Reuters: U.S.

Friday, December 4, 2020

The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Capital One - Fauci to serve as Biden’s chief medical adviser | Economy adds 245K jobs, lower than expectations | Trump health officials sound alarms on COVID-19 | Trump stays largely silent | Obama, Pence campaign in Georgia today | Trump follows with Saturday Georgia trip | US tops 14M COVID-19 cases | National Cookie Day deals

The Hill 12:30 Report
Presented by Capital One
 
 
NEWS THIS MORNING

Yes! Yes! A million times yes!:

© Getty Images

 

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert said that he immediately responded “yes” to President-elect Joe Biden’s offer to serve as his chief medical adviser. https://bit.ly/39IWR3i

 

Fauci told NBC’s “Today”: “Absolutely, I said yes right on the spot.” Watch the full exchange between Fauci and NBC’s Savannah Guthriehttps://bit.ly/3ouClHP

 

How is this different from his current role?: Well, Fauci has served director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for six presidential administrations and will continue to do so. But he will now *also* serve as Biden’s chief medical adviser.

 

Is this the first we heard of this offer?: No, Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper about the offer yesterday. https://bit.ly/33JLiVu

 

Not the best jobs report we’ve ever had:

The U.S. economy added 245,000 jobs in November, as the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has slowed. https://bit.ly/39JssS7

 

What economists had predicted: Economists predicted that the U.S. economy would add 400,000 or so jobs. 

 

The unemployment rate: Fell to 6.7 percent

 

Context to the numbers: “The U.S. has regained roughly 11.6 million of the 21 million jobs lost to the onset of the pandemic, but the surprisingly steep drop-off in job gains last month is a red flag for the fragile economy as the coronavirus surges across the nation.”

 

Happy Friday! Christmas is three weeks from today! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

 

Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn

 
SPONSORED CONTENT — CAPITAL ONE

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Capital One strives to combat that surge and help those facing housing insecurity find a permanent home by helping to create over 10,000 affordable housing units a year. Learn more about that commitment here.

 
IN CONGRESS

Come on. All the cool kids are doing it:

Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, lawmakers in both parties are pressuring congressional leadership to reach a deal for a coronavirus relief package. https://bit.ly/2L9JVZZ

 

What lawmakers are telling leadership: “The lawmakers are warning businesses and workers will be further hurt if no deal is reached, and that it will further imperil their party.”

 

Republicans are urging McConnell to be flexible: “Senate Republicans are putting the squeeze on [Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)], arguing he should agree to a deal even if it means accepting a price tag higher than the $500 billion target he has set for a relief package.”

 

Pelosi and Schumer are also under pressure: “[Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)] are under pressure from Democrats disappointed the party lost seats in the House and failed to win the Senate in November.”

 
LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

Trump health officials are pacing back and forth while their boss is just chillin’:

Via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan, “Trump administration health officials are issuing increasingly dire warnings about the coronavirus and its rapid spread across the country, drawing a sharp contrast to the president’s reluctance to acknowledge the severity of the crisis head-on.” https://bit.ly/3qv9wg8

 

What Trump has been up to: “Instead, many of his public statements have focused on election conspiracy theories and his refusal to accept the results, underscored by a 46-minute video he posted to Facebook on Wednesday.”

 

If I never see the phrase ‘grim milestone’ ever again, it will be too soon:

The U.S. has officially diagnosed more than 14 million coronavirus cases. https://bit.ly/2JATwZk

 

The worst part: We hit 13 million cases less than a week ago, meaning cases are rising at an alarming rate. 

 
THE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 14,160,405

 

U.S. death toll: 276,513

 

Breakdown of the numbershttps://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

 
LATEST WITH THE BIDEN TRANSITION

Unity is the magic word:

Via The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Mike Lillis, “Progressives are seeking to avoid a civil war in the Democratic Party even as they assert their influence on President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks.” https://bit.ly/2VDrcrE

 

How it’s been going: “When Biden has named a Cabinet member, it has generally been met by applause from the party, including the left wing, even if the pick was not the number one candidate of progressives.”

 

Reasoning from Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.): “The goal is unity. We're a diverse caucus, and President-Elect Biden has promised a diverse cabinet — diverse in every way. There are going to be moderates; there are going to be progressives.”

 
SPONSORED CONTENT — CAPITAL ONE

Our commitment to growth in underserved communities

 

Through the Capital One Impact Initiative, we’re supporting socioeconomic mobility through our $200 million, five-year commitment to closing gaps in equity and opportunity.

 

Read about our focus on creating a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to prosper.

 
NOTABLE TWEETS:

44 years ago today:

© Twitter

 

Omg. We’ve all been there...:

© Twitter

 
ON TAP:

The House met this morning. The Senate is out. President Trump is in Washington, D.C. Vice President Pence is in Georgia today. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are in Wilmington, Del.

 

TodayPresident-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris receive the President’s Daily Brief.

 

TodayPresident-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris virtually meet with the National Association of Counties Board of Directors.

 

President Trump has no public events on his schedule.

 

9:25 a.m. EST: Vice President Pence left for Georgia.

 

Noon: Vice President Pence led a roundtable in Atlanta on the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

1:45 p.m. EST: Vice President Pence leave for Savannah, Ga.

 

3 p.m. EST: Vice President Pence speaks at a “Defend the Majority” rally in Savannah.

 

5:45 p.m. EST: Vice President Pence lands in Washington, D.C.

 

SaturdayPresident Trump campaigns in Georgia. Detailshttps://n.pr/3mGzpXS

 

Monday: The Hill is hosting a virtual event, “Aspiration & Resilience: Arab Youth in the COVID-19 Era.” Details and how to RSVPhttps://bit.ly/33H6v2A

 

Dec. 10: The Hill is hosting a virtual event, “Doing Better in America.” Details and how to RSVPhttps://bit.ly/33H6v2A

 
WHAT TO WATCH:

Today: President-elect Biden delivers remarks on the final jobs report of 2020.

 

10:45 a.m. EST: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) held a news conference. Livestreamhttps://bit.ly/3mJhcsG

 

11:50 a.m. EST: Vice President Pence visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emergency Operations Center in Atlanta. Livestreamhttps://bit.ly/3mIsIEO

 

2:45 p.m. EST: Former President Obama speaks at a virtual campaign event for the Democratic candidates in Georgia’s Senate runoffs. Livestreamhttps://bit.ly/3mJ8cUr

 
NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...:

Today is National Cookie Day! To celebrate, here’s a list of cookie specials today: https://bit.ly/3mJ15eG

 

And for planning purposes, tomorrow is National Comfort Food Day and Sunday is National Gazpacho Day!

 

And because this made me laugh, here’s a cat who should join drama club: https://bit.ly/33Mwohs

 
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