Biden: Health team will oversee '100 million shots' in first 100 days

President-elect makes remarks while introducing his health team in Wilmington, Del.

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  • Lawyers' group calls for disciplining Trump legal team over 'dangerous' fraud allegations

    More than 1,000 current and former attorneys, retired judges and justices, law professors, former bar association presidents and concerned citizens have signed an open letter calling on bar associations to disavow the Trump campaign attorneys’ conduct.

  • 'Very low' rates of coronavirus in schools, British study finds

    A study that analyzed school reopenings across the United Kingdom last spring and early summer found “very low” rates of infection, as well as a lack of major outbreaks, at all education levels.

  • Pete Buttigieg reportedly really wants a Cabinet spot — but not just any Cabinet spot

    Pete Buttigieg is reportedly ready to make his political return — if President-elect Joe Biden can find a suitable place for him.The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor proved a strong contender in the crowded 2020 Democratic primaries before dropping out and endorsing Biden. He's now seeking a spot in the Biden administration, and is a little picky about where he ends up, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.Buttigieg's top choice in a Biden administration was reportedly ambassador to the United Nations — a Cabinet-level post in Buttigieg's preferred arena of foreign policy. But Biden passed Buttigieg over for that role, giving it to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has worked in Foreign Service almost as long as Buttigieg has been alive.It's not that Biden isn't fond of Buttigieg; He has gone so far as to compare the former mayor to his late son Beau. Instead, Biden has been focused on picking women and people of color for his top spots — something that has frustrated those looking for LGBTQ leaders in the Democratic administration, Washington Blade reports. And Buttigieg hasn't made it easy for Biden to include him either. Buttigieg shook off talks of being Biden's Office of Management and Budget director because he wanted a "real Cabinet" position and not a "staff-level" job, a Democratic insider tells Washington Blade. He also reportedly squashed talks of leading the Department of Veterans Affairs.Now, Biden is considering giving Buttigieg a high-profile ambassadorship, potentially even sending him to China, Axios reports. Buttigieg is also reportedly being considered for some remaining domestic roles — something his supporters see as a way to build his profile before another presidential run.More stories from theweek.com Trump's jaw-dropping vaccine screwup The Trumps are reportedly preparing to move out of the White House SpaceX Starship test flight ends in a fiery crash

  • After Giuliani visit, Michigan House says nearly 30 have tested positive for Covid this year

    The chamber reported the numbers a week after Rudy Giuliani testified in Lansing and just days after he tested positive for Covid-19.

  • Portland police and protestors clash in broad daylight

    Protesters outraged with the arrests of seven people at a home where a family was removed in September hurled rocks at officers, sprayed a fire extinguisher at them and damaged police vehicles on Tuesday. The violence happened in broad daylight, and by evening, Mayor Ted Wheeler sent out a statement saying he was authorizing Portland Police “to use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation ... There will be no autonomous zone in Portland." “It’s time for the encampment and occupation to end,” Wheeler said in a statement that also acknowledged the issues the protesters want to fix, such as housing and health care.

  • Rep. Eric Swalwell refused to say if he had sex with a suspected Chinese spy who slept with 2 mayors for an intelligence campaign

    Fox News' Tucker Carlson said Swalwell's office declined to comment when his show asked about a claim that he had sex with a suspected Chinese spy.

  • Some of those involved in killing of Iranian nuclear scientist arrested, official says

    DUBAI (Reuters) -Some of those involved in the assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist last month have been arrested, an adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker said on Tuesday, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA. Iran has blamed Israel for the Nov. 27 killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was seen by Western intelligence services as the mastermind of a covert Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

  • The 7 Best Airbnbs in New Orleans

    Explore the most unique properties the Big Easy has to offerOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • The Trumps are reportedly preparing to move out of the White House

    Behind the scenes, the Trumps are reportedly doing what every lame-duck first family should: packing up.While President Trump still hasn't admitted that he'll be leaving the White House in a month, first lady Melania Trump has been quietly packing and getting ready for life at Mar-a-Lago, CNN reports. That reportedly includes divvying up where the Trumps' personal belongings will be headed, picking out her own china to leave behind, and planning her own twist on the traditional first lady memoir.Back in April, Melania Trump brought on a special, unpaid government employee — former White House Office of Administration head Marcia Lee Kelly — who has since been helping the Trumps on their outward transition. Among the first lady's reported tasks for Kelly was asking around in the White House to find out whether she'll get any perks once she leaves the White House. The president will get some benefits, but Melania will only get a $20,000-a-year pension if he dies.Regardless, she has still been spending her days "overseeing shipments of personal items" to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and Trump Tower in New York City, CNN writes. She has already picked out the patterns for the traditional china set each first lady leaves at the White House, and has reportedly hired the same interior decorator Trump had redecorate the White House residence to add a similar charm to Mar-a-Lago. But we shouldn't expect a Becoming-style memoir from this first lady; she's considering a "photo-centric coffee table book" about White House hospitality or her redesign projects, a source in the publishing industry tells CNN.And as for the president's potential 2024 run, well, "That might not go over well" with his wife, a source told CNN. As the source put it, "she just wants to go home." Read more about the Trumps' post-White House life at CNN.More stories from theweek.com Trump's jaw-dropping vaccine screwup SpaceX Starship test flight ends in a fiery crash Pete Buttigieg reportedly really wants a Cabinet spot — but not just any Cabinet spot

  • Britons banned from travelling to EU countries from January 1

    Britons will be precluded from travelling to EU countries in the new year when the Brexit transition period ends. Travellers from a limited number of countries with low coronavirus rates are allowed to visit EU countries for non-essential travel. When the UK exits the bloc on Jan 1, residents will no longer be able to freely travel in Europe under the bloc's Covid safety rules, according to the Financial Times. Eight non-EU countries, including Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, are on the list of "safe" third nations. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 18 EU countries have higher rates of Covid-19 than Britain.

  • China says 2 Canadians have been indicted, tried

    China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that two Canadians who have been held for two years in a case linked to a Huawei executive have been indicted and put on trial, but gave no details. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been confined since December 10, 2018, just days after Canada detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the founder of the Chinese telecommunications equipment giant. Asked about the Canadians at a daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the two had been “arrested, indicted and tried,” in what appeared to be the first public mention that they had been brought to court.

  • Biden is reportedly considering nominating Pete Buttigieg, his former presidential opponent, to be ambassador to China

    Axios reported that President-elect Joe Biden was considering Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to be his China ambassador.

  • John Eastman: Texas election lawsuit 'terrific' for Supreme Court

    Constitutional scholar discusses Texas claiming four battleground states violated Constitution with election management.

  • UAE official lauds efforts to strengthen Gulf unity

    The United Arab Emirates appreciates efforts by Kuwait and the United States to strengthen Gulf Arab unity, a senior Emirati official said on Tuesday in a reference to a row with Qatar that Washington says hampers a united Gulf front against Iran. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia said last Friday that progress had been made towards resolving the dispute that has seen Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt sever diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar since mid-2017.

  • The Seeds of Hunter Biden’s Current Legal Woes Were Found on His Stolen Laptop

    The Justice Department’s announcement on Wednesday that it was investigating Hunter Biden, for what he deemed to be “tax affairs,” took root several years ago with a much broader inquiry that included possible money laundering, according to a report by CNN.That inquiry reportedly fizzled, leading instead to a probe on tax matters that is now being led by the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware. But evidence of the larger probe was apparent in the markings on a series of documents that were made public—but went largely unnoticed—in the days leading up to the November election, according to two individuals familiar with the matter.Hunter Biden Says He’s Under Federal Investigation Over His TaxesHunter Biden’s business dealings were always a ripe target for President Donald Trump and his allies. But they became the primary focus of their attacks after the president’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, claimed in the election’s closing weeks to have obtained a copy of the younger Biden’s laptop from a computer repairman in Delaware named John Paul MacIsaac. According to MacIsaac, Biden had dropped off several devices at the store in 2019 for repair. MacIsaac told The Daily Beast that Biden never returned and that he eventually turned the devices over to the FBI for fear of his personal safety.MacIsaac also said he copied the contents of one of the laptops for Giuliani. And, sure enough, those contents quickly made their way to conservative media personalities and outlets. Giuliani and others, including Steve Bannon, appeared on network television, stirring conspiracy theories and pushing unsubstantiated claims about Hunter’s overseas business dealings.One of the main outlets pushing emails and pictures from the hard drive was the New York Post. And for one of its stories, the paper published what appeared to be federal law enforcement documents given to MacIsaac in return for his handing over the Biden laptops.One of those documents—from the FBI— included a case number that had the code associated with an ongoing federal money laundering investigation in Delaware, according to several law enforcement officials who reviewed the document. Another document—one with a grand jury subpoena number—appeared to show the initials of two assistant U.S. attorneys linked to the Wilmington, Delaware, office.At the time, law enforcement officials in the state would not confirm or deny the existence of such a probe and individuals associated with the Biden team also rebuffed Daily Beast inquiries about the existence of such a probe.Giuliani: Even if Hunter Laptop Story ‘Isn’t Accurate,’ Americans ‘Are Entitled to Know It’On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment on what they called an ongoing probe. It is unclear if federal investigators are relying on the contents of the laptop as part of their probe.According to CNN, federal authorities at the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation Agency have been working with prosecutors in Delaware to investigate Biden’s business dealings in foreign countries, primarily in China, and that the probe started back in 2018. One of the lines of inquiry probed by DOJ was a 2.8-carat diamond Hunter received during a business meeting with a Chinese oil and gas conglomerate executive. According to those two individuals familiar, the contents of one of Biden’s laptops deal extensively with Biden’s work in China. One of those sources said a recording of Hunter speaking about the Chinese executive who gifted the ring, Ye Jianming, is on the device. Biden has previously said publicly that he did not keep the diamond. The New York Times reported that “the money-laundering aspect of the inquiry appears to have died out” but that “investigators with the Internal Revenue Service continued to examine Mr. Biden’s taxes.” Hunter Biden had owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes in addition to facing credit card debt and two mortgages. The IRS issued a lien on him and his estranged wife for $112,805 in unpaid taxes from 2015.In anticipation of the announcement of an investigation, the Biden presidential transition team put out a statement on Wednesday under Hunter Biden’s name.“I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs,” it read. “I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.”Those close to the transition subsequently insisted to reporters that the investigation was “not related” to the allegations leveled against Hunter Biden during the presidential campaign. But that explanation appears to leave off the origins of the probe into the younger Biden, which overlapped with his attempts to partner with a Chinese energy and finance company called CEFC China Energy and which seem evident in those FBI documents from his laptop.Pressed on the discrepancies in the statement, a transition spokesperson declined to speak on the record.Fox News Reportedly Turned Down Hunter Biden Laptop Story FirstThe announcement of the investigation on Wednesday all but guarantees that the elder Biden will become president while the Justice Department is investigating his son. And it could complicate both his efforts to reform that department—amid widespread worry that it has been used by Trump as a tool for carrying out political vendettas—as well as the start of his time in office.The president-elect’s team has bristled at the notion that Hunter Biden’s exploits are material to their agenda. And, for that reason, they have had a pushmi-pullyu approach to discussing questions about him with the press. Speaking on CNN shortly after the transition’s statement was released, reporter Evan Pérez said that he and colleague Pamela Brown had been in contact with Hunter Biden’s legal team since Monday about the investigation. The attorneys, Pérez said, told CNN that they would get back to them but instead released the brisk statement from the transition instead.The Biden transition would not confirm whether the notification to Hunter Biden’s legal team by the U.S. attorney’s office was a request for information or a target notification—the means by which the federal government informs individuals that they are targets for potential criminal prosecution. The statement released by the transition gives the impression that the Department of Justice did not make any requests of Hunter Biden, but rather simply notified his team of the investigation’s existence.“Target letters are basically, ‘We have you, come talk if you’d like to make it worse,’” a federal law enforcement official familiar with the distinction told The Daily Beast.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Georgia GOP Senate staffer sent dossier on critic of GOP donor to FBI

    Two FBI agents visited the critic at his home in 2017, the agency confirmed. The critic said they told him to stop threatening the donor on social media.

  • Pompeo unloads on US universities for China ties

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday accused U.S. universities of caving to Chinese pressure to blunt or bar criticism of the Chinese Communist Party. The attack, which included identifying two university administrators by name, comes as the Trump administration seeks to cement its anti-China policies before leaving office in January. Pompeo took aim at universities across the U.S., claiming they refused to address the Trump administration’s concerns about China’s attempts to influence students and academics.

  • Republican attorney appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis resigns in protest after raid on Rebekah Jones' home

    In his resignation letter, Ron Filipkowski, a GOP attorney, also criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis' response to COVID-19 as "reckless and irresponsible."

  • White House interns don't get paid. A group of more than 200 former interns is calling on Joe Biden to fix that.

    Congressman Tim Ryan told Business Insider he "hopes the White House follows our lead in the House" and makes internships paid positions.

  • France's next-generation aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered, says Macron

    France's next-generation aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered and replace the national fleet's flagship warship, the Charles de Gaulle, in 2038, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. The 11th carrier-vessel in the French Navy's history will be built by French defence contractor Naval Group and equipped with the new electromagnetic aircraft launch system developed by U.S. company General Atomics, French officials said.