The Daily 202: Giuliani released from hospital after getting coronavirus treatments many are dying without

“Back 100% and lost little time,” Giuliani tweeted this morning.

The former New York mayor said he received remdesivir, dexamethasone and “exactly the same” treatment that Trump got in October when he was hospitalized, which the president has often credited for his speedy recovery.

“The minute I took the cocktail yesterday, I felt 100 percent better,” Giuliani said in a Tuesday afternoon interview with WABC, a New York talk radio station. “It works very quickly. Wow! … By the next morning, I felt like I was 10 years younger.”

As beds fill up, patients who need hospital care — for the virus or for something else — cannot get it. Many intensive care units are overwhelmed. More and more places face looming, life-and-death decisions about rationing care.

Giuliani himself acknowledged that he got “celebrity” treatment. He said the president’s doctor, apparently referring to White House physician Sean Conley, talked him into being admitted. “I didn’t really want to go to the hospital, and he said, ‘Don’t be stupid,’” Giuliani recounted. “We can get it over with in three days if we send you to the hospital.”

It is not unique to this era that the rich and well-connected have better access to the highest-quality care than ordinary folks. Our system has long been hideously unequal. It is acutely bad for communities of color.

But the VIP treatment for Trump and his crew, including access to the best cocktails of experimental drugs, seems like an important part of the explanation for why the president and his inner-circle continue to speak so flippantly about the dangers of the virus that has now killed at least 288,000 Americans.

Just like Trump after he got out of Walter Reed in October, Giuliani emphasized during his talk-radio appearance that his four-day stay in the hospital has not changed his perspective about the virus or lessened his opposition to mask mandates. He expressed no contrition for his pattern of reckless behavior that forced the Arizona legislature to close for this week and public health officials in Michigan to encourage people who attended a state legislative hearing at which Giuliani spoke to self-quarantine. Giuliani even claimed that covid-19 is “a curable disease at this point.”

“I have exactly the same view,” he said. “I have also been through cancer. … Things happen in life. You have to go with them. You can’t overreact to them. Otherwise you let the fear of illness drive your entire life. … I’d rather face risk than live in a basement all my life.”

Giuliani, 76, joins a group of other Trump confidants who have received special care that is not widely available. 

“The treatment given to Mr. Trump’s allies is raising alarms among medical ethicists as state officials and health system administrators grapple with gut-wrenching decisions about which patients get antibodies,” the New York Times reports. “Some top officials at the F.D.A. — both career employees and political appointees — have privately expressed concern in recent months that people with connections to the White House appeared to be getting access to the antibody treatments. … The antibody treatments are so scarce that officials in Utah have developed a ranking system to determine who is most likely to benefit from the drugs, while Colorado is using a lottery system. … The scarcity is such a problem that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is holding a session next week to help medical professionals sort their way through rationing questions.”

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie got the Eli Lilly antibodies before the FDA granted an emergency use authorization for them. The 58-year-old was offered participation in a Regeneron clinical trial but turned it down because he feared he might receive a placebo, the Times notes. Unlike Giuliani, though, Christie was chastened by his hospitalization and expressed regret for not taking the virus more seriously earlier.

During the radio interview, Giuliani professed ignorance that the treatments he got are not ubiquitous. “I didn’t know that,” Giuliani said when the host pointed out the scarcity issues. “I’m not sure about that.”

Housing Secretary Ben Carson, 69, acknowledged in a Facebook post last month that he got treatments that are not widely available to the public. “President Trump was following my condition and cleared me for the monoclonal antibody therapy that he had previously received, which I am convinced saved my life,” he wrote. “President Trump, the fabulous White House medical team, and the phenomenal doctors at Walter Reed have been paying very close attention to my health and I do believe I am out of the woods at this point. … While I am blessed to have the best medical care in the world (and I am convinced it saved my life), we must prioritize getting comparable treatments and care to everyone as soon as possible.”

The antibody drugs are complicated to make because they are created by live cells. “The manufacturing process can’t be rushed. And the drugs must be administered intravenously, creating challenges for health facilities that must set up separate infusion centers so patients with cancer and autoimmune disorders aren’t exposed to people who are infected,” Laurie McGinley and Josh Dawsey report. “Carson, Christie and Trump all got the drugs under ‘expanded access’ programs before they were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Health experts worried their experiences would give Americans the wrong impression about the drugs’ availability. …

“Several other people in Trump’s orbit also have had covid-19 and were offered help getting access to the drugs. One adviser who contracted the virus said the president offered to get the Regeneron drug for him. ‘It’ll make you better overnight,’ the president said,” per McGinley and Dawsey. “After the president’s hospitalization, some advisers also warned him against speaking about the coronavirus as if it were a small inconvenience after he had benefited from experimental drugs unavailable to others. Trump’s response was that he wanted to make a video telling the American people that they’d get the drugs, too, though the White House had no ability to ramp up production.”

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at Giuliani during his monologue on ABC, but then he got serious: “Why aren’t we madder about the fact that Rudy and Donnie and Jr. and all the swamp monsters pretending to be human are getting a special miracle cure nobody else seems to be able to get?”

Meanwhile, Trump continues to fixate more on overturning the results of the election than controlling the contagion. That was clear as the 74-year-old spoke Wednesday night during a Hanukkah party, one of 25 indoor holiday events the White House has planned. The crowd was not social distancing in the East Room. As a man in the crowd could be heard coughing, the group chanted, “Four more years!”

“If certain very important people, if they have wisdom and if they have courage, we’re going to win this election in a landslide,” Trump said, five weeks after he lost the election. 

On one of the deadliest days of the nightmare year that has been 2020, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was all smiles. We know this because Meadows – who battled covid last month – was not wearing a mask at the party, even though the White House said ahead of time that they would be required: 

In stark contrast to Trump’s handling of the contagion, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pleaded with people in her country on Wednesday to avoid gatherings that would spell “the last Christmas with the grandparents.” 

“I really am sorry, from the bottom of my heart, but if the price we pay is 590 deaths a day, then this is unacceptable,” she said.

“A cold wind whipped through the prairie as they laid Buck Timmins to rest. Timmins, a longtime coach and referee, was not the first person in Mitchell, S.D., pop. 15,600, to die of the coronavirus. He was not even the first that week,” Annie Gowen reports. “As the funeral director tucked blankets over the knees of Timmins’s wife, Nanci, Pastor Rhonda Wellsandt-Zell told the small group of masked mourners that just as there had been seasons in the coach’s life — basketball season, football season, volleyball season — Mitchell was now enduring a phase of its own. Pandemic season. 

“In a state where the Republican governor, Kristi L. Noem, has defied calls for a statewide mask mandate even as cases hit record levels, many in this rural community an hour west of Sioux Falls ignored the virus for months, not bothering with masks or social distancing. … Then people started dying. The wife of the former bank president. A state legislator. The guy whose family has owned the bike shop since 1959. Then Timmins, a mild-spoken 72-year-old who had worked with hundreds of local kids … [Timmins and his wife] both became ill at the same time, but Nanci had a mild case. … They had planned on taking an Alaskan cruise together next year, but now she was alone … 

“In Mitchell, the medical emergency helicopter, once a rare occurrence, now comes nearly every day, ferrying the growing number of people desperately ill with covid-19 to a hospital that might be able to save them. Sirens echoing through the empty streets of New York marked the pandemic’s first phase. Swirling blades of helicopters on the American plains is the soundtrack of a deadly fall.

“Throughout the autumn, towns all over the Midwest in conservative states where Republican governors have avoided mask mandates have tried to pass their own restrictions, often prompting virulent community debate. … During the public comment section in Mitchell, a handful of anti-maskers spoke, alleging that masks don’t work … Local doctors and nurses overrun by covid-19 patients pleaded for help. … [The mandate] passed 5 to 3. The resulting decision … made few on either side happy. The town was divided as ever.”

“British regulators directed hospitals not to administer the new coronavirus vaccine to people with a history of ‘significant’ allergic reactions after two people who got the shot had problems,” Anne Gearan, William Booth and Erin Cunningham report. “In a briefing with reporters Wednesday, Moncef Slaoui, science adviser for the White House’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine task force, said he assumes the FDA will consider possible allergic side effects in its review of the Pfizer vaccine. … Meanwhile, Canada granted interim authorization to the Pfizer vaccine and planned to begin inoculations as soon as next week, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he would be the first in Israel to be inoculated against the coronavirus to set an example for the populace. [Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he would gladly take the first dose in the United States to demonstrate its safety.] … 

“Two staffers with Britain’s National Health Service manifested symptoms of ‘anaphylactoid reaction’ after receiving the vaccinations at a hospital Tuesday. NHS officials said both workers have a history of serious allergies and carry epinephrine injectors — often called EpiPens — for the emergency treatment of acute reactions … ‘Both are recovering well,’ said NHS Medical Director Stephen Powis. Health officials in Britain quickly sought to calm nerves by noting that the nurses and pharmacists who give vaccines are prepared to deal with allergic reactions and that such reactions are rare. Typically, even for flu shots, people with a history of allergic reactions are urged to consult their doctors before getting any vaccine. … The Pfizer data showed that about 0.6 percent of people had some form of allergic reaction to the vaccine in the clinical trials (although 0.5 percent also exhibited a reaction to the placebo).”

• CDC Director Robert Redfield allegedly ordered the destruction of an email written by a top Trump administration health official who was seeking changes in a scientific report on the coronavirus’s risk to children, according to Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). An HHS spokesperson said the characterization that there was political interference is “irresponsible.” (Lenny Bernstein and Lena Sun)
• The FDA approved an at-home coronavirus test adults can use without a prescription. LabCorp’s product allows people to take a nasal swab at home and mail it back to the company to be analyzed. (Katie Shepherd)
• HHS will reward nursing homes for controlling the spread. More than 9,000 homes have been able to show progress in controlling the pandemic and will share $523 million of incentive payments as a reward. (Will Englund)
• Saudi Arabia said it has approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine. (Sarah Dadouch)
• The White House coronavirus task force proposed that the president restore inbound travel from Brazil, Britain and the European Union, CNBC reported. The proposal has not yet been accepted by Trump. (Erin Cunningham) 
• U.N. Secretary General António Guterres denounced “vaccine nationalism” while emphasizing the importance of ensuring access to inoculations in poor countries. (Shepherd)

“The party included a tour of the White House’s vaunted holiday decorations followed by a self-guided tour across the street at Blair House,” John Hudson reports. “A State Department spokesman said the ‘Holiday Cheer’ reception that typically follows the tour was canceled this year because of concerns about spreading the novel coronavirus, but two bars were set up in the guesthouse as the face-shield-wearing catering staff poured drinks into holiday-themed paper cups. Guests unmasked to consume the beverages, causing people to congregate and create occasional choke points … 

“Amid the poinsettias, chandeliers and meticulously decorated Christmas trees, children on Tuesday night received ‘Be Best’-branded swag such as backpacks, Frisbees and water bottles from first lady Melania Trump’s signature anti-bullying and wellness initiative. The State Department has a stockpile of ‘Be Best’ merchandise … In the absence of a second Trump term, officials need to find a home for the surplus gear, one U.S. official said.”

• After protesting pandemic restrictions in front of the governor’s mansion, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (R) acknowledged he tested positive. (Shepherd)
• As cases soar in Texas, hospitals are filling up from El Paso to Lubbock. The rugged, rural expanse of far West Texas, in the Big Bend region, has no county health department to conduct daily testing and no CVS store for more than 100 miles. There is just one hospital for 12,000 square miles and no heart or lung specialists to treat serious covid cases. (NYT)
• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said he tested positive but remains asymptomatic.
• The public health director in Los Angeles County nearly broke down in tears. “While this trend line provides a frightening visual of our reality, the more terrible truth is that over 8,000 people …” Barbara Ferrer shuddered, catching her breath as she visibly held back tears. “Sorry,” she continued, her voice breaking. “Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back.” Ferrer called their deaths “an incalculable loss to their friends and their family as well as our community.” (Teo Armus)
• Leaders of Maryland’s most populous jurisdictions pushed for unified shutdowns. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) proposed banning all indoor dining, hours after Baltimore City forbade any dining at restaurants, indoors or outdoors. (Erin Cox, Rachel Chason, Julie Zauzmer and Patricia Sullivan)
• Colleges that taught students in person this fall found no evidence the coronavirus spread in any significant way in classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls, but the contagion still spread in off-campus student housing and the social scene. (Nick Anderson and Susan Svrluga)
• South Korea authorities are scrambling to build temporary hospitals in shipping containers to alleviate medical facilities overstretched by an “accelerating” wave of cases. (Al Jazeera)
• German officials placed under surveillance one of the country’s most influential groups opposed to covid restrictions, citing its growing radicalization and ties to the far-right. The Querdenken 711 is considered one of the driving forces behind nationwide demonstrations against restrictions. (Rick Noack)

“Trump is shifting his focus to Congress after the courts roundly rejected his bid to overturn the results,” Rachael Bade, Dawsey and Tom Hamburger report. “He spoke to Arizona GOP Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, on Wednesday, and is expected to meet Thursday at the White House with several state attorneys general. [Giuliani] has been making similar calls from the hospital. … The president also has enlisted Vice President Pence to reach out to governors and other party leaders in key states to see what else can be done to help the president. … 

“Trump’s conservative allies in the House have been privately buttonholing GOP senators, seeking to enlist one to join in objecting to slates of electors on Jan. 6 … On that day, Congress will meet in a joint session to count the electoral votes and declare Joe Biden as the 46th president — with Pence presiding. But if a member of the House and a member of the Senate challenge a state’s results, the whole Congress would vote — forcing Republicans to choose between accepting the election results or Trump’s bid to overturn the outcome. [Trump allies say they are trying hardest to enlist Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Josh Hawley, Rand Paul and Kelly Loeffler to take point in the president’s frontal assault on democracy.] The pressure on Republicans will grow more intense after the electors meet in each state Monday and cast their votes …

“Trump called Johnson on Wednesday morning, requesting that the conservative leader rally House Republicans to sign on to an amicus brief in an 11th-hour Texas lawsuit seeking unprecedented judicial intervention in disallowing the results from four key swing states that went for Biden: Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Johnson eagerly obliged, emailing all House Republicans to solicit signatures for the long-shot Texas case. In the email, Johnson wrote that Trump ‘will be anxiously awaiting the final list to review,’ ensuring Republicans knew the president would be apprised of who signed on and who didn’t. … In the Senate, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), announced he would hold a hearing on election ‘irregularities’ on Dec. 16 … 

“Trump has continued to call state lawmakers in Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania … In Michigan, pressure on state legislators to intervene with the selection of electors continues with daily calls to specific Republican lawmakers in Lansing from Jenna Ellis and other members of the president’s legal team. … Attorneys general in 17 states Trump won tried to apply pressure on the Supreme Court to take up the Texas complaint filed by state Attorney General Ken Paxton … Trump has become enamored with the Paxton suit — talking about it frequently with advisers — and is hosting the Texas attorney general, among others, at the White House on Thursday.”

Trump warned Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R) not to rally other GOP officials against Paxton’s lawsuit. Carr’s office called Paxton’s lawsuit “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong.” Trump was “furious” about this statement and called Loeffler to complain. Carr and Trump then spoke at the urging of Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.). A person on the call said Trump told Carr that he’s “heard great things” about him but that he had picked up word that Carr was calling other state AGs and urging them to oppose the Texas challenge. Carr told Trump that wasn’t true, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“It’s just simply madness,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). “The idea of supplanting the vote of the people with partisan legislators is so completely out of our national character that it’s simply mad. … This effort to subvert the vote of the people is dangerous and destructive of the cause of democracy.”

“Congressional leaders advanced the short-term extension in federal funding as negotiations over an emergency economic relief package appeared to falter and prospects of a major breakthrough dimmed. The measure passed by a 343-to-67 vote,” Jeff Stein and Mike DeBonis report. “The short-term spending bill is now expected to quickly move to the Senate, where [Mitch] McConnell has signaled he will hold a vote ahead of Friday’s deadline. If President Trump doesn’t sign the measure into law by midnight on Friday, a government shutdown would commence on Saturday morning.” 

• The number of new unemployment claims rose sharply to 853,000 last week, an increase of 137,000 from the week before, another sign of the toll the pandemic is taking on the labor market. An additional 427,600 claims were filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the program for gig and self-employed workers. (Eli Rosenberg)
• The top Republican and Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said they will cut short their Christmas holiday if necessary to override a veto by Trump of the defense authorization bill. (CNN)
• The Senate confirmed three members to the Federal Election Commission, restoring the agency’s ability to conduct official business after months without a voting quorum. (Michelle Ye Hee Lee)
• Trump is on course to complete a controversial $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates after bipartisan Senate efforts to block the deal failed to clear a critical procedural hurdle. (Karoun Demirjian)
• Democrats on the Senate Finance and House Foreign Affairs committees have launched an investigation into whether Jared Kushner’s desire to secure a billion-dollar rescue for a skyscraper owned by his family played a role in his father-in-law’s decision to support a Saudi-led blockade of Qatar. (Financial Times)
• “The first lady quietly brought on Marcia Lee Kelly to her scant East Wing staff in April as a special government employee,” CNN reports. “The first lady told Kelly to discreetly ask West Wing acquaintances and a member of the Office of Management and Budget whether there were taxpayer funds allocated to former first ladies, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.”

“The Veterans Affairs inspector general informed federal prosecutors this fall of possible criminal conduct by Secretary Robert Wilkie stemming from an investigation into whether he worked to discredit a congressional aide who said she was sexually assaulted,” Lisa Rein and Spencer Hsu report. “The Justice Department has not pursued a case against Wilkie … Prosecutors told Inspector General Michael J. Missal they did not think there was enough evidence … Missal launched his inquiry into Wilkie’s conduct in February after a request from House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who said Wilkie had worked to damage the credibility of his senior policy adviser, Navy veteran Andrea Goldstein. In fall 2019, after Goldstein said a man groped and propositioned her in the cafe in the main lobby of VA’s flagship medical center in the District, Wilkie inquired with military officials about her military record … 

“Missal’s report, scheduled for release Thursday, is expected to confirm the secretary’s repeated efforts to discredit Goldstein, both in and outside the agency … Wilkie said in a statement that he had done nothing improper and lashed out at Missal’s investigation. … One possible violation was interfering with the criminal investigation into whether Goldstein was assaulted. Another was that Wilkie perjured himself in his testimony to investigators … Wilkie has explored a Senate run for an open seat in his home state of North Carolina, where Sen. Richard Burr (R) has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2022 … In recent weeks, Wilkie has also stopped cooperating with the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee after Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the committee’s top Democrat, raised concerns that the secretary’s travel before the election to battleground states was a violation of the law banning politicking by government officials.”

The president-elect named former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough to lead the department.  “The choice of McDonough, who is not a veteran himself, caught veterans groups off guard. His name was not on a list circulated to Capitol Hill and veterans groups, who were led to believe the top contender was former congressman Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), an Iraq War veteran,” Matt Viser and Rein report.

Biden also announced that former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice will run the White House Domestic Policy Council, a post that does not require Senate confirmation. “The position will put Rice in charge of coordinating the policymaking process for Biden’s domestic agenda. The council includes the president along with key members of the Cabinet — but does not require Senate confirmation,” Annie Linskey and Felicia Sonmez report.

“Federal prosecutors have been investigating Hunter Biden, President-elect Joe Biden’s son, to determine if he failed to report income from China-related business deals, according to people familiar with the matter — a politically explosive probe that is likely to challenge the Justice Department in the incoming administration,” Matt Zapotosky, Devlin Barrett and Colby Itkowitz report. “The investigation into the president-elect’s son began in 2018, though little could be learned immediately about what, if any, wrongdoing it had found. The existence of a tax investigation was confirmed Wednesday by Hunter Biden in a statement saying he had just been advised of it. … FBI agents had been seeking to talk to Hunter Biden as part of the case on Tuesday — though an interview has not yet been scheduled or taken place — as well as serve subpoenas on Hunter Biden and his associates. …

“Although the investigation has been ongoing for some time, it is unclear how far along prosecutors consider themselves toward building a criminal case or closing the matter … A person familiar with the case said that the investigation continued during the election year but that agents took care not to take overt investigative steps as voting neared that would have made it more widely known. Those precautions, the person said, became unnecessary once the election was over. If the investigation is continuing when Joe Biden takes office, it will mark a major test for him and his attorney general. … 

“Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) quickly called for a special counsel investigation of Hunter Biden. … If Barr does not appoint a special counsel, Joe Biden’s attorney general could face pressure to do so, to help ensure the probe’s independence. Any special counsel would still answer to the attorney general. Another possibility would be for the current Delaware U.S. attorney to remain in that job to continue the Hunter Biden investigation. … A person familiar with the Hunter Biden investigation said it ‘is not connected to the attacks the Trump campaign and their allies made against Hunter during the campaign.’”

• Hunter Biden statement: “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately.” 
• Biden transition team statement: “President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.” 

“Biden’s top advisers have asked at least one outside advocacy group for input about Sen. Doug Jones as a potential attorney general,” Viser, Zapotosky and Amy Wang report. “Several top former Justice Department officials view [Sally] Yates as best suited to repair the damage the Trump administration wreaked on morale and mission there. … Some detractors, however, worry that Yates’s confirmation could be a bruising fight.” 

“Tai, who has been the chief trade counsel on the House Ways and Means Committee since 2017, is the lead adviser to Democrats and the committee chairman on international trade issues,” Wang and David Lynch report. “Though she would be making an unusual jump to a Cabinet-level position, Tai is well regarded by both the moderate and liberal wings of the party and is backed by prominent lawmakers, including Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). … Her planned selection comes after members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and several advocacy groups met with Biden’s transition team this week to express their growing concern that there would be insufficient Asian American representation in top-tier spots in Biden’s administration. … 

“Biden, introducing his pick for defense secretary, launched Wednesday into what could be a tough, weeks-long sales pitch to persuade members of both parties that retired Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III is the right choice despite the long-standing principle of civilian leadership at the Pentagon,” Seung Min Kim and Dan Lamothe report. “Those concerns were percolating Wednesday even among some of Biden’s most ardent allies in the Senate … Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, received a heads up on the pending nomination, according to two people familiar with the conversation, although one described the advance notice as perfunctory rather than a full-fledged consultation. … 

“Aides to at least four other Democrats on the Armed Services Committee said the senators were given no formal advance notice about Austin’s selection … That left some Senate Democrats who have fiercely advocated for civilian control of the military struggling to explain a tangled position: They will vote against the waiver allowing Austin to serve — but if the waiver passes, they will vote for his actual confirmation.”

• David Ignatius column: “Austin’s qualities may have worked for him as a general, but not as defense secretary.”
• Biden will travel to Atlanta next week to campaign with Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. (NBC)
• The Biden administration plans to create a position for conservative outreach. Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) said he’s helping set up the new office. (Bloomberg)
• “Loyalists to Trump have blocked transition meetings at some government agencies and are sitting in on discussions at other agencies between career civil servants and Biden’s transition teams, sometimes chilling conversations, several federal officials said,” per the New York Times. “At the Environmental Protection Agency, political appointees have joined virtually every discussion between career staff members and Mr. Biden’s team, monitoring conversations on climate change, scientific research and other topics. … On Tuesday Mr. Biden’s transition team was allowed for the first time into the National Security Agency.”

“Biden set out big principles on foreign policy — consult with allies, participate in international institutions, elevate climate to the top of the agenda — and plans to quickly reverse some of Trump’s more egregious departures from historical norms on issues such as immigration. But on a host of matters, he faces competing priorities, congressional hurdles and wary, if welcoming, allies,” Karen DeYoung, Paul Sonne, Joby Warrick, Lamothe, Carol Morello and Anne Gearan report. “In some cases, such as with North Korea and Venezuela, the most daunting obstacle to foreign policy success is the one that has bedeviled several presidents before him. There are no good options.” 

• Experts say Biden’s first foreign-policy challenge could be North Korea testing a nuclear weapon or an intercontinental ballistic missile — or both. (Warrick)
• Biden has limited options in Venezuela as Nicolás Maduro remains firmly in power, backed by Cuba, Iran, Russia and his own country’s military. Advisers say Biden doesn’t plan to lift sanctions or U.S. indictments against Maduro and a long list of his cronies and officials. Instead, he wants to increase pressure on Maduro by broadening the circle of countries seeking change in Venezuela. (DeYoung)
• Biden has vowed to quickly restore the Iran nuclear deal, but that may be easier said than done. An oddly diverse collection of opponents — including close U.S. allies in the Middle East as well as Iranian hardliners and Trump administration officials — are working to ensure Biden’s vision is never realized. (Warrick and Gearan)
• U.S. relations with Beijing and Moscow are more acrimonious than in decades, and the president-elect has signaled little intent of softening Washington’s approach. (Sonne)
• Although the Trump administration oversaw the destruction of the Islamic State’s caliphate in Syria and a Special Operations raid that killed its leader, remnants remain active in several countries. Meanwhile, the U.S. military is still involved in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and other terrorism hot spots, despite four years of Trump vowing to bring troops home. Unlike Trump, though, Biden has indicated that ending “the forever wars” does not mean shutting down all counterterrorism operations abroad. (Lamothe)
• After Trump emboldened Israel and Saudi Arabia, Biden is expected to rein in some arms sales and scale back American support for some policies coming out of Riyadh and Jerusalem. (Gearan)
• Biden said he will hold a global “Summit for Democracy,” focusing on human rights, combating corruption and bolstering defenses against authoritarianism. But he acknowledges it won’t be easy to face wary allies after four years of Trump’s “America First” doctrine. (Morello)

• The Minneapolis City Council, which tried and failed to dismantle the police department in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, voted unanimously early this morning to shift nearly $8 million from next year’s police budget to other city services as part of an effort to “transform” public safety. Mayor Jacob Frey (D) previously threatened a veto to the budget, calling the police cuts “irresponsible” as the city confronts an unprecedented wave of violence and scores of officer departures since Floyd’s death. But Frey praised the council for removing language to permanently shrink the force’s size by about 130 officers. (Holly Bailey)
• The U.S. government and 48 attorneys general filed landmark antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, seeking to break up the social networking giant over charges that it engaged in illegal, anti-competitive tactics to buy, bully and kill its rivals. The twin lawsuits filed in federal district court allege that Facebook, under CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has for years behaved as an unlawful monopoly — one that has weaponized its vast stores of data, wealth and savvy corporate muscle. The complaints chiefly challenge Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. (Tony Romm)
• Johns Hopkins, the 19th-century businessman who bequeathed a fortune to found the Baltimore university and hospital that bear his name, enslaved at least four Black people before the Civil War, school officials revealed. For years, Hopkins has been heralded as an abolitionist based on scant evidence. (Anderson, Lauren Lumpkin and Svrluga)
• A prototype of the massive spacecraft Elon Musk’s SpaceX is building to take people to the moon and Mars launched successfully but exploded upon landing. (Chris Davenport)
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to secure a Brexit deal or any kind of breakthrough at a “Supper Summit” in Brussels with the president of the European Commission. (Karla Adam, Michael Birnbaum and William Booth)

The Georgia secretary of state will not participate in a show hearing put on by Republicans in the state House:

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), in his final month of public service, played some carols in the Capitol complex: 

And the USPS had a holiday message: 

Samantha Bee said Trump’s flurry of pardons this holiday season is lazy gift-giving: 

Stephen Colbert said Trump isn’t behaving like someone who plans on being on the White House for the next four years: 

Seth Meyers mocked the Republican lawsuits contesting the election that have been thrown out: