Republican electors in wayne county who initially opposed certifying to towards vote. You said the only ones that are at fault the city of detroit where 80 of the people who reside there are africanamericans. Shame on you. Shame on you. You are a disgrace as it relates to the ability to have a free and impartial election in the statio amy hen weook at how pfizer cid19 exits privateeavily on funding. We will speak to rob weissman of Public Citizen. Lcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman. The u. S. Soared past 12 million confirmed covid19 cases this weekend as the number of new cases quickly approaches 200,000 a day. Over a quarter of a Million People in the u. S. Have died from the coronavirus. Despite warnings from Public Health experts, including that centers for Disease Control and prevention, who are urging people to skip travel and indoor gatherings, a surge in Holiday Travel has already started ahead of thanksgiving. The department of health and Human Services warned over 1000 hospitals across the country are critically short of staff and the number is expected to rise. North dakota is the worst hit with over 50 of hospitals facing shortages. In washington state, the housing rights group tacoma housing now has turned a former middle School Building into emergency pandemic accommodations for unhoused people and is demanding the formation of a Community Land trust in response to the housing crisis. Leaders from the g20 nations pledged sunday to distribute coronavirus vaccines fairly around world. This comes as u. N. Secretary general Antonio Guterres said he was issuing an sos for less wealthy countries and is pushing for a rescue package worth at least 10 of the global economy. Developing world is on the precipice of financial ruin and escalating poverty, hunger, and untold suffering. We see tremendous vulnerabilities emerging, especially among commodity and tourist economies. Amy President Trump addressed the Virtual Summit by boasting of the u. S. Withdrawal from the paris climate agreement and skipped sessions on the pandemic to play golf. Joe biden has vowed to rejoin the International Climate deal as one of his first acts in office. In other International Pandemic news, india, the second most infected country after the u. S. Has topped 9 million cases of covid19. The third most infected country, brazil, topped 6 million cases. In gaza, medical experts warn the Health System is on the verge of being overwhelmed and are calling for a lockdown. President elect joe biden will reportedly name longtime adviser tony blinken as secretary of state. He previously served as deputy secretary of state for president obama. Earlier this year, blinken spoke with the Hudson Institute about Foreign Policy challenges and how he views americas role in the world. Simply put, the big problems and asace as country a planet, whether it is climate change, whher it is the pandemic, whether it is the threatf that weapons, to state the obvious, none of these have unilateral solutions. Amy after he left obamas white house, tony blinken cofounded westexec advisors, a Consulting Firm which helped Silicon ValleyCompanies Pitch for pentagon contracts. In an intercept profile from 2018, william hartung, an arms control expert at the center for International Policy said the revolving door is a longstanding feature of the militaryindustrial complex, and it can lead to distorted policy decisions based on the financial interests of former government employees. Blinken was also a top senate aide to biden in 2002 and 2003, when biden was pushing for the invasion of iraq war. Another close adviser, jake sullivan, will reportedly be tapped as National Security adviser. Both sullivan and blinken served as bidens National Security adviser when he was Vice President. And the media is reporting linda thomas greenfield will be named the new u. S. Ambassador to the united nations. Thomasgreenfield was an ambassador to liberia and assistant secretary of state for African Affairs under obama. She was fired days into the trump administration. Biden will formally announce his first cabinet picks on tuesday. In related news, over 50 House Democrats are backing new mexico Congressmember Deb Haaland to be the next interior secretary, which would make haaland the first ever native american cabinet secretary. Meanwhile, in congress, nearly 50 groups, including justice democrats and Sunrise Movement , have endorsed texas Congressmember Joaquin Castro to be the next chair of the House Foreign Affairs committee, who they say will focus on rooting out u. S. Militarism at home and abroad. A key reblican mber of the michigan canvassing board is expected to vote against certifying joe bidens victory, potentially causing a constitutional crisis in the state if he is joined in a no vote by the other republican member of the board. After meeting with trump on friday, michigan Lawmakers Said they did not learn any new information that would change the outcome in michigan. But trump and Republican Leaders have been putting pressure on the states canvassing board to delay certification. This comes as trump continues in his flailing legal efforts to overturn the election results. In pennsylvania, a federal judge dismissed trumps lawsuit to block certification there, calling the claim like frankensteins monster, haphazardly stitched together. In georgia, the Trump Campaign requested another recount saturday after the state already completed its hand recount and certified the win for joe biden friday. In wisconsin, where a recount is underway in two heavily democratic counties after a request from trump, Election Officials say trump observers have been obstructing the process, in some cases by objecting to every ballot being counted. Meanwhile, top House Democrats are demanding the trumpappointed head of the General Services administration, emily murphy, brief lawmakers on why she has yet to certify bidens win, which would allow him to finally access transition millions of dollars in transition funding and key briefings. Ethiopias Prime Minister and military have warned leaders of a separatist movement in the northe tigray reon to surrder within 72 hours, telling civilians in tigrays capital to free themselves or face no mercy. Human rights watch said the threat constitutes a war crime under international law. Its been nearly three weeks since ethiopias nobel peace prizewinning pre minister abiy ahmed launched attacks on the tigray Peoples Liberation front, killing huneds and forcing some 40,00refugees t flee into sun. Israelmedia reporting Benjamin Netanyahu secretly flew to saudi arabia sunday evening for a meeting with crown Prince Mohammed bin salman. It would be the first known facetoface meeting between top officials of the top officials. Netanyahus reported trip coincided with talks between prince bah humbug bin salmon and u. S. Secretary of state pompeo. This follows recent u. S. Broker deals to normalize relations between israel and the United Arab Emirates in bahrain over the protest of palestinians who say normalization should only follow the establishment of a palestinian state. In brazil, the killing of a black man by security guards has set off nationwide protests declaring that black lives matter. Joao Alberto Silveira freitas of porto alegre died from his injuries after the pair of guards one of them an offduty military Police Officer were filmed pummeling him and kneeling on his back in the parking lot of a supermarket on the eve of brazils black consciousness day. Video of the killing was widely shared on social media with Many Brazilians comparing freitas death to the Police Killing of george floyd in minneapolis. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Guatemala City this weekend to demand the resignation of president Alejandro Giammattei and several lawmakers, amid growing anger over proposed budget cuts to education, health, and antihunger and malnutrition programs, while bolstering the personal stipends of members of congress. This comes as hundreds of thousands were displaced by backtoback hurricanes eta and iota, and as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic and a worsening economic crisis. Hundreds of protesters broke into the congressional building and some partially it on fire saturday, while others were teargassed by police as they peacefully protested in front of the national palace. Dozens of police were also beaten by police and arrested, includinjournalists. In afghanistan, u. N. Data shows over 26,000 children were killed or injured from 2005 to 2019. The figures were published in a new rert by save the children, which warns afghanistan is among the most dangerous countries in the world for children as a result of the ongoing war between the u. S. Backed Afghan Government and the taliban. This comes as at least eight people were killed following a rocket attack in kabul saturday. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. The u. S. Has formally withdrawn from the open skies treaty, a Major International arms control deal signed by the george h. W. Bush administration in 1992. Trump announced he was withdrawing in may. The deal allows the United States, russia, and 33 other countries to fly unarmed observation aircraft over the others territory to help reduce the risk of war. In france, protests are ramping up against a controversial new bill that would ban the publication of images of onduty Police Officers and expand the power of law enforcement, including through the use of surveillance drones. Press freedom and human Rights Groups, including the u. N. Human rights council, have condemned the bill, which passed its first hurdle in the Parliament Friday and will undergo another vote by lawmakers tuesday. This is journalist and cofounder of the news outlet Mediapart Edwy Plenel speaking from a paris protest saturday. What this government is trying to do is for us to stop carrying out this vigilance for citizens, whistleblowers, journalists and possession are not of a press card. To be more hindered in revealing that feelings of the state. If that happens, it is the end of democracy. Amy back in the United States in kenosha, wisconsin, Kyle Rittenhouse the 17yearold militia member who is charged with homicide for fatally shooting two protesters in august was released from custody friday after posting 2 million in bail, which he raised online. The killings occurred during black lives matter protests following the Police Shooting of jacob blake. New york congressmember alexandria ocasiocortez tweeted does anyone believe rittenhouse would be released if he were muslim and did the same thing in a different context . For people who say systemic racism doesnt exist, this is what it looks like protection of White Supremacy baked deep into our carceral systems. Law and disorder. In immigration news, buzzfeed reports over 150 immigrants were arrested by immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks as part of an operation targeting people who had been granted voluntary removal but remained in the country. Vontary removal lows peoe to leave the u. S. On their own rather than facing deportation. And in reproductive rights news, a federal Appeals Court ruled tennessee can deny abortions based on a prenatal downs ndrome diagnosis or the race or sex of a fetus. The ruling friday partially lifted a preliminary injunction on a law that essentially bars abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected something that typically happens just six weeks into a pregnancy and before many people realize theyre pregnant. Reproductive Rights Groups have denounced the law as unconstitutional. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman. President trumps unprecedented attempt to overturn the election is continuing despite new court setbacks. On saturday, a conservative judge in pennsylvania dismissed a trump lawsuit challenging joe bidens victory in the state. Judge Matthew Brann accused the trump team of trying to disenfranchise almost seven million voters by using strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations unsupported by evidence. He went on to write this claim, like frankensteins monster, has been haphazardly stitched together. Trump is appealing the ruling. Over two dozen lawsuits filed by trumps legal team have been dismissed or withdrawn. The trump team is now focusing on delaying or blocking the certification of the election in numerous states while trying to toss out votes in several cities with large black populations including detroit, philadelphia, and atlanta. Michigan state canvassing board is scheduled to vote today on certification, but the Republican National committee and republicans in michigan are seeking a delay. At least one of the two republican members of the fourperson board is expected to vote against certifying the results. Michigan could face a constitutional crisis if both republicans refud to certify the vote. On friday, a group of miigan state lawmakers including the Senate Majority leader and House Speaker were flown to washington, d. C. Come to meet with president at the white house in what was widely viewed as an attempt by trump to peonally lobby the lawmakers to block biden from being awarded michigans 16 electoral votes even though he won by about 155,000 votes. Some of the lawmakers were later photographed drinking an 800 bottle of dom perignon champagne at Trump International hotel where they were staying. Meanwhile, the Naacp Legal Defense Fund is when trump on behalf of. Like detroit residents for attempting to disenfranchise voters. In georgia, the trump team has asked for a second recount even though no evidence of widespread fraud emerged during a statewide audit of the election. Biden won the state by over 12,000 votes. On friday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp certified the states slate of 16 president ial electors but he did not clearly endorse the results. This all comes as trumps legal team is distancing itself from Attorney Sidney Powell just days after she spread wild conspiracy theories about the election during a News Conference with trump attorney Rudy Giuliani at the headquarters of the Republican National committee. We begin todays show with emily bazelon. She is a staff writer at the New York Times magazine and a lecturer and Senior Research fellow at yale law school. She has been closely monitoring trumps election lawsuits. She is also author of charged the new movement to transform american prosecution and end mass incarceration and cohost of the slate podcast political gabfest. Emily, thank you for joining us. So President Trumps team has lost or withdrawn over 30 lawsuits, but they persist. Of the the significance latest judges ruling in pennsylvania and then go to explain what is happening right now in michigan. This is an important lawsuit in pennsylvania and an important defeat for the Trump Campaign because, obviously, pennsylvania is a key state and they put a lot of effort into trying to overturn the election in pennsylvania. They were asking to throw out all of the votes in pennsylvania because of unproven allegations, not really of fraud, but of the idea that because some voters were given the chance to fix errors on their absentee b