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

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

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


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Democratic challengers outraise Republican incumbents in Georgia runoffs

As the final two contests of the 2020 election cycle enter the home stretch, candidates have filed their pre-runoff reports to the FEC, showing how they've fared in the money race.

In the race between Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock, the Democratic challenger has vastly outraised the incumbent senator.

From mid-October through mid-December, Warnock's campaign raised $104 million and entered the final three weeks of the runoff with $23 million, while Loeffler's campaign raised $66 million during that period and entered the final three weeks of the runoff with $21 million in the bank. In previous months, Loeffler, fueled by nearly $24 million of her own money, was outraising Warnock.

In the other contest, Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff raised $107 million and entered the final three weeks of the runoff with $17 million in the bank. Sen. David Perdue's campaign reported that it raised roughly $69 million and entered the final three weeks of the race with $16 million in cash on hand.

Still, Republican outside political groups supporting Perdue and Loeffler are outspending Democratic outside groups supporting Ossoff and Warnock on television and radio advertising.

According to ad-buy data from CMAG, GOP outside groups have run or booked more than $167 million worth of television and radio ads since after the November Election Day through the January Election Day, while Democratic groups have run or booked roughly $54 million on ads during the same period.

-ABC News' Kim Soorin


COVID-19 omnibus spending bill enrolled, heading to Trump: Pelosi

The 5,593-page COVID-19 omnibus spending bill has finished being enrolled and is on its way to President Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday afternoon.

"The bipartisan COVID relief & omnibus bill has been enrolled. The House & Senate are now sending this important legislation #ForThePeople to the White House for the President’s signature," Pelosi tweeted. "We urge him to sign this bill into law to give immediate relief to hard-working families!"

White House and Senate sources confirmed to ABC News that the bill is being sent to Florida later this afternoon for Trump to review at Mar-a-Lago.

-ABC News' Allie, Pecorin, Mariam Khan and Ben Gittleson


Biden to grieving Americans: 'Keep the faith'

On Christmas Eve, President-elect Joe Biden tweeted a video of his holiday message to a woman, Linda, who like many Americans are grieving the loss of a loved one this holiday season.

The video shows Linda writing a letter to Biden. She tells him that her 96-year-old mother, Sylvia, contracted COVID-19 and died on May 8 with no wake, funeral or mass. Linda was unable to see her mother before she died.

Linda, later in the video, receives a handwritten note from Biden in which he talks about his mother who was his "rock" and urged Linda to “keep the faith.”

Linda got emotional after receiving the letter, saying that the president-elect offers hope that grief could be turned into purpose.

The tweet, which includes the video, reads: "To Linda — and everyone out there who’s hurting or struggling — keep the faith."

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson


USPS reaches agreement with NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Vote Forward regarding timely election mail delivery for January runoff

The NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund announced Thursday an agreement between the civil rights organization and the United States Postal Service regarding election mail delivery pertaining to the Jan. 5 runoff election in Georgia.

Vote Forward also entered into a separate, but identical, agreement with USPS, a spokesperson for the organization tells ABC News.

The parties state in the filing that in reaching the agreement, they wanted to "avoid the cost and burden of further litigation between now and the" election. The plaintiffs have agreed to not seek additional relief beyond what's outlined in the agreement and in previous court orders.

Sam Spital, the NAACP LDF’s director of litigation, issued a statement that read: “Every ballot must be counted, and this agreement with the USPS is a significant step in ensuring that the mail-in voting process for the Georgia runoff election will ensure the timely delivery of ballots...LDF will continue to monitor every aspect of the Georgia election to ensure that all voters – especially Black voters who consistently face suppression and intimidation tactics – can participate via mail, through early voting or in person on Election Day.”

The USPS  also provided ABC News with a statement.

"The U.S. Postal Service has always been fully dedicated to fulfilling our vital role in the nation’s electoral process – it has been our number one priority for past the eight months," it said. "That dedication never wavered, and we took all steps necessary to deliver Election Mail timely and securely and performed admirably. We are equally committed to the timely and secure delivery of Election Mail for the Georgia runoff."

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan


Family tied to company with history of hiring unlawful 'aliens' among Kelly Loeffler donors

Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who has maintained a strong anti-illegal immigration stance during her short tenure in office, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for her Georgia Senate runoff campaign from donors linked to a family owned company that was forced to pay out more than $95 million in fines for unlawful immigration practices and alleged hiring discrimination, disclosure records show.

Between late November and early December, Loeffler's campaign received more than $28,000 in contributions from at least 11 members of the Asplundh family, according to new campaign finance reports filed to the Federal Election Commission. The Asplundh family owns and operates the large, privately held Asplundh Tree Expert Company, which has done work for the U.S. Department of Energy.

In 2017, the Pennsylvania-based tree-trimming and vegetation management company had to pay the largest civil settlement ever levied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a yearslong investigation resulted in the company pleading guilty to "unlawfully employing aliens." Additionally, in January 2019, Asplundh agreed to pay $55,000 in back wages to settle hiring discrimination allegations stemming from one of its facilities in Georgia.

ABC News sent a detailed email to two staffers on Loeffler's campaign that outlined the company's past settlement over its unlawful immigration practices and back pay for alleged discrimination. In addition to asking for a general comment on the donations and the company's past, ABC News also asked if the campaign knew that members of the Asplundh family had donated and intentionally excluded their occupations and employers; if the campaign -- given the senator's stance on immigration and the company's infraction in Georgia -- wanted their support and their donations; and if the campaign did not want their support or donation, if they would refund them.

In response, Loeffler's deputy campaign manager, Stephen Lawson, replied, "[W]e're marking your email as spam. Please don't ever email us again."In a follow-up email a minute later, Loeffler's press secretary, Caitlin O'Dea, wrote, "And Merry Christmas!"

The Asplundh family did not respond to requests for comment, either.

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan and Soo Rin Kim