Axios

President-elect Joe Biden stressed his opposition to the federal death penalty on Saturday just after the Trump administration scheduled three executions of inmates on death row before his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Why it matters: The Justice Department on Friday directed the Bureau of Prisons to schedule three additional executions on top of two it has already scheduled for December.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said in a Facebook post Friday that he "became desperately ill" with the coronavirus, but he is now "out of the woods."

Why it matters: Carson tested positive for the virus on Monday. He had attended the White House’s largely mask-free election night party alongside other officials in President Trump's Cabinet, including chief of staff Mark Meadows, who also tested positive.

President Trump will take part in the virtual G20 summit this weekend, the White House confirmed late Friday, to discuss the rise in coronavirus cases worldwide and the global economy.

Why it matters: The president's appearance comes as COVID-19 cases surge and world leaders struggle to develop a coordinated response to the pandemic. In total over 57 million cases have been reported, and more than 1.3 million deaths associated with the virus, per Johns Hopkins University data.

Most Americans are doing surprisingly well, financially, in the face of a major pandemic raging across the country.

Why it matters: The health of the U.S. consumer is one of the main reasons why a second stimulus is perceived to be much less urgent than the first one was.

President-elect Joe Biden has made his choice for secretary of state, three people familiar with the matter tell Axios, moving quickly to assemble a Senate-confirmable Cabinet even as President Trump refuses to concede the election.

The big picture: Biden already has said he's made his choice for Treasury, and both picks may be aimed at defusing confirmation fights with Senate Republicans and internal battles with Democratic progressives.

Republican leaders in Michigan said they "have not yet been aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election" in the state after meeting with President Trump at the White House Friday.

Why it matters: The meeting was part of a long-shot effort by Trump and his campaign to prevent Michigan from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state, per NYT. But state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) and Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield (R) made clear they would not be intimidated into diverging from the normal election process.

The Treasury Department will not extend several Federal Reserve lending programs set to expire by year's end that were put in place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why it matters: There is concern that pulling the plug on these loan programs will negatively impact the still-fragile economy. Eliminating the programs could hobble the Fed and make it harder to revive similar assistance under a new Congress.

Donald Trump Jr. tested positive for the coronavirus at the beginning of this week and has been in quarantine, though he is not experiencing any symptoms, according to a spokesperson for the president's son.

Why it matters: His diagnosis adds to the list of people associated with President Trump who have been infected by the virus, including the president himself.

President Trump on Friday announced new regulations aimed at lowering the prices Americans pay for many prescription drugs.

Between the lines: It is unclear whether the rules can overcome expected legal challenges from the pharmaceutical industry, or if the incoming Biden administration will accept the regulations.

Georgia election officials and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) certified the state's election results on Friday, AP reports.

Why it matters: President-elect Biden now officially wins the state by a little more than 12,600 votes, though the Trump campaign has until Tuesday to request a recount since the margin is within 0.5%.

The Pentagon plans to add health restrictions for its workforce in light of a possible coronavirus outbreak among its civilian leaders, Politico reported Friday.

Why it matters: The added layers of security come on the heels of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Washington, D.C. area, which has led to infections among top officials including temporary Pentagon Policy Chief Anthony Tata, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Gary Thomas.

Rudy Giuliani and other key members of President Trump's outside legal team won't be attending today's meeting with two Michigan lawmakers because they've been exposed to the coronavirus, two sources familiar with the internal discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: This added turmoil inside the president's legal operation comes at a time when the president is urging Republican state lawmakers to interfere with the electoral process and reverse Joe Biden's victory to a Trump win.

U.S. auto safety regulators began a regulatory process on Thursday to solicit public input on how to ensure the safety of future self-driving vehicles.

Why it matters: The proposed rulemaking is a step toward the adoption of new safety standards for autonomous vehicles, but it could be years before any rules are final.

President-elect Joe Biden's legal adviser Bob Bauer called President Trump's efforts to get Republican lawmakers to intervene in the Electoral College "an abuse of office," "appalling" and "pathetic" — and said there is "no chance" it will work.

Driving the news: Bauer spoke with reporters ahead of Trump's expected meeting today at the White House with GOP leaders in the Michigan Legislature and Georgia's expected certification of Biden's win in that state.

President-elect Biden's transition team on Friday named four new top administration hires, including Cathy Russell as director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.

Why it matters: Biden and incoming First Lady Jill Biden are turning to more of their own tested allies to guide both policy and outreach.

Microsoft has brought on the government affairs firm Lot Sixteen to lobby on sustainability and climate change, a newly public filing shows.

Why it matters: While Microsoft has lots of in-house and outside lobbyists working on all sorts of things, it's the first time an outside firm will be lobbying only on climate and environmental topics, Microsoft confirmed.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) tweeted Friday that he tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.

The state of play: Scott is the second Republican senator to test positive this week, following Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. Scott has already been in quarantine and says he'll now continue working from home until it's safe for him to return to Washington, D.C.

President-elect Biden's win could juice electric vehicle sales in the U.S. by a lot, per an analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The big picture: Biden, who talks a lot about electric vehicles, is expected to try to scuttle Trump administration regulations that weakened the Obama-era auto mileage and emissions rule. And go even further.

A battle over stimulus escalated in Washington on Thursday night: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin put emergency lending programs it set up alongside the Fed chair Jerome Powell on the chopping block.

Why it matters: The coronavirus pandemic is worse than when these facilities were established in the spring — and economists worry about a resulting steep economic backslide.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) tweeted Thursday that President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result make it "difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American president."

Why it matters: It's Romney's sharpest, most focused criticism of Trump yet. While the Utah senator has publicly needled the president over his actions during the last few months — especially regarding Trump's embrace of conspiracy theories like QAnon — he often has couched his criticism by targeting people across the political spectrum.

All of us — and the media, in particular — need some clear-eyed, humble self-reflection as the dust settles on the 2020 election results. 

• Here are a few preliminary Axios learnings.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was one of the heroes of the coronavirus crisis, working hand-in-glove with Fed chair Jay Powell to give the central bank all the ammunition it needed to fight the virus and the associated economic recession. Now, he's trying to take that ammunition away.

Why it matters: If he's successful, Mnuchin will effectively disarm the Fed, creating a lot more economic downside once President-elect Biden takes office.

Most of President Trump's closest advisers have completely distanced themselves from his legal effort and are avoiding his lawyers to avoid being swept into their courtroom dramas.

Why it matters: Some of the president's advisers act like they think he can still overturn the election results — because they remain on the payroll and don't have another choice. But talk to them privately, and many say Rudy Giuliani and his team are on a dead-end path.

A coalition of more than 40 racial justice groups is asking GSA Administrator Emily Murphy to begin the transfer of power to Joe Biden, saying the delays disproportionately hurt people of color and "playing politics with the ascertainment process is playing politics with our lives."

Driving the news: In a draft of a letter to Murphy dated Friday and reviewed by Axios, the group, Just Democracy, urges the General Services Administration official to formally ascertain that Biden likely won the Nov. 3 election so his transition team can gain access to virus mitigation and vaccine distribution plans.

President-elect Biden has won Georgia, AP reported Thursday evening.

Why it matters: His win, the first by a Democrat there since 1992, sets the state up as a new battleground — giving Georgia a chance to test that status in January when the runoffs for two Senate seats determine control of the chamber.

Georgia election officials released the results of the state's hand ballot recount of the 5 million votes cast in the presidential election on Thursday.

Why it matters: The report concludes that President-elect Joe Biden is ahead of President Trump by 12,284 votes, slightly narrowing Biden's lead of around 14,000 before the risk-limiting audit.

The Trump administration is working quickly to shift U.S. policies and, where possible, bind the incoming Biden administration to them.

Why it matters: All of these steps are being taken without any coordination with Biden's team, which still lacks access to the intelligence and resources typically made available during a transition. In many cases, the Trump administration is trying to proactively thwart Biden's agenda.