Biden Picks Susan Rice to Lead Domestic Policy Council, Denis McDonough for VA Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Denis McDonough, the onetime chief of staff to President Barack Obama, to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs, Biden’s transition team announced Thursday.

McDonough’s selection was unveiled amid the latest batch of new additions to key posts in the upcoming Biden administration, which will also include former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

President-elect Joe Biden is naming Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, giving her broad sway over his administration’s approach to immigration, health care and racial inequality and elevating the prominence of the position in the West Wing.

The move marks a surprising shift for Rice, a longtime Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and U.N. ambassador. She worked closely with then-Vice President Biden in those roles and was on his short list to become his running mate during...