Pandemic, Protests and the Election News Flash

As part of our effort to provide you with the most up-to-date, accurate information, we've compiled some of the most pressing updates below. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or if we can be of any further assistance.

Trump's refusal to accept loss puts transition work on hold [via CNN] The business of transferring power between President and President-elect seemed on hold Monday as the incumbent plotted a messaging blitz to amplify his baseless claims of fraud even as his inner circle split over his ongoing refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election. Inside the White House, there is no expectation that steps toward a transition will move ahead until Trump concedes or the government formally declares Biden the winner. Top campaign officials summoned all staffers for a mid-morning meeting at the Trump campaign in suburban Virginia, a source familiar with the matter said. Campaign manager Bill Stepien and his deputy Justin Clark have been telling aides that Trump is "still in this fight" while claiming the election isn't over yet, even as Biden's team is moving ahead with his transition. Kremlin: Putin won't congratulate Biden until challenges end [via AP] Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t congratulate President-elect Joe Biden until legal challenges to the U.S. election are resolved and the result is official, the Kremlin announced Monday. Putin is one of a handful of world leaders who have not commented on Biden’s victory, which was called by major news organizations on Saturday. When Trump won in 2016, Putin was prompt in offering congratulations — but Trump's challenger in that election, , also conceded the day after the vote. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that this year is different. “Obviously, you can see that certain legal procedures are coming there, which were announced by the incumbent president — therefore this situation is different, so we consider it correct to wait for the official announcement,” he said. N.Y.C. Dangerously Close to Second Wave, Says, as New Rules Loom [via NY Times] is coming “dangerously close” to a second wave of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. ’s positive test rate is above 2% and increasing, and cases are rising as well, the mayor said on Monday at a press briefing. The city reported 779 new cases of Covid-19 — well over the threshold of the 550 it has deemed safe. The positive test rate was 2.36 percent, and 2.21 percent on a seven-day average. Hospitals admitted 71 patients. The mayor said indoor dining should be “reevaluated” immediately as the city’s infection rate topped 2 percent, and additional citywide restrictions may be necessary if the numbers continue to get worse, but the decision is up to the state. Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine is looking 90% effective [via AP] Pfizer said Monday that an early peek at the data on its coronavirus vaccine suggests the shots may be a surprisingly robust 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, putting the company on track to apply later this month for emergency-use approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top-infectious disease expert, said the results suggesting 90% effectiveness are “just extraordinary,” adding: “Not very many people expected it would be as high as that.” Monday’s announcement doesn’t mean for certain that a vaccine is imminent. Whenever any vaccine arrives, initial supplies will be scarce and rationed, with priority likely to be given to health care workers and others on the front lines. Pfizer has estimated that 50 million doses of its vaccine could be available globally by the end of the year, which could cover 25 million people, since it is given in two doses. States Trying to Fix Trump’s ‘Flawed’ Vaccine Plan, Cuomo Says [via Bloomberg] New York Governor said the Trump administration’s coronavirus vaccine plan will bypass poor areas and health-care deserts, and warned that once it’s rolled out, the Biden administration will be hard pressed to reverse it. “The good news is that the Pfizer tests look good and we’ll have a vaccine shortly,” Cuomo said Monday. “The bad news is that it’s about two months before Joe Biden takes over, and that means this administration is going to be implementing a vaccine plan.” Cuomo, a Democrat who chairs the National Governors Association, said he has been working with state leaders across the nation on how to fix the vaccine plan before it takes effect. Its vaccine plan is “flawed,” because it depends on hospitals and drug chain markets to distribute the vaccine, which would bypass communities that have neither, said Cuomo. Cuomo: 'We have definitely entered a new phase with COVID' [via Albany Times Union] “We have definitely entered a new phase with COVID," said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in a Monday. "We’re going to see the rate going up." Cuomo said that he expected the rate of positive tests for the novel coronavirus to continue rising in the state into winter. Cuomo said the overall statewide rate was 2.8 percent, triple what it was throughout much of August and September. There were 1400 hospitalizations, 282 people in intensive care units, 125 intubated and 26 deaths. “The virus is making headway and we’re going to increase restrictions, and we’re going to increase enforcement," Cuomo said. Biden transition team announces coronavirus advisers, including whistleblower Rick Bright [via CNN] Biden's transition team earlier Monday morning announced the group of public health experts that will make up his coronavirus advisory board, which includes Rick Bright, a whistleblower from the Trump administration who alleged that his early warnings about the pandemic were ignored and ultimately led to his removal. The inclusion of Bright, who said that he was met with skepticism by Trump administration officials when he raised concerns in the early throes of the pandemic about critical supplies shortages, is a clear signal of the contrasted direction that Biden intends to take his administration when it comes to dealing with the pandemic. Trump Fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper [via ] President Donald Trump announced Monday that he had fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, ousting one of his top Cabinet officials just days after losing his reelection bid. In a pair of tweets, Trump wrote that Esper had "been terminated" and that he would be replaced by National Counterterrorism Center Director Christopher Miller, who will lead the Pentagon in an acting capacity. The shakeup comes after reports that Esper had prepared a letter of resignation in recent days, prompting lawmakers, former Defense officials and military experts to urge him to remain in his post. Esper and Trump have previously clashed over the president's use of active-duty troops to quash incidents of civil unrest. As presidential dust settles, New York City turns its eyes to historic mayoral race [via Politico] With the presidential election drawing to a close, New York City voters will soon turn their attention to replacing de Blasio, whose term ends on Dec. 31, 2021. It will be a contest unlike any other in city history, featuring a crowded field of contestants who must consider both the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party and a creeping unease over safety, the economy and quality-of-life matters in a city transformed by the ongoing pandemic. The primary contest — which will likely decide the race in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 8-to-1 — has been moved by state law from September to June, compressing the political calendar and robbing candidates of standard summer opportunities to connect with voters. The pandemic has already begun affecting the rituals of campaigning. The candidates were forced to skip the traditional, lively Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club visit, instead answering questions from the host on individual Zoom calls. is the latest Trump official to test positive for coronavirus [via CNN] Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus, a HUD spokesman confirmed. Carson, who tested positive Monday morning, was at the White House on Tuesday for an election night event, as was White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who also has tested positive for the virus. Carson was around senior administration officials and other Cabinet members during the event. The diagnosis comes days after news of a fresh wave of coronavirus infections at the White House, with Meadows and five other Trump aides having received positive test results in the time around Election Day.

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