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WPCNR GEORGIA RUNOFF REPORTER. By Stephen Rolandi January 2, 2020:
(Editor’s Note: Following Mr. Rolandi’s analysis of the Georgia runoff primary, this morning I asked him how President Biden can possibly work with a 51-49 Republican majority in the next congress. Mr. Rolandi replies:)
“While it would be a lot easier for President-elect Biden to have an outright majority in the Senate to get nominations, bills, etc. approved, he will still be able to get parts of his agenda passed.
I say this as he has a long standing personal relationship with Senator Leader Mitch McConnell – Biden was elected to the Senate in 1972, McConnell in 1984.
Also, there is now a working group of moderate Senators from both parties — Romney (R-Utah); Collins (R-Maine); Murkowski (R-Alaska); Manchin (D-West Va.); Mark Kelly (D-AZ); and others (about 12 in all) who will be able to get bills passed.
It will be harder for Biden, but not impossible.”
Stephen Rolandi analyzed the Presidential Election for WPCNR predicting a Joseph Biden victory. Mr. Rolandi’s views of the Georgia Primary runoff Monday published earlier today are solely his own opinions and do not reflect the views of his employers, Pace University and City University of New York.
WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. By Paul Feiner Greenburgh Town Supervsor. January 2, 2021:
SUGGESTION–NYS SHOULD OFFER RETIRED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO ASSIST IN ADMINISTERING COVID VACCINES THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET EARLIER VACCINATIONS FOR THEM AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES would help NYS vaccinate more people quickly New York Should Vaccinate Retired Medical Professionals Who Volunteer to Assist in Administering Covid Vaccines
News reports that New York State has administered less than one-third of the Covid vaccines provided to the State by the Federal government.
The program for the procurement, distribution, prioritization, and delivery of a Covid-19 vaccine, including the logistics of how the doses will be stored and administered, is complex. This is run by each State.
To help alleviate the roadblock in New York, I suggest vaccinating recently retired doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians and their immediate families who volunteer to assist in the State-run vaccine program. They would be able to then vaccinate other New Yorkers under the State’s program, and perhaps also free up doctors, nurses and EMTs from those duties. Britain has instituted enlisting the assistance of recently retired medical professionals, and I think the Governor should consider implementing that in New York. I will reach out to state officials with this suggestion.
STEPHEN ROLANDI ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD ELECTION ANALYST ON WHITE PLAINS TELEVISION People to Be Heardin November
WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2021By Stephen Rolandi January 2, 2020:
Stephen Rolandi analyzed the Presidential Election for WPCNR predicting a Joseph Biden victory. Mr. Rolandi’s views of the Georgia Primary runoff Monday are solely his own opinions and do not reflect the views of his employers, Pace University and City University of New York.
Georgia will hold run-off elections on Tuesday,
January 5, 2021 to determine not only who will represent Georgia in the next
session of the United States Senate – but also which party will control the Senate. The run-off elections are required as
no candidate secured the required 50% majority in November. The candidates are:
REGULAR 6
YEAR TERM:
David Perdue* (R) Jon Ossoff (D)
SPECIAL 2
YEAR TERM:
Kelly Loeffler** (R) Raphael Warnock (D)
Here’s how I see these races:
For many
years, Georgia was a very reliable “red” state. Since 2012, the Republican
party’s statewide margins have been declining – Mitt Romney received 53% of
Georgia’s vote in 2012; Donald Trump 51% in 2016; and Joe Biden (D) narrowly
defeated Trump by 12,000 votes (49.5% to
49.2%);
Similarly,
in the Governor’s races, the GOP margins have been declining – the GOP won
nearly 53% in 2014; Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams by 55,000 votes in 2018
(50.2% to 48.8%);
Turnout has
been steadily rising statewide – 2.6 million in the 2014 Governor’s race; 4.1
million in the 2016 Presidential race; about the same in 2018; and 5 million in
2020 (Presidential);
I expect
turnout to exceed the 5 million; indeed, as of December 31st, over 3 million early votes have already been
cast; approximately 79,000 new voters – mostly African- American – registered
to vote since November 3rd.
President
Trump’s largely baseless claims about a fraudulent election in Georgia have
undermined GOP efforts there.
If a “stand
alone” stimulus bill is not passed by Congress, this is likely to hurt the GOP,
although Perdue and Loeffler have come out for the bill.
– 2-
So, here’s my call:
– WARNOCK (D) wins 51.5%; Loeffler 48.5%
– PERDUE (R) wins 50.3% to Ossoff’s 49.7%
Perdue will run well in Northern Georgia to offset
Ossoff’s strength in the metro Atlanta area. Some see Sen. Perdue as more
moderate than Trump. Warnick should benefit from a heavy African-American vote.
I expect a re-count, particularly in the Perdue-Ossoff race.
GOP will retain its majority in the Senate (51-49).
Mitch McConnell remains as Majority Leader. Charles Schumer remains as Minority
Leader , both for 2021-23.
WPCNR GOVERNOR CUOMO COVID REPORT.From Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. December 31, 2020:
Total hospitalizations rose to 7,892. Of the 154,949 tests reported yesterday, 13,422, or 8.66 percent, were positive. There were 1,250 patients in ICU yesterday, up 26 from the previous day. Of them, 702 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 144 New Yorkers to the virus.
As the year draws to a close, the vaccination distribution program continues to ramp up with more priority groups added as supply becomes available. As the vaccination process continues to build in the weeks ahead, know that you can look to this newsletter as an accurate in-depth source for information and updates.
While the vaccine distribution gets underway, New Yorkers cannot get lax about COVID by any means.
Hospitalizations continue to rise across the state and there is one message New Yorkers must remember as we approach the close of the holiday season—celebrating smart stops shutdowns.
If we stay smart, stay tough and take the steps we know help halt the spread, we will get through this.
PENN STATION MAKE OVER OPENS NEW YEAR’S DAY
Photo of the Day: We announce the opening of the new Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, which opens to the public Friday, January 1st. I thank all our partners who helped get this major infrastructure across the finish line on time and on budget, despite the pandemic (Photo courtesy SOM).
VACCINATION PROGRESS, NEXT PRIORITIES
Approximately 203,000 New Yorkers to date have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Next week, New York State will open vaccination criteria to ambulatory care health workers and public-facing public health workers, including those administering COVID-19 tests.
The Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop will be held virtually. This year, Times Square will be closed and there will be no crowds allowed in the area during the ball drop but the celebration to ring in the new year still goes on. The ball drop will be livestreamed online along with TV programming.
New York continues to monitor for the presence of the more contagious U.K. strain of COVID-19. The State Department of Health and private labs across the State have been analyzing genomic sequencing of COVID specimens since early spring, with more than 4,300 specimens sequences. We have yet to find the U.K. strain, but we are continuing to search.
Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: The mother of a Long Island teenager with special needs was able to pull off a Christmas miracle thanks to a total stranger. After searching without success for the gift her son wanted most—a sold-out Xbox—Jill Biblow turned to Facebook to ask if anyone she knew might be able to help her get one in time for Christmas. Hundreds of miles away, South Florida resident Kevin Danilo heard about the request from a friend, and sent Biblow a brand-new Xbox as a gift. His sole request was to pay the generosity forward. During this challenging year, it’s “the small things showing that people care about us [that give] us the strength to dust ourselves off and keep going,” he wrote to Biblow.
WPCNR GOVERNOR CUOMO CORONAVIRUS UPDATE. By Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. December 30, 2020:
Monday night, I signed the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act, which extends the moratorium on COVID-related residential evictions until May 1, while also providing foreclosure protections to homeowners and small landlords.
Many New Yorkers have faced economic hardship as result of the COVID-19 pandemic through no fault of their own, and this legislation helps ensure that no one is forced out of their home during this incredibly difficult period. The more support we provide for tenants, mortgagors and seniors, the easier it will be for them to get back on their feet when the pandemic ends. I thank the Legislature for passing this important protection for New Yorkers all across the state who need a hand.
Chart of the Day: Total hospitalizations in New York, March 16 to present. Here’s what else you need to know tonight:
1. Total hospitalizations rose to 7,814. Of the 160,614 tests reported yesterday, 11,438, or 7.14 percent, were positive. There were 1,224 patients in ICU yesterday, up two from the previous day. Of them, 711 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 124 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. New York has updated its quarantine guidelines to align with the CDC’s recommendations. Individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days without a testing requirement as long as no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period.
After day 10 is reached, individuals must continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14 and if any develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact their local health department or their health care provider to report this change and determine if they should seek testing.
3. Unemployed New Yorkers will begin receiving extended and expanded federal unemployment benefits next week. Starting the week January 3rd, unemployed New Yorkers will receive an additional $300 payment through the extended Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Pandemic Unemployment Compensation programs. New Yorkers currently receiving benefits do not need to call the Department of Labor to receive these extended benefits—they should continue to certify for unemployment benefits in their usual manner and will automatically receive extended benefits.
4. Starting January 1, 2021, New Yorkers can begin using sick leave benefits under the state’s Paid Sick Leave law. This legislation secures paid sick leave for workers at medium and large businesses and paid or unpaid leave for those at small businesses, depending on the employer’s net income. New Yorkers can use guaranteed sick leave to recover from an illness themselves, care for a sick family member and more. Learn about Paid Sick Leave here.
