theguardian--2020-11-28--Biden campaign boasts its voter outreach beat Obama's 'by a mile'

Although the dust is still settling on the 2020 US presidential election it is clear this cycle was one of significant breakthroughs for Democrats .
With historic voter turnout for recent times , Joe Biden ’ s team secured a Democratic win in Georgia , something that hadn ’ t happened since 1992 , and there was record turnout among young people and Black Americans .
Ashley Allison , Biden and Kamala Harris ’ s national coalitions director , said the campaign put a greater effort into building a broad coalition of voters than ever before .
“ This campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than any other presidential campaign by a mile , ” said Allison , who worked on African American outreach for Obama ’ s 2012 campaign in Ohio , which swung for Obama that year almost entirely due to the Black vote .
She may well be right : the Biden camp had close to 500 employees working on outreach this year .
It had a virtual headquarters and people on the ground in key battleground states .
Biden ’ s organizing team reached more than 37 million by phone – and in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , texted and knocked on more than double the number of doors the Obama team did in 2012 even as Obama ’ s campaign is frequently referred to as ground zero for the technological revolution in political campaigning .
But with the coronavirus pandemic largely preventing the team from physically knocking on doors , they needed to find a way to safely create an in-person presence .
That consisted of dropping literature at people ’ s doors with handwritten notes and following up with phone calls .
Phone-banking teams would call in to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy of a traditional phone-banking room , to overcome the ennui of calling alone during a global shutdown .
In Arizona , which the Democrats flipped for the first time in 24 years , Biden ’ s coalitions team did extensive outreach in the Navajo Nation , with indigenous people playing the ceremonial drum to engage voters as they were coming in so they would see themselves as part of the voting experience .
In Nevada , horse parades marched down the streets .
“ We wanted to engage voters in a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic , ” said Allison .
In parts of rural Georgia , where many communities of color are subject to voter suppression and misinformation , Allison had teams touring around in trucks to reach people .
“ We were going across into the counties to voters who are rarely spoken to .
We made sure they had access to the information because we know about the lack of broadband in their community , ” she said .
That campaign outreach complemented the work of activists that has been going on for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Wisconsin .
“ We could provide resources that in many instances haven ’ t existed before in political campaigns .
Local radio to speak directly to folks , Covid-safe tabling in communities , visibility efforts on the Navajo Nation so people knew it wasn ’ t just some place we took for granted .
In Arizona , doing in-language phone banking with Latino folks , ” she said , describing how Biden secured a presidential vote and a second Senate seat in the state .
Allison dismissed some widespread and pointed criticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters along the Rio Grande in Texas .
There , he squandered the 60-point landslide secured by Hilary Clinton in 2016 – winning , but narrowly , by only five points .
“ Texas is a place where people have been laying the foundations to turn blue and it didn ’ t happen this cycle .
I don ’ t think it is a lack of Latino turnout – look at Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , Nevada and Arizona .
Latinos turned out in record numbers .
We still want to engage on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our coalition increased , ” she said .
The Latino population in Arizona and Nevada has increased since 2016 – making up 30 % of the population this year ( in Arizona , it doubled ) .
Biden only slightly increased his lead among Latinos in Arizona – taking 63 % of the Latino vote according to exit polls , compared with Clinton ’ s 61 % in 2016 .
In Nevada , Trump improved in popularity among Latinos – taking 37 % of the Latino vote , while Biden ’ s 56 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % in 2016 .
Early analysis suggests that the Latino vote turned places like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania blue , with Biden taking upwards of 60 % of the Latino vote in each area .
One of the biggest swings for Biden was among young people – most of whom did not support him in the Democratic presidential primaries , but came out for him in force by election day .
Biden ’ s support among people aged 18 to 29 was around 69 % , with high increases in turnout .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coalitions team made sure to persuade these voters , rather than simply work on getting them to turn up .
“ We believed they needed to hear from Biden and Kamala Harris , and we weren ’ t upset or intimidated that was the case , ” she said .
“ Young people have always felt that they might not have a voice in politics .
We wanted to let them know you can come and have a conversation with the campaign even if you have not supported Joe Biden yet.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters engaged , Allison said it ’ s all about delivery .
“ People want something different and [ we will ] be held accountable .
The proof point in 2022 or 2024 will come depending on whether Biden and Harris really lived up to the commitments they made , ” she said .

Although the dust is still settling on the 2020 US presidential election it is clear this cycle was one of significant breakthroughs for Democrats. With historic voter turnout for recent times, Joe Biden’s team secured a Democratic win in Georgia, something that hadn’t happened since 1992, and there was record turnout among young people and Black Americans.
Ashley Allison, Biden and Kamala Harris’s national coalitions director, said the campaign put a greater effort into building a broad coalition of voters than ever before.
“This campaign made a larger investment in coalition work than any other presidential campaign by a mile,” said Allison, who worked on African American outreach for Obama’s 2012 campaign in Ohio, which swung for Obama that year almost entirely due to the Black vote.
She may well be right: the Biden camp had close to 500 employees working on outreach this year. It had a virtual headquarters and people on the ground in key battleground states. Biden’s organizing team reached more than 37 million by phone – and in the final weeks of volunteering, they called, texted and knocked on more than double the number of doors the Obama team did in 2012 even as Obama’s campaign is frequently referred to as ground zero for the technological revolution in political campaigning.
But with the coronavirus pandemic largely preventing the team from physically knocking on doors, they needed to find a way to safely create an in-person presence. That consisted of dropping literature at people’s doors with handwritten notes and following up with phone calls. Phone-banking teams would call in to video chats, trying to recreate the energy of a traditional phone-banking room, to overcome the ennui of calling alone during a global shutdown.
In Arizona, which the Democrats flipped for the first time in 24 years, Biden’s coalitions team did extensive outreach in the Navajo Nation, with indigenous people playing the ceremonial drum to engage voters as they were coming in so they would see themselves as part of the voting experience. In Nevada, horse parades marched down the streets.
“We wanted to engage voters in a time where people were feeling so distant due to the pandemic,” said Allison.
A group of Native Americans on the Navajo Nation ride on horseback to the polls on election day in Kayenta, Arizona. Photograph: Larry Price/AP
In parts of rural Georgia, where many communities of color are subject to voter suppression and misinformation, Allison had teams touring around in trucks to reach people. “We were going across into the counties to voters who are rarely spoken to. We made sure they had access to the information because we know about the lack of broadband in their community,” she said.
That campaign outreach complemented the work of activists that has been going on for years in states like Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin. “We could provide resources that in many instances haven’t existed before in political campaigns. Local radio to speak directly to folks, Covid-safe tabling in communities, visibility efforts on the Navajo Nation so people knew it wasn’t just some place we took for granted. In Arizona, doing in-language phone banking with Latino folks,” she said, describing how Biden secured a presidential vote and a second Senate seat in the state.
Allison dismissed some widespread and pointed criticism over Biden’s performance with Latino voters along the Rio Grande in Texas. There, he squandered the 60-point landslide secured by Hilary Clinton in 2016 – winning, but narrowly, by only five points.
“Texas is a place where people have been laying the foundations to turn blue and it didn’t happen this cycle. I don’t think it is a lack of Latino turnout – look at Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona. Latinos turned out in record numbers. We still want to engage on a consistent basis but our overall numbers and our coalition increased,” she said.
The Latino population in Arizona and Nevada has increased since 2016 – making up 30% of the population this year (in Arizona, it doubled). Biden only slightly increased his lead among Latinos in Arizona – taking 63% of the Latino vote according to exit polls, compared with Clinton’s 61% in 2016. In Nevada, Trump improved in popularity among Latinos – taking 37% of the Latino vote, while Biden’s 56% was below Clinton’s 60% in 2016.
Neighborhood Assistance Corporations of America employees gather in a parking lot for ‘Roll to the Polls’ event or early voting in October in Decatur, Georgia. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP
Early analysis suggests that the Latino vote turned places like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania blue, with Biden taking upwards of 60% of the Latino vote in each area.
One of the biggest swings for Biden was among young people – most of whom did not support him in the Democratic presidential primaries, but came out for him in force by election day. Biden’s support among people aged 18 to 29 was around 69%, with high increases in turnout.
According to Allison, that’s because the coalitions team made sure to persuade these voters, rather than simply work on getting them to turn up.
“We believed they needed to hear from Biden and Kamala Harris, and we weren’t upset or intimidated that was the case,” she said. “Young people have always felt that they might not have a voice in politics. We wanted to let them know you can come and have a conversation with the campaign even if you have not supported Joe Biden yet.”
In terms of how they will keep those voters engaged, Allison said it’s all about delivery.
“People want something different and [we will] be held accountable. The proof point in 2022 or 2024 will come depending on whether Biden and Harris really lived up to the commitments they made,” she said.


theguardian--2020-11-28--Can dozens of new Republican congresswomen change the face of the GOP?

Kat Cammack was raised on a cattle ranch by a working class single mother .
She was the third generation of her family to go into business as a sand blaster .
And at 32 , she is about to become the youngest Republican woman in the US Congress .
“ I think a lifetime of experiences has shaped me to be a Republican and a conservative , ” said Cammack , elected to an open seat in Florida .
“ There has been a stereotype about the Republican party , that it was the Grand Old Party , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party of choice .
The election in 2020 has definitely helped push back on that narrative.
” Of the 12 seats in the House of Representatives that Republicans have flipped from Democratic control so far this year , nine were won by women , two by Latino men and one by an African American man .
The trend represents a conscious effort by a party still dominated by white men : diversify or die .
It also reflects the complexities of America ’ s voting demographics , which saw Trump make gains among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas , win a majority of white women for the second time and improve his standing among African Americans .
The counterintuitive data have been seen as a wake-up call for Democrats .
Cammack argues that the Republican party was a natural choice for her after watching her mother try to run a small business while fending off intrusions from big government , and after the family lost their small cattle ranch in 2011 “ due to an Obama-era housing programme ” .
She recalls : “ That was really the turning point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homeless , you had a life plan and all of a sudden that is completely out the window and you have to make a choice .
Do I put my head back in the sand ?
Do I rebuild my life and keep going down the path that I had envisioned for myself ?
Or do I do a hard right and get involved and try to fix the system ?
” Cammack duly went into politics at district and federal level and , seven years later , ran for Florida ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a “ rising star ” by E-Pac , Congresswoman Elise Stefanik ’ s political action committee dedicated to electing Republican women .
A vocal supporter of Donald Trump , Cammack believes that Republicans ’ pitch as the party of equal opportunity , not equal outcome , struck a chord whereas Democrats pushed a “ government will take care of you ” narrative and took some groups for granted .
“ Biden had several gaffes : most notably he said , ‘ If you don ’ t vote Democrat then you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonsense is that ?
“ In 2016 , I took heat from the left that because I was a young woman and I wasn ’ t supporting Hillary Clinton , I was a traitor of some sort .
That is the most un-American , stereotypical sexist , racist nonsense I ’ ve ever heard .
You should never discount someone ’ s individuality and basically say that they can only vote one way or for one party because they check a box.
” When Cammack met other newly elected members of Congress earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winning campaigns , she recalled , they all cited issues such as healthcare , the coronavirus and the economy .
“ We never once went out and said , ‘ Vote for me because I ’ m a woman , ’ or ‘ Vote for me because I ’ m a millennial ’ .
“ It was always , ‘ Vote for me because I ’ m the best person for the job and here ’ s why , ’ and that is what is resonating with people .
I think this narrative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you are a minority or if you ’ re a woman you have to vote Democrat couldn ’ t be further from the truth and the results from this election prove that.
” The Republican recruitment drive is starting from a low base .
Eighteen months ago , just 13 of the party ’ s 197 House members were women .
By contrast , 89 of 235 House Democrats were women and nearly 90 were Black or Latino .
There is only one Black Republican in the Senate : Tim Scott of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pollster and author , said : “ They ’ re still basically a lily-white party and they ’ re still a male-centered party , but let ’ s see if this is a formula for them .
Frankly , if they have any hope at all , this is the only formula.
” At least 36 Republican women will join the next Congress , beating the party ’ s record of 30 set in 2006 .
Of these , 28 will serve in the House , including at least 17 newcomers , based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an Iranian American in Oklahoma , María Elvira Salazar , a Cuban American in Florida , and Michelle Steel and Young Kim , both Korean Americans in California , all defeated Democratic incumbents .
The breakthrough came after a determined grassroots effort by political action committees such as E-Pac , Winning for Women , Maggie ’ s List and Julie Conway ’ s Value in Electing Women ( View ) to seek out , sign up and support more diverse candidates .
Conway told NBC News : “ It ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think everybody ’ s looking for the magical reason why 2020 was such a good year for Republican women , but the reality is , it ’ s a combination of a lot of things over a lot of years ... seats that were winnable , and incredible women running for those seats , and the infrastructure around them finally at a point that they were able to get at least some of the help they needed to get them over certain obstacles and then they were able to be successful because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off.
” It was an encouraging start but such groups are still dwarfed by Democratic rivals such as Emily ’ s List , which has raised more than $ 600m to elect female candidates who support abortion rights .
Republicans will still only have roughly a third of Democrats ’ number of women in Congress , and only about a 10th of Democrats ’ number of women of colour .
The party of Trump , Mike Pence , Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy still has a long way to go in its outreach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at Fordham University in New York , said : “ It ’ s absolutely bearing fruit for them and , if I may say so , it ’ s about time they got on the bandwagon.
” The election result sent mixed signs , with Biden winning a record 80m votes but Democrats suffering a whittling down of their House majority and falling short in Senate races with high expectations in Iowa , Maine and South Carolina .
Despite four years of outrage over Trump ’ s misogyny and racism , women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blanket rebuke that some expected .
“ There are women who have conservative views and have the courage of their convictions and they ’ re clearly not bothered by Trump or his stance or in some cases even embrace it warmly .
Women , just like men , have their own views and shouldn ’ t be expected to vote for or to run for a certain party just because of their sex.
” The outcome also implied that terms such as “ the Latino vote ” are reductionist and obsolete given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mexican Americans backed Biden in California and young , progressive Latino voters helped him wrest away Arizona .
But Cuban Americans and Venezuelan Americans in Florida and Tejanos in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas shifted in Trump ’ s favour .
Republicans ’ appeal to scrappy self-reliance and the American dream could be one persuasive factor , McDermott said , but not the only one .
“ It ’ s not just individualism and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps , which I think is appreciated in immigrant communities .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this .
“ A lot of Latin immigrants , whether they ’ re from Mexico or Cuba or various other places , tend to be more religious than other groups and that is another appeal that the Republican party has to them .
It ’ s this cultural conservatism that I think ties them partly to the Republican party.
” Amid much post-election soul searching , and with Senate runoffs in Georgia fast approaching , Democrats acknowledge there is no room for complacency .
Antjuan Seawright , a party strategist based in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I don ’ t think any political entity or party should take any constituency for granted because if there ’ s one thing election after election teaches us , it ’ s that no voting bloc is monolithic.
” Seawright , who is African American , added : “ I think if we all take a step back , most people agree that the Republican policies do not necessarily move the needle in a good way for consequential constituencies .
However , Democrats have to remind people about the failures from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would do differently .
”

Kat Cammack was raised on a cattle ranch by a working class single mother. She was the third generation of her family to go into business as a sand blaster. And at 32, she is about to become the youngest Republican woman in the US Congress.
“I think a lifetime of experiences has shaped me to be a Republican and a conservative,” said Cammack, elected to an open seat in Florida. “There has been a stereotype about the Republican party, that it was the Grand Old Party, that it was your grandfather’s political party of choice. The election in 2020 has definitely helped push back on that narrative.”
Of the 12 seats in the House of Representatives that Republicans have flipped from Democratic control so far this year, nine were won by women, two by Latino men and one by an African American man. The trend represents a conscious effort by a party still dominated by white men: diversify or die.
It also reflects the complexities of America’s voting demographics, which saw Trump make gains among Latinos in states such as Florida and Texas, win a majority of white women for the second time and improve his standing among African Americans. The counterintuitive data have been seen as a wake-up call for Democrats.
Cammack argues that the Republican party was a natural choice for her after watching her mother try to run a small business while fending off intrusions from big government, and after the family lost their small cattle ranch in 2011 “due to an Obama-era housing programme”.
She recalls: “That was really the turning point in my life where you find yourself homeless, you had a life plan and all of a sudden that is completely out the window and you have to make a choice. Do I put my head back in the sand? Do I rebuild my life and keep going down the path that I had envisioned for myself? Or do I do a hard right and get involved and try to fix the system?”
Cammack duly went into politics at district and federal level and, seven years later, ran for Florida’s 3rd congressional district. She was endorsed as a “rising star” by E-Pac, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s political action committee dedicated to electing Republican women.
A vocal supporter of Donald Trump, Cammack believes that Republicans’ pitch as the party of equal opportunity, not equal outcome, struck a chord whereas Democrats pushed a “government will take care of you” narrative and took some groups for granted. “Biden had several gaffes: most notably he said, ‘If you don’t vote Democrat then you’re not Black.’ What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?
“In 2016, I took heat from the left that because I was a young woman and I wasn’t supporting Hillary Clinton, I was a traitor of some sort. That is the most un-American, stereotypical sexist, racist nonsense I’ve ever heard. You should never discount someone’s individuality and basically say that they can only vote one way or for one party because they check a box.”
When Cammack met other newly elected members of Congress earlier this month and swapped notes about their winning campaigns, she recalled, they all cited issues such as healthcare, the coronavirus and the economy. “We never once went out and said, ‘Vote for me because I’m a woman,’ or ‘Vote for me because I’m a millennial’.
“It was always, ‘Vote for me because I’m the best person for the job and here’s why,’ and that is what is resonating with people. I think this narrative that if you are African American or if you are a minority or if you’re a woman you have to vote Democrat couldn’t be further from the truth and the results from this election prove that.”
The Republican recruitment drive is starting from a low base. Eighteen months ago, just 13 of the party’s 197 House members were women. By contrast, 89 of 235 House Democrats were women and nearly 90 were Black or Latino. There is only one Black Republican in the Senate: Tim Scott of South Carolina.
John Zogby, a pollster and author, said: “They’re still basically a lily-white party and they’re still a male-centered party, but let’s see if this is a formula for them. Frankly, if they have any hope at all, this is the only formula.”
At least 36 Republican women will join the next Congress, beating the party’s record of 30 set in 2006. Of these, 28 will serve in the House, including at least 17 newcomers, based on results so far. Stephanie Bice, an Iranian American in Oklahoma, María Elvira Salazar, a Cuban American in Florida, and Michelle Steel and Young Kim, both Korean Americans in California, all defeated Democratic incumbents.
Michelle Steel of California. Photograph: Chris Carlson/AP
The breakthrough came after a determined grassroots effort by political action committees such as E-Pac, Winning for Women, Maggie’s List and Julie Conway’s Value in Electing Women (View) to seek out, sign up and support more diverse candidates. Conway told NBC News: “It’s been a long time coming.
“I think everybody’s looking for the magical reason why 2020 was such a good year for Republican women, but the reality is, it’s a combination of a lot of things over a lot of years ... seats that were winnable, and incredible women running for those seats, and the infrastructure around them finally at a point that they were able to get at least some of the help they needed to get them over certain obstacles and then they were able to be successful because they, quite frankly, worked their tails off.”
It was an encouraging start but such groups are still dwarfed by Democratic rivals such as Emily’s List, which has raised more than $600m to elect female candidates who support abortion rights. Republicans will still only have roughly a third of Democrats’ number of women in Congress, and only about a 10th of Democrats’ number of women of colour. The party of Trump, Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy still has a long way to go in its outreach.
Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, said: “It’s absolutely bearing fruit for them and, if I may say so, it’s about time they got on the bandwagon.”
The election result sent mixed signs, with Biden winning a record 80m votes but Democrats suffering a whittling down of their House majority and falling short in Senate races with high expectations in Iowa, Maine and South Carolina. Despite four years of outrage over Trump’s misogyny and racism, women and people of color did not deliver the blanket rebuke that some expected.
McDermott added:
“There are women who have conservative views and have the courage of their convictions and they’re clearly not bothered by Trump or his stance or in some cases even embrace it warmly. Women, just like men, have their own views and shouldn’t be expected to vote for or to run for a certain party just because of their sex.”
The outcome also implied that terms such as “the Latino vote” are reductionist and obsolete given the huge diversity within that group alone. Mexican Americans backed Biden in California and young, progressive Latino voters helped him wrest away Arizona. But Cuban Americans and Venezuelan Americans in Florida and Tejanos in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas shifted in Trump’s favour.
Republicans’ appeal to scrappy self-reliance and the American dream could be one persuasive factor, McDermott said, but not the only one. “It’s not just individualism and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, which I think is appreciated in immigrant communities. But there’s also a religious aspect to this.
“A lot of Latin immigrants, whether they’re from Mexico or Cuba or various other places, tend to be more religious than other groups and that is another appeal that the Republican party has to them. It’s this cultural conservatism that I think ties them partly to the Republican party.”
Amid much post-election soul searching, and with Senate runoffs in Georgia fast approaching, Democrats acknowledge there is no room for complacency. Antjuan Seawright, a party strategist based in Columbia, South Carolina, said: “I don’t think any political entity or party should take any constituency for granted because if there’s one thing election after election teaches us, it’s that no voting bloc is monolithic.”
Seawright, who is African American, added: “I think if we all take a step back, most people agree that the Republican policies do not necessarily move the needle in a good way for consequential constituencies. However, Democrats have to remind people about the failures from a policy perspective but also elevate what we would do differently.”


theguardian--2020-11-28--What do progressives make of Joe Biden's cabinet picks so far? | Nathan Robinson

Joe Biden has now announced his transition team and a number of his cabinet appointees , giving us some idea of how he can be expected to govern .
It ’ s very much true that “ personnel is policy ” and that the records of the people he chooses for key roles can indicate what kind of president he intends to be .
How are the picks so far ?
Well , the bad news for progressives is that there has not yet been a single person announced that the left can be enthusiastic about .
The best that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are generally “ not as bad as we might have feared ” .
Some of the choices are deeply concerning .
Others border on the unobjectionable .
Most are relatively predictable , as Biden is making it clear he intends to hew as closely as possible to the Democratic politics of the Obama years .
Here are a few worthy of note .
Antony Blinken , Biden ’ s nominee for secretary of state , is one of the Obama veterans , having previously served as deputy national security adviser and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a card-carrying member of what is sometimes called the “ Blob ” , the DC foreign policy establishment , which has a consensus set of beliefs that the US must remain a dominant global power , and a willingness to use military force to maintain that power .
Blinken previously broke with Biden to support the ( disastrous ) armed intervention in Libya and has argued that Israel should keep receiving colossal amounts of US military aid even if it refuses to honor international agreements .
( He also suggested that the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
Blinken ’ s statement that diplomacy needs to be “ supplemented by deterrence ” is a sign that he will have little interest in reining in the sprawling US global military empire , and his statements about “ undermining ” and “ isolating ” Russia suggest we could see an increase in the cold war-type rhetoric that has been gaining such an alarming foothold in the Democratic party .
In fact , at a recent Aspen Security Forum discussion , Blinken favorably quoted from the cold warrior George F Kennan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherently expansionist and needed to be dealt with through “ containment ” .
Blinken said Kennan ’ s worldview was “ eerily up to the moment ” , though Kennan ’ s views escalated the tensions that nearly led to nuclear war with the Soviet Union .
Blinken ’ s appointment is taken as a sign that “ internationalism is back ” in the White House , but it ’ s an internationalism that divides the world into America ’ s allies and its rivals .
Janet Yellen as treasury secretary offers little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notable that Biden did not heed calls to put a trust-buster like Elizabeth Warren in the role .
Yellen is a highly respected academic economist and former Federal Reserve chair who is relatively apolitical , and her appointment has excited other Democratic economists including Lawrence Summers and Paul Krugman .
Even the socialist economic analyst Doug Henwood says Biden “ could have done a lot worse ” than Yellen .
The good news about Yellen is that she is not an advocate of austerity policies and has spoken of the need for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” during the pandemic .
The appointment of John Kerry as special envoy for climate is perhaps Biden ’ s way of signaling that he takes climate change seriously – as Democrats up until now tragically have not .
I say it ’ s “ Biden ’ s way ” because it ’ s not necessarily a good way to show a commitment to taking serious action on climate – Kerry has “ stature ” and “ experience ” , and , thank God , actually does believe in the reality of climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he is also known as a man long on words and short on actions .
Even worse , Kerry favors an approach to dealing with climate change that rests on commodifying and selling nature rather than preserving it as our common inheritance .
He recently published an op-ed explaining “ how to better tackle climate change ” which focused entirely on nudging the free market into putting a price on carbon .
Nothing about how to deal with the equity effects of carbon pricing ( ie making sure the financial burden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the poor ) .
Nothing about the federal government taking action to convert the electric grid , shutting down fossil fuel-reliant power stations , and investing in renewable energy .
Nothing about a Green New Deal .
And given Kerry ’ s record of defending the expansion of US fossil fuel production under Obama , he ’ s very unlikely to get tough on the companies most responsible for the problem .
Climate activists should be incredibly concerned by the appointment of Kerry , who may acknowledge that the problem exists , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solutions ” and half-measures .
It will require a huge fight to get the Biden administration to take real action .
Also deeply concerning is the selection of Avril Haines for director of national intelligence .
Haines is a former deputy CIA chief from the Obama years , and while much news coverage has dwelled on her quirky life history – she rebuilt a plane !
She ’ s a brown belt !
She owned a bookstore !
– she also played a key role in overseeing the drone strike program under Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because Obama ’ s use of drones was a national disgrace .
There has been very little accountability or acknowledgment of how bad it was .
Anyone involved with the program should have been prosecuted .
Instead they ’ re being rewarded .
Haines was involved with an initiative to supposedly make the drone program more responsible – and less likely to turn Yemeni weddings into funerals – but the ACLU pointed out that the fixes were completely inadequate and Human Rights Watch notes that Obama paved the way for Trump to deploy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not all .
As Spencer Ackerman reported for the Daily Beast in July , Haines was involved in the sham “ accountability ” process that shielded CIA officials from being punished for their involvement with torture .
Haines also supported Gina Haspel ’ s nomination as CIA director , despite Haspel ’ s direct supervision of the torture program .
If Haines couldn ’ t even oppose the appointment of a torturer as CIA director , how can she be expected to rein in American intelligence agencies ’ abuses of power ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to lead the Department of Homeland security , is considered likely to roll back some of the Trump administration ’ s cruelest immigration policies .
Mayorkas was one of the original architects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( Daca ) and is considered a positive choice by advocates for immigrant rights .
But it ’ s very unclear whether Mayorkas is committed to the equitable treatment of immigrants .
When he previously served at the department , an inspector general ’ s report found that he had personally intervened to help rich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ casino owners , and the former Democratic National Committee chair and Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe , get around the usual immigration rules .
The report was deeply damning , even quoting a witness who said Mayorkas explicitly prioritized “ people with money ” and bullied anyone on his staff who questioned the wisdom of his decisions .
What about the broader transition team ?
Well , it does contain executives from companies like Lyft , Airbnb , Amazon , Capital One , Booz Allen , Uber , Visa and JPMorgan , suggesting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of challenging the country ’ s most powerful corporations and instead sees them as partners in governance .
But the team is a mixed bag .
The education team , for instance , contains several teachers ’ union officials , which may signal a willingness to move away from the Obama administration ’ s controversial pro-charter approach .
It looks as if Biden is trying to draw from many different parts of the party , including the nonprofit world and the elite law firm world .
It ’ s true , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Washington Post , that Biden ’ s team lacks obvious “ grifters , trolls and fanatics ” .
The Trump administration has been full of so many incompetent and ghoulish ideologues that that bar for Biden ’ s selections is uncommonly low .
But we can not afford to celebrate this return to “ experienced ” establishment politics , because the Washington from which these people come is a morally corroded place .
As Andrew Bacevich , a critic of American imperial aggression , puts it , Biden ’ s “ team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could lead them to recklessness in their use of American military power ” .
They may not be thieves or rightwing hardliners , and the Biden administration is sure to be a huge improvement on its disastrous predecessor .
But progressives need to watch out : on immigration , the climate crisis and foreign policy , the administration needs to be subjected to ceaseless public pressure , its inevitable serious failings called out and exposed .

Joe Biden has now announced his transition team and a number of his cabinet appointees, giving us some idea of how he can be expected to govern. It’s very much true that “personnel is policy” and that the records of the people he chooses for key roles can indicate what kind of president he intends to be.
How are the picks so far? Well, the bad news for progressives is that there has not yet been a single person announced that the left can be enthusiastic about. The best that can be said of the nominees is that they are generally “not as bad as we might have feared”. Some of the choices are deeply concerning. Others border on the unobjectionable. Most are relatively predictable, as Biden is making it clear he intends to hew as closely as possible to the Democratic politics of the Obama years. Here are a few worthy of note.
Antony Blinken, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, is one of the Obama veterans, having previously served as deputy national security adviser and deputy secretary of state. Blinken is a card-carrying member of what is sometimes called the “Blob”, the DC foreign policy establishment, which has a consensus set of beliefs that the US must remain a dominant global power, and a willingness to use military force to maintain that power.
Blinken previously broke with Biden to support the (disastrous) armed intervention in Libya and has argued that Israel should keep receiving colossal amounts of US military aid even if it refuses to honor international agreements. (He also suggested that the US would never publicly criticize the Israeli government.) Blinken’s statement that diplomacy needs to be “supplemented by deterrence” is a sign that he will have little interest in reining in the sprawling US global military empire, and his statements about “undermining” and “isolating” Russia suggest we could see an increase in the cold war-type rhetoric that has been gaining such an alarming foothold in the Democratic party.
In fact, at a recent Aspen Security Forum discussion, Blinken favorably quoted from the cold warrior George F Kennan, who argued that the Soviet Union was inherently expansionist and needed to be dealt with through “containment”. Blinken said Kennan’s worldview was “eerily up to the moment”, though Kennan’s views escalated the tensions that nearly led to nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Blinken’s appointment is taken as a sign that “internationalism is back” in the White House, but it’s an internationalism that divides the world into America’s allies and its rivals.
Janet Yellen as treasury secretary offers little to complain about, though it is notable that Biden did not heed calls to put a trust-buster like Elizabeth Warren in the role. Yellen is a highly respected academic economist and former Federal Reserve chair who is relatively apolitical, and her appointment has excited other Democratic economists including Lawrence Summers and Paul Krugman. Even the socialist economic analyst Doug Henwood says Biden “could have done a lot worse” than Yellen. The good news about Yellen is that she is not an advocate of austerity policies and has spoken of the need for the government to extend “extraordinary fiscal support” during the pandemic.
On immigration, climate change, and foreign policy, the administration needs to be subjected to ceaseless public pressure
The appointment of John Kerry as special envoy for climate is perhaps Biden’s way of signaling that he takes climate change seriously – as Democrats up until now tragically have not. I say it’s “Biden’s way” because it’s not necessarily a good way to show a commitment to taking serious action on climate – Kerry has “stature” and “experience”, and, thank God, actually does believe in the reality of climate change (unlike the present administration). But he is also known as a man long on words and short on actions. Even worse, Kerry favors an approach to dealing with climate change that rests on commodifying and selling nature rather than preserving it as our common inheritance.
He recently published an op-ed explaining “how to better tackle climate change” which focused entirely on nudging the free market into putting a price on carbon. Nothing about how to deal with the equity effects of carbon pricing (ie making sure the financial burden doesn’t end up falling on the poor). Nothing about the federal government taking action to convert the electric grid, shutting down fossil fuel-reliant power stations, and investing in renewable energy. Nothing about a Green New Deal. And given Kerry’s record of defending the expansion of US fossil fuel production under Obama, he’s very unlikely to get tough on the companies most responsible for the problem. Climate activists should be incredibly concerned by the appointment of Kerry, who may acknowledge that the problem exists, but will almost certainly attempt phony business-friendly “solutions” and half-measures. It will require a huge fight to get the Biden administration to take real action.
‘Avril Haines played a key role in overseeing the drone strike program under Obama. This should be disqualifying.’ Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Also deeply concerning is the selection of Avril Haines for director of national intelligence. Haines is a former deputy CIA chief from the Obama years, and while much news coverage has dwelled on her quirky life history – she rebuilt a plane! She’s a brown belt! She owned a bookstore! – she also played a key role in overseeing the drone strike program under Obama. This should be completely disqualifying, because Obama’s use of drones was a national disgrace.
There has been very little accountability or acknowledgment of how bad it was. Anyone involved with the program should have been prosecuted. Instead they’re being rewarded. Haines was involved with an initiative to supposedly make the drone program more responsible – and less likely to turn Yemeni weddings into funerals – but the ACLU pointed out that the fixes were completely inadequate and Human Rights Watch notes that Obama paved the way for Trump to deploy similarly lawless killing powers.
That’s not all. As Spencer Ackerman reported for the Daily Beast in July, Haines was involved in the sham “accountability” process that shielded CIA officials from being punished for their involvement with torture. Haines also supported Gina Haspel’s nomination as CIA director, despite Haspel’s direct supervision of the torture program. If Haines couldn’t even oppose the appointment of a torturer as CIA director, how can she be expected to rein in American intelligence agencies’ abuses of power?
Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland security, is considered likely to roll back some of the Trump administration’s cruelest immigration policies. Mayorkas was one of the original architects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) and is considered a positive choice by advocates for immigrant rights. But it’s very unclear whether Mayorkas is committed to the equitable treatment of immigrants. When he previously served at the department, an inspector general’s report found that he had personally intervened to help rich people, including Hollywood producers, Vegas casino owners, and the former Democratic National Committee chair and Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, get around the usual immigration rules. The report was deeply damning, even quoting a witness who said Mayorkas explicitly prioritized “people with money” and bullied anyone on his staff who questioned the wisdom of his decisions.
What about the broader transition team? Well, it does contain executives from companies like Lyft, Airbnb, Amazon, Capital One, Booz Allen, Uber, Visa and JPMorgan, suggesting that Biden’s administration has no intention of challenging the country’s most powerful corporations and instead sees them as partners in governance. But the team is a mixed bag. The education team, for instance, contains several teachers’ union officials, which may signal a willingness to move away from the Obama administration’s controversial pro-charter approach. It looks as if Biden is trying to draw from many different parts of the party, including the nonprofit world and the elite law firm world.
It’s true, as the neoconservative turned Democrat Max Boot wrote in the Washington Post, that Biden’s team lacks obvious “grifters, trolls and fanatics”. The Trump administration has been full of so many incompetent and ghoulish ideologues that that bar for Biden’s selections is uncommonly low. But we cannot afford to celebrate this return to “experienced” establishment politics, because the Washington from which these people come is a morally corroded place. As Andrew Bacevich, a critic of American imperial aggression, puts it, Biden’s “team has a belief in American supremacy which could lead them to recklessness in their use of American military power”. They may not be thieves or rightwing hardliners, and the Biden administration is sure to be a huge improvement on its disastrous predecessor. But progressives need to watch out: on immigration, the climate crisis and foreign policy, the administration needs to be subjected to ceaseless public pressure, its inevitable serious failings called out and exposed.


theguardian--2020-11-29--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--2020-11-29--Biden bids to placate the left as he builds centrist transition team

So far , Joe Biden has avoided one of the biggest potential pitfalls of the transition process that will end with him moving into the White House : infuriating the left wing of the Democratic party .
Yet Biden ’ s transition has also yielded the results he wanted in terms of ushering in a team of experienced figures drawn mostly from his own circle of friends and advisers who have given a decidedly centrist tone to the incoming administration .
Biden has so far named his senior staff , who don ’ t require confirmation from the Senate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s begun unveiling his nominations for cabinet secretary positions , the reaction from leftist quarters of the Democratic party – and its cadre of often young activists primed to attack – has mostly turned out to be be a mix of yawning and marginal grumbling .
There has also been applause for naming women and people of color to top posts in an administration that also includes Kamala Harris as vice-president .
“ I appreciate that the Biden transition is trying to make an argument for diversity of its selections , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what we ’ re seeing is a valuing of experience in people who have served in key important posts and [ who ] understand what it ’ s going to take to try to be effective bureaucrats in those posts , ” said Faiz Shakir , the manager for Bernie Sanders ’ 2020 presidential campaign .
“ As a progressive , I care deeply about vision and what you want to do when you hold those posts .
However , that is not to dismiss or downplay the value of experience .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that has its upshots.
” So far , Biden has avoided nominating ostentatious prospects to cabinet posts , opting instead to bring in veterans of the agencies they are set to run .
Biden picked Antony Blinken , a former deputy secretary of state , to run the state department .
Biden picked former secretary of state John Kerry to a new high-ranking post as climate tsar .
Biden named Jake Sullivan , a longtime national security aide to the former vice-president to be national security adviser .
To serve as director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former deputy director of the CIA .
For the treasury department , Biden plans to appoint the former Federal Reserve chairwoman , Janet Yellen .
More telling is who Biden hasn ’ t appointed .
He hasn ’ t brought on a liberal standard-bearer like Elizabeth Warren .
And the president-elect passed over Democrats with a national profile who campaigned for him , like the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg whose name had been floated for ambassador to the UN .
He picked Linda Thomas-Greenfield , a former ambassador and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration national security adviser Susan Rice was seen as a frontrunner for that job .
Yet the progressive groups most eager to bash top agency picks from such an establishment Democrat like Biden are somewhat satisfied .
“ We are encouraged by Joe Biden making one of his first major appointments John Kerry , as it demonstrates the urgency of taking bold , global action on the climate crisis , ” Alexandra Rojas , the executive director of the Justice Democrats political action committee said in a statement .
“ But America also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly reports to the president and will oversee an Office of Climate Mobilization agreed to in the Biden-Sanders taskforces.
” Shakir called the Blinken pick “ a solid choice ” .
When Ron Klain was announced as chief of staff , Warren even tweeted that he was a “ a superb choice ” .
The liberal outside group Democracy for America called Yellen a “ historic , progressive choice for Fed Chair in 2013 .
If selected , she ’ ll be a historic , progressive choice for treasury secretary.
” There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration and liberals are just enjoying a perhaps temporary detente as the Trump era winds down and before Biden has even occupied the Oval Office .
Not all appointments have been without grumbling .
Liberal groups have expressed opposition to the longtime Biden adviser Bruce Reed , possibly running the Office of Management and Budget , an agency charged with producing the administration ’ s budget .
Leftwing congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have signed a petition against Reed , calling him a “ deficit hawk ” and criticizing his past support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There have also been rumblings that the transition could meet turbulence if Biden decides to install Brian Deese , a former OMB official , at the head of the national economic council .
Some of the strongest ire from liberals has been directed at the idea of the former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel becoming secretary of transportation .
The constellation of progressive activists and groups that form the left of the party also have preferred candidates .
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution group want New Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Haaland to run the Department of the Interior .
The importance of progressives battling with Biden over nominees is that it could complicate his ability to set up a functional cabinet and retain the broad electoral coalition that elevated him to office .
But the real sticking point to Biden ’ s choices is likely to be confirming these nominees with a Senate where Democrats either have a slim majority or are still stuck in the minority with Republicans in control .
That issue will be decided by two Georgia run-off Senate races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early January , with both parties pouring huge amounts of cash and manpower into the contests .
“ It is a tremendous dark cloud over the personnel process , ” said Bill Dauster , a former deputy chief of staff to then Democratic-Senate leader , Harry Reid .
Dauster added that “ it ’ s clear from statements Republicans have made that they intend to ration out their Senate confirmations in a stingy way ” .
Part of Biden ’ s argument to placate senators – like Sanders and Warren – who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that their current position is essential in the powerful upper chamber of American government .
“ We already have significant representation among progressives in our administration , ” Biden said in an interview with NBC ’ s Lester Holt .
“ One thing is really critical : taking someone out of the Senate , taking someone out of the House – particularly a person of consequence – is a really difficult decision that would have to be made .
I have a very ambitious , very progressive agenda .
And it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the House and Senate to get it done.
” Justice Democrats shot back that Biden ’ s picks could have been better , and in that response statement offered a list of non-white male progressives for the remaining cabinet positions .
Biden so far has avoided naming any senator to a cabinet position , and instead prioritized agency experience above all else .
Reinforcing that priority , there are signs that Sally Yates , a former acting attorney general , is the heavy favorite to run the Department of Justice .
Outgoing Alabama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Biden ’ s who has kept in contact with him , is another potential candidate , although Yates appears more likely .

So far, Joe Biden has avoided one of the biggest potential pitfalls of the transition process that will end with him moving into the White House: infuriating the left wing of the Democratic party.
Yet Biden’s transition has also yielded the results he wanted in terms of ushering in a team of experienced figures drawn mostly from his own circle of friends and advisers who have given a decidedly centrist tone to the incoming administration.
Biden has so far named his senior staff, who don’t require confirmation from the Senate, to a generally positive response. As he’s begun unveiling his nominations for cabinet secretary positions, the reaction from leftist quarters of the Democratic party – and its cadre of often young activists primed to attack – has mostly turned out to be be a mix of yawning and marginal grumbling.
There has also been applause for naming women and people of color to top posts in an administration that also includes Kamala Harris as vice-president.
“I appreciate that the Biden transition is trying to make an argument for diversity of its selections, but if we’re being honest, what we’re seeing is a valuing of experience in people who have served in key important posts and [who] understand what it’s going to take to try to be effective bureaucrats in those posts,” said Faiz Shakir, the manager for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
“As a progressive, I care deeply about vision and what you want to do when you hold those posts. However, that is not to dismiss or downplay the value of experience. So they are selecting for their experience and that has its upshots.”
So far, Biden has avoided nominating ostentatious prospects to cabinet posts, opting instead to bring in veterans of the agencies they are set to run.
Biden picked Antony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state, to run the state department. Biden picked former secretary of state John Kerry to a new high-ranking post as climate tsar. Biden named Jake Sullivan, a longtime national security aide to the former vice-president to be national security adviser. To serve as director of national intelligence Biden picked Avril Haines, a former deputy director of the CIA. For the treasury department, Biden plans to appoint the former Federal Reserve chairwoman, Janet Yellen.
More telling is who Biden hasn’t appointed. He hasn’t brought on a liberal standard-bearer like Elizabeth Warren. And the president-elect passed over Democrats with a national profile who campaigned for him, like the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg whose name had been floated for ambassador to the UN. He picked Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a former ambassador and state department official. The former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice was seen as a frontrunner for that job.
Yet the progressive groups most eager to bash top agency picks from such an establishment Democrat like Biden are somewhat satisfied.
“We are encouraged by Joe Biden making one of his first major appointments John Kerry, as it demonstrates the urgency of taking bold, global action on the climate crisis,” Alexandra Rojas, the executive director of the Justice Democrats political action committee said in a statement.
“But America also needs a domestically focused climate tsar who directly reports to the president and will oversee an Office of Climate Mobilization agreed to in the Biden-Sanders taskforces.”
We are encouraged by Joe Biden making one of his first major appointments John Kerry Alexandra Rojas
Shakir called the Blinken pick “a solid choice”. When Ron Klain was announced as chief of staff, Warren even tweeted that he was a “a superb choice”. The liberal outside group Democracy for America called Yellen a “historic, progressive choice for Fed Chair in 2013. If selected, she’ll be a historic, progressive choice for treasury secretary.”
There are signs, though, that the Biden administration and liberals are just enjoying a perhaps temporary detente as the Trump era winds down and before Biden has even occupied the Oval Office. Not all appointments have been without grumbling.
Liberal groups have expressed opposition to the longtime Biden adviser Bruce Reed, possibly running the Office of Management and Budget, an agency charged with producing the administration’s budget. Leftwing congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have signed a petition against Reed, calling him a “deficit hawk” and criticizing his past support for benefit cuts, like social security.
There have also been rumblings that the transition could meet turbulence if Biden decides to install Brian Deese, a former OMB official, at the head of the national economic council. Some of the strongest ire from liberals has been directed at the idea of the former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel becoming secretary of transportation.
The constellation of progressive activists and groups that form the left of the party also have preferred candidates. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution group want New Mexico congresswoman – and Native American – Deb Haaland to run the Department of the Interior.
The importance of progressives battling with Biden over nominees is that it could complicate his ability to set up a functional cabinet and retain the broad electoral coalition that elevated him to office.
But the real sticking point to Biden’s choices is likely to be confirming these nominees with a Senate where Democrats either have a slim majority or are still stuck in the minority with Republicans in control. That issue will be decided by two Georgia run-off Senate races that will go to the polls in early January, with both parties pouring huge amounts of cash and manpower into the contests.
“It is a tremendous dark cloud over the personnel process,” said Bill Dauster, a former deputy chief of staff to then Democratic-Senate leader, Harry Reid. Dauster added that “it’s clear from statements Republicans have made that they intend to ration out their Senate confirmations in a stingy way”.
Part of Biden’s argument to placate senators – like Sanders and Warren – who had been angling for influential administration posts is that their current position is essential in the powerful upper chamber of American government.
“We already have significant representation among progressives in our administration,” Biden said in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt. “One thing is really critical: taking someone out of the Senate, taking someone out of the House – particularly a person of consequence – is a really difficult decision that would have to be made. I have a very ambitious, very progressive agenda. And it’s gonna take really strong leaders in the House and Senate to get it done.”
Justice Democrats shot back that Biden’s picks could have been better, and in that response statement offered a list of progressives, none of whom are white males, for the remaining cabinet positions.
Biden so far has avoided naming any senator to a cabinet position, and instead prioritized agency experience above all else. Reinforcing that priority, there are signs that Sally Yates, a former acting attorney general, is the heavy favorite to run the Department of Justice. Outgoing Alabama senator Doug Jones, a longtime friend of Biden’s who has kept in contact with him, is another potential candidate, although Yates appears more likely.


theguardian--2020-11-29--Pennsylvania supreme court throws out Republican bid to reject 2.5m mail-in votes

Pennsylvania ’ s highest court has thrown out a lower court ’ s order that was preventing the state from certifying dozens of contests from the 3 November election .
In the latest Republican lawsuit attempting to thwart president-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory in the battleground state , the state supreme court unanimously threw out the three-day-old order , saying the underlying lawsuit was filed months after the law allowed for challenges to Pennsylvania ’ s year-old mail-in voting law .
Justices also remarked on the lawsuit ’ s staggering demand that an entire election be overturned retroactively .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ even a single mail-in ballot was fraudulently cast or counted , ” justice David Wecht wrote in a concurring opinion .
The state ’ s attorney general , Democrat Josh Shapiro , called the court ’ s decision “ another win for democracy ” .
The week-old lawsuit , led by Pennsylvania Republican congressman Mike Kelly , had challenged the state ’ s mail-in voting law as unconstitutional .
As a remedy , Kelly and other Republican plaintiffs had sought to either throw out the 2.5m mail-in ballots submitted under the law – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wipe out the election results and direct the state ’ s Republican-controlled legislature to pick Pennsylvania ’ s presidential electors .
The request for the state ’ s lawmakers to pick Pennsylvania ’ s presidential electors also flies in the face of a nearly century-old state law , which grants the power to pick electors to the state ’ s popular vote , Wecht wrote .
While the high court ’ s two Republicans joined the five Democrats in opposing those remedies , they split from Democrats in suggesting that the lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s mail-in voting law might violate the constitution – are worth considering .
On Wednesday , commonwealth court judge Patricia McCullough , elected as a Republican in 2009 , had issued the order to halt certification of any remaining contests , including apparently contests for Congress .
A day earlier , Democratic governor Tom Wolf said he had certified Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election in Pennsylvania .
Biden beat president Donald Trump by more than 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania , a state Trump had won in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision to the state supreme court , saying there was no “ conceivable justification ” for it .
The defeat 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 three-member federal panel confirmed unanimously a lower court ’ s decision last week to rebuff the arguments made by Trump ’ s legal team , led by former New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania was marred by widespread fraud .
“ Free , fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy .
Charges of unfairness are serious .
But calling an election unfair does not make it so .
Charges require specific allegations and then proof .
We have neither here , ” judge Stephanos Bibas wrote for the 3rd US circuit court of appeals .
The judge denounced as “ breathtaking ” a Republican request to reverse certification of the vote , adding : “ Voters , not lawyers , choose the president .
Ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ The ] campaign ’ s claims have no merit.
” The ruling , which was the Trump team ’ s 38th court defeat in election lawsuits nationwide , reaffirmed US district judge Matthew Brann ’ s earlier view of Giuliani ’ s complaint , delivered after he listened to five hours of oral arguments last week .
The lawsuit , Brann said , was : “ like Frankenstein ’ s Monster … haphazardly stitched together .
”

Pennsylvania’s highest court has thrown out a lower court’s order that was preventing the state from certifying dozens of contests from the 3 November election.
In the latest Republican lawsuit attempting to thwart president-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state, the state supreme court unanimously threw out the three-day-old order, saying the underlying lawsuit was filed months after the law allowed for challenges to Pennsylvania’s year-old mail-in voting law.
Justices also remarked on the lawsuit’s staggering demand that an entire election be overturned retroactively. “They have failed to allege that even a single mail-in ballot was fraudulently cast or counted,” justice David Wecht wrote in a concurring opinion.
The state’s attorney general, Democrat Josh Shapiro, called the court’s decision “another win for democracy”.
The week-old lawsuit, led by Pennsylvania Republican congressman Mike Kelly, had challenged the state’s mail-in voting law as unconstitutional.
As a remedy, Kelly and other Republican plaintiffs had sought to either throw out the 2.5m mail-in ballots submitted under the law – most of them by Democrats – or to wipe out the election results and direct the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to pick Pennsylvania’s presidential electors.
The request for the state’s lawmakers to pick Pennsylvania’s presidential electors also flies in the face of a nearly century-old state law, which grants the power to pick electors to the state’s popular vote, Wecht wrote.
While the high court’s two Republicans joined the five Democrats in opposing those remedies, they split from Democrats in suggesting that the lawsuit’s underlying claims – that the state’s mail-in voting law might violate the constitution – are worth considering.
On Wednesday, commonwealth court judge Patricia McCullough, elected as a Republican in 2009, had issued the order to halt certification of any remaining contests, including apparently contests for Congress.
A day earlier, Democratic governor Tom Wolf said he had certified Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election in Pennsylvania. Biden beat president Donald Trump by more than 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania, a state Trump had won in 2016.
Wolf had appealed McCullough’s decision to the state supreme court, saying there was no “conceivable justification” for it.
The defeat 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 three-member federal panel confirmed unanimously a lower court’s decision last week to rebuff the arguments made by Trump’s legal team, led by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, that voting in Pennsylvania was marred by widespread fraud.
“Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here,” judge Stephanos Bibas wrote for the 3rd US circuit court of appeals.
The judge denounced as “breathtaking” a Republican request to reverse certification of the vote, adding: “Voters, not lawyers, choose the president. Ballots, not briefs, decide elections. [The] campaign’s claims have no merit.”
The ruling, which was the Trump team’s 38th court defeat in election lawsuits nationwide, reaffirmed US district judge Matthew Brann’s earlier view of Giuliani’s complaint, delivered after he listened to five hours of oral arguments last week. The lawsuit, Brann said, was: “like Frankenstein’s Monster … haphazardly stitched together.”
with Associated Press


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

“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--2020-11-30--Joe Biden fractures foot after slipping while playing with dog

American president-elect Joe Biden has fractured his right foot after slipping while playing with his dog Major .
The injury was discovered in a scan on Sunday and will likely require him to wear a boot for several weeks , his doctor said .
Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark , Delaware , on Sunday afternoon , his office said .
“ Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture , ” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan , his doctor , Kevin O ’ Connor , said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of two small bones in the middle of his right foot , O ’ Connor said .
“ It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks , ” O ’ Conner said .
Fractures are a concern generally as people age , but Biden ’ s appears to be a relatively mild one based on his doctor ’ s statement and the planned treatment .
At 78 he will be the oldest president when he ’ s inaugurated in January ; he often dismissed questions about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president-elect were not afforded the opportunity to see Biden enter the doctor ’ s office Sunday , despite multiple requests .
Leaving the doctor ’ s office to head to an imaging center for his CT scan , Biden was visibly limping , though he walked without a crutch or other aid .
Biden will be the oldest person to assume the American presidency when he is sworn in next year and his health is likely to be watched closely by allies and opponents alike .
Biden and his wife , Jill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquired their first dog , Champ , after the 2008 election .
The Bidens have said they will be bringing their dogs to the White House and also plan to get a cat .
Biden has frequently dismissed questions about his age on the campaign trail .
He released a doctor ’ s report in December that disclosed he takes statin tablets to keep his cholesterol at healthy levels , but his doctor described him as “ healthy , vigorous ” and “ fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this report .

American president-elect Joe Biden has fractured his right foot after slipping while playing with his dog Major.
The injury was discovered in a scan on Sunday and will likely require him to wear a boot for several weeks, his doctor said.
Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware, on Sunday afternoon, his office said.
“Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture,” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said in a statement. The subsequent scan found tiny fractures of two small bones in the middle of his right foot, O’Connor said.
“It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks,” O’Conner said.
Joe Biden with his rescue dog, Major. Photograph: Delaware Human Association Instagram
Fractures are a concern generally as people age, but Biden’s appears to be a relatively mild one based on his doctor’s statement and the planned treatment. At 78 he will be the oldest president when he’s inaugurated in January; he often dismissed questions about his age during the campaign.
Reporters covering the president-elect were not afforded the opportunity to see Biden enter the doctor’s office Sunday, despite multiple requests. Leaving the doctor’s office to head to an imaging center for his CT scan, Biden was visibly limping, though he walked without a crutch or other aid.
Biden will be the oldest person to assume the American presidency when he is sworn in next year and his health is likely to be watched closely by allies and opponents alike.
Biden and his wife, Jill, adopted Major in 2018, having acquired their first dog, Champ, after the 2008 election. The Bidens have said they will be bringing their dogs to the White House and also plan to get a cat.
Biden has frequently dismissed questions about his age on the campaign trail. He released a doctor’s report in December that disclosed he takes statin tablets to keep his cholesterol at healthy levels, but his doctor described him as “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency”.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.


theguardian--2020-11-29--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 also plans to name Neera Tanden , the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress , a liberal think tank , as director of the Office of Management and Budget , according to a person familiar with the transition process granted anonymity to speak freely about internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius .
“ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 ’ s 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will receive his first presidential daily briefing , a report with information from the intelligence agencies of the United States , Biden ’ s office said .
In a short statement released on Sunday regarding Biden ’ s plans for the following day , his office said that following the briefing , Biden would meet with advisers .

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--2020-11-29--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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @

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.