Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the Biden transition here.
President-elect Joe Biden would not call the cyberattack an “act of war,” when asked by a reporter if he believes it is, but did say he has seen no evidence that it is under control.
Biden says his team needs to look at the nature of the breach, the damage done and spoke of international “rules of the road” on cybersecurity to hold countries accountable.
He would also not foreshadow what options his incoming administration is looking at in terms of consequences.
Earlier, Biden slammed President Trump and his administration for not making an official attribution, saying it happened on “Donald Trump’s watch” when he wasn’t watching, accusing him of not prioritizing cybersecurity.
More on the hack: The US government is reeling from multiple data breaches at top federal agencies, the result of a worldwide hacking campaign with possible ties to Russia.
Investigators are still trying to figure out how much of the government may have been affected and how badly it may have been compromised.
Read more here.
Watch here:
President-elect Joe Biden said that he has a detailed plan on what he intends to prioritize when he takes office in January, including vaccine distribution, more unemployment help for Americans and eviction protections.
Here’s what he said he will focus on after inauguration next month:
Vaccine distribution
Biden said that he wants to make sure “we have all the money we need to get the vaccine to 300 million Americans at a minimum” over the next calendar year.
Unemployment
For those who are unemployed because of the pandemic, as well as small and big businesses, Biden said he wants to make sure “they continue to be able to live day to day.”
“I would also ask for a moratorium to be evicted from your homes from not being able to pay rent, a moratorium on your mortgage getting paid,” he said.
Small business assistance
Biden said that he thinks it’s “critically important” to provide “direct payments to small businesses and others to be able to stay open, to be able to keep the people employed.”
Job creation
“We’re going to need to make sure that we’re in a position that we can provide for the opportunity for people to begin to go back to work and get new jobs, developing infrastructure,” Biden said.
President-elect Joe Biden said that his pandemic relief plan will include a new round of stimulus checks for the American people.
When asked about the amount, he said, “That’s a negotiating issue.”
Biden added: “By the way, I think we owe Bernie Sanders and his Republican colleagues thanks for getting not all the stimulus we looked for, 1,200, but getting 600 done.”
Watch the moment:
President-elect Joe Biden said today that members of Congress “deserve credit for making the hard compromises” to pass the stimulus bill this week.
He added that the bill is “far from perfect” in his opinion, “but it does provide vital relief at a critical moment.”
Biden said the bill is the first step in addressing pandemic relief.
Biden said that early next year he will present his plan to Congress “for what comes next.”
More on the stimulus: Congress voted Monday evening to approve a far-reaching $900 billion Covid relief package that promises to accelerate vaccine distribution and deliver much-needed aid to small businesses hit hard by the pandemic, Americans who have lost their jobs during the economic upheaval and health care workers on the front lines of the crisis.
The White House has said that President Trump will sign the legislation once it reaches his desk.
Final passage of the aid package came after Hill leaders announced Sunday evening they had finally reached a deal after months of bitter partisan stalemate and days of contentious negotiations that created uncertainty over whether an agreement could be reached at all or if talks would collapse.
The rescue package, which was negotiated on a bipartisan basis, was combined with a massive $1.4 trillion government spending bill to fund federal agencies for the new fiscal year in a 5,593-page bill.
Watch here:
President-elect Joe Biden continued to encourage Americans to get the Covid-19 vaccine, which he called “one of the biggest operational challenges the United States has ever faced.”
Biden added: “And we’re going to take many more months for that to happen. In the meantime, this pandemic rages on. Experts say things are going to get worse before they get better.”
Some context: Biden received his first dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on live television Monday afternoon and reassured Americans of the vaccine’s safety.
The shot, which Biden received in his left arm, was administered at ChristianaCare’s Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, by Tabe Mase, who is a nurse practitioner and the head of employee health services at the hospital, according to the Biden transition team.
“We owe these folks an awful lot,” Biden said, thanking those involved in the vaccine’s development and distribution and front-line health care workers.
Biden said the Trump administration deserved “some credit” for Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s vaccine program, and their role in making coronavirus vaccinations possible.
“I also think that it’s worth saying that this is, is great hope. I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it’s available, to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the second shot; so is Jill,” Biden said.
Watch the moment:
President-elect Joe Biden said that the vaccine offers Americans hope during the pandemic, but widespread distribution of doses is “one of the biggest operational challenges the United States has ever faced.”
He urged people to continue to remain vigilant with masks and social distance during the holidays because “in the meantime the pandemic rages on.”
Biden delivered the remarks ahead of Christmas in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday afternoon.
“This has been one of the toughest years we’ve ever faced as a nation,” he added.
Biden said he and Jill Biden’s heart goes out to the families who feel loss during this “dark winter.”
“Our hearts go out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own I might add, unable to sleep at night, way down with the worry of what tomorrow will bring to you and for your family,” he said.
Some context: The speech comes amid a holiday season in which Americans have been advised by public health experts to not travel or gather in large groups, as coronavirus cases spike and the death toll rises across the country.
Biden also received his first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on live national television on Monday and reassured Americans of the vaccine’s safety.
A day after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, President-elect Joe Biden will deliver a year-end holiday message this afternoon at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, aides said, during what is expected to be his last formal appearance before the holidays.
His remarks are likely to be 10 minutes or less, aides say, and he is poised to address the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine distribution, as well as the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and the cyber attack against the United States.
He is expected to take questions from reporters, aides say.
Biden is planning to remain at his home near Wilmington through the Christmas holiday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat on Tuesday, choosing the first Latino in state history for the role.
“His appointment will make history. But the @AlexPadilla4CA I know is far more interested in changing history — especially for the working men and women of our state and country,” Newsom tweeted Tuesday. “I can think of no one better to represent the state of California as our next United States Senator.”
Padilla responded to the announcement in a statement provided by the governor’s office.
Padilla served as the state’s first Latino Secretary of State in 2015.
He will now be the first Latino Senator to represent California.
Just as then-Vice President Joe Biden oversaw the counting of electoral votes that gave President Trump the White House in 2017, now it will be Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s loyal soldier these last four years, who will announce on Jan. 6 the vote tally that officially makes Biden the winner.
And Republicans will have to choose how deeply they want to follow Trump into his rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
Lawmakers will have the ability to raise objections about the vote — just like some Democrats did in 2017. But while those objections were dismissed easily in 2017, Republican senators could, if they choose, drag the process out this year, and force the House and Senate to vote on individual points.
Here’s a breakdown of what will take place on Jan. 6:
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat on Tuesday, choosing the first Latino in state history for the role.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust placed in me by Governor Newsom, and I intend to work each and every day to honor that trust and deliver for all Californians,” Padilla said in a statement provided by the governor’s office.
“From those struggling to make ends meet to the small businesses fighting to keep their doors open to the health care workers looking for relief, please know that I am going to the Senate to fight for you. We will get through this pandemic together and rebuild our economy in a way that doesn’t leave working families behind,” he continued in the statement.
Padilla served as the state’s first Latino Secretary of State in 2015.
Here’s what Gov. Newsom said about selecting Padilla:
See Gov. Newsom’s announcement:
Georgia is on every political junkie’s mind in the lead up to the state’s two Senate runoffs on Jan. 5.
The stakes could not be any higher, as Democrats need to win both seats to force a 50-50 Senate and gain control with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris eventually casting the tie breaking vote. A Democratic Senate chamber would also help President-elect Joe Biden more easily pass his agenda.
To win, Democrats will need to break historical precedent. But with the elections just a few weeks away, these races remain way too close to call.
That’s a bit surprising because Republicans entered the runoffs as slight favorites.
Republican Senate candidates actually got more votes in both races in November. Sen. David Perdue received 49.7% of the vote, falling just short of a majority needed to win outright. Democrat Jon Ossoff came in with 48.0%, or nearly 90,000 votes behind Perdue.
The state’s special Senate election doesn’t follow as neat a script, though the outcome was similar. In the special election, there were no party primaries. All the Democrats and Republicans ran in one election, and the two top vote-getters (Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler) advanced to the runoff.
When you tally up all the Democratic and Republican votes, the Republican candidates got 49.4%. The Democrats got 48.4%, or nearly 50,000 votes behind the Republicans.
To win either or both races, Democrats need either to get Republican voters in November to vote for the Democrats in January, win the bulk of November third party voters or hope for a change in the relative voter turnout between Democrats and Republicans.
Read the full analysis here.
Today marks seven weeks since Election Day and President Trump continues to remain largely behind closed doors, focusing on ways he can overturn the results of the election.
Trump has no public events listed on his schedule Tuesday, and has not had an official White House event on his schedule since Friday.
His last public appearance was Dec. 12, when he attended the Army-Navy football game and participated in an on-camera interview with Fox News. Trump last took questions from reporters on Dec. 8.
By the numbers:
Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff early voted in Atlanta at the Metropolitan Library on the south side of the city.
Ossoff is one of two Democratic candidates vying to flip the Senate during the crucial Jan. 5 runoff election. Democrats need to win both seats to force a 50-50 Senate and gain control with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris eventually casting the tie breaking vote.
Ossoff didn’t make any remarks inside the polling location — he simply walked in the room, checked in and then walked over to the voting machine to cast his ballot. He said thank yous and then walked out a different door.
Overall, a very quick process. Ossoff was the only voter in the room at the time.
Prior to voting, Ossoff made some brief remarks, a condensed version of his stump speech, at a park across the street with young supporters gathered around him.
President-elect Joe Biden is poised to nominate Connecticut education commissioner Miguel Cardona as his education secretary, two people familiar with the matter say, a decision that could be one of the final Cabinet selections before Christmas.
A formal announcement could come as early as Wednesday.
Biden has set a goal of reopening most schools within the first 100 days of taking office, a position that has touched off controversy with some teachers’ unions.
Cardona has been a leading proponent of sending children back to school, saying too many students are falling behind during virtual learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are some other key things to know about Cardona:
Read more here.
Democratic candidate for Senate Jon Ossoff said that despite previous criticism of the Paycheck Protection Program and coronavirus relief packages, he’d would have voted for last night’s relief bill.
Ossoff is one of two Democratic candidates vying to flip the Senate during the crucial Jan. 5 runoff election.
Ossoff went on to call his opponent, incumbent Sen. David Perdue, “a man who treats his senate office like it’s his E- trade account, who blatantly and flagrantly abuses his power to enrich himself.”
Ossoff added that Perdue “must make it clear where he stands” on challenging the results of the Electoral College.
Read more about the relief package here.
President-elect Joe Biden has yet to announce several key roles in his incoming administration, including attorney general, labor secretary and commerce secretary.
Biden’s goal was to have all —or most — of his remaining Cabinet selections announced by Christmas, a transition official previously told CNN, but prospects for reaching it are dimming.
The nominee for attorney general is no longer expected to be announced before Christmas, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN, as Biden continues deliberating on one of the most high-profile positions in his incoming administration.
Here are the positions that haven’t yet been announced:
Here’s a look at who Biden has selected so far for his Cabinet and other top roles:
Over 1.6 million ballots have been cast in the US Senate runoff elections in Georgia, according to election officials.
The key Jan. 5 election continues to gain national attention as it will determine which party controls the Senate.
Here is a breakdown of the numbers:
During the November 2020 general election, early voting at this same period was at just 1.9 million ballots.
President-elect Joe Biden stumped for the Democratic candidates last week. Trump was in Georgia at the beginning of December and has promised to return for another rally on January 4, the night before Election Day.
President-elect Joe Biden is poised to nominate Connecticut education commissioner Miguel Cardona as his education secretary, two people familiar with the matter say. It’s a decision that could be one of the final Cabinet selections before Christmas.
Biden has set a goal of reopening most schools within the first 100 days of taking office, a position that has touched off controversy with some teachers’ unions. Cardona has been a leading proponent of sending children back to school, saying too many students are falling behind during virtual learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Cardona, whose parents moved from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, would be another high-profile Latino in the Cabinet. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has urged Biden to select Cardona. A formal announcement could come as early as Wednesday.
After the Department of Education, Biden will have five Cabinet seats still to name – chief among them, Attorney General.
That decision is no longer expected to be announced before Christmas, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN, as Biden continues deliberating on one of the most high-profile positions in his new administration.
The delay puts Biden well behind his recent predecessors in the timing of choosing a nominee to lead the Justice Department.
Former President Barack Obama, for example, selected Eric Holder on Dec. 1, 2008. Former President George W. Bush, whose election went into overtime for more than a month with the Florida recount, announced John Ashcroft on Dec. 22, 2000.
For Biden, the deliberations about whom he should nominate as attorney general have emerged as some of the more complicated of the transition.
As CNN has previously reported, two of the final contenders for the post are Judge Merrick Garland and outgoing Alabama Sen. Doug Jones.
President-elect Joe Biden announced more members of his senior White House staff today, including longtime adviser Bruce Reed as a deputy chief of staff.
Reed traveled with Biden throughout the campaign and is a long-serving member of his close-knit circle of advisers.
He came under fire from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other liberals for his connections to tech firms and the business world, which likely complicated him from getting a higher-ranking position in the Biden administration.
President-elect Joe Biden will deliver remarks to the country this afternoon ahead of the Christmas holiday. He is set to speak in Wilmington, Delaware.
His remarks come as the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccines continue across the US and the country surpassed 18 million cases yesterday.
Last night, Biden praised Congress’ passage of a long-awaited Covid-19 rescue package after months of gridlock. He noted in his tweet, however, that “our work is far from over.”
See Biden’s tweet:
