memeorandum: With Trump a no-show, Mar-a-Lago guests left to party maskless with Rudy Giuliani and Vanilla Ice (Kevin Liptak/CNN)

6:50 PM ET, January 1, 2021

Top Items:

Catie Edmondson / New York Times:

Senate Overrides Trump's Veto of Defense Bill, Dealing a Legislative Blow — Republicans joined Democrats to deliver President Trump the first veto override of his presidency in the last days of his term in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. — WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday voted overwhelmingly …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Washington Times

Washington Post:

Congress overrides a Trump veto for the first time with Senate vote on defense bill — The Senate on Friday voted to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over President Trump's objections, delivering the first successful veto override of his presidency in the waning days of his administration.

Discussion: CNN, CBS News, Roll Call, NewsNation Now, The Week, Raw Story, The Election Wizard and Political Wire

Jacob Knutson / Axios:

Congress overrides Trump's veto of defense spending bill — Congress handed President Trump a rare blow on Friday when the Senate joined the House in voting to override his veto of the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). — Why it matters: The bipartisan New Year's …

Discussion: Mediaite, NPR, Business Insider, New York Post, The Texas Tribune, Townhall and TASS

Clark Gascoigne / The FACT Coalition:

Landmark Bill Ending Anonymous U.S. Companies Is Enacted — Historic Anti-Corruption Reform Becomes Law after More than a Decade-Long Campaign … Notes to Editors: — Click here to read the conference committee text of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Congress overrides Trump veto for the first time

Discussion: New York Times, Iowa Capital Dispatch, USA Today, Associated Press, CNN, NBC News, The Guardian, Metro.co.uk, Al Jazeera, HotAir, The Gateway Pundit, Los Angeles Times, BGR, Washington Post, USNI News, Newsy and New York Post

Connor O'Brien / Politico:
Senate hands Trump his first veto override

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reuters, Associated Press, Roll Call, Washington Times, The US Sun, Common Dreams, New York Post, The Last Refuge, Deadline, Big League Politics, Bloomberg, CD Media and The Western Journal

Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
Senate overrides Trump veto of defense bill, forcing it into law over president's objection

Discussion: NPR, RedState, GovExec.com, Forbes, The Daily Caller, NewsNation Now, UPI and The Election Wizard

Burgess Everett / Politico:

‘Exercise in futility’: Republicans lambaste Hawley's push to challenge election — Multiple Senate Republicans unloaded on an effort led by Sen. Josh Hawley to challenge Joe Biden's election victory as the party hurtles toward its most consequential confrontation with Donald Trump of his entire presidency.

Discussion: Associated Press, HotAir and Fox News

Mike Allen / Axios:

McConnell swats back at Trump amid Republican power struggle — It took four years and an election defeat. But someone with real power inside the Republican Party is standing up to — and swatting back — President Trump: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Discussion: Fox News, Cyprus Mail and Conservative News Today

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

With Trump a no-show, Mar-a-Lago guests left to party maskless with Rudy Giuliani and Vanilla Ice — Trump returns to WH ahead of GOP's election challenge — (CNN)Guests who paid four-figures for tickets to President Donald Trump's annual New Year's Eve party were left to party …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Daily Dot, The Wrap, Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog and Political Wire

Zachary B. Wolf / CNN:
It's a new year but the politics of 2020 aren't going away

Discussion: Regular Order, Associated Press, Salt Lake Tribune, The Western Journal, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, TheGrio, The Guardian, Florida Politics, Conservative News Today, USA Today, National Memo, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway and The Sun

Marisa Schultz / Fox News:
GOP-led Senate again blocks $2,000 stimulus check vote

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, Jacobin and The Daily Poster

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Hawley faces heat from Senate Republicans over Electoral College plans

Discussion: Fox News, CBS News, RedState, USA Today, The Mahablog, Conservative News Today, CNN, HotAir, Roll Call, Washington Examiner and Washington Post

Tracy Connor / The Daily Beast:

Federal Judge Scorches Gov. Kristi Noem Over COVID Response — ‘DANGEROUS PLACE’ — A federal judge took a rhetorical blowtorch to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, saying in a ruling this week that the state has done “little, if anything” to stop COVID-19 from ravaging the state.

Discussion: Raw Story

Danielle Ferguson / Argus Leader: Federal judge: South Dakota can't use COVID-19 as an excuse for not having speedy trials

Politico:

Pence may choose 2020 election winner ‘as he sees fit,’ Gohmert says in court filing — Vice President Mike Pence has the unilateral power to decide the outcome of the 2020 election, according to the latest filing in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and other Republicans mounting …

Discussion: TheBlaze, WHNT-TV, The Western Journal, Business Insider and Political Wire

Matt Naham / Law & Crime:
Legal Experts Destroy Louie Gohmert Lawsuit's ‘Breathtaking’ and ‘Preposterous’ Response to DOJ and VP Pence

Discussion: NPR, New York Post, Washington Times and Washington Examiner

Associated Press:
Pence seeks dismissal of suit aiming to overturn election

Discussion: Snopes.com, New York Post, The National Interest, NBC News and Florida Politics

Ben Bradley / WGN-TV:

CTU board member facing criticism for vacationing in Caribbean while pushing remote learning — CHICAGO - A Chicago Teachers Union leader is facing criticism for vacationing in the Caribbean while at the same time claiming it's unsafe for teachers to return to the classroom.

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, Washington Examiner, The College Fix, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, RedState, Twitchy, Instapundit and The Daily Caller

Joe Kinsey / OutKick: Chicago Teachers Union Leader Enjoys Puerto Rico While Railing Against Returning To Classrooms

Mark Niesse / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Early voting ends with record 3M Georgia voters for US Senate runoffs — A record 3 million Georgia voters cast their ballots before early voting ended for the U.S. Senate runoffs, setting up a showdown that will be decided on election day Tuesday. — The high turnout so far reflects …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Week and Snopes.com

Itoro N. Umontuen / The Atlanta Voice:
EXCLUSIVE: Ossoff campaign launches dynamic campaign mobilizer program in final weeks of runoff

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Jon Ossoff for U.S. Senate and CNBC

Senator Mitt Romney:

Romney: Urgent Action Needed on Vaccination Plan — Lack of comprehensive federal plan “inexcusable” — WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), a member of the Senate HELP Committee, released the following statement today regarding the urgent need for a comprehensive vaccination plan …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Post, New York Times and The Daily Caller

TMZ.com:

Nancy Pelosi's House Vandalized with Pig's Head, Fake Blood, Spray Paint — NANCY PELOSI HOME VANDALIZED WITH PIG'S HEAD, FAKE BLOOD ... Anger Over Stimulus??? — EXCLUSIVE DETAILS — Somebody left Speaker Nancy Pelosi a very disturbing message to kick off the new year …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CBS San Francisco, Raw Story and The Sun

Wall Street Journal:
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi to Draw on Their History in Bid to Unite Fractious Democrats

Discussion: Associated Press, WTOP and HuffPost

CNN:

US surpasses 20 million Covid-19 cases as experts warn it'll take months for vaccines to turn the tide — (CNN)The US surpassed 20 million total recorded Covid-19 cases on Friday, hours after the country ushered in 2021 and left behind its deadliest month of the pandemic.

Discussion: Associated Press, UPI, WebMD Health, KDFX-TV, The Week and HotAir

Brian Melley / Associated Press:
Once a model, California now struggles to tame COVID-19

Discussion: KRON4

Todd Richmond / Associated Press:

Employees at suburban Milwaukee clinic unknowingly gave out 57 shots with deliberately ruined vaccine; pharmacist arrested — MADISON, WIS. — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing them from refrigeration for two nights.

Zack Budryk / The Hill:

Pelosi announces proposed rules package for incoming Congress — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) announced their proposed rules for the 117th Congress Friday. — The Democratic rules package includes the revocation of floor privileges …

Discussion: Political Wire

John Drescher / Washington Post:

How a courageous Southern governor broke ranks with segregationists in 1961 — Sixty years ago, as Southern governors criticized civil rights protests and fought integration, one broke ranks and gave a remarkable inauguration address: He called for equal opportunities for all his state's residents.

WRCB-TV:

FIRST ON 3: COVID-19 vaccine administrators give doses to close contacts hours after qualified citizens were turned away — Hamilton County officials say miscalculations led to late-evening vaccinations in the Tennessee Riverpark on New Year's Eve, long after people were turned away and told there were no more vaccines available.

Discussion: KDFX-TV