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Hillary Clinton: Most Republicans are "cowards" on Trump

Mike Allen, author of AM

Photo: Carlo Allegri/Reuters

Hillary Clinton tells Kara Swisher for her New York Times Opinion podcast, "Sway," that most Republicans "have been cowards, spineless enablers" of President Trump.

  • "Most Republicans are going to want to close the page," Clinton says. "They want to see him gone as much as we do, but they can't say it publicly."

Clinton also said she thinks a female president would have handled the pandemic better.

  • Swisher: "You noted that a lot of countries that did best in the pandemic were led by women. ... Do you think a woman president in the United States would handle the pandemic better?"
  • Clinton: "I have no doubt, especially if it were me. I have no doubt. I mean, I was born for that."

Swisher asked, "Would you say 'lock him up?'"

  • Clinton: "No, I would never say that. ... I believe in the rule of law, unlike some of these people."

Clinton said she "can't entertain the idea of him winning. ... It would cause cognitive dissonance of a grave degree."

  • "[I]t makes me literally sick to my stomach to think that we'd have four more years of this abuse and destruction of our institutions. And damaging of our norms and our values. And lessening of our leadership. And the list goes on.

Clinton added, "I think I live rent-free in his head."

Go deeper: Subscribe to the podcast, and get the episode when it drops (tomorrow by 6 a.m. ET) on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

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Dec 11, 2020 - Health

Fauci says he will receive coronavirus vaccine in public

Anthony Fauci speaking in the White House in November. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the New York Times on Friday that he plans to be vaccinated for the coronavirus in public as soon as a vaccine becomes available to him.

Why it matters: Fauci is one of many governmental officials who have said they expect to be inoculated in public to help build confidence in vaccine, including former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Go deeper: Americans increasingly say they would get vaccinated for COVID-19

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Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is effective against new variants of the virus that first appeared in the U.K. and in South Africa, the company announced on Monday.

Yes, but: The vaccine was as effective against the strain from U.K., but saw a six-fold reduction in antibodies against the South Africa variant. Even still, the neutralizing antibodies generated by the vaccine "remain above levels that are expected to be protective," according to the company.

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Updated 1 hour ago - World

Xi Jinping warns against "new cold war" in Davos speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Wang Zhao - Pool/Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that a "new cold war" could turn hot, and must be avoided, in a speech on Monday at World Economic Forum’s virtual “Davos Agenda” conference.

Why it matters: Xi didn't refer directly to U.S.-China tensions, but the subtext was clear. These were his first remarks to an international audience since the inauguration of President Biden, whose administration has already concurred with Donald Trump's determination that China is committing "genocide" against Uyghur Muslims, and issued a warning about China's aggression toward Taiwan.

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