Biden Picks Veteran Diplomat William Burns as CIA Chief

On Monday, US president-elect Joe Biden announced that he nominated former diplomat William Burns to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

In a statement, Biden said, “The American people will sleep soundly with him as our next CIA Director."

US President-elect Joe Biden is set to receive his second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, 3 weeks after receiving his first injection was broadcast live on TV to boost public confidence in the jab.

On Dec.21, Biden and incoming First Lady Jill Biden received their first doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark, Delaware.

“I’m ready,” Biden said when he sat down to get his vaccine, telling the nurse administering the shot that he didn’t need to count down from three.

“We owe these folks an awful lot,” Biden said. “The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who did the clinical work, it’s just amazing … we owe you big, we really do.”

Biden added the Trump administration “deserves some credit” for getting the vaccine out the door through Operation Warp Speed, and urged Americans to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them.

“I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it’s available to take the vaccine,” he said. “There’s nothing to be worried about … I’m looking forward to the second shot, and so is Jill. It’s worth stating that this is just the beginning — it’s one thing to get the vaccine out, but it’s going to take time.”