Biden begins transition plans as Trump refuses to concede

By Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 8:07 p.m. ET, November 16, 2020
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11:37 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

White House national security adviser moves closer to accepting Biden-Harris win

From CNN's Zachary Cohen and Evan Perez

National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien speaks during a press briefing at the White House on August 13 in Washington, DC
National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien speaks during a press briefing at the White House on August 13 in Washington, DC Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien promised in a new interview Monday that there would be a professional transition from the White House National Security Council if, according to him, Joe Biden is determined the winner of the 2020 election, acknowledging, for the first time, that it is the likely outcome, saying: “obviously things look that way now.”

“If there is a new administration, they deserve some time to come in and implement their policies… if the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner, and obviously things look that way now, we’ll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council,” he said in a discussion at the Global Security Forum. 

O’Brien did not say outright that Biden is the projected winner of the election but his comments go further that what other White House officials have said to date regarding Trump’s likely loss. 

Remember: Major new organizations, including CNN, projected Biden will win the presidential election.

10:43 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

Covid-19 is "not going to stop and call a timeout while things change,” Fauci says of White House transition

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on September 23.
Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on September 23. Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie on Monday that it’s concerning that a White House transition hasn’t gotten underway.

“Obviously it’s something that we’re concerned about,” he said.

“I’ve served in six administrations, so I’ve seen a number of transitions and I know that transitions are very important to get a smooth, essentially as I use the metaphor, essentially passing a baton without stopping running,” Fauci said on “Today” on Monday. “You just want things to go very smoothly. So, hopefully we’ll see that soon and transitions are important.” 

Fauci also said that he agreed with comments from Moncef Slaoui, chief of Operation Warp Speed, who has said that he does not want to see the vaccine distribution process disrupted.

“I totally agree with him, very much so,” Fauci said. “I mean, the virus is not going to stop and call a timeout while things change, the virus is just going to keep going, the process is just going to keep going.” 

Fauci said they want doses to start going out to people in December and then “we want to really get the ball rolling” in January, February and March. 

“We want a smooth process for that, and the way you do that is by essentially having the two groups speak to each other and exchange information,” Fauci said. 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: How the Covid-19 pandemic turned into a 'humanitarian disaster'

11:41 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

Biden tweets that vaccine news is reason to feel hopeful, but cautions it is "still months away"

From CNN’s Sarah Mucha

A participant receives his first injection for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial on August 4 in DeLand, Florida.
A participant receives his first injection for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial on August 4 in DeLand, Florida. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto/Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden tweeted on today’s news of the Moderna vaccine, saying that it is “further reason to feel hopeful.”

He cautioned, however, that “we are still months away” and urged Americans to continue to take precautions like social distancing and wearing a mask. 

“Today's news of a second vaccine is further reason to feel hopeful. What was true with the first vaccine remains true with the second: we are still months away. Until then, Americans need to continue to practice social-distancing and mask-wearing to get the virus under control," Biden said.

According to early data released Monday by Moderna, their vaccine is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, making it the second vaccine in the US to have a stunningly high success rate.

Biden has made coronavirus a key priority of his incoming administration and appointed a Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board led by established public health officials and staffed by a mix of doctors and current and former government officials.

The US surpassed 11 million coronavirus cases on Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

10:19 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

These are the Trump health care measures that Biden will likely overturn

From CNN's Tami Luhby, Caroline Kelly and Devan Cole

Getty Images
Getty Images

When it comes to health policy, President Trump made it his mission to undo many measures his predecessor put in place.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to do the same.

In their four years in office, the Trump administration made sweeping changes that affected the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, abortion and transgender rights, in many cases reversing the efforts of the Obama administration.

Most of the measures were done through executive orders and regulation since it was tough to get any bills through Congress, particularly after the Democrats took control of the House after the 2018 midterm elections.

Biden's health officials will likely be active, as well, but it will take time for all their actions to take effect.

"They don't have a massive eraser pen. They've got to go through the rule-making process," said Allison Orris, a former Obama administration official and counsel with Manatt Health, a professional services firm. "They are going to have to think about what comes first, second and third and be realistic about timing."

Plus, the Biden administration may opt to keep and continue several Trump administration efforts, including shifting to value-based care, rather than paying doctors for every visit and procedure, and increasing access to telehealth, said Ian Spatz, senior adviser at Manatt.

The two administrations also share common views on some measures to lower drug pricing, including basing Medicare payments on the cost of prescription medications in other countries and importing drugs from abroad. But Trump officials have not actually put these proposals in place.

Read more here about the Trump health care measures the incoming Biden administration is expected to reverse.

8:26 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

Nearly half of Biden's transition team is made up of people of color 

From CNN's Arlette Saenz

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in January, nearly half of the transition team laying the groundwork for his administration is made up of people of color, and women are in the majority.

Forty-six percent of the transition staff are people of color, according to new diversity data of the transition team provided to CNN, and 41% of the senior staff are people of color. The majority of transition staff — 52% — are women, and 53% of the senior staff are women.

The new diversity figures come as Biden is set to announce his Cabinet picks and senior staff for the White House in the coming weeks — one of the first tests of his campaign pledge to build an administration that will "look like America."

Biden's first major step toward diversity in his administration came when he selected Kamala Harris, a Black and South Asian woman, as his vice president. In his first staffing announcement, Biden chose a White man and longtime adviser —  Ron Klain — as his chief of staff for the White House.

The transition team's diversity also extends to its advisory board — where 43% are people of color and 52% are women. Nine of the 13 members of Biden's Covid-19 advisory board are people of color and nine of the members are women, according to the data.

Read more here.

8:11 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

Biden and Harris will deliver remarks on the economy today

From CNN's Deanna Hackney

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will receive a briefing on the economy today in Wilmington, Delaware, according to a release from the campaign.

In the afternoon, Biden and Harris will deliver remarks "on the economic recovery and building back better in the long term."

These remarks take place at a not-yet-specified location in Wilmington.

Biden is moving forward with transition plans as President Trump continues to refuse to concede.

Trump acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that Biden won the presidential election, but the President refused to concede and blamed his loss on a string of conspiracy theories.

10:14 a.m. ET, November 16, 2020

Fauci says the pandemic response would be "better" if Biden transition began

From CNN's Sarah Westwood 

Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on September 23 in Washington, DC.
Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on September 23 in Washington, DC. Alex Edelman/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told CNN that the nation’s pandemic response would be better served if the White House allowed a transition with President-elect Joe Biden’s team to begin. 

“Of course it would be better if we could start working with them,” Fauci said on CNN.

“It’s almost like passing the baton in a race,” Fauci added. “It certainly would make things more smoothly if we could do that.”

Some background: Fauci, a career civil servant, has been through five presidential transitions. He has been head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 when Ronald Reagan was president.

Fauci also praised Biden’s selection of Ron Klain as the incoming White House chief of staff, noting that he worked with Klain during the Obama administration when Klain was tasked with coordinating the Ebola virus response. 

“It’s an excellent choice,” Fauci said. 

“I worked very closely with Ron Klain during the Ebola outbreak,” he added. “He was absolutely terrific at the Ebola situation where we had a very successful ultimate endgame with Ebola.”