Good morning from Dover Air Force Base. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are traveling here this morning to attend the dignified transfer of the 13 US service members killed in Afghanistan on Thursday. Per the White House, the President and First Lady will be meeting with the families of the fallen service members this morning before attending the dignified transfer

A Valentine from First Lady Jill Biden popped up overnight at the White House. Per her office, “The First Lady is known for her sense of humor, love of surprises and celebrating traditions... This is her Valentine to the country.” (Can’t wait to see @JDiamond1 in front of these on @NewDay) ❤️💗🤍

News in yesterday's governors call -- CDC Director Dr. Redfield says small family gatherings are becoming a source of concern: “What we're seeing as the increasing threat right now is actually acquisition of infection through small household gatherings." Redfield: "And particularly with Thanksgiving coming up, we think it's really important to stress the vigilance of these continued mitigation steps in the household setting."

NEW: Dr. Fauci says current efforts toward Covid-19 vaccine development are “on a really good track” despite news that a 2nd vaccine was put on hold this wk. “A couple of the vaccines are very close to getting some sort of information,” he said during a call with governors today. Fauci mentioned vaccines being tested by Moderna and Pfizer. “We’re getting to the point where we’re almost being able to look at the first look at the data, which is a predetermined thing done by the data and safety monitoring board,” he said, per audio obtained by CNN.

A couple notes on the Hatch Act after RNC events showcasing the White House: While there are certainly plentiful opportunities for Hatch Act violations from staffers involved with WH events during this convention, the President and first lady are immune from Hatch Act violations. But, as we know, there's only one person can enforce any disciplinary actions for employees found by the Office of Special Counsel to be in violation of the Hatch Act, and that is the President himself.

I made the 1.75-mile lap around White House grounds this morning. Crews have begun the process of removing some of the fencing that went up last week. Here’s some of what I saw: On H St., the fencing has become a gathering place for protesters, who have decorated the fencing with signs. Some of the signs were moved to scaffolding across the street. Per USSS, there are “continuing discussions” with Park Police re: temp fencing in and around Lafayette Park

.@PressSec doubled down on the President’s tweet of a conspiracy theory about a video of police pushing a 75 year-old protester to the ground in Buffalo last week, saying POTUS was just raising questions about the incident and casting some doubt on the protester's character. McEnany on Fox this morning: “The President was raising questions based on a report that he saw. They’re questions that need to be asked, and every case, we can’t jump on one side without looking at all of the facts at play."

More fencing going up around the White House complex early this morning In addition to the new fencing, which now extends past the EEOB down 17th Street, @abdallahCNN reports that additional concrete barriers have been installed behind existing fencing at 17th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW

While you were sleeping, President Trump took questions alongside NATO Sec. Gen. Stoltenberg for nearly an hour. Some highlights in this thread: POTUS said he’s planning to meet with UK PM Boris Johnson during this trip but declined to share his thoughts on forthcoming elections. Asked why he’s staying out of the UK election, Trump said, “I don’t want to complicate it.”

Sr admin officials wouldn't provide timing details on VP Pence + ntl security adviser Robert O’Brien’s forthcoming trip to Ankara, Turkey, telling reporters on a call, “This was late breaking news this afternoon. We didn’t think it was possible a couple of hours ago, now we do.” Officials disputed that the crisis was created by Trump’s actions in withdrawing US troops from NE Syria.“This is not something that was caused by an action of Pres. Trump. This was something that was caused by an action of Pres. Erdogan…The US in no way endorsed this activity."

Alright people, here it is: the definitive thread of headlines for @taylorswift13’s political post (in collaboration with a source who would prefer to remain anonymous)

Greetings from Atlanta! The pilot says there is no power at Hartsfield. No plane can arrive at a gate and no plane can depart. So we wait! The Delta in-flight entertainment has just been shut off, right before the conclusion of You've Got Mail (it's ok I know what happens)