With unemployment still high and the pandemic threatening yet another economic slump, US President-elect Joe Biden is assembling a team of liberal advisers who have long focused on workers and government efforts to address economic inequality.
Janet Yellen, Mr Biden's nominee for treasury secretary, served as head of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, when she placed greater emphasis than her predecessors on maximising employment and less focus on price inflation.
Mr Biden also named Cecilia Rouse as head of his Council of Economic Advisers. Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein were selected as members of the council.
They are intellectual liberals, but not burn-it-all-down socialists
All are outspoken supporters of more government stimulus spending to boost growth, a major issue with the pandemic cramping the US economy.
Those choices “signal the desire of Mr Biden's administration to take the CEA in a direction that really centres on working people and raising wages", said Heidi Shierholz, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute and former Labor Department chief economist during the Obama administration.
A progressive cast
Mr Biden's nominees are also a more diverse group than those of previous presidents.
Ms Yellen, if confirmed by the Senate, would be the first woman to serve as treasury secretary, after breaking ground as the first woman to lead the Fed.
Ms Rouse would be the first black woman to lead the council in its 74 years of existence, while Neera Tanden, Mr Biden's pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget, would be the first South-Asian American in that job.
Wally Adeyemo could also become the first black deputy treasury secretary.
Ms Rouse, Ms Tanden and Mr Adeyemo will all require Senate confirmation and Ms Tanden, in particular, is already drawing heavy Republican criticism.
Along with its progressive cast, Mr Biden's team has years of experience in government and policymaking.
That is earning plaudits from some conservatives who say the nominees are not a far-left group bent on strangling the economy, as President Donald Trump repeatedly warned during the election campaign.
“They are intellectual liberals, but not burn-it-all-down socialists. They’re fairly conventional liberal economists and experts,” said Brian Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and an adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Still, the Biden administration has ambitious goals and will face solid opposition from Republicans in Congress.
The party needs to win one of two Georgia seats in a January 5 special election to retain control of the Senate and Republicans have made major inroads in the Democrats' majority in the House of Representatives.
“Most of the policies that Biden ran on will not survive a Republican Senate,” Mr Riedl said.
Those include proposals to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and significantly increase taxes on wealthy Americans.
Mr Biden could secure another round of stimulus spending early next year, particularly if the recent sharp increases in virus cases push the economy into recession again.
But such a package will probably have to come in under $1 trillion to receive Republican support in the Senate, Mr Riedl said, rather than the higher figure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeks.
Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Quick%20facts
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
