cnbc--2020-11-13--Joe Biden's climate change agenda faces an uncertain future in the Senate

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden discusses the importance of protecting the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) as he speaks to reporters about his health care plan during a news conference in Wilmington , Delaware , U.S. , November 10 , 2020 .
Many of Biden 's climate policies would be blocked by Senate Republicans , who typically oppose climate legislation .
If there 's a divided Congress , Biden would need to rely on executive authority to implement climate measures — a similar move to former President Barack Obama — and potentially more modest deals to push his agenda .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous constraint if Democrats do n't win control of the U.S. Senate .
In Georgia , two Senate runoff races on Jan. 5 will decide which party controls the Senate .
President-elect Joe Biden has boasted a bold agenda on tackling global climate change — from vowing to rejoin the Paris climate agreement to spending more than $ 2 trillion on shifting the country from fossil fuels to clean energy and green jobs .
Biden has called climate change the number one problem facing humanity , and his campaign 's transition website lists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues the country is facing .
That 's at stark odds with President Donald Trump , who has denied the science of climate change and during his four years in office dismantled more than 70 major environmental regulations , with nearly 30 more in progress .
Biden 's massive $ 2 trillion investment plan to mitigate climate change and create jobs only stands a chance if Democrats win the Senate , according to legal experts .
Furthermore , replacing the president 's regulatory agenda with new climate initiatives will be especially difficult without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In addition , a conservative majority on the Supreme Court could uphold challenges in the courts .
`` If Democrats control the Senate , the first thing you 'd see is Biden taking action on the economic recovery package ... a lot of that would be focused on clean energy , '' said Anthony Leiserowitz , director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication .
`` There 's a lot Biden can do immediately in terms of executive action , but really advancing the ball is dependent on Senate control .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump 's environmental rollbacks using executive powers with a Republican-controlled Senate .
The Environmental Protection Agency under Trump weakened Obama-era regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and methane leaks from oil and gas fields , among other things .
The Interior Department has curbed protections for wildlife to open protected land for oil and gas projects .
More from CNBC Environment : In most years , hurricane activity would have wound down by now .
Not in 2020 ' I lost everything ' : In hurricane-ravaged Louisiana , people struggle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change .
Now it 's starting to have an effect on their career choices Biden 's team already plans to implement oil and gas drilling restrictions on public lands ; block certain polluting pipelines across the country ; and rescind a great deal of Trump 's executive orders on energy .
`` Many of Trump 's deregulatory efforts are on legally shaky ground , '' said Michael Burger , head of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University .
`` All of Trump 's deregulatory efforts can be reversed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , but there is no question it can and will be done . ''
Burger said he maintains a `` wait and see '' attitude on what sort of climate legislation Biden could pass if the GOP holds on to the Senate , but he emphasized that `` none of the Trump administration 's environmental policies are likely to be around very long . ''

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden discusses the importance of protecting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as he speaks to reporters about his health care plan during a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., November 10, 2020.
Many of Biden's climate policies would be blocked by Senate Republicans, who typically oppose climate legislation. If there's a divided Congress, Biden would need to rely on executive authority to implement climate measures — a similar move to former President Barack Obama — and potentially more modest deals to push his agenda.
But his climate legislation will face potentially enormous constraint if Democrats don't win control of the U.S. Senate. In Georgia, two Senate runoff races on Jan. 5 will decide which party controls the Senate.
President-elect Joe Biden has boasted a bold agenda on tackling global climate change — from vowing to rejoin the Paris climate agreement to spending more than $2 trillion on shifting the country from fossil fuels to clean energy and green jobs.
Biden has called climate change the number one problem facing humanity, and his campaign's transition website lists it as one of the four main issues the country is facing.
That's at stark odds with President Donald Trump, who has denied the science of climate change and during his four years in office dismantled more than 70 major environmental regulations, with nearly 30 more in progress.
Biden's massive $2 trillion investment plan to mitigate climate change and create jobs only stands a chance if Democrats win the Senate, according to legal experts. Furthermore, replacing the president's regulatory agenda with new climate initiatives will be especially difficult without a Democrat-controlled Senate to pass such legislation. In addition, a conservative majority on the Supreme Court could uphold challenges in the courts.
"If Democrats control the Senate, the first thing you'd see is Biden taking action on the economic recovery package ... a lot of that would be focused on clean energy," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. "There's a lot Biden can do immediately in terms of executive action, but really advancing the ball is dependent on Senate control."
Still, Biden could undo many of Trump's environmental rollbacks using executive powers with a Republican-controlled Senate.
The Environmental Protection Agency under Trump weakened Obama-era regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and methane leaks from oil and gas fields, among other things. The Interior Department has curbed protections for wildlife to open protected land for oil and gas projects.
More from CNBC Environment:
In most years, hurricane activity would have wound down by now. Not in 2020
'I lost everything': In hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, people struggle to rebuild
Gen Z grew up with climate change. Now it's starting to have an effect on their career choices
Biden's team already plans to implement oil and gas drilling restrictions on public lands; block certain polluting pipelines across the country; and rescind a great deal of Trump's executive orders on energy.
"Many of Trump's deregulatory efforts are on legally shaky ground," said Michael Burger, head of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. "All of Trump's deregulatory efforts can be reversed and redirected. It will take some time, but there is no question it can and will be done."
Burger said he maintains a "wait and see" attitude on what sort of climate legislation Biden could pass if the GOP holds on to the Senate, but he emphasized that "none of the Trump administration's environmental policies are likely to be around very long."


cnbc--2020-11-14--Joe Biden is the apparent winner over Trump in Georgia, the first Democrat to take the state since '

Joe Biden is the apparent winner over Trump in Georgia, the first Democrat to take the state since '92

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in the parking lot of Cellairis Ampitheatre on October 27 , 2020 in Atlanta , Georgia .
President-elect Joe Biden is the apparent winner of Georgia 's presidential race , the first Democrat to win that race in the state since 1992 , NBC News projected Friday .
Biden 's victory would give him 16 more Electoral College votes and further solidify an already large lead over President Donald Trump in both the Electoral College and popular vote tallies .
Georgia 's secretary of state has already said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be conducted because of the closeness of the race .
Biden as of Friday was leading Trump by 49.5 % to 49.2 % of the ballots tallied so far , a margin of about 14,000 votes .
Trump on Friday was projected as the winner in North Carolina , the last state to be called in the race for the White House .
Trump was leading North Carolina , which has 15 Electoral College votes , by 50 % of the votes tallied , to 48.6 % for Biden , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes there .
Biden has secured 306 Electoral College votes , compared with 232 such votes for Trump under current projections .
To win the presidency , a candidate must win at minimum 270 votes in the Electoral College .
Biden , a former Democratic vice president , was projected as the winner of the national presidential race Saturday .
As of Friday , Biden had 50.8 % of the national vote , to 47.4 % for Trump , a margin of more than 5 million votes .

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in the parking lot of Cellairis Ampitheatre on October 27, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
President-elect Joe Biden is the apparent winner of Georgia's presidential race, the first Democrat to win that race in the state since 1992, NBC News projected Friday.
Biden's victory would give him 16 more Electoral College votes and further solidify an already large lead over President Donald Trump in both the Electoral College and popular vote tallies.
Georgia's secretary of state has already said that a hand recount of all ballots statewide will be conducted because of the closeness of the race. Biden as of Friday was leading Trump by 49.5% to 49.2% of the ballots tallied so far, a margin of about 14,000 votes.
Trump on Friday was projected as the winner in North Carolina, the last state to be called in the race for the White House. Trump was leading North Carolina, which has 15 Electoral College votes, by 50% of the votes tallied, to 48.6% for Biden, who was trailing the incumbent by more than 70,000 votes there.
Biden has secured 306 Electoral College votes, compared with 232 such votes for Trump under current projections.
To win the presidency, a candidate must win at minimum 270 votes in the Electoral College.
Biden, a former Democratic vice president, was projected as the winner of the national presidential race Saturday. As of Friday, Biden had 50.8% of the national vote, to 47.4% for Trump, a margin of more than 5 million votes.


cnbc--2020-11-14--'It's time to come home' — acting Pentagon chief wants to end America's wars in the Middle East

Christopher Miller , director of the National Counterterrorism Center , testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on `` Threats to the Homeland '' on Capitol Hill in Washington , September 24 , 2020 .
WASHINGTON — In his first message to U.S. military forces , acting Pentagon chief Chris Miller said he was `` weary of war '' and that it was time to end America 's conflicts in the Middle East .
On Monday , Miller ascended to the Pentagon 's acting Secretary of Defense role after President Donald Trump 's sudden termination of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indeed , this fight has been long , our sacrifices have been enormous , and many are weary of war — I 'm one of them — but this is the critical phase in which we transition our efforts from a leadership to supporting role , '' Miller wrote in an early Saturday morning message to Department of Defense employees .
`` We are not a people of perpetual war — it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand for which our ancestors fought .
All wars must end , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` on the verge of defeating Al Qaida and its associates . ''
`` We met the challenge ; we gave it our all .
Now , it 's time to come home , '' Miller wrote .

Christopher Miller, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on "Threats to the Homeland" on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 24, 2020.
WASHINGTON — In his first message to U.S. military forces, acting Pentagon chief Chris Miller said he was "weary of war" and that it was time to end America's conflicts in the Middle East.
On Monday, Miller ascended to the Pentagon's acting Secretary of Defense role after President Donald Trump's sudden termination of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
"Indeed, this fight has been long, our sacrifices have been enormous, and many are weary of war — I'm one of them — but this is the critical phase in which we transition our efforts from a leadership to supporting role," Miller wrote in an early Saturday morning message to Department of Defense employees.
"We are not a people of perpetual war — it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand for which our ancestors fought. All wars must end," he added, writing that the U.S. was "on the verge of defeating Al Qaida and its associates."
"We met the challenge; we gave it our all. Now, it's time to come home," Miller wrote.


cnbc--2020-11-16--Trump backers drop court cases challenging voting results in four states, another setback in bid to

Trump backers drop court cases challenging voting results in four states, another setback in bid to undo Biden win

Plaintiffs aligned with President Donald Trump in four states on Monday abruptly dropped recently filed lawsuits challenging ballots seen as giving President-elect Joe Biden his margin of victory in those locales .
The dismissals of the cases , which all involved plaintiffs represented by lawyer James Bopp and the conservative group True the Vote , occurred in Georgia , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin .
The cases are among a group filed by backers of Trump and the president 's own campaign as part of an effort to reverse Biden 's projected win in the national race for the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to gain traction and it is not clear that Trump has any chance of overturning his loss through legal actions .
With all 50 states ' results projected as of last Friday , Biden has 306 Electoral College votes , 36 more than he needs for victory , compared with just 232 votes for Trump .
But that has not stopped the president both from claiming otherwise and from falsely saying that he won the election .
When asked why the cases were being dismissed , Bopp told CNBC in an email that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because I do not telegraph my next moves , I can not comment . ''
It is not clear if Bopp will seek to resurrect the claims , but it is legally possible he and the plaintiffs could do so .
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel 's office noted that the plaintiffs represented by Bopp in the case there , which sought to invalidate election results in Wayne , Ingham and Washtenaw counties because of claims of voting irregularities and fraud , dropped the action even before serving the lawsuit on the defendants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spread misinformation about the security and integrity of Michigan elections , '' Nessel , a Democrat , said in a statement .
`` Our elections have been conducted fairly and transparently and the results reflect the will of Michigan 's voters .
Any claims to the contrary are wholly without merit , '' Nessel said .
Kristen Clarke , president and executive director of the Lawyers ' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , said , `` We are not surprised that plaintiffs have moved to dismiss their own claims in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have seen with these post-election suits — they are littered with baseless allegations that ca n't be substantiated in a court of law . ''
`` There is no clear or coordinated strategy as these suits continue to crumble , '' Clarke said in a statement .
`` The litigants in these cases have been desperately court-shopping in search of a judge who might be sympathetic to their claims .
These suits are part of a last-ditch attempt intended to promote chaos and discord while eroding public confidence in the outcome of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden had a margin of victory of about 20,000 votes , a court filing by Bopp for three plaintiffs , Michael Langenhorst , Michael LeMay and Stephen Fifrick , said the case was being dropped `` without prejudice , '' which means the plaintiffs reserved their right to make the claims again .
When the suit was filed , the plaintiffs argued that there was evidence of enough illegal mail-in ballots counted in the three counties to invalidate the election results .
The Wisconsin suit was filed just last Thursday in U.S. District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defendants included the clerks of the three counties , Wisconsin 's elections director and elections commission chair , Gov .
Tony Evers , and other officials .
The plaintiffs had argued that votes in the counties of Milwaukee , Dane and Menominee should be tossed out because `` the sudden flood '' of mail-in ballots had left election workers unable to carefully review those ballots for fraudulent ones .
The firm Law Forward , which was founded to challenge conservative election and voting-related legal efforts , said the dismissal was `` an exercise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was entirely without merit and the plaintiffs saved the court the trouble of saying so , '' Jeff Mandell , president of Law Forward , said in a statement .
Biden , a Democratic former vice president , narrowly defeated the Republican Trump in Wisconsin , which has 10 Electoral College votes .
Biden received 1.63 million votes to 1.61 million votes for Trump , a margin of 49.5 % to 48.8 % .
Trump has said he wants a recount of the votes in Wisconsin .
Georgia is set to conduct a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Biden 's similarly narrow margin of victory there .
Milwaukee County went heavily for Biden , giving him more than 69 % percent of the ballots cast .
The actual vote margin in that county was more than 180,000 ballots for Biden .
Biden also far exceeded Trump in Dane County , which Biden won with 75.5 % of the ballots .
In Menominee County , which had relatively few voters , Biden crushed Trump with 1,303 votes to just 278 votes for the incumbent .

U.S. President Donald Trump replaces his putter as he plays golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, U.S., November 15, 2020. Joshua Roberts| Reuters
Plaintiffs aligned with President Donald Trump in four states on Monday abruptly dropped recently filed lawsuits challenging ballots seen as giving President-elect Joe Biden his margin of victory in those locales. The dismissals of the cases, which all involved plaintiffs represented by lawyer James Bopp and the conservative group True the Vote, occurred in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The cases are among a group filed by backers of Trump and the president's own campaign as part of an effort to reverse Biden's projected win in the national race for the White House. Those efforts have largely failed to gain traction and it is not clear that Trump has any chance of overturning his loss through legal actions. With all 50 states' results projected as of last Friday, Biden has 306 Electoral College votes, 36 more than he needs for victory, compared with just 232 votes for Trump.
watch now
But that has not stopped the president both from claiming otherwise and from falsely saying that he won the election. When asked why the cases were being dismissed, Bopp told CNBC in an email that because of attorney-client privilege, "and because I do not telegraph my next moves, I cannot comment." It is not clear if Bopp will seek to resurrect the claims, but it is legally possible he and the plaintiffs could do so. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office noted that the plaintiffs represented by Bopp in the case there, which sought to invalidate election results in Wayne, Ingham and Washtenaw counties because of claims of voting irregularities and fraud, dropped the action even before serving the lawsuit on the defendants. "This case was clearly designed to spread misinformation about the security and integrity of Michigan elections," Nessel, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Our elections have been conducted fairly and transparently and the results reflect the will of Michigan's voters. Any claims to the contrary are wholly without merit," Nessel said. Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said, "We are not surprised that plaintiffs have moved to dismiss their own claims in this case as it confirms the pattern we have seen with these post-election suits — they are littered with baseless allegations that can't be substantiated in a court of law." "There is no clear or coordinated strategy as these suits continue to crumble," Clarke said in a statement. "The litigants in these cases have been desperately court-shopping in search of a judge who might be sympathetic to their claims. These suits are part of a last-ditch attempt intended to promote chaos and discord while eroding public confidence in the outcome of our elections."
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign speech at the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S., September 21, 2020. Mark Makela | Reuters


cnbc--2020-11-16--Biden holds joint meeting with union leaders and CEOs of major retail, auto and tech companies

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden hosted a joint meeting Monday with labor union leaders and the chief executives of major tech , retail and auto companies .
The business leaders at the virtual meeting were General Motors CEO Mary Barra , Microsoft president and CEO Satya Nadella , Target chairman and chief executive Brian Cornell and Sonia Syngal , CEO of Gap .
Biden said later that he told the CEOs , `` I want you to know I 'm a union guy , '' adding `` that 's not anti-business . ''
`` Unions are going to have increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Biden said .
In response , Biden said the CEOs just nodded .
Labor leaders present for the meeting were AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka ; Mary Kay Henry , president of the Service Employees International Union ; Rory Gamble , president of the United Auto Workers ; Lee Saunders , president of the American Federation of State , County and Municipal Employees , and Marc Perrone , president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union .
`` To state the obvious , we 're in a pretty dark hole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the start of the meeting .
`` We face a dark winter ahead with Covid . ''
`` You all have different perspectives on how we can best deal with the virus .
And how we can make sure workers and small businesses stay safe , and we get back to rolling like we should , '' said Biden , who was joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris .
`` We all agree on common goals .
We 're pretty much in lockstep , '' Biden continued .
`` We agree that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid ] , we need to build back better . ''
The event marked the first time that Biden as president-elect has formally convened business and labor leaders to discuss his economic recovery agenda .
The former vice president joked that he deserved `` a Nobel Prize '' for having brought together union leaders and CEOs at the same event .
`` I 'm looking forward to hearing what 's on your mind , '' Biden said to the group .
`` What is top of mind on Covid and getting back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the latest example of Biden forging ahead with the traditional schedule of events for a president-elect , despite the fact that President Donald Trump has refused to concede the race .
Each of the labor leaders represented a union that either wholly or in part endorsed Biden 's presidential campaign .
But the attendance of such high-profile CEOs was more noteworthy , largely because it represented a public endorsement of Biden 's legitimacy as president-elect .
Following the meeting , Biden delivered remarks about his `` build back better '' economic plan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid relief bill .
This is a developing story , please check back for updates .

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden hosted a joint meeting Monday with labor union leaders and the chief executives of major tech, retail and auto companies.
The business leaders at the virtual meeting were General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Microsoft president and CEO Satya Nadella, Target chairman and chief executive Brian Cornell and Sonia Syngal, CEO of Gap.
Biden said later that he told the CEOs, "I want you to know I'm a union guy," adding "that's not anti-business."
"Unions are going to have increased power [in a Biden administration]," Biden said. In response, Biden said the CEOs just nodded.
Labor leaders present for the meeting were AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka; Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union; Rory Gamble, president of the United Auto Workers; Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
"To state the obvious, we're in a pretty dark hole right now," Biden said at the start of the meeting. "We face a dark winter ahead with Covid."
"You all have different perspectives on how we can best deal with the virus. And how we can make sure workers and small businesses stay safe, and we get back to rolling like we should," said Biden, who was joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
"We all agree on common goals. We're pretty much in lockstep," Biden continued. "We agree that we can't just build back [after Covid], we need to build back better."
The event marked the first time that Biden as president-elect has formally convened business and labor leaders to discuss his economic recovery agenda.
The former vice president joked that he deserved "a Nobel Prize" for having brought together union leaders and CEOs at the same event.
"I'm looking forward to hearing what's on your mind," Biden said to the group. "What is top of mind on Covid and getting back to work safely?"
The meeting was the latest example of Biden forging ahead with the traditional schedule of events for a president-elect, despite the fact that President Donald Trump has refused to concede the race.
Each of the labor leaders represented a union that either wholly or in part endorsed Biden's presidential campaign.
But the attendance of such high-profile CEOs was more noteworthy, largely because it represented a public endorsement of Biden's legitimacy as president-elect.
Following the meeting, Biden delivered remarks about his "build back better" economic plan, and urged Congress to pass a major Covid relief bill.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.


cnbc--2020-11-16--Companies gear up for Biden administration with lobbyist hiring spree

President-elect Joe Biden speaks to reporters about efforts to confront the coronavirus diisease ( COVID-19 ) pandemic after meeting with members of his `` Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board '' in Wilmington , Delaware , November 9 , 2020 .
As Joe Biden appeared to be on the path to winning the 2020 presidential election , several companies and business groups went on a hiring spree for lobbyists who could influence the incoming administration .
Both in the buildup to Election Day and the days that followed , at least a dozen businesses started hiring lobbyists , with some having ties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had Biden ahead of President Donald Trump going into Nov. 3 .
NBC News and other major outlets called the race for the former vice president on Nov. 7 .
A recent batch of disclosure reports shows that these businesses started bringing on lobbyists during that time frame , as industries started to prepare for the possibility of a new president .
A few of the lobbyists that have been brought on board have relationships with President-elect Biden and his team , including his incoming White House chief of staff , Ron Klain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairman and a former lobbyist himself , is in line to possibly get a job within the administration .
One of the roles being considered for Ricchetti is the head of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs , according to a person briefed on the matter .
This person declined to be named in order to speak freely .
Lyft Inc. , the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company , hired a lobbyist who was a director of legislative affairs for Biden when he was vice president , according to the disclosure report .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ affairs director , and Darrel Thompson , who previously held numerous positions under former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , were registered to start lobbying on Nov. 6 .
Reid has been a staunch ally of Biden 's for years .
Henry and Thompson both work for the lobbying shop TheGroup DC .
Lyft , the filing says , hired the firm to focus on `` issues related to transportation policy , worker classification . ''
The ride-hailing company is part of a larger fight on California 's Proposition 22 .
The law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than contractors .
The Medical Alley Association brought on T.J. Petrizzo , leader of the Petrizzo Group .
Members of the Minnesota-based medical association include Boston Scientific , EcoLab , FedEx , GE Healthcare and United Healthcare .
After recently hiring Petrizzo for a wide range of issues , some of which are connected to coronavirus relief bills , Medical Alley 's CEO sent a letter to Biden , Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their transition team .
`` We are ready and willing to brief , or provide virtual overview to , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any specific aspect of Medical Alley 's engagement with the response to the virus , '' Shaye Mandle , the CEO , wrote on Monday .
`` What we 're doing now is starting to engage with the new administration and Congress , immediately , to discuss who we are , what we 've been doing and where we are headed , and offering to engage and collaborate with them on policies needed now , '' Petrizzo said in an interview with CNBC .
The California Life Sciences Association brought on a group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous experience working with Biden 's allies in Congress .
Rachel Miller , a partner at the firm , was a legislative assistant to Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif .
Starting Nov. 10 , the firm will help the trade association with `` issues related to the life sciences industry , '' according to the filing .
KPMG , a multifaceted consulting giant , brought on a group of longtime lobbyists from the Consilio Group , a recent filing said .
They started lobbying on Nov. 4 and are focused on `` disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They list the company 's address in the Ivory Coast as the place where they 're focusing their efforts .
Oliver Meissner , the CEO of Consilio , later told CNBC the firm is keeping an eye on the Georgia Senate runoffs and that Consilio anticipates its efforts will be aided by a Biden administration .
`` We see the upcoming Biden Administration to be a positive for our projects , and are working on Covid-19 related relief efforts , '' he said in an email .
`` We are working on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for congressional dynamics including the Georgia Senate runoffs which could directly affect certain initiatives , including size and of upcoming Covid-19 relief and other funding measures . ''
Biden hosted a joint meeting Monday with labor union leaders and the chief executives of major tech , retail and auto companies .
General Motors CEO Mary Barra , Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella , Target CEO Brian Cornell and Sonia Syngal , the CEO of Gap , all attended the virtual meeting .
A Biden transition spokesman did not respond to a request for comment @

President-elect Joe Biden speaks to reporters about efforts to confront the coronavirus diisease (COVID-19) pandemic after meeting with members of his "Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board" in Wilmington, Delaware, November 9, 2020.
As Joe Biden appeared to be on the path to winning the 2020 presidential election, several companies and business groups went on a hiring spree for lobbyists who could influence the incoming administration.
Both in the buildup to Election Day and the days that followed, at least a dozen businesses started hiring lobbyists, with some having ties to Biden himself. Most national polls had Biden ahead of President Donald Trump going into Nov. 3. NBC News and other major outlets called the race for the former vice president on Nov. 7.
A recent batch of disclosure reports shows that these businesses started bringing on lobbyists during that time frame, as industries started to prepare for the possibility of a new president.
A few of the lobbyists that have been brought on board have relationships with President-elect Biden and his team, including his incoming White House chief of staff, Ron Klain.
Steve Ricchetti, Biden's campaign chairman and a former lobbyist himself, is in line to possibly get a job within the administration. One of the roles being considered for Ricchetti is the head of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, according to a person briefed on the matter. This person declined to be named in order to speak freely.
Lyft Inc., the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company, hired a lobbyist who was a director of legislative affairs for Biden when he was vice president, according to the disclosure report. Sudafi Henry, the former Biden legislative affairs director, and Darrel Thompson, who previously held numerous positions under former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, were registered to start lobbying on Nov. 6. Reid has been a staunch ally of Biden's for years.
Henry and Thompson both work for the lobbying shop TheGroup DC. Lyft, the filing says, hired the firm to focus on "issues related to transportation policy, worker classification." The ride-hailing company is part of a larger fight on California's Proposition 22. The law certifies mobile app-based drivers as employees rather than contractors.
The Medical Alley Association brought on T.J. Petrizzo, leader of the Petrizzo Group. Members of the Minnesota-based medical association include Boston Scientific, EcoLab, FedEx, GE Healthcare and United Healthcare.
After recently hiring Petrizzo for a wide range of issues, some of which are connected to coronavirus relief bills, Medical Alley's CEO sent a letter to Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their transition team.
"We are ready and willing to brief, or provide virtual overview to, the recently appointed COVID
Task Force on any specific aspect of Medical Alley's engagement with the response to the virus," Shaye Mandle, the CEO, wrote on Monday.
"What we're doing now is starting to engage with the new administration and Congress, immediately, to discuss who we are, what we've been doing and where we are headed, and offering to engage and collaborate with them on policies needed now," Petrizzo said in an interview with CNBC.
The California Life Sciences Association brought on a group of lobbyists from Forbes-Tate who also have previous experience working with Biden's allies in Congress.
Rachel Miller, a partner at the firm, was a legislative assistant to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Starting Nov. 10, the firm will help the trade association with "issues related to the life sciences industry," according to the filing.
KPMG, a multifaceted consulting giant, brought on a group of longtime lobbyists from the Consilio Group, a recent filing said. They started lobbying on Nov. 4 and are focused on "disaster relief," the lobbying report said. They list the company's address in the Ivory Coast as the place where they're focusing their efforts.
Oliver Meissner, the CEO of Consilio, later told CNBC the firm is keeping an eye on the Georgia Senate runoffs and that Consilio anticipates its efforts will be aided by a Biden administration.
"We see the upcoming Biden Administration to be a positive for our projects, and are working on Covid-19 related relief efforts," he said in an email. "We are working on interface with the transition team and preparing for congressional dynamics including the Georgia Senate runoffs which could directly affect certain initiatives, including size and of upcoming Covid-19 relief and other funding measures."
Biden hosted a joint meeting Monday with labor union leaders and the chief executives of major tech, retail and auto companies. General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Target CEO Brian Cornell and Sonia Syngal, the CEO of Gap, all attended the virtual meeting.
A Biden transition spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.


cnbc--2020-11-16--Trump admits Biden won, but still won't concede after falsely claiming election was 'rigged'

President Donald Trump acknowledged publicly for the first time that President-elect Joe Biden won the election , more than seven days after media outlets including NBC News called the race for Biden .
The president 's comments , made in a seemingly offhand post on social media , come as his campaign continues to challenge the results of the election in court and as his administration holds up formal transition processes .
In subsequent tweets , Trump wrote that he would not concede .
The ostensible acknowledgement of defeat came on Twitter , in response to a post by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' that suggested that Biden `` did n't earn '' the presidency .
`` He won because the Election was Rigged , '' Trump wrote , repeating an allegation that has been debunked by election officials around the country and his own Department of Homeland Security .
Shortly after writing that Biden had won , though , Trump wrote in another post that he conceded `` NOTHING '' and claimed that `` WE WILL WIN ! ''
`` He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA , '' Trump wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president continues to argue without evidence that the election was rigged against him , energizing his base even in defeat .
Thousands of his supporters gathered in Washington , D.C. on Saturday to protest the results .
At least 20 people were arrested after pro-Trump groups clashed with counterprotesters .
A White House official , when asked if Trump was admitting defeat , told NBC News : `` It looks like it . ''
The official added that it may be the beginning of Trump conceding the presidential race .
Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on NBC 's `` Meet the Press '' later on Sunday that he accepted the president 's post on Twitter `` as a further confirmation of the reality that Joe Biden won the election . ''
`` If the president 's prepared to begin to recognize that reality , that 's positive , '' Klain said .
He added that `` Donald Trump 's Twitter feed does n't make Joe Biden president or not president .
The American people did that . ''
To date , more than 97 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been tabulated .
NBC News is projecting that Biden will snag 306 electoral votes , compared to Trump 's 232 .
It takes 270 electoral votes to win .
Biden also leads Trump in the popular vote by a margin of more than 5 million votes , though the popular vote is not legally significant .
The significance of the president 's acknowledgement was not immediately clear , particularly given his subsequent reversal .
Trump 's reelection campaign is continuing to pursue litigation around the country seeking to slow the process of election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge election processes .
Most of those efforts have been unsuccessful so far .
His administration has also not yet announced a formal acknowledgement of Biden 's win , which has resulted in a delay of millions of dollars in funding and the provision of other government resources for the transition effort .
The administrator of the General Services Administration , Emily Murphy , must sign paperwork in order for the transition process to begin .
The GSA did not return an email seeking comment .
A Biden transition official told NBC News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the GSA process Sunday morning .
The Biden team has continued to push on with the transition effort despite the Trump administration 's stonewalling .
On Wednesday , Biden named Klain to be his chief of staff .
Biden is expected to start filling out other roles in the coming weeks .
The former vice president has projected confidence that the president 's efforts would not impede the peaceful transition of power .
The Democrat 's team has repeatedly said in response to inquiries about the matter , `` The United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the White House . ''
Biden called Trump 's refusal to concede an `` embarrassment '' on Tuesday but said that it would not slow the transition .
`` We have already started the transition ; we are well under way , '' he said at a press conference in Delaware .
Republicans have been slow to acknowledge Biden 's victory , though there has been some movement in that direction in recent days .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , notably , has yet to refer to Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Susan Collins of Maine , Mitt Romney of Utah , Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Ben Sasse of Nebraska have congratulated Biden on his victory , as has the last Republican to hold the office , former President George W. Bush .
Senior Republicans including Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa , Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , John Thune of South Dakota and James Lankford of Oklahoma have pressed for Biden to have access to classified intelligence briefings .

President Donald Trump looks on after delivering an update on "Operation Warp Speed" in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on November 13, 2020. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump acknowledged publicly for the first time that President-elect Joe Biden won the election, more than seven days after media outlets including NBC News called the race for Biden. The president's comments, made in a seemingly offhand post on social media, come as his campaign continues to challenge the results of the election in court and as his administration holds up formal transition processes. In subsequent tweets, Trump wrote that he would not concede. The ostensible acknowledgement of defeat came on Twitter, in response to a post by the Fox News show "Watters' World" that suggested that Biden "didn't earn" the presidency. "He won because the Election was Rigged," Trump wrote, repeating an allegation that has been debunked by election officials around the country and his own Department of Homeland Security. Shortly after writing that Biden had won, though, Trump wrote in another post that he conceded "NOTHING" and claimed that "WE WILL WIN!" "He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA," Trump wrote.
watch now
The flurry of tweets come as the president continues to argue without evidence that the election was rigged against him, energizing his base even in defeat. Thousands of his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. on Saturday to protest the results. At least 20 people were arrested after pro-Trump groups clashed with counterprotesters. A White House official, when asked if Trump was admitting defeat, told NBC News: "It looks like it." The official added that it may be the beginning of Trump conceding the presidential race. Biden's chief of staff, Ronald Klain, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" later on Sunday that he accepted the president's post on Twitter "as a further confirmation of the reality that Joe Biden won the election." "If the president's prepared to begin to recognize that reality, that's positive," Klain said. He added that "Donald Trump's Twitter feed doesn't make Joe Biden president or not president. The American people did that." To date, more than 97% of the expected votes in the 2020 race have been tabulated. NBC News is projecting that Biden will snag 306 electoral votes, compared to Trump's 232. It takes 270 electoral votes to win. Biden also leads Trump in the popular vote by a margin of more than 5 million votes, though the popular vote is not legally significant. The significance of the president's acknowledgement was not immediately clear, particularly given his subsequent reversal. Trump's reelection campaign is continuing to pursue litigation around the country seeking to slow the process of election certification in key states, or otherwise challenge election processes. Most of those efforts have been unsuccessful so far.
Formal transition delayed


cnbc--2020-11-17--Trump campaign loses Pennsylvania Supreme Court case on Philadelphia vote count observers

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at his hotel in Las Vegas , Nevada , U.S. , October 28 , @ @ @ @ @ Court on Tuesday rejected arguments by President Donald Trump 's campaign that Republican election observers @ @ @ @ @ closely watch ballot counting in Philadelphia .
The loss could harm the Trump campaign 's @ @ @ @ @ court in Williamsport , where it is trying to block Pennsylvania from certifying its election @ @ @ @ @ In that federal case , the campaign is citing how ballot-counting observers were kept some @ @ @ @ @ in Philadelphia and Allegheny counties .
If the Trump campaign fails in that case , @ @ @ @ @ able to reverse President-elect Joe Biden 's projected victory not only in Pennsylvania but also @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly struck out in cases in other battleground states where it has challenged the legitimacy @ @ @ @ @ Biden an edge .

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at his hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., October 28, 2020.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected arguments by President Donald Trump's campaign that Republican election observers were improperly denied access to closely watch ballot counting in Philadelphia.
The loss could harm the Trump campaign's related legal effort in federal court in Williamsport, where it is trying to block Pennsylvania from certifying its election results in coming weeks.
In that federal case, the campaign is citing how ballot-counting observers were kept some distance away from counts done in Philadelphia and Allegheny counties.
If the Trump campaign fails in that case, it is unlikely to be able to reverse President-elect Joe Biden's projected victory not only in Pennsylvania but also nationally.
The campaign has repeatedly struck out in cases in other battleground states where it has challenged the legitimacy of ballot counts that gave Biden an edge.


cnbc--2020-11-18--Acting Pentagon chief announces U.S. military reduction in Iraq and Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — Acting Pentagon chief Christopher Miller said Tuesday that the United States will reduce its military presence in Afghanistan to 2,500 troops and 2,500 troops in Iraq by Jan. 15 .
The United States has approximately 4,500 troops currently in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 in Iraq .
`` This decision by the president is based on continuous engagement with his national security cabinet over the past several months including ongoing discussions with me and my colleagues across the United States government , '' Miller said at the Pentagon .
`` And just this morning , I spoke with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our allies and partners abroad to update them on these plans in light of our shared approach , '' Miller said , adding that he spoke with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg and Afghanistan 's President Ghani on Tuesday .
`` We went in together , we adjust together and when the time is right , we will leave together , '' Miller said .
Earlier on Tuesday , Stoltenberg warned that leaving the war-torn country too soon or in an uncoordinated effort could present unintended consequences for the world 's largest military organization .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform for international terrorists to plan and organize attacks on our homelands .
And ISIS could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq , '' the NATO chief said , referring to Islamic State militants .
In 2003 , NATO joined the international security effort in Afghanistan and currently has more than 7,000 troops in the country .
NATO 's security operation in Afghanistan was launched after the alliance activated its mutual defense clause — known as Article 5 — for the first time in the wake of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miller ascended to the Pentagon 's acting Secretary of Defense role after President Donald Trump 's sudden termination of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper .
In an early Saturday morning message to Department of Defense employees , Miller said he was `` weary of war '' and that it was time to end America 's conflicts in the Middle East .
`` We are not a people of perpetual war — it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand for which our ancestors fought .
All wars must end , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` on the verge of defeating Al Qaida and its associates . ''
`` We met the challenge ; we gave it our all .
Now , it 's time to come home , '' Miller wrote .
The wars in Afghanistan , Iraq and Syria have cost U.S. taxpayers more than $ 1.57 trillion since Sept. 11 , 2001 , according to a Defense Department report .
The war in Afghanistan , which has dragged on to become America 's longest conflict , began 19 years ago and has cost U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pentagon .
Trump , who campaigned in 2016 on stopping `` ridiculous endless wars '' in the Middle East , took to Twitter last month to announce that American forces currently serving in Afghanistan will be home by Christmas .
At the time , it was unclear if Trump was giving an order via tweet or reiterating a long-held campaign promise in order to appeal to voters ahead of the U.S. presidential election .
Earlier this year , the United States brokered a peace deal with the Taliban that would usher in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military 's footprint from approximately 13,000 to 8,600 by mid-July .
And by May 2021 , all foreign forces would leave the war-torn country .
Trump has previously directed the Pentagon to reduce the U.S. fighting force in conflict zones .
In 2018 , Trump tweeted that the United States would be withdrawing troops out of Syria , a move that sent a shockwave through the Pentagon and contributed in part to the resignation of then-Defense Secretary James Mattis .
Trump later reversed his decision to withdraw from Syria .
In May , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in Afghanistan has been reduced to a `` police force '' and not a `` fighting force . ''
When asked about the tweet by reporters during a White House event , Trump said that the U.S. could go back to Afghanistan if needed .
`` We can always go back if we have to .
If we have to go back , we 'll go back , and we 'll go back raging , '' Trump said in May .

watch now
WASHINGTON — Acting Pentagon chief Christopher Miller said Tuesday that the United States will reduce its military presence in Afghanistan to 2,500 troops and 2,500 troops in Iraq by Jan. 15. The United States has approximately 4,500 troops currently in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 in Iraq. "This decision by the president is based on continuous engagement with his national security cabinet over the past several months including ongoing discussions with me and my colleagues across the United States government," Miller said at the Pentagon. "And just this morning, I spoke with key leaders in Congress as well as our allies and partners abroad to update them on these plans in light of our shared approach," Miller said, adding that he spoke with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg and Afghanistan's President Ghani on Tuesday. "We went in together, we adjust together and when the time is right, we will leave together," Miller said. Earlier on Tuesday, Stoltenberg warned that leaving the war-torn country too soon or in an uncoordinated effort could present unintended consequences for the world's largest military organization.
watch now
"Afghanistan risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organize attacks on our homelands. And ISIS could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq," the NATO chief said, referring to Islamic State militants. In 2003, NATO joined the international security effort in Afghanistan and currently has more than 7,000 troops in the country. NATO's security operation in Afghanistan was launched after the alliance activated its mutual defense clause — known as Article 5 — for the first time in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Last week, Miller ascended to the Pentagon's acting Secretary of Defense role after President Donald Trump's sudden termination of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. In an early Saturday morning message to Department of Defense employees, Miller said he was "weary of war" and that it was time to end America's conflicts in the Middle East. "We are not a people of perpetual war — it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand for which our ancestors fought. All wars must end," Miller wrote, adding that the U.S. was "on the verge of defeating Al Qaida and its associates." "We met the challenge; we gave it our all. Now, it's time to come home," Miller wrote.
Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division gather their equipment before boarding a CH-47F Chinook that serves with the Task Force Flying Dragons, or 1st General Support Aviation Battalion., 25th Avn. Regiment, 16th Combat Avn. Brigade, in the Nawa Valley, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Photo: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston | FlickrCC


cnbc--2020-11-18--GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, 87, tests positive for coronavirus

The lawmaker , who at 87 years old is considered at high risk for severe illness , tweeted Tuesday that he tested positive hours after he said he would isolate following contact with someone who had been infected .
Grassley , who is president pro tempore of the Senate , presided over the chamber during votes Monday .
He is high up in the presidential line of succession , behind Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi .
Grassley is the second oldest senator , a few months younger than California Democrat Dianne Feinstein , who is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` fine '' and will work from home .
While isolating after exposure to the virus , Grassley missed the Tuesday vote on Judy Shelton 's nomination to the Federal Reserve .
Sen. Rick Scott , R-Fla. , also was not at the Capitol for the procedural vote as he isolated due to Covid-19 exposure .
Shelton 's nomination failed after three other Republicans announced their opposition .
The virus has taken its toll in Congress as it infects a record number of people around the country .
Grassley becomes the sixth senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least three House members have tested positive this month .
They include 87-year-old Don Young , the longest serving lawmaker in the chamber .
Grassley 's home state of Iowa has endured one of the country 's worst coronavirus outbreaks as measured by per capita infections .
The state most recently reported 2,071 cases , an increase of about 17 % from a week before , according to the Covid Tracking Project .
Here is the full release from Grassley 's office : WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley has tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure to the coronavirus .
`` This morning , I learned that I had been exposed to the coronavirus .
I received a COVID-19 test and immediately began to quarantine .
While I still feel fine , the test came back positive for the coronavirus .
I am continuing to follow my doctors ' orders and CDC guidelines .
I 'll be keeping up on my work for the people of Iowa from home .
I appreciate everyone 's well wishes and prayers , and look forward to resuming my normal schedule when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my offices across Iowa and in Washington remain open and ready to serve Iowans , '' Grassley said .

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has tested positive for coronavirus.
The lawmaker, who at 87 years old is considered at high risk for severe illness, tweeted Tuesday that he tested positive hours after he said he would isolate following contact with someone who had been infected.
Grassley, who is president pro tempore of the Senate, presided over the chamber during votes Monday. He is high up in the presidential line of succession, behind Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Grassley is the second oldest senator, a few months younger than California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who is also 87.
The Republican said he feels "fine" and will work from home.
While isolating after exposure to the virus, Grassley missed the Tuesday vote on Judy Shelton's nomination to the Federal Reserve. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also was not at the Capitol for the procedural vote as he isolated due to Covid-19 exposure. Shelton's nomination failed after three other Republicans announced their opposition.
The virus has taken its toll in Congress as it infects a record number of people around the country. Grassley becomes the sixth senator to test positive for Covid-19.
At least three House members have tested positive this month. They include 87-year-old Don Young, the longest serving lawmaker in the chamber.
Grassley's home state of Iowa has endured one of the country's worst coronavirus outbreaks as measured by per capita infections. The state most recently reported 2,071 cases, an increase of about 17% from a week before, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Here is the full release from Grassley's office:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley has tested positive for COVID-19 after learning earlier today of an exposure to the coronavirus.
"This morning, I learned that I had been exposed to the coronavirus. I received a COVID-19 test and immediately began to quarantine. While I still feel fine, the test came back positive for the coronavirus. I am continuing to follow my doctors' orders and CDC guidelines. I'll be keeping up on my work for the people of Iowa from home. I appreciate everyone's well wishes and prayers, and look forward to resuming my normal schedule when I can. In the meantime, my offices across Iowa and in Washington remain open and ready to serve Iowans," Grassley said.


cnbc--2020-11-17--'Disgraceful!' — Lawyer blasts Trump attorney Giuliani for seeking to toss Pa. votes to reverse Bide

'Disgraceful!' — Lawyer blasts Trump attorney Giuliani for seeking to toss Pa. votes to reverse Biden win

Attorney for the President , Rudy Giuliani speaks to the media at a press conference held in the back parking lot of landscaping company on November 7 , 2020 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania .
Giuliani 's claims , which echoed those made by Trump , came at a hearing in Williamsport , where state lawyers argued to U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann for the dismissal of the Trump campaign 's lawsuit seeking to stop Pennsylvania from certifying its election results .
But a lawyer for several Pennsylvania county election boards called Giuliani 's effort to have a judge invalidate up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state baseless and `` disgraceful ! ''
President Donald Trump 's personal lawyer , Rudy Giuliani , on Tuesday argued to a federal judge in Pennsylvania that there had been `` widespread national voter fraud '' in the presidential election that led to Joe Biden 's projected victory .
Those cases to date have failed to convince judges , and failed to produce evidence of fraud to such a degree that could overturn Biden 's victory in a single state , much less the several states that Trump would need to flip to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best description of this situation is widespread , nationwide voter fraud , '' Giuliani said during the hearing .
He also reportedly claimed that this purported fraud occurred in `` big cities , controlled by Democrats . ''
`` You 'd have to be a fool to think this is an accident , '' said Giuliani , who argued that hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots in Philadelphia should be invalidated because observers from the Trump campaign could not examine them as they were being counted .
But lawyers for Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county election boards pushed back , at times fiercely , against Giuliani 's claim .
Mark Aronchick , an attorney for some of those election boards , accused Giuliani of talking about `` some fantasy world . ''
`` This just is disgraceful ! ''
Aronchick said of Giuliani 's arguments .
Aronchick , referring to the Trump campaign 's request that Brann invalidate hundreds of thousands of ballots cast in the state because of alleged fraud , said , `` It 's disgraceful that you are being asked to do that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Supreme Court rejected the Trump campaign 's argument that its election observers were improperly denied access to closely watch the counting of ballots in Philadelphia .
The Supreme Court ruled , in what could be a crippling blow to the federal case , that county election officials had the right to determine how far away to keep observers from ballot counting areas , as long as those observers were allowed to be in the room where the counting was being conducted .
Brann and some attorneys , including Giuliani , appeared in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Aronchick , appeared remotely .
And reporters were barred from the physical courtroom because of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic .
Two phone lines opened so that the media and members of the public could follow the proceedings at one point or the other failed , denying up to 8,000 people who had called in access to the hearing .
The phone lines later were restored .
Giuliani earlier in the day adamantly denied a report in The New York Times that he had asked Trump 's campaign to pay him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his legal work .
`` I never asked for $ 20,000 , '' Giuliani told The Times , saying that Trump offered to `` work ... out '' any payment to him at the end of the legal process .
The Wall Street Journal later matched The Times story about Giuliani 's request , which the newspaper noted was `` an unusually high fee . ''
The Journal reported that the Trump campaign did not agree to Giuliani 's request , but noted that it could not be determined whether the campaign will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was not originally directly involved in the case , made a last-minute request Tuesday to have Brann admit him as a member of the campaign 's legal team .
That move came after two sets of other lawyers for Trump 's reelection campaign quit the case over the past week .
It also came after Brann denied a request by another new attorney for the campaign to postpone the hearing .
The slapdash nature of the Trump campaign 's case in Pennsylvania was underscored by Giuliani 's statement to Brann on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed lawsuit , which alleged a violation of due process , was mistakenly removed from an amended lawsuit .
A former New York City mayor and federal prosecutor , Giuliani is not admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania federal court , so he needed permission from Brann to appear in the case .
Giuliani 's application said that he is `` currently a member in good standing '' of a number of state and federal courts , and of the District of Columbia Bar .
However , a check of the DC Bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is administratively suspended because of nonpayment of fees .
That suspension likely would have no affect on his admission to the Pennsylvania case .
On the same day that Biden was projected as winner of the election , Giuliani led a widely derided news conference about the vote-counting process outside of Four Seasons Total Landscaping , a small business in Philadelphia located between a crematorium and a sex shop .

Attorney for the President, Rudy Giuliani speaks to the media at a press conference held in the back parking lot of landscaping company on November 7, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chris McGrath | Getty Images
President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on Tuesday argued to a federal judge in Pennsylvania that there had been "widespread national voter fraud" in the presidential election that led to Joe Biden's projected victory. But a lawyer for several Pennsylvania county election boards called Giuliani's effort to have a judge invalidate up to 700,000 mail-in ballots cast in the state baseless and "disgraceful!" Giuliani's claims, which echoed those made by Trump, came at a hearing in Williamsport, where state lawyers argued to U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann for the dismissal of the Trump campaign's lawsuit seeking to stop Pennsylvania from certifying its election results.
watch now
watch now
"Dismiss this case," Aronchick urged the judge. During the hearing, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the Trump campaign's argument that its election observers were improperly denied access to closely watch the counting of ballots in Philadelphia. The Supreme Court ruled, in what could be a crippling blow to the federal case, that county election officials had the right to determine how far away to keep observers from ballot counting areas, as long as those observers were allowed to be in the room where the counting was being conducted. Brann and some attorneys, including Giuliani, appeared in the courtroom in person, but others, including Aronchick, appeared remotely. And reporters were barred from the physical courtroom because of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Two phone lines opened so that the media and members of the public could follow the proceedings at one point or the other failed, denying up to 8,000 people who had called in access to the hearing. The phone lines later were restored. Giuliani earlier in the day adamantly denied a report in The New York Times that he had asked Trump's campaign to pay him a whopping $20,000 per day for his legal work. "I never asked for $20,000," Giuliani told The Times, saying that Trump offered to "work ... out" any payment to him at the end of the legal process. The Wall Street Journal later matched The Times story about Giuliani's request, which the newspaper noted was "an unusually high fee." The Journal reported that the Trump campaign did not agree to Giuliani's request, but noted that it could not be determined whether the campaign will pay Giuliani at all. Giuliani, who was not originally directly involved in the case, made a last-minute request Tuesday to have Brann admit him as a member of the campaign's legal team. That move came after two sets of other lawyers for Trump's reelection campaign quit the case over the past week. It also came after Brann denied a request by another new attorney for the campaign to postpone the hearing. The slapdash nature of the Trump campaign's case in Pennsylvania was underscored by Giuliani's statement to Brann on Tuesday that a claim made in the originally filed lawsuit, which alleged a violation of due process, was mistakenly removed from an amended lawsuit. A former New York City mayor and federal prosecutor, Giuliani is not admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania federal court, so he needed permission from Brann to appear in the case. Giuliani's application said that he is "currently a member in good standing" of a number of state and federal courts, and of the District of Columbia Bar. However, a check of the DC Bar's registry shows that Giuliani's admission there is administratively suspended because of nonpayment of fees. That suspension likely would have no affect on his admission to the Pennsylvania case. On the same day that Biden was projected as winner of the election, Giuliani led a widely derided news conference about the vote-counting process outside of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a small business in Philadelphia located between a crematorium and a sex shop.
watch now
Trump originally announced that the presser would be held at the "Four Seasons," the name of an upscale hotel, before pointing out the actual location in a subsequent tweet. Speaking at a lectern set up in the rear parking lot of the landscaping business, Giuliani assailed the city of Philadelphia for having a "sad history" of voter fraud, and scoffed at journalists when they told him that news outlets had called the race for Biden. Trump last week said that New York-based Giuliani would lead his campaign's efforts in multiple states to challenge ballots and reverse Biden's victory. Next Monday is the deadline for Pennsylvania county boards of elections to file their returns with the secretary of state. During an interview Tuesday on Fox Business, Giuliani claimed that the Pennsylvania case hinges on 700,000 ballots that he alleged "were counted surreptitiously." "Frankly, that is a case that we would like to see get to the Supreme Court," he said. Giuliani also said "we're probably going to sue in at least eight or nine" states where Republican ballot watchers allegedly were blocked from observing the vote-tallying process. "The only remedy the court has is to just cancel out those votes," he said. "I believe we have amassed more than enough evidence in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, and Georgia," he said when asked if there are enough questionable ballots to overturn Biden's victory. "I believe we're very close in Nevada."
Poll worker Angela Steele mans the check-in desk near rows of empty ballot boxes at the Allegheny County Election Warehouse after the election in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 6, 2020. John Altdorfer | Reuters


cnbc--2020-11-17--Georgia says voting machine audit found no evidence of fraud or tampering

The state of Georgia announced Tuesday that an official audit of its voting machines found no evidence of fraud or foul play during the 2020 elections .
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , who had ordered a certified testing laboratory to conduct an audit of a random sample of Georgia 's machines , said that the probe was both complete and successful in ensuring that the machines had n't been manipulated .
`` We are glad but not surprised that the audit of the state 's voting machines was an unqualified success , '' Raffensperger , a Republican , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security has been a top priority since day one of my administration . ''
`` We have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security , the Georgia Cyber Center , Georgia Tech security experts , and wide range of other election security experts around the state and country so Georgia voters can be confident that their vote is safe and secure , '' he added .
The announcement from Raffensperger came as the state works to recount by hand its ballots following a close outcome between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is trying to certify its election results by the Nov. 20 deadline .
NBC News , which called the presidential race for Biden on Nov. 7 , also projected that Biden is the first Democrat to win Georgia 's presidential race since 1992 .
Biden as of Friday was leading Trump by 49.5 % to 49.2 % of the ballots tallied so far , a margin of about 14,000 votes .
Raffensperger said that a lab certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission , Pro V & V , used forensic techniques to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The lab also extracted the software or firmware from the scanners and marking devices to guarantee that only approved technology had been used in the state 's devices during the election .
According to Pro V & V , all of the software and firmware on the sampled machines was verified to be the Georgia-sanctioned technology .
`` Coupled with the risk-limiting audit of all paper ballots relying solely on the printed text of the ballots , these steps confirm the assessment of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that there are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Georgia officials said in the release .
Despite an acknowledgement that Biden won , Trump has nonetheless continued to challenge the integrity of the voting process without evidence .
The president took to Twitter on Saturday evening to reiterate his assertion , again failing to provide evidence of the fraud he alleged .
`` There is tremendous evidence of wide spread voter fraud in that there is irrefutable proof that our Republican poll watchers and observers were not allowed to be present in poll counting rooms , '' Trump wrote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ others .
Unconstitutional ! ''
Trump has also blasted Dominion Voting Systems in tweets , alleging without proof that the company or its technology incorrectly deleted millions of votes for his reelection .
In announcing its audit findings , Georgia — a state long controlled by Republican politicians — marked yet another blow in the claims of rampant fraud the president insists is real .
Last week , Trump 's lawyers dropped a legal challenge of a number of ballots in Maricopa County , Arizona , saying Biden 's overall lead in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots to make a difference .
And in Michigan , a judge declined a request by Trump backers to block the certification of election results in Detroit .

"We have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security, the Georgia Cyber Center, Georgia Tech security experts, and wide range of other election security experts around the state and country so Georgia voters can be confident that their vote is safe and secure," he added.
"We are glad but not surprised that the audit of the state's voting machines was an unqualified success," Raffensperger, a Republican, said in a press release. "Election security has been a top priority since day one of my administration."
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who had ordered a certified testing laboratory to conduct an audit of a random sample of Georgia's machines, said that the probe was both complete and successful in ensuring that the machines hadn't been manipulated.
The state of Georgia announced Tuesday that an official audit of its voting machines found no evidence of fraud or foul play during the 2020 elections.
The announcement from Raffensperger came as the state works to recount by hand its ballots following a close outcome between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the Peach State. Georgia is trying to certify its election results by the Nov. 20 deadline.
NBC News, which called the presidential race for Biden on Nov. 7, also projected that Biden is the first Democrat to win Georgia's presidential race since 1992. Biden as of Friday was leading Trump by 49.5% to 49.2% of the ballots tallied so far, a margin of about 14,000 votes.
Raffensperger said that a lab certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Pro V&V, used forensic techniques to inspect Dominion Voting Systems voting machines.
The lab also extracted the software or firmware from the scanners and marking devices to guarantee that only approved technology had been used in the state's devices during the election.
According to Pro V&V, all of the software and firmware on the sampled machines was verified to be the Georgia-sanctioned technology.
"Coupled with the risk-limiting audit of all paper ballots relying solely on the printed text of the ballots, these steps confirm the assessment of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that there are no signs of cyber attacks or election hacking," Georgia officials said in the release.
Despite an acknowledgement that Biden won, Trump has nonetheless continued to challenge the integrity of the voting process without evidence. The president took to Twitter on Saturday evening to reiterate his assertion, again failing to provide evidence of the fraud he alleged.
"There is tremendous evidence of wide spread voter fraud in that there is irrefutable proof that our Republican poll watchers and observers were not allowed to be present in poll counting rooms," Trump wrote. "Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and others. Unconstitutional!"
Trump has also blasted Dominion Voting Systems in tweets, alleging without proof that the company or its technology incorrectly deleted millions of votes for his reelection.
In announcing its audit findings, Georgia — a state long controlled by Republican politicians — marked yet another blow in the claims of rampant fraud the president insists is real.
Last week, Trump's lawyers dropped a legal challenge of a number of ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona, saying Biden's overall lead in the state is too big for the disputed ballots to make a difference. And in Michigan, a judge declined a request by Trump backers to block the certification of election results in Detroit.


cnbc--2020-11-17--Democrats tell Supreme Court they might drop fight for Mueller documents because Trump lost the elec

Democrats tell Supreme Court they might drop fight for Mueller documents because Trump lost the election

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in Washington , D.C. , U.S. , on Monday , June 15 , 2020 .
They asked the court to cancel arguments in the case that were scheduled for Dec. 2 .
Arguments could still take place at a later date .
Lawyers for the House Judiciary Committee said in a filing with the justices that the congressional panel will need to reconsider after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated and a new Congress is sworn in whether they will still seek the records .
Democrats told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grand jury materials produced in connection with former special counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation of President Donald Trump 's 2016 campaign .
The request comes in the wake of Biden 's victory over Trump in this month 's presidential election .
The committee had justified its request for the normally closely guarded grand jury materials on the basis that the records might help with an investigation into whether to impeach the president for a second time .
The law allows for grand jury materials to be released for a `` judicial proceeding , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case was whether an impeachment investigation qualified .
But with Trump leaving office , that question may no longer be relevant .
`` The Committee 's investigations into misconduct by President Trump , oversight of agency activities during the Trump Administration , and consideration of related legislative reforms have remained ongoing , '' wrote Douglas Letter , the general counsel for the House of Representatives .
`` But a new Congress will convene in the first week of January 2021 , and President-elect Biden will be inaugurated on January 20 , 2021 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events occur , the newly constituted Committee will have to determine whether it wishes to continue pursuing the application for the grand-jury materials that gave rise to this case . ''
Two lower courts including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C .
Circuit sided with the Democratic-led congressional committee and ordered the Justice Department to turn over the materials .
But the Supreme Court in May temporarily blocked the transfer of the materials and in July agreed to decide the case , effectively ensuring that the committee would n't be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took place .
Trump has not conceded the race , which NBC News and other media outlets called for Biden on Nov. 7 .
Biden is projected to win 306 Electoral College votes , compared with Trump 's 232 .
A filing submitted in the case by the Justice Department on Nov. 13 did not acknowledge the results of the election .
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday .

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 15, 2020.
Democrats told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that they may drop their fight for secretive grand jury materials produced in connection with former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.
Lawyers for the House Judiciary Committee said in a filing with the justices that the congressional panel will need to reconsider after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated and a new Congress is sworn in whether they will still seek the records.
They asked the court to cancel arguments in the case that were scheduled for Dec. 2. Arguments could still take place at a later date.
The request comes in the wake of Biden's victory over Trump in this month's presidential election.
The committee had justified its request for the normally closely guarded grand jury materials on the basis that the records might help with an investigation into whether to impeach the president for a second time.
The law allows for grand jury materials to be released for a "judicial proceeding," and the legal question in the case was whether an impeachment investigation qualified. But with Trump leaving office, that question may no longer be relevant.


cnbc--2020-11-17--Here are the key dates in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections

Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev .
Raphael Warnock hand out lawn signs at a campaign event on @ @ @ @ @ Lithonia , Georgia .
Georgia voters will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate in @ @ @ @ @ Republican Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face competitive challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff @ @ @ @ @ .
Georgia election rules called for runoff races when no candidate exceeded 50 % of @ @ @ @ @ during the Nov. 3 general election .
Republicans have won 50 Senate seats , while @ @ @ @ @ seat for a total of 48 .
If Democrats win both Georgia races , Vice @ @ @ @ @ the tiebreaking vote , giving the party unified control of the White House and Congress @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic senator since 1996 .
The runoff races come after President-elect Joe Biden made @ @ @ @ @ to win Georgia 's presidential race since 1992 , NBC News projected Friday .
Here @ @ @ @ @ the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections :

Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock hand out lawn signs at a campaign event on October 3, 2020 in Lithonia, Georgia.
Georgia voters will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate in two January runoff elections.
Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face competitive challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively. Georgia election rules called for runoff races when no candidate exceeded 50% of voter share in either race during the Nov. 3 general election.
Republicans have won 50 Senate seats, while Democrats have flipped one net seat for a total of 48. If Democrats win both Georgia races, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tiebreaking vote, giving the party unified control of the White House and Congress.
Georgia has not elected a Democratic senator since 1996.
The runoff races come after President-elect Joe Biden made history as the first Democrat to win Georgia's presidential race since 1992, NBC News projected Friday.
Here are the key dates in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections:


cnbc--2020-11-17--Business Roundtable will push for more stimulus, tariff relief under Biden

WILMINGTON , DELAWARE - NOVEMBER 16 : U.S. President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks about the U.S. economy during a press briefing at the Queen Theater on November 16 , 2020 in Wilmington , Delaware .
Mr. Biden and his advisors continue to work on the long term economic recovery plan his administration will try to put in place when he takes office .
( Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images ) The Business Roundtable , a large and influential group consisting of prominent corporate leaders , has decided on its key policy priorities under President-elect Joe Biden 's administration and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO of the advocacy and lobbying group , told reporters Tuesday that it will start pushing policymakers on a slew of initiatives , including another coronavirus relief bill to help small businesses , the removal of tariffs , and police reforms .
Congress is locked in a stalemate over another Covid-19 relief bill .
Republicans in the Senate , led by Mitch McConnell , have pushed for a smaller , more targeted measure with enhanced unemployment benefits , and aid and protections for businesses .
House Democrats , under Speaker Nancy Pelosi , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would include even more unemployment benefits , as well as aid to state and local governments , and direct payments to individuals .
The chairman of the organization is Doug McMillon , the president and CEO of Walmart .
Jamie Dimon , the CEO of JPMorgan Chase , and Tim Cook , the CEO of Apple , are among the Business Roundtable 's board of directors .
The group 's members include more than 100 chief executive officers .
`` We are urging policymakers to enact phase four legislation now , '' Bolten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Bolten specifically mentioned that they believe Biden should begin cutting back on the tariffs that have been implemented by the Trump administration on foreign goods .
He did note , though , that even if the administration removes trade barriers , there are still hurdles to overcome when it comes to trade deals with China .
The move comes as companies start to hire lobbyists to prepare for the incoming Biden administration .
The Business Roundtable had been in touch with Biden 's campaign before he was elected president .
Bolten confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been holding discussions with Biden 's team and that , even on policy disagreements , the group is convinced it can work with the new administration .
`` We feel like that even on the areas where we may disagree on policy , we will have a fair chance on input and to make our positions known , '' Bolten said .
One area of disagreement is Biden 's campaign proposal to raise taxes on people making over $ 400,000 , plus an increase in the corporate tax rate .
At least one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous ties to Biden .
Eric Rosen , a lobbyist at the firm Invariant , has Business Roundtable as a client and was once a Judiciary Committee counsel to Biden when he was part of the powerful Senate committee .
Biden has been filling out his administration with advisors who have ties to the larger business community , including Ron Klain , who is the president-elect 's chief of staff , and Steve Ricchetti , who on Tuesday was named one of his counselors .

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - NOVEMBER 16: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks about the U.S. economy during a press briefing at the Queen Theater on November 16, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Mr. Biden and his advisors continue to work on the long term economic recovery plan his administration will try to put in place when he takes office. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Business Roundtable, a large and influential group consisting of prominent corporate leaders, has decided on its key policy priorities under President-elect Joe Biden's administration and a new Congress.
Joshua Bolten, the CEO of the advocacy and lobbying group, told reporters Tuesday that it will start pushing policymakers on a slew of initiatives, including another coronavirus relief bill to help small businesses, the removal of tariffs, and police reforms.
Congress is locked in a stalemate over another Covid-19 relief bill. Republicans in the Senate, led by Mitch McConnell, have pushed for a smaller, more targeted measure with enhanced unemployment benefits, and aid and protections for businesses. House Democrats, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are pushing a much larger bill that would include even more unemployment benefits, as well as aid to state and local governments, and direct payments to individuals.
The chairman of the organization is Doug McMillon, the president and CEO of Walmart. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, and Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, are among the Business Roundtable's board of directors. The group's members include more than 100 chief executive officers.
"We are urging policymakers to enact phase four legislation now," Bolten said during the briefing.
On trade, Bolten specifically mentioned that they believe Biden should begin cutting back on the tariffs that have been implemented by the Trump administration on foreign goods. He did note, though, that even if the administration removes trade barriers, there are still hurdles to overcome when it comes to trade deals with China.
The move comes as companies start to hire lobbyists to prepare for the incoming Biden administration. The Business Roundtable had been in touch with Biden's campaign before he was elected president.
Bolten confirmed to reporters that the Business Roundtable has been holding discussions with Biden's team and that, even on policy disagreements, the group is convinced it can work with the new administration.
"We feel like that even on the areas where we may disagree on policy, we will have a fair chance on input and to make our positions known," Bolten said. One area of disagreement is Biden's campaign proposal to raise taxes on people making over $400,000, plus an increase in the corporate tax rate.
At least one lobbyist working with the Business Roundtable has previous ties to Biden. Eric Rosen, a lobbyist at the firm Invariant, has Business Roundtable as a client and was once a Judiciary Committee counsel to Biden when he was part of the powerful Senate committee.
Biden has been filling out his administration with advisors who have ties to the larger business community, including Ron Klain, who is the president-elect's chief of staff, and Steve Ricchetti, who on Tuesday was named one of his counselors.


cnbc--2020-11-17--Biden picks for senior White House staff include loyalists, rising Democratic stars

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his first slate of senior White House staff , choosing a mix of longtime Biden loyalists and rising Democratic stars .
The overall makeup of the top staff is notable for its lack of well-known progressives , suggesting that Biden intends to oversee a more cautious , traditional West Wing than some in the Democratic Party might have hoped .
Veteran Biden advisor Mike Donilon was named senior advisor to the president .
Donilon served as Biden 's chief strategist during the campaign .
Jen O'Malley Dillon , who managed Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House deputy chief of staff .
O'Malley Dillon is a rare Biden insider who has not worked alongside the Bidens for decades .
In 2019 , she managed the failed presidential primary campaign of Biden 's opponent , former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke .
After joining the Biden campaign this spring , O'Malley Dillon maintained a low profile , and she focused almost entirely on recapturing the `` blue wall '' of Midwestern states that Trump flipped in 2016 : Michigan , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania .
Biden won them all .
Louisiana Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement .
Richmond was a trusted advisor and highly visible Biden surrogate during the campaign .
Insiders have described Richmond 's role as similar to that of former White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett , who often served as a sounding board for President Barack Obama .
Former Biden campaign chairman Steve Ricchetti will be senior counselor to the president , the Biden team announced .
Ricchetti is a career Democratic political aide who served as Biden 's chief of staff during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ricchetti 's prior work as a health-care lobbyist that raised the ire of progressives during the Democratic primary race .
They argued that Ricchetti was helping to craft health-care policies for Biden that were too friendly to his former drugmaker clients , a list that includes Eli Lilly , Pfizer and Novartis .
Biden came under pressure following his election not to name Ricchetti his White House chief of staff .
Last week , Biden announced that longtime aide Ron Klain would serve as chief of staff .
Dana Remus , a former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Obama administration , was named counsel to the president .
Remus worked at the Obama Foundation and most recently served as general counsel to the Biden campaign .
There , Remus assembled the team of lawyers currently battling President Donald Trump 's campaign in several state courts over voting procedures and ballot counting , part of Trump 's last-resort legal effort to overturn the election results .
Remus ' prior experience in the White House ethics office will likely help guide early decisions in the Biden administration about what kind of ethical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflicts of interest among political appointees .
Biden himself has pledged to maintain the highest ethical standards in his administration .
But the question of whether former lobbyists will be hired to work at agencies they once lobbied on behalf of clients is a complicated and unresolved one for Biden .
Biden 's director of intergovernmental affairs will be Julie Chavez Rodriguez , a former aide to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar Chavez .
Rodriguez served as traveling chief of staff to Harris during her failed presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a grueling schedule of campaign travel .
Before that , Rodriguez worked as the California state director in Harris ' Senate office .
In the Biden White House , Rodriguez will oversee the administration 's outreach efforts to state , county , local and tribal governments .
After four years of limited interaction under Trump between the White House and state and local governments , Biden has made delivering financial aid to state and local governments a cornerstone of his plan to combat the coronavirus .
As a result , Rodriguez will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House than her predecessor , Douglas Hoelscher , did .
Annie Tomasini , a longtime member of Biden 's inner circle and his traveling chief of staff on the campaign , will serve as director of Oval Office operations .
The particulars of this role have often shifted based on who is in office at any given time , but what remains the same is that it 's a powerful gatekeeper position with influence over the president 's daily activities .
When Trump first took office in 2017 , he named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his director of Oval Office operations .
Schiller left the administration just eight months later , but starting shortly after he left the White House , Schiller began collecting $ 15,000 a month , every month , from the Republican National Committee .
As of August 2020 , campaign finance records showed the RNC had paid Schiller over $ 500,000 for unspecified `` security services . ''
The Biden-Harris transition team also made two announcements about incoming first lady Jill Biden 's office on Tuesday .
Jill Biden 's chief of staff will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ambassador to Uruguay during the Obama administration and a partner at law firm Winston & Strawn .
Jill Biden 's longtime aide Anthony Bernal will become her senior advisor .
Bernal first worked with Jill Biden during Obama 's 2008 presidential campaign and later joined her staff in the White House .
Most recently , Bernal served as chief of staff in Jill Biden 's campaign office .
When Joe Biden takes office in January , Jill Biden is expected to become the only first lady ever to keep her day job , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia community college .
`` I am proud to announce additional members of my senior team who will help us build back better than before , '' Biden said in a statement Tuesday about the senior staffing decisions .
`` America faces great challenges , and they bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling these challenges and emerging on the other side a stronger , more united nation , '' he said .

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is greeted by US Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-LA as he arrives in Columbus, Georgia, on October 27, 2020. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his first slate of senior White House staff, choosing a mix of longtime Biden loyalists and rising Democratic stars. The overall makeup of the top staff is notable for its lack of well-known progressives, suggesting that Biden intends to oversee a more cautious, traditional West Wing than some in the Democratic Party might have hoped. Veteran Biden advisor Mike Donilon was named senior advisor to the president. Donilon served as Biden's chief strategist during the campaign.
watch now
Jen O'Malley Dillon, who managed Biden's victorious campaign, will serve as White House deputy chief of staff. O'Malley Dillon is a rare Biden insider who has not worked alongside the Bidens for decades. In 2019, she managed the failed presidential primary campaign of Biden's opponent, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke. After joining the Biden campaign this spring, O'Malley Dillon maintained a low profile, and she focused almost entirely on recapturing the "blue wall" of Midwestern states that Trump flipped in 2016: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Biden won them all. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond will be senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Richmond was a trusted advisor and highly visible Biden surrogate during the campaign. Insiders have described Richmond's role as similar to that of former White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, who often served as a sounding board for President Barack Obama. Former Biden campaign chairman Steve Ricchetti will be senior counselor to the president, the Biden team announced. Ricchetti is a career Democratic political aide who served as Biden's chief of staff during the Obama administration. But it was Ricchetti's prior work as a health-care lobbyist that raised the ire of progressives during the Democratic primary race. They argued that Ricchetti was helping to craft health-care policies for Biden that were too friendly to his former drugmaker clients, a list that includes Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Novartis. Biden came under pressure following his election not to name Ricchetti his White House chief of staff. Last week, Biden announced that longtime aide Ron Klain would serve as chief of staff. Dana Remus, a former White House deputy counsel for ethics during the Obama administration, was named counsel to the president. Remus worked at the Obama Foundation and most recently served as general counsel to the Biden campaign.
watch now
There, Remus assembled the team of lawyers currently battling President Donald Trump's campaign in several state courts over voting procedures and ballot counting, part of Trump's last-resort legal effort to overturn the election results. Remus' prior experience in the White House ethics office will likely help guide early decisions in the Biden administration about what kind of ethical guardrails it intends to erect to avoid conflicts of interest among political appointees. Biden himself has pledged to maintain the highest ethical standards in his administration. But the question of whether former lobbyists will be hired to work at agencies they once lobbied on behalf of clients is a complicated and unresolved one for Biden. Biden's director of intergovernmental affairs will be Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a former aide to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar Chavez. Rodriguez served as traveling chief of staff to Harris during her failed presidential primary campaign in 2019, accompanying Harris on a grueling schedule of campaign travel.
2020 U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) arrives at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, August 10, 2019. Brian Snyder | Reuters