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Trump-Biden transition latest: Trump signs coronavirus relief bill amid pressure

The president had gone nearly a week without signing the bill.

Last Updated: December 22, 2020, 11:57 PM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 24 days.

Dec 22, 2020, 11:57 PM EST

Dominion employee files defamation lawsuit against Trump, Giuliani, Sidney Powell, more

The suit marks the start of what could be an onslaught of litigation against the president and his allies, who mounted challenges to the election based on false allegations of fraud and fierce conspiracy theories. Some conservative outlets in recent days have begun airing retractions as the threat of litigation looms.

Eric Coomer, the Director of Product Strategy and Security for Dominion, says he has faced death threats and harassment as a result of the "baseless and unequivocally false" conspiracy theory about him, which claimed he had admitted to rigging Dominion machines against Trump on an "Antifa conference call." 

"Without concern for the truth or the consequences of their reckless conduct, Defendants branded Dr. Coomer a traitor to the United States, a terrorist, and a criminal of the highest order," Coomer wrote in his complaint. "While this theory has been thoroughly rejected, its immediate and life-threatening effects remain very real."

In this Aug. 30, 2018 file photo, Eric Coomer from Dominion Voting demonstrates his company's touch screen tablet that includes a paper audit trail at a meeting of the Secure, Accessible & Fair Elections Commission in Grovetown, Ga.
Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File

The suit, filed in state court in Colorado, is separate from the heavy legal challenge Dominion as a company is expected to mount on its own against Sidney Powell.

In his complaint, Coomer says the threats have escalated to the point where he had to leave his home and "sever ties" with friends and family to stay in seclusion after the theory-- part of a broader conspiracy theory that the Dominion voting machine company rigged the election for Biden-- went viral on social media.

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin

Dec 22, 2020, 11:33 PM EST

Biden agriculture secretary nominee meets with Black farm organizations following criticism of his nomination

President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, met virtually with Black farm organizations and activists on Tuesday, the transition announced.

The meeting comes after his nomination was criticized by many hoping for a more diverse pick and those that hoped Rep. Marcia Fudge, who is now Biden's nominee to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, would be tapped for the role.

Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who the Biden administration chose to reprise that role, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Friday, Dec. 11, 2020.
Susan Walsh/AP

Per the transition, the meeting centered on "ensuring fairness and equity for Black farmers as they recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic, providing necessary resources to tackle the ongoing systemic issues they face and expanding access to nutrition for communities across the country." It also touched on the need to address the discrimination Black farmers have faced at the hands of the USDA.

Among the participants in the meeting was Shirley Sherrod, the former head of USDA rural development in Georgia, who was forced out of her job when Vilsack led the department during the Obama administration over a deceptively edited video pushed by right-wing news sites.

Both Vilsack and the White House later apologized for pushing Sherrod out of her job.

-ABC News' John Verhovek

Dec 22, 2020, 8:03 PM EST

Biden officially names Miguel Cardona as Education secretary pick

Biden officially announced Tuesday evening that he will nominate Miguel Cardona to be his secretary of education, as reported by ABC News earlier.

"In Miguel Cardona, America will have an experienced and dedicated public school teacher leading the way at the Department of Education -- ensuring that every student is equipped to thrive in the economy of the future, that every educator has the resources they need to do their jobs with dignity and success, and that every school is on track to reopen safely," Biden said in a statement.

Cardona is currently Connecticut's commissioner of education.

-ABC News' John Verhovek

Dec 22, 2020, 7:35 PM EST

Trump says he won't sign COVID relief bill unless Americans get $2,000 payments

President Donald Trump is now saying he won't sign the COVID-19 relief bill sent for his approval after representatives from the Trump administration worked to get a bill the president was willing to sign.

Trump tweeted Congress should amend the $900 billion stimulus package and send it back to him. In a video, he asks them to amend the $600 direct payments to $2,000 and to get rid of the "wasteful" items before he signs it.

“Send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that administration will be me," the president says in the video.

Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate had debated the relief bill for months along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. The secretary had even said the direct $600 payments would be coming to Americans starting next week.