After having just four official staffers on payroll last quarter, President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign has announced that former White House aide and congressman Cedric Richmond is joining as co-chair.

President Joe Biden took an around-the-world victory lap after this month's midterm election, where Democrats showed surprising strength in holding back Republicans.

Control of Congress hangs in the balance as Democrats have shown surprising strength, defeating Republicans in a series of competitive races.

President Joe Biden is set to deliver remarks about the midterm election later Wednesday as Democrats showed surprising strength against Republicans in Tuesday's races.

With his party’s control over Congress teetering on the brink, President Joe Biden has traveled the country this fall trying to turn the midterm elections into a choice between two visions for America.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been campaigning all across the country — not for herself but to boost Democratic candidates as her party struggles to keep control of Congress and statehouses.

President Joe Biden is calling on Democrats “to vote to literally save democracy once again” in the midterm elections — and comparing Republican ideology to “semi-fascism” — as he leads a kickoff rally and a fundraiser in Maryland.

President Joe Biden insists he intends to seek reelection in 2024.

President Joe Biden’s top political advisers are bracing for big election losses in November.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is joining the White House as a senior adviser to President Joe Biden.

One of President Joe Biden’s closest aides is leaving the White House to take on a role as senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.

Black members of President Joe Biden's Cabinet came together Thursday for a Black History Month event highlighting their roles in the administration, some of which are historic firsts.

Just over a year ago, millions of energized young people, women, voters of color and independents joined forces to send Joe Biden to the White House.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi likes to say the Democrats' diversity is its strength and unity is its power.

Response to disasters such as Hurricane Ida falls primarily to state and local officials, but the federal government is playing an important support role.

Response to disasters such as Hurricane Ida falls primarily to state and local officials, but the federal government is playing an important support role.

A bipartisan deal to invest nearly $1 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure appears to be back on track after a stark walk-back by President Joe Biden to his earlier insistence that the bill be coupled with an even larger Democrat-backed measure in order to earn his signature.

President Joe Biden says on the fifth anniversary of a mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that he will sign a bill naming the site as a national memorial.

Louisiana Democratic Rep. Troy Carter is the newest member of the House of Representatives.

The family and representatives of Black men killed by the police have met at the White House with senators and Biden administration officials and say they left feeling optimistic.

Congressional leaders and colleagues have used a memorial service for Rep. Alcee Hastings to remember him as a straight-talking champion for the disadvantaged who overcame hurdles in his own life.

A new congresswoman has been sworn in.

President Joe Biden has begun publicly courting Republicans to back his sweeping infrastructure plan, but his reach across the aisle is intended just as much to keep Democrats in line as it is a first step in an uphill climb to any bipartisan deal.

The Republican Party and corporate America have shared common goals for decades, especially concerning low taxes and limiting regulations.

Biden and his team have begun discussions on the possible outlines of an infrastructure package with members of Congress, particularly mindful that Texas' recent struggles with power outages and water shortages after a brutal winter storm present an opportunity for agreement on sustained spending on infrastructure. At a conference with state and local highway officials Thursday, he referred to the often-promised, never-achieved mega-initiative on roads, bridges and the like from the Trump administration. Much of America's infrastructure — roads, bridges, public drinking and water systems, dams, airports, mass transit systems and more — is in need of major restoration after years of underfunding, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Democrats passed a $1.5 trillion package in the House last year, but it went nowhere with the Trump administration and the Republican-led Senate. Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told the AP that he foresees a comprehensive House package that will go beyond roads, bridges and public transit.

“The public is not getting caught up in process — what they want is results,” said Cedric Richmond, the White House director of public engagement. A White House aide said the goal is to provide an open and bipartisan debate. The Biden package comes after $4 trillion in rescue spending that cushioned the financial blow from the pandemic but did little to stop the disease. The White House can point to at least one Republican who considers Biden’s plan essential: Jeff Williams, the mayor of Arlington, Texas. Williams knows there could be a partisan backlash to supporting Biden’s plan.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden told Republican senators during a two-hour meeting Monday night he's unwilling to settle on an insufficient coronavirus aid package after they pitched their slimmed down $618 billion proposal that's a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking. AdRepublicans are tapping into bipartisan urgency to improve the nation's vaccine distribution and vastly expand virus testing with $160 billion in aid. Psaki said earlier Monday there is “obviously a big gap” between the $1.9 trillion package Biden has proposed and the $618 billion counteroffer. It also includes $20 billion to reopen schools compared to $170 billion in Biden's plan. The Republicans offer $40 billion for Paycheck Protection Program business aid.

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris campaigns for Democratic U.S. Senate challengers the Rev. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is slated to speak at Tuesday's event, “We Are One,” which will also honor the historic nature of her being the first Black and South Asian woman to become U.S. vice president. Black voters nationwide helped deliver Biden’s presidency, overwhelmingly supporting him from the start of his White House bid. The event will pay homage to the legacy of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, as well as Black sororities and fraternities. It'll be hosted by Terrence J and feature Leslie Jones, DJ D-Nice, and Black cultural icons such as Frankie Beverly, The O’Jays, and Rapsody.

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris campaigns for Democratic U.S. Senate challengers the Rev. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is slated to speak at the event, “We Are One,” which will also honor the historic nature of her being the first Black and South Asian woman to become U.S. vice president. Black voters nationwide helped deliver Biden’s presidency, overwhelmingly supporting him from the start of his White House bid. The event will pay homage to the legacy of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, as well as Black sororities and fraternities. It'll be hosted by Terrence J and feature Leslie Jones, DJ D-Nice, and Black cultural icons such as Frankie Beverly, The O’Jays, and Rapsody.

Biden will nominate Wendy Sherman as deputy secretary of state and Victoria Nuland as undersecretary of state for political affairs — the second- and third-highest ranking posts, respectively. They were among the 11 officials announced to serve under the incoming secretary of state, Antony Blinken. America is back.”Among the others are:—longtime Biden Senate aide Brian McKeon, to be deputy secretary of state for management. —Derek Chollet, a familiar Democratic foreign policy hand, to be State Department counselor. Price and Porter intend to return to the practice of holding daily State Department press briefings, officials said.

Luke Letlow, who was only 41 and had no known underlying health conditions, died Tuesday night at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport — days before he was scheduled to be sworn into office, according to his spokesman Andrew Bautsch. Ghali, of LSU Health Shreveport, told The Advocate that Letlow didn't have any underlying health conditions that would have placed him at greater risk of developing complications from COVID-19. "There was no one like Luke Letlow, and there was no one who loved this state and its people more. Luke was a part of our family, and we are so incredibly proud of the man he was.”Before working for Abraham, Letlow had worked for former Gov. Letlow is one of more than 7,000 people in Louisiana who have died from COVID-19 since March, according to data from the state health department.

All Australian states have imposed restrictions on travelers from Sydney and parts of New South Wales because the coronavirus risk. The state on Sunday reported 1,536 new COVID-19 cases and 46 more deaths. ___TOPEKA, Kan. — A FedEx executive says a higher-than-normal volume of Christmas-season package deliveries won’t interfere with the company’s effort to ship coronavirus vaccine doses. The first wave of coronavirus infections in New York “came from Europe and we did nothing,” the Democratic governor said. ___WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s surgeon general is defending Trump’s not getting a coronavirus vaccine, saying there are medical reasons for it.

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. Pelosi will start the Biden era with a narrow majority, 222-211, with a few races still undecided. Biden's first pick from the House, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., would join the administration quickly once the president-elect is inaugurated Jan. 20, Clyburn said. Democrats are already deep into political soul-searching after a dismal November outcome for House Democrats. The danger zone was close enough that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer warned Biden last month off taking any more Democrats from his ranks.

Richmond, who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive on Thursday, Dec. 17, for the coronavirus, according to the Biden transition. – One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisers tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to his transition team. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive two days after traveling to Atlanta to attend a campaign rally that Biden headlined for Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Biden transition spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. Bedingfield said Richmond was not in close contact with Biden, Ossoff or Warnock, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Native American Caucus co-chair, speaks to reporters about the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Haaland as interior secretary. The historic pick would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. Scott Applewhite, File)President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear Wednesday that Biden had her blessing to choose Haaland, saying she would make an “excellent choice” as interior secretary.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Shortly after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory last month, Cabinet hopeful Marcia Fudge pointedly noted that Black people are often typecast into positions such as housing secretary. He’s pledged to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history and restore experience at beleaguered federal agencies. The GOP has barely acknowledged Biden's victory so the cooperation of its senators in the confirmation process is far from certain. “That’s why we are worried.”One prominent feature of Biden’s picks so far: deep ties to the Obama administration. Brent Colburn, a former Obama administration official who served in several agencies, encouraged Democrats to consider the bigger picture as they judge Biden's Cabinet.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)DETROIT – In a meeting with leaders of some of the nation’s top civil rights organizations, President-elect Joe Biden reaffirmed Tuesday that his administration will prioritize racial justice and assemble a diverse Cabinet that can tackle pressing equity issues. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who will join the Biden administration as a senior adviser, also participated in the nearly two-hour virtual meeting with seven civil rights leaders. The talk touched on how racial justice will be a common thread as the Biden administration works to address policing and criminal justice reform, COVID-19, the nation’s racial wealth gap, voting rights and more. The civil rights leaders said they made clear that Biden's supporters expect him to deliver on his promises. Although Tuesday’s meeting with the Biden transition team seemed reserved for leaders of historic civil rights groups, other leaders are also in line for opportunities to lobby the incoming administration.

WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):9:15 p.m.President Donald Trump is continuing his futile appeal to battleground state lawmakers to subvert the votes of their constituents. A person briefed on the matter said Trump pressed for the state’s legislature to replace the electors for President-elect Joe Biden with those loyal to Trump. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said Monday the group was specifically asking Biden’s team to elevate the nomination of Vivek Murthy for Surgeon General to a Cabinet-level position. He also tapped former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to serve in that post again. __9 a.m.President-elect Joe Biden is naming some of his most prominent allies to be the co-chairs for his upcoming inauguration.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is adding four Obama-Biden administration veterans to his top ranks as he continues to build out his White House team. Cathy Russell, who was Jill Biden’s chief of staff during the Obama administration, will serve as director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, evaluating applicants for administration roles. Louisa Terrell, who served as a legislative adviser to the president in the Obama administration and worked as deputy chief of staff for Biden in the Senate, will be director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. Carlos Elizondo, who was social secretary for Jill Biden during the Obama administration, will reprise his role and serve as social secretary for the incoming first lady. Her role hints at what Biden may focus on as first lady — Adiga previously worked as a director for higher education and military families at the Biden Foundation, and also advised Jill Biden on policy during the Obama administration.

President-elect Joe Biden has announced top White House staff positions, drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign and some of his closest confidants. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)ATLANTA – President-elect Joe Biden announced a raft of top White House staff positions on Tuesday, drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign and some of his closest confidants to fill out an increasingly diverse White House leadership team. Richmond will leave his Louisiana congressional seat to fill the White House job. Late last week, Biden tapped former senior campaign adviser Ron Klain to serve as his chief of staff. She is a veteran political operative who worked on both of Barack Obama’s White House bids.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)ATLANTA – President-elect Joe Biden is drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign to fill out an increasingly diverse White House leadership team. Richmond will leave his Louisiana congressional seat to fill the White House job. Late last week, Biden tapped former senior campaign adviser Ron Klain to serve as his chief of staff. She is a veteran political operative who worked on both of former President Barack Obama's White House bids. Richmond was a key figure in helping Biden, a former senator and two-term vice president, leverage his own long-standing relationships with CBC members.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):12:55 p.m.Joe Biden is making a late push to flip Georgia, a state Democrats haven’t won at the presidential level in nearly three decades. But the Biden campaign is looking to capitalize on the favorable political environment there as the coronavirus pandemic drags down President Donald Trump in typically red-leaning states. While the Biden campaign insists the candidate is still focused on winning back the “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, they’ve also made moves in recent weeks to expand the map to traditionally Republican states. Biden will also visit Iowa this week, another state once seen as a reach for Democrats that has become more competitive. The coronavirus is getting worse in states Trump needs the most, with the upper Midwest bearing much of the brunt of new infections surging across the country.

“This election is a matter of economic survival for Michigan,” the president said, arguing that the state's economy was strong before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Gretchen Whitmer for moving aggressively to shut down much of the state's economy to slow the virus' spread. “The tragic truth of our time is that COVID has left a deep and lasting wound in this country,” Biden said, scoffing at Trump's pronouncements that the nation is turning a corner on the virus. The former vice president plans to travel to Iowa, which Trump took by 10 points in 2016, later in the week. First lady Melania Trump was on the road, too, making her first solo campaign trip of the year in Pennsylvania.

Harris will speak about what's at stake for Black Americans in November and urge voters to register and make a plan to vote. National Black Voter Day was created this year as a collaborative effort by the National Urban League, BET and a number of civil rights organizations. Black Americans have also been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, suffering high rates of deaths and unemployment from its economic fallout. Biden’s campaign, along with several other organizations marking the first National Black Voter Day, are channeling resources behind that effort. But Brown said the final days will be key toward connecting with some Black voters who feel Biden needs to do more to earn their vote.

FILE - In this July 14, 2020, file photo Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Wilmington, Del. Five key questions as the 2020 campaign moves toward the fall home stretch:WHAT WILL A COVID-19 CAMPAIGN LOOK LIKE? Campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said the former vice president will be active but emphasized that Biden's events still will follow public health guidelines. Bidens campaign believes that he is enough of a known quantity that voters beyond Trumps base simply wont buy the presidents descriptions of the former vice president. Joe Biden is really good at debates, Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller has been saying, portraying Biden as much more skilled than Hillary Clinton.

Throughout his unusual home-based campaign, Biden blasted Trump as incompetent and irresponsible for downplaying the pandemic and publicly disputing the government's infectious disease experts. He's said only that he would be willing to make such a move as president if public health experts advise it. Harris on Friday talked about the idea in slightly different terms than Biden, acknowledging that a mandate would be difficult to enforce. Biden and Harris have worn protective face masks in public and stayed socially distanced from each other when appearing together at campaign events. Trump has urged Americans to wear masks but opposes a national requirement and personally declined to do so for months.

(Democratic National Convention via AP)SACRAMENTO, Calif. A Montana cattle range, a California beach, a historic bridge in Alabama. These were the sometimes kitschy, sometimes poignant scenes from the first-ever virtual roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention. Fred Guttenberg spoke about Biden's compassion following the murder of his daughter at the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Each state also cast some votes for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the last Democrat in the race to challenge Biden. Following tradition, Delaware, Biden's home state, was the final state to announce its support for Biden, with Gov.

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2006, file photo,a Joe DiMaggio 1947 MVP Award plaque is displayed at a news conference in New York. A group of House Democrats called Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, for the name of former baseball commissioner Landis to be pulled off future Most Valuable Player plaques. We recognize that Commissioner Landis namesake on the award is the result of his role in creating the system by which the Baseball Writers Association of America picks each leagues MVP recipient, the letter said. All 28 Democrats have played in the Congressional Baseball Game, an annual charity event at Nationals Park. Manfred, in a letter to Cisneros and Richmond, noted that the BBWAA administers the MVP process.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON The body of the late Rep. John Lewis has arrived in Washington to lie in state as lawmakers gather to pay tribute to the long-time Georgia lawmaker and icon of the civil rights movement. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who served in Congress alongside Lewis, is expected to visit the Capitol to pay his respects. Lewis was the youngest and last-living of the featured speakers for the March on Washington in 1963, where the Rev. In Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, Lewis suffered a beating at the hands of an Alabama state trooper that became one of the defining moments of his life. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on Aug. 6 of that year.

WASHINGTON Joe Bidens search for a running mate could be reshaped by the police killing of George Floyd and the unrest it has ignited across the country, raising questions about contenders with law-and-order backgrounds and intensifying pressure on the presumptive Democratic nominee to select a black woman. Biden, who has already pledged to pick a woman, has cast a wide net in his search. Biden was pressed to pick a black woman on Monday when he visited a black church in Wilmington, Delaware. Well, weve never seen a black woman selected as a vice presidential candidate, she said. Its important for him to see the candidate, talk to the candidate, get body language from the candidate.

Turnout in Florida’s Democratic primary surpassed the 1.7 million who cast ballots four years ago. In Florida, Latinos made up roughly 20% of Democratic primary voters, and they largely sided with Biden. That has left the Democratic primary calendar empty until March 29, when Puerto Rico is scheduled to go to the polls. “The Democratic Party rightly berates the GOP for ignoring scientists’ warnings about climate change," David Sirota tweeted. But he went for Biden because he thought Sanders’ progressive views might turn off some Democratic voters.

Leaders sent conflicting signals about how to approach the next steps amid the coronavirus outbreak. As health officials warned against gatherings of greater than 10 people, President Donald Trump said elections should proceed. Her group is urging the delay of that state's 2020 presidential primary from April 28 to June 23, when congressional and legislative primaries are already scheduled. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, can't afford to lose support from young voters who have been his most loyal supporters. ___Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”