Monday, Nov. 30, 2020

· President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced the formation of a presidential inaugural committee. Its senior leadership includes Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University, and Maju Varghese, a top official and advisor on the Biden-Harris campaign.

· President Donald Trump’s handpicked coronavirus advisor Scott Atlas, a radiologist with no infectious diseases experience, resigned from the White House. Atlas drew ire from public health experts with actual infectious disease backgrounds by advocating for letting the virus spread unfettered to achieve herd immunity.

Tuesday, Dec. 1

· Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani denied allegations that Trump discussed the possibility of issuing a preemptive pardon for Giuliani before Trump leaves office. Trump publicly floated the idea of preemptive pardons for his aides and associates later in the week.

· The State Department accused China of not enforcing international sanctions on North Korea and offered rewards of up to $5 million for information about these alleged sanctions evasions.

· The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a top government panel, recommended healthcare workers and nursing home residents get the country’s first coronavirus vaccine shots.

Wednesday, Dec. 2

· Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, was sworn as the newest member of the Senate, marking the first time in about 70 years that Arizona will have two Democratic senators. Kelly brings the Senate’s Republican majority down to 52-48.

· House Republicans picked Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) as the party’s leader on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. McMorris Rodgers has a history of climate change skepticism and is poised to approach the task with free market-based solutions.

· House Republicans backed Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) for a leadership position on the Natural Resources Committee. Westerman is licensed forester and a proponent of using outdoor recreation as a vehicle for nature preservation, though he rejects federal controls on natural resource extraction.

· United States’ officials confirmed the Trump administration is pulling out as many as half of the country’s diplomats from its embassy in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, as tensions spike with neighboring Iran.

· White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany falsely attributed the origin of the large red ribbon displayed in front of the White House in honor of World AIDS Day to the Trump administration. It was, in fact, first hung in 2007 during the George W. Bush administration based on an idea from Steven Levine, a gay man who worked in communications for Bush.

· Customs and Border Protection banned cotton and cotton products from Xinjiang Production and Construction, one of China’s largest producers, saying it uses the slave labor of Uighur Muslims to make these products.

Thursday, Dec. 3

· The Centers for Disease Control warned of the imminent collapse of the U.S. healthcare system as COVID-19 cases skyrocket and deaths are projected to reach 450,000 in the country by March.

· Kamala Harris named Tina Flournoy as her chief of staff, saying her “deep experience, public policy expertise, and accomplished career in public service make her uniquely qualified for this important position.” Flournoy was former President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.

· Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was appointed as the next chair of the House Appropriations Committee. The position gives her enormous control over federal spending. Throughout her career DeLauro has backed progressive causes like paid family leave, equal pay for women, gun control and food security.

· Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney was elected to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is the House Democrats’ campaign arm. Maloney is poised to take a middle-of-the-road approach balancing the interests of the left and right wings of the Democratic Party.

· The Justice Department banned Heidi Stirrup, a Trump aide, from entering its building after top Justice officials learned she was trying to to collect insider information about ongoing cases pertinent to Trump’s interests.

· White House communications director Alyssa Farah resigned after three and a half years in the administration. She began her current role in April but previously served as press secretary for the Defense Department and press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence.

· Trump publicly considered preemptively pardoning aides and associates, including family members like daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both senior aides to the president. The action would be unprecedented and legally dubious, although he received little Republican pushback when floating the idea.

· The Justice Department accused Facebook of discriminating against U.S. workers by giving hiring preferences to temporary workers for more than 2,600 jobs.

· Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) was elected as the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the first Black man in the position. Meeks said he wants to focus on rebuilding the State Department and U.S.’s ties to its allies.

· Biden said he asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the country’s top infectious disease experts, to serve as his chief medical advisor when Biden takes office next month.

Friday, Dec. 4

· The White House removed nine members of the Pentagon's defense business board replaced them with Trump loyalists like Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie. Ousted board chair Michael Bayer commented, “This kind of a move really will weigh heavily on people in the future and their willingness to serve on these outside advisory boards if they're going to be subjected to political loyalty tests. It's unprecedented. I’m just saddened.”

· The House voted 228-164, largely along party lines, to lift the federal ban on cannabis, the first time either chamber of Congress voted to end cannabis criminalization since it was first listed as a “controlled substance” in 1970. Decriminalization is unlikely to get past the Republican-controlled Senate, however.

· U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis in New York restored the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to post a public notice to accept first-time applications and ensure work permits are valid for two years.

Saturday, Dec. 5

· Trump called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) to urge him to persuade the state legislature to overturn Biden’s victory in the state.

Sunday, Dec. 6

· Trump confirmed his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus.