Meet Joe Biden’s White House appointees


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President Donald Trump may not yet have conceded the election, but Joe Biden, the president-elect, is already selecting the advisers who will staff his future administration.

After announcing Ron Klain as his chief of staff this past week, Mr Biden announced an all-female communications team who will accompany him to the White House on January 20.

Here’s the running list of Mr Biden’s appointees for his future administration:

Chief of Staff Ron Klain: Mr Klain served as Mr Biden's chief of staff when he was vice president. He then returned to the White House from 2014 to 2015 as former President Barack Obama's response coordinator to the Ebola epidemic. This pick highlights Mr Biden's focus on combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon: An experienced political hand, Ms Dillon managed Mr Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. A co-founder of the political communications, digital and data-targeting firm Precision Strategies, Ms Dillon also served as the deputy campaign manager for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, the battleground states director for his 2008 campaign and the executive director of the Democratic National Committee.

Oval Office Operations Director Annie Tomasini: Ms Tomasini served as Mr Biden's travelling chief of staff for his 2020 election campaign. She served as the deputy press secretary for Mr Biden during his tenure as vice president and his press secretary when he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan: Mr Sullivan was Mr Biden's national security adviser when he served as vice president, where he helped to initiate the negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal.

Before that, he served as the director of policy planning and deputy chief of staff for former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry: As secretary of state under president Barack Obama, Mr Kerry helped to negotiate the Paris Climate Accord.

He was also the 2004 Democratic nominee for president and served as the chairman of the foreign relations committee while in the Senate.

Senior Adviser Mike Donilon: Mr Donilon was the chief strategist for Mr Biden's 2020 campaign. Prior to that, he served as Mr Biden's counsellor at the White House during the Obama administration. Afterwards, he became the managing director of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.

Counsel to the President Dana Remus: Ms Remus served as the general counsel to Mr Biden's 2020 campaign. She has also served as the General Counsel to the Obama Foundation as well as to President Obama's personal office. In the Obama White House, she was the deputy counsel for ethics.

Counsellor to the President Steve Ricchetti: Mr Ricchetti was the chairman of the Biden campaign. He also served as the chief of staff to Mr Biden when he was vice president during the Obama administration and served as the deputy chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton. After the Obama administration, Mr Ricchetti became the managing director of the Penn Biden Centre for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki: Ms Psaki assumed numerous roles throughout the Obama administration and began working for the former president as a travelling press secretary during his 2008 election campaign. She went on to serve as deputy press secretary, deputy communications director, the State Department spokeswoman under John Kerry and ultimately became the deputy White House communications director.

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield: Ms Bedingfield served as the communications director for Mr Biden's presidential campaign. She was also his communications director while he served as vice president in the Obama administration.

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Julie Rodriguez: Ms Rodriguez was the deputy campaign manager for Mr Biden's 2020 election campaign. Prior to that, she was the national political director and travelling chief of staff for vice president-elect Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. She also served as a special assistant to the White House office of public engagement under President Obama.

White House Office of Public Engagement Director Cedric Richmond: Mr Richmond co-chaired Mr Biden's presidential campaign and currently co-chairs his transition team. He currently serves as a lawmaker from Louisiana in the US House of Representatives.

Director of Legislative Affairs Louisa Terrell: Ms Terrell served as an adviser in legislative affairs to President Obama. Before that, she worked as an adviser at the and as the deputy chief of for Mr Biden when he served in the Senate. She has also served as an the chief of staff for Senator Cory Booker, an adviser at the Federal Communications Commission and the public policy director for Facebook.

Presidential Personnel Director Cathy Russell: Ms Russell served as the vice chair of Mr Biden's presidential campaign. She also served in numerous roles in the White House and State Department under President Obama, including as deputy assistant to the president, chief of staff to second lady Jill Biden, and the US ambassador for Global women's issues. Prior to that she served as a staffer on Capitol Hill and an associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department.

White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo: Mr Elizondo served as the social secretary for Mr Biden and Ms Biden during the Obama administration where he was tasked with planning the vice president's events. He also served in the Bill Clinton administration in both the White House and office of the US chief of protocol, managing state visits and other major international events.

Chief of staff to Kamala Harris, Tina Flournoy: Ms Flournoy is currently the chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton. Prior to that, she worked for the American Federation of Teachers. She has worked for various Democratic campaigns and politicians throughout her career, including as the finance director for former Vice President Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign and in the White House presidential personnel office during the Clinton administration.

National security adviser to Kamala Harris, Nancy McEldowney: A career diplomat, Ms McEldowney spent more than 30 years in the US foreign service, serving as the ambassador to Bulgaria and the deputy chief of mission in Turkey and Azerbaijan. She also served as the director of European affairs on the National Security Council under the Clinton administration and as the principal deputy assistant secretary of state of European and Eurasian affairs.

Domestic policy adviser to Kamala Harris, Rohini Kosoglu: Ms Kosoglu served as a senior adviser on Mr Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. She also served as the chief of staff for Ms Harris' Senate office and for her presidential campaign. As a policy director for Senator Michael Bennet, she handled economic, healthcare and budget policy and helped draft the Affordable Care Act.

Chief spokesperson for Kamala Harris, Symone Sanders: Ms Sanders served as a senior adviser on Mr Biden's presidential campaign after serving as the press secretary for Senator Bernie Sanders' failed 2016 presidential primary campaign. She was principal of 360 Group LLC, a strategic communications firm.

Communications director for Kamala Harris, Ashley Etienne: Ms Etienne served as a senior adviser on Mr Biden's presidential campaign. Prior to that, she was the communications director for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Ms Etienne was also the director of communications for the Cabinet in the Obama administration.

Policy Director to Jill Biden, Mala Adiga: Ms Adiga served as Ms Biden's senior policy adviser during the presidential campaign. She was previously the director for higher education and military families at the Biden Foundation. Under the Obama administration, she served as deputy assistant secretary of state for academic programmes as well as in the State Department's office of Global Women's Issues.

Chief of Staff to Jill Biden, Julissa Reynoso Pantaloon: Ms Pantaloon is currently a partner at the law firm Winston & Strawn. During the Obama administration, she served as the US ambassador to Uruguay and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere.

Senior Adviser to Jill Biden, Anthony Bernal: Mr Bernal was a deputy campaign manager and the chief of staff to Jill Biden during the presidential campaign. He also served in her office during all eight years of the Obama administration. He also worked at the White House under President Bill Clinton as part of the scheduling and advance teams.

National Economic Council Director, Brian Deese: Mr Deese was a long-time economic adviser to former president Barack Obama. As special assistant to Mr Obama after the 2008 financial crisis, Mr Deese worked on the bailout of the US automobile industry then went on to become the deputy director of the National Economic Council and eventually the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget. He also helped negotiate the Paris Climate Accord, which Mr Biden has vowed to re-enter following President Trump's withdrawal. Mr Deese is currently the global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock, an investment management corporation.

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Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

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Dubai, 3.30pm
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INVESTMENT PLEDGES

Cartlow: $13.4m

Rabbitmart: $14m

Smileneo: $5.8m

Soum: $4m

imVentures: $100m

Plug and Play: $25m

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 720hp

Torque: 770Nm

Price: Dh1,100,000

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The Voice of Hind Rajab

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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
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8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.

Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.

Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.

Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.

 

 

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
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L - Sporting, 4-1
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23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees

Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.

Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

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Malcolm & Marie

Directed by: Sam Levinson

Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya

Three stars

Results

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.

Six tips to secure your smart home

Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.

Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.

Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.

Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.

Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.

Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.

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Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

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The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter

1. Dubai silk road

2.  A geo-economic map for Dubai

3. First virtual commercial city

4. A central education file for every citizen

5. A doctor to every citizen

6. Free economic and creative zones in universities

7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes

8. Co-operative companies in various sectors

­9: Annual growth in philanthropy