White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 7, 2020

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Biden expected to nominate Xavier Becerra to lead Health and Human Services

Dec. 6 - (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden is poised to nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a Biden transition official tells CNN.

Becerra, a former member of Congress, emerged as the leading contender for the critical role after other candidates with more health care expertise were ruled out.

The New York Times was first to report the expected nomination.Becerra is the first Latino to serve as the attorney general of California and has been in the post since 2017. He has been a fierce opponent of President Donald Trump, and the state of California has brought more than 100 lawsuits against the President and his administration's policies.

More than half of the lawsuits are over environmental policies, according to the Los Angeles Times, that the Trump administration had either put in place or removed. Becerra has also been a leader in the fight to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era program that Trump has attempted to abolish that has shielded from deportation certain undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children.

Becerra was also under consideration to serve as US attorney general, CNN previously reported.

The attorney general served 12 terms in Congress as a member of the US House of Representatives and held several leadership posts. He was the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. He was also the first Latino to serve as a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Becerra also served one term in the California Legislature and is a former deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice.      source

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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks during a press conference at the California State Capitol on March 7, 2018 in Sacramento, Calif.

Biden will pick California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead Health and Human Services
The incoming administration has tried to elevate more diverse candidates to frontline positions.

Dec. 6 - WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, three sources familiar with the decision said.

Becerra, 62, is a former 12-term member of the House of Representatives and a vigorous defender of the Affordable Care Act who led the defense of the law in the Supreme Court last month.

If confirmed, he would be the first Latino to lead the massive department, as the incoming administration tries to elevate more diverse candidates to frontline positions. Biden offered Becerra the position in a Friday phone call.     continue to read

【精華】再入黑名單？拜登經濟顧問痛批「台干預匯率比陸嚴重」
陸貿易額占32%澳洲總理突放軟姿態？
Dec 6, 2020

Two people look out at the skyline of the Central Business District in Beijing, on April 16. China is moving firmly and clearly ahead of its rivals, according to the latest OECD economic outlook. Photo: Reuters

China’s economic rise is unstoppable – the US should explore a partnership instead
China is advancing as an economic power no matter what the US throws at it. This demands a response of acceptance and partnership rather than destructive opposition

Dec. 7 - If you are an Olympic running champion and you glance over your shoulder to see a rival gaining on and threatening to overtake you, what do you do – put on an extra spurt to show you are still the best, acknowledge your worthy opponent, or try to hobble him so he falls behind?

For America, President Donald Trump chose the last option, launching against China, a competitor nation breathing down its neck.

It is easy to see why any Oval Office inhabitant should feel uneasy. China is moving firmly and clearly ahead of its rivals, according to the latest Economic Outlook by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.     continue to read

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 6, 2020

 1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

A composite image of President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump is refusing to concede the election to Biden and reportedly planning a rally on his inauguration day. Here are 9 other famous presidential feuds in history.

Dec. 6 - President-elect Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration looks set to be one of the most awkward transfers of power in US history, with President Donald Trump still refusing to even acknowledge his election loss.
It's been a month since the election was called for Biden, but Trump has refused to concede, and continues to challenge the results of the election.
Trump has also not confirmed whether he will even attend Biden's inauguration. A recent report from The Daily Beast said the president may be planning a rally for the same day instead, as Trump hints at another run in 2024. 
Biden took a dig at Trump when he told CNN on December 3 he hopes Trump attends to so that "we are able to demonstrate at the end of this chaos — that he's created — that there is a peaceful transfer of power," but that his predecessor's presence is "of no personal consequence to me."     continue to read

Trump asks for list of 25 Republicans who acknowledge Biden win

Dec. 5 - President Trump said he wants a list of the 25 Republicans in Congress who said they acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden won the election.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday about the small group of lawmakers, which it compiled by surveying every GOP office. The vast majority, 222 of the 249 Republicans in the House and Senate, did not respond or were unclear about their thoughts on the election when contacted.

Trump said he was surprised about the numbers in a Saturday afternoon tweet that bashed the lawmakers and the news outlet.

“25, wow! I am surprised there are so many. We have just begun to fight. Please send me a list of the 25 RINOS. I read the Fake News Washington Post as little as possible!” Trump said, using an acronym that stands for “Republicans in name only.”    

Two GOP lawmakers surveyed, Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Paul Gosar of Arizona, said they think Trump actually won the election when contacted by the newspaper — despite projections that Biden has won 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232 and received a 51.4% share of the popular vote to Trump’s 46.9%.    source

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PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode December 5, 2020
Dec. 6, 2020
On this edition for Saturday, December 5, U.S. cities consider new stay-at-home orders as COVID-19 cases continue to spike, all eyes on Georgia ahead of the January senate seat runoffs as the campaigns raise millions, and a look at the conflict in Ethiopia and how it could destabilize the region. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York.

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 5, 2020

 1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Biden officially secures enough electors to become president
California has certified its presidential election and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Joe Biden, officially handing the Democrat the Electoral College majority needed to win the White House

Dec. 5 - California certified its presidential election Friday and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Democrat Joe Biden officially handing him the Electoral College majority needed to win the White House.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla s formal approval of Biden's win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279, according to a tally by The Associated Press. That’s just over the 270 threshold for victory.

These steps in the election are often ignored formalities. But the hidden mechanics of electing a U.S. president have drawn new scrutiny this year as President Donald Trump continues to deny Biden's victory and pursues increasingly specious legal strategies aimed at overturning the results before they are finalized.

Although it’s been apparent for weeks that Biden won the presidential election, his accrual of more than 270 electors is the first step toward the White House, said Edward B. Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University.

“It is a legal milestone and the first milestone that has that status,” Foley said. “Everything prior to that was premised on what we call projections.”

The electors named Friday will meet Dec. 14, along with counterparts in each state, to formally vote for the next president. Most states have laws binding their electors to the winner of the popular vote in their state, measures that were upheld by a Supreme Court decision this year. There have been no suggestions that any of Biden's pledged electors would contemplate not voting for him.     continue to read

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The decision by the president-elect would be a send a positive sign to traditional allies facing an increasingly assertive Beijing 

Joe Biden considers appointing a White House tsar for Asia

Move would signal importance of region for incoming US administration amid China tensions

Dec. 2 - Joe Biden is considering appointing a White House Asia tsar, signalling the rising importance of the region as the US president-elect prepares to tackle a wide range of challenges from China.

Five people familiar with the debate inside the Biden transition team said he was weighing the option to create the role in the National Security Council. Establishing the position would underscore how the region has become even more critical since the Obama administration’s “Asia pivot”.

“The president-elect has repeatedly made clear the Asia-Pacific region is one of tremendous opportunity, but also one where our interests and values face increasing challenges,” said one Biden transition team official.

The official added that the new administration would install that “right people and structures” to promote US interests and values alongside allies.

The tsar role is one of several ideas being considered by Jake Sullivan, the incoming national security adviser. Any move would reflect how US-China relations have become more complicated and tense during the presidency of Donald Trump and since Mr Biden left his position as vice-president four years ago. It would also highlight the challenges Washington and its allies face dealing with an increasing assertive China.     continue to read

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Will Biden Be Able To Reopen The Door To Negotiations With Iran?

Dec. 5 - One of the key foreign policy areas facing President-elect Joe Biden is Iran. He wants to reach out to Iran after taking office, but recent attacks and sanctions could be driving the country away.     source

Related Article:
Dec. 5, 2020
A U.S. Army soldier assigned to Site Security Team Task Force Guardian, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, provides security for a C-130J Super Hercules from the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) at an unidentified location in Somalia Wednesday, June 10, 2020. No country has been involved in Somalia's future as much as the United States but now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the nation at what some experts call the worst possible time. Trump Orders US Department of Defense to Withdraw Nearly All Troops From Somalia

PBS NewsHour full episode, Dec. 4, 2020
Dec. 5, 2020
Friday on the NewsHour, as COVID-19 cases spike the economic costs worsen for millions of U.S. families, Pfizer is making a vaccine in a Belgian town that they hope will change the world, a look at maternal mortality among Native Americans, and Shields and Brooks analyze the Biden team and President Trump's claims of election fraud.

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 4, 2020

 

Biden Turns Heads With His 100-Day Mask Plan

Dec. 3 - Throughout the campaign, President-elect Joe Biden has repeatedly said that he would follow the science when it came to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He'd even mentioned a national mask mandate, saying, "It's time to end the politicization of basic, responsible public health steps like mask-wearing and social distancing. The single most effective thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID: Wear a mask" (via Vox).

During his first joint interview with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Biden followed through on a campaign promise to try and de-politicize mask-wearing in an effort to bring the spread of COVID-19 under control by asking Americans to wear masks. "Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction," he said in the interview with Jake Tapper. There is one place where Biden actually can impose a mask mandate, which will be in federal buildings, or on buses, trains, and planes that cover interstate routes (via CNN).

Read More:
https://www.thelist.com/289156/biden-turns-heads-with-his-100-day-mask-plan/?utm_campaign=clip

PBS NewsHour full episode, Dec. 3, 2020
Dec. 4, 2020
Thursday on the NewsHour, COVID-19 kills more in the U.S. in a single day than ever before, the history-making moment of Kamala Harris' election as vice president, pressure on the incoming Biden White House to choose a diverse staff, and how China's economic rise comes with a human cost.

Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden's choice to be national security adviser, defended Australia on Twitter.
Biden adviser says US stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with Australia

Dec. 3, Washington - One of US President-elect Joe Biden's most senior advisers has declared that the United States will continue to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Australia in an apparent response to China's increasingly hostile actions towards the country.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry's fabricated tweet depicting an Australian soldier cutting the throat of a child in Afghanistan has drawn bipartisan criticism in Washington, with a Trump administration spokesman describing it as "a new low, even for the Chinese Communist Party".

Jake Sullivan, whom Biden has chosen to be his national security adviser, tweeted on Thursday (AEDT): "The Australian people have made great sacrifices to protect freedom and democracy around the world.
"As we have for a century, America will stand shoulder to shoulder with our ally Australia and rally fellow democracies to advance our shared security, prosperity, and values."     continue to read

White House News (白宮消息) | Dec. 3, 2020

1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

The big lie from Donald Trump

Dec. 3 - In a few weeks, Joe Biden will be sworn in as president and it will be the end of the time that Donald Trump has in office. It is also likely to be the start of the most dangerous phase of the current movement. Now that Trump is about to be unfettered by all the pesky advisers, generals, and bureaucrats, he could be more disruptive than ever.

Trump has inflicted us with some little lies each day, adding up to about 20,000 of them, according to the Washington Post. They include “total exoneration” by the special counsel, Hurricane Dorian bearing down on Alabama, and Barack Obama separating children. Such little lies have run the gamut from silly, like how the noise from windmills causes cancer, to serious, like his birther claims about Obama. They have been delivered to us in relentless waves of disinformation and calumnies.

But Trump and his minions had never created one big lie that is sustained, amplified, and repeated over and over until it is hard not to believe it. The big lie gathers all the little ones. It all adds up to one understandable and unifying theory. Now he has one big lie reduced to an easily digested but entirely bogus claim that he actually won the election.     continue to read

GOP Wisconsin Senator Called Trump an 'A**hole,' Admitted Biden Won in November Phone Call

Dec. 3 - Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican and close ally of President Donald Trump, reportedly described the president as an "a**hole" and admitted President-elect Joe Biden won the election about three weeks ago, a former Wisconsin Republican official said.

Johnson has backed Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, but according to Mark Becker—a former Brown County supervisor and former chairman of the Republican Party there—the senator told him privately on a call three weeks ago that he accepted Biden's victory.     continue to read

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List of Republicans breaking with Trump grows longer

Dec. 3 - The list of Republicans who are breaking with President Trump over his wild assertions about widespread voter fraud and acknowledging the reality of President-elect Joe Biden’s election win is growing longer.

So is the list of the president’s targets as he refuses to concede and rages against allies who, in his eyes, have shown insufficient loyalty.

The developments have divided Trump and some of his allies in the final weeks of his administration and raised concerns about the negative impact his attacks on the electoral process could have on the Senate runoff elections in Georgia that will decide if Republicans hold the majority.

Republican senators have not been vocal in pushing back on the president's unsubstantiated or false claims about the election, but a growing number are slowly acknowledging Biden as the apparent winner.

“They have a genuine fear that knowing that Donald Trump was never about the Republican Party and does not care about a future Republican Party except where it involves the word Trump, and as part of a last swift kick in the butt to Republicans, he can take down the two Senate seats if he wants to,” said Doug Heye, former Republican National Committee communications director.

“It’s why we see them moving slowly but methodically toward that place,” Heye added.     continue to read

PBS NewsHour full episode, Dec. 2, 2020
Dec. 3, 2020
Wednesday on the NewsHour, Britain approves a COVID-19 vaccine bringing questions about a U.S. plan, a top Georgia official warns of the dangers of election fraud claims by Republicans, and a Renaissance master painter has her day centuries later.