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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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.

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


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


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.


Meadows attempts to observe signature match audit in Georgia 

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was in Georgia Tuesday hoping to observe the signature match audit underway in Cobb County, Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs confirmed to ABC News.

Fuchs said that she didn't allow Meadows to enter the room where this was happening, but allowed him to stand with her in the doorway. She said that when Meadows arrived, the people doing the audit were about to go to lunch anyway, and the supplies and ballot envelopes had been packed away for that.

Still, according to Fuchs, Meadows told her they had "a good meeting" and that whatever information she was able to provide to him, he would report back to President Trump.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced on Dec. 14 that Cobb County would conduct this audit, saying there was a "specific allegation" that signature matching wasn't done properly in the June primary. A statistically significant number of absentee envelopes (not every ballot) from both the June and November elections are being looked at as part of this audit. Fuchs said the secretary's office is urging the county to finish by Monday.

-ABC News’ Quinn Scanlan and Ben Gittleson.


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