RON KLAIN

President Joe Biden came to office seeing two sicknesses in his country.

White House counsel Dana Remus made a lasting impression on her colleagues with her calm during the chaotic time after last year’s election when Donald Trump challenged the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is on a mission to save American jobs — one computer chip at a time.

In a letter Friday, Democrats demanded that the Education Dept. determine in 2 weeks the legality of cancelling $50,000 or more in debt per borrower.

President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page after a summer of unrelenting crises and refocus his presidency around his core economic agenda.

Democrats are freaking out over Joe Manchin's budget bill rebuff. The White House isn't worried.

After a summer of unrelenting crises, President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page and refocus his presidency this fall around his core economic agenda.

The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the nation’s first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates.

"Facebook needs to move more quickly to remove violative posts," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Eric Adams says he 'duplicated' Biden's strategy in New York mayoral primary

The White House says President Joe Biden has filled about 56% of his senior White House staff positions with women, including about 36% coming from racially and-or ethnically diverse backgrounds.

As Joe Biden sat behind the wheel of an electric pickup truck in Michigan recently a reporter's inquiry through the window was polite enough. "Mr President, can I ask you a quick question on Israel before you drive away, since it's so important?" said the reporter. Mr Biden responded curtly: "No. You can't. Not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it." The president later said he was "teasing" when threatening to run the journalist over. But it was the latest example of an irascibility that belies his genial public image. There were flashes of Mr Biden's hot temper on the campaign trail. Notably, he called one voter a "damn liar," and another a "lying dog-faced pony soldier".

President Joe Biden’s lone Cabinet choice who was rebuffed by Congress has landed a job as a White House senior adviser.

'I wouldn't want to estimate or underestimate Donald Trump as an opponent if he chooses to run,' said White House chief of staff Ron Klain.

A flurry of diplomatic activity and reports of major progress suggest indirect talks between the United States and Iran may be nearing a conclusion.

Two White House officials say the U.S. trade representative will begin talks in the World Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping poorer countries from making their own generic version of critically needed COVID-19 vaccines.

The U.S. top trade negotiator will begin talks with the World Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping critically needed COVID-19 vaccines from being more widely distributed worldwide, two White House officials said Sunday. The White House has been under pressure from lawmakers at home and governments abroad to join an effort to waive patent rules for the vaccines so that poorer countries can begin to produce their own generic versions of the shots to vaccinate their populations. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai will be starting talks with the trade organization “on how we can get this vaccine more widely distributed, more widely licensed, more widely shared," said White House chief of staff Ron Klain.

White House Chief of Staff said that the Biden administration will have more to say on the matter in the coming days.

Iranian state TV claims the U.S. will release $7B in funds for the release of 4 American prisoners.

Iranian state TV claims the U.S. will release $7B in funds for the release of 4 American prisoners.

The following is a transcript of an interview with White House chief of staff Ron Klain that aired Sunday, May 2, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

President Biden's chief of staff says the U.S. has not reached an agreement to secure the release of four American hostages from Iran.

Sixteen states are backing Alabama’s challenge to a new method the Census Bureau is using in an effort to protect the privacy of people who participated in the head count.

The Senate filibuster is coming under fresh scrutiny.

President Joe Biden says Republicans have talked for years about the need to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and predicts GOP lawmakers will face pressure from their supporters if they don’t act.

President Joe Biden is setting about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.

President Biden has asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to prepare a memo on the president's legal authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt.

President Joe Biden's first Cabinet meeting looked and felt different from those held by his predecessor.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – Joe Biden will convene his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, a presidential rite of passage that will be used to promote his new infrastructure plan. Ad“The meetings can help align priorities, build morale, and allow Cabinet members to develop relationships with colleagues who they don’t normally see,” Lu said. The White House has highlighted that this Cabinet is the most diverse in history. In normal times, scheduling an in-person Cabinet meeting would require weeks, if not months, of planning to block off time in the travel schedules of the various principals. The Cabinet members will soon begin to fan out across the country to pitch both the COVID-19 relief and infrastructure plans, officials said.

Biden is taking the opposite approach of the Clinton administration to help the economy. White House aides are comparing the scope of Biden's policy ambitions to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's after the Great Depression. Biden was probably the best about this.”AdCelinda Lake conducted polling for both the Clinton and Biden campaigns. The Biden administration is now challenging China, which never embraced the values of democracy as trade advocates once believed it would. But he sees the Biden administration as pursuing new policies to help workers.

President Joe Biden listens to a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 25, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)NEW YORK – Joe Biden's first presidential news conference was notable for what was missing after predecessor Donald Trump: no contentious exchanges with reporters, no Fox News and no questions about COVID-19. Before taking a question, Biden announced he was setting a new goal of having 200 million vaccine doses for the coronavirus administered during his first 100 days in office. Trump on Thursday accused the White House reporters of throwing “softballs” to Biden. AdThat quickly became an issue at Fox, where the chyron “Biden Snubs Fox News during First News Conf” was put onscreen.

WASHINGTON – At least one group in America is unlikely to get any money from President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan — his own top aides. Most of Biden’s senior West Wing advisers made far more than the threshold that would qualify them for direct payments from the president’s COVID-19 relief bill, according to White House financial disclosure forms released Saturday. Others in the West Wing — whose positions don't require Senate confirmation — have had deep ties to the business world. He was listed as having a salary of $1.8 million, according to his disclosure form. Brian Deese, head of the national economic council, was previously global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock, according to his disclosure.

President Joe Biden's closest advisors have ties to big business and Wall Street, with some making millions of dollars in their careers leading up to entering the White House, new financial disclosures show. These disclosures were provided by the White House to CNBC early Saturday morning after requesting the documents a day earlier. A White House spokesperson did not return a follow up request for comment. His new financial disclosure form shows that Sullivan, from 2017 until last year, was a member of the Microsoft advisory council. The report says Sullivan was on the "policy advisory council advising the president of Microsoft on key policy developments."

President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Washington. “While it was different for everyone, we all lost something," Biden said of the sacrifices of the yearlong-and-counting pandemic. In his Thursday night address, Biden said that as vaccine supplies continue to increase, he will direct states and territories to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1. Biden had originally planned to sign the bill on Friday, but it arrived at the White House more quickly than anticipated. Trump, it was later revealed, acknowledged that he had been deliberately “playing down” the threat of the virus.

“While it was different for everyone, we all lost something," Biden said of the sacrifices of the yearlong-and-counting pandemic. “This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” Biden said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office. In his Thursday night address, Biden said that as vaccine supplies continue to increase, he will direct states and territories to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1. Biden had originally planned to sign the bill on Friday, but it arrived at the White House more quickly than anticipated. Almost exactly one year ago, President Donald Trump addressed the nation to mark the WHO’s declaration of a global pandemic.

President Joe Biden participates in a roundtable discussion on a coronavirus relief package in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 5, 2021. It reflects a White House media strategy meant both to reserve major media set-pieces for the celebration of a legislative victory and to limit unforced errors from a historically gaffe-prone politician. In a sharp contrast with the previous administration, the White House is exerting extreme message discipline, empowering staff to speak but doing so with caution. The volume has been turned so low in the Biden White House that they need to worry about whether anyone is listening," said Frank Sesno, former head of George Washington University's school of media. “Presidential press conferences are not on the top of the agenda for Americans who are worried about COVID and the economic disaster that has befallen so many families,” he said.

President Joe Biden participates in a roundtable discussion on a coronavirus relief package in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 5, 2021. It reflects a White House media strategy meant both to reserve major media set-pieces for the celebration of a legislative victory and to limit unforced errors from a historically gaffe-prone politician. In a sharp contrast with the previous administration, the White House is exerting extreme message discipline, empowering staff to speak but doing so with caution. The volume has been turned so low in the Biden White House that they need to worry about whether anyone is listening," said Frank Sesno, former head of George Washington University's school of media. “Presidential press conferences are not on the top of the agenda for Americans who are worried about COVID and the economic disaster that has befallen so many families,” he said.

But lawmakers and advocates are racing to capitalize on House rules that allow any bill to bypass lengthy committee hearings if brought forward by April 1. Senate Republicans are now threatening similar delays. Ad“We’ll be fighting this in every way that we can,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said about the COVID-19 package. McConnell wants Senate Republicans to vote in lockstep against the virus aid, calling it a bloated liberal wish list, following the lead of House Republicans who gave it zero support. That leaves Democrats negotiating with themselves on the COVID-19 package, with Biden warning they won’t like every aspect as he courts centrists.

Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), appears beofre a Senate Committee on the Budget hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden's pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn her nomination after she faced opposition from key Democratic and Republican senators for her controversial tweets. Thirteen of the 23 Cabinet nominees requiring Senate approval have been confirmed, most with strong bipartisan support. But without Manchin’s support, the White House was left scrambling to find a Republican to support her. White House chief of staff Ron Klain initially insisted the administration was “fighting our guts out” for her.

Lucy Nicholson | ReutersSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also said that the push for a raised federal minimum wage will continue. "We are not going to give up the fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 to help millions of struggling American workers and their families. It's also possible that Vice President Kamala Harris could overrule the parliamentarian's decision, as the president of the Senate. "The president and vice president both respect the parliamentarian's decision and the process," he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." Working people shouldn't have to cross their fingers that their employers will do the right thing by raising their minimum wage.

In this Feb. 9, 2021 photo, White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo listens as press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has resigned, the day after he was suspended for issuing a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. In a statement Saturday, Ducklo said he was “devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White House colleagues and President Biden.”Ad“No words can express my regret, my embarrassment and my disgust for my behavior,” he said. White House press secretary Jen Psaki faced a flurry of questions about the controversy Friday, with reporters highlighting Biden's comments and questioning the decision to merely suspend Ducklo for a week. She pointed to apologies made by top members of the White House communications team and Ducklo himself to the Politico reporter as ample moves reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

With vaccine supplies running tight, they want assurances that the doses will come from a separate federal supply and not their own. Eager to protect more people against the coronavirus, health officials in Oklahoma jumped at the chance to add large, federally supported vaccination sites. The Biden administration's virus response plan calls for opening 100 federally supported vaccination sites by the end of February. “We just opened our first two federal vaccination centers, in California this week," Klain told NBC News. Officials in New York and Texas said the federal government told them that the vaccines distributed in the federal sites there would not count against the states’ allocations.

In this Feb. 9, 2021 photo, White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo listens as press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Ducklo's conduct was “completely unacceptable.” Psaki said while she had not spoken about the incident with President Joe Biden, Ducklo and aides “at the highest levels” of the White House’s communications team had apologized for the incident. Psaki said in a statement earlier Friday that Ducklo had been suspended without pay with the approval of White House chief of staff Ron Klain. But the Biden White House sought to strike a more cordial and professional tone with the Washington press corps from the start, installing a cadre of seasoned Washington communicators led by Psaki.

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that his administration has secured deals for another 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, bringing the U.S. total to 600 million. Because both Pfizer's and Moderna's authorized vaccines require two doses given about three to four weeks apart, the total of 600 million doses would be enough to inoculate 300 million people. Pfizer already has a deal with the U.S. to deliver 200 million doses. Moderna also has a deal with the U.S. for 200 million doses. The deal gives the federal government the option to order an additional 200 million doses, according to the announcement.

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2021, file photo, Sri Lankan nursing staff administer COVID-19 vaccines to front-line health workers in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reynolds issued the earlier restrictions in November when hospitals were struggling to care for a surge of coronavirus patients. Officials say it could help up to four COVID-19 patients. ___LISBON, Portugal — Portugal has set a new daily record for COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care with 904 patients on Friday. AdThe Austrian government offered to take in five COVID-19 patients and five non-COVID patients to relieve Portuguese hospitals.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain dismissed concerns that President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill is dead in the water. "It's hardly dead in the water," Klain told "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell on Thursday. The administration is also working with vaccine companies to ramp up production, but Klain called it a "slow process." "It's important not just to open schools, but to keep them open. I think one of the most frustrating things to parents has been the yo-yoing of schools open, schools closed," Klain said.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain dismissed concerns that President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill is dead in the water. "It's hardly dead in the water," Klain told "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell on Thursday. The administration is also working with vaccine companies to ramp up production, but Klain called it a "slow process." "It's important not just to open schools, but to keep them open. I think one of the most frustrating things to parents has been the yo-yoing of schools open, schools closed," Klain said.

White House chief of staff on vaccine rollout and reopening schools Norah O'Donnell interviews President Biden's chief of staff Ron Klain about increasing the vaccine supply, reopening schools and the coronavirus relief bill.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens as President Joe Biden speaks before signing an Executive Order reversing the Trump era ban on transgender individuals serving in military, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed an order Monday reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military. And the military set July 1, 2017, as the date when transgender individuals would be allowed to enlist. A few weeks later, Trump caught military leaders by surprise, tweeting that the government wouldn't accept or allow transgender individuals to serve “in any capacity” in the military. But they also acknowledged that some commanders were spending a lot of time with transgender individuals who were working through medical requirements and other transition issues.

Biden has been widely expected to overturn the Trump policy in his early days in office. The White House could announce the move as early as Monday, according to the person briefed on the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order. “I support the president’s plan or plan to overturn the ban,” Austin said. The move to overturn the transgender ban is also the latest example of Biden using executive authority in his first days as president to dismantle Trump's legacy. Biden is also scheduled to hold a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony on Monday at the White House for Austin, who became the nation's first Black defense secretary.

Biden has been widely expected to overturn the Trump policy in his early days in office. And the military set July 1, 2017, as the date when transgender individuals would be allowed to enlist. A few weeks later, Trump caught military leaders by surprise, tweeting that the government wouldn't accept or allow transgender individuals to serve “in any capacity” in the military. All four service chiefs told Congress in 2018 that they had seen no discipline, morale or unit readiness problems with transgender troops serving openly in the military. But they also acknowledged that some commanders were spending a lot of time with transgender individuals who were working through medical requirements and other transition issues.

Ron Klain, former White House Ebola response coordinator, speaks during a House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Sunday that it's not possible for U.S. states to purchase Covid-19 vaccines directly from manufacturers, as some have sought to do, under the emergency use authorization issued by the Food and Drug Administration. "As a matter of law, this vaccine is under an emergency use authorization," Klain told NBC's "Meet the Press," when asked about the requests. Andrew Cuomo asked Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Monday to allow the state to purchase vaccines directly from the company, citing tightening supply. Pfizer told Cuomo that it couldn't do so under the terms of its December emergency use authorization.

The Biden plan comes as a divided nation remains caught in the grip of the pandemics most dangerous wave yet. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden predicted he would take office amid a “dark winter,” and the outlook is only getting bleaker. “The virus is going to get worse before it gets better,” he warned. “The virus is the virus. But the biggest challenge, in their view, was years in the making by the Trump administration: declining confidence in government and institutions.

___HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN’S INAUGURATION:President-elect Joe Biden appeared at a memorial for COVID-19 victims at the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday evening. ___4:45 p.m.President Donald Trump does not mention his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, by name in his farewell address. A person familiar with Pence’s schedule cited “logistical challenges” in getting from the air base to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremonies on Wednesday. The information was passed from the National Guard Bureau to the D.C. National Guard. ___10:45 a.m.Three new Democratic senators are set to be sworn into office after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)BALTIMORE – When Joe Biden entered the White House as vice president, the economy was cratering. Biden returns to the White House as president a dozen years later with the economy battered and shaken by a pandemic. The investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that growth this year could be 6.6% if part of Biden's stimulus plan passes. That would be the strongest gain since 1984, when a 7.2% increase in the gross domestic product helped carry Republican President Ronald Reagan to a second term in a landslide. For now, the Biden team is hoping to push through its stimulus with Republican support in the Senate.

He added that Biden in many ways is ”the perfect president for the moment, because he is not hyperbolic, he’s not a bomb thrower, he’s surrounded himself with policy wonks who already have all these plans. I think what we are going to hear him talk about is ‘Here’s where we are, here’s what we have to get done.' I think that’s going to go a long way just to making people feel better." His speechwriting team is led by longtime Biden collaborator Vinay Reddy. “There really is no parallel to what Biden faces.”___Associated Press writer Alexandra Jaffe contributed reporting.

A Chinese province grappling with a spike in coronavirus cases is reinstating tight restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family gatherings, threatening violators with criminal charges. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING — China is now dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans. ___WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming White House press secretary says his administration does not intend to lift coronavirus travel restrictions for Europe, the U.K., Ireland and Brazil. ___MADRID — Spain’s Health Ministry has confirmed 84,287 new known coronavirus cases since Friday amid a post-Christmas virus surge. He said 21 people had died from the virus in the past three days, bringing the colony's total virus deaths to 45 since the start of the pandemic.

Now Biden’s central political identity faces the ultimate trial. Biden's answer follows two tracks: defending the fabric of society and institutions of government that Trump’s tenure has stressed and calling for sweeping legislative action. The outcome will determine the reach of Biden’s presidency and further test the lifetime politician’s ability to evolve and meet events. Biden’s longtime friend, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is the House speaker, but presides over a diminished Democratic majority and slim margin for error. “They believe in his compassion and they believe in, quite frankly, his leadership skills.”Anzalone loosely compared Biden's appeal to Ronald Reagan's.

President-elect Joe Biden plans to take immediate action to turn the page on the Trump era after his inauguration speech this week, chief of staff Ron Klain said Sunday after laying out Biden's plan for his first days in office. Biden is planning a 10-day blitz of executive action on what his administration is calling the "four crises" facing the country — Covid-19, the economic downturn, racial injustice and climate change. Biden will also require masks on federal property and interstate travel and take action to extend eviction and foreclosure restrictions. "We face four overlapping and compounding crises: the COVID-19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis," Klain wrote in the memo. The executive actions come in multiple forms, including executive orders, presidential memoranda, and directives to Cabinet agencies.

A Senate trial could begin as soon as this week, just as Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president. Yet it's clear that Democrats do not want the Senate trial to dominate Biden's opening days. No president has ever been convicted in the Senate, and it would take a two-thirds vote against Trump, a high hurdle. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, was spotted at the White House Saturday and told ABC he was likely going to join Trump’s impeachment defense team. Ten Republicans joined all Democrats in the 232-197 impeachment vote on Wednesday, the most bipartisan modern presidential impeachment.

Biden has set a goal of injecting 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in his first 100 days in office, a goal Klain said they were on pace to meet. At his inauguration Wednesday, Biden will also deliver an appeal to national unity, expected to be a central theme of his speech, Klain told CNN’s “State of the Union" on Sunday. — In West Virginia, small businesses are being hailed for helping the state to emerge as an early success story in the nation’s otherwise chaotic vaccine rollout. Now more shots have gone into people’s arms per capita across West Virginia than in any other state. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

Klain told CNN's “State of the Union” that Biden, in his inaugural address to the nation, will deliver "a message of moving this country forward. “These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises,” Klain said in the memo. Klain said that Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration bill to lawmakers on his first day in office. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path. Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office.

(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia is launching a project to test almost all citizens for the coronavirus in nine days. Brazil currently has 6 million doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine ready to distribute in the next few days, and is awaiting the arrival of another 2 million doses of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca and partner Oxford University. Friends and family described their deep connection and said they had been planning to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. That dilemma faces nations in southeastern Europe, where coronavirus vaccination campaigns are off to a slow start — overshadowed by heated political debates and conspiracy theories. ___BEIJING — China on Sunday reported 109 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, two-thirds of them in a northern province that abuts Beijing, and no deaths.

Biden will announce legislation his first day in office to provide a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States illegally, according to four people briefed on his plans. If successful, the legislation would be the biggest move toward granting status to people in the country illegally since President Ronald Reagan bestowed amnesty on nearly 3 million people in 1986. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed Thursday night, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path to citizenship. The survey found 77% felt immigration was good for the country on the whole, up slightly from 72% in 2016. The Homeland Security Department estimates there were 12 million people in the country illegally in 2015, nearly 80% of them for more than 10 years.

The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency without waiting for Congress. “These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises,” Klain said in the memo. Klain said that Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers on his first day in office. The following day, Friday, will see action on providing economic relief to those suffering the economic costs of the pandemic. Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office.

"We should be hearing a clear and unambiguous allocation of responsibility from the White House, from the intelligence community. They're the ones who should be making those messages and delivering the ascertainment of responsibility," Klain said in an interview with "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Instead, what we've heard is one message from the secretary of state, a different message from the White House, a different message from the president's Twitter feed." SolarWinds said an "outside nation state" was behind the breach, though the Kremlin has denied involvement. "The official statements about who's responsible for this particular attack needs to come from the administration in a clear and unambiguous way," he said.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Ron Klain, incoming White House chief of staff for President-elect Joe Biden, that aired Sunday, December 13, 2020, on "Face the Nation." MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the incoming White House chief of staff for President elect Joe Biden, and that is Ron Klain. INCOMING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF RON KLAIN: Good morning, MARGARET, thanks for having me. We should be hearing a clear and unambiguous allocation of responsibility from the White House, from the intelligence community. But Ron Klain, thank you very much for joining us.

Biden chief of staff Ron Klain faults Trump administration for mixed messages on hack Ron Klain, the incoming White House chief of staff, says the government needs to present a united front in responding to the recent cyberattack.

Klain is preparing to serve as President-elect Joe Bidens chief of staff, a job often referred to as the nations chief operating officer. “Those who are responsible are going to face consequences for it,” said Biden chief of staff Ron Klain. On Sunday, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, blasted Trump for putting the U.S. at continuing risk. Christopher Krebs, former director of CISA, highlighted the challenges ahead as Trump dismisses the threat and Biden prepares for his Jan. 20 inauguration. “The federal civilian agencies, the 101 civilian agencies, are not really optimized for defense right now,” Krebs said.

"Face the Nation" Guest Lineup:Dr. Jerome Adams U.S. Surgeon GeneralU.S. Click here for your local listingsRadio: Subscribe to "Face the Nation" from CBS Radio News to listen on-the-goFree online stream: Watch the show on CBS' streaming network CBSN at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. With the latest news and analysis from Washington, don't miss Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan) this Sunday on "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation). And for the latest from America's premier public affairs program, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2020, file photo, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, of S.C., speaks during a news conference about COVID-19, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden brings more Capitol Hill experience than any president in decades. Biden's team swiftly adjusted, introducing Black, Latino and Asian American nominees as the president-elect vows to build the most diverse administration in history. Biden’s team incensed Hispanic and Asian and Pacific American lawmakers with its handling of Cabinet choices from their communities. “Democrats are always lecturing Republican senators about approving future Biden Cabinet nominees even if we don’t agree with them,” Grassley said.

FILE - In this April 22, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Less than 10 months later, as Trump’s time in office nears its end, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator’s reputation is frayed. And after serving every president since Ronald Reagan, her future in the incoming Joe Biden administration is uncertain. Biden has already appointed transition co-chair and Obama administration alumnus Jeffrey Zients to serve as White House coronavirus coordinator. Birx certainly had fans in Biden’s orbit before and immediately after she was tapped to serve as coronavirus coordinator in the Trump White House.

Only 27 GOP lawmakers in Congress acknowledge Democrat Joe Biden's win over Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, according to a Washington Post survey released Saturday. Of all Republicans in Congress, roughly 88% -- or 220 lawmakers -- would not say who won the election, and two lawmakers said Trump won, the survey found. Only 3% of Trump voters surveyed said they accept Biden's victory as legitimate, the survey released Monday found. Update: This story has been updated to reflect a response Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., emailed to The Washington Post that described Joe Biden as "president-elect." A spokesman for Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, responded Saturday to the Post survey.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to expand the racial and ideological diversity in his choices for Cabinet and other top jobs. Of the nine major picks Biden has made so far, only two — Secretary of State choice Antony Blinken and chief of staff Ron Klain — are white men. Today’s Senate is more bare-knuckled and hyper-partisan than when Biden was vice president, including GOP senators eyeing their own 2024 White House runs. During his decades in the Senate and even while serving as Obama's vice president, Biden relied on a small group of close advisers who were largely white. King said he hoped Biden would appoint an African American to one of the “big four” posts, especially attorney general.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to expand the racial and ideological diversity in his choices for Cabinet and other top jobs. Of the nine major picks Biden has made so far, only two — Secretary of State choice Antony Blinken and chief of staff Ron Klain — are white men. Today’s Senate is more bare-knuckled and hyper-partisan than when Biden was vice president, including GOP senators eyeing their own 2024 White House runs. During his decades in the Senate and even while serving as Obama's vice president, Biden relied on a small group of close advisers who were largely white. King said he hoped Biden would appoint an African American to one of the “big four” posts, especially attorney general.

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2011, file photo Jen Psaki is seen in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Much of that work will fall to Jen Psaki, Biden's pick for White House press secretary. “This job becomes one of the most recognizable people representing both the administration and the government writ large,” said Robert Gibbs, a former Obama press secretary. Both the president and his media team were frequently at odds with White House reporters while routinely spreading falsehoods. A native of Stamford, Connecticut, and a graduate of William & Mary, Psaki is part of an all-female senior communications team for the Biden White House.

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Joe Biden's newly formed inaugural committee will accept donations from both individuals and corporations up to $100,000, but will bar contributions from registered lobbyists and the fossil fuel industry. The inaugural committee goes a step further, barring any donations from "fossil fuel companies (i.e., companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution or sale of oil, gas or coal), their executives, or from PACs organized by them." Also on Monday, the Biden transition announced the leadership team for the inaugural committee. Trump's 2017 inaugural committee placed no limits on the amount of money corporations and individuals were permitted to donate, as long as they were not foreign. In January of this year, Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine sued the Trump inaugural committee, alleging that it misused funds in violation of District of Columbia law.

President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration events are likely to look different from past years in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, his chief of staff said on Sunday. The former vice president's inauguration is scheduled to take place amid a surge in infections across the country. The Trump White House has largely shrugged off the contagious virus, including by holding indoor events in which officials did not wear masks. Trump, unlike Biden, frequently hosted large rallies during his campaign in which supporters gathered in close quarters for hours. In all, at least 45 people connected to the White House, including Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their young son Barron Trump, and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have tested positive for the virus.

President-elect Joe Biden will announce cabinet appointments on Tuesday, incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain confirmed on Sunday. The President-elect already announced the members of his coronavirus task force before naming any senior White House staff members. Last week, Biden said he's decided whom he will nominate for Treasury Secretary and will make the announcement around Thanksgiving. Jennifer Psaki, a senior adviser to the Biden transition team, said on Sunday in a CNN interview that the president-elect "wants to have a diversity of voices at the table." Asked if the Biden cabinet will have more progressive members than President Barack Obama's first Cabinet, Psaki said Biden's team will "look like America" in terms of diversity and background.

President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus advisors will meet with the leading drug companies developing coronavirus vaccines this week, Ron Klain, Biden's newly selected chief of staff, said on Sunday. Despite the lack of access, Klain said Biden's team will meet with the drug makers, naming Pfizer as one of those companies. "We're going to have meetings between our top scientific advisors and the officials of these drug companies," Klain said. Other leading companies with Covid-19 vaccine candidates in late-stage clinical trials include Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. A spokesperson for Biden's team was not immediately available for comment regarding which other companies the president-elect's advisors plan to meet.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly lower after soaring nearly 1,100 points in a two-session rally on Covid-19 vaccine optimism that added to last week's almost 7% gain. The Labor Department on Thursday morning reported a fewer-than-expected 709,000 initial filings for unemployment benefits for the week ending Nov. 7. That's down 48,000 from the prior week's revised number, a sign of improvement in the job market but still well above pre-pandemic levels. Klain served as the White House coordinator to the Ebola response during the 2014 outbreak when Biden was vice president under former President Barack Obama. Patrick Semansky | APTwo more people who attended an election night party at the White House have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Klain has a long history with Biden, stretching from Biden’s Senate years through two failed presidential campaigns to his time as President Obama’s vice president. Unlike them, a White House chief of staff does not have to be confirmed by the Senate, yet arguably holds more power than some Cabinet secretaries, serving as confidant and gatekeeper for the president. Trump’s White House insiders have been mostly family members, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump, and political supporters with with less gravitas, government experience and influence than typical in past White Houses. His first chief of staff, former Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, lasted just seven months in the job. Klain had been seen as an obvious choice for Biden’s chief, given his long association with Biden and broad connections around Washington and in the political world.

But on Friday, the White House pointed to extensive planning exercises the administration conducted and reports it wrote warning of the threat in 2018. And the Obama administration could draw from a similar document written during the administration of George W. Bush in 2006. The politics of pandemic planning have gotten increasingly pitched as the COVID-19 death toll continues to mount in the United States. The friction was laid bare in the Rose Garden and the White House briefing room on Friday. Its quite evident that whatever pandemic planning had been done during the Bush or Obama administrations never made it to high levels in the Trump administration.He thinks Trump was just focused on other issues that pandemic planning wasn't a top priority for the president.

Ron Klain, the former Ebola czar under President Barack Obama, gave the Trump administration a failing grade Friday for its response to the coronavirus. Klain said he did believe the Trump administration's late January restrictions "bought us some time" to prepare for the disease's global spread. Klain said the administration's response to the coronavirus has improved recently. "But we're going to pay a huge price for squandering January, squandering February, squandering even a little bit of March," he said. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Klain's remarks about the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus.

Congressman Ami Bera, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, announced the hearing last week. "I look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses on ways in which we can plan and respond to this virus. Congress needs to ensure the administration has the tools it needs to respond to and limit the outbreak." Flights from mainland China are being funneled through 11 U.S. airports, officials said, where all passengers are being screened for symptoms. [To see the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit CNBC's live updates here.]

December 28: Sullenberger, Giuliani, and Klain The latest on the missing passenger plane in southeast Asia, New York City braces for more anger and possible attacks against the police, and an update on the nation's Ebola preparedness with Captain Sully Sullenberger, Rudy Giuliani, Commissioner William Bratton, Ron Klain and others.

New Ebola "czar" Ron Klain heads to work Ron Klain, the government's Ebola response coordinator, departs his home Wednesday morning to begin handling the government's response to the virus.

Ebola "czar" Ron Klain begins work on virus response Ron Klain, the man named by President Obama to oversee the government's Ebola response, begins work Wednesday with a meeting at the White House. Major Garrett reports on the bureaucratic task ahead.

Marsha Blackburn: Ebola coordinator should give "facts," not "spin" Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, explains her problems with President Obama's selection of former Biden aide Ron Klain as the government's Ebola response coordinator.

President Obama appoints Ron Klain as Ebola "czar" The president will appoint former White House aide Ron Klain to lead the government response to the Ebola outbreak. Klain used to be Vice President Joe Biden's chief of staff and held the same position under former Vice President Al Gore. Dr. David Agus joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the appointment and efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak.