Trump Signals U.S. Nearing End of Military Goals in Iran War, Shifts Hormuz Responsibility to Regional Nations 
U.S. Officials Express Optimism Over New CDC Director Selection Amid Vaccine Policy Turmoil 
Trump Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz, Threatens Power Grid Strikes 
Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks Continue in Florida as Zelenskiy Pushes for Diplomatic Progress 
Robert Mueller, Former FBI Director and Special Counsel, Dies at 81 
US-Iran War: Trump Eyes Military Exit as Markets React to Potential De-escalation 
TSA Absences Surge During Government Shutdown as ICE Agents Prepare Airport Deployment 
Trump Administration Quietly Approves $7 Billion in Unannounced Weapons Sales to UAE 
Trump's Shifting War Goals Against Iran: A Timeline of Contradictions 
U.S. Prosecutors Scrutinize Colombian President Petro in Drug Trafficking Probes 
Iran-Israel War Escalates: Long-Range Missiles, Nuclear Site Strikes, and Global Energy Crisis 
Trump Presses Japan to Support Iran War Effort, Cites Pearl Harbor in Surprise Defense 
S&P 500 Rebounds After Netanyahu's Statements on Iran's Military Setbacks 
Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks in Florida Target Ceasefire Framework and Defense Cooperation 
Brazil's Haddad Leaves Finance Ministry to Run for São Paulo Governor 
Palestinian Activist Leqaa Kordia Released from U.S. Immigration Detention After Judge's Order 
U.S.-Iran War Escalates: Marines Deploy, Strait of Hormuz Closure Drives Global Oil Crisis 
With president-elect Joe Biden rolling out his nominations for his Cabinet, many have since speculated who his nomination for attorney general of the Justice Department might be. In his latest announcement, Biden has formally unveiled his nomination of Merrick Garland to lead the DOJ.
Biden announced his nomination of Garland in his latest announcement naming the people selected to take charge of the Justice Department. Garland was among the names being considered for the position, along with outgoing senator Doug Jones and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates. Both Jones and Yates were heavily touted with their experience, but it was Garland, who was previously up for nomination for the Supreme Court in 2016, who was ultimately chosen.
Speculations that Garland was among the candidates for the job circulated when he started to recuse himself from cases involving the federal government. With the Democratic party now controlling the Senate, it would not only make Garland’s confirmation smoother, but it would also ease the process of finding his replacement in the US Court of Appeals in DC. Should the GOP maintain control of the Senate, Jones would have been the likely confirmed candidate for the job due to his ability to work across the aisle. Many Democratic Senators have also pushed for Jones to get the attorney general job.
Alongside Garland, Biden has also nominated Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general, Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights, and Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general. Both Monaco and Gupta previously served in the Obama administration as the homeland security adviser and assistant attorney general for civil rights respectively. Clarke is the president of the civil rights group, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and was a former head of the civil rights bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General.
Shortly before Biden’s unveiling of his Justice Department, the president-elect addressed the siege that occurred at the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. Biden blasted the mob as well as Donald Trump for inciting the mob to act in an attempt to overturn the elections by breaking into the Capitol.
“They weren’t protesters -- don’t dare call them protesters,” said Biden. “They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. It’s that basic. It’s that simple.”
