Biden Introduces Economic Team Saying 'Help is on the Way'
Joe Biden, the US president-elect, formally introduced his top economic advisers on Tuesday, as his incoming administration prepares to deal with the worst financial crisis in decades and a resurgent coronavirus pandemic.
Wearing a black boot on the right foot he recently fractured while playing with one of his dogs, Biden appeared in his home city, Wilmington, Delaware, for an event that stressed the gravity of the situation but sought to offer hope.
“We’re going to create a recovery for everybody,” Biden said. “Our message to everybody struggling right now is this: help is on the way.”
Biden’s nominations would put several women in top economic roles, drawing a clear contrast with Donald Trump and reflecting his commitment to diversity.
Read the source article at theguardian.com
Legacy Civil Rights Groups are Struggling with Biden's Transition
WASHINGTON — The heads of legacy civil rights groups say they are struggling to participate in President-elect Joe Biden’s transition, vying to be included as the incoming administration tries to make good on a promise to Black voters to be the most diverse in history.
Prominent civil rights advocates say they haven't been consulted about key cabinet picks and are frustrated they haven't met with Biden since the election.
“We aren’t asking for some kind of veto, we are asking for some kind of consultation,” said Marc Morial, head of the National Urban League. “We are still in a wait-and-see mode, but we think that the civil rights community should be more closely engaged.”
Biden selected Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate, and she will become the nation's first Black vice president, in addition to being the first woman and Asian American to hold the job.
Read the source article at Yahoo News
Dr. Scott Atlas Resigns from Trump Administration
Dr. Scott Atlas, the controversial White House coronavirus adviser, is resigning.
Fox News first reported the news.
"I am writing to resign from my position as special adviser to the president of the United States," Atlas said in a resignation letter posted to Twitter late Monday, which is dated Dec. 1 and addressed to President Donald Trump.
Atlas said he was on a 130-day detail set to expire this week.
"I thank you for the honor and privilege to serve on behalf of the American people since August, during these difficult months for our nation," he said.
Read the source article at NBC News
GA Officials Investigating Voter Groups Ahead of Runoff Election
Georgia officials say they’re investigating voter registration groups they allege have sent applications to people in other states ahead of the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff election.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said one group sent applications to people in New York City. Another tried to register a dead Alabama woman. Two other groups also sent improper applications, the secretary said.
Groups that were contacted denied the accusations.
It’s unclear whether anything illegal occurred — one of Raffensperger’s top deputies said the issues under investigation could be legitimate or accidental. But the secretary said the state must remain vigilant about potential voter fraud, even as he repeated assurances that claims of widespread fraud in the presidential election were baseless.
Read the source article at AJC.com
Indiana's AG Appeals Ruling Allowing Same-Sex Couple on Birth Certificate
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s attorney general submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that it should reverse a federal appeals court’s ruling that allowed both members of same-sex couples in Indiana to be listed as parents on the birth certificates of their children.
The petition from Attorney General Curtis Hill follows a January decision by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that affirmed a decision by judges in Indiana’s federal southern district court who found that Indiana laws limiting who can be called the parent of a child were unconstitutional.
Hill filed also filed a request in June asking the court to review the appellate court’s decision.
The original case involved Ashlee and Ruby Henderson, a gay married couple from Lafayette who filed a federal lawsuit in 2015 challenging Indiana’s birth records law. They sued the state health commissioner and Tippecanoe County officials because county officials would not list both of them as parents on the birth certificate of their son, who Ruby conceived through artificial insemination.
Read the source article at NBC News