Networks call Georgia for Biden as security officials say vote was ‘secure’

‘Cruel and needlessly divisive’: Biden defends Obamacare as Trump aims to dismantle it at Supreme Court

Alex Woodward writes: President-elect Joe Biden condemned "cruel and needlessly divisive" attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act hours after the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in a case from Donald Trump and Republican allies to dismantle the landmark healthcare law.

"This doesn’t need to be a partisan issue, it’s a human issue," Mr Biden said in remarks from Delaware on Tuesday.

The future of US healthcare – and insurance coverage for millions of Americans who lost their employer-back plans following mass layoffs and business closures in the wake of the coronavirus crisis – emerged as a central campaign issue in the presidential race.

Reporter puts Republican officials on the spot 

Journalists are stepping up and asking GOP leaders whether or not they believe President-electJoe Biden won against President Donald Trump (he did) - 

A walk down memory lane…

This photo of President-elect Joe Biden showing Vice President Mike Pence around the White House from exactly four years ago is making the rounds today.

Biden invited to COP26 climate conference in the UK by Boris Johnson

President-elect Joe Biden has been invited to COP26 - officially the United Nations Climate Change Conference - in Glasgow next November by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The British leader extended the invitation to Mr Biden during a call on Tuesday to congratulate him, and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, on their victory in the US election after it was declared on Saturday.

A statement, released by 10 Downing Street, said that the leaders’ “share priorities” when it comes to “tackling climate change, promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic”.

Louise Boyle reports: 

Trump to launch leadership PAC after departure from White House

Donald Trump has set up a leadership political action committee (PAC) to enable him to fundraise and maintain his influence within the Republican party even when he departs the White House, reports say.

Trump campaign spokesman, Tim Murtaugh, told The New York Times the initiative has been in the works for a while and that Mr Trump intended to set up the committee whether or not he won the election.

“The president always planned to do this, win or lose, so he can support candidates and issues he cares about, such as combating voter fraud,” Mr Murtaugh told the newspaper.

Louise Hall has the story: 

Georgia’s Republican congressional members call for investigation into voter fraud

Members and Member-elects of Georgia’s Congressional Delegation have submitted a letter to the state’s secretary of state, a republican, that claim there are irregularities in the 2020 election. 

The members claim, without providing evidence, that these irregularities cloud the sanctity of the election process but say it only impacted three GOP candidates and not the ones who won their races. 

Included in the letter addressed to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was the misspelling of Georgia. 

This move comes after Georgia’s two US senators, both of whom are Republicans, called for Mr Raffensperger to resign over stating that there has been minimal to no sign of voter fraud that impacted the election results. 

Currently President-elect Joe Biden leads the state by more than 11,000 votes over Donald Trump. The president has claimed, without evidence, that voter fraud took place and that is the only reason why he’s lost the presidential election. 

A recount is expected in Georgia given how close the race is between the two candidates. But past recounts have only overturned hundreds of votes, not the thousands of votes needed for Mr Trump to win the state. 

Biden laughs at mention of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, president-elect Joe Biden seemed amused at the very idea that Mike Pompeo is secretary of state.

Asked what options he is considering in terms of access to classified information and secure facilities should Donald Trump refuse to concede, Mr Biden began responding in a measured way.

Saying that the transition would continue as if Mr Trump had conceded, he also said he saw no need for legal action.

"So far, there is no evidence to any of the assertions made by the president or Secretary of State Pompeo,” said the president-elect, before smiling broadly and chuckling.

Oliver O’Connell reports: 

House Democrats win their 218th seat, clinging to a slim majority

House Democrats won their 218th seat on Tuesday, putting them firmly in the majority for the next Congress.

That will give the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden a much-needed boost in leverage in Washington as he navigates Capitol Hill, where Republicans could hold onto the Senate if Georgia GOP Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler hang onto their seats in January runoffs.

These aren’t the result House Democrats — or even Republicans — expected coming into Election Night, though, writes Griffin Connolly. 

Nearly 80 per cent of Americans say Biden won the election, per poll

Nearly 80 per cent of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 election and recognise him as the upcoming US leader, according to a Reuters/Ispos poll. 

Several media organisations, including the Associated Press and Fox News, projected Mr Biden as the winner of the 2020 election on Saturday after Pennsylvania was called in his favour. But Donald Trump has refused to concede the election, claiming voter fraud will prove he won.

Mr Biden currently holds 290 Electoral College votes to Mr Trump’s 214, according to the Associated Press. Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina have yet to be called. 

The poll surveyed Americans from Sunday to Tuesday and it found that 79 per cent of those polled recognised Mr Biden as the winner. Another 13 per cent said the US election had yet to be decided, 3 per cent said Mr Trump won, and 5 per cent did not know. 

About six out of every 10 Republicans thought that Mr Biden won the presidential election while almost every Democrat survey accepted the election results. 

Mr Trump has not yet conceded the election nor indicated if he has intentions to do so in the near future. 

Lincoln Project urges 2.7m followers to bombard law firms trying to overturn Pennsylvania election result

The Lincoln Project has urged their two million followers to prank employees of law firms representing the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania.

The group of anti-Trump Republicans, who specialise in creative memes and adverts, online spats and social media trolling, tweeted on Tuesday that people should create a fake LinkedIn profile, then apply for a job at one of two law firms where staff working for the Trump campaign are employed, writes Harriet Alexander.