The live-streaming giant Twitch has recently made public its announcement to remove the PogChamp emote, used by viewers as a sign of excitement in a stream chat. The company cited "statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today."

PogChamp has grown tremendously since first added to Twitch in 2012, as it's commonly spammed elsewhere other than Twitch. This move comes as quite a surprise, considering the growth of PogChamp in recent years.

Pog and the Capitol riots may be a sign that things will not improve this year, but let's hope for the best. 

Streaming service Twitch removes PogChamp emote

Georgia officials say that predictions and results will start coming out starting tonight and tomorrow morning. Polls have Ossoff up +1.8 points and Warnock up +2.1 points on average. It is important to note that the average margin of error for the presidential race is 3 points, meaning that anything could happen. Also, the poll averages are from FiveThirtyEight, which decided to include both the Trafalgar group and JMC Analytics, giving Ossoff +12 and Warnock +13 in total, shifting the average to the left. Polls close today at 7:00 pm ET.

Given the current tallies for early votes, 30% of voters are above the age of 66 and 21% are 56 to 65. This could be a huge advantage to the GOP since older voters tend to be more conservative. In terms of race, 56% of voters are Non-Hispanic white, 31% are Non-Hispanic black, 2.3% are Hispanic, and 2.5% are Asian American. Currently, 3 million votes have already been cast, reaching 70% of the turnout seen in the 2020 presidential year.

To recap the profiles of the candidates, let’s start with Warnock and Loeffler. Loeffler is most notable for her insider trading “scandal”, selling stocks after receiving information not available to the general public about the coronavirus pandemic. Warnock on the other hand is being called an open anti-semite and a Marxist. He has compared America to Fidel Castro’s Venezuela and also ran over his ex-wife’s foot during domestic abuse. Surprisingly, he has the upper hand, probably because of the MSM’s blatant attempts to cover up for him. Perdue has been called a “Washington Insider” by attack ads from the Ossoff campaign. Ossoff is being called a radical from attack ads for his “support of AOC’s 90 trillion dollars green new deal”. Ossoff has called out Loeffler for “campaigning with a klansman”, although this has been thoroughly debunked.

As 2020 is coming to an end,  the Pish Staff would like to give a recap on all the major events.

Australia faced the most devastating wildfire season, starting from December 2019, which burned 47 million acres and displaced thousands of people killed dozens.

The COVID-19 pandemic (declared in March) first emerged in Wuhan, China. It killed 1.82 million people with a total of 83.3 million cases.

Kobe Bryant died on January 26th in a tragic helicopter crash. He had a long 20-year career in basketball (5-time NBA champion, 1-time regular season MVP, 2-time finals MVP).

The killing of George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery, and Breonna Taylor sparked the nation with peaceful and violent protests demanding an end to police brutality and racial inequality.

A group led by a Florida teen took over many high profile Twitter accounts, including Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kanye West, and many more with a bitcoin scam.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (died September 18th) was known and beloved greatly as a former Associate Supreme Court Justice. 

The POTUS contracted the Rona on October 1st. After a quick recovery, he went back on the campaign, getting criticized by many in the media.

To everyone who reads pish, happy New Year!

With multiple companies scrambling to create a vaccine for Covid-19, which has about 83 million reported cases and almost 2 million deaths worldwide, companies like Pfizer and Moderna have completed fundamental tests and received FDA approval. They are now working to vaccinate as many people as possible. 

Although efforts are being made, the US has missed its goal of 20 million doses, falling short by almost 5 million. Meanwhile, Britain prepares for a 2nd dose of the coronavirus vaccine (after a notable delay). Although the Trump Administration has ordered almost 100 million doses, experts say that they would be ready well into 2021. Many studies and polls also prove that not many Americans will be vaccinated even then and many are also not comfortable with taking the vaccine. With concerning side effects, many Americans worry about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. According to a poll conducted by the PEW Research Center, about 20% or 2 in 10 Americans would not take a vaccine, even with more information. 

While countries have varying amounts of success about the vaccine distribution, coronavirus spikes popped up in many states throughout the US. The US has almost 20 million reported cases with 350,000 deaths, topping the highest number of cases and deaths by far worldwide. With California being the most infected state, an average of almost 15,000 new cases are reported every day. In addition, Georgia reports higher spikes in coronavirus cases. Voters are going out to vote in the crucial runoffs (Marc Lasson with the news) to determine our country’s fate. According to Healthline News, 29 states report Covid-19 spikes, and states like California are in the purple tier (widespread). 

Moreover, with the holiday season approaching, residents want to travel, especially after being cooped up for so long. Despite airplanes’ new distanced seats and air filtration systems, the risk is still prominent.  

With the pandemic killing more than 1 person per minute, the need for precautions is stronger more than ever. CDC guidelines recommend the wearing of a mask and a minimum social distance of 6 feet. Frequently washing your hands for 20 seconds and covering sneezes will also reduce the risk for infection. 

Hope you stay safe and healthy and join Pish News for a great start to 2021. Happy New Year!

Coronavirus Spikes and Vaccine Distribution

Yesterday, a Gallup poll shows Trump ahead of Obama, becoming the ‘Most Admired Man’ of 2020 This is not surprising as Trump tied with Obama in 2019 (18% each). The reasoning that many pollsters have brought forward is because of the democratic ticket split; there are more “democratic” figures than republicans. 

Michelle Obama is still the most admired woman with Kamala Harris coming in second. The Gallup poll on the most admired men and women has been an annual “tradition” since 1946. Obama has been ‘most admired’ for 12 years straight, that is until 2020. Trump received 18% of the vote (same as last year) and Obama received a smaller fraction, 15%. 

Some notable runner ups include Joe Biden, (6%), Dr. Anthony Fauci, (3%), Pope Francis, (2%), Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bernie Sanders, LeBron James, and Dalai Lama, all with 1% mentioning. 

“This year marks the 10th time Trump has finished among the top 10 men, including four times before he entered party politics – 1988 through 1990 and 2011. Gates has finished in the top 10 a total of 21 times, while Obama has now done so 15 times and the Dalai Lama 11 times. Biden has been in the top 10 once before, in 2018, while Fauci and James are new to the list,” Gallup reported.

Evangelist Billy Graham won the most top 10 finishes, with 61 finishes. He is followed by the great communicator, Ronald Reagan, with 31 finishes. Jimmy Carter trails behind closely with 29 finishes. 

Queen Elizabeth is first for Gallup’s top 10 finishes poll (52), and is followed by Margaret Thatcher (34), Oprah Winfrey (33), and Hilary Clinton (29).

Gallup poll shows Trump as 'Most Admired Man', defeating Obama's 12-year streak

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel blocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s attempt to unanimously pass a bill to increase direct payments year-end coronavirus relief packages from $600 to $2000. 

He claims that the Democrats have “quietly changed” what President Trump wanted in the bill. He adds that it lets wealthy households suck up even more money. McConnell says the Democrats are trying to do away with the repeal of section 230 and a review of the 2020 election.

“The Left took a break from trying to defund the police to try to defund our Armed Forces,” McConnell states. “Their amendment went down in a landslide. But now our colleague from Vermont [Sanders] is again putting political stunts before the needs of our men and women in uniform. Our colleague says he will slow down this vital bill unless he gets to muscle through another standalone proposal from Speaker Pelosi that would add roughly half a trillion dollars to the national debt, which does not align with what President Trump has suggested and which has no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate.”

The topic three priorities for Trump are larger direct payments, repeal of section 230 of the communications decency act, and a review of election integrity. McConnell says these three requests have not been adequately addressed and the job of the senate is “to ensure the president was comfortable signing the bill into law, the Senate committed to beginning one process that would combine three of the president’s priorities

“Three of the president’s priorities in one Senate process. That was the commitment, and that’s what happened yesterday when I introduced text reflecting just what the president had requested. Now, House and Senate Democrats want something very different. As they have tried to do countless times in the past four years, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer are trying to pull a fast one on the president and the American people.” said McConnell.

Chuck Schumer testified in front of the Senate, asking for senate Republicans to join the rest of “America”.

Mitch McConnell blocks spending bill in the senate

A new strain of coronavirus, one that is said to be more contagious, has caused 40 countries to place travel restrictions on the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also issued an emergency lockdown in London and parts of southeastern England.

The COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 was found in Colorado, the first in the nation, and was brought to the CDC’s attention by the Colorado State Laboratory. The male Colorado patient diagnosed with the strain is in his 20s with no travel history. Similar to this case, a Canadian couple also tested positive for the new strain of the virus.

“There is a lot we don’t know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely. We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels,” Polis said. “I want to thank our scientists and dedicated medical professionals for their swift work and ask Coloradans to continue our efforts to prevent disease transmission by wearing masks, standing six feet apart when gathering with others, and only interacting with members of their immediate household.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated a week ago that the mutated virus has most likely already made its way into the U.S. Luckily, he also adds that the current two vaccines being distributed, Moderna and Pfizer, should still be effective.

Mutated Coronavirus Strain from the U.K. Appears In Colorado

2020 has been a challenge for everyone. At pish news, we hope you all a Merry Christmas! Stay strong America as we turn a new leaf and move on into 2021! Take today off and sip hot cocoa by the tree while you read one of our stellar articles!

1. How many Americans have fake trees and how many have real ones?

2. At what time do most Americans stop listening to Christmas music?

3. Why are newer Christmas songs so trash (Except for Mariah Carey of course; surprisingly, this statement is highly controversial among the pish staff)?

4. Why do people use lights to decorate their houses during Christmas?

5. What are some underrated Christmas songs?

1. According to the Christmas Tree Association, most people (82%) have artificial trees and only 17.9% of people have real ones! What type does your family use? Personally, I prefer real trees as fake trees are a pain to set up and to store!

2. Usually, when the new year has come, people tend to forget about Christmas and are excited for the new year, causing them to stop listening to Christmas music. Also, many people listen to Christmas music on their local radio channel while driving; most radios stop playing Christmas music after December 27th.

3. Classic songs just sound more “Christmassy” and better in general. Newer songs tend to be more romantic and explicit and sound too auto-tuned.

4. People use lights to decorate their houses for Christmas because it is a custom borrowed from pagan Yule rituals that celebrate the return of the light of the sun as the days grow longer after the solstice.

5. Some underrated Christmas songs are just like Christmas low, Carol of the bells, I was born on Christmas Day saint Etienne, and last Christmas.

To everyone out there, the pish family wishes you luck in your journey ahead! We know that the days ahead are only going to be more positive! Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year!

The huge trillion-dollar spending bill is set to fund government programs and provide a second round of direct, stimulus bills to American taxpayers ($600). To be exact, college students won’t receive the money. Neither will immigrants who don’t have social security numbers. Some with higher incomes who qualified for the first round of checks may not receive the second round this time. The bill also extends federal supplemental unemployment benefits. Those who are experiencing a slow down in business will also be provided with $300/week until mid-march. This time, the bill contains grants to selected industries such as low-income businesses ($20 billion) and struggling movie theaters/live shows ($15 billion). In the realm of transportation, airlines are getting $15 billion dollars and airports are going to get $2 billion. Amtrak, the railroad company, is receiving a billion dollars as well.

13 and 15 billion dollars are going to food banks and direct payments to farmers to assist food production, though demand in the agricultural space has seemed to remain the same, if not higher, throughout the pandemic. The bill includes a two-year tax break for business meals and a $25 billion dollar renter assistance program plus an extended eviction moratorium. 

Higher education is receiving 82 billion dollars. The postal service is being forgiven for a 10 billion dollars loan. States receive $40 billion dollars for covid testing and vaccine distribution. House Democrats wanted to bail out states for the economic destruction caused by the strict lockdowns (enforced by democratic governors). Of course, this was rejected by house republicans.

President Trump has hinted at vetoing the bill as it is packed with wasteful spending. He wants the money to instead go to the American people rather than bailing out cooperations and raise the $600 stimulus check up to $2,000.

Tulsi Gabbard, one of the two House Democrats that voted against the bill have spoken out about it. She called the bill “a slap in the face to the American people”. The 5593-page long bill was given to the house at 2:30 PM and was expected to be voted just hours later. She also talks about how provisions are snuck into the bills and rushed to be voted. She called those who voted for the bill “irresponsible”. 

“I voted against the 5,593-page spending bill that gave billions to corporate interests, the military industrial complex & other countries, leaving crumbs for you who need help most.”

COVID-19 Relief Bill, Is It Wasteful Spending?

Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler faces off against Raphael Warnock and fellow incumbent David Perdue runs against Jon Ossoff in the Georgia Senate runoff race. Above, in order from left to right, are Loeffler, Warnock, Perdue, and Ossoff.

This runoff is happening because Georgian law states that a contestant must win over 50%  of the votes in the state. Both Republicans were leading in the November 3rd Senate race but neither could get a majority. This particular race is very important because as things stand, Republicans have a 50-48 lead in the Senate. If the Democrats win, that would change it to an even 50-50, and in the event of a tie Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris would break it. This would likely make it much easier for President-Elect Joe Biden to pass legislation. On the other hand, if the Republicans win, that would increase their lead to 4 senators. That would make this election, except for the presidential one, a loss for the Democrats.

The Republican candidates have spent quite a lot more on advertising than their Democrat counterparts. Loeffler and Perdue have spent over 160 million dollars in advertisements during the first three weeks of runoff campaigning, just under 60 million more than Warnock and Perdue. 

Early voting in the runoff election begins on December 14. 270toWin places Warnock and Loeffler neck-and-neck with 48.5% of the vote each and Perdue with a 2% lead over Ossoff with 49.5% of the vote to Ossoff’s 47.5%. Joe Biden is the first President-Elect to win Georgia in 28 years and Georgia has not elected a senator from the Democrats in 24 years. The Republican candidates will most likely win, keeping the senate red for the next four years. 

Absentee ballots can be mailed starting November 18th. These have to be counted by 19:00 on January 5th, 2021. The voter registration deadline is December 7th. Teens that will turn 18 by January 5th can register to vote in this election, even though they couldn’t in the presidential election. In-person voting starts on December 14th. This will close on December 30th. The last votes will be sent in on January 5th, runoff election day.

There is another election going on in Georgia. This is the Georgia recount. The first count of Georgian votes declared Joe Biden as the winner. President Trump demanded a recount and called the GA election a fraudulent joke. This recount slimmed the Democrat candidate’s lead by over a thousand votes. However, this recount also declared Joe Biden as the winner. Joe Biden leads by 0.2% in Georgia. As long as the margins are under 0.5%, there can be a recount. The Trump administration demanded yet another recount. The results are unlikely to change enough to grant the incumbent a win in Georgia. Additionally, Georgia would not change the outcome of the election, because even if Biden loses Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, he would still have 290 of them, which is well over the mark of 270.

Diego Armando Maradona is regarded as one of the best footballers of all time. Pele tied with him for FIFA’s greatest player of the 20th century. He died at age 60. Argentina’s government has ordered a 3 day mourning period for one of their most famous citizens, who scored 34 goals in 90 games for his country.

He is widely remembered for his 1986 World Cup performance, especially the quarterfinal against England, in which he scored his infamous Hand of God goal and the famous goal in which he dribbled from the halfway line and scored. He also led Argentina to the 1990 World Cup final. Maradona is best known for playing for smaller Italian club Napoli, which he led to two Serie A (top-division) titles and greater prominence in Europe. While he was a controversial figure, the 4-time Footballer of the Year award remains in the Greatest of All Time argument today.

Argentina and Napoli Legend Diego Maradona Dead

The announcement from the GSA Administrator Emily W. Murphy has started the formal transfer of the presidential after pressure from the Democratic house. Donald Trump has complimented Emily Murphy on Twitter “for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country”. He continues to write “She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”

This, however, as stated by the president himself, will not stop their legal challenges in swing states. Sidney Powell just got dropped from Team Trump, further dwindling the president’s remaining confidence in proving he won the election and is ready for a second term.

The Trump Administration to be starting a formal transition for Biden

A swarm of protesters gathered today at Huntington Beach, California to defy the 10 p.m. curfew in purple tier zones (94% of Californian counties) ordered by Californian Gov. Gavin Newsom. The motives behind the mandate were to discourage individuals from attending social gatherings and drinking alcohol, which they say could help decrease the spread of the contagious COVID-19.

Crowds could be seen waving MAGA and American flags as they stood in the streets, filled with the noises of cars honking. The rally was publicized by Bill Melugin, a well-known reporter at Fox 11 LA.

The sheriff’s department has said publicly that they would not enforce the governor’s directive. The protest was mostly law-abiding, with the exception of an arrest because of intoxication. This protest was most likely the buildup of questioning and concern from those who have followed the governor’s authority and policies, especially after his birthday party visit, defying his own directives. Others also questioned why he dissolved his task force despite an uptick in infections.

Protestors gather to defy Gov. Newsom's 10 p.m. curfew

Latest Publications

Streaming service Twitch removes PogChamp emote

Day of Georgia Senate Races Analysis

New Years Special, 2020 Recap