Tag: Joe Biden

Biden set to select top North Carolina environmental official to lead EPA

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President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday selected Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), picking a longtime EPA insider to lead the agency.

Regan, 44, is currently the secretary for North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the state’s EPA equivalent. He would be the first Black man to hold the role of EPA chief.

He previously worked for the EPA under the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations before heading to the Environmental Defense Fund as its southeast regional director. Continue reading.

Trump in denial: Report says he told aides he wouldn’t leave the White House on Inauguration Day

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An extensive CNN report Wednesday revealed that President Donald Trump has thought about staging a sit-in and refusing to leave the White House during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

In most presidencies, the handoff is part of a peaceful transfer of power where the outgoing president attends the day’s festivities while a SWAT-team-like moving crew helps White House staff pack everything of the first families and brings in the incoming president’s things, so it feels like home.

Trump, who continues to maintain he won the 2020 election, has told aides that he will not leave the White House on January 20. Continue reading.

Inaugural Ceremony to Go Forward Without Public Attendance

Members will get one ticket for self, one guest

President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will take place without broad public attendance, the congressional committee in charge of the planning announced Wednesday.

The changes, which are the latest adjustment to Capitol operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, mean there will not be a great dispute about crowd sizes.

Each member of the 117th Congress will receive a ticket for themselves and one guest, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said. For a typical inauguration, the committee would provide about 200,000 tickets, distributed to congressional offices to give to constituents, often through lottery systems. Continue reading.

Biden Plans Safe Inaugural As Trump Keeps Hosting ‘Superspreaders’

President-elect Joe Biden is planning to implement public safety measures for his Jan. 20 inauguration, in light of the raging coronavirus pandemic — a stark contrast to Donald Trump, who has continued to host potential superspreader events even as cases spike across the country.

Biden’s inaugural committee issued a statement on Tuesday outlining initial plans for the event, urging “Americans to stay home, refrain from travel, and limit gatherings during the inauguration.”

“President-elect Biden’s unwavering commitment to the safety of the American people is our North Star as we plan an inauguration that protects public health while honoring inaugural traditions and engaging Americans across the country,” said Maju Varghese, the committee’s executive director. Continue reading.

Mitch McConnell Warns Republicans Not to Fight Biden’s Electoral College Win

WASHINGTON — Fending off a messy fight that could damage Republicans ahead of Georgia Senate runoffs, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned fellow GOP senators on Tuesday not to join President Donald Trump’s extended assault on the Electoral College results.

In public remarks and private warnings, McConnell worked to push ahead to the Biden era and unite a fractured Republican Party ahead of the runoff elections that will determine Senate control.

First, the Republican leader heaped praise on Trump’s “endless” accomplishments as he congratulated President-elect Joe Biden during a morning Senate speech. Then he pivoted, privately warning Republican senators away from disputing the Electoral College tally when Congress convenes in a joint session Jan. 6 to confirm the results. Continue reading.

This Newly Released Letter Details The Criminal Referral On Donald Trump Over His Ukraine Phone Call

BuzzFeed News obtained the document through a public records lawsuit.

Nearly one year after the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump, the federal government has released the criminal referral alleging Trump committed crimes related to his phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, a conversation that sparked the historic proceedings.

The document, obtained by BuzzFeed News from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, is a letter dated September 4, 2019, and signed by Michael Atkinson, inspector general for the intelligence community. It was sent to Stacey Moy, the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division. Moy’s involvement in the Ukraine matter has not been previously disclosed.

The inspector general “is formally referring allegations received from an individual regarding, among other things, alleged violations of law related to a telephone call on July 25, 2019, between President Donald J. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,” Atkinson wrote. “This referral is a follow-up to my secure telephone call on August 27, 2019, with FBI Director Christopher A. Wray’s Chief of Staff, Paul B. Murphy, during which I provided to Mr. Murphy a summary of the Complainant’s allegations.” Continue reading.

Mitch McConnell congratulates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris for election win

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recognized former Vice President Joe Biden as the president-elect for the first time Tuesday, one day after the Democratic ticket sealed an Electoral College victory. 

“The Electoral College has spoken,” McConnell said during a speech on the Senate floor in which he also praised President Donald Trump’s accomplishments. McConnell said he wanted to “congratulate President-elect Joe Biden” and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

“The President-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He has devoted himself to public service for many years,” McConnell said of Biden. 

Biden to name Pete Buttigieg to lead Department of Transportation

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Joe Biden plans to name Mayor Pete Buttigieg as his transportation secretary as early as today, tapping a former rival to help rebuild America’s infrastructure, according to three people familiar with the matter. 

Why it matters: By selecting Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, for transportation, Biden will be nominating the first openly gay person for a Cabinet position. 

  • Biden will also ensure that the 38-year-old Buttigieg, who rocketed to the front of the Democratic Party and won the most delegates in Iowa, plays a central role in his administration, as billions of dollars are expected to run through the Transportation Department if Biden passed his Build Back Better agenda. Continue reading.

Time’s Person of the Year is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, a ticket that ‘represents something historic’

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Nearly every president elected since the 1930s has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, often just weeks after they won a race for the White House.

On Thursday evening, the publication announced that President-elect Joe Biden continues the trend — with a twist. He is the first to receive the title alongside his running-mate, Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris.

“The Biden-Harris ticket represents something historic,” the magazine’s editor in chief, Edward Felsenthal, said in a video announcing the pick. “Person of the Year is not just about the year that was but about where we’re headed.” Continue reading.

The White House is making big changes at the Pentagon — but Biden can reverse them

The Trump administration is using its last weeks in office to carry out a slew of changes at the Pentagon. The new president can cancel all of them on Day One.

Troop drawdowns. Advisory board firings. Navy budget overhauls.

The Trump administration is using its last weeks in office to carry out a slew of changes at the Pentagon. But they all have one thing in common: The new president can cancel them on Day One.

Under acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, whom President Donald Trump appointed to the job after firing his predecessor, Mark Esper, in November, the Pentagon has announced plans to draw down troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, and has elevated the senior civilian overseeing special operations. Then the White House abruptly fired longtime members of the Defense Policy and Defense Business Boards, replacing them with Trump loyalists. Continue reading.