Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
U.S. prepares for first COVID-19 shots as another vaccine candidate emerges
U.S. officials prepared to begin inoculating Americans against the novel coronavirus by mid-December as another global drug company on Monday announced promising trial results toward a vaccine, providing hope as the pace of infections accelerated.
The head of the U.S. campaign to rapidly deploy a vaccine said on Sunday that U.S. healthcare workers and other high-risk people could start getting shots within a day or two of regulatory consent next month.
Biden's transition team to begin meeting with federal officials: executive director
President-elect Joe Biden's team will begin meeting with federal government officials to discuss the pandemic response, national security and other issues after a U.S. agency gave the go-ahead for the formal transition on Monday, a transition official said. "In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies," Biden transition executive director Yohannes Abraham said in a statement.
White House plans holiday parties as Americans urged to stay home
The White House plans to hold indoor holiday receptions in the coming weeks despite ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks and the advice of public health professionals urging Americans to sacrifice their normal holiday gatherings to curb the spread of the virus. U.S. officials have warned against large gatherings on Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday, instead urging Americans to stay home and forgo traveling to see relatives in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and protect vulnerable individuals as cases topped 12 million over the weekend.
Trump campaign says it will continue legal fight after Michigan certification
President Donald Trump's legal team on Monday said it would continue its legal strategy to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election after Michigan officials certified results showing that President-elect Joe Biden had won their state. "Certification by state officials is simply a procedural step," said Jenna Ellis, a legal adviser to Trump's 2020 campaign, in a statement. "We are going to continue combatting election fraud around the country as we fight to count all the legal votes. Americans must be assured that the final results are fair and legitimate."
Biden to choose ex-Fed chair Yellen as first woman Treasury secretary, allies say
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to tap former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as U.S. Treasury Secretary, putting a woman in the job for the first time, according to two Democratic allies. With Yellen, 74, Biden has chosen an experienced policymaker respected by Congress, international finance officials, progressives and business interests, and one that has called for opening fiscal spending taps to boost economic recovery.
U.S. to begin distributing Regeneron's COVID-19 antibody therapy Tuesday
The U.S. government will start distributing Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's newly authorized COVID-19 antibody combination on Tuesday, beginning with over 30,000 treatment courses, a health official said on Monday. U.S. officials on a call with reporters said doses will be allocated based on which states have the highest numbers of confirmed cases and hospitalizations, both of which are currently soaring nationwide.
Drip by drip, U.S. Republicans edge away from Trump election claims
More prominent Republicans joined the call on Monday for President Donald Trump to end efforts to overturn his election defeat and allow President-elect Joe Biden to begin the transition to a new administration. Twenty days after Election Day, most members of Trump's party still refused on Monday to refer to Biden as president-elect, or question Trump's insistence - without evidence - that he only lost on Nov. 3 because of fraud.
Trump gives GSA official go-ahead to start transition to Biden administration
President Donald Trump on Monday said he had given Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration, the go-ahead to proceed with a transition for President-elect Joe Biden's administration despite plans to continue with legal challenges. "I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA," Trump said in a tweet.
Trump campaign to ask appeals court to halt Biden win in Pennsylvania
U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign on Monday told a federal appeals court it would seek to halt the "effect" of Pennsylvania's likely certification of the Nov. 3 election results, after a lower court paved the way to certify President-elect Joe Biden as the winner. "This action is of nationwide importance because of the consequences of flawed election processes in the election for the President of the United States in the Commonwealth, which could turn the election in favor of either candidate," lawyers for the campaign wrote in a court filing to the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
U.S. General Services Administration allows Biden transition funds to begin
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday was formally given the go-ahead by a federal agency to begin his transition to the White House, shortly after the battleground state of Michigan certified him as the winner there. With the rapid-fire developments, Republican President Donald Trump's already languishing efforts to overturn his Nov. 3 election defeat appeared to be coming to a close.
