President lauds Operation Warp Speed success but says New York will have to wait for vaccine
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump broke his eight day silence with an update on Operation Warp Speed, the project to distribute a vaccine when it is approved by the Food & Drug Administration.
The Rose Garden briefing comes on the day that most networks finally called Georgia for Joe Biden and North Carolina for the president, putting the electoral college votes at 306 to 232 in favour of the Democrat.
In a slight verbal stumble, the president came close to acknowledging that the administration may be in its last days. No formal statement was made regarding the election result. He did not answer any questions.
Trump is being tipped to announce a fresh presidential run in 2024 as he continues to refuse to acknowledge his election defeat to Mr Biden, now president-elect and preparing for government as Mr Trump fires out conspiracy theories in angry tweets from the Oval Office.
The president has meanwhile been branded an “elixir of racial anxiety” by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in an advanced extract from the latter’s new memoir A Promised Land, reflecting on the toxic political undercurrent the former real estate mogul and reality TV star was able to capitalise on to win the White House in 2016.
Mr Obama has also made his first remarks on the current undemocratic impasse in Washington, telling Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes that the Republican Party is “humouring” the incumbent in his delusional rejection of the outcome and taking the country down “a dangerous path”.
• Read more: Follow live updates in our dedicated election liveblog
Boris Johnson’s message congratulating Joe Biden on election victory contains hidden reference to Trump
Chris Baynes has a closer look at Boris Johnson’s message containing a hidden reference to Donald Trump.
When the picture is brightened and magnified, the words “Trump”, “second term” and “the future” become more clearly perceptible.
Read more:
Boris Johnson’s election message to Joe Biden contains hidden reference to Trump
Text referencing incumbent president and ‘second term’ spotted faintly visible in statement congratulating Democrat challenger on win
Congressional candidates echo Donald Trump by refusing to concede and making unproven fraud claims
Errol Webber was never expected to have much of a chance at winning his race for Congress. The Republican had challenged a popular incumbent, Rep Karen Bass, in a deep-blue swath of Los Angeles, so it was no surprise that returns showed him losing by more than 72 percentage points.
But that did not stop Mr Webber, a 33-year-old movie producer, from questioning the results in California's 37th District in the House.
"I'm going to the Los Angeles County Registrar's Office in Norwalk today to audit the vote counting procedures," he wrote Monday. "I will NOT concede. Every LEGAL vote needs to be counted!"
Teo Armus reports.
Congressional candidates echo Trump by refusing to concede
As Donald Trump makes unfounded allegations of voting fraud and demands a recount in the presidential election, his rhetoric and unwillingness to concede appears to be trickling down the ballot.
BREAKING: Mike Pompeo says there will be a ‘smooth transition to second Trump administration’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there would be a “smooth transition to a second Trump administration” just days after the presidential election was projected to be won by Joe Biden.
Mr Pompeo made the comments when asked by reporters if the State Department was engaging with the Biden transition team.
The statement was followed by a stilted laugh, so it is unclear if he was speaking in serious reference to the Trump administration’s legal challenges to the election, or in an attempt at humor.
“We’re ready, the world is watching what’s taking place,” he said in follow-up.
“We’re counting votes, when the process is complete there’ll be electors selected, there’s a process the constitution lays it out pretty clearly. The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today, and successful with the president who’s in office on January 20th.
Pompeo says there will be a ‘smooth transition to second Trump administration’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there would be a “smooth transition to a second Trump administration” just days after the presidential election was projected to be won by Joe Biden.
Watch: ‘There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration’
There’s still an election count happening
Decision Desk HQ just projected Trump to win North Carolina, though most media have already projected to whole race to go to Joe Biden (legal fights notwithstanding).
The Associated Press, the media organization used by most, has not yet called North Carolina. The did, however, project Biden-Harris win of the election.
The states have until 8 December to resolve election disputes while members of the Electoral College have until 14 December to finalize the outcome. It the last contested election, Al Gore refused to concede to George W Bush until 13 December.
Strap in, as it’s looking like 2020 will be another long one.
Biden to speak on the Affordable Care Act
Watch live with The Independent.
BREAKING: Defence official quits leaving Pentagon policy in hands of man who called Obama a ‘terrorist’
A second official has exited the Pentagon leaving policy for the defence department overseen by a retired brigadier general who once called Barack Obama a “terrorist leader”.
The Pentagon’s acting policy chief James Anderson became the second high-level departure this week after the secretary of defence Mark Esper was fired by Donald Trump on Monday.
Stepping into the role vacated by Mr Anderson is Anthony Tata, whose nomination for another Pentagon job fell apart over the summer when his controversial tweets about the former president came to light.
The Independent’s Oliver O’Connell is following the story as it unfolds.
Defence official quits leaving Pentagon policy in hands of man who called Obama a ‘terrorist’
A second official has exited the Pentagon leaving policy for the defence department overseen by a retired brigadier general who once called Barack Obama a “terrorist leader”.
‘Nothing’s going to stop’ presidential transition, Biden says
Joe Biden said the refusal of Donald Trump to concede the election would not effect his transition plans.
“I’m confident that the fact that they’re not willing to acknowledge we won at this point is not of much consequence to our planning and what we’re able to do between now and January 20th,” Biden says.
“Mr President I look forward to speaking to you”, Biden says
When asked if he had any message for Donald Trump, Joe Biden struck a cordial tone.
He said there’s only one president at a time, and there wasn’t a need to take legal action to gain access to White House resources before inauguration on 20 January next year.
Trump’s refusal to concede ‘an embarrassment’, says Biden
“I just think it’s an embarrassment quite frankly,” Biden says of the president’s refusal to concede the election before results are certified.
“The only thing that I can, how can I say this tactfully. I think it will not help the president’s legacy. I think that, I know from my discussions with foreign leaders thus far that they are hopeful that the United State’s democratic institutions are once again viewed as strong and enduring.”
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