Major technology companies like Google and Microsoft, as well as telecommunications giants like Comcast and Verizon, are among the nearly 1,000 people and groups that have donated at least $200 to the committee organizing President-elect Joe Biden’s scaled-back inauguration celebration this month.

The donor list, released Saturday evening by the committee, was filled mostly with individual donors, including major givers to Democrats such as Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons; Richard Blum, the husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California; and Donald Sussman, a hedge fund mogul.

The inaugural committee did not list any of the amounts that these 959 donors had given as of Dec. 31, the end of the period covered in the voluntary disclosure.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indoguration-for-major-biden-as-joe-biden-prepares-white-house-move-355817" hreflang="en">'Indoguration' for Major Biden as Joe Biden prepares White House move</a>

The actual donor amounts may not be known until 90 days after the inauguration when the committee will be required under law to disclose the names and amounts of all donations over $200. Biden’s committee limited contributions by individuals to $500,000 and by corporations to $1 million.

Technology and telecommunications industries are well represented on the list, with donations also coming from Qualcomm, a semiconductor and software company based in California, and Charter Communications, a cable company.

Google was included on the list because it provided online security protections without charge to the inaugural committee, said José Castañeda, a Google spokesman.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/george-w-bushs-childhood-home-eyed-for-national-park-service-inclusion-355813" hreflang="en">George W. Bush’s childhood home eyed for national park service inclusion</a>

Other corporate donations came from the Enterprise Holdings political action committee, which is associated with the company that owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands.

Health care companies also are prominent on the list, including Anthem Inc., the health insurance giant, MedPoint Management, which provides management services to physicians groups, and Masimo Corp., a maker of electronic patient monitoring devices.

Boeing Co., the aerospace and military contracting giant, is also listed as a donor.

Labor unions including American Federation of Teachers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Food and Commercial Workers union made contributions.

There was also a sprinkling of celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, on the list.

A spokesman for the inauguration declined to comment when asked Saturday how much in total Biden’s committee had raised.

Biden has urged his supporters not to travel to Washington for the inauguration Jan. 20, because outside of the swearing-in ceremony, there will be few large-scale in-person events.

Major technology companies like Google and Microsoft, as well as telecommunications giants like Comcast and Verizon, are among the nearly 1,000 people and groups that have donated at least $200 to the committee organizing President-elect Joe Biden’s scaled-back inauguration celebration this month.

Major technology companies like Google and Microsoft, as well as telecommunications giants like Comcast and Verizon, are among the nearly 1,000 people and groups that have donated at least $200 to the committee organizing President-elect Joe Biden’s scaled-back inauguration celebration this month. The donor list, released Saturday evening by the committee, was filled mostly with individual donors, including major givers to Democrats such as Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons; Richard Blum, the husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California; and Donald Sussman, a hedge fund mogul. The inaugural committee did not list any of the amounts that these 959 donors had given as of Dec. 31, the end of the period covered in the voluntary disclosure. Also read| 'Indoguration' for Major Biden as Joe Biden prepares White House move The actual donor amounts may not be known until 90 days after the inauguration when the committee will be required under law to disclose the names and amounts of all donations over $200. Biden’s committee limited contributions by individuals to $500,000 and by corporations to $1 million. Technology and telecommunications industries are well represented on the list, with donations also coming from Qualcomm, a semiconductor and software company based in California, and Charter Communications, a cable company. Google was included on the list because it provided online security protections without charge to the inaugural committee, said José Castañeda, a Google spokesman. Also read| George W. Bush’s childhood home eyed for national park service inclusion Other corporate donations came from the Enterprise Holdings political action committee, which is associated with the company that owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. Health care companies also are prominent on the list, including Anthem Inc., the health insurance giant, MedPoint Management, which provides management services to physicians groups, and Masimo Corp., a maker of electronic patient monitoring devices. Boeing Co., the aerospace and military contracting giant, is also listed as a donor. Labor unions including American Federation of Teachers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Food and Commercial Workers union made contributions. There was also a sprinkling of celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, on the list. A spokesman for the inauguration declined to comment when asked Saturday how much in total Biden’s committee had raised. Biden has urged his supporters not to travel to Washington for the inauguration Jan. 20, because outside of the swearing-in ceremony, there will be few large-scale in-person events.

Major technology companies join list of Biden inaugural donors

Hours after hundreds of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a harrowing assault on American democracy, a shaken Congress on Thursday formally certified Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

US Congress confirms Biden's victory after harrowing Capitol Hill assault

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said he had believed for a long time that President Donald Trump was not fit for office, but it was up to Congress to decide on a second impeachment of the Republican president after Wednesday's storming of the Capitol.

Biden says Trump is unfit, but impeachment is for Congress to decide

Vice President Mike Pence condemned the violent supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (January 6) in an attempt to block certification of the presidential election results, as the U.S. Senate resumed its vote count after an hours-long delay.

US Congress reconvenes session to certify Joe Biden's victory

US Congress certifies Biden win hours after harrowing Capitol Hill assault

The veteran US lawmaker Ted Cruz and a few others have declared they would not be willing to vote next week to certify the President-elect Joe Biden's US election 2020 win, which is being considered one last try by the Republican party to make the outgoing President Donald Trump spin the election result.

Growing number of Republicans backing Donald Trump

Chinese companies will receive binding commitments of access to the EU market under a new investment agreement, while China will open up its financial, manufacturing and services sectors to the 27-nation bloc, a Chinese government official said on Wednesday (December 30).

China-EU sign crucial deal ahead of Joe Biden's swearing in

Sixty-one percent of White House appointees are women and 54 per cent are people of colour, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team said.

On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris surpassed their goal of naming 100 members of their incoming administration.

These accomplished individuals join a historic and barrier-breaking White House and administration that looks like America, and is ready to deliver results for working families on day one, Biden's transition team said.

The Biden-Harris administration will prioritise diversity of ideology and background, and foster talent to address the nation's most complex challenges, it said.

The White House staff represents a small percentage of the total number of Biden-Harris appointees that will serve across the federal government, said the transition.

"The first 100+ White House appointees, including those announced today, represent America in the following ways: 61 per cent are women, 54 per cent are people of colour, AAPI appointees represent more than twice their share of the national population, LGBTQ+ appointees account for 11 per cent of all White House staff," said the Biden transition.

According to the statistics released by the Biden transition, almost 20 per cent of appointees are first-generation Americans and about 40 per cent of White House senior staff have children at home.

"From the beginning, Vice President-elect Harris and I have sought to build an administration that looks like America. Building a diverse team will lead to better outcomes and more effective solutions to address the urgent crises facing our nation. The appointees named today will draw from their expertise and life experiences to help us build the country back better. Moving forward together, there's nothing we can't accomplish," Biden said.

Harris said to meet unprecedented challenges facing the American people, an administration should be build that reflects the very best of the country.

"These remarkable public servants have the knowledge and expertise to hit the ground running on day one. And I look forward to working with them to get this virus under control, safely and responsibly reopen our economy and our schools, and build back our country in a way that lifts up all Americans," she said.

"The president-elect and vice president-elect have been committed to building a White House team that is filled with crisis-tested experts who will hit the ground running on day one. I am thrilled that we have accomplished our goal of naming 100 staff members by the end of 2020 - and I could not be more proud of the talented and diverse team we will put to work for the American people," said incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

Sixty-one percent of White House appointees are women and 54 per cent are people of colour, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team said. On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris surpassed their goal of naming 100 members of their incoming administration.

Sixty-one percent of White House appointees are women and 54 per cent are people of colour, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team said. On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris surpassed their goal of naming 100 members of their incoming administration. These accomplished individuals join a historic and barrier-breaking White House and administration that looks like America, and is ready to deliver results for working families on day one, Biden's transition team said. The Biden-Harris administration will prioritise diversity of ideology and background, and foster talent to address the nation's most complex challenges, it said. The White House staff represents a small percentage of the total number of Biden-Harris appointees that will serve across the federal government, said the transition. "The first 100+ White House appointees, including those announced today, represent America in the following ways: 61 per cent are women, 54 per cent are people of colour, AAPI appointees represent more than twice their share of the national population, LGBTQ+ appointees account for 11 per cent of all White House staff," said the Biden transition. According to the statistics released by the Biden transition, almost 20 per cent of appointees are first-generation Americans and about 40 per cent of White House senior staff have children at home. "From the beginning, Vice President-elect Harris and I have sought to build an administration that looks like America. Building a diverse team will lead to better outcomes and more effective solutions to address the urgent crises facing our nation. The appointees named today will draw from their expertise and life experiences to help us build the country back better. Moving forward together, there's nothing we can't accomplish," Biden said. Harris said to meet unprecedented challenges facing the American people, an administration should be build that reflects the very best of the country. "These remarkable public servants have the knowledge and expertise to hit the ground running on day one. And I look forward to working with them to get this virus under control, safely and responsibly reopen our economy and our schools, and build back our country in a way that lifts up all Americans," she said. "The president-elect and vice president-elect have been committed to building a White House team that is filled with crisis-tested experts who will hit the ground running on day one. I am thrilled that we have accomplished our goal of naming 100 staff members by the end of 2020 - and I could not be more proud of the talented and diverse team we will put to work for the American people," said incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

In Biden's team for White House, 61% are women, 54% are people of colour

United States President-elect Joe Biden will take over the presidential duties from Donald Trump starting January 20, 2021. On December 28, Biden announced members of the core team responsible for digital strategy at the White House.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/joe-biden-promises-to-reverse-trumps-immigration-policies-352419/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Part of the Digital Strategy team is India-born Aisha Shah, who will work as the Partnerships Manager. Prior to this, she had served the Digital Partnerships Manager on the Biden-Harris election campaign.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/new-coronavirus-variant-hits-us-as-biden-vows-all-out-effort-353244" hreflang="en">New coronavirus variant hits US as Biden vows all-out effort</a>

Currently, Shah works as an “Advancement Specialist” for the Smithsonian Institution. Earlier, she worked as the Assistant Manager for the Corporate Fund of the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. 
 
Shah has also worked as a strategic communications specialist at Buoy, which is an integrated marketing firm.

Aisha Shah was born in Kashmir, India and was raised in Louisiana, USA. She is an alumni of Davidson College.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/biden-says-trump-aides-setting-roadblocks-for-his-transition-team-353070" hreflang="en">Biden says Trump aides setting 'roadblocks' for his transition team</a>

"This team of diverse experts has a wide range of experience in digital strategy and will help connect the White House to the American people in new and innovative ways. They bring a shared commitment to building our nation back better, and I am thrilled to have them on our team,” Biden said in a statement ahead of the revelation.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had earlier claimed how important it is to be inclusive for this administration. 
&nbsp;

United States President-elect Joe Biden will take over the presidential duties from Donald Trump starting January 20, 2021. On December 28, Biden announced members of the core team responsible for digital strategy at the White House.

United States President-elect Joe Biden will take over the presidential duties from Donald Trump starting January 20, 2021. On December 28, Biden announced members of the core team responsible for digital strategy at the White House. Part of the Digital Strategy team is India-born Aisha Shah, who will work as the Partnerships Manager. Prior to this, she had served the Digital Partnerships Manager on the Biden-Harris election campaign. Also read: New coronavirus variant hits US as Biden vows all-out effort Currently, Shah works as an “Advancement Specialist” for the Smithsonian Institution. Earlier, she worked as the Assistant Manager for the Corporate Fund of the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Shah has also worked as a strategic communications specialist at Buoy, which is an integrated marketing firm. Aisha Shah was born in Kashmir, India and was raised in Louisiana, USA. She is an alumni of Davidson College. Also read: Biden says Trump aides setting 'roadblocks' for his transition team "This team of diverse experts has a wide range of experience in digital strategy and will help connect the White House to the American people in new and innovative ways. They bring a shared commitment to building our nation back better, and I am thrilled to have them on our team,” Biden said in a statement ahead of the revelation. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had earlier claimed how important it is to be inclusive for this administration.

India-born Aisha Shah part of the upcoming Digital Strategy White House team under Biden

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said under the Trump administration, US government agencies in charge of national security have “incurred enormous damage.”

Painting a grim landscape of the state of the nation's national security and foreign policy agencies he said that those departments have been "hollowed out in personnel, capacity and in morale."

Biden said, “Most notable the Department of Defence, we encountered obstruction from the political leadership. The truth is, many of the agencies that are critical to our security have incurred enormous damage.” He added that the actions of the Trump administration “makes it harder for our government to protect the American people, to defend our vital interests”.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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Right now, my team isn’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. 
 
It’s nothing short of irresponsible. <a href="https://t.co/T67NbgSFLl">pic.twitter.com/T67NbgSFLl</a>
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1343709566622720001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The president-elect's comments followed a briefing from members of his national security and foreign policy agency review teams "on their findings and key challenges that the Biden-Harris administration will inherit," his transition team said before his remarks.

Biden said it's crucial to ensure "nothing is lost" during the change in presidential administrations and stressed the need for his team to have a "clear picture" of the country's force posture worldwide and operations to deter enemies, as well as "full visibility" into the budget planning underway at the Pentagon and other agencies to "avoid any window of confusion or catch-up" that can be exploited by enemies.

"We have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget," Biden said. "Right now, we just aren't getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It's nothing short in my view of irresponsibility."

(With inputs from agencies)

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said under the Trump administration, US government agencies in charge of national security have “incurred enormous damage.” Painting a grim landscape of the state of the nation's national security and foreign policy agencies he said that those departments have been "hollowed out in personnel, capacity and in morale.

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said under the Trump administration, US government agencies in charge of national security have “incurred enormous damage.” Painting a grim landscape of the state of the nation's national security and foreign policy agencies he said that those departments have been "hollowed out in personnel, capacity and in morale." Biden said, “Most notable the Department of Defence, we encountered obstruction from the political leadership. The truth is, many of the agencies that are critical to our security have incurred enormous damage.” He added that the actions of the Trump administration “makes it harder for our government to protect the American people, to defend our vital interests”. Right now, my team isn’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It’s nothing short of irresponsible. pic.twitter.com/T67NbgSFLl — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 29, 2020 × The president-elect's comments followed a briefing from members of his national security and foreign policy agency review teams "on their findings and key challenges that the Biden-Harris administration will inherit," his transition team said before his remarks. Biden said it's crucial to ensure "nothing is lost" during the change in presidential administrations and stressed the need for his team to have a "clear picture" of the country's force posture worldwide and operations to deter enemies, as well as "full visibility" into the budget planning underway at the Pentagon and other agencies to "avoid any window of confusion or catch-up" that can be exploited by enemies. "We have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget," Biden said. "Right now, we just aren't getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It's nothing short in my view of irresponsibility." (With inputs from agencies)

US security agencies incurred 'enormous damage' during Trump administration: Biden

Japan's deputy defence minister said in an interview that Taiwan's safety was a 'red line' and urged US President-elect Joe Biden to "be strong" in supporting it.

Deputy defence minister Yasuhide Nakayama urged Biden to take a position similar to current president Donald Trump who has significantly boosted military sales to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own and considers it a province.

Japan's engagement with Taiwan has also flourished in recent years on a largely non-governmental basis. Tokyo maintains a "one China" policy, delicately balancing its relationships with neighbouring giant China and its longtime military ally in Washington.

Japan shares strategic interests with Taiwan, which sits in sea lanes through which much of Japan's energy supplies and trade flow.

"So far, I haven't yet seen a clear policy or an announcement on Taiwan from Joe Biden. I would like to hear it quickly, then we can also prepare our response on Taiwan in accordance," Nakayama said.

During the presidential campaign, Biden called for strengthening ties with Taiwan and other "like-minded democracies."

Decades ago as senator, Biden questioned whether the United States had an "obligation" to defend Taiwan. But many in his foreign policy circles acknowledge that U.S. imperatives have changed as a rising, authoritarian China has become more assertive and sought to shape global institutions.

An official in Biden's transition team said the president-elect believes U.S. support for Taiwan "must remain strong, principled, and bipartisan."

Beijing has been angered by increased U.S. support for Taiwan, including arms sales and visits to Taipei by senior U.S. officials, further straining already poor Sino-U.S. ties. China considers democratically run Taiwan one of its provinces and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control.

(With Reuters inputs)

Japan's deputy defence minister said in an interview that Taiwan's safety was a 'red line' and urged US President-elect Joe Biden to "be strong" in supporting it.

Japan's deputy defence minister said in an interview that Taiwan's safety was a 'red line' and urged US President-elect Joe Biden to "be strong" in supporting it. Deputy defence minister Yasuhide Nakayama urged Biden to take a position similar to current president Donald Trump who has significantly boosted military sales to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own and considers it a province. Japan's engagement with Taiwan has also flourished in recent years on a largely non-governmental basis. Tokyo maintains a "one China" policy, delicately balancing its relationships with neighbouring giant China and its longtime military ally in Washington. Japan shares strategic interests with Taiwan, which sits in sea lanes through which much of Japan's energy supplies and trade flow. "So far, I haven't yet seen a clear policy or an announcement on Taiwan from Joe Biden. I would like to hear it quickly, then we can also prepare our response on Taiwan in accordance," Nakayama said. During the presidential campaign, Biden called for strengthening ties with Taiwan and other "like-minded democracies." Decades ago as senator, Biden questioned whether the United States had an "obligation" to defend Taiwan. But many in his foreign policy circles acknowledge that U.S. imperatives have changed as a rising, authoritarian China has become more assertive and sought to shape global institutions. An official in Biden's transition team said the president-elect believes U.S. support for Taiwan "must remain strong, principled, and bipartisan." Beijing has been angered by increased U.S. support for Taiwan, including arms sales and visits to Taipei by senior U.S. officials, further straining already poor Sino-U.S. ties. China considers democratically run Taiwan one of its provinces and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control. (With Reuters inputs)

Support to Taiwan a 'red line', Biden must remain strong: Japanese minister

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday committed to work on a humane strategy to regional migration by addressing its root causes in Central America and southern Mexico.

Joe Biden promises to reverse Trump's immigration policies

US President-elect Joe Biden said that he had not seen any evidence that cyberattack against the US was under control. He lashed out at US President Donald Trump for being reluctant to name Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have both accused Moscow.

“It is a grave risk and it continues," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware. "I see no evidence that it’s under control. I see none. Heard of none. Department won’t even brief us on many things. So I know of nothing that suggests it’s under control."

Biden faulted Trump for stripping U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, saying: "This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching."

Trump has floated the idea on Twitter that China might be responsible for the hacking spree. Uncovered last week, it breached at least half a dozen U.S. government agencies and left thousands of American companies exposed.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-issues-series-of-pardons-including-russia-probe-figure-george-papadopoulos-351684">Trump issues series of pardons, including Russia probe figure George Papadopoulos</a>

Joe Biden has warned that the cyberattack will not go unanswered once he takes office on January 20. He said his administration will take meaningful steps to respond to the cyber breach.

The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that Biden's response to the hacking campaign would go beyond sanctions. Ron Klain said Biden was mapping out ways to degrade the capacity of foreign actors to engage in cyber attacks against the United States.

Options being mulled by the Biden administration to punish Moscow for its alleged role include financial penalties and retaliatory hacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

The Kremlin denies any role in the hacking.

"The question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at, very closely, the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are, and what damage has been done," Biden said.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President-elect Joe Biden said that he had not seen any evidence that cyberattack against the US was under control. He lashed out at US President Donald Trump for being reluctant to name Russia.

US President-elect Joe Biden said that he had not seen any evidence that cyberattack against the US was under control. He lashed out at US President Donald Trump for being reluctant to name Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have both accused Moscow. “It is a grave risk and it continues," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware. "I see no evidence that it’s under control. I see none. Heard of none. Department won’t even brief us on many things. So I know of nothing that suggests it’s under control." Biden faulted Trump for stripping U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, saying: "This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching." Trump has floated the idea on Twitter that China might be responsible for the hacking spree. Uncovered last week, it breached at least half a dozen U.S. government agencies and left thousands of American companies exposed. Also Read | Trump issues series of pardons, including Russia probe figure George Papadopoulos Joe Biden has warned that the cyberattack will not go unanswered once he takes office on January 20. He said his administration will take meaningful steps to respond to the cyber breach. The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that Biden's response to the hacking campaign would go beyond sanctions. Ron Klain said Biden was mapping out ways to degrade the capacity of foreign actors to engage in cyber attacks against the United States. Options being mulled by the Biden administration to punish Moscow for its alleged role include financial penalties and retaliatory hacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters. The Kremlin denies any role in the hacking. "The question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at, very closely, the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are, and what damage has been done," Biden said. (With Reuters inputs)

Trump must put blame on Russia for cyberattack, says Biden

U.S President- Elect Joe Biden introduce key members of its diverse environment team on Saturday. He said his incoming administration would make the fight against global warming.

President- Elect Joe Biden unveils diverse environment team

As lawmakers race to put the final touches on a $900 billion bipartisan stimulus package, one thing is becoming clear: Congress has left a significant challenge for the incoming president, Joe Biden, and his efforts to revive the faltering economy.

To seal the deal after months of struggle, lawmakers agreed to exclude a direct stream of money for state and local governments, which Republicans objected to as a blue state “bailout” but Democrats said was needed to prevent job cuts and economic pain.

Biden has promised to help local governments, which are struggling with plunging tax revenue and increased costs, creating huge budget gaps that have already resulted in 1.3 million state and local jobs lost since March. Economists warn that, without further help, states and cities could further slow the economic recovery by cutting more jobs and spending.

“States and cities are already facing large, large budget shortfalls this year,” Biden said this month. “They’ve already laid off more than a million workers. Even more teachers, firefighters, cops will lose their jobs unless federal government steps up now.”

As people steer clear of hotels, restaurants and sporting events because of the coronavirus pandemic, the plunge in economic activity has walloped tax revenue in many states, particularly those that rely heavily on tourism or on oil, coal and other sources of energy whose prices have fallen from reduced demand. Budgets have been further strained by spending on social assistance programs, like unemployment, and other pandemic-related costs, like safety measures in public buildings.

With most states required to balance their budgets, governments have turned to cutting jobs and other services rather than raising taxes on struggling households and businesses. The state and local government jobs shed since March — primarily in education — are a far higher toll than during the Great Recession, when cities and states laid off 800,000 workers from 2008 to 2013.

Democrats had made state aid a priority for a second round of stimulus, a demand that became a sticking point with Republicans. A centrist group of senators, trying to break the impasse, had included $160 billion in a direct stream of aid for state and local governments as part of a compromise bill. But congressional leaders excluded that funding this week. In exchange, they decided to drop a Republican priority, shielding businesses that opened amid the pandemic from certain lawsuits, to try to get the broader $900 billion package approved by both chambers and signed by President Donald Trump.

The deal is not yet final and could still be derailed by disputes over last-minute details, including a Republican effort that would prevent the Federal Reserve from restarting some pandemic-era loan programs without congressional permission. It is expected to include money for public transit authorities and potentially additional emergency assistance for state and local governments, though Republicans are opposing that aid, which would run through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The compromise is also expected to include billions of dollars for education and health programs, which state and local governments will most likely help distribute.

But the package is not expected to contain funding anywhere close to what Democrats and many economists say is necessary to avoid more public sector layoffs in the years to come.

State and local governments face more than $500 billion in revenue shortfalls from the pandemic, spread over three fiscal years, research published this fall by the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity estimates.

The researchers found that those governments entered the crisis in relatively strong fiscal positions, often with large rainy-day funds. But even with those reserves and an estimated $250 billion in federal aid approved earlier this year, they warned, the shortfalls could lead to tax increases or budget cuts.

The decision to exclude state aid will present an economic challenge for Biden, who is likely to face the same political dynamic if Republicans keep the Senate by winning the Jan. 5 election runoffs in Georgia.

The U.S. economy struggled to shake off the last recession, with historically slow growth and a sluggish job market, in part because cities and states continued to lay off workers years into the recovery, pushing up the unemployment rate. It took until 2019 for state and local jobs to return to 2008 levels of unemployment. Democrats and liberal activists have warned that Congress risks repeating those mistakes.

On Wednesday, Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said that while “the picture is mixed” on state finances, the Fed is concerned about the 1.3 million jobs already lost.

“It’s a very large number of people to be out of work from just that one source,” he said.

Calculations from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office support the case for more aid, concluding that money for states and localities provided the most cost-effective economic boost of any of the provisions in the first wave of economic assistance this spring.

But the political argument has been muddled by the diverging experience of state revenues in the crisis, which does not hew neatly to party lines. States that depend heavily on tourism, like Florida, or on energy taxes, like Wyoming, face large shortfalls, along with liberal bastions like California and New York.

“There are many states that are doing reasonably well right now and a few that are struggling substantially,” said Jared Walczak, who compiles data on state and local aid as vice president of state projects for the Tax Foundation in Washington. “That makes it very difficult to put a coalition together. That list of states isn’t red or blue, but there is a divide.”

Some Republicans in the Senate have supported more aid to states, including negotiators in the bipartisan group such as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. But lawmakers have struggled to reach agreement on how much is necessary and how to divvy up the funds.

“Some states have rainy day funds and are telling us they don’t need more money,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said at a news conference this week. “Others are saying they need much more than we can possibly imagine sending to them, so a lot of difference in data and difference in terms of how well they’ve managed themselves in the past.”

Many Republicans have consistently opposed state aid, saying it would reward Democratic states that mismanaged their finances. One of their main talking points has been that states could use federal assistance to shore up public employee pensions — though the draft bipartisan agreement would have prohibited such spending.

“What Democrats really want is for Congress to just send money to liberal politicians who have already shown they can’t be trusted with it,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. — a state that faces a $2.7 billion budget shortfall — wrote in an op-ed for National Review last week. “If these politicians have budget shortfalls, it’s because they did not prioritize their struggling constituents in the first place and instead wasted money on other things.”

Influential conservative groups like Americans for Tax Reform and Heritage Action for America have called the issue a “red line for conservatives.”

“When you have less money, it makes you do reforms to reduce spending,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Don’t bail them out,” he said, “or there will be no normal budget discipline.”

On Monday, the centrist group of negotiators split its original $908 billion framework into two bills — a $748 billion measure with broad consensus on how to provide support for unemployment benefits, food assistance, small businesses and vaccine distribution and a $160 billion measure with state and local government funding and liability protections.

To gain support for the $160 billion — which was significantly smaller than the nearly $1 trillion House Democrats sought for state and local governments May — lawmakers agreed to a number of guardrails, including prohibiting the use of the funds for pension obligations and distributing the funds based on the proportion of revenue loss and population.

Still, it was not enough to win buy-in from a critical mass of Republican senators, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and was excluded from the emerging agreement.

As lawmakers race to put the final touches on a $900 billion bipartisan stimulus package, one thing is becoming clear: Congress has left a significant challenge for the incoming president, Joe Biden, and his efforts to revive the faltering economy.

As lawmakers race to put the final touches on a $900 billion bipartisan stimulus package, one thing is becoming clear: Congress has left a significant challenge for the incoming president, Joe Biden, and his efforts to revive the faltering economy. To seal the deal after months of struggle, lawmakers agreed to exclude a direct stream of money for state and local governments, which Republicans objected to as a blue state “bailout” but Democrats said was needed to prevent job cuts and economic pain. Biden has promised to help local governments, which are struggling with plunging tax revenue and increased costs, creating huge budget gaps that have already resulted in 1.3 million state and local jobs lost since March. Economists warn that, without further help, states and cities could further slow the economic recovery by cutting more jobs and spending. “States and cities are already facing large, large budget shortfalls this year,” Biden said this month. “They’ve already laid off more than a million workers. Even more teachers, firefighters, cops will lose their jobs unless federal government steps up now.” As people steer clear of hotels, restaurants and sporting events because of the coronavirus pandemic, the plunge in economic activity has walloped tax revenue in many states, particularly those that rely heavily on tourism or on oil, coal and other sources of energy whose prices have fallen from reduced demand. Budgets have been further strained by spending on social assistance programs, like unemployment, and other pandemic-related costs, like safety measures in public buildings. With most states required to balance their budgets, governments have turned to cutting jobs and other services rather than raising taxes on struggling households and businesses. The state and local government jobs shed since March — primarily in education — are a far higher toll than during the Great Recession, when cities and states laid off 800,000 workers from 2008 to 2013. Democrats had made state aid a priority for a second round of stimulus, a demand that became a sticking point with Republicans. A centrist group of senators, trying to break the impasse, had included $160 billion in a direct stream of aid for state and local governments as part of a compromise bill. But congressional leaders excluded that funding this week. In exchange, they decided to drop a Republican priority, shielding businesses that opened amid the pandemic from certain lawsuits, to try to get the broader $900 billion package approved by both chambers and signed by President Donald Trump. The deal is not yet final and could still be derailed by disputes over last-minute details, including a Republican effort that would prevent the Federal Reserve from restarting some pandemic-era loan programs without congressional permission. It is expected to include money for public transit authorities and potentially additional emergency assistance for state and local governments, though Republicans are opposing that aid, which would run through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The compromise is also expected to include billions of dollars for education and health programs, which state and local governments will most likely help distribute. But the package is not expected to contain funding anywhere close to what Democrats and many economists say is necessary to avoid more public sector layoffs in the years to come. State and local governments face more than $500 billion in revenue shortfalls from the pandemic, spread over three fiscal years, research published this fall by the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity estimates. The researchers found that those governments entered the crisis in relatively strong fiscal positions, often with large rainy-day funds. But even with those reserves and an estimated $250 billion in federal aid approved earlier this year, they warned, the shortfalls could lead to tax increases or budget cuts. The decision to exclude state aid will present an economic challenge for Biden, who is likely to face the same political dynamic if Republicans keep the Senate by winning the Jan. 5 election runoffs in Georgia. The U.S. economy struggled to shake off the last recession, with historically slow growth and a sluggish job market, in part because cities and states continued to lay off workers years into the recovery, pushing up the unemployment rate. It took until 2019 for state and local jobs to return to 2008 levels of unemployment. Democrats and liberal activists have warned that Congress risks repeating those mistakes. On Wednesday, Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said that while “the picture is mixed” on state finances, the Fed is concerned about the 1.3 million jobs already lost. “It’s a very large number of people to be out of work from just that one source,” he said. Calculations from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office support the case for more aid, concluding that money for states and localities provided the most cost-effective economic boost of any of the provisions in the first wave of economic assistance this spring. But the political argument has been muddled by the diverging experience of state revenues in the crisis, which does not hew neatly to party lines. States that depend heavily on tourism, like Florida, or on energy taxes, like Wyoming, face large shortfalls, along with liberal bastions like California and New York. “There are many states that are doing reasonably well right now and a few that are struggling substantially,” said Jared Walczak, who compiles data on state and local aid as vice president of state projects for the Tax Foundation in Washington. “That makes it very difficult to put a coalition together. That list of states isn’t red or blue, but there is a divide.” Some Republicans in the Senate have supported more aid to states, including negotiators in the bipartisan group such as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. But lawmakers have struggled to reach agreement on how much is necessary and how to divvy up the funds. “Some states have rainy day funds and are telling us they don’t need more money,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said at a news conference this week. “Others are saying they need much more than we can possibly imagine sending to them, so a lot of difference in data and difference in terms of how well they’ve managed themselves in the past.” Many Republicans have consistently opposed state aid, saying it would reward Democratic states that mismanaged their finances. One of their main talking points has been that states could use federal assistance to shore up public employee pensions — though the draft bipartisan agreement would have prohibited such spending. “What Democrats really want is for Congress to just send money to liberal politicians who have already shown they can’t be trusted with it,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. — a state that faces a $2.7 billion budget shortfall — wrote in an op-ed for National Review last week. “If these politicians have budget shortfalls, it’s because they did not prioritize their struggling constituents in the first place and instead wasted money on other things.” Influential conservative groups like Americans for Tax Reform and Heritage Action for America have called the issue a “red line for conservatives.” “When you have less money, it makes you do reforms to reduce spending,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Don’t bail them out,” he said, “or there will be no normal budget discipline.” On Monday, the centrist group of negotiators split its original $908 billion framework into two bills — a $748 billion measure with broad consensus on how to provide support for unemployment benefits, food assistance, small businesses and vaccine distribution and a $160 billion measure with state and local government funding and liability protections. To gain support for the $160 billion — which was significantly smaller than the nearly $1 trillion House Democrats sought for state and local governments May — lawmakers agreed to a number of guardrails, including prohibiting the use of the funds for pension obligations and distributing the funds based on the proportion of revenue loss and population. Still, it was not enough to win buy-in from a critical mass of Republican senators, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and was excluded from the emerging agreement.

Biden faces challenge as US Congress drops state aid to secure stimulus

The top U.S. general met Taliban representatives this week in Qatar, urging them to reduce the level of violence and move more swiftly towards a political solution in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

Top US general meets Taliban in Qatar, calls for reduced violence

President-elect Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump on Monday with his strongest criticism since the election, saying the Republican and his allies defied the constitution and the "will of the people" in not accepting the results.

"It's a position so extreme we've never seen it before. A position that refused to respect the will of the people refused to respect the rule of law, and refused to honour our constitution," Biden said in a speech after the Electoral College formally confirmed his victory.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/trump-vows-to-reject-defense-bill-passed-by-veto-proof-majority-349569" hreflang="en">Trump vows to reject defense bill passed by veto-proof majority</a>

Biden was referring to a Republican lawsuit, supported by Trump, that sought to overturn Biden's wins in several key states, but which was rejected by the Supreme Court last Friday.

Biden praised voters for turning out in record numbers despite fears of Covid-19 and "enormous political pressure, verbal abuse and even threats of physical violence" against those running the elections.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/misogynistic-op-ed-urging-incoming-first-lady-jill-biden-to-drop-dr-stirs-a-furore-on-social-media-349673">&nbsp;'Misogynistic' op-ed urging incoming First Lady Jill Biden to drop 'Dr.' stirs a furore on social media</a>

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that," Biden said.

"It is my sincere hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election," Biden said, calling the harassment of officials "unconscionable."

Biden said that Trump has had full opportunity to contest the results in court and "in every case no cause or evidence was found to reverse or question or dispute."

Biden lashed out at the Republican Party for standing behind Trump's evidence-free claims of mass fraud. But he said the Supreme Court last week sent "a clear signal."

Following the Electoral College vote, Biden said, "It’s time to turn the page."

"I'm convinced we can work together for the good of the nation," he said.

President-elect Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump on Monday with his strongest criticism since the election, saying the Republican and his allies defied the constitution and the "will of the people" in not accepting the results.

President-elect Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump on Monday with his strongest criticism since the election, saying the Republican and his allies defied the constitution and the "will of the people" in not accepting the results. "It's a position so extreme we've never seen it before. A position that refused to respect the will of the people refused to respect the rule of law, and refused to honour our constitution," Biden said in a speech after the Electoral College formally confirmed his victory. Also read: Trump vows to reject defense bill passed by veto-proof majority Biden was referring to a Republican lawsuit, supported by Trump, that sought to overturn Biden's wins in several key states, but which was rejected by the Supreme Court last Friday. Biden praised voters for turning out in record numbers despite fears of Covid-19 and "enormous political pressure, verbal abuse and even threats of physical violence" against those running the elections. Also read| 'Misogynistic' op-ed urging incoming First Lady Jill Biden to drop 'Dr.' stirs a furore on social media "The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that," Biden said. "It is my sincere hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election," Biden said, calling the harassment of officials "unconscionable." Biden said that Trump has had full opportunity to contest the results in court and "in every case no cause or evidence was found to reverse or question or dispute." Biden lashed out at the Republican Party for standing behind Trump's evidence-free claims of mass fraud. But he said the Supreme Court last week sent "a clear signal." Following the Electoral College vote, Biden said, "It’s time to turn the page." "I'm convinced we can work together for the good of the nation," he said.

Donald Trump ‘refused to respect the will of the people’, says Joe Biden 

Twitter has become the signifier of not only one’s popularity, but also of the weight one’s voice carries. According to Twitter’s annual year-end review, the incumbent US President Donald Trump and the President-elect Joe Biden are the most talked about people in 2020.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too made it to the top 10. Coming in at #7, it means that Modi was the seventh most tweeted about person in 2020.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/twitter-other-us-tech-companies-push-back-against-eu-rules-on-illegal-online-content-348499" hreflang="en">Twitter, other US tech companies push back against EU rules on illegal online content</a>

Both Trump and Biden have been embroiled in a never-ending spat, for Trump still refuses to concede, breaking from American tradition. In fact, Trump has made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, many of which have been rejected by provincial courts.

Many other familiar faces were spotted on the list, including US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who was the only woman on the list, and took the #10 spot globally.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/thishappened2020-modi-features-in-top-10-twitter-mentions-kohli-and-dhoni-top-trending-charts-348295" hreflang="en">#ThisHappened2020: Modi features in top 10 Twitter mentions; Kohli and Dhoni top trending charts</a> 
 
"People continued to utilize Twitter to publicly advocate for political change and demand accountability from world leaders this year. Over 700 million Tweets were sent in 2020 about elections around the world and Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Narendra Modi and Kamala Harris were among the most Tweeted-about global figures," a blog post by Twitter read. 
 
Naturally, the most used hashtag in 2020 was #COVID19. As of now, over 68 million people around the world remain infected with COVID-19, and 1.55 million people have died so far.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/twitter-expands-hate-speech-rules-covering-race-ethnicity-and-nationality-347058" hreflang="en">Twitter expands hate speech rules covering race, ethnicity and nationality</a>

Vaccines are now being rolled out at a quick pace across the globe. The United Kingdom became the first country to administer Pfizer’s vaccine, while Russia has also begun mass inoculation with its vaccine - the Sputnik V. India too hopes to begin vaccination by next year.

Meanwhile, many fear that western countries are hoarding vaccines, which may deprive developing countries of access, making global inoculation rather impossible in the next two years.

Twitter has become the signifier of not only one’s popularity, but also of the weight one’s voice carries. According to Twitter’s annual year-end review, the incumbent US President Donald Trump and the President-elect Joe Biden are the most talked about people in 2020.

Twitter has become the signifier of not only one’s popularity, but also of the weight one’s voice carries. According to Twitter’s annual year-end review, the incumbent US President Donald Trump and the President-elect Joe Biden are the most talked about people in 2020. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too made it to the top 10. Coming in at #7, it means that Modi was the seventh most tweeted about person in 2020. Also read: Twitter, other US tech companies push back against EU rules on illegal online content Both Trump and Biden have been embroiled in a never-ending spat, for Trump still refuses to concede, breaking from American tradition. In fact, Trump has made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, many of which have been rejected by provincial courts. Many other familiar faces were spotted on the list, including US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who was the only woman on the list, and took the #10 spot globally. Also read: #ThisHappened2020: Modi features in top 10 Twitter mentions; Kohli and Dhoni top trending charts "People continued to utilize Twitter to publicly advocate for political change and demand accountability from world leaders this year. Over 700 million Tweets were sent in 2020 about elections around the world and Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Narendra Modi and Kamala Harris were among the most Tweeted-about global figures," a blog post by Twitter read. Naturally, the most used hashtag in 2020 was #COVID19. As of now, over 68 million people around the world remain infected with COVID-19, and 1.55 million people have died so far. Also read: Twitter expands hate speech rules covering race, ethnicity and nationality Vaccines are now being rolled out at a quick pace across the globe. The United Kingdom became the first country to administer Pfizer’s vaccine, while Russia has also begun mass inoculation with its vaccine - the Sputnik V. India too hopes to begin vaccination by next year. Meanwhile, many fear that western countries are hoarding vaccines, which may deprive developing countries of access, making global inoculation rather impossible in the next two years.

Modi joins Trump, Biden to become most talked about on Twitter in 2020

Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees. He won praise from progressives for fending off fierce resistance from Wall Street and fighting for consumer protections.

These days, Zients is a co-chairman of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team who is being watched warily by members of the Democratic Party’s left wing. Progressive advocacy groups such as the Revolving Door Project and Justice Democrats, concerned he would defend corporate America if given a top economic policy job in the Biden administration, pushed to keep him out of such a role. They view his recent work running an investment fund — Cranemere — and sitting on the board of Facebook as a detriment.

The preemptive resistance to Zients (pronounced ZYE-ents) from the left is the latest indication of how the Democratic Party has shifted in the dozen years since former President Barack Obama took office amid the financial crisis. Now, business and finance experience can turn otherwise qualified White House candidates into pariahs for progressives.

Zients, 54, has emerged as an important power center in the Biden transition team and was mentioned as a possible candidate to once again lead the National Economic Council or head the Office of Management and Budget, a role he held in an acting capacity during the Obama administration. With those jobs set to be filled by others, Zients is the front-runner, according to people familiar with the transition team’s plans, to be the Biden administration’s COVID czar, steering the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a sign of the pushback to come, the Revolving Door Project, which has been urging Biden to keep corporate influence out of his administration, has compiled a 13-page document about Zients. The file highlights his wealth, his appetite for deficit reduction during the Obama years and his recent work as chief executive of Cranemere.

In the Obama administration, “his role was essentially to be a management consultant for the executive branch: cutting costs, finding efficiencies and looking at things like a businessman,” the Revolving Door document says.

The group points to the majority stake that Cranemere took in NorthStar Anesthesia, a company that provides anesthesia services to hospitals and medical offices, in 2018. It cites negative reviews that NorthStar Anesthesia received through the Better Business Bureau, including allegations of surprise billing and a threat to send a dental patient’s bill to a collection agency during a dispute over insurance coverage. That matter was resolved, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;

A spokeswoman for NorthStar said that within two months of Cranemere’s acquisition of the company, it had ended its practice of “balance billing” — charging patients the difference between the cost of their services and what their insurers will pay. Jennifer Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Biden transition team, said Zients opposes surprise billing practices.

“Jeff, like President-elect Biden, supports legislation to stop surprise billing by forcing the entire health care system to limit patient payments to in-network rates for all procedures and providers not preapproved by the patient,” Psaki said.

Progressives have been pushing the Biden transition team to install their preferred candidates in top roles and have been fairly supportive of some of Biden’s early picks. These include Janet Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chair, to be Treasury secretary; Cecilia Rouse, a Princeton University labor economist, to run the Council of Economic Advisers; and Neera Tanden, chief executive of the Center for American Progress, to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

But others are triggering a backlash, including Brian Deese, whom Biden has tapped to head the National Economic Council, and Adewale Adeyemo, the president-elect’s choice for deputy Treasury secretary. Both men have worked at asset management firm BlackRock, and many in the progressive wing view deep industry ties as a red flag.

“Democrats should overall be alarmed by any Democratic administration considering filling the White House with Wall Street insiders and corporate lobbyists,” said Waleed Shahid, spokesman for Justice Democrats, a political action committee.

Early in his career, Zients worked as a consultant at Bain &amp;amp; Co. before joining Advisory Board Co., a health care research and consulting firm, where he rose to chief executive. He helped lead a spinoff of that business, which became the Corporate Executive Board, and both companies ultimately went public, in 1999 and 2001. According to Fortune, the Advisory Board’s profitable initial public offering helped fuel Zients’ net worth, which the magazine placed at nearly $150 million by 2002.

In 2009, Zients joined the Office of Management and Budget as “chief performance officer,” rising to prominence within the Obama administration as a “Mr. Fix-It” with strong operations skills and a knack for solving tough problems. Obama administration officials remember him for reviving the Affordable Care Act’s website, HealthCare.gov, after glitches plagued its rollout.

“I call him the ultimate firefighter on these jobs,” said Denis R. McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff, who asked Zients to take on the project of fixing the website in 2013. “He runs into the burning buildings. He doesn’t ask why. He doesn’t ask when. He doesn’t ask who’s going with him.”

Later in Obama’s second term, Zients led the National Economic Council, where he shepherded new regulations to crack down on payday lending and steered the development of the so-called fiduciary rule — a requirement that financial professionals put the interests of their customers with retirement accounts ahead of their own. The Labor Department rule, which the financial services and insurance industries strongly challenged, was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2018.

Those efforts earned him accolades from some progressive Democrats.

“The government needs talent and experience,” said Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, which promotes Wall Street reform, and a member of Biden’s transition review team for the Fed, banking and securities regulators. “People who are going to try to regulate an industry as complicated as finance can’t say we’re only going to hire people who know nothing about finance.”

But his role as a bridge to business during the Obama administration has raised some eyebrows. Zients was one of the administration’s chief liaisons to executives and lobbyists when anger at Wall Street over the 2007-08 financial crisis was at its peak. Top lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have praised Zients as someone who heard them out.

Describing his desire to listen to business leaders, Zients told executives at a 2014 event at the Economic Club of Washington, “You are the customers, all of you as business leaders, in terms of growing the economy.”

After Obama left office, Zients joined private equity investor Vincent Mai’s Cranemere fund as chief executive. The private holding company has investors from the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and takes a long-term investing approach in the mold of Warren Buffett.

Zients, who is on leave from Cranemere, also spent two years on the board of Facebook and was a member of the company’s audit committee. He has told people that he had concerns about the company’s direction and governance, and opted not to seek reelection to the board this year. Facebook has come under fire from Democrats for allowing the spread of disinformation and from Republicans who accuse it of censorship.

Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, said Zients’ experience working in private equity and at Facebook was particularly problematic and could portend trouble for progressive causes in a Biden White House. And while he sees Zients’ experience in the health care industry as useful for managing the pandemic response, Hauser said he was concerned that Zients could be too accommodating to business as vaccines are rolled out next year.

“Dissemination and delivery of the vaccine will be a significant undertaking,” Hauser said. He added that Zients understood how to do it, “but whether or not he would be too sympathetic to businesses in management of that power is to be determined.”

In a role directing the virus response, which will require coordination across government agencies and the private sector, corporate management experience could be an asset.

Fred P. Hochberg, who was president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank from 2009-17, said that ideological labels evolved over time and that business experience should not be a blemish.

“I think Jeff is certainly progressive, but there’s a pragmatism, a ‘what can we get done to move things forward?’ ” Hochberg said. “In government, it’s about accomplishing things. It’s not just about making a statement.”

Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees.

Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees. He won praise from progressives for fending off fierce resistance from Wall Street and fighting for consumer protections. These days, Zients is a co-chairman of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team who is being watched warily by members of the Democratic Party’s left wing. Progressive advocacy groups such as the Revolving Door Project and Justice Democrats, concerned he would defend corporate America if given a top economic policy job in the Biden administration, pushed to keep him out of such a role. They view his recent work running an investment fund — Cranemere — and sitting on the board of Facebook as a detriment. The preemptive resistance to Zients (pronounced ZYE-ents) from the left is the latest indication of how the Democratic Party has shifted in the dozen years since former President Barack Obama took office amid the financial crisis. Now, business and finance experience can turn otherwise qualified White House candidates into pariahs for progressives. Zients, 54, has emerged as an important power center in the Biden transition team and was mentioned as a possible candidate to once again lead the National Economic Council or head the Office of Management and Budget, a role he held in an acting capacity during the Obama administration. With those jobs set to be filled by others, Zients is the front-runner, according to people familiar with the transition team’s plans, to be the Biden administration’s COVID czar, steering the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a sign of the pushback to come, the Revolving Door Project, which has been urging Biden to keep corporate influence out of his administration, has compiled a 13-page document about Zients. The file highlights his wealth, his appetite for deficit reduction during the Obama years and his recent work as chief executive of Cranemere. In the Obama administration, “his role was essentially to be a management consultant for the executive branch: cutting costs, finding efficiencies and looking at things like a businessman,” the Revolving Door document says. The group points to the majority stake that Cranemere took in NorthStar Anesthesia, a company that provides anesthesia services to hospitals and medical offices, in 2018. It cites negative reviews that NorthStar Anesthesia received through the Better Business Bureau, including allegations of surprise billing and a threat to send a dental patient’s bill to a collection agency during a dispute over insurance coverage. That matter was resolved, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. A spokeswoman for NorthStar said that within two months of Cranemere’s acquisition of the company, it had ended its practice of “balance billing” — charging patients the difference between the cost of their services and what their insurers will pay. Jennifer Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Biden transition team, said Zients opposes surprise billing practices. “Jeff, like President-elect Biden, supports legislation to stop surprise billing by forcing the entire health care system to limit patient payments to in-network rates for all procedures and providers not preapproved by the patient,” Psaki said. Progressives have been pushing the Biden transition team to install their preferred candidates in top roles and have been fairly supportive of some of Biden’s early picks. These include Janet Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chair, to be Treasury secretary; Cecilia Rouse, a Princeton University labor economist, to run the Council of Economic Advisers; and Neera Tanden, chief executive of the Center for American Progress, to lead the Office of Management and Budget. But others are triggering a backlash, including Brian Deese, whom Biden has tapped to head the National Economic Council, and Adewale Adeyemo, the president-elect’s choice for deputy Treasury secretary. Both men have worked at asset management firm BlackRock, and many in the progressive wing view deep industry ties as a red flag. “Democrats should overall be alarmed by any Democratic administration considering filling the White House with Wall Street insiders and corporate lobbyists,” said Waleed Shahid, spokesman for Justice Democrats, a political action committee. Early in his career, Zients worked as a consultant at Bain &amp; Co. before joining Advisory Board Co., a health care research and consulting firm, where he rose to chief executive. He helped lead a spinoff of that business, which became the Corporate Executive Board, and both companies ultimately went public, in 1999 and 2001. According to Fortune, the Advisory Board’s profitable initial public offering helped fuel Zients’ net worth, which the magazine placed at nearly $150 million by 2002. In 2009, Zients joined the Office of Management and Budget as “chief performance officer,” rising to prominence within the Obama administration as a “Mr. Fix-It” with strong operations skills and a knack for solving tough problems. Obama administration officials remember him for reviving the Affordable Care Act’s website, HealthCare.gov, after glitches plagued its rollout. “I call him the ultimate firefighter on these jobs,” said Denis R. McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff, who asked Zients to take on the project of fixing the website in 2013. “He runs into the burning buildings. He doesn’t ask why. He doesn’t ask when. He doesn’t ask who’s going with him.” Later in Obama’s second term, Zients led the National Economic Council, where he shepherded new regulations to crack down on payday lending and steered the development of the so-called fiduciary rule — a requirement that financial professionals put the interests of their customers with retirement accounts ahead of their own. The Labor Department rule, which the financial services and insurance industries strongly challenged, was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2018. Those efforts earned him accolades from some progressive Democrats. “The government needs talent and experience,” said Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, which promotes Wall Street reform, and a member of Biden’s transition review team for the Fed, banking and securities regulators. “People who are going to try to regulate an industry as complicated as finance can’t say we’re only going to hire people who know nothing about finance.” But his role as a bridge to business during the Obama administration has raised some eyebrows. Zients was one of the administration’s chief liaisons to executives and lobbyists when anger at Wall Street over the 2007-08 financial crisis was at its peak. Top lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have praised Zients as someone who heard them out. Describing his desire to listen to business leaders, Zients told executives at a 2014 event at the Economic Club of Washington, “You are the customers, all of you as business leaders, in terms of growing the economy.” After Obama left office, Zients joined private equity investor Vincent Mai’s Cranemere fund as chief executive. The private holding company has investors from the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and takes a long-term investing approach in the mold of Warren Buffett. Zients, who is on leave from Cranemere, also spent two years on the board of Facebook and was a member of the company’s audit committee. He has told people that he had concerns about the company’s direction and governance, and opted not to seek reelection to the board this year. Facebook has come under fire from Democrats for allowing the spread of disinformation and from Republicans who accuse it of censorship. Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, said Zients’ experience working in private equity and at Facebook was particularly problematic and could portend trouble for progressive causes in a Biden White House. And while he sees Zients’ experience in the health care industry as useful for managing the pandemic response, Hauser said he was concerned that Zients could be too accommodating to business as vaccines are rolled out next year. “Dissemination and delivery of the vaccine will be a significant undertaking,” Hauser said. He added that Zients understood how to do it, “but whether or not he would be too sympathetic to businesses in management of that power is to be determined.” In a role directing the virus response, which will require coordination across government agencies and the private sector, corporate management experience could be an asset. Fred P. Hochberg, who was president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank from 2009-17, said that ideological labels evolved over time and that business experience should not be a blemish. “I think Jeff is certainly progressive, but there’s a pragmatism, a ‘what can we get done to move things forward?’ ” Hochberg said. “In government, it’s about accomplishing things. It’s not just about making a statement.”

Biden faces a balancing act in choosing top aides with business ties

The US&nbsp;President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has suffered a foot fracture and will probably have to wear a medical boot after he slipped while playing with one of his pet dogs, his team reported.

Biden and his love for his pets has been in the spotlight recently following the news of pet dogs returning to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a>&nbsp;after the outgoing President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s four years of Presidency.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-alleges-lot-of-fraud-in-us-election-2020-346316">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020</a>

Upon slipping, the 78-year-old was taken to a doctor. His&nbsp;personal physician Kevin O'Connor had initially recommended an X-ray which had not revealed any&nbsp;obvious fracture. However, an additional CT scan was also recommended to the President-elect which showed "confirmed hairline (small) fractures... in the mid-foot".

His physician also added that Biden "will likely require a walking bot for several weeks". The statement sent fits of laughter among the Trump supporters who recalled the time when Trump had joked about Biden having to retire to a walking bot in future due to his 'old age'.

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However, the attitude of Trump supporters did not reflect in Trump's own behaviour, who took to Twitter to extend wishes to the President-elect.&nbsp;

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Get well soon! <a href="https://t.co/B0seiO84ld">https://t.co/B0seiO84ld</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333217873758654464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In a Twitter video of an American channel, Biden was spotted leaving his&nbsp;orthopedic's office in Delaware. Trump retweeted the tweet with the caption "Get well soon!".

Biden has two dogs. Champ has been living with the incoming President's family since 2008, and Major was fostered and then adopted by the Biden clan in 2018 — making him the first rescue dog in the White House.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has suffered a foot fracture and will probably have to wear a medical boot after he slipped while playing with one of his pet dogs, his team reported.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has suffered a foot fracture and will probably have to wear a medical boot after he slipped while playing with one of his pet dogs, his team reported. Biden and his love for his pets has been in the spotlight recently following the news of pet dogs returning to the White House after the outgoing President Donald Trump's four years of Presidency. Also read| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020 Upon slipping, the 78-year-old was taken to a doctor. His personal physician Kevin O'Connor had initially recommended an X-ray which had not revealed any obvious fracture. However, an additional CT scan was also recommended to the President-elect which showed "confirmed hairline (small) fractures... in the mid-foot". His physician also added that Biden "will likely require a walking bot for several weeks". The statement sent fits of laughter among the Trump supporters who recalled the time when Trump had joked about Biden having to retire to a walking bot in future due to his 'old age'. × However, the attitude of Trump supporters did not reflect in Trump's own behaviour, who took to Twitter to extend wishes to the President-elect. Get well soon! https://t.co/B0seiO84ld — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020 × In a Twitter video of an American channel, Biden was spotted leaving his orthopedic's office in Delaware. Trump retweeted the tweet with the caption "Get well soon!". Biden has two dogs. Champ has been living with the incoming President's family since 2008, and Major was fostered and then adopted by the Biden clan in 2018 — making him the first rescue dog in the White House.

Joe Biden fractures foot after slipping; Donald Trump extends wishes

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as US&nbsp;Treasury secretary, breaking a 231-year gender barrier and putting a seasoned economist and labor market expert in charge of leading the country out of the steepest downturn since the Great Depression. 
 
The move, confirmed by Democratic allies to the Biden campaign, will shift Treasury`s focus heavily toward progressive efforts to tackle growing economic inequality and fighting climate change and away from the Trump administration`s pre-pandemic emphasis on cutting taxes and easing financial regulations.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/transition-executive-announces-start-of-transition-process-for-joe-biden-345001" hreflang="en">Transition Executive announces start of transition process for Joe Biden</a> 
 
Yellen, 74, brings Biden decades of economic policy experience and is respected by Congress, international finance officials, progressives and business interests alike. She has called for opening fiscal spending taps to revive an economy wracked by the coronavirus pandemic and would be the first person to head the Treasury, the Fed and the White House Council of Economic Advisers. 
 
The post will present a host of new challenges for Yellen, whose policymaking experience in the past 20 years has largely centered on monetary - rather than fiscal - policy. For one, it means a far more political role than that she played in her long career at the Fed, an institution that goes to great lengths to distance itself from partisan politics. 
 
A spokesman for Biden`s transition team declined to comment. Yellen, reached by phone, also declined to comment. 
 
Yellen made history in 2014 when she became the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve after serving for a decade as San Francisco Fed president and a Fed governor. Republican President Donald Trump declined to renew her term and replaced her with current Fed Chair Jerome Powell in 2018. 
 
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family doctor and an elementary school teacher, Yellen earned a doctorate in economics from Yale in 1971 as the only woman in her class and taught at several major universities before serving as a top economic adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 1999. 
 
She is married to Nobel Prize-winning economist George Akerlof, whom she met in 1977 at the Fed where both were working in research roles. 
 
FISCAL POLICY LEVER 
 
At Treasury, Yellen would have a major role in influencing U.S. fiscal and tax policy, tools she did not have at the Fed. 
 
Yellen "will be a trusted, steady, and pragmatic hand on the helm as the U.S. navigates the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Tim Adams, a former Treasury official who is president of the Institute of International Finance, which represents more than 450 global banking firms. 
 
With Democrats having only a slim possibility of winning a U.S. Senate majority in two Georgia runoffs in January, Yellen faces tough negotiations with Republicans to try to push Biden`s agenda, includes raising taxes on the wealthy and investing trillions of dollars in infrastructure, education and fighting climate change.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/do-what-needs-to-be-done-trump-clears-the-way-for-bidens-transition-344983" hreflang="en">‘Do what needs to be done’: Trump clears the way for Biden's transition</a> 
 
Economists said Yellen would be effective in articulating the economic arguments for spending more in the near term to boost job growth and reduce the gap between rich and poor. Yellen`s 2014 speech&nbsp;highlighting the fast growth of U.S. inequality suggested it was a threat to "values rooted in our nation`s history." 
 
"She knows how to build consensus. She knows how to argue a point in her way. She’s no shrinking violet," said Julia Coronado, president of MacroPolicy Perspectives and a former Fed economist who worked with Yellen. 
 
YELLEN BUMP FOR STOCKS 
 
US&nbsp;stocks picked up ground following the report. 
 
Investors see Yellen as a force for more fiscal action to combat the economic crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as someone in a strong position to ensure the Treasury will continue to work closely with the Fed. 
 
"Yellen should be a very strong advocate for more aggressive fiscal policy, and given her gravitas around Washington, it may make her the single most effective fiscal expansion advocate Biden could have picked," said Tom Graff, head of fixed income at Brown Advisory in Baltimore. 
 
The S&amp;P 500 Index rose from roughly unchanged on the day at the time of the initial report to gain 0.57% by the closing bell. Prices of U.S. Treasury securities remained lower on the day. The dollar was little changed. 
 
Yellen was chosen over other seasoned economic policymakers, including current Fed Board of Governors member Lael Brainard, 58, who served as the Treasury`s undersecretary for international affairs early in the Obama administration. 
 
Also under consideration was Roger Ferguson, 69, president of retirement asset manager TIAA and a former Fed vice chair, who would have been the first Black Treasury secretary. 
 
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a rival to Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination and a candidate for the Treasury post, tweeted that Yellen would be "an outstanding choice" and praised her for having "stood up to Wall Street banks" as Fed chair. 
 
Earlier on Monday, Biden tapped veteran diplomat Antony Blinken as his new secretary of state and named other members of his national security team. 
 
Trump continues to dispute without evidence Biden`s victory in the Nov. 3 election, but the General Services Administration on Monday approved the start of a formal transition process. 
 
Jen Psaki, an adviser to the Biden campaign tweeted that economic team members would be announced next week.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as US Treasury secretary, breaking a 231-year gender barrier and putting a seasoned economist and labor market expert in charge of leading the country out of the steepest downturn since the Great Depression.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as US Treasury secretary, breaking a 231-year gender barrier and putting a seasoned economist and labor market expert in charge of leading the country out of the steepest downturn since the Great Depression. The move, confirmed by Democratic allies to the Biden campaign, will shift Treasury`s focus heavily toward progressive efforts to tackle growing economic inequality and fighting climate change and away from the Trump administration`s pre-pandemic emphasis on cutting taxes and easing financial regulations. Also read: Transition Executive announces start of transition process for Joe Biden Yellen, 74, brings Biden decades of economic policy experience and is respected by Congress, international finance officials, progressives and business interests alike. She has called for opening fiscal spending taps to revive an economy wracked by the coronavirus pandemic and would be the first person to head the Treasury, the Fed and the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The post will present a host of new challenges for Yellen, whose policymaking experience in the past 20 years has largely centered on monetary - rather than fiscal - policy. For one, it means a far more political role than that she played in her long career at the Fed, an institution that goes to great lengths to distance itself from partisan politics. A spokesman for Biden`s transition team declined to comment. Yellen, reached by phone, also declined to comment. Yellen made history in 2014 when she became the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve after serving for a decade as San Francisco Fed president and a Fed governor. Republican President Donald Trump declined to renew her term and replaced her with current Fed Chair Jerome Powell in 2018. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family doctor and an elementary school teacher, Yellen earned a doctorate in economics from Yale in 1971 as the only woman in her class and taught at several major universities before serving as a top economic adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 1999. She is married to Nobel Prize-winning economist George Akerlof, whom she met in 1977 at the Fed where both were working in research roles. FISCAL POLICY LEVER At Treasury, Yellen would have a major role in influencing U.S. fiscal and tax policy, tools she did not have at the Fed. Yellen "will be a trusted, steady, and pragmatic hand on the helm as the U.S. navigates the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Tim Adams, a former Treasury official who is president of the Institute of International Finance, which represents more than 450 global banking firms. With Democrats having only a slim possibility of winning a U.S. Senate majority in two Georgia runoffs in January, Yellen faces tough negotiations with Republicans to try to push Biden`s agenda, includes raising taxes on the wealthy and investing trillions of dollars in infrastructure, education and fighting climate change. Also read: ‘Do what needs to be done’: Trump clears the way for Biden's transition Economists said Yellen would be effective in articulating the economic arguments for spending more in the near term to boost job growth and reduce the gap between rich and poor. Yellen`s 2014 speech highlighting the fast growth of U.S. inequality suggested it was a threat to "values rooted in our nation`s history." "She knows how to build consensus. She knows how to argue a point in her way. She’s no shrinking violet," said Julia Coronado, president of MacroPolicy Perspectives and a former Fed economist who worked with Yellen. YELLEN BUMP FOR STOCKS US stocks picked up ground following the report. Investors see Yellen as a force for more fiscal action to combat the economic crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as someone in a strong position to ensure the Treasury will continue to work closely with the Fed. "Yellen should be a very strong advocate for more aggressive fiscal policy, and given her gravitas around Washington, it may make her the single most effective fiscal expansion advocate Biden could have picked," said Tom Graff, head of fixed income at Brown Advisory in Baltimore. The S&P 500 Index rose from roughly unchanged on the day at the time of the initial report to gain 0.57% by the closing bell. Prices of U.S. Treasury securities remained lower on the day. The dollar was little changed. Yellen was chosen over other seasoned economic policymakers, including current Fed Board of Governors member Lael Brainard, 58, who served as the Treasury`s undersecretary for international affairs early in the Obama administration. Also under consideration was Roger Ferguson, 69, president of retirement asset manager TIAA and a former Fed vice chair, who would have been the first Black Treasury secretary. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a rival to Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination and a candidate for the Treasury post, tweeted that Yellen would be "an outstanding choice" and praised her for having "stood up to Wall Street banks" as Fed chair. Earlier on Monday, Biden tapped veteran diplomat Antony Blinken as his new secretary of state and named other members of his national security team. Trump continues to dispute without evidence Biden`s victory in the Nov. 3 election, but the General Services Administration on Monday approved the start of a formal transition process. Jen Psaki, an adviser to the Biden campaign tweeted that economic team members would be announced next week.

Biden to nominate Yellen to US Treasury, breaking a 231-year gender barrier

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday was formally given the go-ahead by a federal agency to begin his transition to the presidency, shortly after the battleground state of Michigan certified him as the winner there.

US General Services Administration allows Biden transition funds to begin

President Donald Trump has made cultivating closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s rising influence. He has significantly increased weapons sales to Taiwan’s military, vowed to step up economic cooperation, and generally bolstered relations with the self-ruled democratic island — even in his waning days.

His successor, President-elect Joe Biden, will most likely continue on a similar path, albeit without Trump’s characteristic pugnacity.

As concerns grow about China’s increasingly aggressive behavior on the global stage, Biden will face pressure from Democrats and Republicans to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

While Biden said little about Taiwan on the campaign trail, he has said the United States should get “tough with China” and described its top leader, Xi Jinping, as a “thug.” His transition team has already reached out to Taiwanese officials.

“If China continues to put military and economic pressure on Taiwan, Biden will have to demonstrate he will not sit by while China bullies Taiwan,” said Bonnie S. Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

His approach, though, is expected to be less confrontational than his predecessor’s. “I don’t think Biden is looking to use Taiwan to poke Xi Jinping in the eye and make him look weak,” Glaser added. “There won’t be a deliberate effort to make Taiwan a point of friction.”

With less than two months left in his term, Trump is working to leave a legacy of severed ties between the United States and China, including a series of last-minute actions focused on Taiwan.

The U.S. government last week held economic talks in Washington with officials from Taiwan, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. Next month, the White House is planning to send the leader of the Environmental Protection Agency to Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by U.S. officials that have rankled the Chinese government.

Trump has attracted a loyal following in Taiwan because of his administration’s criticism of the Chinese Communist Party on issues such as trade, the coronavirus and the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. He has garnered praise in Taiwan for moving swiftly to approve weapons sales, including more than $4 billion worth last month. He is also widely lauded for his decision, as president-elect in 2016, to take a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, breaking with decades of diplomatic practice.

“Trump’s actions have been very solid,” said Tsai Yi-yu, a lawmaker from southern Taiwan. Tsai has fervently supported Trump, going so far as to wear a “Keep America Great” face mask to meetings with Taiwan’s leaders.

“Maintaining Trump’s Taiwan policies will be best for Taiwan,” he said, citing Trump’s support for weapons sales.

In Taiwan, Biden’s ascent has been greeted with some anxiety, especially in the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, which is critical of China.

Many politicians and activists in Taiwan have grown increasingly concerned in recent years by Xi’s creeping authoritarianism. They have called on world leaders to more forcefully push back against efforts by Beijing to bring the island under its control, and to treat Taiwan as an equal.

Biden is seen in Taiwan as more risk averse. He is best known for his time as vice president under President Barack Obama, who has been criticized in Taiwan for not doing enough to stand up to Xi. As a senator, Biden helped bring China into international groups like the World Trade Organization, which gave the country an edge as it sought to expand its economy and exert influence in the global system.

Biden has resisted the idea that he would give in to pressure from Beijing. As evidence of Biden’s commitment to Taiwan, his advisers have cited his support as a senator for the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which obligates Washington to provide weapons to Taiwan. More recently, he has signaled his support for Taiwan in other ways, having his choice for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, for example, speak this month with Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States.

“He will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan,” an official with Biden’s transition team said in a statement. “He has long said that American support for Taiwan must remain strong, principled and bipartisan.”

Some politicians in Taiwan, including members of the opposition party, the Kuomintang, believe Biden’s more restrained approach could help ease tensions and prevent a military conflict between the United States and China.

“He is neither a reckless politician nor a person who wants to achieve something remarkable in a short period of time,” said Cheng Li-wun, a Kuomintang lawmaker.

Despite Biden’s calls for greater cooperation, China’s leaders are wary about his leadership. They worry that he will try to unite U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to thwart Beijing’s global agenda, according to analysts in the mainland, and that he will continue to seek closer ties with Taiwan.

“The basic Taiwan policies, even during Biden’s term, won’t see any upending changes,” said Xin Qiang, a scholar who studies U.S.-China relations and Taiwan at Fudan University in Shanghai. “With regard to both strategy and tactics, the mainland has concerns about both Biden and Trump.”

Chinese officials often accuse the United States of encouraging Taiwan to seek full independence, a move that Xi has repeatedly warned could be met by armed force. A rising sense of nationalism in China has fueled concerns that the mainland could react harshly if tensions escalated.

“I fear that one day the mainland will be forced to take actions because of the Taiwan issue that would cause a crisis or even a military conflict between China and the United States,” Xin said.

During his final weeks in office, Trump and his advisers appear to be intent on testing China’s limits on Taiwan.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has escalated his taunting of Beijing, saying during a recent interview that Taiwan was not a part of China. His remarks drew a furious response from Chinese officials, who said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China, denounced Pompeo and vowed to retaliate.

Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, is leading a visit to the region as part of an effort to reassure U.S. allies, after Beijing this month signed a trade agreement with 14 countries in the region, a move seen as a check to American power in the region. O’Brien said in Manila on Monday that the United States would continue to support Taiwan and would not cede its status as a Pacific power to China.

“We’re going to fight for a free and open Indo-Pacific region with all of our partners,” O’Brien said in a conference call with reporters.

When he takes office in January, Biden will face growing frictions and also tough policy choices, including questions about arms sales and economic investment. Taiwan has long pressed U.S. officials to sign a bilateral trade treaty, an idea that Beijing opposes. Tsai Ing-wen lifted a long-standing ban on U.S. pork and beef imports in August, a decision seen as an attempt to open the door to formal trade talks.

President Donald Trump has made cultivating closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s rising influence. He has significantly increased weapons sales to Taiwan’s military, vowed to step up economic cooperation, and generally bolstered relations with the self-ruled democratic island — even in his waning days.

President Donald Trump has made cultivating closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s rising influence. He has significantly increased weapons sales to Taiwan’s military, vowed to step up economic cooperation, and generally bolstered relations with the self-ruled democratic island — even in his waning days. His successor, President-elect Joe Biden, will most likely continue on a similar path, albeit without Trump’s characteristic pugnacity. As concerns grow about China’s increasingly aggressive behavior on the global stage, Biden will face pressure from Democrats and Republicans to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. While Biden said little about Taiwan on the campaign trail, he has said the United States should get “tough with China” and described its top leader, Xi Jinping, as a “thug.” His transition team has already reached out to Taiwanese officials. “If China continues to put military and economic pressure on Taiwan, Biden will have to demonstrate he will not sit by while China bullies Taiwan,” said Bonnie S. Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. His approach, though, is expected to be less confrontational than his predecessor’s. “I don’t think Biden is looking to use Taiwan to poke Xi Jinping in the eye and make him look weak,” Glaser added. “There won’t be a deliberate effort to make Taiwan a point of friction.” With less than two months left in his term, Trump is working to leave a legacy of severed ties between the United States and China, including a series of last-minute actions focused on Taiwan. The U.S. government last week held economic talks in Washington with officials from Taiwan, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. Next month, the White House is planning to send the leader of the Environmental Protection Agency to Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by U.S. officials that have rankled the Chinese government. Trump has attracted a loyal following in Taiwan because of his administration’s criticism of the Chinese Communist Party on issues such as trade, the coronavirus and the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. He has garnered praise in Taiwan for moving swiftly to approve weapons sales, including more than $4 billion worth last month. He is also widely lauded for his decision, as president-elect in 2016, to take a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, breaking with decades of diplomatic practice. “Trump’s actions have been very solid,” said Tsai Yi-yu, a lawmaker from southern Taiwan. Tsai has fervently supported Trump, going so far as to wear a “Keep America Great” face mask to meetings with Taiwan’s leaders. “Maintaining Trump’s Taiwan policies will be best for Taiwan,” he said, citing Trump’s support for weapons sales. In Taiwan, Biden’s ascent has been greeted with some anxiety, especially in the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, which is critical of China. Many politicians and activists in Taiwan have grown increasingly concerned in recent years by Xi’s creeping authoritarianism. They have called on world leaders to more forcefully push back against efforts by Beijing to bring the island under its control, and to treat Taiwan as an equal. Biden is seen in Taiwan as more risk averse. He is best known for his time as vice president under President Barack Obama, who has been criticized in Taiwan for not doing enough to stand up to Xi. As a senator, Biden helped bring China into international groups like the World Trade Organization, which gave the country an edge as it sought to expand its economy and exert influence in the global system. Biden has resisted the idea that he would give in to pressure from Beijing. As evidence of Biden’s commitment to Taiwan, his advisers have cited his support as a senator for the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which obligates Washington to provide weapons to Taiwan. More recently, he has signaled his support for Taiwan in other ways, having his choice for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, for example, speak this month with Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States. “He will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan,” an official with Biden’s transition team said in a statement. “He has long said that American support for Taiwan must remain strong, principled and bipartisan.” Some politicians in Taiwan, including members of the opposition party, the Kuomintang, believe Biden’s more restrained approach could help ease tensions and prevent a military conflict between the United States and China. “He is neither a reckless politician nor a person who wants to achieve something remarkable in a short period of time,” said Cheng Li-wun, a Kuomintang lawmaker. Despite Biden’s calls for greater cooperation, China’s leaders are wary about his leadership. They worry that he will try to unite U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to thwart Beijing’s global agenda, according to analysts in the mainland, and that he will continue to seek closer ties with Taiwan. “The basic Taiwan policies, even during Biden’s term, won’t see any upending changes,” said Xin Qiang, a scholar who studies U.S.-China relations and Taiwan at Fudan University in Shanghai. “With regard to both strategy and tactics, the mainland has concerns about both Biden and Trump.” Chinese officials often accuse the United States of encouraging Taiwan to seek full independence, a move that Xi has repeatedly warned could be met by armed force. A rising sense of nationalism in China has fueled concerns that the mainland could react harshly if tensions escalated. “I fear that one day the mainland will be forced to take actions because of the Taiwan issue that would cause a crisis or even a military conflict between China and the United States,” Xin said. During his final weeks in office, Trump and his advisers appear to be intent on testing China’s limits on Taiwan. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has escalated his taunting of Beijing, saying during a recent interview that Taiwan was not a part of China. His remarks drew a furious response from Chinese officials, who said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China, denounced Pompeo and vowed to retaliate. Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, is leading a visit to the region as part of an effort to reassure U.S. allies, after Beijing this month signed a trade agreement with 14 countries in the region, a move seen as a check to American power in the region. O’Brien said in Manila on Monday that the United States would continue to support Taiwan and would not cede its status as a Pacific power to China. “We’re going to fight for a free and open Indo-Pacific region with all of our partners,” O’Brien said in a conference call with reporters. When he takes office in January, Biden will face growing frictions and also tough policy choices, including questions about arms sales and economic investment. Taiwan has long pressed U.S. officials to sign a bilateral trade treaty, an idea that Beijing opposes. Tsai Ing-wen lifted a long-standing ban on U.S. pork and beef imports in August, a decision seen as an attempt to open the door to formal trade talks.

After Trump, Biden faces pressure to stand up to China by embracing Taiwan

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will announce the first of his Cabinet appointments on Tuesday and is planning for a scaled-down inauguration due to the coronavirus pandemic, aides said on Sunday, as he lays the foundation for his new administration despite President Donald Trump's refusal to concede.

Joe Biden all set to annpunce his cabinet appointments

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