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

Law enforcement recommended the Michigan legislature close its offices.

Last Updated: December 12, 2020, 8:04 PM EST

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

Dec 12, 2020, 8:04 PM EST

Top CISA official stepping down in wake of Krebs firing

Another Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administration official is stepping down at the end of the week.

Matt Masterson, a top official at CISA, who was instrumental in securing the 2020 election, confirmed on Twitter he's leaving for a position at Stanford University.

Masterson tweeted that he can't wait to work with the staff and students at Stanford.

The news comes after former CISA Director Chris Krebs was fired via tweet by President Donald Trump in November. The president bristled at Krebs' assertion that there was no evidence of fraud in the election.

Bryan Ware, another of Krebs' top lieutenants at the agency, stepped down just before his boss was fired last month.

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Dec 12, 2020, 6:30 PM EST

Wisconsin Supreme Court says Trump lawsuit 'smacks of racism'

Sparks flew Saturday as justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court questioned Jim Troupis, a lawyer for the Trump campaign who argued that the state should throw out 220,000 votes from Dane and Milwaukee counties.

Justice Jill Karofsky lit into Troupis under 10 minutes into the hearing, accusing the campaign of trying to disenfranchise Black voters.

“In your lawsuit, what you have done here, is you have targeted the vote of almost a quarter of a million people, a quarter of a million people not statewide in Wisconsin, but … in two of our 72 counties, two counties that are targeted because of their diverse populations, because they're urban; I presume because they vote Democratic. This lawsuit, Mr. Troupis, smacks of racism,” Karofsky said.

In this Nov. 7, 2020 file photo, supporters react after it was announced that President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump at a rally in Milwaukee.
Morry Gash/AP, File

Troupis and the Trump campaign argued that the court should throw out four categories of votes they said did not follow state statute, including absentee ballots delivered in person at a “Get Out the Vote” event in a park, ballots applied for with a specific mail-in form, ballots missing the address of a signed witness and ballots applied for by “indefinitely confined voters.”

As the hearing continued, Justice Rebecca Dallet once again homed in on the demographic makeup of Milwaukee and Dane counties, noting that the Trump campaign was “not asking … to throw out votes in any other county.” Troupis became defensive, telling the justices that the Biden campaign could have asked for the recount to encompass the whole state.

“You made a statement, as if this was a choice based on criteria that simply are not true,” Troupis said before Dallet jumped on him.

“Who chooses which counties to ask for a recount?” Dallet asked.

Troupis responded “the candidate,” to which Dallet noted the president “had a choice when it came to the recount of which counties. … He chose to only challenge votes in the most urban, non-white, largest counties that voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden.”

-ABC News' Alex Hosenball and Matt Mosk

Dec 12, 2020, 5:50 PM EST

FDA commissioner, Gov. Phil Murphy discuss COVID-19 vaccine on ABC's 'This Week'

Following authorization of Pfizer's vaccine for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, Martha Raddatz goes one-on-one with FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn to discuss the next phase of the fight against COVID-19. Then, Raddatz discusses how the vaccine will be distributed with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Plus, for analysis of all the week's political news, including the Texas election lawsuit that was rejected by the Supreme Court and the Biden transition, Gov. Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel and the Powerhouse Roundtable join Raddatz. See it on "This Week" Sunday.

-ABC News' Adia Robinson

Dec 12, 2020, 5:21 PM EST

Doug Emhoff, Twitter defend Jill Biden following WSJ op-ed

Twitter users, including Doug Emhoff, came to Jill Biden's defense following a Wall Street Journal op-ed that called on the incoming first lady to drop the honorific "Dr." from her name as she enters the White House.

Jill Biden speaks during a Drive-In Rally at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Nov. 2, 2020.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

"Madame First Lady -- Mrs. Biden -- Jill -- kiddo," essayist Joseph Epstein begins his op-ed, published online Friday evening.

“Any chance you might drop the 'Dr.' before your name?" Epstein continues. "'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic." 

Biden earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Delaware in 2007. 

Unsurprisingly, the op-ed caused a stir on Twitter, with many -- including the incoming second gentleman -- accusing the writer of misogyny.

“Dr. Biden earned her degrees through hard work and pure grit," Emhoff tweeted Saturday. "She is an inspiration to me, to her students, and to Americans across this country.  This story would never have been written about a man."

"Dr. Jill Biden" was trending on Twitter Saturday afternoon, and 2020 Guggenheim Fellow Sarah Parcak encouraged women who earned a Ph.D. to consider adding “Dr.” to their Twitter name "in solidarity with Dr. Jill Biden and to stand in solidarity against that sexist trash op-ed about her in the WSJ."

Biden uses the name "Dr. Jill Biden" and the handle @DrBiden on Twitter. She has not publicly responded to the op-ed.

Note: The AP Stylebook says to use "Dr." on first formal reference for individuals who hold select medical degrees, such as doctor of medicine and doctor of optometry. Many news organizations use this standard.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle contributed to this report

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