Congress began the usually pro forma task of counting the Electoral College votes, where the president repeated the false claim that the election was stolen. Trump claimed he had won "in a landslide." He put the vice president on notice, that he expected him to do the president's bidding. "I hope Mike is going to do the right thing, I hope so. I hope so. Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election," Mr. Trump falsely said. "He has the absolute right to do it. We're supposed to protect our country, support our country, support our Constitution, and protect our Constitution."

The president repeated a litany of specific allegations about ballots being destroyed and dead people voting and the voting machines being rigged. "We will never concede," the sorest sore loser on the planet proclaimed to his adoring fans, some of whom were waving Confederate battle flags. Who would think such people would have a hard time admitting defeat?

If half of what the president alleged was true, those who stormed the Capitol were right to do so. If there really was such widespread election fraud, they were justified in attempting to stop the certification of a stolen election. In a democracy, nothing, nothing is more treasonous than undermining an election.

Inside the Capitol, the members of Congress assembled in the House chamber to begin counting the Electoral College votes. U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, who represents Arizona's 4th Congressional District, rose to challenge his own state's certification. That is to say, without even blushing, Gosar asked that his state's voters be disenfranchised. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas affirmed that he had signed Gosar's complaint, requiring the Senate to return to its chamber, and both houses began debating whether or not to accept the certified result from Arizona.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, still the Senate majority leader, was the first to speak. He distanced himself from the president's allegations and the antics of his fellow Republicans. "We cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids," McConnell said. "The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken. They've all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our republic forever. This election actually was not unusually close."

It was a fine speech. It was also too little, too late. The man who refused to permit a hearing on Judge Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court did not object when crackpot Sen. Ron Johnson held a hearing last month on election fraud. That event trafficked in allegations that had already been dismissed by the courts for lack of evidence, but it certainly served as kindling for what transpired yesterday. As if more fuel was needed, Sen. Cruz repeated the president's false charges, dressed up in constitutional finery and political BS. Shortly after he spoke, the chamber had to be cleared because the mob had broken through the police perimeter and was storming the building.

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Supporters of President Donald Trump climb on walls at the U.S. Capitol in Washington Jan. 6, 2021, during a protest against Congress certifying the 2020 presidential election. (CNS/Stephanie Keith, Reuters)

Of course, EWTN star Raymond Arroyo, who has repeated the canards about election fraud for months, captured the historic significance of the day. "This all has a Les Miserables air about it," Arroyo tweeted, before retweeting a photo of the insurrectionists posing for photos at the dais of the Senate chamber and asking "Who are these people?" Later he tweeted that the violence was disgraceful before retweeting a video from the president that, according to Twitter, "can't be replied to, retweeted, or liked due to a risk of violence."

Bishop Steven Raica of Birmingham, Alabama, needs to have a "come to Jesus" talk with EWTN CEO Michael Warsaw, the gist of which is: Fire Arroyo or I will place your organization under interdict.

Laura Ingraham was on Fox News midafternoon explaining that she had heard from some MAGA protesters who had come all the way from Portland, Oregon, to "support the president." She reported that they were "very upset they were being lumped in" with those who stormed the Capitol. In the first place, this protest was not about any effort to "support the president." This was about overturning the results of the election. And, why would they be upset to be lumped in with the other people who came to join this effort, those who happened to be in a position to climb over the barricades?

Yesterday, while MAGA protesters were putting the "banana" back into "banana republic," the good people of Georgia were demonstrating that democracy is still a resilient thing, that the way to bring about change is to go out to the polls. Sen.-elect Raphael Warnock was declared the winner in his race in the early hours of the morning, and Sen.-elect Jon Ossoff was declared the victor in his contest in the afternoon. With the double wins, the Democrats take control of the upper chamber by the narrowest of margins. McConnell can no longer exercise a veto over any and all legislation.

I hope the Democrats convoke hearings into the mob violence yesterday. It appeared that most protesters were allowed to disperse but some were arrested. It is 2021, so everyone has a cellphone and cellphones yield important information: With whom were they planning their activities? Did they consider violence? Who inspired them? It is up to the courts to bring criminal charges if such charges are warranted, but the entire nation deserves to learn a great deal about these coup plotters.

The moral reckoning for the Trump presidency will be long and arduous. Many will be indicted before history, including too many U.S. bishops, for turning a blind eye to the countless depredation of democratic norms perpetrated by Donald J. Trump in the past four years. And we still have two weeks to go before Trump is evicted from the White House.

Yesterday was remarkable. Many commentators noted that it was the first time the Capitol had been overrun since the British Army did so in 1814. It was also a predictable exclamation point on this narcissistic, amoral presidency. It should disgust everyone but it should not — it must not — allow quislings like McConnell and Cruz and Ingraham and Arroyo to escape the public shaming that they have so richly earned. You do not need to break down a door in the U.S. Capitol to insult democracy. Those who fed the flames of this lunacy deserve nothing but opprobrium.

Michael Sean Winters

Michael Sean Winters covers the nexus of religion and politics for NCR.

Corporate America wants Trump Removed?

Corporate group urges officials consider Trump's removal 'to preserve democracy'

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Corporate group urges officials consider Trump's removal 'to preserve democracy'

FILE PHOTO: Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, speaks at 2017 SelectUSA Investment Summit in Oxon Hill, Maryland

David Shepardson and Diane Bartz

Wed, January 6, 2021, 3:52 PM CST

By David Shepardson and Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a major U.S. business group that represents 14,000 companies including Exxon Mobil Corp, Pfizer Inc and Toyota Motor Corp urged senior U.S. officials to consider removing President Donald Trump from office after supporters of the outgoing president stormed the U.S. Capitol.

National Association of Manufacturers Chief Executive Jay Timmons said Trump "incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy. ... Vice President (Mike) Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy."

Trump has 14 days remaining in office before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20.

The mayhem at the Capitol forced Congress to temporarily postpone a session to certify Biden's victory.

The chaotic scenes unfolded after Trump, who before the election refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, addressed thousands of supporters near the White House, repeating unfounded claims that the election was stolen from him due to widespread fraud and irregularities.

Other business groups issued strong statements but did not go as far as the manufacturers' group. Under the amendment’s Section 4, never invoked, the vice president and a majority of either Cabinet officials or "such other body as Congress may by law provide" may declare in writing that the president “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

Several Democratic lawmakers in Congress also urged Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.

The Business Roundtable, an association of chief executives of some of America's biggest companies, said that "the chaos unfolding in the nation’s capital is the result of unlawful efforts to overturn the legitimate results of a democratic election."

They called on Trump "and all relevant officials to put an end to the chaos and to facilitate the peaceful transition of power," the group said in a statement.

'TIME TO COME TOGETHER'

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook said "those responsible for this insurrection should be held to account, and we must complete the transition to President-elect Biden’s administration."

JPMorgan Chase Chairman and Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said: "Our elected leaders have a responsibility to call for an end to the violence, accept the results, and, as our democracy has for hundreds of years, support the peaceful transition of power. Now is the time to come together to strengthen our exceptional union."

Blackstone Group Chief Executive Steve Schwarzman, a Trump ally, said in a statement: "The insurrection that followed the President’s remarks today is appalling and an affront to the democratic values we hold dear as Americans. I am shocked and horrified by this mob’s attempt to undermine our constitution."

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in an internal message reported earlier by Axios and confirmed by a company official that "we need our political leaders to lead by example and put the nation first.... We removed the recent video of President Trump's remarks expressing support for the people causing the violence. We are treating this situation as an emergency."

General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra said on Twitter that "the violence at the U.S. Capitol does not reflect who we are as a nation. It’s imperative that we come together as a country and reinforce the values and ideals that unite us."

The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful business lobby based near the White House, said that "attacks against our nation’s Capitol Building and our democracy must end now."

"The Congress of the United States must gather again this evening to conclude their Constitutional responsibility to accept the report of the Electoral College," Thomas Donohue, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

Lawmakers reconvened shortly after 8 p.m. (0100 GMT on Thursday) to resume the election certification.

"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today - you did not win," Pence said as the session resumed. "Let's get back to work," he said,

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Diane Bartz; Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Howard Goller and Peter Cooney)

Above is from: 

Illinois Vaccine Distribution

Pritzker Releases Guidelines for Phase 1B of Coronavirus Vaccinations in Illinois

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Building on guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Governor JB Pritzker announced guidelines for the next stage of COVID-19 vaccine distribution across Illinois – Phase 1B.
“ACIP’s guidance serves as the foundational blueprint for Illinois’ Phase 1B plan, with one key adjustment: here in Illinois we are more strongly pursuing equity in the distribution of our vaccinations,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “For people of color, multi-generational institutional racism in the provision of healthcare has reduced access to care, caused higher rates of environmental and social risk, and increased co-morbidities. I believe our exit plan for this pandemic must, on balance, overcome structural inequalities that has allowed COVID-19 to rage through our most vulnerable communities.”

“With limited amounts of vaccine available at this time, it is important to prioritize individuals who are at greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19 and those at greatest risk of severe illness or death,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Generally, Latinx and Black populations have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 with data showing related deaths at younger ages.  We are hopeful that by lowering the eligibility age to 65 years we can help reduce this disparity.”
Phase 1B will begin when Phase 1A is substantially complete. It will include all Illinois residents age 65 years and older and “frontline essential workers,” as outlined by ACIP. In order to reduce COVID-19 mortality and limit community spread in Black and Brown communities, Illinois reduced the age eligibility in Phase 1B by 10 years from ACIP’s recommendation. Currently, the average age of COVID-19 death is 81 for White residents, 72 for Black residents and 68 for Latino residents.
The frontline essential workers designation includes many residents who carry a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure because of their work duties, often because they are unable to work from home, and/or they must work closely to others without being able to socially distance. Communities of color are disproportionately represented in many of these industries. The category defined by the federal government as frontline essential workers, which the CDC estimates as about 30 million Americans, includes first responders; education workers, including teachers, support staff and childcare workers; manufacturing, distribution and agriculture workers, including grocery store workers; United States Postal Service workers; public transit employees; corrections workers and incarcerated people, and others.
All in all, Phase 1B totals approximately 3.2 million people throughout the state of Illinois.

Above is from:  https://www.mahometdaily.com/pritzker-releases-guidelines-for-phase-1b-of-coronavirus-vaccinations-in-illinois/