President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet and Staff Nominees

[lpetrich]

Not sure what's the best place for this news: Pentagon halts Trump appointments to advisory boards - POLITICO - "The move effectively prevents a number of Trump allies, including Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, from actually serving on panels."

The Pentagon has suspended the processing of a number of former President Donald Trump’s last-minute appointees to defense advisory boards as the new administration looks to weed out loyalists to the former president.

The move effectively prevents a number of Trump allies, including his 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and deputy campaign manager David Bossie, from actually serving on panels tasked with providing advice to the defense secretary, at least for the time being.

Who's In President Biden's Cabinet? : NPR - only 4 of the positions listed as needing Senate confirmation have now been confirmed.

Secretary of State - Antony Blinken
Secretary of Defense - Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin
Director of National Intelligence - Avril Haines
Secretary of the Treasury - Janet Yellen

 

[Treedbear]

... - only 4 of the positions listed as needing Senate confirmation have now been confirmed.

Secretary of State - Antony Blinken
Secretary of Defense - Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin
Director of National Intelligence - Avril Haines
Secretary of the Treasury - Janet Yellen

Saw a good bit of Haines' and Blinken's confirmation hearings and they both are incredibly knowledgeable about their office. Even-tempered, direct and to-the-point, and completely objective even to the point of acknowledging where the Trump administration was at times on the right track. Avril Haines' intensity and passion somehow reminded me of Jody Foster in "Contact". A stark contrast with what we've had for the last four years.

 

[lpetrich]

More contrast with the Trump years.

Jen Psaki's first White House press briefing heralds return to normality | Biden administration | The Guardian
One journalist compared Sean Spicer's briefings to being back in school. Author David Smith compared them to Zimbabwe during Robert Mugabe's rule.

Pledging ‘truth and transparency’, Biden’s press secretary was startlingly civil – as far from Sean Spicer as it is possible to be

...
Just compare their remarks about the press. “Some members of the media were engaged in deliberately false reporting,” Spicer scowled in reference to Trump’s inauguration, adding darkly: “We’re going to hold the press accountable.”

Psaki, by contrast, began the new era with a smile: “It’s an honour to be here with all of you. When the president asked me to serve in this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room.”

Later she added: “I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy.”

The 42-year-old’s maiden briefing on Wednesday was radical in its normality and startling in its civility. Polished and professional, she arrived wearing a mask, breaking from Trump tradition, and told a dozen physically distanced reporters: “There will be moments when we disagree, and there will certainly be days where we disagree for extensive parts of the briefing even, perhaps. But we have a common goal, which is sharing accurate information with the American people.”

The Recount on Twitter: "Day 1 Press Briefings: Trump admin vs. Biden admin (video link)" / Twitter
Shows a link of SS vs. JP.

The Trump Admin went through SS, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany.

JP is yet another Obama Admin veteran.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Senate confirms Mayor Pete as Secretary of Bike Paths and Charging Stations. Often derided by the far left for no other reason than looking like a Republican, Pete Buttigieg will be the first openly gay person confirmed to a cabinet post.
It will be interesting to see how he works on funding for infrastructure. If he wants to stay in the game, he had better earn his feathers.

 

[Politesse]

Often derided by the far left for no other reason than looking like a Republican

Err, why wouldn't someone on the "far left" oppose Republicanism? Of course they do. I don't think that he does endorse Republican ideas, though, nor that he is commonly "derided" by the far left. Criticized yes, and I guess for the featherlite snowflakes who consitutute the modern Right, being criticized is being "canaceled", but the criticisms I've heard have to do with his record as mayor of South Bend and the hands he shook while campaigning, not his political views. Transportation is a big focus for him - during the presidential campaign, he promised an even trillion dollars in new infrastructure projects.

 

[lpetrich]

Glenn Kirschner on Twitter: "Video dropping soon: Lindsey Graham is blocking Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing for his position as AG. Where have we seen this movie before? And what are We The People gonna do about it? #TeamJustice has had about enough of Republican injustice. #JusticeMatters." / Twitter

Graham shoots down request for Merrick Garland confirmation hearing Feb. 8 | TheHill

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) rejected a Democratic request on Monday to schedule a confirmation hearing next week for Merrick Garland, President Biden's pick to be attorney general.

Though Democrats have the Senate majority, Graham is still the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman because the chamber hasn't yet passed an organizing resolution for the 117th Congress.

That means the Senate panels are still operating under last year's setup — in which Republicans had the majority.

So Sen. Dick Durbin isn't head of the Judiciary Committee yet. According to Majority Leader Schumer Announces Senate Democratic Committee Memberships For The 117th Congress | Senate Democratic Leadership he has that assignment.

 

[lpetrich]

Merrick Garland's 'flawless' work in Oklahoma City crucial in white supremacy fight

The message was a stark one. “America is in serious decline,” the person wrote. “Is a civil war imminent? Do we have to shed blood to reform the current system? I hope it doesn’t come to that! But it might.”

But the words are from 1992 America, written in a letter to a newspaper by Timothy McVeigh, who three years later would carry out the Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest incident of domestic terrorism in US history. An anti-government, white supremacist army veteran, McVeigh set off a truck bomb underneath a day care facility in a federal building, killing 168 people including 19 children.

Merrick Garland was a Federal prosecutor in that case.

 

[fromderinside]

Yes he was and his work was crucial.

 

[lpetrich]

Senator Dick Durbin on Twitter: "Proud to announce that I will be taking over as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the 117th Congress.

This moment in history demands much of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I’m honored to lead my colleagues as we face these challenges." / Twitter
So Merrick Garland's nomination might go ahead.

 

[lpetrich]

Schumer, McConnell reach deal on Senate organizing resolution | TheHill

The power-sharing deal was up in the air for days after McConnell demanded that the resolution include protections against nixing the 60-vote legislative filibuster, as progressive activists and a growing number of senators support going "nuclear."

McConnell's effort frustrated Democrats, who viewed it as an attempt to box them in and believed that the GOP leader wouldn't have agreed to the same restriction if he was still in the majority.

McConnell ultimately dropped his insistence on a formal agreement after two Democratic senators — Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) — both reiterated that they oppose nixing the legislative filibuster.

"The senior senator from Arizona made the same commitment. She opposes ending the legislative filibuster. ... Our colleague informed me directly last night that under no circumstances would she reverse course," McConnell said last week.

Will we get some progress on Merrick Garland and other Biden appointees?

 

[ZiprHead]

Pentagon purges advisory boards of Trump loyalists
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a full review.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday ordered the resignation of the hundreds of people that serve on the Pentagon’s 42 civilian advisory boards, effectively purging a number of Trump loyalists named to the boards in the Trump administration's final days.

The resignations are part of a broader review Austin has ordered to look at the viability of the boards and to eliminate potential overlaps.

But the Pentagon's top spokesman acknowledged that the resignations and the review had been prompted by the last-minute appointments of Trump loyalists to the boards, including Trump's former campaign manager.

"The Secretary was deeply concerned with the pace and the extent of recent changes to memberships of department advisory committees," said John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary. "This review will allow him now to quickly get his arms around the purpose of these boards and to make sure the advisory committees are in fact providing the best possible advice to department leadership."

 

[lpetrich]

Senate passes organizing resolution after Schumer-McConnell deal | TheHill
It was done by unanimous consent. Sen. Chuck Schumer:

"I am happy to report ... that the leadership of both parties have finalized the organizing resolution for the Senate," Schumer said from the Senate floor on Wednesday morning, adding that it would let the Senate committees "get to work with Democrats holding the gavels."

Sen. Mitch McConnell:

"I am pleased to announce we have finalized the formal power-sharing agreement for the 117th Congress. This power-sharing agreement is almost identical to the 2001 agreement and will allow the Senate to be fairly run as an evenly-split body," he said.

The two Senate leaders agreed on trying to enable Senators to offer more amendments.

 

[Swammerdami]

Schumer, McConnell reach deal on Senate organizing resolution | TheHill ...

I'd read a week ago that the Moscow Turtle was delaying the organizing resolution ... but it wasn't passed until now? What the F**k?? Was it the Turtle's threat of filibuster that caused the delay? How can Turtle's Senate approve a Supreme Court Justice with 50 votes, but the D's need 60 votes just to take their chairs?

I am beyond disgusted. Is the Turtle Senator to remain in control of the Senate as long as he has 41 votes?

The D vs R schism is no longer about political issues. It is Truth vs Lies, Good vs Evil, Charity vs Hatred. Isn't there even a single GOP Senator willing to stand up against raw greed, hatred and treason? Once upon a time I had respect for Mitt Romney, but until he switches parties and votes to end the filibuster, I will treat him as just another execrable bag of slime.

 

[Swammerdami]

I see that Merrick Garland has still not been confirmed. The Republioturds rushed their appointments through, but now Lindsay Graham needs to reconsider Benghazi, or some such crap, before he can vote on Garland.

What's the hold-up? The Senate should be able to do most things with 50 votes. Is the problem DINOs like Joe Manchin still pretending that the Republioturds are worthy of respect and refusing to act as the 'Turds did when they had the Senate less-than-60 majority?

 

[Politesse]

The Senate has been extremely busy. Just because they aren't doing everything you want right now doesn't mean they aren't doing anything; four days ago, they pulled an all-nighter "vote-a-rama" resulting in the passage of forty individual bills and discussion of five more. The much belated COVID relief response has been dominating most of their docket, and I agree that this is where our emphasis should be right now.

 

[lpetrich]

Senator John Cornyn on Twitter: "Interior secretary nominee has joined pipeline protests and opposed fracking (link)" / Twitter
noting
Interior Secretary Nominee on Collision Course With Oil Industry - WSJ

John Cornyn is R-TX
Deb Haaland is D-NM

She, like AOC, visited the Standing Rock protest camp and assisted the protesters there.

I like this response:

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "Thank God Confirm her immediately." / Twitter

He's D-NY

 

[Derec]

Senator John Cornyn on Twitter: "Interior secretary nominee has joined pipeline protests and opposed fracking (link)" / Twitter
noting
Interior Secretary Nominee on Collision Course With Oil Industry - WSJ

John Cornyn is R-TX
Deb Haaland is D-NM

She, like AOC, visited the Standing Rock protest camp and assisted the protesters there.

I like this response:

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "Thank God ???????????? Confirm her immediately." / Twitter

He's D-NY

That alone should disqualify her. It is a disgrace that Biden nominated somebody like that. She needs to go down in the Senate. Manchin may be our last hope.

 

[laughing dog]

Senator John Cornyn on Twitter: "Interior secretary nominee has joined pipeline protests and opposed fracking (link)" / Twitter
noting
Interior Secretary Nominee on Collision Course With Oil Industry - WSJ

John Cornyn is R-TX
Deb Haaland is D-NM

She, like AOC, visited the Standing Rock protest camp and assisted the protesters there.

I like this response:

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "Thank God ???????????? Confirm her immediately." / Twitter

He's D-NY

Cornyn is a puppet of the oil and gas industry. He is one of the earliest climate change deniers.

Despite what many people think, the Department of the Interior is not supposed to be servant of any natural resource extracting industry.

 

[Elixir]

Cornyn is a puppet of the oil and gas industry. He is one of the earliest climate change deniers.

Shouldn't he be back in Texas helping out his good 'ol boys... maybe providing some drivers' ed?

 

[Shadowy Man]

Senator John Cornyn on Twitter: "Interior secretary nominee has joined pipeline protests and opposed fracking (link)" / Twitter
noting
Interior Secretary Nominee on Collision Course With Oil Industry - WSJ

John Cornyn is R-TX
Deb Haaland is D-NM

She, like AOC, visited the Standing Rock protest camp and assisted the protesters there.

I like this response:

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "Thank God ������������ Confirm her immediately." / Twitter

He's D-NY

That alone should disqualify her. It is a disgrace that Biden nominated somebody like that. She needs to go down in the Senate. Manchin may be our last hope.

Too late. The bar for public service has now been set incredibly low.