January 1, REPORTS: DEM SENATORS MOVE TO ABOLISH ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Leading Democratic senators are expected to introduce a constitutional amendment Tuesday to abolish the Electoral College, Politico reported.

The measure will be initially supported by Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who is running for president, the outlet reported.

Besides Gillibrand, other Democrats in the presidential primary race — including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., along with former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and ex-Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro — also have come around to the idea, NBC News reported.

Second Woman Accuses Biden of Inappropriate Touching

A second woman has accused former Vice President and potential 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden of inappropriate behavior, saying he grabbed her head and touched noses with her at a 2009 fundraiser.

Amy Lappos told the Hartford Courant that Biden acted inappropriately in his first year as vice president.

“It wasn’t sexual, but he did grab me by the head,” Lappos said. “He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth.”

FAA Expects to Receive Boeing Software Fix in ‘Coming Weeks’

(Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday it expects to receive Boeing Co’s proposed software enhancement package for the grounded 737 MAX “over the coming weeks” after the company had previously said it planned to submit the fix for government approval by last week.

FAA spokesman Greg Martin said that “time is needed for additional work by Boeing as the result of an ongoing review of the 737 MAX Flight Control System to ensure that Boeing has identified and appropriately addressed all pertinent issues.”

Southwest Airlines said on Monday it is “publishing a revised schedule for April and May that is built around the currently available Southwest fleet and intends to reduce drastically last-minute trip disruptions and same-day cancellations.”

Colorado Legislature OKs Bill to Confiscate Firearms

(AP) – The Democrat-controlled Colorado Legislature sent a “red flag” bill Monday to the governor that calls for taking firearms from people who could pose a threat to themselves or others.

Gov. Jared Polis, also a Democrat, has pledged to sign the measure that would place the state among 13 others that have passed such legislation. Florida passed its law after the 2018 Parkland school massacre.

The Colorado bill would allow family, household members or law enforcement to petition a court to have guns seized or surrendered. A subsequent court hearing could extend a gun seizure up to 364 days.

NY Airport Bans Chick-fil-A

Buffalo Niagara International Airport has scrapped plans to open a Chick-fil-A after a New York state politician accused the fast-food chain of “divisive anti-LBGTQ rhetoric.”

Democratic New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan complained to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority that he was “disappointed” in the restaurant choice in a Facebook post last week.

“I don’t believe the leadership of the NFTA intends to help spread hate and discrimination, but allowing a corporation like Chick-fil-A to do business at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport will help to fund continued divisive anti-LGBTQ rhetoric,” he wrote.