Tag: President-Elect Biden

Biden taps Susan Rice to steer domestic policy

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President-elect Biden will name former National Security Adviser Susan Rice to head the Domestic Policy Council, the Biden transition team confirmed Thursday — a significant change from her previous roles that would put her in charge of major portions of his “Build Back Better”plan.

Between the lines: Rice was previously considered for Cabinet positions including Secretary of State, but she would have faced steep confirmation odds given her history of clashes with some GOP senators and as a flashpoint over Benghazi. The DPC role does not require Senate confirmation.

  • She’ll coordinate closely with the president-elect’s top national security and economic advisers, Jake Sullivan and Brian Deese.
  • This reflects Biden’s desire for more interconnected management of foreign, economic and domestic policy. Continue reading.

Most Trump voters live in states won by Biden

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A colleague posed an interesting question to me Wednesday morning: What was the largest city that supported President Trump over President-elect Joe Biden in last month’s election?

I won’t make you read any further to learn the answer. It was Oklahoma City, the nation’s 25th-largest city.

The answer itself undersells the nuances that a look at the country’s most populous places can reveal. We tend to think of cities as heavily Democratic, and with good reason. They are. There are a lot of reasons for that, which we’ve explored before, including that cities are less densely White than suburban or rural areas and that they have in recent decades been a magnet for younger, college-educated people, who tend to be more liberal. So we aren’t surprised when we hear that the top 24 largest cities backed Biden. It’s what we’d expect. Continue reading.

How Biden aims to Covid-proof his administration

Avoiding superspreader events, requiring masks and encouraging remote work are all part of the transition’s effort to keep its staff safe.

Small and infrequent public events. Repeated testing of staff, reporters and the president-elect. Aides debating policies and Cabinet picks without ever meeting face-to-face. Preparations for a pared-down, mostly virtual inauguration.

Joe Biden’s team has meticulously carried the virus safety practices of his campaign over to the transition. And his staff plans to take that approach to the White House on move-in day — intent on setting a good example for the country and avoiding the dangerous and embarrassing outbreaks of Covid-19 that have infected dozens in President Donald Trump’s inner circle, most recently sickening his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

“It’s a dynamic situation with the pandemic, but I think you’ll see the exact same adherence to and commitment to the science of keeping the team safe that you saw during the campaign and transition, you’ll see that as we enter the physical space,” said Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of the transition. Continue reading.

Hunter Biden says he’s under federal investigation over his taxes

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Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden, said Wednesday that the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware is investigating his tax affairs.

“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said in a statement issued by the Biden-Harris transition team.

He said that he learned of the investigation on Tuesday when his lawyer was advised of the investigation by federal prosecutors. Continue reading.

Two Presidents, Two Messages, One Killer Virus

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In split-screen assessments of the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump focused on the “medical miracle” of vaccines and President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. warned of a “very dark winter.”

WASHINGTON — One president all but declared victory over the pandemic, hailing new vaccines as a “medical miracle” and congratulating himself for doing what “nobody has ever seen before.” The next president declared the pandemic deadlier than ever, calling it a “mass casualty” event that is leaving “a gaping hole” in America with more misery to come.

“We’re here to discuss a monumental national achievement,” President Trump boasted on one screen. “From the instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action.”

“We’re in a very dark winter,” President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said minutes later in his own speech on another screen. “Things may well get worse before they get better.” Continue reading.

Biden picks Vilsack for agriculture secretary and Rep. Fudge for HUD

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President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday pledged to “change the course” of the coronavirus pandemic as he introduced key members of his health team at an event in Wilmington, Del. As he continues to build his administration, Biden has said he will announce his nominations for two other marquee jobs — including attorney general — by the end of the week. Meanwhile, according to people familiar with the transition plans, Biden is expected to name former agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack for the position again, and pick Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio) to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

President Trump, who continues to insist he won the election, appeared at a White House “vaccine summit” to tout his administration’s efforts to combat the pandemic. He also expressed hope that he would have a second term. Continue reading.

Inauguration planning the latest thing to enter the controversy zone

Republicans oppose recognizing Biden will be inaugurated

A meeting of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies turned sour Tuesday, when Republican leaders on the typically uncontroversial panel rejected a resolution that would assert that Joe Biden is president-elect.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have been slow to acknowledge the election results, in deference to President Donald Trump, who continues to deny his clear defeat despite recounts affirming them, states certifying electors and loss after loss in court cases challenging Biden’s win.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., offered a motion recognizing that the group was preparing for the inauguration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a member of the Senate, during a closed-door meeting of the JCCIC in Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s office. Continue reading.

‘Part of the election coup’: Fox News viewers blow up at Chris Wallace for calling Biden ‘president-elect’

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Fox News viewers expressed outrage at Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace on Sunday after he repeatedly insisted that Joe Biden is the rightful president-elect.

Wallace made the remarks during an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who referred to Biden as a former vice president.

“He’s president-elect,” Wallace told Azar multiple times.

On Twitter, some Fox News viewers said that Wallace was part of an “election coup.” Others falsely argued that Wallace was wrong because there has not yet been meeting of the Electoral College, where electors will cast their votes for president. Continue reading.

Biden unveils health team with Becerra, Murthy, Walensky in top roles

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President-elect Joe Biden officially unveiled his health team early Monday, naming California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) as secretary of Health and Human Services.

Vivek Murthy was selected to return to his role as surgeon general, and Rochelle Walensky was picked as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden also announced that Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, will remain as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Continue reading.

Trump is leaving press freedom in tatters. Biden can take these bold steps to repair the damage.

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When Donald Trump first started accusing the mainstream media of dealing in “fake news,” it was impossible to know the long-term effects of this rhetoric. It seemed like just another of his trademark insults.

But the term — and the bad will behind it — quickly morphed into a political weapon, with ruinous effects both here and overseas.

Officials with an autocratic bent around the globe snatched up the idea to mock the press or to deny ugly truths. By late 2017, for instance, a state official in Myanmar was using the term to deny not only the shameful persecution of a Muslim minority group, but that population’s very existence: “There is no such thing as Rohingya. It is fake news.” Continue reading.