First Thing: Trump team hits turbulence as Giuliani admitted to hospital – The Guardian

Good morning.

Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has said he is “feeling good” after news broke that he had contracted coronavirus. Giuliani, 76, is perhaps the biggest proponent of Trump’s baseless election fraud claims, other than the president himself. The attorney said that he was “recovering quickly and keeping up with everything”. Giuliani was admitted to Georgetown University medical center in Washington, according to multiple reports.

The news caused Arizona to close its legislative chambers after a visit from Giuliani last week, but officials in Michigan and Georgia might also have cause for concern – Giuliani appeared indoors without a mask in both states last week.

A psychiatrist who called Trump “dangerous” and “destructive” has died of coronavirus aged 89. Jerrold M Post was a pioneer in his field, whose assessments of Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il helped guide presidents.

Did Trump’s press secretary just admit a Biden victory?

Kayleigh McEnany said: “If we lose these two Senate seats, guess who’s casting the deciding vote in this country for our government? It will be Kamala Harris.’ Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

The White House press secretary appeared to admit that Trump had lost the election on Sunday. In an interview on Fox News, Kayleigh McEnany said if the Republicans lost both the Senate seats, Kamala Harris would cast “the deciding vote in this country” – seemingly a tacit admission that the Democrats would be governing from January.

But Georgia’s Republican senator, Kelly Loeffler, is still sticking to her guns, refusing to concede Joe Biden’s win three times this weekend. Her denial came during a tense debate before crucial runoff races in Georgia in January that will decide which party takes control of the Senate.

‘A coward’: Jon Ossoff addresses empty podium as Senator David Perdue skips Georgia debate – video

On Sunday, the Republican sitting senator David Perdue declined to attend his pre-election debate, amid accusations of corruption in connection to his stock market trading during the pandemic. This led the Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff to debate with an empty podium.

Lower wage earners and racial minorities should be included in early vaccinations, a top vaccine adviser said

Dr José Romero, the chair of the CDC vaccine advisory panel, said justice must be guiding principle in US vaccine rollout. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

Dr José Romero, the chair of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory panel, has said lower wage earners and those from minority backgrounds should be included in the early coronavirus vaccinations. The panel has recommended healthcare workers and long-term care residents as the earliest priority group, but Romero said the healthcare personnel also included the administrative and logistical roles in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the US health secretary insisted the Trump administration had a plan to distribute coronavirus vaccines, after Biden said he had not seen a detailed blueprint. Alex Azar said the distribution programme was being run by the military and private sector and would use retail pharmacies, public health departments and community health centers.

As California went back into lockdown last night, new coronavirus cases remained above 200,000 on Saturday and the state recorded more than 2,000 deaths. The measures mean more than 23 million people are under strict new restrictions.

Biden pushes on with his cabinet but prepares to play hardball

Xavier Becerra is a defender of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Photograph: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Biden has reportedly chosen California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, as his health secretary. Becerra, an advocate of the Affordable Care Act, would oversee the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. If confirmed he would be the first Latino in the role. But if the Republicans win the Senate and decide to stonewall Biden’s cabinet picks, the president-elect may decide to take a leaf out of Trump’s presidential playbook, giving cabinet officials “acting” monikers to sidestep them having to be confirmed.

According to Nesrine Malik, Biden’s drive for diversity is not all that it seems. She argues that the picks do not offer any meaningful change, instead they are designed to make the government appear progressive without altering its behaviour.

Diversity in government isn’t about solidarity, it’s used as proof of the soundness of the system: the elevation of women in particular as ‘girl boss feminists’ who will not be interrupted, the reduction of the deeply serious business of government to inspiration politics.

In other news …

Residents have been warned to be watchful after sheriff’s office said a mountain lion might be responsible for the death of a man in rural Texas. Photograph: AP

A man found dead in Texas may have been killed by a mountain lion, local county officials have said. The body of Christopher Allen Whiteley, 28, was found in a wooded rural area and an autopsy returned a preliminary finding that an animal had attacked and killed him.
Floyd Mayweather will return to the boxing ring in February to fight the YouTube personality Logan Paul. The men stand to make millions from the contest, with viewers paying up to $69.99 to watch the bout.
The co-owner of a bar that allegedly defied coronavirus restrictions was arrested after running over a deputy while he was trying to escape police. Danny Presti, who owns Mac’s Public House in New York, continued to drive for about 100 yards, even with the deputy hanging on to the hood of the car. Police were attempting to detain him for for illegally serving patrons.

Stat of the day: Only 27 of 249 Republicans in Congress admit Biden won

According to a survey of Republicans in the House and Senate carried out by the Washington Post, just 27 of the 249 Republicans in Congress are willing to admit Biden won November’s presidential election. In response, Trump said he was “surprised so many” people in his party thought he had lost the election, and asked for a list of the politicians he called “Rinos,” an acronym for “Republicans in name only”.

Don’t miss this: Millions to lose financial support from the government

More than 7.3 million freelancers, artists and self-employed people will lose their weekly benefits if the pandemic unemployment assistance programme ends after Christmas as planned. A second scheme is also scheduled to expire on 26 December, ending federal benefits for 4.6 million laid-off workers who were considered employees. Steven Greenhouse speaks to some of those who will be impacted.

Last Thing: A man with serious shark bite injuries swims to shore and walks 300m for help

The man was bitten Sunday while surfing at D’Estrees Bay on Kangaroo Island. Photograph: Quentin Chester/The Guardian

A south Australian surfer swam back to shore alone and walked 300 metres for help after sustaining “extraordinary” and “serious” injuries from a shark bite. In a handwritten note after the incident, the man said the attack was like “being hit by a truck”. He thanked the emergency services for their help and said he was feeling “incredibly lucky and grateful”. Paramedics hailed the 29-year-old’s survival as “remarkable”.

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