Michigan state legislature closes offices due to 'credible threats of violence'

Law enforcement recommended the Michigan legislature close its offices.

Last Updated: December 14, 2020, 2:14 PM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 39 days.

Dec 07, 2020, 9:25 AM EST

Biden unveils health picks including HHS secretary

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his health team early Monday morning, a slate of seven experts and officials that will lead his administration's response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

California Attorney General and former Rep. Xavier Beccera is nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, he would be the first Latino to lead the department.

Vivek Muthy has been nominated to be U.S. Surgeon General, a role he served in during the Obama administration.

In this Feb. 4, 2014, photo, then U.S. Surgeon General appointee Dr. Vivek Murthy appears on Capitol Hill in Washington. Murthy has been named as co-chair by President-elect Joe Biden to his COVID-19 advisory board.
Charles Dharapak/AP, File

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, a leading expert on virus testing, prevention, and treatment, is nominated to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, one of the country’s foremost experts on health care disparities, will serve as the COVID-19 equity task force chair.

As Biden said last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci will stay on in his current role as as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and will take on the elevated role of Biden's chief medical adviser on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeff Zients will serve as coordinator of the COVID-19 response and counselor to the president, and Natalie Quillian will serve as deputy coordinator of the COVID-19 Response.

“This trusted and accomplished team of leaders will bring the highest level of integrity, scientific rigor, and crisis-management experience to one of the toughest challenges America has ever faced — getting the pandemic under control so that the American people can get back to work, back to their lives, and back to their loved ones," Biden said in a statement announcing the picks.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks about jobs at The Queen theater, Dec. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Andrew Harnik/AP

-ABC News John Verhovek and Molly Nagle

Dec 07, 2020, 9:31 AM EST

Trump brings GOP along in dangerous final acts: Analysis

From the technical standpoint of a transition of power, the public opinion of congressional Republicans about whether Biden will take office Jan. 20 matters almost not at all.

From the broader standpoint of democracy and faith in elections, it could not hardly matter more at this moment.

The process that so many Republicans have been saying they want to play out is rather thoroughly exhausted already. The next seven days bring significant deadlines, with Tuesday's congressional "safe harbor" deadline for state election results and next Monday's Electoral College voting the most significant.

PHOTO: VALDOSTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 05: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania attend a rally in support of Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) on December 05, 2020 in Valdosta, Georgia.
VALDOSTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 05: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania attend a rally in support of Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) on December 05, 2020 in Valdosta, Georgia. The rally with the senators comes ahead of a crucial runoff election for Perdue and Loeffler on January 5th which will decide who controls the United States senate.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

His tweets and the 101 minutes Trump spent airing grievances and falsehoods in Georgia Saturday night made clear he will pursue his dangerous fictions right through the end of his presidency. The good of the Republican Party -- and, of course, the good of the country -- are, at best, secondary considerations for the president at this point.

Some Republicans are trying to reframe questions about Biden's legitimacy as president-elect as though they are merely asking questions. Their suggestion is that democracy is threatened if people believe election irregularities have been ignored.

But far from being brushed aside, Trump's claims have been rejected in courthouses and state houses -- including by Republicans who have found themselves targeted by the president.

Ignoring that fact only sows more doubt in election integrity and legitimacy. And continuing to give Trump space to make wildly inaccurate and irresponsible claims will only solidify his hold on a party whose best interests have already begun to diverge from the president's.

-ABC News' Political Director Rick Klein

Related Topics