Twitter on Tuesday confirmed that while it will transfer about a dozen official administrative accounts to the Biden administration, it will not transfer over the followers associated with those accounts.
Why it matters: The move is a departure from the precedent set in 2017, when Twitter transferred millions of followers from official Twitter handles used by the Obama administration to the Trump administration. The change spurred public criticism from the Biden's digital director on Twitter.
Former Rep. Katie Hill is suing her ex-husband and the owners of the Daily Mail and conservative blog RedState, alleging they distributed “nonconsensual porn” by publishing nude photos of her without her consent, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Why it matters: Hill resigned from Congress in 2019 after the publication of nude photos and stories about her personal life, and amid an ethics probe into allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
Rare words from an incoming president: "Our darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us, not behind us," President-elect Biden warned Tuesday afternoon during remarks in Wilmington.
Why it matters: Biden is promising to tell America the truth, which includes the reality of many more horrific months, no matter who is in charge.
President Trump on Tuesday included some of his most loyal defenders in more than three dozen appointments to federal board seats, including former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell and former National Security Council staffer Ezra Cohen-Watnick.
Why it matters: The president is still refusing to publicly acknowledge his election loss but such appointments are a typical means for outgoing presidents to extend their legacy. The positions are usually unpaid, have little political power and do not require Senate confirmations.
Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, told Newsy on Tuesday that she plans to retire.
Driving the news: Birx did not provide a specific timeline, but said she is willing to wait and help President-elect Joe Biden’s team with its coronavirus response if needed.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to succeed Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate.
Why it matters: Padilla — a child of Mexican immigrants — will be the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate. He is a close confidant of Newsom's and will serve in the Senate for the remainder of Harris' term, which ends in 2022.
Homeownership disparity is one of the root causes of wealth gaps between white people and people of color in America, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro said at an Axios Event aired Tuesday.
Why it matters: The homeownership gap between Black and white Americans is worse today than when race-based housing laws and policies were in effect decades ago. The Census Bureau reports that 42% of Black Americans and 61% of Hispanic Americans own a home — but for whites, it's 72%.
Anthony Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins publicly received Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday.
Why it matters: It's part of a broad government effort to televise top officials receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in order to bolster public confidence. Fauci, Azar and Collins are the first public figures to receive the Moderna vaccine, which was cleared for emergency use last week by the FDA.
Miguel Cardona, education commissioner in Connecticut, has accepted President-elect Joe Biden's offer to serve as secretary of the Department of Education, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Cardona will be responsible forleading a reopening of the country's schools, which Biden has pledged to do within his first 100 days as president if Congress helps with financial support.
Joe Biden's transition team today named six new White House hires, including Bruce Reed, the president-elect's long-time confidant, to serve as deputy chief of staff.
Why it matters: Biden has found a high-profile spot for Reed, who served as one of his vice presidential chiefs of staff, as he navigates increasing challenging diversity concerns while building his Cabinet and West Wing team.
President Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.
The latest: Targets of his outrage include Vice President Pence, chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Secretary of State Pompeo and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The House and Senate passed a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and a $1.4 trillion government funding measure Monday night after months of gridlock on Capitol Hill.
Why it matters: The bill’s passage comes before many of the existing coronavirus relief measures were set to expire on January 1. It also staves off a government shutdown.
Unreliable news websites significantly increased their share of engagement among the top performing news sources on social media this year, according to a new analysis from NewsGuard provided to Axios.
Why it matters: Quality filters from Big Tech platforms didn’t stop inflammatory headlines from gaining lots of traction, especially from fringe-right sources.
President Trump signed a bill Monday that will give Sudan immunity from future lawsuits by the victims of the 1998 American Embassy bombings in East Africa and provide Sudan with close to $1 billion in U.S. financial aid and loans. But the bill will not give Sudan immunity from lawsuits by families of 9/11 victims.
Why it matters: The legal aspect was a critical part of the deal between the Trump administration and Sudan, which included removing the country from the state sponsors of terrorism list and the normalization of Sudanese relations with Israel.
Why it matters: Airline workers again scored a special carve-out in Congress' latest coronavirus relief package by arguing that aviation — and the role airlines will play in delivering COVID-19 vaccines — is essential to the U.S. and its economy.
President Trump lashed out at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday night for acknowledging Joe Biden won the election, sending a slide to Republican lawmakers taking credit for saving McConnell's career with a tweet and robocall.
Why it matters: It's an extraordinary broadside against McConnell by the sitting president and most popular Republican in the party, ahead of a crucial runoff election in Georgia on Jan. 5 that will determine control of the Senate.
Hackers who infiltrated government networks in the SolarWinds cyberattack compromised "dozens of email accounts" in the Treasury, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Monday.
Why it matters: The monthslong cyberattack impacted a range of companies and government agencies and has prompted outrage in Washington D.C. as officials try to get to the bottom of what happened. The Treasury has not yet been able to ascertain what information, if any, was stolen, per Wyden.
