Donald Trump’s attempted coup fizzles out after an impressive streak of losses, and President-elect Joe Biden announces an experienced and diverse set of picks for his national security, economic, and communications teams. Then Congressman Joaquin Castro talks to Tommy about the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientists and the prospects for diplomacy under the incoming Biden Administration.

Show Notes

Not Tired of Losing

• AP: Trump may be coming to terms with loss he won’t acknowledge
• WaPo: Trump commits to stepping down if electoral college votes for Biden
• NPR: Trump Is In No Mood To Concede, But Says Will Leave White House
• WaPo: 20 days of fantasy and failure: Inside Trump’s quest to overturn the election
• The Guardian: Trump’s coup failed – but US democracy has been given a scare
• The Guardian: Trump rails at judges as another court rejects his lawyers’ claims of voter fraud
• Politico: Pennsylvania high court tosses lawmaker’s petition to halt election certification
• ABC News: Federal appeals court issues stinging rejection of Trump campaign election fraud lawsuit
• NYT: Over 30 Trump Campaign Lawsuits Have Failed. Some Rulings Are Scathing.
• ProPublica: The Trump Campaign Can’t Find a Judge Who Will Ignore Facts — but It’s Trying
• Detroit Free Press: State Senate committee to hold election hearing as Trump campaign touts ‘review’
• Politico: The Inside Story of Michigan’s Fake Voter Fraud Scandal
• WSJ: Michigan Board Certifies Election Results
• NBC News: Michigan election board votes to certify Biden win, dealing blow to Trump effort
• NYT: Trump Targets Michigan in His Ploy to Subvert the Election
• Politico: Biden team: GSA has been ‘responsive and helpful’ since ascertainment
• WSJ: Trump Clears Way for Biden Transition Process to Begin After Weeks of GSA Delay
• CNN: First on CNN: Key government agency acknowledges Biden’s win and begins formal transition
• WaPo: Under pressure, Trump appointee Emily Murphy approves transition in unusually personal letter to Biden
• FiveThirtyEight: More Republicans Distrust This Year’s Election Results Than Democrats After 2016
• WaPo: Trump’s baseless election fraud claims in Georgia turn Senate runoffs into a ‘high-wire act’ for Republicans
• Politico: Trump’s conspiracies have MAGA world talking Georgia boycott
• Vox: How Trump’s conspiracy theories have inspired some supporters to boycott the Georgia runoffs
• NYT: Trump Stress-Tested the Election System, and the Cracks Showed

The Biden Transition 

• NYT: Biden’s Cabinet: Whom He’s Picked So Far 
• NBC News: ‘America is back’: Biden formally introduces national security, foreign policy team
• Politico: Biden turns to familiar faces to grapple with a changed world
• ABC News: Biden announces historic picks for foreign policy and national security Cabinet posts
• NYT: Biden Chooses Antony Blinken, Defender of Global Alliances, as Secretary of State
• WaPo: Biden’s national security rollout doesn’t include a Pentagon pick
• Mother Jones: Progressives Weigh Fight Over Biden’s Defense Secretary Pick
• NBC News Analysis: Biden’s Cabinet picks signal return to U.S. role on global stage
• FiveThirtyEight: What We’ve Learned About The Biden Administration From His Staffing Choices So Far
• NYT: Biden Chooses Antony Blinken, Defender of Global Alliances, as Secretary of State
• The Hill: Cornyn on Biden aides’ undisclosed ties: ‘The Senate is not obligated to confirm anyone who hides this information’
• NYT: Biden Aides’ Ties to Consulting and Investment Firms Pose Ethics Test
• WSJ: Biden Cabinet Picks Face Scrutiny Over Ties to WestExec Firm
• Politico: Rubio calls Biden’s national security team ‘polite & orderly caretakers of America’s decline’
• WSJ: Biden to Name Rouse, Tanden to Economic Team 
• Politico: Progressives praise Yellen but could soon clash with Biden’s Treasury pick
• The Nation: Janet Yellen at Treasury Is One of Biden’s Best Appointments
• WaPo: The Energy 202: What the Janet Yellen pick for Treasury means for climate policy
• WaPo: Biden’s pick for treasury secretary will be Janet Yellen
• Politico: What the Yellen choice means for Biden and the economy
• Politico: Brian Deese likely pick for top White House economic post
• American Prospect: BlackRock Executive Brian Deese Could Get Major White House Position
• Sunrise NYC tweets on their protest of an official Deese appointment
• NYT: Top Contenders for Biden’s Cabinet Draw Fire From All Sides
• Politico: Biden keeps the peace with first Cabinet picks
• Axios: AOC and Ilhan Omar want to block Biden’s former chief of staff
• American Prospect: Will Biden Name a Deficit Hawk to Head OMB?