Trump Says U.S. and NATO Will Reach Agreement on Greenland’s Future 
Trump Says U.S. Will Soon Target Land Routes for Drug Trafficking 
Trump Declines G7 Paris Meeting Amid Rising Tensions With European Allies Over Greenland Remarks 
Syrian Government Consolidates Control as Kurdish Forces Withdraw from Key Regions 
U.S. Plans NATO Staff Reductions, Raising Fresh Concerns Over Alliance Commitment 
Supreme Court Tests Federal Reserve Independence Amid Trump’s Bid to Fire Lisa Cook 
Russian Air Attacks Plunge Kyiv Into Darkness, Raise Nuclear Safety Fears 
Russia Says Ukraine Peace Talks With U.S. Show Progress 
Trump Rejects Talks With Maduro Amid Election Interference Allegations 
France Nears 2026 Budget Deal as Government Offers Concessions to Avoid No-Confidence Vote 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Limit Wall Street Investment in Single-Family Homes 
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Proposal Sparks Global Debate Over U.N. Role 
Syria Announces Ceasefire With Kurdish Forces as U.S. Pushes Integration Deal 
Kazakh President Tokayev Accepts Invitation to Join Trump-Proposed “Board of Peace” 
Ukraine Unveils New Drone-Based Air Defence Strategy Amid Rising Russian Threats 
Russian Drone and Missile Attack Disrupts Power and Water in Kyiv 
European Leaders Unite in Davos as Trump’s Greenland Threat Sparks Trade Tensions 
Following his election victory, president-elect Joe Biden is already getting to work, focusing on the response to COVID-19 in the country. Biden has already begun naming who would be possible members of his Cabinet for his administration, including his picks for Health and Human Services.
Biden has tapped California attorney general Xavier Becerra to become the Health and Human Services Secretary for his administration. Becerra would then oversee the Biden administration’s COVID-19 response should he be confirmed by the Senate. Alongside Becerra, Biden has also picked Dr. Rochelle Welensky to become the head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as naming top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci as his Chief Medical Adviser.
Should Becerra be confirmed by the Senate, he would become the first Latino to become the head of Health and Human Services. Becerra was among the Democrats who staunchly defended the Affordable Care Act, both in his tenure as congressman and attorney general.
Former Obama-administration economic adviser Jeff Zients was also named as the White House Coronavirus Coordinator. This also comes as the incoming administration would be tackling a mass vaccination campaign with vaccines that have been making progress in recent months. Former surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy will also be returning to his post as among the top health experts in Biden’s COVID-19 task force but with more responsibilities this time around.
National security expert Natalie Quillian will be serving as co-director of the coronavirus response, and Yale public health expert Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith will head a new group dedicated to reducing disparities made evident during the pandemic.
Biden has yet to reveal his picks as head of the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Even as Biden is already focused on his response to COVID-19 in the country, members of his inauguration committee have been named. The president-elect named five co-chairs in longtime ally Congressman Jim Clyburn, as well as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Congressman Cedric Richmond, and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.
They will be responsible for overseeing preparations for a safe inauguration on January 20, 2021, when Biden will be sworn in as president. Biden has said that his inauguration is expected to be similar to the Democratic National Convention, which was largely virtual in light of the pandemic.
