Tag Archives: Trump administration

The Independent reports: President-elect Joe Biden sharply criticized the Trump administration over its Covid-19 vaccination deployment, saying it is too slow and promising a more robust effort once he takes office. “As I long feared and warned, the effort to distribute the vaccine is not going … as it could go,” the incoming chief executive said of the vaccine distribution …

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Joe Biden on Monday accused President Trump and his political appointees of obstructing the transition of power to his incoming administration, particularly on national security issues, an escalation in tone after reports of isolated difficulties in the transition process last week. In remarks from Wilmington, Del., Biden specifically called out the Office of Management and …

“We are clearly on schedule. 20 million vaccinations distributed by the first week in January, we expect another 30 million in January, another 50 million in February. “And with the current contracts, even with just the vaccines we have right now, we still expect that any American who wants a vaccine can be vaccinated by June. That’s really very exciting. …

The New York Daily News reports: A couple who lied about their business in order to score a $7.2 million PPP loan in late May used the funds to buy a $3.5 million, seven-bedroom house, and several expensive cars, according the federal government. Don Cisternino and his partner, Lori Quasky, allegedly claimed their company, MagnifiCo, had an average monthly payroll …

Tribune News Service reports: USPS is facing a historic volume of mail, which is swamping the postal service and other carriers as the pandemic drives people to shop online. According to the Washington Post, almost 19,000 of the agency’s 644,000 workers are under quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus. Some are criticizing Postmaster Louis DeJoy, who cut costs and did …

Politico reports: Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will supply 100 million more doses of their coronavirus vaccine to the United States by this summer after protracted negotiations over how much the companies could deliver, The $1.95 billion agreement doubles the overall U.S. order for the vaccine to 200 million doses. Pfizer and BioNTech said they can supply 70 million …

Reuters reports: Total U.S. COVID-19 cases surpassed 18 million on Tuesday as health officials tried to tamper fears about a new, highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom. The latest million cases were recorded in just six days, according to a Reuters tally, as U.S. COVID-19 fatalities approach 320,000, the most in the world. Some U.S. health …

CBS News reports: Email accounts used by the Treasury Department’s senior leadership were compromised by suspected Russian government hackers who carried out a massive cyber-espionage campaign against several U.S. federal agencies, according to Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee said the “full depth” of the Treasury hack “isn’t known.” Senate Finance Committee staff …

Politico reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a new round of economic stimulus checks will start being sent out next week — much faster than its previous batch of checks. “People are going to see this money the beginning of next week,” he said in an interview Monday with CNBC. “Much needed relief — and just in time for the …

The Washington Post reports: Attorney General William P. Barr said Monday that he does not plan to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of the president-elect. “I think to the extent that there’s an investigation, I think that it’s being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department,” Barr told reporters at his final news conference …

The Associated Press reports: As COVID-19 cases skyrocketed before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, warned Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.” For many Americans that guidance has been difficult to abide, including for Birx herself. The day after Thanksgiving, she traveled to one of her vacation …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration is rushing to approve a final wave of large-scale mining and energy projects on federal lands, encouraged by investors who want to try to ensure the projects move ahead even after President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. takes office. In Arizona, the Forest Service is preparing to sign off on the transfer of …

Politico reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly blamed Russia for the monthslong cyber hack of agencies across the U.S. government. “This was a very significant effort, and I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity,” Pompeo told radio host Mark Levin in an interview released …

“The vast majority of people who worked in the White House were decent people who were doing the best they could to serve the nation. “They’ve unfortunately paid quite a price for that in reputation and future employment. They don’t deserve that. “They deserve better than that, because they kept the train from careening off the tracks. The climate—the work …

Politico reports: The tension between the Trump administration and President-elect Joe Biden’s team spilled out into the open on Friday, as officials traded accusations over the status of a series of Defense Department transition meetings that a Biden spokesperson called “invaluable” for national security. Biden spokesperson Yohannes Abraham directly contradicted acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller’s claims that the two teams …

The Associated Press reports: Federal authorities expressed increased alarm today about a long-undetected intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks. The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was …

The Washington Post reports: Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday as a precaution after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt — who had been giving private, nighttime tours to associates — tested positive for the coronavirus. Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin confirmed the temporary closure, saying the department acted after consulting with federal health officials. Bernhardt …

NPR reports: The U.S. Supreme Court dodged a ruling on whether President Trump can exclude undocumented immigrants from a key census count. The opinion said the case was “riddled with contingencies and speculation that impede judicial review.” “At the end of the day, the standing and ripeness inquiries both lead to the conclusion that judicial resolution of this” case is …

Via email from hate group leader Tony Perkins: Despite being only a few days away from Christmas vacation, the Trump administration continues to follow through on its commitment to life and religious liberty, with nine different federal agencies finalizing a joint rule this week providing for fair and equal treatment for religious groups in federal programs. HHS Secretary Alex Azar …

From a statement issued today by Joe Biden: I have instructed my team to learn as much as we can about this breach, and Vice President-elect Harris and I are grateful to the career public servants who have briefed our team on their findings and who are working around-the-clock to respond to this attack. A good defense isn’t enough; we …