Biden fractures foot after fall, will likely be in walking boot 'for several weeks'

The president-elect fell while playing with his dog.

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 52 days.

Nov 23, 2020, 3:29 PM EST

Top Dems spar with GSA over transition process

Two House committees continue to battle with the General Services Administration over Administrator Emily Murphy's refusal to formally acknowledge the results of the election, which has stymied President-elect Joe Biden's transition process. 

The Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Appropriations Committee have rejected an offer from the GSA to have Murphy's deputy brief lawmakers next week, following an initial request for Murphy to brief lawmakers by Monday. 

"We cannot wait yet another week to obtain basic information about your refusal to make the ascertainment determination," top Democrats said to Murphy in a written response. "Every additional day that is wasted is a day that the safety, health, and well-being of the American people is imperiled as the incoming Biden-Harris Administration is blocked from fully preparing for the coronavirus pandemic, our nation’s dire economic crisis, and our national security."

Democrats have offered to host the briefing themselves.

Murphy's office claimed the briefing had to be moved to next week because of the closure of the GSA office due to "threatened violence against the facility."

A GSA spokesperson did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel and Anne Flaherty

Nov 23, 2020, 2:25 PM EST

Michigan meeting on whether to certify votes underway

Michigan election officials are in the process of determining whether to certify the state's election results amid GOP efforts to delay it. Trump is currently trailing Biden by more than 150,000 votes.

If the state board, comprised of two Republicans and two Democrats, is deadlocked in its vote, the Michigan Court of Appeals would intervene and likely compel certification. 

PHOTO:Wayne County Board of Canvassers discuss a motion to certify election results during a board meeting in Detroit , Nov. 17, 2020.
Wayne County Board of Canvassers, from left, Republican member William Hartmann, Republican chairperson Monica Palmer, Democrat vice chair Jonathan Kinloch, and Democratic member Allen Wilson discuss a motion to certify election results during a board meeting in Detroit , Nov. 17, 2020.
Robin Buckson/AP, FILE

The Republican vice chair of the board of state canvassers, Aaron Van Langevelde, said the board’s duty is “very clear.”

“We have a duty to certify the selection based on the returns," he said, opening the meeting to public comments. "That is very good. And we are limited to these returns, and I'm not going to argue that we're not, but I still think that people have signed up today did have a chance to speak before we act on this motion."

The board’s other Republican member, Norm Shinkle, told the Washington Post last week he is leaning toward delaying certification. 

At least three votes are needed for certification.

-ABC News' Kendall Karson

Nov 23, 2020, 1:21 PM EST

Obama offers praise for Biden's Cabinet picks 

Shortly before the president-elect officially announced his picks for foreign policy and national security, former President Barack Obama weighed in with praise for the development of a team he said he has confidence in. 

Obama described Antony Blinken, who was Obama's deputy national security adviser and Biden's foreign policy adviser when he was vice president, as a trusted adviser and a skilled diplomat. Blinken was tapped for secretary of state.

"He was part of our inner circle in on our key meetings throughout my presidency. He's outstanding, a smart, gracious skilled diplomat, well regarded around the world, and I know he's going to do a great job," Obama said during a Washington Post Live event. 

PHOTO: Former  President Barack Obama addresses the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention, Aug. 20, 2020.
Former President Barack Obama addresses the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention, Aug. 20, 2020.
NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE

Obama called Jake Sullivan, Biden's pick for national security adviser, a "wicked, smart, young, energetic" and "outstanding" selection.

"So you're seeing a team develop that I have great confidence in," Obama said, before cautioning that restoring allies' confidence in the U.S. will not be "restored overnight."

"There is going to be a lingering sense that America still divided. Some of the shenanigans that are going on right now around the election, that is making the world question how reliable and steady the U.S. may be," Obama said. "There's been some damage done that is going to take some time to dig ourselves out of."

-ABC News' Jordyn Phelps

Nov 23, 2020, 12:30 PM EST

Biden announces 1st Cabinet picks

Biden’s transition team has officially revealed the president-elect's choices for his incoming Cabinet. The selections announced Monday include:

  • Antony Blinken, secretary of state
  • Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of homeland security
  • Avril Haines, director of national intelligence
  • Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
  • Jake Sullivan, national security adviser
  • Former Secretary of State John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate

"Their accomplishments in diplomacy are unmatched, but they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet the profound challenges of this new moment with old thinking and unchanged habits -- or without diversity of background and perspective," Biden said in a statement.

The team also said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will introduce the nominees at an event that will be live-streamed Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

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