— According to pwinsider.com, here are some backstage notes from tonight’s Smackdown:
* Matches will be added to Battleground:
Click Here: Putters
(1) A five-way elimination match between Charlotte, Natalya, Tamina, Becky Lynch and Lana
(2) Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin
(3) AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for the US Title.
Following Saturday night’s special at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, WWE returns on the WWE Network later this evening with the post-NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III episode of NXT TV.
The official NXT TV preview at WWE.com for tonight reads as follows:
WWE NXT preview: Aug. 23, 2017: United Kingdom’s finest square off
While NXT wrestles with the fallout from a historic and shocking TakeOver: Brooklyn III, the spotlight turns to four of the United Kingdom’s most acclaimed athletes. U.K. Champion Pete Dunne makes his return to WWE Network, partnering with Wolfgang to take on Tyler Bate & Trent Seven, tonight at 8/7 C.
The following matches were taped for tonight’s episode on Saturday evening prior to the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III live special:
* No Way Jose vs. Lars Sullivan
* Peyton Royce vs. Sarah Logan
* Pete Dunne & Wolfgang vs. Tyler Bate & Trent SevenClick Here: Putters
Outgoing GOP Rep. Denver RigglemanDenver RigglemanGOP lawmaker says he’s been called a ‘traitor’ by people close to him for recognizing Biden win Cheney, top GOP lawmakers ask Trump campaign for proof of election fraud Trump’s cyber firing stirs outrage MORE (Va.) said Monday that people close to him have called him a “traitor” for recognizing President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenGeraldo Rivera on Trump sowing election result doubts: ‘Enough is enough now’ Senate approves two energy regulators, completing panel Murkowski: Trump should concede White House race MORE as the victor in the 2020 White House race.
Riggleman, a former intelligence officer and Air Force veteran, was asked by CNN’s John Berman why more Republican lawmakers weren’t speaking out about President TrumpDonald John TrumpGeraldo Rivera on Trump sowing election result doubts: ‘Enough is enough now’ Murkowski: Trump should concede White House race Scott Atlas resigns as coronavirus adviser to Trump MORE’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
“I don’t know what’s in their hearts, and I wish I could tell you. I’ve tried to call. I’ve tried to talk to individuals about this,” Riggleman said. “And by the way, my own — well, I shouldn’t say this exactly — but people very close to me have called me pretty much a traitor to the cause because of my belief in data and statistical analysis and technology and people that have taken an oath to the Constitution.”
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Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 race by several media organizations — including The Associated Press and Fox News — after winning in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan. Trump has refused to concede and has instead launched a number of legal challenges seeking to overturn the results. He has been unsuccessful so far.
Riggleman praised Christopher Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) who was fired by Trump earlier this month, for standing by the election results during an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” over the weekend.
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“I think what you saw last night with Chris Krebs and the reason he got emotional is because there’s thousands of people who have taken an oath to the Constitution who have been disparaged, and I think that is absolutely just a repugnant act,” Riggleman said.
The outgoing lawmaker, who lost his primary in June after officiating a gay wedding, said Trump’s baseless claims alleging mass corruption in the election sounded like “desperation.”
During a Sunday interview with Fox Business’s Maria BartiromoMaria Sara BartiromoWisconsin formally declares Biden won election following recount GOP lawmaker says he’s been called a ‘traitor’ by people close to him for recognizing Biden win Pa. lawmaker was informed of positive coronavirus test while meeting with Trump: report MORE, Trump spent 45 minutes levying unproven and baseless allegations that letter carriers, Dominion Voting Systems, Republican officials across the country and mail-in ballots were all to blame for his failure to win reelection.
“It is also mind-blowingly ridiculous to think that all these agencies would work in tandem somehow across 50 states. … To do that would be almost impossible,” Riggleman told CNN.
Krebs, a Trump appointee, had worked with state and local officials to boost election security following Russian interference in 2016.
Click Here: Golf special
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CISA put out a statement earlier this month from stakeholders and officials that affirmed the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history” and dispelled assertions that voting systems were in some way compromised.
Trump fired Krebs “effective immediately,” calling the statement “highly inaccurate” and claiming without evidence that “there were massive improprieties and fraud — including dead people voting.”
In his “60 Minutes” interview, Krebs said he wasn’t “necessarily surprised” by his abrupt termination but was disappointed.
“I think the thing that upsets me the most about that is I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to my team,” the former CISA director added. “And I’d worked with them for 3 ½ years in the trenches, building an agency, putting CISA on the national stage. And I love that team. And I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, so that’s what I’m most upset about.”
Happy Monday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Rebecca Kheel, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
THE TOPLINE: Congress returns to town this week for a busy sprint to the end of the year.
Among the items on the to-do list is wrapping up work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the biggest hurdle to ticking off that box is still the fight over renaming Confederate-named military bases.
Time is running out to prevent 2020 from being the first time in 60 years that Congress doesn’t send an NDAA to the president’s desk.
The House is scheduled to leave for the year Dec. 11, and the chamber’s first votes this week aren’t until Wednesday evening.
Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Capital One – Biden unveils batch of his White House team This week: Congress races to wrap work for the year MORE (D-Md.) said lawmakers are urged to stay in D.C. after last votes Friday since conversations on bills including the NDAA are ongoing and the bills “will be considered by the House as soon as they are ready.”
The Senate, meanwhile, is scheduled to leave town after Dec. 18.
Democrats appear to be holding firm on keeping the requirement to rename bases in the bill, with a Democratic House aide telling The Hill on Monday that after talks last week among the caucus, “the decision was made to hold strong on the need for a provision to rename bases in the final bill; either the House version, the Senate version or a melding of the two.”
Government funding: Also on the to-do list is funding the government past Dec. 11, when the current funding bill will expire.
Last week, negotiators reached a deal on spending levels for the 12 fiscal 2021 appropriations bills, but specifics within each bill are still being haggled over.
One question hanging over the negotiations is whether Trump will agree to sign a full-year funding package for all 12 bills instead of a continuing resolution, which would maintain funding at current levels until early next year.
Over the weekend, The Hill’s Jordain Carney broke down Congress’ year end-to-do list, including the funding and NDAA battles. Catch up here.
IRAN ASSASSINATION ADDS HURDLES TO BIDEN PLANS: If you missed it over the holiday weekend, a top Iran nuclear scientist was assassinated Friday, with Tehran blaming Israel for the killing.
The episode is raising regional tensions and presenting new challenges for President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenGeraldo Rivera on Trump sowing election result doubts: ‘Enough is enough now’ Senate approves two energy regulators, completing panel Murkowski: Trump should concede White House race MORE‘s pledge to reengage with Tehran.
The killing quickly led to recriminations from Iran’s leaders and could embolden hard-liners who do not want to see the two countries rebuild their relations.
Israel has not commented on the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, known as the father of Iran’s nuclear program, but is widely suspected of having carried it out.
Biden’s allies argue the assassination was a criminal act that has recklessly raised tensions in the region and was aimed at undermining the president-elect’s goal of putting the U.S. back in the international nuclear deal with Iran, negotiated by the Obama administration and fiercely opposed by Israel and the Trump administration.
“This was a criminal act & highly reckless,” John BrennanJohn Owen BrennanOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Biden faces new Iran challenges after nuclear scientist killed Former CIA head, Cruz trade jabs over killing of Iranian nuclear scientist: ‘You are unworthy to represent the good people of Texas’ MORE, who served as CIA director under former President Obama, wrote on Twitter. “It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict. Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits.”
What happened: Fakhrizadeh was killed Friday in an ambush on the outskirts of Tehran. At Fakhrizadeh’s funeral on Monday, a top Iranian official accused Israel of using “electronic devices” to kill him remotely.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE previously singled out Fakhrizadeh for his role in Iran’s nuclear program, warning the world to “remember that name” during a 2018 speech revealing an archive of stolen Iranian nuclear plans.
Fakhrizadeh’s death comes just shy of a year after a U.S. drone strike killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an event that brought Washington and Tehran to the brink of war.
Iran, which has already pledged further retaliation for the Soleimani killing, is also vowing a response to Fakhrizadeh’s death, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for “definitive punishment of the perpetrators and those who ordered it.”
Why it matters: Eliminating Fakhrizadeh is unlikely to disrupt the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, experts argue.
But the attack is testing Tehran’s patience in preserving a path to negotiations with the Biden administration and the former vice president’s push to bring the U.S. back to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal.
“The JCPOA was the real target, [with] Dr. Fakhrizadeh just a collateral, and probably not the last until the moment Biden is sworn into office,” said Ali Afoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington who recently published a book on political succession in Iran.
“This said, I am somewhat impressed by the acumen of the political leadership in Tehran: The Islamic Republic has hitherto practiced strategic patience in response to Israel’s attempts at luring it into a direct confrontation, and I’m not expecting change in that behavior in the course of the next couple of weeks. This is good news for the Biden administration and the prospects for U.S.-Iran negotiations,” he added.
Lawmaker reaction: Several prominent progressive Democrats have raised concerns the assassination was meant to derail any forthcoming diplomatic efforts from the Biden administration.
“If the primary purpose of the killing of Mr. Fakhrizadeh was to make it harder to restart the Iran nuclear agreement, then this assassination does not make America, Israel or the world safer,” Sen. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Biden faces new Iran challenges after nuclear scientist killed New Jersey to halt indoor sports, cap outside gatherings MORE (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on Twitter.
Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersBiden budget pick sparks battle with GOP Senate Overnight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Biden faces new Iran challenges after nuclear scientist killed MORE (I-Vt.) tweeted that “diplomacy, not murder, is the best path forward,” while Rep. Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Biden faces new Iran challenges after nuclear scientist killed Biden Cabinet picks largely unify Democrats — so far MORE (D-Calif.) warned on Twitter that “we cannot let anyone drag us into a new war.”
“This much is clear: the proven way to restrain Iran’s nuclear program is through relentless diplomacy,” Rep. Joaquin CastroJoaquin CastroOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Biden faces new Iran challenges after nuclear scientist killed Meet the three Democrats who could lead foreign affairs in the House MORE (D-Texas), who is running to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in his own tweet. “If the cynical goal of this killing is to hinder a return to the Iran deal, Americans and our allies are less safe.”
Global reaction: Fakhrizadeh’s assassination has also sparked pushback from Gulf nations allied with Israel that have spoken out against Biden’s promise to negotiate with Tehran.
The United Arab Emirates on Monday condemned the assassination as “heinous,” and Bahrain called for “maximum restraint” to reduce tensions and avoid a larger-scale conflict. Both countries signed a normalization agreement with Israel earlier this year.
U.S. allies in Europe also expressed concerns about deteriorating relations, with the European Union saying in a statement Saturday that Fakhrizadeh’s assassination was a “criminal act” that ran counter to respect for human rights and urging “maximum restraint” to avoid further escalating tensions.
USS BONHOMME RICHARD GETTING SCRAPPED: The Navy will scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard after a fire burned aboard the amphibious assault ship for nearly five days in July, rendering it unsalvageable, the service announced Monday.
After “thorough consideration,” the Navy has decided to decommission the ship “due to the extensive damage” from the blaze, the service said in a statement.
“We did not come to this decision lightly,” Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite said in the release. “Following an extensive material assessment in which various courses of action were considered and evaluated, we came to the conclusion that it is not fiscally responsible to restore her.”
The Navy estimated that repairing the ship could cost more than $3 billion and take between five and seven years, a price tag and timeline that service leaders did not find feasible.
A separate plan to rebuild the ship for another purpose was also deemed a no-go, as it could cost more than $1 billion, as much as or more than a newly built hospital ship, submarine tender or command-and-control vessel.
Background: The Navy is still investigating the cause of the fire that began as the ship was in the port at Naval Base San Diego.
It is known that the fire first broke out in a lower cargo area where cardboard and drywall supplies were kept. The small aircraft carrier that transports Marines was undergoing maintenance at the shipyard when the blaze began, which made the fire suppression system inoperable at the time.
About 40 sailors and 23 civilians were treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, after hundreds of sailors and federal firefighters battled the flames from inside and outside the ship.
ON TAP FOR TOMORROW
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett and Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond will provide virtual remarks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Space Summit at 1 p.m. https://bit.ly/3oaKSzd
The Arms Control Association will host its annual meeting virtually with speakers including Sens. Jeff MerkleyJeff MerkleyOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Supreme Court declines to hear case challenging unlimited super PAC fundraising Trump supporters demonstrate across the country following Biden-Harris win MORE (D-Ore.) and Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandOvernight Defense: Defense bill among Congress’s year-end scramble | Iranian scientist’s assassination adds hurdles to Biden’s plan on nuclear deal | Navy scrapping USS Bonhomme Richard after fire Democratic senators urge Facebook to take action on anti-Muslim bigotry Social media responds to Harris making history: ‘I feel like our ancestors are rejoicing’ MORE (D-N.Y.) at 12:30 p.m. https://bit.ly/36mWhG1
ICYMI
— The Hill: Trump’s NATO ambassador pledges ‘seamless’ transition to Biden administration
— The Hill: Biden under pressure to remove Trump transgender military ban quickly
— The Hill: Opinion: Britannia may no longer be sinking under the waves
— The Hill: Opinion: Michèle Flournoy would undermine Biden’s best plans for defense
— Stars and Stripes: Afghan pilot says he’s been told to rejoin air force or leave US protection
— Associated Press: Charging the ‘Beatles’: Inside the case against IS militants
— New York Times: Afghan leader digs in on peace talks despite progress, officials say
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Business groups are rallying to push Congress to extend alcohol excise tax relief provisions that expire at the end of an already challenging year for the industry.
Trade organizations representing brewers, winemakers and distillers are designating Tuesday as a day of action for businesses to urge lawmakers to pass an extension. Additionally, groups from across the beer supply chain are launching a new coalition this week called Save the Beer Economy.
There is widespread bipartisan support for extending the excise tax reductions, but it remains to be seen if Congress takes up any legislation on the matter before the end of the year. Stakeholders argue that extending the tax relief is pressing, particularly given how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted small alcohol producers.
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“There’s quite a bit of advocacy going on from brewers, from distillers, from vintners around the country, all working together to show the value of this,” said Jim McGreevy, president and CEO of the Beer Institute.
President TrumpDonald John TrumpGeraldo Rivera on Trump sowing election result doubts: ‘Enough is enough now’ Murkowski: Trump should concede White House race Scott Atlas resigns as coronavirus adviser to Trump MORE’s 2017 tax law included a provision to reduce excise-tax burdens for winemakers, brewers and distillers for 2018 and 2019. The tax breaks were extended into 2020 as part of a government funding package enacted last year.
While much of that law only received GOP support, the provision on alcohol excise taxes has the backing of lawmakers in both parties and was based on legislation to permanently reduce the taxes that had been in the works for many years with widespread congressional support.
With the expiration of the tax reductions approaching, a new push for an extension has brought together the alcohol industry, hospitality sector and agriculture groups.
The new coalition counts the Beer Institute, National Restaurant Association and National Barley Growers Association as partners. Anheuser-Busch is providing financial resources toward the effort, according to a spokesperson for the coalition.
Aaron Frazier, director of health care and tax policy at the National Restaurant Association, said “alcohol sales are critical to save the local restaurant, pub or tavern.”
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The coalition has circulated to congressional Democratic aides a paper from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), a center-left think tank, that argues it makes sense for Democrats to back an extension of the excise tax reductions.
“This reduction in excise taxes is good on both economic and equity grounds, and so it should be extended and made permanent,” said Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at PPI and the author of the paper.
Mandel said an increase in excise taxes would be regressive and hit “blue wall” states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that saw significant growth in brewery jobs before the pandemic.
Alcohol industry groups argue the pandemic has heightened the need to extend the tax reductions. They said smaller breweries, wineries and distilleries have been particularly hard hit during the pandemic because they are more dependent on revenue from visits to their tasting rooms and sales at restaurants.
They’re expected to be hit even harder this winter as COVID-19 cases surge across the country and more states and municipalities impose restrictions on bars and indoor dining.
Jeff Quint, founder of Cedar Ridge Distillery in Iowa, said his business would “have to make some serious modifications to our plans next year” if the reduced excise taxes aren’t extended.
Charles Jefferson, vice president of federal and international public policy at the Wine Institute, said wineries have not only been impacted by the pandemic but also by a particularly bad wildfire season in the western part of the country.
“The uncertainty of the craft provisions is hanging over all wineries as they try to recover,” he said.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are supportive of extending the tax reductions. A bill to make the excise tax reductions permanent, called the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, is sponsored by about 350 House members and about three quarters of all senators.
But there still remain obstacles to any extension, short-term or long-term, being enacted this year.
It’s unclear how much Congress will accomplish in the lame-duck session, given the start of a new administration next year. And with a tight legislative calendar, passing a standalone measure in both chambers could prove challenging.
At least one major bill is expected to make its way through Congress before January: Congress needs to pass legislation by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown, but there’s no guarantee any tax measures will be attached to appropriations legislation.
Many lawmakers are also interested in passing another coronavirus relief bill this year, even though Democrats and Republicans have struggled to reach an agreement on such a package for months. Groups representing a wide spectrum of businesses are hoping for industry-specific provisions to help them weather the rest of the COVID-19 recession.
When the excise tax reductions were extended last year, they were among a number of temporary provisions known as “extenders” that were given new expiration dates. There’s less urgency for Congress to act broadly on tax extenders this year, because many of the provisions won’t need to be extended until next year to guarantee they can be claimed on 2021 tax returns.
However, the expiration of the alcohol excise tax reductions would start to be felt by businesses early next year, since the taxes are paid periodically during the year.
“During this lame-duck, there’s a lot of things for Congress to consider, including an economic stimulus bill, and it is imperative that this legislation gets passed by year end or we’ll have many, many craft distillers devastated as a result,” said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
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Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenTwo more parting shots from Trump aimed squarely at disabled workers On The Money: Push for student loan forgiveness puts Biden in tight spot | Trump is wild card as shutdown fears grow | Mnuchin asks Fed to return 5 billion in unspent COVID emergency funds Grassley, Wyden criticize Treasury guidance concerning PPP loans MORE (D-Ore.), the lead sponsor of the Senate bill to make the excise tax relief permanent, said extending the tax breaks is a priority of his.
“Brewers, vintners, and distillers in Oregon need certainty to grow, and this is especially true given the current state of the economy,” he said. “Small businesses nationwide have been walloped and can’t take another hit. I’m pushing hard to extend their tax relief in the end-of-year package.”
President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenGeraldo Rivera on Trump sowing election result doubts: ‘Enough is enough now’ Senate approves two energy regulators, completing panel Murkowski: Trump should concede White House race MORE’s pick for his top White House economic adviser has sparked concerns from progressives who fear that his moderate background and corporate experience could derail their priorities.
Biden is expected to name Brian Deese as the director of the White House National Economic Council, according to multiple reports, an influential post responsible for coordinating economic policy across the administration and advising the president on crucial decisions.
Deese has been widely praised by Obama administration figures — including the former president — as an intelligent policymaker who was crucial to the recovery from the Great Recession. He first served on the Obama administration’s task force for reviving the auto industry before stints as the deputy White House budget office director and Obama’s top climate adviser.
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In a Sunday tweet, Jason FurmanJason FurmanProgressives offer mixed messages on key Biden economic aide Former Treasury secretaries from both parties call for immediate COVID-19 relief deal Economists call for more stimulus checks MORE, who chaired the White House Council of Economic Advisers under Obama, called Deese a “brilliant leader” who “gets the best out of everyone he works with” with kindness and generosity.
But while Deese boasts deep support among Obama alumni and moderate Democrats, progressive groups and industry skeptics have been critical of his pending appointment.
Deese’s decision to join investment megafirm BlackRock as a managing director is a serious red flag for progressives who’ve warned Biden against staffing his administration from the financial industry. While Deese was responsible for making BlackRock’s operations more climate friendly, environmentalists say the firm hasn’t done enough to fight climate change and divest from the fossil fuel and mining industries.
Deese’s support during the Obama administration for deficit reduction and entitlement reform has also alarmed progressives who want Biden to go big on coronavirus relief and defy Republican fiscal hawks.
“Deese won’t treat progressives like pieces of shit,” said Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project. But he argued Deese “has conflicted himself on addressing issues that we would very much want to see the director of the National Economic Council address.”
The Biden transition team did not respond to a request for comment. Deese could not be reached for comment.
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Deese, 42, was among the youngest and most influential members of Obama’s economic team across several policy fronts. After helping the White House craft the Obama administration’s auto industry revival plan, he served as deputy National Economic Council director and later helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement as Obama’s top climate adviser.
Deese’s stint with Obama won him praise among the Democratic economic policy establishment but rankled some left-leaning lawmakers and staffers who preferred a more progressive approach to financial regulations and deficits.
“It’s a bit surprising that President Elect Biden would pick someone who was so visibly tied to both the most controversial economic policies from the Obama years and the world’s largest asset manager,” wrote Tyler Gellasch in an email. Gellasch worked with Deese as a senior aide to former Sen. Carl LevinCarl Milton LevinProgressives offer mixed messages on key Biden economic aide Five House Democrats who could join Biden Cabinet Michigan to pay 0M to victims of Flint water crisis MORE (D-Mich.) and now runs investor advocacy group Healthy Markets.
Concerns about Deese’s liberal bona fides were amplified when he joined BlackRock as a managing partner, helping the largest nonbank asset manager navigate intense pressure over its energy-related investments. Democrats have also grown increasingly concerned that companies like BlackRock have outsized influence over the economy and financial markets while facing much less regulatory scrutiny than banks of similar size and scale.
“We think it’s generally difficult for people who’ve worked in industry to immediately view that industry or a specific corporation with the level of skepticism that would permit restructuring when warranted,” Hauser said.
“You’re just predisposed to not finding the business model that used to pay you a few months ago to be inherently problematic.”
Progressives have pushed for Biden to not hire Wall Street executives, as well as corporate lobbyists, to a potential administration since before Election Day. Deese’s BlackRock title puts him in that category.
In October, Democratic lawmakers including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezModerate Democrats: Everyone’s older siblings Ocasio-Cortez raises 0K to fight food and housing insecurity during video game battle Club for Growth to launch ad blitz in Georgia to juice GOP turnout MORE (N.Y.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Barbara LeeBarbara Jean LeeBiden budget pick sparks battle with GOP Senate Democrats brush off calls for Biden to play hardball on Cabinet picks Top contender for Biden Defense chief would be historic pick MORE (Calif.) and Katie Porter (Calif.), called on Senate leadership to oppose the confirmation of any nominee to an executive branch position who is a lobbyist or former lobbyist for any corporate client or who is a C-suite officer for a private corporation.
Even so, the progressive response to Deese’s likely nomination has been tame.
Ocasio-Cortez’s, Grijalva’s, Lee’s and Porter’s offices did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Eight progressive groups wrote a letter to Biden in April, asking him to vow not to appoint any “current or former Wall Street executives or corporate lobbyists, or people affiliated with the fossil fuel, health insurance or private prison corporations” to his transition team, Cabinet or as top aides.
But Deese’s work making BlackRock’s operations more climate friendly makes him an acceptable choice for one group that signed onto the letter: NextGen America.
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“The Biden administration has to work to introduce its appointees to young people and ensure that they will be leaders on the issues we care about. Deese’s climate advocacy suggests he can be one of those leaders,” a spokesman for NextGen America said.
Other groups on the letter did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment on Biden picking Deese.
Gellasch is similarly hopeful that Deese can prove himself to be a positive advocate for progressive issues inside the White House.
“Brian has worked very hard for many years on many of the exact same issues that are relevant now,” Gellasch said. “I just hope he’s learned from some of the past mistakes.”
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Leaked documents from China show the country mishandled the early COVID-19 pandemic through misleading public data and three-week delays in test results, CNN reported Monday.
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A whistleblower, who worked in the Chinese health care system, provided 117 pages of internal documents from the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to CNN.
The files, which CNN had verified by six experts, showed how the region struggled to manage the coronavirus between October 2019 and April 2020 – a critical time period in which the virus spread from China to cause a worldwide pandemic.
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China has repeatedly denied allegations from the U.S. and other governments that it purposefully concealed information about the coronavirus. CNN noted that the documents do not show an intentional withholding of information, but they do indicate that there were deviations between what officials believed and what they reported to the public.
On Feb. 10, Chinese officials publicized 2,478 new confirmed cases, making the total worldwide number reach beyond 40,000. But in a file labeled “internal document, please keep confidential,” the Hubei Provincial CDC recorded 5,918 new cases on that date, with 2,345 “confirmed cases,” 1,772 “clinically diagnosed cases” and 1,796 “suspected cases.”
A report from early March indicated that the average time between the start of symptoms to a confirmed diagnosis amounted to 23.3 days. Experts told CNN this timeline would have impeded officials’ ability to respond to the spread of the virus.
The documents also reveal that Hubei was enduring an influenza epidemic in late 2019, which led to cases being 20 times higher than the previous year. While this epidemic did affect Wuhan, which is believed to be where COVID-19 originated, it affected the cities Yichang and Xianning much more.
CNN noted the documents do not suggest that the influenza epidemic and coronavirus outbreak were connected, but the severity of the influenza spike had not been previously reported. Experts told the network that the dual outbreaks would have made it challenging for health experts to pay attention to any new viruses.
China has defended its response to the coronavirus. Its State Council said n June that the government had always published COVID-19-related information in a “timely, open and transparent fashion.”
As of Monday evening, the pandemic has led to more than 63.1 million cases and 1.4 million deaths worldwide, with 13.5 million cases and 267,844 deaths being in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony FauciAnthony FauciFauci: Restrictions likely won’t be reversed before Christmas Health officials warn of post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 case surge Year-end parties banned in South Korea MORE said Sunday that coronavirus restrictions likely will not be reversed before Christmas.
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Host Martha Raddatz asked Fauci on ABC News’s “This Week” if he thinks “we’ll be under the same restrictions you recommended on Thanksgiving, going into Christmas.”
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“You know, Martha, I can’t see how we’re not going to have the same thing,” he replied. “Because, when you have the kind of inflection that we have, it doesn’t all of a sudden turn around like that.”
“So clearly, in the next few weeks, we’re going to have the same sort of thing, and perhaps even two or three weeks down the line, Martha, we may see a surge upon a surge,” he added.
Fauci continued by saying he doesn’t “want to frighten people, but that’s just the reality.”
“We said that these things would happen as we got into the cold weather and as we began traveling, and they’ve happened,” Fauci said. “It’s going to happen again.”
“So I cannot see, all of a sudden, a relaxation of the kinds of recommendations or restrictions because we’re getting into colder weather and an … even larger holiday season, as people travel to come back and forth for Christmas,” he continued.
A week before Thanksgiving, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention advised against travel and recommended that people not gather with people outside their immediate households.
But millions of people boarded flights last week, with last Wednesday recording the most air travel since March.
In the meantime, U.S. coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are not slowing down. The country surpassed 13 million confirmed cases on Friday and has reached a record of more than 91,000 current hospitalizations, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Health experts expect Thanksgiving gatherings across the country to contribute to even greater surges in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
A top Iranian security official is accusing Israel of using “electronic devices” to remotely assassinate a top nuclear scientist near Tehran.
Ali Shamkhani reportedly made the comments while at the funeral of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who died last week after being shot.
“Unfortunately, the operation was a very complicated operation and was carried out by using electronic devices,” Shamkhani said to state TV, The Associated Press reported. “No individual was present at the site.”
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Iranian officials have claimed there is strong evidence implicating Israel for the attack.
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“Terrorists murdered an eminent Iranian scientist today. This cowardice — with serious indications of Israeli role — shows desperate warmongering of perpetrators,” wrote Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after the killing. He also said there were “serious indications” of Israel’s role in the attack, though he did not provide further details.
In its report on Monday, the AP notes that Israel has been suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists for the past decade. Israel has declined to comment on the incident.
Iran’s Arabic-language state TV, Al-Alam, claimed that Fakhrizadeh, who U.S. intelligence believes had been leading Tehran’s nuclear program for two decades, was killed with satellite-controlled weapons.
It was initially reported that the truck the scientist was in exploded and then he and his bodyguard were shot at by gunmen.
Iran’s defense minister also reportedly committed to continuing Fakhrizadeh’s work “with more speed and more power.”
The developments come ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump rages against ’60 Minutes’ for interview with Krebs Cornyn spox: Neera Tanden has ‘no chance’ of being confirmed as Biden’s OMB pick Five things to know about Georgia’s Senate runoffs MORE, who has said he would like to reenter the Iran nuclear deal. This latest incident is likely to complicate such endeavors, according to military officials.
Retailers, who took a financial hit because of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated shutdowns, are setting their sights on Black Friday, cautiously hopeful for a day of improved sales.
Businesses are looking to the usual busiest shopping day of the year to boost low sales. But this Black Friday is expected to see more online purchases amid the coronavirus pandemic rather than millions of in-person shoppers.
Many businesses broke from recent years’ traditions of staying open on Thanksgiving and starting Black Friday sales early and instead increased safety regulations for Friday so customers will show, The Associated Press reported.
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Those who don’t want to shop in person will be able to participate in curbside pickup or deals through online shopping.
“Black Friday is still critical,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, told the AP. “No retailer wants it to be tarnished. It’s still vital to get their consumers spending and get consumers into the holiday mood.”
The National Retail Federation (NRF) set its expectations for sales in November and December to increase between 3.6 percent and 5.2 percent over 2019, after last year saw a 4 percent boost compared to 2018.
“After all they’ve been through, we think there’s going to be a psychological factor that they owe it to themselves and their families to have a better-than-normal holiday,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz told the AP.
The Macy’s Herald Square and Manhattan Mall saw limited shoppers in the early hours of Black Friday, according to the AP, similar to the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, N.J., which saw a line at GameStop.
Black Friday online sales are expected to reach $10 billion in a 39 percent increase from last year, and Cyber Monday is anticipated to get to $12.7 billion in sales — a 35 percent increase, according to Adobe Analytics, which examines 80 of the top 100 U.S. online retailers.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated holiday shopping in crowded stores as a “higher risk” activity to contract COVID-19. The agency instead recommends shopping online, visiting outdoor markets and using curbside pickup.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 12.8 million and killed 263,462 in the U.S., has sped up the decline of certain department stores that were required to close during lockdowns. Other companies that continued operating during shutdowns — like Amazon, Walmart and Target — kept up their sales.