Don Jr tests positive, as his father dodges media questions
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Donald Trump held a press conference on Friday to discuss prescription drug prices, but the moment also included him falsely claiming “he won” the 2020 election while accusing Moderna and Pfizer of working to stop his re-election efforts. The two pharmaceutical companies announced their coronavirus vaccines were 90 per cent or more effective against the novel virus following the election.
The press conference was actually not a press conference because the president took no questions. His decision not to take questions potentially came after White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany held her press briefing since 1 October on Friday.
Ms McEnany, who defended Mr Trump’s refusal to concede the election, was heckled by one reporter during the briefing over her inability to accept the election results. She also entered into a verbal spat with a CNN reporter, whom she called an “activist”, after refusing to answer more questions.
This comes after Mr Trump was told to to move aside by Republican senator Lamar Alexander, who said on Friday that the US president should allow the transition to a Biden administration to take place after more than two weeks of delay. Sources close to the president suggested that his refusal to concede was, in part, an act of revenge on Democrats who investigated Russian interference in his 2016 win over Hillary Clinton.
And later in the day it was confirmed that the president’s son, Don Jr, had tested positive for coronavirus and was quarantining.
Review: Barack Obama’s A Promised Land
It’s lunchtime on the East Coast, so here’s a little bit of a breather for you — The Independent’s review of Barack Obama’s latest memoir, in which Donald Trump is the main subject of scorn.
Obama’s A Promised Land is an elegant memoir from the coolest president ever – review
Trump is the main subject of scorn in the former president’s beautifully written new book, which covers his childhood through to the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011
This is a rarity - someone leaving the Trump administration with their credibility intact.
Here’s our coverage of the firing of Chris Krebs.
Trump fires top cybersecurity official who rejected his false claim election was rigged
Twitter immediately amends president’s tweet with warning
Another grim milestone reached
The United States has surpassed 250,000 coronavirus deaths, NBC News reports.
Reaching the deadly milestone comes at a time when cases, hospitalisations, and mortality rates are rapidly increasing in a vast majority of states across the country.
Mortality rates rose in the last four weeks by 42 per cent, according to the news organisation. Daily coronavirus deaths increased from about 800 deaths per day to more than 1,000, causing concern among public health officials.
Danielle Zoellner reports.
US Covid death toll reaches 250,000, reports say
Mortality rates rose in the last four weeks by 42 per cent
Calls grow for Lindsey Graham to step down
There are more demands for an investigation of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and even for him to resign, following his alleged election interference efforts in Georgia.
The senator faces mounting criticism after Brad Raffensperger, Republican secretary of state for Georgia, told The Washington Post that the Senate judiciary committee chairman had suggested finding a way to discount legally cast ballots.
He has dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous”, but Democratic representative Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has demanded that he resign.
Citizens for Ethics has said he should step down from his chairmanship of the judiciary committee, and Marc Elias, a top attorney for the Democratic Party, is calling for the Ethics Committee to investigate the senator.
Biden victory certified by Michigan’s largest county
During a public Zoom meeting a local university vice president eviscerated Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers for attempting to block the formal approval of the vote count.
Biden victory certified by Michigan’s largest county after Trump bragged about blocking results
Local university vice president eviscerates Republican board members in epic takedown during public Zoom meeting
Another court defeat for Trump recount efforts
A Pennsylvania court has rejected a lawsuit appealing the Allegheny County Board of Elections’ decision to count more than 2,300 mail-in ballots, marking the 26th legal defeat for Trump and his allies.
Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by more than 82,000 votes in Pennsylvania.
Arizona secretary of state: ‘I was prepared for these threats of violence and vitriol’
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs released a statement on Wednesday afternoon slamming Donald Trump and elected officials for spreading misinformation: “…there are those, including the president, members of Congress and other elected officials, who are perpetuating misinformation and are encouraging others to distrust the election results in a manner that violates the oath of office they took. It is well past time that they stop. Their words and actions have consequences.”
Pence goes back on the campaign trail
Vice President Mike Pence is hitting the campaign trail in Georgia on behalf of GOP incumbent Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who are in January runoff elections that will decide which party controls the US Senate.
Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff, who faces Mr Perdue, and Raphael Warnock, who faces Ms Loeffler, must both win on the 5 January runoff for Democrats to reclaim a Senate majority.
Griffin Connolly reports.
Pence heading to Georgia to help Republicans as Senate control hangs in balance
Democrats must win both Georgia Senate runoff elections to retake control of chamber
Pelosi slams Trump for ‘undermining democracy’ by firing top election security official
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: “Director Krebs is a deeply respected cybersecurity expert who worked diligently to safeguard our elections, support state and local election officials and dispel dangerous misinformation. Yet, instead of rewarding this patriotic service, the President has fired Director Krebs for speaking truth to power and rejecting Trump’s constant campaign of election falsehoods.”
Pelosi slams Trump for ‘undermining democracy’ by firing top election security official
‘The President has fired Director Krebs for speaking truth to power and rejecting Trump’s constant campaign of election falsehoods’
A farewell from Meadows?
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows attended a Republican lunch at the Capitol today, offering a goodbye message. Senator John Cornyn of Texas told reporters that he talked about “basically just there are about 45 days left of the president’s term”, per reports.
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