theguardian--2020-11-29--Trump rails at judges as another court rejects his lawyers' claims of voter fraud

A day after Pennsylvania ’ s highest court had thrown out a lower court ’ s order preventing the state from certifying results from the 3 November US elections , Donald Trump blasted the judges ’ decision .
Saturday ’ s case – which had attempted to throw out 2.5m mail in votes in the crucial state – was the latest of dozens of failed lawsuits by Trump ’ s lawyers , with judges castigating his lawyers for failing to present evidence of fraud .
With states certifying results , Trump has an ever dwindling route to contest the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his inauguration as president on 20 January and recruits the team for his administration .
However , on Sunday in his first media appearance since losing the presidential contest to his Democratic rival , the president phoned into Fox News to blame the courts for his campaign ’ s so far unsuccessful legal challenges , which are based on a series of debunked conspiracies alleging widespread voter fraud .
“ We ’ re not allowed to put in our proof .
They say you don ’ t have standing , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We have affidavits , we have hundreds and hundreds of affidavits , ” Trump added , noting he ’ d “ file one nice , big beautiful lawsuit ” without providing any details on the supposed “ tremendous proof ” attorneys have .
In the 20 days since polls closed , Republicans and Trump campaign officials have leaned into claims , without evidence , that some states allowed voters to turn in ballots after election day .
His interview comes after weeks of legal challenges from the Trump campaign in battleground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit was filed months after the law allowed for challenges to Pennsylvania ’ s year-old mail-in voting law .
The defeat on Saturday followed Friday ’ s decision by a federal appeals court to dismiss a separate challenge to the Pennsylvania result and back a district judge who likened the president ’ s evidence-free and error-strewn lawsuit to “ Frankenstein ’ s monster ” .
The president ’ s legal team , led by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani , had also demanded recounts in states like Georgia , Wisconsin and Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an elaborate scheme in which even the justice department , FBI and the federal court system were complicit .
But none of these claims are true .
In fact , Trump ’ s own legal team has never formally challenged elections results in any state court through substantiated claims of fraud .
According to the Washington Post , the last-ditch effort has attorneys within the campaign describing – Trump ’ s legal advisor as increasingly “ deranged.
” One close adviser told to The Post that Trump was like “ Mad King @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ muttering , “ I won .
I won .
I won.
” Meanwhile , Milwaukee county completed its recount and certified its results on Friday , just 10 days after the Trump campaign filed a recount request for there and Dane county , the state ’ s two Democratic strongholds with large Black populations .
After nearly 400 uncounted ballots were found , Biden actually increased his margin of victory – gaining an 257 additional votes to the president ’ s 125 additional votes .
Once Dane county certifies its results , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final certification process .
In response , Trump tweeted that the recount was not an effort to find mistakes in the tally , but about “ finding people who have voted illegally ” – again invoking discredited conspiracies that his campaign has “ found many illegal votes ” .
The outgoing president has yet to concede the 2020 election , even as Biden , now president-elect , announces cabinet appointments and his agenda for his first 100 days in office .
After Biden crossed the 80m-vote threshold – a more than 6m vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the votes he received in the election were not “ illegally obtained ” , which there is no legal requirement of any winning official to do before taking office .
There have been a number or reports , based on anonymous official sources , that Trump is weighing up a run in the 2024 presidential election , including a report by the Daily Beast that he is thinking of announcing his campaign during Biden ’ s inauguration .

A day after Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out a lower court’s order preventing the state from certifying results from the 3 November US elections, Donald Trump blasted the judges’ decision.
Saturday’s case – which had attempted to throw out 2.5m mail-in votes in the crucial state – was the latest of dozens of failed lawsuits by Trump’s lawyers, with judges castigating his lawyers for failing to present evidence of fraud.
With states certifying results, Trump has an ever-dwindling route to contest the election as Joe Biden pushes on with preparations for his inauguration as president on 20 January and recruits the team for his administration.
However, on Sunday in his first media appearance since losing the presidential contest to his Democratic rival, the president phoned into Fox News to blame the courts for his campaign’s so far unsuccessful legal challenges, which are based on a series of debunked conspiracies alleging widespread voter fraud.
“We’re not allowed to put in our proof. They say you don’t have standing,” Trump told Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures.
“We have affidavits, we have hundreds and hundreds of affidavits,” Trump added, noting he would “file one nice, big beautiful lawsuit” without providing any details on the supposed “tremendous proof” attorneys have.
In the 20 days since polls closed, Republicans and Trump campaign officials have leaned into claims, without evidence, that some states allowed voters to turn in ballots after election day.
His interview comes after weeks of legal challenges from the Trump campaign in battleground states including Pennsylvania, where the underlying lawsuit was filed months after the law allowed for challenges to Pennsylvania’s year-old mail-in voting law.
The defeat on Saturday followed Friday’s decision by a federal appeals court to dismiss a separate challenge to the Pennsylvania result and back a district judge who likened the president’s evidence-free and error-strewn lawsuit to “Frankenstein’s monster”.
The president’s legal team, led by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, had also demanded recounts in states like Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan, alleging that vote-counting machines were rigged in an elaborate scheme in which even the justice department, FBI and the federal court system were complicit.
But none of these claims are true. In fact, Trump’s own legal team has never formally challenged elections results in any state court through substantiated claims of fraud.
According to the Washington Post, the last-ditch effort has attorneys within the campaign describing Trump’s legal adviser as increasingly “deranged”. One close adviser told the Post that Trump was like “Mad King George” going around the White House ‘muttering, “I won. I won. I won.”
Meanwhile, Milwaukee county completed its recount and certified its results on Friday, just 10 days after the Trump campaign filed a recount request for there and Dane county, the state’s two Democratic strongholds with large Black populations.
After nearly 400 uncounted ballots were found, Biden actually increased his margin of victory – gaining 257 additional votes to the president’s 125 additional votes. Once Dane county certifies its results, the state will move forward in its final certification process.
In response, Trump tweeted that the recount was not an effort to find mistakes in the tally, but about “finding people who have voted illegally” – again invoking discredited conspiracies that his campaign has “found many illegal votes”.
The outgoing president has yet to concede the 2020 election, even as Biden, now president-elect, announces cabinet appointments and his agenda for his first 100 days in office.
After Biden crossed the 80m-vote threshold – a more than 6m vote lead – Trump demanded Biden prove that the votes he received in the election were not “illegally obtained”, which there is no legal requirement of any winning official to do before taking office.
There have been a number or reports, based on anonymous official sources, that Trump is weighing up a run in the 2024 presidential election, including a report by the Daily Beast that he is thinking of announcing his campaign during Biden’s inauguration.


theguardian--2020-11-28--The US is on ‘inequality autopilot’ – how can Biden's treasury pick help change course?

Teresa Marez has never heard of Janet Yellen , likely to be the next treasury secretary of the United States .
But she and millions of other Americans have a lot riding on the decisions Yellen will make if and when she is confirmed next year .
The coronavirus has upended Marez ’ s life .
Her savings are almost exhausted and she is worried about her unemployment benefits , which run out next week .
“ It ’ s so hard .
It ’ s just such a mess , ” said the mother of two in San Antonio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress to make a decision , ” Marez said .
“ As long as they are in limbo , we are in limbo.
” Marez , 45 , is one of the millions of Americans still suffering from the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and whose plight will be the top priority of the incoming president , Joe Biden , and his treasury secretary pick .
The situation is dire .
About 20 million Americans are currently unemployed .
For many hunger has become a major issue .
Government figures show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s biggest feast day – 5.6m households struggled to put enough food on the table .
Huge , haunting lines have formed at food banks across the country and years of neglect and underfunding of the systems to help those in need have worsened their plight .
Last week Marez spent three and a half hours on hold waiting to speak with someone at a Texas unemployment office to hear whether she would get a new form of unemployment when her existing funds expire .
The answer was a noncommittal maybe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold in mid-morning just to get that answer , ” she said .
According to the Century Foundation , 12 million Americans will be cut off from their jobless benefits on 26 December .
A disproportionate number of those people will be women and Latino , like Marez , or Black and young , the groups hardest hit by the economic downturn .
Parts of the US economy have demonstrated amazing resilience in the teeth of the health crisis as those that could transitioned to working from home .
Stock markets are at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have done very , very well .
America ’ s billionaires have added $ 1tn to their wealth over the pandemic , according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies ( IPS ) .
But only one in four US workers have a job that allows them to work from home .
And as coronavirus rates increase and more shutdowns look likely , those who have to leave home to work continue to suffer .
About 778,000 people filed for unemployment last week alone , an increase of 30,000 from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pre-pandemic weekly average .
The unemployment rate peaked at a frightening 14.7 % in April and has since sharply declined .
But , again , women and people of color are still experiencing sharply higher rates of joblessness and the pace of recovery has slowed .
Many economists are now talking of a “ K-shaped recovery ” where the well-off bounce back on the upward tick of the K while the less fortunate slide further into poverty on the downward leg .
“ The economy is on inequality autopilot right now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who called the situation “ grotesque ” .
“ This is a time when we need government to act.
” Yellen , formerly chair of the Federal Reserve , is an impressive pick for the treasury job .
A to- flight academic and policymaker with decades of experience , she was the US ’ s first female Fed chair and probably now the country ’ s first female treasury secretary .
Cautious and collegiate , she is not the progressive many Democrats had hoped for , but she has consistently recognised the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if she has , so far , done little to address it .
At the Fed she said that the African American unemployment rate in particular was too high but argued that the central bank was ill-suited to address the issue .
As treasury secretary , the president ’ s top adviser on domestic and global economic and tax policy , she will have more influence .
More recently she told Reuters : “ There really is a new kind of recognition that you ’ ve got a society where capitalism is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be readjusted in order to make sure that what we ’ re doing is sustainable and the benefits of growth are widely shared in ways they haven ’ t been.
” Senator Elizabeth Warren , a firebrand who has railed against Wall Street ’ s excesses and who was once seen as a potential treasury chief under Biden , was effusive in her praise after news of Yellen ’ s appointment broke .
Warren called Yellen an “ outstanding choice ” and said she was “ smart , tough , and principled ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Wall Street banks ” .
And as treasury secretary she will have more power to act – in theory – than she did at the Fed , by setting tax policy , regulating banks and overseeing priorities as the nation tackles its huge debt repayments .
The treasury secretary employs 87,000 people and has a budget of $ 20bn .
Yellen will be fifth in line to the presidency and her signature will appear on the nation ’ s currency .
But the 2020 election handed Biden a divided Congress and Yellen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any major initiatives .
To date , the omens do not augur well .
In March Congress passed an emergency act , the $ 2tn Cares Act , which pumped money into businesses , approved $ 1,200 stimulus cheques to millions of Americans and temporarily boosted weekly unemployment payments by $ 600 .
Since then , negotiations over a new round of stimulus have stalled and stalled again .
The extra payments have stopped , the cash has been spent .
Republicans , happy to run up record debts under Trump , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ austerity ” .
“ It ’ s borderline criminal that nothing has been done , ” said William Rodgers , former chief economist at the US Department of Labor , and an informal adviser to the Biden transition team .
“ They rammed through a supreme court nominee but have done nothing to help American families.
” Rodgers is hopeful Biden ’ s vast Washington experience and Yellen ’ s expertise and gravitas will make a difference .
“ The optics and evidence is such that they will be forced to concede , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those car lines [ for food banks ] .
Those aren ’ t just old beat-up cars , this is widespread.
” Collins too believes that the majority of Americans , regardless of political leaning , have woken up to inequality .
Florida , which voted for Trump again this year , also passed a resolution increasing its minimum wage to $ 15 an hour .
“ There is going to be a lot of pressure for change , ” he said .
But for those on the sharp end of the Covid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Before the pandemic hit Kat Barron gave notice at her job as a teacher in Florida so she could move to Colorado to be closer to her daughter .
She was not able to qualify for unemployment because she had voluntarily left her job and is living with her daughter and boyfriend while she looks for work .
“ I would be homeless if they weren ’ t letting me live here for free , ” Barron said .
She had originally planned to work as a massage therapist in Colorado but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a high-risk group for Covid-19 .
The $ 2,000 in savings she arrived with in Colorado is drying up and despite the health risks she ’ s considering following through with her original work plan so she can keep paying for her car and phone .
Barron has applied to more than 100 jobs that would allow her to work remotely , but she thinks people are reluctant to hire a 57-year-old woman like herself .
“ I guess my only option is to accept a massage job , ” Barron said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m risking my life to pay my bills , but what am I going to do ?
“ Having money is like a protective cloak almost , and not having it is very , very scary , ” Barron said .

Dominic Rushe and Amanda Holpuch in New York

Teresa Marez has never heard of Janet Yellen, likely to be the next treasury secretary of the United States. But she and millions of other Americans have a lot riding on the decisions Yellen will make if and when she is confirmed next year.
The coronavirus has upended Marez’s life. Her savings are almost exhausted and she is worried about her unemployment benefits, which run out next week. “It’s so hard. It’s just such a mess,” said the mother of two in San Antonio, Texas. “We just need Congress to make a decision,” Marez said. “As long as they are in limbo, we are in limbo.”
Marez, 45, is one of the millions of Americans still suffering from the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and whose plight will be the top priority of the incoming president, Joe Biden, and his treasury secretary pick.
The situation is dire. About 20 million Americans are currently unemployed. For many hunger has become a major issue. Government figures show that the week before Thanksgiving – America’s biggest feast day – 5.6m households struggled to put enough food on the table. Huge, haunting lines have formed at food banks across the country and years of neglect and underfunding of the systems to help those in need have worsened their plight.
Thousands pour into Fair Park for North Texas Food Bank’s largest distribution yet during pandemic https://t.co/EzY6o8Gc2M — Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) November 14, 2020
Last week Marez spent three and a half hours on hold waiting to speak with someone at a Texas unemployment office to hear whether she would get a new form of unemployment when her existing funds expire. The answer was a noncommittal maybe. “Three and a half hours on hold in mid-morning just to get that answer,” she said.
According to the Century Foundation, 12 million Americans will be cut off from their jobless benefits on 26 December. A disproportionate number of those people will be women and Latino, like Marez, or Black and young, the groups hardest hit by the economic downturn.
Meals are prepared and placed on. an outdoor table for people to receive in New York, New York, on 22 October. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Parts of the US economy have demonstrated amazing resilience in the teeth of the health crisis as those that could transitioned to working from home. Stock markets are at record highs. And the very rich have done very, very well. America’s billionaires have added $1tn to their wealth over the pandemic, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).
But only one in four US workers have a job that allows them to work from home. And as coronavirus rates increase and more shutdowns look likely, those who have to leave home to work continue to suffer. About 778,000 people filed for unemployment last week alone, an increase of 30,000 from the previous week and close to three times the pre-pandemic weekly average.
The unemployment rate peaked at a frightening 14.7% in April and has since sharply declined. But, again, women and people of color are still experiencing sharply higher rates of joblessness and the pace of recovery has slowed.
Many economists are now talking of a “K-shaped recovery” where the well-off bounce back on the upward tick of the K while the less fortunate slide further into poverty on the downward leg. “The economy is on inequality autopilot right now,” said Chuck Collins, IPS director, who called the situation “grotesque”. “This is a time when we need government to act.”
Yellen, formerly chair of the Federal Reserve, is an impressive pick for the treasury job. A top-flight academic and policymaker with decades of experience, she was the US’s first female Fed chair and probably now the country’s first female treasury secretary.
Cautious and collegiate, she is not the progressive many Democrats had hoped for, but she has consistently recognised the persistence of inequality in the US, even if she has, so far, done little to address it.
At the Fed she said that the African American unemployment rate in particular was too high but argued that the central bank was ill-suited to address the issue. As treasury secretary, the president’s top adviser on domestic and global economic and tax policy, she will have more influence.
More recently she told Reuters: “There really is a new kind of recognition that you’ve got a society where capitalism is beginning to run amok and needs to be readjusted in order to make sure that what we’re doing is sustainable and the benefits of growth are widely shared in ways they haven’t been.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a firebrand who has railed against Wall Street’s excesses and who was once seen as a potential treasury chief under Biden, was effusive in her praise after news of Yellen’s appointment broke. Warren called Yellen an “outstanding choice” and said she was “smart, tough, and principled” and someone who had “stood up to Wall Street banks”.
Janet Yellen would be an outstanding choice for Treasury Secretary. She is smart, tough, and principled. As one of the most successful Fed Chairs ever, she has stood up to Wall Street banks, including holding Wells Fargo accountable for cheating working families. — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 23, 2020
And as treasury secretary she will have more power to act – in theory – than she did at the Fed, by setting tax policy, regulating banks and overseeing priorities as the nation tackles its huge debt repayments. The treasury secretary employs 87,000 people and has a budget of $20bn. Yellen will be fifth in line to the presidency and her signature will appear on the nation’s currency.
But the 2020 election handed Biden a divided Congress and Yellen will have to win Republican votes for any major initiatives. To date, the omens do not augur well.
[Republicans] rammed through a supreme court nominee but have done nothing to help American families William Rodgers
In March Congress passed an emergency act, the $2tn Cares Act, which pumped money into businesses, approved $1,200 stimulus cheques to millions of Americans and temporarily boosted weekly unemployment payments by $600. Since then, negotiations over a new round of stimulus have stalled and stalled again. The extra payments have stopped, the cash has been spent. Republicans, happy to run up record debts under Trump, are now talking about the need for “austerity”.
“It’s borderline criminal that nothing has been done,” said William Rodgers, former chief economist at the US Department of Labor, and an informal adviser to the Biden transition team. “They rammed through a supreme court nominee but have done nothing to help American families.”
Rodgers is hopeful Biden’s vast Washington experience and Yellen’s expertise and gravitas will make a difference. “The optics and evidence is such that they will be forced to concede,” he says. “Look at those car lines [for food banks]. Those aren’t just old beat-up cars, this is widespread.”
Hundreds of cars wait in line at a food bank in Austin, Texas, on 23 November. Photograph: Jordan Vonderhaar/REX/Shutterstock
Collins too believes that the majority of Americans, regardless of political leaning, have woken up to inequality. Florida, which voted for Trump again this year, also passed a resolution increasing its minimum wage to $15 an hour. “There is going to be a lot of pressure for change,” he said.
But for those on the sharp end of the Covid 19 recession, time is running out.
Before the pandemic hit Kat Barron gave notice at her job as a teacher in Florida so she could move to Colorado to be closer to her daughter. She was not able to qualify for unemployment because she had voluntarily left her job and is living with her daughter and boyfriend while she looks for work. “I would be homeless if they weren’t letting me live here for free,” Barron said.
She had originally planned to work as a massage therapist in Colorado but put that on hold because she is in a high-risk group for Covid-19. The $2,000 in savings she arrived with in Colorado is drying up and despite the health risks she’s considering following through with her original work plan so she can keep paying for her car and phone.
Barron has applied to more than 100 jobs that would allow her to work remotely, but she thinks people are reluctant to hire a 57-year-old woman like herself.
“I guess my only option is to accept a massage job,” Barron said. “It makes me feel like I’m risking my life to pay my bills, but what am I going to do?
“Having money is like a protective cloak almost, and not having it is very, very scary,” Barron said.


theguardian--2020-11-30--Trump losing Twitter followers since election – as Biden gains them

Donald Trump has been losing Twitter followers since he lost the presidential election to Joe Biden – while the Democratic president-elect has been adding them .
According to Factbase , a website dedicated to tracking Trump ’ s public utterances , the president has lost 133,902 followers since 17 November while the president-elect has gained 1,156,610 .
In a Sunday tweet , CNN host and media reporter Brian Stelter said that while Twitter followers were “ surely not the most important metric in the world ” , it was “ still worth noting : for the first time since 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Factbase , he pointed out , had “ measured small declines for 11 days in a row ” .
Trump has 88.8 million followers , to whom he continues to tweet baseless claims of electoral fraud and all-out conspiracy theories surrounding his loss to Biden .
His most recent message at the time of writing accompanied video of a crowd at a rally and said : “ NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION !
” Trump has complained about his treatment by Twitter , alleging it is biased against conservatives .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the site will stop giving him the benefit of the doubt regarding his false and inflammatory messages .
On Monday morning , his most recent message read : “ It ’ s time to put away the harsh rhetoric , lower the temperature , and listen to each other again .
To make progress , we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy .
We are not enemies .
We are Americans .
”

Donald Trump has been losing Twitter followers since he lost the presidential election to Joe Biden – while the Democratic president-elect has been adding them.
According to Factbase, a website dedicated to tracking Trump’s public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 followers since 17 November while the president-elect has gained 1,156,610.
In a Sunday tweet, the CNN host and media reporter Brian Stelter said that while Twitter followers were “surely not the most important metric in the world”, it was “still worth noting: for the first time since 2015, Trump is consistently losing followers”.
Factbase, he pointed out, had “measured small declines for 11 days in a row”.
Trump has 88.8 million followers, to whom he continues to tweet baseless claims of electoral fraud and all-out conspiracy theories surrounding his loss to Biden.
His most recent message at the time of writing accompanied video of a crowd at a rally and said: “NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION!”
Trump has complained about his treatment by Twitter, alleging it is biased against conservatives. Many observers expect that once he leaves office, the site will stop giving him the benefit of the doubt regarding his false and inflammatory messages.
Biden has 20.2 million followers.
On Monday morning, his most recent message read: “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, and listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.”


theguardian--2020-11-30--Trump's claims of fraud aim to 'scare people', says ex-head of US election security

Donald Trump and his allies are “ undermining democracy ” with evidence-free claims of fraud and conspiracy , the former head of US election security said on Sunday , discussing the effort he led before he was fired by the president .
“ What I saw was an apparent attempt to undermine confidence in the election , to confuse people , to scare people , ” Chris Krebs told CBS 60 Minutes .
Trump called the interview “ ridiculous , one-sided [ and ] an international joke ” , as he continued to tweet conspiracy theories and baseless claims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college to Joe Biden by 306-232 , the result he said was a landslide when it was in his favour over Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
Biden is more than 6m ahead in the popular vote and won the support of more than 80m Americans , the most of any presidential candidate .
Trump belatedly allowed the transition to proceed but has not conceded defeat , despite his team having won one election-related lawsuit and lost 39 .
Relaying baseless claims to reporters over the Thanksgiving holiday , the president did say he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electoral college is confirmed for Biden .
It votes on 14 December , a result certified on 6 January .
Inauguration day is 20 January .
Krebs , 43 , was fired as head of the Department of Homeland Security ’ s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( Cisa ) two weeks after election day .
Two days after that , at Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington , Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani gave a press conference in which he and then team member Sidney Powell pushed Trump ’ s false claims .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s not just Cisa .
It ’ s the tens of thousands of election workers out there that had been working nonstop , 18-hour days , for months .
They ’ re getting death threats for trying to carry out one of our core democratic institutions , an election .
And that was , again , to me , a press conference that … didn ’ t make sense .
What it was actively doing was undermining democracy .
And that ’ s dangerous.
” Trump tweeted in response , part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ There is no foreign power that is flipping votes , ” Krebs said .
“ There ’ s no domestic actor flipping votes .
I did it right .
We did it right .
This was a secure election.
” Claims by Trump lawyers of interference from Venezuela or China were “ farcical ” , he said , adding : “ The American people should have 100 % confidence in their vote.
” Polling , however , shows a majority of Republicans believe the president .
Krebs defended state officials who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have targeted .
“ It ’ s in my view a travesty what ’ s happening right now with all these death threats to election officials , to secretaries of state , ” Krebs said .
“ I want everybody to look at Secretary [ Kathy ] Boockvar in Pennsylvania , Secretary [ Jocelyn ] Benson in Michigan , Secretary [ Barbara ] Cegavske in Nevada , Secretary [ Katie ] Hobbs in Arizona .
All strong women that are standing up , that are under attack from all sides , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re doing their jobs .
“ Look Secretary [ Brad ] Raffensperger in Georgia .
Lifelong Republican .
He put country before party in his holding a free and fair election in that state .
There are some real heroes out there .
There are some real patriots .
”

Donald Trump and his allies are “undermining democracy” with evidence-free claims of fraud and conspiracy, the former head of US election security said on Sunday, discussing the effort he led before he was fired by the president.
“What I saw was an apparent attempt to undermine confidence in the election, to confuse people, to scare people,” Chris Krebs told CBS 60 Minutes.
Trump called the interview “ridiculous, one-sided [and] an international joke”, as he continued to tweet conspiracy theories and baseless claims of electoral malpractice.
Trump lost the electoral college to Joe Biden by 306-232, the result he said was a landslide when it was in his favour over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Biden is more than 6m ahead in the popular vote and won the support of more than 80m Americans, the most of any presidential candidate.
Trump belatedly allowed the transition to proceed but has not conceded defeat, despite his team having won one election-related lawsuit and lost 39.
Relaying baseless claims to reporters over the Thanksgiving holiday, the president did say he will leave the White House if the electoral college is confirmed for Biden. It votes on 14 December, a result certified on 6 January. Inauguration day is 20 January.
Krebs, 43, was fired as head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) two weeks after election day. Two days after that, at Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, the Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani gave a press conference in which he and then team member Sidney Powell pushed Trump’s false claims.
“It was upsetting,” Krebs told CBS.
“It’s not me, it’s not just Cisa. It’s the tens of thousands of election workers out there that had been working nonstop, 18-hour days, for months. They’re getting death threats for trying to carry out one of our core democratic institutions, an election. And that was, again, to me, a press conference that … didn’t make sense. What it was actively doing was undermining democracy. And that’s dangerous.”
Trump tweeted in response, part of a stream of Sunday night messages.
“There is no foreign power that is flipping votes,” Krebs said. “There’s no domestic actor flipping votes. I did it right. We did it right. This was a secure election.”
Claims by Trump lawyers of interference from Venezuela or China were “farcical”, he said, adding: “The American people should have 100% confidence in their vote.”
Polling, however, shows a majority of Republicans believe the president. Krebs defended state officials who Trump, and subsequently his supporters, have targeted.
“It’s in my view a travesty what’s happening right now with all these death threats to election officials, to secretaries of state,” Krebs said.
“I want everybody to look at Secretary [Kathy] Boockvar in Pennsylvania, Secretary [Jocelyn] Benson in Michigan, Secretary [Barbara] Cegavske in Nevada, Secretary [Katie] Hobbs in Arizona. All strong women that are standing up, that are under attack from all sides, and they’re defending democracy. They’re doing their jobs.
“Look at Secretary [Brad] Raffensperger in Georgia. Lifelong Republican. He put country before party in his holding a free and fair election in that state. There are some real heroes out there. There are some real patriots.”


theguardian--2020-11-30--US election results 2020: Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump to win presidency

Americans are also electing members to the two chambers of Congress , the main law-making body of the US .
@ @ @ @ @ and the House of Representatives .
Without support in the Senate and the House , @ @ @ @ @ enact key policies is severely limited .

Niko Kommenda, Antonio Voce, Frank Hulley-Jones, Anna Leach and Seán Clarke

Americans are also electing members to the two chambers of Congress, the main law-making body of the US. Those chambers are the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Without support in the Senate and the House, the president's ability to enact key policies is severely limited.


theguardian--2020-11-30--Five factors that helped US democracy resist Trump's election onslaught

It is not clear yet whether US democracy “ survived ” the 2020 presidential election unscathed .
If Donald Trump ’ s playbook of seeking to undermine a legitimate election becomes standard Republican practice for future elections – refuse to concede , make false claims of fraud , fan the flames of conspiracy , sue everywhere and refuse to certify any win by the other side – then American democracy might already have sustained a fatal wound .
But Trump has not succeeded in stealing the 2020 election , despite his historic attempt to do so , in what analysts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US democracy since the civil war era .
The two states upon which Trump ’ s plot most hinged , Pennsylvania and Michigan , certified their results in Joe Biden ’ s favor earlier this week .
The presidential transition is at last under way .
But while the election exposed key areas where American democracy is failing , it also highlighted structural features that make national elections in the United States hard to steal , no matter how determined the would-be despot or how complicit his party colleagues .
Here is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central authority oversees US elections .
National elections are broken down by 50 states and the District of Columbia .
Elections within each state are run in turn by counties and by precincts within counties .
People vote locally , in thousands of jurisdictions ; ballots are tallied locally ; and the results are reported locally , and then added up in the public eye .
The sheer number of people involved defies both coordination and conspiracy .
On election night , the tributaries of local results become streams , and then flow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a flood .
No president or any other figure has the power to stop the result .
While every national election is stained by voter suppression measures and strained by human error and voting irregularities , the totality of the vote , and the transparency of its accumulation , constitutes an overwhelming force .
A persistent symptom of weakness in US democracy has been low voter turnout .
Less voter participation means less representative government .
But turnout was a bright spot in 2020 .
Before this November ’ s election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes – Barack Obama got 69.5m in 2008 .
In 2020 , Trump ’ s tally was building toward 74m – while Biden had surpassed the incredible total of 80m , with many ballots from the majority-Democrat New York state yet to be reported .
The previous benchmark for total votes cast for the two major parties in a presidential election was about 130m .
Astoundingly , the 2020 election is on track to record almost 20 % more votes than that for the Republican and Democratic tickets .
As a uniquely polarizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears to have been a huge driver of turnout , both for and against .
Despite Trump ’ s false assertions , US presidential elections are not subject to widespread fraud , miscounts or other significant irregularities .
This is in part thanks to the tireless work of activists and no thanks to routine attempts at voter suppression .
No significant instances of fraud emerged from the 2020 election , conducted over more than a month with an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots cast amid a pandemic .
No Trump lawyer dared impute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lies filling Trump ’ s Twitter feed .
A hand recount of about 5m ballots in Georgia inconsequentially moved the overall result by about 1,200 votes – a typically small recount result .
A recount is also under way in Wisconsin , which Biden won by more than 20,000 votes .
State officials reported no significant changes in the overall tally after a fourth day of recounting .
From melting hair dye to Four Seasons Total Landscaping , Trump ’ s legal team has been much-derided .
But in key states , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Jones Day and Porter Wright Morris & Arthur .
On the whole these lawyers have fared miserably , winning only one minor case out of 43 in six states , while losing 35 cases so far , according to a running tally maintained by the Democratic lawyer Marc Elias .
The judges who threw out Trump campaign cases include Trump appointees .
Judge Steven Grimberg in the northern district of Georgia booted a complaint by a Trump elector seeking to block certification of the state ’ s vote .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why the plaintiff delayed bringing this claim until two weeks after this election and on the cusp of these election results being certified , ” Grimberg wrote .
Before the election , another Trump appointee , Judge J Nicholas Ranjan , threw out a Trump complaint in Pennsylvania challenging mail-in ballots .
And district judge Matthew Brann of Pennsylvania , a former Republican party official and Federalist Society member , sternly jettisoned a separate Trump campaign challenge filed after the election .
“ This Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence , ” Brann wrote .
“ In the United States of America , this can not justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state .
Our people , laws , and institutions demand more.
” Apart from Congress , the media is one of the least-loved institutions in the United States , abused with glee from the White House on down .
And the American media has been terribly crippled by the loss over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offered irreplaceable , knowledgable coverage of local events .
Pseudo-media propaganda services such as Breitbart , One America News , Newsmax and Parler , financed by conservative billionaires , represent ominous new entries on the media landscape given invaluable support by Trump .
But strong and independent media , afforded powerful protections by the first amendment , remain a vital feature of US democracy .
With no central authority over US elections , it falls to the media to project a winner .
Where the intimidation of voters or poll workers is reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shine a light .
Where false accusations about election fraud are spread by the president , it falls to the media to investigate and explain what is true and what is false .
Trump grew enraged when Fox News called the state of Arizona for Biden early on Wednesday after the election .
But in doing so , the network – in its election-calling operations , at least – demonstrated its independence and investment in the truth .
The Associated Press worked for years to maintain and upgrade its elections operations while committing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how its elections reporting worked .
Other media outlets demonstrated similar will and resolve in waiting to call states until the result was plain but then calling them definitively when it was .

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It is not clear yet whether US democracy “survived” the 2020 presidential election unscathed.
If Donald Trump’s playbook of seeking to undermine a legitimate election becomes standard Republican practice for future elections – refuse to concede, make false claims of fraud, fan the flames of conspiracy, sue everywhere and refuse to certify any win by the other side – then American democracy might already have sustained a fatal wound.
But Trump has not succeeded in stealing the 2020 election, despite his historic attempt to do so, in what analysts call the most dangerous frontal assault on US democracy since the civil war era. The two states upon which Trump’s plot most hinged, Pennsylvania and Michigan, certified their results in Joe Biden’s favor early last week. The presidential transition is at last under way.
But while the election exposed key areas where American democracy is failing, it also highlighted structural features that make national elections in the United States hard to steal, no matter how determined the would-be despot or how complicit his party colleagues.
Here is a select list of those features:
1 Decentralization
No central authority oversees US elections. National elections are broken down by 50 states and the District of Columbia. Elections within each state are run in turn by counties and by precincts within counties. People vote locally, in thousands of jurisdictions; ballots are tallied locally; and the results are reported locally, and then added up in the public eye. The sheer number of people involved defies both coordination and conspiracy.
On election night, the tributaries of local results become streams, and then flow together to form rivers, and then become a flood. No president or any other figure has the power to stop the result. While every national election is stained by voter suppression measures and strained by human error and voting irregularities, the totality of the vote, and the transparency of its accumulation, constitutes an overwhelming force.
2 Turnout
A persistent symptom of weakness in US democracy has been low voter turnout. Less voter participation means less representative government. But turnout was a bright spot in 2020. Before this November’s election, no presidential ticket had ever notched 70m votes – Barack Obama got 69.5m in 2008. In 2020, Trump’s tally was building toward 74m – while Biden had surpassed the incredible total of 80m, with many ballots from the majority-Democrat New York state yet to be reported.
The previous benchmark for total votes cast for the two major parties in a presidential election was about 130m. Astoundingly, the 2020 election is on track to record almost 20% more votes than that for the Republican and Democratic tickets. As a uniquely polarizing and inescapable figure in politics, Trump appears to have been a huge driver of turnout, both for and against.
3 Integrity and transparency
Despite Trump’s false assertions, US presidential elections are not subject to widespread fraud, miscounts or other significant irregularities. This is in part thanks to the tireless work of activists and no thanks to routine attempts at voter suppression.
No significant instances of fraud emerged from the 2020 election, conducted over more than a month with an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots cast amid a pandemic. No Trump lawyer dared impute election fraud in court, despite the lies filling Trump’s Twitter feed.
A hand recount of about 5m ballots in Georgia inconsequentially moved the overall result by about 1,200 votes – a typically small recount result. A recount is also under way in Wisconsin, which Biden won by more than 20,000 votes. State officials reported no significant changes in the overall tally after a fourth day of recounting.
4 The courts
From melting hair dye to Four Seasons Total Landscaping, Trump’s legal team has been much-derided. But in key states, the campaign also hired top-flight lawyers from firms such as Jones Day and Porter Wright Morris & Arthur. On the whole, these lawyers have fared miserably, winning only one minor case out of 43 in six states, while losing 35 cases so far, according to a running tally maintained by the Democratic lawyer Marc Elias.
The judges who threw out Trump campaign cases include Trump appointees. Judge Steven Grimberg in the northern district of Georgia booted a complaint by a Trump elector seeking to block certification of the state’s vote. “I didn’t hear any justification for why the plaintiff delayed bringing this claim until two weeks after this election and on the cusp of these election results being certified,” Grimberg wrote.
Before the election, another Trump appointee, Judge J Nicholas Ranjan, threw out a Trump complaint in Pennsylvania challenging mail-in ballots. And district judge Matthew Brann of Pennsylvania, a former Republican party official and Federalist Society member, sternly jettisoned a separate Trump campaign challenge filed after the election.
“This court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence,” Brann wrote. “In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state. Our people, laws, and institutions demand more.”
5 The media
Apart from Congress, the media is one of the least-loved institutions in the United States, abused with glee from the White House on down. And the American media has been terribly crippled by the loss over the last decade of countless local outlets that offered irreplaceable, knowledgable coverage of local events. Pseudo-media propaganda services such as Breitbart, One America News, Newsmax and Parler, financed by conservative billionaires, represent ominous new entries on the media landscape given invaluable support by Trump.
But strong and independent media, afforded powerful protections by the first amendment, remain a vital feature of US democracy. With no central authority over US elections, it falls to the media to project a winner. Where the intimidation of voters or poll workers is reported, it falls to the media to shine a light. Where false accusations about election fraud are spread by the president, it falls to the media to investigate and explain what is true and what is false.
Trump grew enraged when Fox News called the state of Arizona for Biden early on Wednesday after the election. But in doing so, the network – in its election-calling operations, at least – demonstrated its independence and investment in the truth. The Associated Press worked for years to maintain and upgrade its elections operations while committing to unprecedented transparency in 2020 in explaining how its elections reporting worked. Other media outlets demonstrated similar will and resolve in waiting to call states until the result was plain but then calling them definitively when it was.


theguardian--2020-11-30--Kushner heading to Saudi Arabia and Qatar amid tensions over Iranian scientist killing

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is headed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week for talks in a region simmering with tension after the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist .
A senior administration official said on Sunday that Kushner is to meet the Saudi crown prince , Mohammed bin Salman , in the Saudi city of Neom , and the emir of Qatar in that country in the coming days .
Kushner will be joined by Middle East envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook and Adam Boehler , chief executive of the US International Development Finance Corporation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispute between Qatar and a Saudi-led alliance , the Wall Street Journal reported , but a number of issues could be on the agenda .
Kushner and his team helped negotiate normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain , the United Arab Emirates and Sudan since August .
The official said they would like to advance more such agreements before Donald Trump hands power to president-elect Joe Biden on 20 January .
US officials believe enticing Saudi Arabia into a deal with Israel would prompt other Arab nations to follow suit .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brink of reaching such a landmark deal and officials in recent weeks have been focusing on other countries , with concern about Iran ’ s regional influence a uniting factor .
Kushner ’ s trip comes after the killing on Friday of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran by unidentified assailants .
Western and Israeli governments believe Fakhrizadeh was the architect of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program .
Days before the killing , the Israeli prime minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , travelled to Saudi Arabia and met with Prince Mohammed , an Israeli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first publicly confirmed visit by an Israeli leader .
Israeli media said they were joined by the US secretary of state , Mike Pompeo .
The historic meeting underlined how opposition to Tehran is bringing about a strategic realignment of countries in the Middle East .
Prince Mohammed and Netanyahu fear Biden will adopt policies on Iran similar to those adopted during Barack Obama ’ s presidency which strained Washington ’ s ties with its traditional regional allies .
Biden has said he will rejoin the international nuclear pact with Iran that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies to strengthen its terms – if Tehran first resumes strict compliance .
The senior administration official , speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity , declined to give more details of Kushner ’ s trip for security reasons .
The official said Kushner met at the White House last week with the Kuwaiti foreign minister , Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah .
Kuwait is seen as critical in any effort to resolve a three-year rift between Qatar and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council .
Saudi Arabia , Egypt , Bahrain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comprise the GCC , cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in 2017 and imposed a boycott over allegations that Qatar supported terrorism , a charge it denies .

The White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is headed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week for talks in a region simmering with tension after the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist.
A senior administration official said on Sunday that Kushner was to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in the Saudi city of Neom, and the emir of Qatar in that country in the coming days. Kushner will be joined by Middle East envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook and Adam Boehler, chief executive of the US International Development Finance Corporation.
The visits would focus on resolving a dispute between Qatar and a Saudi-led alliance, the Wall Street Journal reported, but a number of issues could be on the agenda.
Kushner and his team helped negotiate normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan since August. The official said they would like to advance more such agreements before Donald Trump hands power to President-elect Joe Biden on 20 January.
US officials believe enticing Saudi Arabia into a deal with Israel would prompt other Arab nations to follow suit. But the Saudis do not appear to be on the brink of reaching such a landmark deal and officials in recent weeks have been focusing on other countries, with concern about Iran’s regional influence a uniting factor.
Kushner’s trip comes after the killing on Friday of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran by unidentified assailants. Western and Israeli governments believe Fakhrizadeh was the architect of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program.
Days before the killing, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, travelled to Saudi Arabia and met with Prince Mohammed, an Israeli official said, in what was the first publicly confirmed visit by an Israeli leader. Israeli media said they were joined by the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.
The historic meeting underlined how opposition to Tehran is bringing about a strategic realignment of countries in the Middle East. Prince Mohammed and Netanyahu fear Biden will adopt policies on Iran similar to those adopted during Barack Obama’s presidency which strained Washington’s ties with its traditional regional allies. Biden has said he will rejoin the international nuclear pact with Iran that Trump quit in 2018 – and work with allies to strengthen its terms – if Tehran first resumes strict compliance.
The senior administration official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, declined to give more details of Kushner’s trip for security reasons.
The official said Kushner met at the White House last week with the Kuwaiti foreign minister, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah. Kuwait is seen as critical in any effort to resolve a three-year rift between Qatar and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which comprise the GCC, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in 2017 and imposed a boycott over allegations that Qatar supported terrorism, a charge it denies.


theguardian--2020-11-30--Joe Biden announces all-female media team at his White House

President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House , led by campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield .
Bedingfield will serve as Biden ’ s White House communications director , and Jen Psaki , a longtime Democratic spokeswoman , will be his press secretary .
Biden , whose office said he would receive his first presidential intelligence briefing on Monday , also plans to name a woman as director of the Office of Management and Budget .
Neera Tanden , the president and chief executive of the Center for American Progress , a liberal think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of overseeing the implementation of Biden ’ s policies , according to a person familiar with the transition process .
All three are veterans of the Obama administration .
Bedingfield served as communications director for Biden while he was vice president ; Psaki was a White House communications director and a spokesperson at the state department ; and Tanden served as a senior adviser to the-then health and human services secretary , Kathleen Sebelius .
“ Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House , ” Biden said in a statement .
“ These qualified , experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better , ” he added .
Karine Jean Pierre , who was vice president-elect Kamala Harris ’ chief of staff , will serve as a principal deputy press secretary for the president-elect .
She is another Obama administration alum , having served as a regional political director for the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tobar , who was communications director for coalitions on Biden ’ s campaign , will be his deputy White House communications director .
Another woman expected to be appointed to a senior role in the administration is Cecilia Rouse , who will beome chair of the Council of Economic Advisers .
Rouse , a labor economist at Princeton University whose research has focused on the economics of education and tackling wealth inequality , is well-liked by progressives .
She previously served as a member of the council in the Obama administration .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , senior international economic adviser in the Obama administration , to serve as Janet Yellen ’ s top deputy at the treasury department .
Economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey are expected to be named as members of the Council of Economic Advisers , the person said .
Biden has also picked Brian Deese , another adviser under Obama , to head the White House National Economic Council , the New York Times reported , citing three people with knowledge of the matter .
The economic blow dealt by the coronavirus pandemic has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that progressives want Biden ’ s team to tackle swiftly .
They have leaned hard on him to shun corporate lobbyists and prioritise diverse picks .
The economic selections so far represent “ broad diversity , deep expertise , long Washington experience ” , said Matt Bennett , co-founder of centrist Democratic political consultancy Third Way , and “ a return to competence and sanity ” .
But some progressives criticized the selection of Deese , a White House climate official under Obama and currently an executive at BlackRock , the world ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , director of the Revolving Door Project , a group that scrutinizes corporate influence in government , said BlackRock ’ s large stake in U.S. policy decisions might put pressure on Deese to recuse himself from some policy matters .
“ He will either be absent from big chunks of his job or proceed without regard to the conflicts of interest , ” Hauser said .
BlackRock did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
The appointment of Tanden , who heads the left-leaning Center for American Progress think tank and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for Hillary Clinton against Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential race , is also likely to draw criticism from the left .

President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House, led by campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield.
Bedingfield will serve as Biden’s White House communications director, and Jen Psaki, a longtime Democratic spokeswoman, will be his press secretary.
Biden, whose office said he would receive his first presidential intelligence briefing on Monday, also plans to name a woman as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Neera Tanden, the president and chief executive of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, will be given the job of overseeing the implementation of Biden’s policies, according to a person familiar with the transition process.
All three are veterans of the Obama administration. Bedingfield served as communications director for Biden while he was vice president; Psaki was a White House communications director and a spokesperson at the state department; and Tanden served as a senior adviser to the-then health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius.
Jen Psaki was a White House communications director Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP
“Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House,” Biden said in a statement.
“These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better,” he added.
Karine Jean Pierre, who was vice president-elect Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, will serve as a principal deputy press secretary for the president-elect. She is another Obama administration alum, having served as a regional political director for the White House office of political affairs.
Pili Tobar, who was communications director for coalitions on Biden’s campaign, will be his deputy White House communications director.
Another woman expected to be appointed to a senior role in the administration is Cecilia Rouse, who will beome chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Rouse, a labor economist at Princeton University whose research has focused on the economics of education and tackling wealth inequality, is well-liked by progressives. She previously served as a member of the council in the Obama administration.
Biden is also expected to pick Wally Adeyemo, senior international economic adviser in the Obama administration, to serve as Janet Yellen’s top deputy at the treasury department. Economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey are expected to be named as members of the Council of Economic Advisers, the person said.
Biden has also picked Brian Deese, another adviser under Obama, to head the White House National Economic Council, the New York Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.
The economic blow dealt by the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare dramatic wealth and racial disparities that progressives want Biden’s team to tackle swiftly. They have leaned hard on him to shun corporate lobbyists and prioritise diverse picks.
The economic selections so far represent “broad diversity, deep expertise, long Washington experience”, said Matt Bennett, co-founder of centrist Democratic political consultancy Third Way, and “a return to competence and sanity”.
But some progressives criticized the selection of Deese, a White House climate official under Obama and currently an executive at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager.
Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, a group that scrutinizes corporate influence in government, said BlackRock’s large stake in U.S. policy decisions might put pressure on Deese to recuse himself from some policy matters.
“He will either be absent from big chunks of his job or proceed without regard to the conflicts of interest,” Hauser said. BlackRock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The appointment of Tanden, who heads the left-leaning Center for American Progress think tank and sparred with the progressive camp over her support for Hillary Clinton against Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential race, is also likely to draw criticism from the left.


theguardian--2020-11-30--Biden says 'America is back'. But will his team of insiders repeat their old mistakes? | Samuel Moyn

The big question for the US president-elect , Joe Biden , who has taken “ build back better ” as his motto , is whether this will mean genuine renovation or mere restoration .
Americans desperately need a pivot after the madness of Donald Trump .
And when Biden takes the reins of power from his predecessor , there is no doubt that a big reset will come .
But the risk of complacent restoration is nowhere greater than in US foreign policy – especially since it is a domain in which the office of president has so much authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gridlock .
“ Everything must change so that everything can remain the same , ” says the aristocratic hero of Giuseppe di Lampedusa ’ s novel The Leopard ( 1958 ) .
It seems to be the motto of current elites eager to bracket the Trump years in the name of the status quo ante .
Since the shock of 2016 , Washington foreign policy elites , both mainstream Democrats out of power and their Never Trump Republican allies , have developed a just-so story about their benevolent role in the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was once isolationist , but then committed after the second world war to leading a “ rules-based international order ” , a phrase that is increasingly hard to avoid in assessments of the presidential transition .
In this story , Trump ’ s election represented atavism and immorality , the return of rightly repressed nationalism and nativism at home and abroad .
In response , the agenda has to be to restore US credibility and leadership as the “ indispensable nation ” by embracing internationalism again .
Trump ’ s boorish attack on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like comfort food after a hangover .
The darker truth this response conceals is that generations of foreign policy mistakes both preceded and precipitated Trump – who often went on to continue them anyway .
The record of Washington ’ s “ wise men ” , who coddled dictators , militarised the globe , and entrenched economic unfairness at home and abroad , opened an extraordinary opportunity for any Trump-like demagogue – making his ascendancy less a matter of atavism than another form of the blowback to mistakes that America perpetually made abroad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy elites , it was because they helped make him possible .
There is no doubt that Trump altered national security policy in a host of ways .
But the idea that the old international order was actually rules-based is a fiction that is impossible to sustain – especially regarding the US , which bent or broke the rules across the world throughout the cold war , fearful of its Soviet adversary .
After September 11 , the US crafted its own version of international law , shaped in its own interests – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama , and against much resistance from others across the world .
In economic matters since 1945 , it is not so much that the US either forged or ruptured a rules-based order , but rather that it pivoted from one set of rules to a radically new one .
For decades after the second world war , the system allowed other governments considerable room for manoeuvre in their economic policies .
But then the US helped to impose a draconian neoliberal order that persists to the present day , including through international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s attitudes towards war and peace were paradoxical .
He beat his Republican rivals in 2016 by shockingly condemning the Iraq war , falsely claiming to have been on the right side of history all along , before going on to prevail against Clinton by appealing to veterans and other Americans fatigued by their country ’ s fruitless global interventionism .
As a result , Biden himself ran on “ ending endless wars ” because Trump helped to make it an obligatory gesture .
In power , Trump became the latest president to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Obama did before him – while building a bigger military , and ordering even more drone strikes and special forces missions .
Still , he not only reversed Obama ’ s incursions deep into parts of Africa but continued the shift away from heavy-footprint wars to light- and no-footprint modes across Central Asia and the Middle East , facing the “ resistance ” of the military for trying to pull troops from Afghanistan and Iraq in his final days for doing so .
Biden will rightly restore the Iran deal if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accords .
He and his staff will talk more about the importance of standard parts of US foreign policy of the past , from human rights to multilateralism and from Nato to the United Nations .
He will offer slightly less support for Israel ’ s rightwing leader , Benjamin Netanyahu , and Saudi Arabia ’ s Prince Mohammed bin Salman ( though still a lot ) .
But the transformation will likely halt there , for there is little further evidence that Biden understands the need to deal with America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn something from his support for the disastrous Iraq war .
He spoke against some interventions as vice-president to Obama and has been vindicated for doing so .
As a result , he will rattle America ’ s sabre less aggressively .
He needs to be held to his promise of ceasing US support for the calamitous Saudi war in Yemen , which Obama enabled and Trump has continued with a vengeance .
Unfortunately , however , a more cautious approach to US military power may only come in exchange for restoring enmity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a cold war with China that Trump blazed .
The chance Biden will end the misbegotten “ war on terror ” is vanishingly small – and not merely in Afghanistan and Iraq .
Antony Blinken , Biden ’ s pick for secretary of state , will undo much of the damage Trump did to America ’ s foreign service and international reputation .
But as he explained on a recent podcast , the new administration will ratify the shift away from the “ large-scale ” to the microscopic and visible to invisible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if the problem were just that Trump used them with even more gusto .
Avril Haines , whom Biden has nominated to direct national intelligence , helped both devise and limit targeted killings in a CIA stint .
An eternal campaign of armed drones and special forces isn ’ t a fulfilment of a promise to “ end endless wars ” .
It merely appropriates a slogan for the sake of continuity .
The continuity of personnel such as Blinken , who was Biden ’ s top aide when he voted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way restoration really works in practice .
Susan Rice , former national security adviser under Obama and nearly Biden ’ s vice-presidential candidate , also mentioned for high office , has written glowingly that Biden brings “ a deep bench of highly qualified , knowledgable experts ” .
What is less clear is whether these interventionist mainstays have learned enough in their promises to overturn Trump ’ s legacy while not recognising how much he both capitalised on and continued their own grievous errors .
While the wars of the future are hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether Biden intends a restoration or a renovation will be his economic policy .
In spite of campaign promises to restore US manufacturing , Biden has a long record of supporting free trade in America ’ s foreign relations , as a diehard supporter of Nafta and the Trans-Pacific Partnership ( before the latter became politically controversial ) .
Biden has been cagey about whether he will join the latest such agreement .
Either way , how he will balance the benefits of free trade with its grievous results for inequality and stagnation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the system crash of Trump ’ s victory in 2016 but his near-miss in 2020 mean that it is not a time for complacency .
But if Biden ’ s presidency stands for little more than nostalgia for a lost foreign policy , it will not only miss a historic opportunity for a US reboot .
Reviving old mistakes will only lead some new rough beast to slouch toward Washington , promising to save America from them .
• Samuel Moyn is a professor of law and history at Yale and the author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Unequal World

The big question for the US president-elect, Joe Biden, who has taken “build back better” as his motto, is whether this will mean genuine renovation or mere restoration. Americans desperately need a pivot after the madness of Donald Trump. And when Biden takes the reins of power from his predecessor, there is no doubt that a big reset will come. But the risk of complacent restoration is nowhere greater than in US foreign policy – especially since it is a domain in which the office of president has so much authority, even in the midst of legislative gridlock.
“Everything must change so that everything can remain the same,” says the aristocratic hero of Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard (1958). It seems to be the motto of current elites eager to bracket the Trump years in the name of the status quo ante.
Since the shock of 2016, Washington foreign policy elites, both mainstream Democrats out of power and their Never Trump Republican allies, have developed a just-so story about their benevolent role in the world. It goes like this: the US was once isolationist, but then committed after the second world war to leading a “rules-based international order”, a phrase that is increasingly hard to avoid in assessments of the presidential transition. In this story, Trump’s election represented atavism and immorality, the return of rightly repressed nationalism and nativism at home and abroad. In response, the agenda has to be to restore US credibility and leadership as the “indispensable nation” by embracing internationalism again.
Trump’s boorish attack on traditional pieties understandably makes Washington traditions seem like comfort food after a hangover. The darker truth this response conceals is that generations of foreign policy mistakes both preceded and precipitated Trump – who often went on to continue them anyway. The record of Washington’s “wise men”, who coddled dictators, militarised the globe, and entrenched economic unfairness at home and abroad, opened an extraordinary opportunity for any Trump-like demagogue – making his ascendancy less a matter of atavism than another form of the blowback to mistakes that America perpetually made abroad. If his presence shamed US foreign policy elites, it was because they helped make him possible.
There is no doubt that Trump altered national security policy in a host of ways. But the idea that the old international order was actually rules-based is a fiction that is impossible to sustain – especially regarding the US, which bent or broke the rules across the world throughout the cold war, fearful of its Soviet adversary. After September 11, the US crafted its own version of international law, shaped in its own interests – under both George W Bush and Barack Obama, and against much resistance from others across the world.
In economic matters since 1945, it is not so much that the US either forged or ruptured a rules-based order, but rather that it pivoted from one set of rules to a radically new one. For decades after the second world war, the system allowed other governments considerable room for manoeuvre in their economic policies. But then the US helped to impose a draconian neoliberal order that persists to the present day, including through international financial institutions it dominated.
Trump’s attitudes towards war and peace were paradoxical. He beat his Republican rivals in 2016 by shockingly condemning the Iraq war, falsely claiming to have been on the right side of history all along, before going on to prevail against Clinton by appealing to veterans and other Americans fatigued by their country’s fruitless global interventionism. As a result, Biden himself ran on “ending endless wars” because Trump helped to make it an obligatory gesture.
‘Joe Biden will offer slightly less support for Israel’s rightwing leader, Benjamin Netanyahu (above), and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman (though still a lot).’ Photograph: Reuters
In power, Trump became the latest president to condemn “dumb” US wars – as Obama did before him – while building a bigger military, and ordering even more drone strikes and special forces missions. Still, he not only reversed Obama’s incursions deep into parts of Africa but continued the shift away from heavy-footprint wars to light- and no-footprint modes across Central Asia and the Middle East, facing the “resistance” of the military for trying to pull troops from Afghanistan and Iraq in his final days for doing so.
Biden will rightly restore the Iran deal if he can, and re-enter the Paris climate accords. He and his staff will talk more about the importance of standard parts of US foreign policy of the past, from human rights to multilateralism and from Nato to the United Nations. He will offer slightly less support for Israel’s rightwing leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman (though still a lot).
But the transformation will likely halt there, for there is little further evidence that Biden understands the need to deal with America’s belligerent traditions. True, Biden did learn something from his support for the disastrous Iraq war. He spoke against some interventions as vice-president to Obama and has been vindicated for doing so. As a result, he will rattle America’s sabre less aggressively. He needs to be held to his promise of ceasing US support for the calamitous Saudi war in Yemen, which Obama enabled and Trump has continued with a vengeance. Unfortunately, however, a more cautious approach to US military power may only come in exchange for restoring enmity with Russia, and continuing the path to a cold war with China that Trump blazed.
The chance Biden will end the misbegotten “war on terror” is vanishingly small – and not merely in Afghanistan and Iraq. Antony Blinken, Biden’s pick for secretary of state, will undo much of the damage Trump did to America’s foreign service and international reputation. But as he explained on a recent podcast, the new administration will ratify the shift away from the “large-scale” to the microscopic and visible to invisible strategies that Bush and Obama pioneered, as if the problem were just that Trump used them with even more gusto.
Avril Haines, whom Biden has nominated to direct national intelligence, helped both devise and limit targeted killings in a CIA stint. An eternal campaign of armed drones and special forces isn’t a fulfilment of a promise to “end endless wars”. It merely appropriates a slogan for the sake of continuity.
The continuity of personnel such as Blinken, who was Biden’s top aide when he voted for the invasion of Iraq, is the way restoration really works in practice. Susan Rice, former national security adviser under Obama and nearly Biden’s vice-presidential candidate, also mentioned for high office, has written glowingly that Biden brings “a deep bench of highly qualified, knowledgable experts”. What is less clear is whether these interventionist mainstays have learned enough in their promises to overturn Trump’s legacy while not recognising how much he both capitalised on and continued their own grievous errors.
While the wars of the future are hard to predict, a better indicator of whether Biden intends a restoration or a renovation will be his economic policy. In spite of campaign promises to restore US manufacturing, Biden has a long record of supporting free trade in America’s foreign relations, as a diehard supporter of Nafta and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (before the latter became politically controversial). Biden has been cagey about whether he will join the latest such agreement. Either way, how he will balance the benefits of free trade with its grievous results for inequality and stagnation remains to be seen.
Not only the system crash of Trump’s victory in 2016 but his near-miss in 2020 mean that it is not a time for complacency. But if Biden’s presidency stands for little more than nostalgia for a lost foreign policy, it will not only miss a historic opportunity for a US reboot. Reviving old mistakes will only lead some new rough beast to slouch toward Washington, promising to save America from them.


theguardian--2020-11-29--Beware going 'back to normal' thoughts – normal gave us Trump | Robert Reich

“ Life is going to return to normal , ” Joe Biden promised on Thursday in a Thanksgiving address to the nation .
He was talking about life after Covid-19 , but you could be forgiven if you thought he was also making a promise about life after Trump .
It is almost impossible to separate the two .
To the extent voters gave Biden a mandate , it was to end both scourges and make America normal again .
Despite Covid ’ s grim resurgence , Dr Anthony Fauci – the public health official whom Trump ignored and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff is now conferring – sounded guardedly optimistic last week .
Vaccines will allow “ a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by as we get well into 2021 ” .
Normal .
You could almost hear America ’ s giant sigh of relief , similar to that felt when Trump implicitly conceded the election by allowing the transition to begin .
It is comforting to think of both Covid and Trump as intrusions into normality , aberrations from routines that prevailed before .
When Biden entered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said history would look back on Trump as an “ aberrant moment in time ” .
The end of both aberrations conjures up a former America that , by contrast , might appear quiet and safe , even boring .
Trump called Biden “ the most boring human being I ’ ve ever seen ” , and Americans seem to be just fine with that .
Biden ’ s early choices for his cabinet and senior staff fit the same mold – “ boring picks ” , tweeted the Atlantic ’ s Graeme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign policy team ) , “ who , if you shook them awake and appointed them in the middle of the night at any time in the last decade , could have reported to their new jobs and started work competently by dawn ” .
Hallelujah .
All his designees , including Janet Yellen for Treasury and Anthony Blinken for secretary of state , are experienced and competent – refreshing , especially after Trump ’ s goon squads .
And they ’ re acceptable both to mainstream Democrats and to progressives .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stand out .
There is no firebrand among them , no Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders ( at least not so far ) .
For the same reasons , they ’ re unlikely to stir strong opposition from Republicans , a necessity for Senate confirmation , particularly if Democrats fail to win the two Senate runoffs in Georgia on 5 January .
And they ’ re unlikely to demand much attention from an exhausted and divided public .
Boring , reassuring , normal – these are Biden ’ s great strengths .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ They could also be his great weaknesses .
That ’ s because any return to “ normal ” would be disastrous for America .
Normal led to Trump .
Normal led to the coronavirus .
Normal is four decades of stagnant wages and widening inequality when almost all economic gains went to the top .
Normal is 40 years of shredded safety nets , and the most expensive but least adequate healthcare system in the modern world .
Normal is also growing corruption of politics by big money – an economic system rigged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is climate change now verging on catastrophe .
Normal is a GOP that for years has been actively suppressing minority votes and embracing white supremacists .
Normal is a Democratic party that for years has been abandoning the working class .
Given the road we were on , Trump and Covid were not aberrations .
They were inevitabilities .
The moment we are now in – with Trump virtually gone , Biden assembling his cabinet , and most of the nation starting to feel a bit of relief – is a temporary reprieve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t change , after Biden we could have Trumps as far as the eye can see .
And health and environmental crises that make the coronavirus another step toward Armageddon .
Hence the paradox .
America wants to return to a reassuring normal , but Biden can ’ t allow it .
Complacency would be deadly .
He has to both calm the waters and stir the pot .
It ’ s a mistake to see this challenge as placating the progressive wing of the Democratic party .
It ’ s about dealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if left unattended much longer will be enormously destructive .
So the question is : in an exhausted and divided America that desperately wants a return to normal , where will Biden find the energy and political will for bold changes that are imperative ?
• None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism : For the Many , Not the Few and The Common Good .
His new book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How We Fix It , is out now .
He is a columnist for Guardian US

“Life is going to return to normal,” Joe Biden promised on Thursday in a Thanksgiving address to the nation. He was talking about life after Covid-19, but you could be forgiven if you thought he was also making a promise about life after Trump.
It is almost impossible to separate the two. To the extent voters gave Biden a mandate, it was to end both scourges and make America normal again.
Despite Covid’s grim resurgence, Dr Anthony Fauci – the public health official whom Trump ignored and then muzzled, with whom Biden’s staff is now conferring – sounded guardedly optimistic last week. Vaccines will allow “a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by as we get well into 2021”.
Normal. You could almost hear America’s giant sigh of relief, similar to that felt when Trump implicitly conceded the election by allowing the transition to begin.
It is comforting to think of both Covid and Trump as intrusions into normality, aberrations from routines that prevailed before.
When Biden entered the presidential race last year, he said history would look back on Trump as an “aberrant moment in time”.
The end of both aberrations conjures up a former America that, by contrast, might appear quiet and safe, even boring.
Trump called Biden “the most boring human being I’ve ever seen”, and Americans seem to be just fine with that.
Biden’s early choices for his cabinet and senior staff fit the same mold – “boring picks”, tweeted the Atlantic’s Graeme Wood (referring to Biden’s foreign policy team), “who, if you shook them awake and appointed them in the middle of the night at any time in the last decade, could have reported to their new jobs and started work competently by dawn”. Hallelujah.
All his designees, including Janet Yellen for treasury and Anthony Blinken for secretary of state, are experienced and competent – refreshing, especially after Trump’s goon squads. And they’re acceptable both to mainstream Democrats and to progressives.
They also stand out for their abilities not to stand out. There is no firebrand among them, no Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders (at least not so far).
Boring, reassuring, normal – these are Biden’s great strengths. But they could also be his great weaknesses
For the same reasons, they’re unlikely to stir strong opposition from Republicans, a necessity for Senate confirmation, particularly if Democrats fail to win the two Senate runoffs in Georgia on 5 January.
And they’re unlikely to demand much attention from an exhausted and divided public.
Boring, reassuring, normal – these are Biden’s great strengths. But he needs to be careful. They could also be his great weaknesses.
That’s because any return to “normal” would be disastrous for America.
Normal led to Trump. Normal led to the coronavirus.
Normal is four decades of stagnant wages and widening inequality when almost all economic gains went to the top. Normal is 40 years of shredded safety nets, and the most expensive but least adequate healthcare system in the modern world.
Normal is also growing corruption of politics by big money – an economic system rigged by and for the wealthy.
Normal is worsening police brutality.
Normal is climate change now verging on catastrophe.
Normal is a GOP that for years has been actively suppressing minority votes and embracing white supremacists. Normal is a Democratic party that for years has been abandoning the working class.
Given the road we were on, Trump and Covid were not aberrations. They were inevitabilities. The moment we are now in – with Trump virtually gone, Biden assembling his cabinet, and most of the nation starting to feel a bit of relief – is a temporary reprieve.
If the underlying trends don’t change, after Biden we could have Trumps as far as the eye can see. And health and environmental crises that make the coronavirus another step toward Armageddon.
Hence the paradox. America wants to return to a reassuring normal, but Biden can’t allow it. Complacency would be deadly. He has to both calm the waters and stir the pot.
It’s a mistake to see this challenge as placating the progressive wing of the Democratic party. It’s about dealing with problems that have worsened for decades and if left unattended much longer will be enormously destructive.
So the question is: in an exhausted and divided America that desperately wants a return to normal, where will Biden find the energy and political will for bold changes that are imperative?


theguardian--2020-12-01--Scott Atlas resigns as Trump pandemic adviser after controversial tenure

Scott Atlas has resigned as special adviser to Donald Trump , a White House official said on Monday , after a controversial four months during which he attacked science-based public health measures and clashed repeatedly with other members of the coronavirus taskforce .
“ I am writing to resign from my position as Special Advisor to the President of the United States , ” Atlas said in a letter to Trump dated 1 December , according to Fox News , which first reported his resignation .
Atlas later confirmed his resignation in a tweet .
Atlas is a neuroradiologist and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institution , where he works on healthcare policy .
He has no expertise or experience in infectious diseases or epidemiology , yet was nevertheless selected by Trump to advise the president on the pandemic .
Atlas joined the White House this summer , where he clashed with top government scientists , including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx , as he resisted stronger efforts to contain the pandemic .
Atlas attacked public health measures such as masks , stay-at-home orders and social distancing .
He called on residents of Michigan to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place by Governor Gretchen Whitmer , who had been the target of a kidnapping plot , leading to calls for his firing .
Atlas repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus , which has killed more than 265,000 Americans .
He also promoted the idea that the US should aim to achieve “ herd immunity ” , a so-called strategy that would probably result in millions of deaths , and was repeatedly rebuked by public health and infectious disease experts , in addition to Stanford University and the Stanford faculty senate .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement distancing itself from the faculty member , saying Atlas “ has expressed views that are inconsistent with the university ’ s approach in response to the pandemic ” .
“ We support using masks , social distancing , and conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing , ” the university said on 16 November .
“ We also believe in the importance of strictly following the guidance of local and state health authorities.
” Atlas has been sharply criticized by public health experts , including Fauci , the leading US infectious disease expert , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information on the virus pandemic .
He has downplayed the importance of face masks and this month said lockdowns had been “ an epic failure ” in stopping the virus ’ s spread .
Atlas defended his role in his resignation letter , saying , “ I can not think of a time where safeguarding science and the scientific debate is more urgent.
” The resignation comes as the country faces a deadly surge in coronavirus cases and record-high hospitalisations .
The US is currently reporting more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of Biden ’ s advisory panel on the crisis , greeted the news of the resignation with relief .
“ I ’ m relieved that in the future , people who are qualified , people who are infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists like me will be helping to lead this effort , ” she told CNBC .
“ You wouldn ’ t go to a podiatrist for a heart attack and that was essentially what was happening.
” Atlas was hired as a “ special government employee ” , which limited his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a calendar year , a deadline he reached this week .

Scott Atlas has resigned as special adviser to Donald Trump, a White House official said on Monday, after a controversial four months during which he attacked science-based public health measures and clashed repeatedly with other members of the coronavirus taskforce.
“I am writing to resign from my position as Special Advisor to the President of the United States,” Atlas said in a letter to Trump dated 1 December, according to Fox News, which first reported his resignation. Atlas later confirmed his resignation in a tweet.
Atlas is a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford’s rightwing Hoover Institution, where he works on healthcare policy. He has no expertise or experience in infectious diseases or epidemiology, yet was nevertheless selected by Trump to advise the president on the pandemic.
Atlas joined the White House this summer, where he clashed with top government scientists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx, as he resisted stronger efforts to contain the pandemic.
Atlas attacked public health measures such as masks, stay-at-home orders and social distancing. He called on residents of Michigan to “rise up” against restrictions put in place by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who had been the target of a kidnapping plot, leading to calls for his firing.
Atlas repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, which has killed more than 265,000 Americans.
He also promoted the idea that the US should aim to achieve “herd immunity”, a so-called strategy that would probably result in millions of deaths, and was repeatedly rebuked by public health and infectious disease experts, in addition to Stanford University and the Stanford faculty senate.
His views also prompted Stanford to issue a statement distancing itself from the faculty member, saying Atlas “has expressed views that are inconsistent with the university’s approach in response to the pandemic”.
“We support using masks, social distancing, and conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing,” the university said on 16 November. “We also believe in the importance of strictly following the guidance of local and state health authorities.”
Atlas has been sharply criticized by public health experts, including Fauci, the leading US infectious disease expert, for providing Trump with misleading or incorrect information on the virus pandemic. He has downplayed the importance of face masks and this month said lockdowns had been “an epic failure” in stopping the virus’s spread.
Atlas defended his role in his resignation letter, saying, “I cannot think of a time where safeguarding science and the scientific debate is more urgent.”
The resignation comes as the country faces a deadly surge in coronavirus cases and record-high hospitalisations. The US is currently reporting more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day.
Dr Celine Grounder, a member of Biden’s advisory panel on the crisis, greeted the news of the resignation with relief.
“I’m relieved that in the future, people who are qualified, people who are infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists like me will be helping to lead this effort,” she told CNBC.
“You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist for a heart attack and that was essentially what was happening.”
Atlas was hired as a “special government employee”, which limited his service to government to 130 days in a calendar year, a deadline he reached this week.