*** TOP NEWS ***

The Olympian: Providence gives first caregivers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Friday

Task & Purpose: Army leaders push back on Mike Flynn’s call for the military to ‘re-run’ the 2020 election – ‘There is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election’

The Olympian: Thurston County reports 120 new COVID-19 cases Friday, a new single-day record

*** SELECT REGIONAL, NATIONAL NEWS ***

Heavy rain, mountain snow this weekend for western Washington

Message from Yelm Schools Superintendent: The next steps in the short term

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Announces Retirement of Longtime Chief Deputy Dave Pearsall at end of year

Washington state elections official threatened amid Trump loss anger

Microsoft to spend $110M on economic, education initiatives to boost Washington’s recovery

Senate investigators fault FAA over Boeing 737 Max, safety

Southwest Airlines hits brakes on Boeing 737 MAX deliveries

Intel falls on report Microsoft plans to design own chips for PCs and servers

CNBC: Suspected Russian hack is much worse than first feared: Here’s what you need to know

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich: ‘This is a human tragedy that is unfolding.’ [“worst unemployment crisis” in the U.S. since the Great Depression]

A New Satellite Can Peer Inside Buildings, Day or Night – The resolution is so crisp that you can see inside individual rooms.

*** CORONAVIRUS NEWS ***

We shouldn’t have to tell you this, but please don’t travel if you have COVID-19

MSNBC: The mental health impact of the coronavirus

MSNBC: The Covid death toll is too big for Americans’ brains to handle – Research suggests that our inability to understand large numbers plays into how we react to mass deaths.

*** TRUMP CHAOS ***

Kushner helped create shell Trump campaign company that secretly paid family members, report says – Mr Kushner allegedly helped establish the company in 2018 and Mr Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump was installed as president

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A federal judge Friday rejected a request by Georgia’s two U.S. senators to segregate ballots cast by newly registered voters in the Jan. 5 runoff election.

Georgia secretary of state orders study of mail-in ballot signatures after Trump pressure – Raffensperger’s office will partner with University of Georgia on study

Daily Beast: Value of [GOP Senate run-off candidate from Georgia] Kelly Loeffler’s mansion mysteriously dropped $6 million overnight

Politico: Pence prepares to oversee Trump’s loss — and then leave town – It’s a tactic Pence has used in recent weeks: stay out of the spotlight and insulate himself from his boss’s election-fraud crusade, while still bolstering his own credentials.

—————————————–

Teri Kanefield Op-Ed: Trump’s White House lawyers are trying to stop a last-minute impeachment repeat – Firing FBI Director Christopher Wray would be one more example of how Trump tramples democratic norms, even on his way out the door.

“In an autocracy, the autocrat decides who should be investigated and prosecuted. The problem with allowing the head of state to decide whom to prosecute is obvious: It opens up the temptation to prosecute political rivals. Rule of law gives way to the whims of the ruler. Trump’s attempts to force the Justice Department and the FBI to do his bidding are some of his most blatant and dangerous assaults on the rule of law.”