Valerie Richardson

Adm. Brett Giroir pushes back on outdoor-dining bans as California’s kicks in

White House testing czar Adm. Brett Giroir pushed back Monday against bans on outdoor dining, saying that the "evidence just isn't there" to support such novel coronavirus prohibitions from a public health standpoint.

December 7, 2020

Raphael Warnock dodges Supreme Court packing question

During the Georgia Senate debate, Raphael Warnock deflected a question about court-packing, pivoting instead to criminal-justice reform, and then dismissing the issue as unimportant to voters after being questioned by debate panelist Greg Bluestein, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter.

December 6, 2020

Gavin Newsom California shutdown order faces resistance

After enduring some of the most restrictive novel coronavirus lockdowns in the nation, some Californians are putting up a fight.

December 6, 2020

White House officials defend plan for rolling out coronavirus vaccine

White House officials said Sunday they are ready to roll out the novel coronavirus vaccine the same day it receives final approval, while Dr. Deborah Birx warned that the inoculations are "not going to save us from this current surge."

December 6, 2020

Mark Warner: ‘Stupidity on steroids’ not to pass emergency coronavirus relief before Christmas

Lawmakers backing a proposed $908 billion emergency-relief package fanned out on the Sunday talk shows to whip up support, with Sen. Mark Warner saying that it would be "stupidity on steroids" to delay the issue until after the holidays.

December 6, 2020

John Ratcliffe seeks Durham interim report on Trump-Russia probe origins

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Sunday that he wants to see an interim report on the Russia probe's origins from special counsel John Durham, given the likelihood that Democrats will push to shut it down under a Biden administration.

December 6, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx: Vaccine ‘not going to save us from this current surge’

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx warned Sunday that the first COVID-19 vaccines expected to be rolled out this month are "not going to save us from this current surge."

December 6, 2020

Georgia official: Election challenges ‘handing off a playbook to Democrats’ for Senate runoff

Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said Sunday that he worries that President Trump's election challenges are "handing off a playbook to the Democrats" for the Jan. 5 runoff elections for the U.S. Senate.

December 6, 2020

HHS chief refutes Biden’s criticism of administration’s vaccine rollout as ‘just nonsense’

White House officials on Sunday refuted former Vice President Joseph R. Biden's contention that there was "no detailed plan" for administering coronavirus vaccines.

December 6, 2020

Eatery owner leads rally at home of L.A. official who voted to close outdoor dining

Frustration over California restaurant closures boiled over Saturday as protesters gathered outside the home of a Los Angeles County supervisor who dined outdoors after voting to ban such activity.

December 6, 2020

Poll: Most Ga. voters want special session for ballot signature verification

Most Georgia voters want Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session to require signature verification on absentee ballots, according to a new poll.

December 6, 2020

Black Lives Matter movement accused of morphing into financial ‘racket’ at expense of local chapters

Black Lives Matter is facing a rebellion within its own ranks as regional affiliates seek greater control over the movement and demand answers about where millions of dollars in donations have gone.

December 6, 2020

Washington gym owner fights Gov. Jay Inslee’s coronavirus shutdown order

A fitness-center owner has refused to comply with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's latest novel coronavirus shutdown order despite being threatened with criminal penalties, saying he would rather go to jail than close his doors.

December 4, 2020

Democrats take heat for ignoring own coronavirus rules

When Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, Texas, urged his constituents last month to stay home -- even as he and his family vacationed in Cabo San Lucas -- he showed all the symptoms of an ailment sweeping the Democratic Party: shutdown chutzpah.

December 3, 2020

Trump administration slates Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leasing sale for early January

The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will move forward with oil-and-gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, scheduling a leasing sale to be conducted two weeks before the presidential inauguration.

December 3, 2020

Project Veritas: CNN veep says pro-Trump Cuban-Americans ‘very attracted to bullies’

A CNN senior vice president chalked up President Trump's support in Miami to some Cuban-Americans being "very attracted to bullies," which she called "terrifying," according to audio recordings released late Wednesday by Project Veritas.

December 3, 2020

Black Lives Matter hit with grassroots revolt in power struggle over control, money

Black Lives Matter is facing a rebellion within its own ranks as regional affiliates seek greater control over the movement and demand answers about where millions of dollars in donations have gone.

December 2, 2020

CNN calls law enforcement over Project Veritas sting exposing ‘partisan political agenda’

CNN alerted law enforcement after Project Veritas revealed that it had listened in on the network's morning news call for two months, releasing clips of top executives taking aim at President Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Fox News.

December 2, 2020

Warnock ripped in NRA ad for mocking concealed-carry in church

The National Rifle Association failed to see the humor in the Rev. Raphael Warnock's joking about concealed-carry holders in church.

December 1, 2020

Liberal celebrities turn Georgia into Hollywood East in bid to flip Senate

Those whipping up support for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock include Mark Hamill, John Legend, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kerry Washington, while Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato are promoting voter registration efforts through the pro-Democrat Vote Save America's Georgia Project.

November 30, 2020