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Added on the 15/11/2020 14:40:33 - Copyright : Wochit
"The president has stated and reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court and certainly stands by that," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says, as several US news media outlets report that US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire. SOUNDBITE
The Pentagon has upped the number of National Guard members it wants present at President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration by 4,000. CNN reports the Pentagon on Friday authorized up to 25,000 National Guard members, marking an increase from the 21,000 troops authorized a day earlier. Law enforcement in Washington, DC, and around the country is bracing for more extremist violence after the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last week. The DOD announced Tuesday that Guardsmen and women will be armed. Law enforcement is monitoring phones and other communications in an all-out effort to track individuals to ensure they do not travel to Washington.
President-elect Joe Biden has picked his nominee to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. According to Business Insider, Biden will nominate Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio. If confirmed, she'll become the first Black woman in the position. The pick will likely ease the minds of some legislators and activists who were concerned about a perceived lack of diversity among Biden's Cabinet picks. Representing the urban Cleveland-area district, Fudge had publicly lobbied to become Biden's Secretary of Agriculture in recent days. HUD is a sprawling department with a $50 billion budget and roughly 8,000 employees.
The Washington Post reports the Trump administration has prevented Joe Biden's transition team from meeting with US intelligence leaders. Biden's team has reportedly not yet been able to meet with officials at agencies including the NSA and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Both those agencies are controlled by the Pentagon. Business Insider reports that the Pentagon has denied any efforts to stifle the team's smooth transition period. The Pentagon said that requested meetings could take place as early as next week.
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).